The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone

Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question, then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things! The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Then He began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read the Scripture:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

- Mark 11:27-12:12

Yesterday we read about Jesus cleansing the temple, in which He overturned the tables of the moneychangers, the chairs of the sellers of animals for sacrifice, and drove out those trading in the temple. On His way to the temple, He passed a fig tree which sprouted early leaves, but no fruit, and on return He spoke of the power of prayer to move mountains. In the temple, He quoted, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?"

Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" The chief priests and temple leadership ask a serious and reasonable question. Jesus has acted (in yesterday's reading) as a king; His action of cleansing the temple is that of the authority of the Messiah. So serious is the question that we have representation of the fullness of the religious leadership.

But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question, then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things! The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." My study bible has an interesting note on this passage: "Answering the angry opposition's questions is often not wise. Their question By what authority are You doing these things? is logical, for Jesus acts are messianic. And there is an answer: the authority is that of Himself and His Father. But, knowing they seek to entrap Him, He will not say so. He leaves them with their question unanswered, and in confusion over His question. Those who claim to have the answers are left admitting their ignorance." I like the way that Jesus uses language to rather neatly turn the tables on them, using their own hypocrisy against them and their fear of the people. Our King remains a non-violent one, with language as His weapon, avoiding the conflict of a direct answer! Once He engaged in the cleansing of the temple, however, the stage was set for conflict - He has discredited the leadership on their own territory. In some way He also teaches us that they frankly don't deserve an honest answer; it is they who hide behind their fear of the crowds, and the treatment of John.

Then He began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?" At issue is the "ownership" of what is God's. How do we truly bear spiritual fruit? Who are those in charge of this place of fruitfulness, where a harvest is expected at vintage-time? The servants sent by the owner are the prophets, like John the Baptist, who have been "sent" through the ages. (In Isaiah 6:8, we read: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'") The son in the parable is clearly meant to be Jesus, and this way Jesus exposes their thinking about Him. My study bible notes, "The bearing of fruit is the mark of vital spiritual life." What we must truly take a look at here is the motivation of the leadership - to hold onto power at any cost, and to seek to do so through coercion rather than righteousness, or spiritual fruitfulness.

He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read the Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" Jesus tells the parable fully against the temple leadership, and it reflects the symbolism of the colt ridden into Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry. The vineyard is to be given to others. The "faith that moves mountains" from yesterday's reading and Jesus' discourse on faith, is the faith that makes the rejected stone the chief cornerstone.

And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away. My study bible says, "With this parable, Jesus totally discredits the religious leaders of Israel and establishes Himself as Messiah. The religious leaders plainly understand Jesus' criticism and would have Him arrested, but they feared the multitude and a possible insurrection. The leaders in Jerusalem were often viewed by the people as collaborators with the Romans, seeking to maintain their positions. Therefore the people tended to favor popular charismatic figures such as Jesus." The leadership, of course, will not stop working against Jesus - and what Jesus has prepared His apostles for will come about. The real question is how is this done? With righteousness and justice? Or using other means? It is always our choice. It depends on what we value most -- "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," Matthew 6:21.

So let us take this question for today -- what is the faith that moves the mountains? What is the force that builds a movement that can take the rejected stone and it becomes the chief cornerstone? To understand this kind of faith and power, it is necessary to understand the parable Jesus teaches about the vineyard-owner (God) and the vinedressers and servants. How do we see ourselves in service to God's righteousness? Do we align ourselves with God's will, or do we seek to own what is not really ours to own, to control it through our own selfish whims and what we think we gain through this behavior? It all comes down to what we put first. Jesus has taught repeatedly (as reported in the Gospels) the first great commandment, and will go on to so so very shortly in Mark's: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." This is what is put first, and love of neighbor follows. To understand this commandment properly, we see life as sacramental: what we have as a gift is given back to God, so that we understand our relationship to our world and our neighbor. It is this mistake the leadership is failing to make, and so their world will be turned upside down. But let us consider this story, with its conflict over a kind of ownership, a parable for ourselves and our lives. What do we claim to own and use without following that first great commandment? How do we live a really sacramental life, which sets us down in right-relatedness to others? How might our world be turned upside down by our failure to understand this message, and to see ourselves and our choices in the proper light? And where is our faith that can turn a world upside down, and move mountains?

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

- Mark 11:12-26

In yesterday's reading, Jesus made his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. He sent two apostles to get the colt of a donkey, and rode in from the East, from the Mount of Olives. As He did, He was welcomed by people who spread their clothing before Him, and cut branches and spread them on the road as He entered into Jerusalem. They welcomed Him with the words for the expected Messiah, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" Jesus entered the temple. When He had "looked around at all things" He returned east to Bethany with His disciples.

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it. This is a puzzling story, and commentary has also seen it this way. It can be read as a symbolic story - the fig tree being often an image of Israel itself. But the tree will be a useful teaching tool for the disciples, and its symbolism that of spiritual fruitfulness, or lack of it. In this fig tree we find a kind of alternate symbolism to the colt from yesterday's reading: the tree can be seen as a symbol for Israel (as it is found to be so elsewhere in Scripture), while the unbroken colt which Jesus rode into Jerusalem is symbolic of the Gentiles who will come to faith through Him.

So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Throughout Mark's Gospel, we have read of quite a different Jesus than the picture in this scene. Here, His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is followed by the behavior of a king, someone who is fully in charge and in authority. Without an army, without military might, Jesus acts as the "son of David," a king of Israel. It is an extraordinary act.

Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city. In his actions, Jesus quotes from prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. My study bible points out that Jesus "disrupts business and makes a sweeping condemnation of the religious system, yet He is untouched. The religious rulers and the Roman soldiers are close by, but all are paralyzed. In the light of the imagery in the account of the fig tree, the temple is all leaves and no fruit, a picture of the nation itself." Jesus' welcome into Jerusalem (see yesterday's reading) suggests a population starved for the spiritual leadership they need - and we can use the word "starved" also in conjunction with the story of the fig tree without fruit. What do we seek when we pray and worship? Here in the temple, there is a system in place which tells the people what they must do, what they must offer, but what is it offering to them? This, of course, is always a question for the Church that is established in Jesus' name.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. . . " A note in my study bible says, "The cursing of the fig tree also demonstrates the power of faith in God and prayer. This mountain probably refers to the Mount of Olives, but Jesus speaks not of its physical relocation, but of great deeds done through undoubting faith. Neither Jesus nor the disciples moved any actual mountains, but they did turn society upside down with the message of the Kingdom. We all need such faith in our struggle for full repentance and life in Christ . . . We can have assured faith in answered prayer, according to St. John Chrysostom, when we ask things worthy of the Lord and strive for holiness. Of course, human requests neither limit nor control God's omniscient freedom." A note in the New Oxford Annotated Bible reads, "Jesus emphasizes not power in faith but the power of God, his illustration being figurative. Faith will command only according to God's will. What God wills is possible both to himself and to the man who shares his will." Surely we will see Jesus pray in the Garden for the cup to be passed from Him, but "nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done." The words in this passage are puzzling unless we understand what is happening symbolically through this reading and the ones just preceding and afterward. Jesus is establishing a kingdom in the world that will shake up all the powers of the world and displace them. The apostles may not live to see that manifest fully, but as surely as they viewed the withered fig tree, Christ's power was moving mountains that would affect the world - even in their lifetimes. The cleansing of the temple is the evidence of Jesus' authority that would have its greatest and far reaching effects through the faith of His followers, and a world would shift and change. "Moving a mountain," I believe, must be seen in this context. And the verses that follow teach us more about prayer. We must also recall that the word in the Greek translated here as "believe" is more akin to "trust." To "pray" is to literally "exchange wishes" with God in the original Greek etymology (προσεύχομαι).

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." We get the affirmation here of the supremacy of the will of God, and our following and trusting in that will. To forgive is to let go - to release or send away in the original Greek. This seems to be an immediate caution against a prayer for vengeance -- what it truly does is release justice to God. Therefore what we pray for is God's justice, God's mercy, God's righteousness, and the will to see that through and to be helped to come to an understanding of what that is and means. My study bible says, "A call to forgive follows the promise of nearly unlimited possibilities of faith in prayer. What can deter faith that is able to move mountains? Failure to forgive -- the greatest hindrance to knowing God. Not only does unforgiveness cripple our prayers, but even the Father in heaven does not forgive the unforgiving. As the fig tree is rejected for bearing no fruit, so are unforgiving people rejected." Of course the words of Jesus reflect the teaching of the Lord's Prayer.

Jesus is teaching His disciples once more about the tremendous power in prayer. We must not forget what is happening: His entry into Jerusalem and His popular welcome and the cleansing of the temple -- which will stir the authorities against Him and lead to His Passion and final confrontation with their power. It is important to understand what it is to move mountains, and the mission which He is entrusting to the apostles, the "good fight" they will lead after His death and resurrection. This is a kingdom of faith - not vengeance and retribution, and this battle of faith must be fought in a certain way, and by trusting in God. Mountains are moved in ways too far beyond us to control with our own coercive power, but rather through the prayers of those with true faith allied to the will of God. And this is what we must see here, what we must understand for ourselves. Jesus comes offering a kingdom that bears fruit, with its substance given to all. Can we accept it and build it as He would have us do? Do our churches today feed us with spiritual fruit, and do we bear the fruit He asks and wants? Can we share in that faith that can move mountains while it offers forgiveness and seeks the will of God, God's righteousness? Let us consider the momentous events we read about, and apply them to ourselves, and Jesus' teachings to today. What is it to truly be "a house of prayer for all nations?"

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this? say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."

So they went on their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who were there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?" And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David

That comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!"

And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

- Mark 11:1-11

On Saturday, the reading taught us the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar. Jesus was passing through Jericho, and Bartimaeus shouted out for His attention, even though he was repeatedly told to keep quiet. "What do you want Me to do for you?" is Jesus' reply. Bartimaeus wishes for his sight. Jesus tells him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." Receiving his sight, Bartimaeus becomes a disciple, following Jesus on the Way to Jerusalem. See Have mercy on me!

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives . . . This setting is important, and has messianic significance. We have seen how, in the previous reading, Bartimaeus was not told to keep his healing from blindness a secret. Jesus is ready for confrontation, and willingly allows, for the first time, the messianic secret to be exposed. The Mount of Olives and the villages through which Jesus approaches are east of Jerusalem. The mount rises higher than Jerusalem, and popular expectation is that the Messiah will appear and enter Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. So Jesus prepares for the triumphal entry. To enter from the East also has other symbolic significance: when Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) sings in prophecy, he sings of the "rising sun" of heaven. In the original Greek of the text, the word for this literally the "Eastern" (ἀνατολὴ), meaning the light that comes from the East - and remains an important term for Jesus in hymns and liturgical use.

He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. . ." My study bible says here, "Jesus fully understands what He is about to do: He deliberately prepares His entry into Jerusalem as a messianic act, thus challenging the authorities. He also, therefore, makes a statement regarding humility in His Kingdom, for He has just commanded His disciples not to be worldly rulers (10:40-45). He will practice what He preaches. The donkey is a symbol of peace. Jesus comes on a donkey's colt as a Messiah of peace, not on a chariot or war-horse as a political or military deliverer. Using a donkey on which no one has sat is appropriate to the dignity of the messianic entry of Jesus." In a commentary regarding this colt, St. Cyril of Alexandria has written that it is symbol of the "new people" He will bring into His kingdom - young and not broken in. The two disciples bring in "the heathen" (that is, all of us who are not prepared through Jewish heritage) just as they will go out, two by two, into the wide world, with the gospel message. An unbroken colt is yet without a master, a Lord - the symbolism becomes a parable.

"Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this? say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here." My study bible notes that there are many in Israel, at this point of His impending entry into Jerusalem, who love and follow Christ. "It is not presumptuous of Jesus to request this colt, for the owner will be told, The Lord needs it -- granting him the privilege of giving to God."

So they went on their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who were there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?" And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. This story about the colt is a significant one, appearing in all four gospels. John tells us that it is in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah: "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." It teaches us about Jesus' popularity at this time, and the popular expectations of His ministry, and His messianic identity. He is finally open in declaring Himself. Commentary in the New Oxford Annotated Bible tells us, "Jesus dramatized his offer of himself as the Messiah, putting his emphasis on humility. Like a parable, his action had to be understood and accepted."

Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" My study bible teaches, "An excited crowd acclaims Jesus as messianic King, a dangerous act before the Jewish and Roman authorities. Hosanna (lit. "save now," quoted from Ps. 118:25) was sung at the Passover as a greeting or blessing with messianic significance." Without force, without an army, but with the hearts of many who hope in the promise they see in His ministry, Jesus enters into Jerusalem. It is a state with a complex set of rulers and leadership. There are the Jewish authorities - those parties of the temple and also of Herod and his court. There are also the Roman authorities, whose interest is in keeping the peace in this colony, a possession of Rome and part of Rome's empire. And into this picture - in some sense in our hearts, the center of the world, at the center of the world's history - comes Jesus, on a donkey's colt, with popular support. It is the peaceful Messiah up against the powers of the world.

And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. Fittingly, He enters into the temple. In some sense, it is an anticlimactic end to the passage for today. There is no speech, no proclamation of some sort of victory, no announcement of the kingdom. Only that Jesus looks around at all things, and "the hour was already late." And He goes with the twelve to Bethany, one of the towns which they have passed through to the east of Jerusalem, for rest.

Jesus knows what He is getting Himself into. He has prepared His disciples for this day. And now that it is here, there is no grand proclamation, no assertion of a heavenly kingdom about to manifest fully on earth -- only the expectations of those who have put their faith in Him. Finally, He is unveiled as Messiah but without force or coercion, only popular acceptance. We will see what is to come. We know what awaits Him. But in some way, the note I quoted from the New Oxford Annotated Bible has it perfectly right - and I might add, the same statement is so true of so much of what we have reported of Jesus' life. We have to approach the story as a parable. It must be understood and accepted. The "march" into Jerusalem, the clothes and the branches, a popular response but done, in some sense, at the last minute, in a kind of makeshift acclaim, a homespun response with what is at hand and what can be immediately gathered - this is the welcome to the One whom we call King of Kings. It is not impressive nor splendid such as would accompany the arrival of a contemporary ruler of this period of history - a Caeasar, a Cleopatra, a Mark Antony. Jesus' triumphal entry is one, instead, that might even open itself to ridicule, had it not been such a popular one (and He will be ridiculed on the Cross). It teaches us that we cannot go by appearances, nor by blind force nor the power of coercion in all its forms - but the real acceptance of this king is in the heart, in the hearts of the people who are prepared for this spontaneous reception and enact it in the ways they can. How it is fitting that Jesus walks into the temple, and "looks around at all things." I see this "parable" of these events as Jesus' walk into our hearts, our center, the place where we worship. We honor Him and let Him in and He will "look at all things" there, and rest and sup with us. But He comes in humility and in forms we may not at all expect, in the homespun welcome of whatever it is we can offer Him in our own humility, whoever we are. He's not going to fight for Jerusalem, or rulership, it is we who must let Him in.

Have mercy on me!

Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

- Mark 10:46-52

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught once again about the importance of service and humility. James and John Zebedee, two of his closest disciples and friends, asked to be allowed to sit on His right and His left in the fullness of His kingdom. Jesus taught them that this was not His to give, but that these places are "for those for whom it is prepared." But before that, they don't understand what they are asking, and the suffering He will endure - that they must be prepared for also. Jesus declares to all of the apostles, "Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus, of course, is on the road to Jerusalem - to His Passion and death on the Cross. The great cry comes forth from Jericho, and it is the cry of each of us to God who is love, "Have mercy on me!" "Have mercy!" my study bible says, "is a favorite phrase of prayer in the liturgical tradition of the Church. Mercy is God's lovingkindness, His tender compassion toward repentant sinners." "Son of David" we might say is Bartimaeus' recognition of Jesus - a sign of his faith. Ancient Israel took Jericho with a shout - let us see how this happens in Jesus' ministry. I think it's also important that we notice Bartimaeus and his persistence. Nothing can silence him - he won't listen to the others who tell him to be quiet.

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" "What do you want Me to do for you?" is the question that we heard also in yesterday's reading, when James and John Zebedee asked for something Jesus could not give to them. This question seems to teach us that we might not always get what we ask for, but we are always asked to be specific, and to come to God with our real desires - in some sense, with who we really are, in dialogue. We ask for love and mercy, and we will receive that in return. But we give our all, our heart's desires. Bartimaeus' throwing off his garment is a symbolic undoing of his outer stature, revealing himself to God.

The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." My study bible says, "Jesus knows all things, and knows this man is blind. Yet He asked, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' The man could have asked, 'Lord, give me grace to live with blindness,' but he asks for his sight. Faith needs to be specific, and Jesus requests him to exercise his faith by asking for a specific need. Rabboni means 'my teacher,' showing the man's affection for Jesus." "Your faith has made you well" is the same response Jesus has made to others, such as the woman with the years long flow of blood.

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. Bartimaeus becomes a disciple - this is the way in which Jericho is "taken" in the story of Jesus' ministry. The shout of grace and mercy goes out, and the Lord, the "Son of David" responds. The healed man becomes a disciple - as has happened so often with others. This is the unfolding of God's grace interacting with us. This synergistic action, working in tandem, so often has the effect of a great transformational change. It is Bartimaeus' faith that makes all the difference, in a depth of change that goes far beyond just healing his eyes; there is spiritual sight involved as well. My study bible notes here: "Bartimaeus follows Jesus, becoming a disciple of His (the road is G. hodos, the same word used for 'the Way' in Acts 9:2), and is not commanded to silence. Now that Jesus is heading toward an open confrontation with the Jewish leaders in the Holy City, the veiling of His identity (the messianic secret) is no longer necessary."

What do you truly desire? In yesterday's reading, the desire of John and James Zebedee was not to be - there are too many heavenly realities and understanding of discipleship they require for that to be granted at that time. But the truth is that Jesus' answer gives them what they truly need and desire: the power to become the disciples and servants they ask to be - and today we think of them as His closest companions, privy to the early great healing of Jairus' daughter, and of course, Jesus' Transfiguration. And they would go on to serve as was required of them - John's Gospel, Epistle and Revelation are three great books of the Church. But we see Bartimaeus, and his answered prayer. His transformation, the depth of change wrought in the person through this healing ministry, is far more of an answer than he asked for. He not only receives his sight, but becomes a disciple, and leaves Jericho following Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. Wherever we are, the gospels teach us, we offer all that is to God. We offer who we are, right where we are, and Christ will take that; God's mercy will interact with our offering of ourselves. What it is to be specific is really to offer up who we are in a sort of sacrament, and then God responds and transforms - and that is life in this ministry, a life of faith. It is a kind of cooperation, a communication. Too often prayer is considered asking or "begging" (and it's important that our subject today is a blind beggar). But God wants all of us, not just our desires but all that we can be. Someone recently said to me that so often a prayer is answered by giving us a challenge, to be what God sees that we can become. So Bartimaeus' answer is a challenge. He receives His sight, but as a disciple there is so much more down the road, and so much more for him to conquer and achieve in his life. Jericho was the site of a famous battle in which God's grace responds through a great shout of the people. What is your shout to God, and how does it call you forward along the road of the challenge to be what you can be in God's sight? Let the communion in prayer be the start of that action, that forward movement along the Way, the road on which we "Follow Him." We don't know where that might lead, but our prayer will surely be answered. Jesus told Bartimaeus, "Go your way" as he was healed. Can we respond in the way of Bartimaeus?

Whoever desires to be great among you shall be your servant

Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask." And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

- Mark 10:32-45

Yesterday, we read about the approach of a young man, who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus first asked him about the commandments of Moses. These, the young man said, he had followed all of his life. But he lacked one thing, according to Jesus. If he wished eternal life, he must sell all he had and give it to the poor. Then he would have riches in heaven. "And come, take up the cross, and follow Me," Jesus said. The young man was very wealthy and went away sorrowful. Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. I think these verses set the tone for what is coming, for the next portion of Jesus' life in the world and what His disciples are going to encounter. They have followed Him thus far, growing in understanding of Him and His teachings, growing in the power He has shared with them to heal, to cast out demons, to teach and preach. But the gradual preparation for a life of hardship - and especially for what is to come to Jesus - is meeting its fulfillment.

Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again." My study bible says, "Here Jesus gives a more detailed disclosure about the events of His Passion and Resurrection, including being handed over to the Gentiles, the Romans. His predictions are fulfilled in chapters 14-16." This vivid preview of what is to come is a further preparation for them. This news must be almost impossible to accept and to understand. What the disciples do take with them is the understanding that He will rise again - and a misunderstanding about the manifestation of the kingdom.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask." And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" This question, "What do you want me to do for you?" is always an important part of Jesus' response to requests. We will hear it later on, when Jesus encounters a blind beggar on the road to Jericho. But I think it's important we note this response to what is essentially prayer. It asks for specifics, and He offers Himself.

They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory." The request is specific. The two brothers, being perhaps Jesus' closest friends, are concerned with their places in this kingdom that Jesus has taught them about - but which they misunderstand. Of course, this is isn't the first time the apostles - having been confronted with what is to come for Jesus - think first about their greatness in this kingdom. They have already argued about it in an earlier reading. And Jesus has already given them His strongest warnings about seeking to be great, and the necessary humility to be His servant, and the servant to the "little ones" in His Church. It seems the lesson hasn't quite been grasped! (What a blessing it is to know that even the apostles share our own weaknesses, over and over again!) And in some sense, it is a warning to us too, about ourselves and our understanding of this kingdom and our places in it.

But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared." To drink the cup that Jesus will drink, and to be baptized as He will be baptized is to suffer. Baptism, a symbolic death by immersion, is the death that Jesus will die on the cross. Jesus does indeed prepare the way for His apostles and many who would follow Him. My study bible says, "Jesus says you do not know what you ask because He does not promise a visible kingdom on earth or an immediate, victorious and glorious consummation, but rather toils, struggles and conflicts. Cup and baptism are references to suffering and death. The disciples do not grasp this now. But they will meet both these realities in future persecutions and in the sacramental realities of the cup of the Eucharist (1 Cor. 11:26) and the death and resurrection of baptism (Col. 2:12)." First, His preparation for them is of what is to come, both for Himself and for the apostles and so many other followers, and the Church as a whole. Next, His teaching is about obedience to God the Father - what they ask is not His alone to give. Jesus Himself will not "Lord it over others" in His kingdom just as He asks His disciples to learn service as well. Once again, this is a teaching - in many dimensions - on humility and service, and the fulfillment of who we are in that kingdom. Regarding their place in the kingdom, my study bible notes: "A place of honor in the eternal Kingdom will be given by the Father to those for whom it is prepared, that is (according to the Church Fathers) not by God's arbitrary choice but according to a believer's sacrifice and suffering for Christ and the Kingdom." This would be in keeping with Jesus' teaching to the wealthy young man in yesterday's reading. This point of view also teaches us about the synergistic quality of this kingdom: God shares power with us, through our faith, and through grace we participate with God in God's work.

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them." Their desire to be the "greatest in the kingdom" of Jesus upsets the rest of the apostles. But Jesus, as Teacher, tells them all where they are mistaken, and what they must now learn. His power is not that of worldly power. The great "lords" of the Gentiles (particularly, we assume, the Romans who hold power over Israel and hold a great empire of the world) "lord it over" the rest of the people and the "great ones" exercise authority over all the rest - absolute authority, with the power of life and death and the persecution for any disobedience.

"Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." In Jesus' kingdom, the rules are changed and power does not work the way that it works in a "worldly" sense. Power is something that is, first of all, shared - as we have seen from the work of ministry in which the apostles and disciples have been engaged, casting out demons and their healing work - even the feeding of thousands in the wilderness. This kingdom works on a different kind of currency of power, and it is a power that is conveyed with love and humility. Moreover, Jesus Himself sets the different standard. He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. My study bible says, "Service is characteristic of true greatness. The model is Christ's incarnate life and death: the perfect man is the perfect servant. Ransom is the price paid for the release of someone held captive. In this case, humanity is released from the bondage of sin and death by Christ's redemptive sacrifice on the Cross."

What I take away from this encounter is once again Jesus' important emphasis on service and on humility. The disciples themselves still haven't grasped what this kingdom is all about - and our gospel reading teaches us that the things that we all have trouble with in our lives are common even to the chosen ones of His ministry, the Twelve. Note that not a word is spoken about Judas, who will betray Jesus, until the time of that betrayal. In these stories of struggle with notions of service, of humility, and especially in grappling with what exactly is this power of love that is at work in this kingdom - and the service required for its fulfillment - the struggles are those of Jesus' closest apostles. John and James Zebedee are perhaps His closest friends among them, in a band of people who would come from close contacts and perhaps family ties. Earlier, it was Peter - who would so often speak for all of the apostles, and just after His confession of faith that Jesus is Christ - to whom Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan!" This was because of Peter's reaction to the news of what is to come to Jesus. Jesus told him, "You are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." So, in these stories, we are not taught first about suffering and sacrifice and courage, but rather about the human weaknesses and points of view that belong to all of us -- and first and foremost Jesus' closest (and those will be greatest) apostles. All of them, of course, will go on to follow in Jesus' footsteps, each in their own way. Peter will request to be crucified upside down, in order to show His humility before Christ, even in death. But before that, they all struggle with this message, with this depth of conflict over the powers that be in this world, and the power that reigns in a heavenly kingdom. Where does your struggle start with these concepts? How does humility strike you as a hard-to-grasp idea, and service to the kingdom manifest in its call to you? What does it mean to be servant to all? Is it to be a doormat, or to serve the values of a kingdom that call on you in a different way - with its own teachings of value, service to God, and humility in Christ's love? Where do you go in this journey?

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were great astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You." So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

- Mark 10:17-31

In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus had traveled to Judea, to Jerusalem. He was disputing with the Pharisees when they asked Him a question, to test Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" Jesus said that an easy or simple divorce was provided for men by Moses "because of the hardness of your heart." He taught that marriage is about love, a relationship made in sacrament. He said, "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." Then someone brought little children to Him, that He might touch them. When His disciples tried to keep them away, He said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." Still in Judea, we have another important question. How do we inherit eternal life? But first, Jesus' focus is on one thing - it is God who is good. I think this is an important understanding. He turns the young man toward the relationship with God, this comes first in answer to all questions. My study bible says that Jesus is speaking as a human being, not denying His goodness, but focusing the man's attention on God. We each must cultivate that prime relationship to answer the questions in our lives.

"You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Next, Jesus focuses on the Law as given by Moses. These are the commandments of God, given through the greatest prophet of the Jews. He is in Judea, and begins with Moses in answering the questions posed to Him, as He did in yesterday's reading.

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. I love that we learn that Jesus "loved him." I wonder what He loved about the young man: we can see his devotion, and his deep care of the commandments of Moses. And, I believe, his sincere seeking must be a part of what prompts Jesus' love. At any rate, we are taught by learning of Jesus' love for the young man, that he is of good character and heart, and Jesus responds with true teaching for his best understanding. "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." Perhaps the one thing this young man lacks is an understanding of the reality of the kingdom that is there present. Jesus' answer invites him to think of life as a sort of exchange, where the real presence of the kingdom in our midst is alive and well. Life isn't only about following commandments, but realizing in that relationship of a spiritual kingdom that all that we do and say in the world is interrelated with another reality in which we also participate. At any rate, this kind of transcendence or detachment is extraordinarily hard for this young man to comply with as Jesus has put it, and he goes away "sorrowful, for he had great possessions." It is a lot to give up, a lot to transcend, to see past, and this sacrifice in exchange for the riches of the kingdom reaches deep down into this young man. My study bible says, "The command to sell all is for this man, or for any other whom Christ may call in this particular way, but should not be construed as a universal requirement." In other words, this is the young man's vulnerable spot, the place where he needs repentance, or "change of mind." All that we have is to be used for God's purposes - but Jesus is not rejecting ownership of property.

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were great astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." A hard saying, and the apostles are astonished. But this teaching is about the seduction of wealth, its illusion of providing all there is for us, our identity, and its grip on the heart. To "trust in riches" is to be beholden to what we own, so that it owns us. And wealth, unfortunately - the love of money - is a very seductive power in the world; it may be what we are prepared to have in exchange for our souls. Jesus is teaching that detachment - the ability to use what we have for God's purposes, to put God first in all our dealings in life - is possible even from such a great temptation as vast wealth, with God's help. "With God all things are possible." This is why, we're reminded, He first steered the young man to God, to faith in God who is transcendent of his wealth. Jesus has said (in a few readings past, as He addressed an illness that even His disciples could not help) "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Here, the "illness" is the great attachment to wealth, a deep temptation, a weakness. The demonic possession of the boy in the earlier reading, and this young man's identity so bound up with his property, have something in common. But with the help of faith, "all things are possible." We recall the father's cry in the earlier reading, and it might well have been the young man's in today's reading, if he had not turned away in sorrow: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You." So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." My study bible says, "Discipleship is radical self-denial, a total offering of oneself to God. This implies readiness to give up dear possessions or even relationships that stand in the way of following Christ . . . That disciples will receive earthly rewards a hundredfold now in this time is not an absolute promise: countless saints and martyrs were not so rewarded. However, God has a way of returning and multiplying earthly blessings along with persecutions to faithful men and women according to His will." I hope I may be allowed to testify here to my own fortune in life: I have been blessed, along with what we might call "persecutions" if I may use that word. (It wasn't always so, however.) I am greatly blessed in the loving home I have in life, and my marriage (see yesterday's reading). Of course, Jesus' words in these verses constitute another radical teaching on detachment, and humility.

With the past several readings, the disciples are learning about detachment, and the necessary humility for their work as servants in the kingdom. "But many who are first will be last, and the last first" creates for us an important understanding of the answer to the dispute among the disciples (about who would be greatest in the kingdom) that Jesus was responding to in Monday's reading. Since then we've read about Jesus teaching them to receive the "little ones" as if they are receiving Him and the Father who sent Him, about other groups casting out demons in Jesus' name, about the supreme importance of caring for the "little ones," about care and love in the relationship of marriage - especially toward the weaker partner, and today about detachment from possessions. Jesus' messages are taking the disciples (and us) further and further into what it means to take up their crosses and follow Him, and what it means to have humility - to be able to give up the things that are necessary in order to embrace life in the kingdom, even as we are a part of the world. Over and over again, we are taught that it is up to us to live this life of the kingdom in our world. It is not something that belongs to another place, another life, but the here and now, and must be lived out as it is in our midst, it is among us and within us. Its realities permeate and live even through ours, even though it turns the "prince of this world" upside down, and stands those "worldly" values on their head that teach us otherwise: that rank and position are all, that wealth comes before other concerns in life, that power is always coercive. Jesus asks us, as He asks the apostles and the rich young man, to put God first, before everything else - and this sets down all other relationships in their right place. It gives us perspective - and this is the detachment, the humility, He looks for. We are to let go of all else that stands in the way. So today, my question is, where does that relationship with God put you? And what does it say you might need to let go of, that has a firm grip before it?

For of such is the kingdom of God

Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed He taught them again.

The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

- Mark 10:1-16

In yesterday's reading, Jesus explored the themes of leadership, service and humility. He outlined in the strongest possible terms the charge which His apostles must fulfill as leaders in His church: they are to welcome the "little ones" as if they were welcoming Christ Himself, and with Christ is also the Father. He warns what will befall those who cause the little ones to stumble - and it is a continuation of His powerful warning about humility and service in leadership. It is His strongest warning possible, summoning the reality of Judgment, and teaching in a powerful metaphor that it is better to lose a limb or one's sight than perish altogether. He means that each will be tried and tested, and may be called upon to give up cherished notions of rank in order to truly serve. Using the metaphor of salt as that essence He wishes them to retain, He taught, "Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed He taught them again. Jesus has come to Jerusalem to teach. My study bible says, "Having completed His Galilean ministry, Jesus begins His Judean ministry, the focus of which is Jerusalem. Jesus taught regularly. Teaching is not all people need, but it is indispensable for effective Christian living."

The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept." In Jesus' time, it was easy for a man to divorce his wife (but for Jews, a woman could not divorce her husband). It simply required a certificate written by a dissatisfied husband. But Jesus makes a case even against Moses' command. He says this was written "because of the hardness of your heart." I think it's important to understand the conditions for women, and to consider what this meant in terms of hardship. In this society, how would she support herself? Where would she go? What would she do? What social group could she then be a part of? But there is even more to it than this.

"But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." Jesus reminds them of the essence of relationship - of love and care for one another. God creates bonds between human beings, the sacrament of marriage being perhaps the most significant. "The two shall become one flesh" teaches us of this powerful union before God. Over and over again, Jesus has taught about relationship and relatedness -- whether it is to teach about the "little child" in whom we are also to see Jesus Himself and the Father as well, or this passage on marriage, it is relationship and love that He emphasizes. Marriage is not only a sense of gaining a wife, something added to one's estate - which can be gotten rid of if for any reason it is not satisfactory - but marriage is a state in which two are joined in the fullness of what it is to possess a soul, and the capacity to love, and what it truly means to be a creation of God. It is such a strong bond that it, in fact, replaces the bonds to parents and family of origin. To become one flesh is a sort of metaphor that teaches the substitution of the early stages of life, in which mother and child are joined as one flesh. For this reason, Jesus invokes the very act of creation itself. He always teaches us about what we can be, uplifting humanity to the fullest image in which we are made. In some way, He is raising the question, "What about love?"

In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." As has happened so often, His disciples ask Him in private to speak to them further about His public teaching. And in private, He takes the teaching further. Divorce and remarriage are a form of adultery. The case of a woman divorcing her husband would apply only to a Gentile woman, as this was not permitted among Jews in Jesus' time. The ancient Church, it should be noted, did recognize conditions in which divorce was permissible, including a threat to one's partner's life, desertion, forced prostitution and sexual immorality. Jesus' teaching is about love and the bonds of love as created by God. His teachings are against abuse, not a merciless sanctioning of any and all cruelty in a slavish bond. Divorce was regarded as a spiritual tragedy in the sense that the bonds of love in a sacrament of God can be destroyed by abuse. My study bible says that among the stricter school of the Pharisees, this perspective on the destruction of a marriage (for example, through sexual immorality) was also taught. Again, the emphasis here is on love and relationship.

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. Again, we have a reading where "little children" are mentioned, as has been the case for the readings of the previous two days (here and here). We recall that Jesus has taught His disciples that when they receive a little child, they should see it as if they are receiving Him, and therefore also the Father. But in this context, we see something added to this teaching: He is once again teaching about love and relationship. It is an extension of the teachings on marriage -- the children belong to Him, and hence to the disciples also. There is no "least of these" in this kingdom. The very attitude of the children themselves is one which adults need to adopt in order to accept and receive the kingdom, in order to enter.

Divorce and the children -- we see Jesus creating an understanding of the bonds of union and love on many levels, and elevating the capacities for human beings to exercise and live that love. In marriage, a union becomes "one flesh" in the sacrament of God, joined together in love by the God who is love, and this is the image for which we strive to understand relatedness between equals: two different beings, of one flesh. One gender in this picture of marriage that Jesus presents is not inferior or superior to the other. And the receiving of a little child in the midst of the Church, by Jesus Himself, is elevated to the standard with which the disciples must receive all, "for of such is the kingdom of God." It is again a teaching on humility - it is the perspective of the child with which we must receive God, and enter the kingdom. Two teachings on love, but both reflecting the bonds created by God, Who is love. Can we live that love? Two thousand years later, have we learned something more of that love and this radical vision He brings of its bonds? Let us consider the love of God and its permeation throughout our lives. Where does humility come in for each of us, and its status as a basic requirement for loving relationships? In my opinion, "hardness of heart" is always related to arrogance, and humility is where we truly recognize who we are. Just as He has taught the apostles about this requirement for their ministry of service, so He is also teaching this about marriage, and extending its relation to the bonds that are in the Church. Can we see this? Can we hope for this humility that helps us to see as God sees? perhaps even to love as God loves?