There stands One among you whom you do not know

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD,"'

as the prophet Isaiah said."

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

- John 1:19-28

In yesterday's reading, we read the Prologue of John's Gospel (verses 1-18) in which the theological foundation for Christianity is set. He tells us who Jesus is, exactly - as incarnate deity, Son of God and co-Creator, Logos. It is such a fitting prologue to the Gospel, summing up so much of the character of this book, and the true Light which will shape so much of its imagery. See In the beginning was the Word.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." John the Baptist is introduced as the first human figure in our story of the Incarnation of Christ, the Son. A towering figure in his own time, John sets the story in its time and place: in Christian understanding he is the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, and he comes as "Forerunner" of the new -- the one who tells us of the Incarnation, the One who has been awaited. It is not surprising that the religious leadership sends delegates to meet him and question him. John the Baptist had many followers and was widely revered by the populace for his fearlessness and righteousness. Many of Jesus' disciples were John's first. My study bible notes that John is a prophet, but denies that he is "the Prophet" -- "a messianic Moses-like figure expected by the Jews (Deut. 18:15, 18)."

Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"'as the prophet Isaiah said." John bears witness to himself and his role in the economy of the Incarnation. He is declaring what is to come, Who is to come, calling all to repentance to prepare for this event. As we move into John's Gospel, the stage is being set for the events and teachings of Jesus' life. Prophecy runs through all the Gospels and shines through many figures - but John's powerful witness calls all to attention, to preparation for the One who is coming.

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. A delegation of Pharisees also comes to question John. The Pharisees will remain a group among the leadership which will figure prominently in this gospel for their failure to grasp the spiritual significance of what is happening in their midst. There will be individuals among the leadership who are followers and supporters of Christ, but as a class the Pharisees fail to understand Jesus and His teaching. I am personally intrigued by the words, "there stands One among you whom you do not know." St. Paul - who was, by his own testimony, taught by a famous Pharisee teacher, Gamaliel - will use these words when preaching in Athens, at the shrine of the unknown god (see Acts 17:16-34). John the Baptist's towering figure, his heroism, is in his willingness to preach about the preparation for the One among them they do not know.

The Good News comes to us in many forms: through these Books of the Church, through prophecy and witness, through testimony, all the inheritance of worship and tradition - and perhaps even through the love and care of someone you know. But we always have to remember the One among us whom we do not know. We are called to the light, to share in the light and reflect the light - as we can - that comes from the true Light. But there is always more to this God that we do not know. There is always more in ourselves that needs the illumination of the light of grace. And our relationship to the Light can always grow. When we are warned not to be like the Pharisees here, it is a warning about our own blindness. We may think we know, or "say we see" when there is so much more to learn and to know, a light waiting for us to turn to it and be healed in some new way. So today, I invite you to ponder the light that may among us, awaiting your sight, which you cannot as yet see, and in some sense do not know. John's Gospel invites us into this Mystery, and deepens its power for us. As Lent unfolds, let us consider the light that shines in the darkness, and move towards it by understanding our own natures, and what we do not yet know.

In the beginning was the Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

- John 1:1-18

This week Lent begins. In the Eastern Church, the first day of Lent is today. For the Western Church, Lent begins on Wednesday, which is called Ash Wednesday. The two different approaches are interesting: in the Greek tradition, the beginning of Lent is a time of celebration. In the lectionary, we have just finished going through the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew's Gospel, in preparation for Lent. Today we begin readings from the Gospel of John.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. "In the beginning" recalls to us the first words of Genesis and its story of creation. My study bible points out that these words complete our understanding of creation, giving us a real "beginning." But "the beginning" by itself is misleading, because the Word "was" with God. Our sense of time is immediately juggled to include the understanding of the eternal, a process of creation unlike the "creation" we understand. The Word, Logos, signifies "wisdom" and "reason" as well as "word." (In the Greek, my study bible points out, logikos is "creation," participating in the Divine Word.) John opens His Gospel by teaching us of the divinity of the Word, His co-existence with God and co-equal and co-eternal nature. He is co-Creator, "without Him nothing was made that was made."

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. If I could personally sum up my own perspective on John's Gospel, these words would fill it. His life is the light of men - His life is life abundantly for all of us, each of us; it is life itself -- and it is the light for us as well. My study bible says that this light is the same light seen by Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:2); Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Is. 6:1-5); and Peter, James and John saw it on the Mount of Transfiguration. The powerful words here, so contained in short sentences, also tell us of the nature of that light, and of the "evil" or darkness into which it shines. The darkness can neither understand it ("take it in") nor can it overcome it. It is a powerful statement of the nature of Christ's work in the world, as it is ongoing, through grace, and of our own blindness to the brilliant light that may be as close as a breath.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. While the first verses in today's reading teach us of the divine and eternal nature of Christ and the inseparability of Logos from God the Trinity, these verses teach us about His life in the flesh, as incarnate God and Son. We begin with John the Baptist, who came ("sent by God") to bear witness to the Light, "that all through Him might believe." We are given, first of all, a purpose for the Incarnation: our relation in this picture is inseparable from His mission. Creator has come to unite with His creation, all of us. Moreover, through John the Baptist's mission we understand that this Light may be shared between all of us; we may be light-bearers and witness to that Light in order that others may find it as well. And this Light is the true source of light in all of us, the light we may each share and bear and reflect.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Creator comes to creation, and creation does not understand Him. This teaches us that we need grace to understand the things that are beyond us, to share in that relationship and find faith. "His own" may mean the entirety of the Jewish people, as He was born a Jew (as indeed was John the Baptist and the author of our Gospel and so were His Twelve Apostles and the majority of the faithful we find in the Gospels). But, we are taught, relationship and kinship comes not through flesh and blood but by the power to receive -- not "the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Grace for grace: through grace each who receives has the right to become a child of God. This gift changes all understanding of what it is to be "God's people," and the notion of what constitutes love and worship, the depth of relationship.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. Finally there is the witnessing of John the Evangelist himself: "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Imagine being the great friend of the Light incarnate, and "beholding His glory... full of grace and truth." The reference to John the Baptist, repeatedly mentioned here in the beginning of John's Gospel, tells us of the powerful force and presence of the Baptist himself, and his importance in the whole economy of the unfolding of the incarnation of Logos, the life of Jesus and of the church itself. Each has received an abundance of light and grace, from the Light itself, manifest in the world: grace for grace. My study bible says that "grace for grace" is a Semitic expression which signifies an abundance of grace. My study bible has a beautiful note on these verses: "'We' are the disciples, the people of God, pilgrims in this transient world. In the Old Testament, God's glory, His radiant power, dwelt ("tabernacled") in the temple. Here, the eternal Word in His divine glory comes to dwell in the midst of humanity through the Incarnation."

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. To follow the law given through Moses is one thing, but to experience relationship through grace and truth is another and requires of us a deeper kind of challenge -- not to bypass the law, but to fulfill it, in the same sense in which Jesus taught His expansion on the Law in the Sermon on the Mount (see especially here and here). Grace and truth is the shared light, coming from the One Source, which is able to illumine even we who are not God, so that we may become children of God. An ancient teaching on grace and its work in us also teaches us about light: metal thrust into fire becomes full of its heat and energy, but it does not become the fire itself. It remains metal, illumined and perhaps transformed in its properties. Human nature, through grace and truth, "becomes godlike without ceasing to be human," as my study bible puts it. But the Light itself, the Source of Life, none of us has seen but the Son, who has declared God to us. We are illumined through grace and truth, so that we may become "like God" and filled with the light, brought into a deepening fullness of relationship to Creator.

Let us ask, then, what it is to receive this light, to be a witness to the light, and its transforming work in us. We are set down in these verses with the theology of the Church -- the entirety of our understanding of Christ, His inseparability from God the Trinity, His incarnate reality as Son and light-giver to each of us. The question is, then, what do we do with the light? How do we bear it in the world and bear witness to it in ourselves? Do we bring others to this light and share it? Does it work through us? How do these words still ring true today, and about the darkness that does not comprehend? How does that light shine in your life and illuminate what you need and where you need to go? Do you in turn reflect its light and warmth and hope for others? We begin this week awaiting the Light of Easter -- and we have a full period before us to consider that Light and its work in us and among us and through us.

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

And so it was, when Jesus ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

- Matthew 7:22-29

Since last Monday, we have been working our way through Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. We began with the Beatitudes. Then Jesus taught that His followers are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He began to explain His expanded version of the Law, beginning with the statute against murder; and taught further about casting away from ourselves the things we must not harbor in order to find righteousness. Then He expanded on the understanding of justice in the Law. Next Jesus taught about religious discipline and practice, and gave us a prayer: Our Father in heaven. Turning to the realities of heaven, Jesus taught us we must choose what we treasure in life; and that we cannot serve two masters. He next taught about practicing judgment, discernment, and the Golden Rule that summed up the Law and the Prophets - and seeking the spiritual mysteries from a loving Father. Finally, in yesterday's reading, we learned of the narrow gate by which we enter this kingdom, and a warning about the false prophets who will come. Today, He continues.

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Beginning in yesterday's reading, Jesus has clearly declared Himself as a Divine Person and as Judge. My study bible points out that He calls Himself 'Lord" as in Yahweh of the Old Testament, and also speaks about the Father's will which He fully knows and shares (see yesterday's reading). "In that day," of course, refers to Judgment. But I feel the greatest impact here is from the teaching itself -- that there are those who may perform all kinds of powerful signs and act in His name whom He will cast away from Himself. It is, again, a teaching about hypocrisy. We are to live for the "praise of God" and not the praise of men. We must always practice what He teaches - the Golden Rule, and guarding what we dwell upon, what we seek in life, what we choose to serve in our hearts, where our real treasure is. It takes real humility to do that, to serve the Father's purpose with our lives, which may be secret and hidden. It is beautifully poetic to understand why none of us can judge - because only the knower of hearts understands the secret depths where we know God, and what may be hidden from our sight in the world. Therefore the emphasis returns to the heavenly realities we must treasure and seek.

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." It's the great rock of faith that sees us through the storms. Upon what is your faith founded? To "hear these sayings of Mine" is to reflect upon all the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount: the repeated warnings against hypocrisy; the encouraging we receive to watch our thoughts, to take care what we dwell upon and what we love and treasure, to seek peace in our lives, to remember our Father in the "secret place" and to cultivate our relationship there. This powerful reality is what will serve us in the long run with a faith that can't be diminished by the storms of life that will come. Humility seems like such a weak thing to our material eyes and ears, but its power is irrevocable; the bond of love it forms in spiritual life will shape our strength in relationship to God. In this statement, we are taken back to the Beatitudes with which He began, the blessings of the spiritual life.

And so it was, when Jesus ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Again, Jesus' authority is emphasized here -- His teaching style is nothing like that of the scribes, who cite other authority for the authority of their teachings. Jesus speaks from Himself. One can just imagine what kind of impression this must have made! "The people were astonished," we are told. He is not afraid to be bold and outspoken, and of the conflict that will come.

Jesus' words are not only bold because of the authority they assume, His lack of appeal to worldly authority and rabbinical teaching. Here, He has even declared Himself to be Judge -- after teaching us to "judge not!" His important teachings on justice bring us back repeatedly to the Law of the Golden Rule: "What judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." This great economy, in which He will be Judge on that day, is one of love, and its currency is love. Therefore it is the passion that we can bring to God - whose nature is love - that really counts here. To guard against hypocrisy is, in the end, a question of all that we bring to the table for refinement and care and understanding, the whole of ourselves. The truth is, a loving Father desires above all relationship with His creatures, in which we grow and become like Him. Jesus' entirety of His teachings here in the Sermon on the Mount sum up how we are to do that, what we dwell upon, what we love, what we are prepared to let go of. He also teaches us to be discerning, to find the narrow way, to beware of false prophets -- and how to avoid being one ourselves! What do we learn today from His teaching, what do we take away? Where do we need to go? It is a long journey until "that day" - but the time is always "now" to start.

Enter by the narrow gate

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

- Matthew 7:13-21

Jesus has been preaching His Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew's Gospel. We have been through the Beatitudes, the teaching that His followers are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, His expansion on the law against murder into thoughts that lead to conflict, His teachings about what we dwell on and what we are better off without, teachings on the laws of justice, and on spiritual discipline and prayer - including the Our Father. Jesus then taught about the importance of what we choose, what we love; and that we cannot serve two masters - God and mammon. Finally He taught about our relationship to God and to our neighbors, the holy mysteries, and the Golden Rule as the summing of the Law and the Prophets - see Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." To enter by the narrow gate is to teach us that we must take great care of how we go forward in life. To take seriously the teachings we are given - and especially the relationship to God within our hearts - is the way to go forward. This is not, however, a relationship of fear but a relationship of love, and we seek that loving guidance in how we approach life. This is the kind of attention Jesus is teaching us to pay. We really don't know, of ourselves, what is the best course forward - what we may need to change in our thinking, how we go forward toward a goal that is not truly in our sights. Only the perspective of a God who is love - and all that belongs to that kingdom and its grace - can lead us there.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." Jesus expands here on teachings that intertwine the truth about the "narrow gate" and His many teachings against hypocrisy, and trying to serve two masters. False prophets are those who are hypocrites - "actors" - who pose as one thing but are truly another. And He is teaching His followers that even those who claim to come in His name may fall into this category. As His sheep, we are to be intelligent and awake, vigilant. Not only is the way narrow and we need to choose our steps with care in this relationship of love, but we must also watch for false prophets - and who we put our trust in. We are to be discerning, and look for the fruits of a "bad tree." So, in all that Jesus teaches, He builds up our own internal reality and the powerful presence of God and the kingdom that must be with us and in our hearts, and cultivated through the relationship of love.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." My study bible points out that this is a part of a testimony to His deity (the rest will come in tomorrow's reading). But what is essential here is a great summing up of Jesus' teachings against hypocrisy of all kinds, especially with regard to religious practice -- and the need for us to choose carefully what we will serve. Most powerfully is the understanding that we are to seek to do "the will of My Father in heaven." To pray, then, to cultivate that relationship within ourselves, is essential in this context. How else do we face with vigilance the ways we may be led astray by "false prophets?" How else do we guard ourselves against "acting" if our hearts are not there in prayer, without that basic loving relationship? It is for this, after all, that He has left us with Himself, a Companion and Comforter, a Spirit of truth. It is this we cling to, to help us understand the narrow way. All these gifts teach us that we are blessed with help for the fullness of true life, and to be the ones He asks us to be -- the salt of the earth, the light of the world.

There are many deceptions in life, I have found. There are many who are wolves in sheep's clothing, whose fruit is the fruit of greed and selfishness, of chaos and slavery and not peace and the fruits of spirit. What sees us through it is what we choose to bear in our hearts, what we choose to serve. A loving relationship to our Creator belongs in us and with us and among us -- and it is this that truly builds His church and teaches us where to go in life, how to choose. I have found that the grace of God's gifts to us has helped me to have an abundant life, to feel more fully life itself and the individual gifts He has given me, how to use them and how to go forward. In today's reading, Jesus teaches us further about making choices - about the narrow gate we walk through each day, the steps God would ask us to take. And that narrow gate excludes those seeking the easy way, who will come to us posing as something that is good but are too selfish to bear good fruit. Finally, we remember His teachings on hypocrisy, and when we cry "Lord, Lord" we must know it is all about guiding our footsteps into that relationship of love, so that we too may be a part of that kingdom. What does God teach you today, and how do you go forward into that gate? How do you remember His teachings?

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your own eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

- Matthew 7:1-12

We have been reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel. We began last Monday with the Beatitudes. From there Jesus taught that His disciples were to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Expanding on the Law, Jesus taught about the law against murder, and expanding our understanding of what provokes hatred and conflict. He taught us to watch our thoughts, to choose what we dwell upon and what we "cast out" from ourselves. He taught about justice, and expanded our understanding of what that is, how to live righteously. He then taught about spiritual discipline, and gave us a prayer to our Father in heaven. We must choose carefully between a love of the outward show, the material, and the life of the spirit and heavenly values -- what is our treasure. And finally in yesterday's reading, Jesus taught us clearly about our own natures: we must choose what we worship and serve, for no man can serve two masters.

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your own eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." This extremely important teaching will figure prominently in every Gospel. And again, it goes back to the divine economy with which we have been concerned so strongly in the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. What could be more clear than "with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you"? It is similar to the teaching on forgiveness, also included in the Our Father. To my way of thinking, there are two things at work here. First of all, in the infinite scheme of God's perspective, we don't see fully either the depth of a person or their future or past; we don't even know ourselves that well. Only the "heart-knower" has that information. Secondly, a focus on others takes the focus off of ourselves. It is to our own efforts and progress we must look! This is another important teaching on our own natures, what it is to be human beings, akin to the information that we must choose what we serve. We can't truly help another until we have made that spiritual journey of change and transformation ourselves. In our humility, we can truly serve others. Otherwise we are "hypocrites," "actors" - Jesus' greatest criticism of false spiritual practice.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." My study bible says, "Jesus warns His disciples to turn away from opponents and those incapable of receiving His message, and to turn toward those who are receptive." This is a kind of warning about sharing what others aren't ready to hear, what will not be valued by them. It's interesting that it follows the teaching about the speck in a brother's eye. People must be receptive to what He has to give -- it is not to be given to those who are not capable of receiving them in a worthy way, with all the value they truly impart. Jesus' teachings are pearls - and so are the mysteries that we may be privy to in life. There is a complex set of values at work here: what is spurned or degraded that is holy might cast a deeper darkness on the one who spurns it. Yet, the emphasis seems to be on what we treasure. We recall Jesus' teaching to the wealthy young man, to sell all that he had -- a teaching given in love (to someone who lacked only one thing for eternal life), not condemnation.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Finally the great law of the spiritual economy is given to us here. What mysteries of the spiritual life we would seek, we ask of our Father. There will be a reply. This is also a commentary on the powerful nature of prayer, of our seeking in relationship to God and to the kingdom of heaven. My study bible says that this "threefold exhortation, ask--be given, seek--find, knock--be opened, promises the availability of God's help. The verbs are present progressives: be asking, be seeking, be knocking. Note the synergy: our effort is commanded, but never apart from the help of God. We ask in prayer; seek by learning God's truth; and knock by doing God's will." So often this teaching is used to seem to tell us of demanding a kind of material list of desires -- but the context is in the spiritual treasures of the kingdom. We are told not to give what is holy to dogs, nor our pearls to swine. This seeking is for those who would truly seek the kingdom of heaven, and God's answers for their lives -- who would become truly disciples and servants of love, and even includes learning about "the plank in our own eye." In all things, we have God's help, we work in relationship and love.

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." This is also known as the "Golden Rule" and is a positive form of a similar, negative, teaching in Judaism: "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you." Jesus also changes this to an active form of love, rather than only refraining from harm. It is a complete restatement of the Law and the Prophets, a summing up of the command to love one's neighbor as oneself. My study bible says, "This is the action which brings us to the God who forgives."

So, if we think about it, Jesus teachings are multiple-fold to us today. We have a loving relationship with our Father in heaven, who wishes us to have the treasures of the spiritual life. But to find it, we must understand how to practice good judgment: we seek our own healing and cleansing, to remove the plank in our own eyes. The whole emphasis is positive: how do we go forward? We are not here to judge others. We don't cast pearls before those who cannot accept them - and avoid useless conflict this way. Instead we move forward, and dwell in loving relationship to the Father, asking, seeking, knocking. And finally, what is active love? What does it mean to actively love others? Certainly we all have different preferences in life, but I find that it is so rare to give praise - to tell others of the things we value about them. What do you value in your life that you can share with others who are willing to accept it? Even praise initiates a reciprocal relationship some may not be prepared to accept; something good is another "pearl" others may trample under who are not ready to receive it. Therefore let us consider active love, and active practice. What do we share, and when do we not? This is how we live as His disciples, with treasures we seek from our Father in heaven - and seeking an understanding of where we need to go to follow Him better, and to actively practice the love He teaches us.

No man can serve two masters

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

- Matthew 6:24-34

For over a week, we have been reading Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, from the Gospel of Matthew. It began with the Beatitudes. From there, He taught that those who live His teachings and follow His way are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. Next, He expanded the teachings and understanding on the statute against murder, followed by a deeper talk on watching our own thoughts and guarding what we hold dear within ourselves. Next He taught about justice and compassion, again expanding on the Law. He taught about spiritual discipline, and prayer, and gave us the Our Father. In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about the importance of choice, what we love and the power of the relationship to our Father who is in the secret place. See For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Today Jesus continues and expands upon the teachings in yesterday's reading: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Again, He talking about making a choice. What do we put our faith in? All along, He has been teaching us about a spiritual economy, the way in which God's love works through us and in us, and the blessings of faith that flow to us and flow back from us to, in turn, bless God, to give glory to God. He has taught us to pray in secret to our Father who is in the secret place, so that we may be rewarded openly. Finally He insists upon our natures here, that we must choose what we love, where our treasure is, as He put it in yesterday's reading. We are made for worship -- and if we try to serve both God and material life we will fail in one. We have to choose one as the captain of our ship, the thing that gives us guidance in life, and teaches us who we are. So great is the need in us for this alliance that He likens it to a slave/master relationship. What or whom do we choose to serve?

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" We can choose to think primarily - to put first - concerns about material life or the heavenly life. Jesus' question, "Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" goes straight to the heart of the matter. What are we made of? Don't we need more than this to be fully alive, to truly live, for real life? It is a question of what we focus on, where we choose to place our love.

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" This is not a teaching about poverty, about choosing between having wealth and having nothing, but about what we dwell upon -- and in what we trust for our lives and the quality of our lives. We have a loving Father - we must focus on that relationship, and then all things fall into place behind that priority. He calls us, "O you of little faith" and this is really the purpose of this speech. It is to encourage us to faith, to understand the role of the Father in the secret place in this divine economy, in which even the grass in the field is arrayed more beautifully than Solomon in all his glory, in which the wild birds are fed. If you think about the beauty of the natural world, does not it seem right to teach that our Father cares also about the beauty of our own lives? It is a question here of putting that relationship first, with the Lord who is the author of the glory of the natural world, and then allowing our lives to fall behind that loyalty and love and where it leads us.

"Therefore do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." We recall Jesus' teaching about the divine economy, about spiritual discipline, which we don't do for show but rather for this primary relationship, that "your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." We put first this relationship. And we leave God to help us to understand how to live our lives, what we do and where we go, and to practice a righteous life. But our detachment is clear here, which Jesus teaches. To dwell only on material concerns is to lose our lives, in so many ways. My study bible says, "The kingdom of God is the central theme of the teaching of Jesus, and His righteousness is the subject of the Sermon on the Mount. Calling us to be set free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven, to this greater 'country' which will be received at the Day of the Lord, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings."

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." I love this saying, because it has proven so true in my life. How many worldly troubles are further stirred by our anxiety and worry - or others' anxiety and worry making trouble for us in our own lives? "Sufficient for the day" is what comes to us in the course of living our lives in this world, and we place those anxieties in the hands of God, so that we may find detachment, clear sight, and a fresh outlook for ourselves. It is a formula that helps with the stresses of life - especially modern life - and one that I find for many people is increasingly necessary.

Let us consider then what it is to live in this kingdom, and to live in its righteousness. Jesus continually asks us to seek a deeper reality within ourselves, the primary reality of God's love and God's care. How do we put that first, so that all things fall behind and around it to arrange themselves in our lives in accordance with it? How do we cultivate the detachment to put our cares in God's hands, so that we may come to terms with life on a more even keel, with a fresh perspective, with an inner lamp of the mind (see yesterday's reading) that shines clearly for us? I believe that Jesus gives us our greatest clue to our own natures, and how best to care for them, when He teaches that "no man can serve two masters." He is telling us that the greatest care of all our lives is to make this central significant choice. What do we love? Where is our treasure? We look to nature and its beauty for the reality of God, of that kingdom, for a hint of God's care for His creatures, and we remember Jesus' teachings. Shall we not put faith first? We must choose what we serve. The material life is not all there is to life - our Father in the secret place knows we have need of the material as well, and cares for our lives to reflect the glory even as we see reflected in the grass of the field. Can we let go of our worries long enough to find that relationship and live it?

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

- Matthew 6:16-23

Over the past week, we have read from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Beginning with the Beatitudes, or blessings, we then moved to Jesus' teaching to His disciples that they are the "salt of the earth," and the "light of the world." Expanding on the statute against murder, Jesus taught about inciting hatred and damaging relationships; and using the powerful imagery of parts of the body, Jesus taught about guarding our thoughts and discerning what we keep in our minds, choosing what we dwell upon. Next He expanded upon the statute regarding justice, and taught true righteousness. And finally, He taught about prayer, and spiritual discipline, religious practice. He gave us the prayer which begins Our Father in heaven.

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." In every teaching on spiritual discipline, Jesus preaches against hypocrisy. In the divine economy, the whole notion of how God relates to us and we in turn relate to God, there is the important understanding of heavenly realities, what lives in secret, the life of faith. Fasting was and is an important religious practice; as we move toward Lent we begin to consider the purpose of discernment, making choices, not being led by our passions alone in life, but understanding ourselves and being free enough to choose what is best for us and our spiritual lives. Fasting is a means of learning such discipline - and we also fast from sin, from dwelling on the thoughts Jesus has taught do us no good, leaving aside the things we're better off without - not having as a part of ourselves. But here, He speaks about the inner life and its reality: our relationship with God. The whole point of fasting is to cultivate that relationship. My study bible says, "For the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines physical discomfort: joy overshadows sorrow."

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Here we have the "nuts and bolts" of spiritual economy, the relationship we have with our Source, the Father in heaven. There is a spiritual reality that lives not in some far away place we call heaven, but with us in the here and now. And we store treasures there that properly belong to this realm that is such a basic and essential part of ourselves, without which we do not truly have life. The treasures we store in heaven are those things that are the fruits of a spiritual life, of a life lived in relationship to the heavenly things, to our Father in heaven and all that is in His name. We create real values, true treasures, by living such a life. And it is again a teaching against hypocrisy: with what do we fill our true lives, that which is within us? What do we love? We have to make a choice.

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" The eye is the spiritual eye of the heart and mind. How do we perceive? Are our "eyes" working as they need to? How we perceive, then, determines the health of all of what we are, our souls, our being. Jesus is talking about the care of the heart and mind, the true center where we decide what we love, what we treasure in life, what is essential and most important. It is the care of this, then, that is the primary point of our existence and the choices we make in life. With what instrument do we perceive? We are lost or found depending on that "eye" and its health.

Jesus' teachings today emphasis our inner lives, the power of that "eye" that is within us for perception. Is it healthy or darkened? My study bible says, "We all understand the value of light in our lives. As the eye is the lamp of the body, so the mind (Grk. nous) is the spiritual eye of the soul: it illuminates the whole inner man." Most importantly and consistently in today's reading, Jesus teaches us the power of the "hidden" - the reality that is within us. We are not just beings made for show. It is not the opinions of others that determine who and what we are -- it is the opinion of the one relationship we need before all others, that of our Father who is in the secret place. And it is this central reality, the secret relationship with the Father in the secret place, the inner life, that determines all of what flows outward from it -- just as the lamp of our inner lives illumines the whole body. How do we dwell in this place? How do we understand the true relationship to the Source of all light? Jesus gives us the ways to remember God, to live that relationship, and to cultivate our "eye" that is full of light. To grow treasures in heaven is to cultivate that life, to be aware of what we dwell upon, what we seek and love in life first and foremost, above all. It begins with that place within ourselves, with the Father in secret.