Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind"

 

 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is He who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

 

- Luke 14:12-24 

 

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  

 

 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  My study bible tells us that this instruction by Jesus is based on the manner in which God treats us -- although not any of us could possibly repay God (see 6:30-36).  On Christ's words that "you shall be repaid," see 10:34-35, in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is He who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"    This is the ultimate beatitude, according to my study bible, unwittingly declared by this man.   The truth in his words comes when we understand that the bread is eternal communion with God.  

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'"   My study bible explains that the parable Jesus begins here operates on two levels, which illustrate both the first and the second coming of Christ.  He is the servant who is sent to gather many.   Supper indicates evening, which is the end of the age.  The people who are invited to this metaphorical great supper are first the Jews, then all mankind.  

"But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' "  My study bible comments that the patristic Fathers see the three excuses as having both a literal meaning and also spiritual meanings.  First of all, the literal meaning -- that many are too attached to worldly cares to accept the Kingdom of God can also be here in verse 26, and also 18:29.   As for spiritual meanings, St. Ambrose sees the three excuses of I cannot come as representing the Gentile, the Jew, and the heretic.  The Gentile's devotion to earthly wealth is represented by the piece of ground, the enslavement of the Jews to the five books of the Law in the five yoke of oxen, and the espousal of error by the heretic through the man refusing on account of his wife. 

"So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"  The people in the streets and lanes can be seen symbolically as first, the Gentiles who accepted Christ after the faithless Jews reject Him, my study bible says.  And second, those outside the Church who will replace those within who reject their own baptism.

Jesus' parable assures us of two things, and seems to do so absolutely.  First, that regardless of how many fail to accept the invitation to the feast of communion in the kingdom of God, there will be more invitations sent out to yet more who were not previously reached with invitations in the past.  In addition, none among the "preferred" or elect group who originally received invitation will be admitted to this feast.   Moreover, those in the streets and lanes of the city, who are the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind, are those who are outsiders.  They are all those who are in some sense "less than."   Furthermore, the room available at this great feast or banquet can always accommodate more.  So  those in the highways and hedges, who may be compelled to come in, are even more on the outskirts of what has been understood as the acceptable limits of the Kingdom, those eligible by reason of closeness and previous or past association or kinship of any kind.  The highways in Christ's time connected the whole of the Roman Empire and beyond.  There is a sense to the parable of an ongoing outreach, a search, in which action is continually happening in both directions:  those who refuse the invitation will be barred, while invitations will continually go to outsiders, the "less than," even those who know nothing of the Kingdom beforehand and so are not previously familiar with the One who issues the invitations.  I am particularly intrigued by the naming of "the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind," because it indicates that those invited in are all those who are in need of healing in one way and another.  It might even suggest to us Christ's specific words regarding Himself as Physician:  "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke 5:31).  He said these words when criticized for being at a dinner in the home of a tax collector, with other tax collectors and sinners present.  And he added another image:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  This image of the necessarily expanding new wineskins give us a parallel understanding of all those outsiders, including those in need of a Physician, who will be admitted into the Kingdom, for whom there is always "more room."  When things look bleak and impossible, let us keep in mind Jesus' saying about those poor, maimed, lame, and blind -- and all those who are way on the outskirts of what we think of as the insiders and the connected.  For they are all the children of God invited to this banquet by Christ.  It is those among them who accept this invitation as they are called into the Kingdom, and who will meet at the resurrection of the just.

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 

 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 

 

- Luke 14:1-11 

 

 Yesterday we read that some Pharisees came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

 

 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  Dropsy is a form of edema, a problem of fluid retention in soft tissues of the body.  Once again, Jesus challenges the rulers regarding healing on the Sabbath (see also Luke 6:6-11, 13:10-17).  Jesus builds upon His illustration from chapter 13, in which He said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?"  

 

 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."   Jesus teaches two parables (the first of which is here, the second of which will be in the following reading), regarding gracious, God-like behavior, specifically directed to those with authority who are sitting at this meal in the home of one of the Pharisees, but also meaningful for us today.  This first parable is directed toward guests.  My study bible comments that, in imitation of Christ, perfect humility is expected of guests, and boundless charity is demanded of hosts (see James 4:6).  

Jesus teaches about gracious behavior, and more.  Perhaps if we keep in mind that He is speaking to what is likely to be a group of Pharisees (invited to a meal at the home of a Pharisee), or those in high positions among the religious rulers, we should consider His addressing an attitude among those who would lead others, especially those who seek to serve God in doing so.  It is illustrative, first of all, of the gracious nature of the healing on the Sabbath they've just witnessed.  Moreover, in a sort of hidden or symbolic way, it seems to address their presumed authoritative positions of honor, suggesting they make room for One who does not seem to hold as high a worldly position.  Jesus suggests that it is better to receive honor through humility, rather than to claim honor through arrogance or assumption.  The setting of a wedding feast for the parable is another clue that Jesus is speaking in a veiled or hidden way about God's judgment, the time when the Son of Man returns as Son of God, in a way that is clear to all.  Then will be the time when the positions of honor in the Kingdom of God will be clearly shown and recognized by all.  Jesus suggests that in getting there, we would all be better to embrace humility as a way of life, and as a way of being elevated by God and by God's judgment.  We can read it as  gentle way to teach that although these men think they are in the elevated seats of the kingdom of God, Jesus teaches that they may find themselves not in the positions in which they think they are going to be, and that it is only humility that will save them in preparation for that wedding feast when the Lord returns.  It is a lesson to us all, as well, especially those who hold positions of authority of one sort or another, that we need humility in order to most clearly perceive our places before God.  That is, it is through humility that we understand God's word to us, and where and how we need to more deeply come to terms with that reconciliation, our true places in the Kingdom.  Let us take Jesus' teaching as a model for our behavior, and even more clearly, as a message for the one true way we can find ourselves in the places to which God calls us, and to receive those places which might be prepared for us.  The notion of gracious behavior has been given us by Christ, couched as it is in humility which Christ elevated to a virtue.  This was not the case before Christianity; humility was seen only as property of the weak, an undesirable position.  Today more than ever we need to remember where the goodness of gracious behavior, and all our notions of grace truly come from, and honor that in all our dealings.  Let us remember humility's great value as elevated by Christ, as teaching for us to emulate.  Jesus teaches us that when we are in doubt about where we stand in life, humility is always the best way to start.

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 

 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

 

- Luke 13:31-35 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."   

 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'"   As Herod Antipas is the ruler (tetrarch) of Galilee, this tells us that Jesus, although He has begun to journey toward Jerusalem, is still in Galilee.  It is also quite interesting that there are Pharisees who seek to protect Jesus from the one who rules for Rome.  Jesus' reply is bold; although He speaks in what is no doubt a riddle both to these Pharisees and to Herod when He refers to the third day.   He nevertheless asserts His power against the adversary, the evil one, and that He will complete His mission perfected.

"Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"  My study bible comments that this passage shows first that Christ is voluntarily going to His Passion, and second it shows His great love for Jerusalem despite its continual state of rebellion.  Finally, on display here is also Christ's foreknowledge that He will be received on the first Palm Sunday with the words "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" (see 19:37-38).

Jesus speaks of His love for Jerusalem.  In today's reading we're given this extremely interesting, feminine image of Christ as a mother hen, who "gathers her brood under her wings."  This speaks of a tremendous love, a maternal protective love.  It is interesting to understand this image in these words as given to us by Jesus, and also to consider that throughout Christian history the image of the Virgin Mary as protector of the faithful, especially in times of war, has remained strong in both East and West.  For Byzantium, Mary, in a famous hymn, is called "Champion General."  This hymn was composed fter a famous incident in the tenth century, in which enemy armies, encamped and prepared to attack outside the gates of Constantinople, mysteriously changed their minds and simply left.   The city was unprotected at the time, as its army was fighting far away, so the people and religious leaders made supplications for intercession by Mary -- in the midst of which occurred a vision of her at fervent prayer for the Christian city.  In the Battle of Lepanto (which took place in what is now called Nafpaktos/Ναύπακτος in modern Greece) an alliance of Catholic states defended the West successfully against  Ottoman Armies, turning back the tide of Ottoman aggression.  This victory was credited to the Virgin Mary, to whom the Pope had ordered the people to pray for intercession through the use of the Rosary.  There are many other such instances in which the protection of a people has been ascribed to the protection of Mary as intercessor, as one who prays for the people to her Son Jesus.  Noteworthy indeed are the feminine images of protection for defensive victory in battle against a hostile aggressor, that perhaps begin here with Christ's image of Himself as mother hen who would so often have protected the brood of Jerusalem as her baby chicks, but they were not willing.  With hearts far away from Him, Jesus says, "Your house is left to you desolate," an image of emptiness and abandonment.  It suggests to me that, as full or empty as our hearts are with love of God, this is the fullness (or desolation) of our house.  At this stage, Christ has come in a long line of succession of prophets, to call the people back to God.  As Jesus says, Jerusalem is the city where the prophets were killed, and that stones the ones sent to her.  But He is the Son, and another will not be sent after Him.   The desolation to which He refers will manifest in the Siege of Jerusalem, which will take place in 70 AD, about a generation after Christ's crucifixion.  In the modern world, we do not often run across feminine images for protection against an enemy army.  But the whole history of Christianity has given us a different perspective in terms of God's protective and loving nature, starting with the image of the mother hen that Christ gives us here, and continuing until today as Churches East and West still call upon Mary for supplication during times of extreme peril, especially military in nature.  Let us be assured that our strength is in our faith, and the way of desolation is when we abandon that faith, and our hearts are no longer full of love for Christ and the grace and mercy that is His way.  Let us consider in times of trouble where our hearts must be full, so that our home is full and healthy with the promise of life and renewal.

They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." 

 

- Luke 13:18-30 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.   

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."   My study bible comments here that the mustard plant grows to a height of about ten feet in Palestine.   Up until now, in recent readings, Jesus' focus has been on our loyalty to God before all other things, and on seeking the Kingdom first in our worldly lives, and participation and communion in that Kingdom.  But here, Jesus gives us a great parable, in so few words, about the explosive growth that happens.  It is, in fact, in the context of yesterday's reading (above), a testimony about grace and how grace works.  Just as God's mercy is not limited or measured in response to our own investment of faith, so is the growth of the Kingdom in this illustration.  This parable can be understood as the small amount of faith, invested in the soul, becoming a tree of virtue so great that even angels can come and nest in it.  Theophylact has understood the mustard seeds as representing the disciples, who began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."   There are many occasions in Scripture in which leaven is used as a metaphor for a bad influence (such as when Jesus tells the disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy"; see Luke 12:1-3).  But here, Jesus uses "leaven" as an image of the kingdom of God and the way that it grows in us and among us, in the same way that leaven (or yeast) permeates the whole.  The previous parable of the mustard seed teaches us about great and unexpected growth from the tiniest source or influence;  here Jesus speaks of the grand influence on the whole of a person the small amount of faith has to "leaven" our entire lives, to permeate our souls.

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."  In Matthew's report of this saying (Matthew 7:13-14), we get a description of the two ways or paths from which we choose, for life or death.  This was common in Judaism (Deuteronomy 30:15-20: Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:17-18, 12:28, 15:21; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17).  But here in Luke, the saying is once again, like so much in our recent readings, given by Jesus in the context of the end of the age.  It is a warning about the time of judgment.  My study bible comments that because we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), to enter the Kingdom is the more difficult, narrow way.

"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God."  Jesus clearly My study bible comments here that neither verbal confessions (Lord, Lord) nor sacramental experiences avail anything unless we live the works of faith (see Luke 6:46-49).  That they will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, together with all the prophets gives us the eschatological understanding of Jesus' preaching.

"And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."  My study bible cites the commentary of Theophylact, who sees the first who becomes last as not only faithless Jews, but also those in the Church who"from infancy have put on Christ and have been taught the Word, but who become last by transgressing against it."  

Today's reading again gives us the context of the final judgment, of the eschaton.  This is apt, one feels, as Jesus is now clearly headed to Jerusalem, and preparing His disciples for the time that is to come, the time of the Church, which is also the time of the end.  In fact, in the historical tradition of the Church, all of the present time in which we await the return of our Savior is the entire "end time."  And so, as Jesus is clearly journeying toward Jerusalem, as the text tells us, He continues to prepare the apostles -- and by extension, their successors -- who will rule the Church in His absence.  In Luke's expression of His teachings, it is the eschatological emphasis that is significant, as He prepares His followers to think in terms of the primary importance of thinking about serving God in light of the judgment that is to come in fulfillment of all things.  Let us remember that this is not something to think of as far, far into the future, but rather something present and real as it awaits all of us at the end of our worldly lives, and is clearly linked and based upon how we live our lives and what importance we attach to living the life of the Kingdom while we dwell here in this world.  If we keep in mind this overarching power of God, and the awareness of Christ's promise regarding a greater judgment that comes to the entirety of all those who live or have lived in this world, then we keep in mind a perspective necessary to exactly how we live our lives in this world.  The explosive and permeating growth of the Kingdom teaches us also about the choice to live this awareness of the Kingdom, and of the overarching understanding of our participation in it, and God's participation and grace in our lives.  It magnifies the importance of our choices, the essential quality of each moment of time and how precious our lives in this world are, for all is intermingled and tied to one another.  The eschatology speaks of the "time" when time itself will end, but it also reflects upon and magnifies the importance of our time in this world as well.  It means that what we do and choose, how we live in this world right now in our earthly lives, is also tied to the arc of an entire cosmos, to all of creation and God's action in it.  Christ reminds us that His plan for the salvation of the world, culminating in the Cross at Jerusalem, and His Resurrection and Ascension, is essentially a plan that magnifies and creates meaning for each moment:  nothing is wasted and all is precious.  Let us keep in mind just how precious our lives and our moments in time really are.

So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. 

 

- Luke 13:10–17 

 

Yesterday we read that were present at that season some who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  Jesus makes an extraordinary remark when addressing the crowd regarding the woman's eighteen years of suffering.  He says to them, "Think of it."   My study bible comments that the patristic tradition sees this command as directing us to a spiritual meaning for the eighteen years.  It says that as the Greek expression is literally translated "ten and eight years," both St. Ambrose and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments and eight as representing grace, for the day of Resurrection is often called the "eighth day."  Thus humanity is lifted up by faith in Christ, who fulfills both law and grace.  This is surely borne out in the action of this story itself, in which grace fulfills the healing of a daughter of Abraham and in the rejoicing of the multitude.

 

In Luke's Gospel, we can read the consistent revelation of grace on the part of Jesus Christ.  In today's reading, it's quite remarkable that all Christ's adversaries were put to shame.  In the general context of the Gospel, that would have something to do with the fact that all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  During Holy Week events, we're told by Luke that the leaders wouldn't speak openly against John the Baptist for fear of the crowds (Luke 20:1-8).  So, we are given to understand that the leadership does care about their standing among the people, at least out in the open, giving us a picture which modern people can understand as highly political; in fact, reminding us of politicians.  These same leaders will also stir up the crowds to clamor for Jesus' death on Good Friday, no doubt well-planted with rumors and exhortations and their own supporters in the crowd.  Again, we have a familiar picture to modern people of political machination, even of large numbers of people, and the legacy for an entire nation.  But here in today's reading, Jesus' expression of grace manifesting before all in the healing of this suffering woman is on display, and nothing can stop it.  This is the graciousness of God that breaks through by revelation.  Jesus makes it clear that the insistence upon ownership of the laws of Moses by these religious leaders and their legalistic interpretation in such a harsh way is, in fact, not what the law calls for, and does not reflect the gracious and merciful God of Abraham, of whom this suffering woman is a daughter.   Jesus, in fact, gives us so much psychology, as He shows quite clearly through His actions how the hard-hearted may indeed thwart even the word of God to act in harsh injustice, like denying this woman healing on the Sabbath.  Jesus emphasizes her suffering when He tells them "think of it" -- that they must first comprehend eighteen years of suffering.  It's as if she is bent over with punishment, a sentence of eighteen years by Satan who seeks to enslave and imprison human beings -- and Christ comes as Liberator, Deliverer, Savior to release her from her imprisonment and torture.  The image comes to mind of punishments of the time, of "stripes" or whipping, and beatings:  things which would cause one to be bent over in pain.  Jesus speaks of the common practice of releasing an animal from its own binding and confinement be led to necessary water on the Sabbath in order to restore health.   And so, by comparison, what about this daughter of Abraham who is bound and confined by Satan?  The people rejoice and glorify God, as Christ's adversaries -- inadvertently or not -- were helping the adversary by opposing Christ.  Over the course of the past several readings, Jesus has made reference to the importance of first and foremost our reconciliation with God, the One who has power not only to kill but to cast into hell (see this reading and the subsequent readings).  Here in today's reading, Jesus openly calls the suffering of this woman a binding of Satan; that in her suffering she has been bound like a hostage or prisoner.  It is subtle reminder, again, that to be reconciled to God in the heart before all things is to be in communion with the One who can release us from the bonds of the "strong man"  because God is the stronger (see Luke 11:14-23).   It is the revelation of Christ that is at once both grace and the stronger power who overcomes the adversary (Satan), and who is here to help to liberate human beings.  This is the true inheritance of the daughter of Abraham, the fulfillment of the Law in the coming of the Christ (or Messiah).  Our gracious Lord shares all the attributes of power but works through grace and is characterized by love and mercy.  What are the bonds you need to break?  How do you need to be liberated?  It is only this power that can release us from the ruler of this world, who causes pain for human beings.  In fact, one name for the evil or the devil in Greek is poneros/πονηρός, the root of which is literally "pain" but can also mean toilsome labor.  In the original text, it is this one from whom we pray to be delivered in the Lord's prayer (in Luke 11:4).  Christ' reveals God's splendid power and grace in today's reading, and the people understand and rejoice.  This is the glory of God, and we should never accept anything or anything who would limit that understanding of the One who loves us so that He came to our world, as one of us, to show us.

Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "

 

- Luke 13:1–9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the disciples, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how it is you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite." 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  My study bible informs us that these are two historical incidents, which are only reported in Luke.  The slain Galileans were most likely Zealots, Jewish nationalists, who triggered a disturbance against the Romans.  The collapse of the tower in Siloam, whether by accident or sabotage, was thought to be divine justice on sinners.  My study bible points out that Christ denies this suffering was God's judgment.  Instead, Jesus uses these events as illustrations for those who perish because they will not repent, building on His statements at the end of yesterday's reading in the same discourse (see above). 

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "  This fruitless fig tree is universally understood in the Church to be fallen humanity.  The three years, my study bible says, represent God's covenants with God's people through Abraham, Moses, and Christ, each of whom are rejected, as well as the three-year earthly ministry of Christ.  The keeper of the vineyard is Christ Himself.  He intercedes on our behalf by suffering His Passion, and sending the Holy Spirit to us before the final judgment takes place.  

Jesus continues to build on His statement from Thursday's reading, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"  This is not to emphasize fear itself, but rather to emphasize the central importance of the first great commandment, as He has named it:  "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  To place God centrally in life, as the focus around which one gathers one's life, is the whole point of Jesus' reiterated teachings in the readings from yesterday and today.  It really little matters what else we concern ourselves about, whether it is gathering up food for the future, or storing money, or clothing.  It doesn't matter if we are concerned about the evils we think we see about us and consider to be beneath us.  If we don't have the conscious awareness of God placed centrally within our own understanding of what guides our own conduct -- including sins large and small -- then we're equally in danger of losing our chance at living in this Kingdom and especially the eternal life that Christ offers.  In other words, whatever else it is we think about, we need to keep this one constant focus centrally in mind.  Everything depends upon our own communion with God.  We don't compare ourselves with the rest of the world to get the true picture of the focus we need to have, no matter what else is going on, and no matter what others are doing.  He goes through all these illustrations of worldly calamity, terror, human needs, and all the rest simply to emphasize this one strong point:  each of our lives needs to be focused around how we serve God, what we need to do for the strength and depth of our relationship with God, and how we constantly participate as disciples within that communion.  This is the one true central thing we always have to keep in mind above every other concern, and midst all others.  Jesus reminds every one of His disciples of the tremendously greater loss that comes from lack of concern and awareness of strengthening and deepening our relationship to God.  Judgment is mentioned in this context to reinforce the importance and value of the great gift of life offered to all who participate in the Kingdom, and to the tremendous loss of that gift that can result from a lack of priority or understanding of the importance of the spiritual life.  That is, we need to get right with God, no matter what we think we've already done, no matter what we see others doing.  This is because the gift we receive from this communion is so much greater than any other goals we can ponder.  In the final paragraph, He emphasizes one thing that He has reiterated again and again, the importance of bearing spiritual fruit.  Whether we are the servants in the household who remain alert and awake for our Master's return or we are those who are stewards and must administer with mercy over our fellow servants (see Saturday's reading), whether we are anxious and concerned with our worldly goods and needs (see Friday's reading), whether we're worried about the conflicts or upset with those around us via our choice for discipleship to Christ (yesterday's reading, above), our chief concern really needs to be with bearing the spiritual fruit that God looks for and that Christ stresses so strongly.  That fruit is the product of our own practices of mercy, generosity, or care that we practice as disciples, and the corrections for our own varieties of selfishness or sins that the communion with God makes us aware of.  There is so much to receive in this Kingdom which blesses us, including the grace of God which enables us to become much more than we think possible and to grow in our faith.  Jesus keeps emphasizing this one thing necessary, this desire to serve and please God by living the life of faithfulness, that nothing else is more important or essential.  We stand to lose so much when we lose sight of it.  Let us keep our focus where it must be.  Let us bear the fruit so carefully nurtured by Christ, and passionately tended with such a depth of sacrifice.

Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division

 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how it is you do not discern this time?

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

 

- Luke 12:49-59 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"   My study bible tells us that fire references the proclamation of the gospel, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It says that this fire both enlivens the faithful and judges the faithless; it both purifies virtue and destroys sin (see 3:15; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).  

 

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division."  There are two kinds of peace.  There is a false peace, to which Christ refers.  This false peace is a shallow harmony, that results from ignoring issues of truth.  Genuine peace, my study bible explains, is reconciliation with God, through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, it further notes, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).  

"For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."   My study bible calls these verses a fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 7:6.  Additional to its literal meaning, which has been experienced in the Church since Christ's time, the separation of the older generation from the younger symbolizes first the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, and second the spiritual struggle between our old sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how it is you do not discern this time?"   This time, my study bible says, refers to the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the first coming of Jesus Christ.  

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."  My study bible comments that just as a guilty person would attempt to reconcile with his opponent before facing an earthly judge, even more so should one be reconciled to God in Christ before facing His dread judgment.  

Jesus continues with His themes voiced in recent readings regarding the importance of reconciliation with God as opposed to the world.  In Thursday's reading, Jesus taught, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"  In today's reading, He goes further by speaking about the division that He is going to bring into the world.  It is most intriguing that my study bible emphasizes, as does St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:18-19, that divisions are necessary for the truth to be manifest.  This reminds us of the centuries of identification of heresies through various controversies in the Church.  Let us not despair when everybody doesn't just "get along" and there are differences of opinion.  Throughout history, there have been famous "peaces" such as the Pax Romana, or even the Pax Ottomana, which simply meant a kind of peace imposed from above by an empire which offered extreme penalties for anyone who disagreed or preferred not to be ruled by the empire.  This is not the kind of peace that Jesus brings; His is the opposite of such a "peace."  Jesus' peace is through reconciliation with God, but our pursuit of our faith evidently means we might find ourselves opposed to those who are around us, as the "ruler of this world" is not Jesus Christ.  Christ rules through hearts and minds and faith, and each one of us must choose for oneself, as this is a kingdom that asks of us love and trust, not slavish obedience born of sheer force.  God loves all of creation, but does not compel us to love God back.  This is a voluntary action which comes and grows through a response of the heart.  Nevertheless, the fact that we are free beings does not make our need to love God -- the One who has the power to cast into hell -- any less important in terms of the fullness of life in the Kingdom, and the eternal life offered by Christ.  Everything points to the central importance of the reconciliation with God as the power that is above all other powers, the one loyalty that it is absolutely necessary to have in order to realize the blessings of the Kingdom and the life that Christ offers, even an eternal life.  So when Jesus teaches us to reconcile with our opponent before the time, to make our peace with the judge.  This is an admonition warning to use the time of our lives well, in effort to reconcile with God through prayer and a heart that listens and hopes for that communion of love that God invites us into.  So when we face opposite and strife, and difficult circumstances, let us approach such troubles in the light of Christ that is offered to us in His words.  It is not that our lives really need to be trouble free, or antagonism-free, but that we need to approach all such struggles and conflicts with the light of God's truth as our beacon to illumine the way.  The reconciliation we need above all others is with God; this is the first place we need to take care of.  So how we walk through other struggles or conflicts, or even a lack of peace, must be determined by our hearts fully loved in God, in the life of Christ.  This is our beacon, our illumination, the lamp that lights the path for our feet, the number one priority and consideration.  Let us take it seriously in a world that seems to be filled with strife, opposition, and uncertainty.  There is always one place that is our true home.