Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men

 

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

 

- Mark 1:14-28 

 

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.   Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

 

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  My study Bible comments that Mark's written emphasis on John being put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant -- to prepare the people for Christ -- had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  Once Christ came, the time of preparation was fulfilled.  To repent, my study Bible explains, is to do a total "about-face."  In Greek the word literally means to "change one's mind."  It adds that repentance is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart -- a complete reorientation to a life centered in Christ.  

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.   As Jesus begins His public ministry, He also begins to gather His disciples, workers for the Kingdom who will become fishers of men.  Note these first disciples are two pairs of brothers.  These first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist (John 1:35-42).  Therefore they were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  My study Bible says that although illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.   My study Bible comments that the word immediately occurs almost forty times in Mark's Gospel, nearly all of them before Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.  The sense of urgency adn purpose as Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world helps make Mark's account not only the shortest, but also the most direct of the four Gospels.  

And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.  Almost "immediately," we might say, when Christ begins His public preaching His true authority becomes apparent and shines forth through His ministry.  He speaks and acts from Himself.  That authority them manifests in today's reading when the unclean spirit is rebuked by Jesus.  It is astonishing to the people that without authority such as would be conferred through the religious establishment of which He is not a part, Jesus speaks, acts, and even exorcises demons with authority.  Note, however, He does not want His identity as Messiah to be known.  My study Bible says that the reasons for secrecy are foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  These reasons include the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders; the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and Jesus' desire to evoke genuine faith not based only on marvelous signs. 

 

 If we examine Jesus' calling of the first disciples, as told by Mark, there's an interesting sort of poetry at work, if we may describe it that way.  Jesus takes what already exists but transforms it.  The poetry of His appeal to these fishermen brothers is revealing:  "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  In this sense of poetry, Jesus uses evocative language for us to understand that in His service and in our devotion to Him, He is working to transform us, to give us new life, in a sense.  These men understand their own work as fishermen, but Jesus gives them an image to understand their transformation in the life that He offers to them.  We can see it as a metaphor for our own lives and the influence of Christ upon us.  If we have a talent for something, Jesus can take that and transform it into use for service in the Kingdom.  Even if we have negative tendencies toward certain passions, like anger, Jesus can take that and transform it also:  into, for example, a passion for true justice, a desire to express compassion or heal, a desire to prevent unnecessary harm -- and teach us to act for the Kingdom, not to contribute to destructive circumstances.  Jesus takes us and transforms the possibilities and potentials within us, and this is the correct framework for understanding the Kingdom and its work in the world.  So often in a modern setting, we get prescriptions for success in a worldly sense.  There is the idea that if we live a good life we will be blessed with abundance in a worldly, material sense.  But Christ's message of the Kingdom is not something that simply sets the world in order on the terms that the world offers; it is, instead, a transformational message.   The action of the Kingdom and its work in us is one that transcends and changes our values; it gives us a blessedness that is not the world's concept of blessedness, but something that reaches far deeper into us and asks us to change ourselves.  See, for example, the blessedness of the Beatitudes as proclaimed by Jesus (Matthew 5:1-12).  There is another poetic transformation to read here, as in today's reading two sets of brothers become disciples for the Kingdom.  They begin life as earthly brothers, but in Jesus' work they become another kind of brother, even as they leave behind an old way of life and their father working with the hired servants.   See Mark 3:34, 10:29.  They become brothers in the sense in which we are capable of being children of God by adoption, even as Christ is Son.  We become mother, brother, sisters through devotion and service, by sharing the communion of love which Christ brings into the world.  Everything is transformative that is done in Christ and by Him, especially for the purposes of the Kingdom (Revelation 21:5).  And there we get to the fuller and deeper meaning of "metanoia," the Greek word for repentance, that truly means a changing of the mind, a transformation of what we think we know and understand, our orientation to life.  As Christ speaks with authority even over the unclean spirits, let us consider His authority in us and over our lives, and where He might take us into the future.

 

 

He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him

 

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:

"Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You."

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the LORD;

Make His paths straight.'"

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

 

- Mark 1:1-13 

 

In our recent readings, we have been given what is called Christ's High Priestly Prayer, in which He prayed to the Father just prior to His seizure by the authorities and crucifixion (beginning with Thursday's reading).  On Saturday, we read the last part of this prayer:   "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.    My study Bible explains that the use of the word gospel (which literally means "good news" or "good tidings") does not refer to Mark's writings per se, but rather to the story of the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That is, the good news of our salvation.  This word εὐαγγέλιον/evangelion (which Old English rendered "gospel") was commonly in use for proclamations of rulers like Caesar regarding the arrival of a kingdom; the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the gospel of the Kingdom.  John the Baptist is a messenger who comes to proclaim the imminent arrival of a Kingdom, to tell us to prepare the way of the Lord.  It is a baptism of confession and repentance in preparation for this Kingdom.  John is the last in the line of the Old Testament prophets, who proclaimed the word of the Lord.  Here he quotes from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.  He was a tremendous figure in his own time, widely known (as evidenced by the many who come from Judea and Jerusalem in order to be baptized by him in the wilderness at the Jordan River.  John had many disciples, from out of whom came the first disciples called by Christ (John 1:35-39).  My study Bible also points out that the vacancy left among the first apostles by Judas' betrayal was filled by another who had been one of John's followers (Acts 1:22).  It adds that the people's acceptance of John as a godly man prepared them to accept Jesus as well (John 5:33-35). 

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  John is clothed with camel's hair and a leather belt, in a manner which bears resemblance to the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  This helps to show that he fulfills the prophecy of Elijah's return (see Malachi 4:5, Matthew 11:14).   John's manner of life displays a rule of poverty and fasting, in which everything is dedicated to God and to his role as messenger of the Kingdom.  This is displayed through his great humility, and clear dedication to Christ the Lord whose advent he proclaims.  Note the evidence of the understanding of the Holy Spirit, already present to those who hear John.

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  We must note that this Baptism of Jesus Christ is what is called Epiphany (Manifestation, or showing forth) or Theophany (Manifestation of God), for it reveals the Holy Trinity in the vision of the Holy Spirit and the voice from heaven of the Father, just as the Father and the Holy Spirit reveal Christ as Son.   Jesus does not need to be baptized, but does so in order to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).  Gregory of Nyssa is cited by my study Bible, who writes, "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."  Thus, Christ sanctified the waters of the world for Holy Baptism for all.

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.  Christ's period of withdrawal to the wilderness for fasting and being tempted by Satan gives us our forty days of Lent in preparation for the celebration of Christ's Resurrection, Easter (or Pascha).  Note that it is the Spirit who drove Him into the wilderness for this period of spiritual struggle in preparation for His public ministry.   We can read about this period in more detail in Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13.  The word translated as drove means to cast out or throw out, so we are meant to understand the powerful action of the Holy Spirit involved in this forty-day period of resisting temptation by Satan.

In the ancient beginnings of monastic tradition, this understanding of Christ being driven into the wilderness by the Spirit for spiritual struggle with Satan served as inspiration for those who went to the Egyptian desert.   These early people who did so are often referred to as the Desert Monks.   So when we understand Christ to have been driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, we need to see this event in the same framework that the ancients did:  that the wilderness was a battleground for spiritual struggle.  While we may see war and violent struggle in a physical or material sense in this world, the early understanding of the Gospel of Christ is couched in the understanding that there is a spiritual struggle going on all the time in our world, a spiritual battle between God the Father, Son, and Spirit and all the saints and angels loyal to God, and those spiritual beings who rebelled against God.  We, as human beings, are in some sense caught in the middle, and so we also are invited into this struggle, and particularly when we call ourselves believers or followers of Christ.  As we begin Lent, we should come to understand that this struggle in the wilderness is the model for Lent.  Traditional practices of almsgiving, fasting, and prayer emphasize our need for the development of spiritual strength in our faith.  By the way, the word in Greek for almsgiving is rooted in the word for "mercy" (ἐλεημοσύνην/eleimosinin), so when we practice "acts of charity," that word means charity in its most full sense, the practice of kindness and compassion, the giving of mercy to others.  Fasting also has a much more full meaning than merely its application to food; we also seek to fast from acts of harm such as gossip, or things that distract us from our love and focus on the Lord at this time.  Fasting from social media has become a rather popular thing, at least in particular from things that can be distracting and harmful, or tend to make us focus purely on the material rather than our spiritual lives and communion with God.  To fast in its purest sense is to say "No" to the things that tempt, so that we develop discipline and the ability to transcend temptations and make the path straight for the Lord, to paraphrase John the Baptist as he echoes the words of Isaiah.   It is not our impulses or passions that rule us, but our love of the Lord.  Note that while tempted in the wilderness, Jesus is ministered to by the angels.  It is important to understand that in the communion of prayer we are also assisted by angels, and in the Christian understanding, by the saints as well.  We call upon this "great cloud of witnesses" by whom we are surrounded, as St. Paul says, to help us also to grow closer to God, to find the right path, to seek the light by which we need to walk (John 8:12).  These are the purposes and practices of Lent, and perhaps in this time of great stress over the world we need this time of prayer more than ever.  Let us remember that John's preparation for the Lord was one of repentance and remission of sins; repentance in the Greek (μετανοια/metanoia) means "change of mind."  It is a time to reconsider, to set things right with God, to clear away the extraneous so that we more truly focus on this place of communion, to draw upon our resources for battling the temptations of extremes of passion and fervor for a clear acceptance of the peace He offers (John 14:27), even in the midst of tribulation.  Let us, at the very least, seek to fast from contributing to the clamor.

 

 

O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

- John 17:20-26 

 

Beginning with Thursday's reading, the lectionary has given us what is known as Christ's High Priestly Prayer, His prayer to the Father before His seizure by authorities.  Yesterday, we read that Jesus prayed, "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."  My study Bible comments that here Jesus prays for those who will believe.  It says that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.  

"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   Jesus' profound statements lead us to understand John's Gospel as the Gospel of love.  My study Bible comments that the ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and indeed of life itself, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person. 

 Jesus speaks of a union of love.  That union of love is clear within His own relationship to the Father, but what Jesus prays for is not only that the world knows of this love, but that we who are His followers are also drawn into this love as thoroughly and completely as He is:  "O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   In the pagan systems of belief and practice, a god was appeased through sacrifice of some kind.  Meals were eaten with the god also as part of sacrifice and even communion.  But Christ stood this system upside down, as the sacrifice we commemorate is our God's sacrifice for us, and the communion and meal in which we engage is also provided by God's sacrifice for us, a sacrifice most deeply made out of love for us.  And this is the power of Christ.  For this is a God who always loves us and yearns for us to return to that love and to that communion.  Our faith is not magic but depends on this communion of love, our participation in the life of Christ, and indeed, as He prays here, in the union of Father, Son, and Spirit.  In the ancient world, the pagan gods were capricious and could be quite cruel; gods were appeased so that they would "do something" for those who made the sacrifice.  But there is no manipulation in Jesus, there is only love, and this prayer exemplifies for us and outlines the love of God the Father that begins it all, that defines and leads Christ the Son, that reaches out to us to include us in this communion.  And that is what we must remember.  We live in a world that so often still seems to abide by the laws of the harsh gods:  capricious, manipulative, coercive, cruel, duplicitous, where might makes right and trust is hard to find anywhere.  And when we look at "the world" and observe these things, let us consider the singular importance, the paramount contribution to our lives of Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father which He teaches us.  For love is in short supply when we are left to our own devices and outcomes.  Therefore, our participation in God's love becomes even more essential when we face warring outcomes in a world where there are no perfect solutions, and violence reigns.  Let us understand how deeply we need God's love at all times, but especially in times of stress when there is so much temptation to fall into patterns of hatred and rash behavior.  For it is God's love that stabilizes a life in which needs for love aren't being met, security and stability are imperfect, and fear knocks at the heart.  Without this love, we are lost to so much cruelty; but with God's love we have hope to live and dwell in a Kingdom where our love is shared and known.  Christ prays to the Father, "I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   Through grace, that Name is being declared over and over in us, for us, even through us, that the love with which the Father loves the Son may be in us, and Christ in us, for this is the true gospel of the Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are

 

 "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

- John 17:9-19 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given what is called Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, which He prayed to the Father before His trial and Crucifixion.  Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me." 

 "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them."  My study Bible notes that Christ first prayed for Himself (verses 1-5) and secondly, for them, the apostles (verses 6-19).  Only then does He pray for those whom You have given Me -- that is, all who will come to believe in Him (verses 20-26).  Here, my study Bible says, the world is the portion of humanity in rebellion against God, those who prefer darkness to God's light.  

"Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."  Holy Father is echoed in the eucharistic prayer of Didache 10:2 (the Didache the earliest known Christian teaching document):  "We give you thanks, Holy Father, for Your holy name which You have made to dwell in our hearts."  

"Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."  The son of perdition ("destruction") is Judas Iscariot (John 6:70-71).  Old Testament prophesy alludes to Judas, my study Bible says (Psalms 41:9, 109:2-13, Zechariah 11:12-13), and Judas becomes a type for all who will fall away in the last days (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3, where "son of perdition" refers to the Antichrist.

"But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."  As Christ is from heaven, my study Bible explains, so those who are joined to Him become like Him.  Therefore, believers attract the world's hatred.  In the second-century Letter to Diognetus (6:3), it is stated, "Christians dwell in the world but do not belong to the world."  To be reborn in Christ is to have citizenship in the Kingdom of God (John 3:1-5), yet the vocation disciples is in the world, where they are protected by God against the evil one.

"Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."  My study Bible explains that to sanctify is to consecrate, make holy, separate, set apart from the world, and bring into the sphere of the sacred for God's use.  According to St. John Chrysostom, Christ is saying, "Make them holy through the gifts of the Spirit and by correct doctrine."

Jesus makes a distinction in His prayer between those who are His and the world.  My study Bible explains that "the world" is the portion of humanity in rebellion against God, those who prefer darkness to God's light.  He indicates that those who come to Him, those who hear His voice, are those whom the Father first has given to Christ ("those whom You have given Me").  As we have seen consistently in John's Gospel, all things begin with the Father, including the identity of the Son, and we who hear the Son's voice.  It is the Father through whom all things begin, including our capacity to hear Christ's voice, the word of truth (Matthew 16:17).   What is extremely notable in this section of the High Priestly Prayer is Christ's clear distinction between "the world" and His followers, the faithful.  He begins by saying to God that He does not pray for the world, but for those whom the Father has given to Him, for they are the Father's.  Jesus prays, "Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."  Let us note that what is of greatest importance to Christ is simply that His followers remain faithful; that they remain true to the Father and true to the word which Christ has taught.   To have been kept in the Father's name is to have been kept and held within the Kingdom, the realm of the Holy Spirit, this reality to which we respond which is planted in our hearts, for this is how the Name of God works.  It is a sense in which we belong to God, we are stamped in our hearts with God's Name.  It's important, essential, to remember that what Jesus prays for is that we remain in this condition of belonging to God.  He is not praying that we always get our wish, that we live in a mansion and have every worldly success we can think of.  Far from it.  What Christ prays for is that we are kept by God and not lost, and that we are kept from "the evil one."  That is, we are not lost to the ways of the one who opposes God, whether that be a spiritual power or a worldly manifestation of spiritual darkness, which is in opposition to God.  It is this life and this safety that Christ prays for, for us.  He prays that we not become "of the world" in the sense that we give up God's ways for the ways we see in the world that are in opposition to God.   Jesus says, "Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth."  We must remain within God's word and God's truth; and we know God's ways from the Scripture, from the teachings of Jesus.  He says, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."   Jesus will remain loyal within God's truth and God's way for Him all the way to the Cross, putting everything on the line, so that He might be sanctified in order to sanctify us in God's truth.  It is we who are the beneficiaries of this prayer, we who must take it seriously that we are in the world and not of it.  And this is Christ's joy, that we remain in this place of truth and sanctification, even when the world would demand a different way, of manipulation and lies, coercion in all its forms, expedience, and serving all manner of forms of selfishness over our call from God.  Let us consider the ways we need to keep alert to the temptations of the world, so that Christ keeps us for Himself, and we may have His joy fulfilled in ourselves.

I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word

 

 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."

 

- John 17:1-8 

 

In preparing us for Lent, the lectionary yesterday gave us the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector:   Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him."  Our reading today begins what is often called the High Priestly Prayer.   The lectionary cycle gives us this prayer in its entirety over the next three days, as we read chapter 17 of John's Gospel.  This is Christ's prayer before the time of betrayal, when He knows He will be seized and eventually crucified.  It is called the High Priestly Prayer because it contains the basic elements of prayer that a priest offers to God when a sacrifice is about to be made, my study Bible explains:  glorification (verses 3-5, 25), remembrance of God's works (verses 2, 6-8, 22-23), intercession on behalf of others (verses 9, 11, 15, 20-21, 24), and a declaration of the offering itself (verses 1, 5).  In the first section of this prayer (verses 1-13), Christ's words bear witness to His divinity and His filial relationship with the Father.  The hour has come signifies that Christ is Lord over time, my study Bible says.  It cites the words of an Orthodox hymn:  "He voluntarily willed to ascend the Cross in the flesh."  Glorify is a reference to the redemption of all creation that will be accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection -- the purpose for which Christ was sent into the world.  It is in this redemption that the Father and Son are glorified.  Hence, the Cross, a sign of death in this most gruesome form of crucifixion, is glorified in the Church as "life-giving" and the "weapon of peace."

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."  My study Bible comments that the knowledge of the only true God is far more than intellectual understanding.  It is participation in God's divine life and in communion with God.  Therefore, my study Bible explains, eternal life is an ongoing, loving knowledge of God in Christ and the Holy Spirit.

"I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."  Christ's work is not separate from who He is.   My study Bible says that Jesus' statement, "I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do," is one which each believer can make at the end of life, no matter how long or short one's life might be.   

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."  The men whom you have given Me is a reference to the apostles.  My study Bible reminds us that they are the ones through whom God's word comes to us.  This handing down of God's word to successive generations is called apostolic tradition.  Isaiah prophesied that in the days of the Messiah, the knowledge of the Name of God would be revealed (Isaiah 52:6).  Your name:  In the Old Testament times, the phrase "the Name" was reverently used as a substitute for God's actual Name "Yahweh," which was too sacred to pronounce.  The fuller revelation of the Name was given to those who believe in Christ, as Christ manifested the Name not only by declaring the Father, but by being the very presence of God and sharing the Name with Him.  

I'm reading an interesting book (The Religion of the Apostles) in which the use of the Name in Old Testament Scriptures is gone into with some detail.  Essentially, it says, we can think of this title for God as being used to indicate a Person, but one that is distinct from the first and second hypostases (or Persons; that is, those whom we call the Father and the Son) in the Godhead.  The Name is associated with the Third Person, the Holy Spirit.  For example, we read that the Angel of the Lord was given by God to Moses, and Moses taught that any rebellion against the Angel would not be forgiven, as Yahweh's Name was placed in the Angel.  "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him" (Exodus 23:20-21).  This sounds very similar to Christ's teaching that all manner of sin may be forgiven, but He explicitly puts into a different category blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31).  Of course, as Christians we hasten to add that the sin that remains unforgiven is the one that is not repented.  But for the consideration of today's passage, let us think about what it means for us that Christ says He has manifested God's name to His apostles, the ones whom the Father Himself has given to Christ out of the world.  Especially in the ancient world, a name was a powerful representation of a person; indeed, when we speak of kings or emperors, or anyone using a personal seal, a name conferred the presence of the person (and therefore the stamp made something the property and extension of that person).  Therefore, for Christ to manifest God's Name is for Him to present to the world the presence of God, but also this Name is manifest through the words which God gave to Christ, and upon those who keep those words.  The Name functions, in this sense, in the way the Holy Spirit works; at once God and also the extension of God's action into the world.  Therefore this Name, as it was planted in the Angel given for guidance to Moses, may also, through Christ, be implanted in us.  And there we come to Lent, which is essentially a time for the renewal of our Baptism.  In his first Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul asks, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" and, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19).  So when we consider the traditional practices of Lent, with its focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, what we see is a sense in which those practices help us to come to a clearer reception of that Name that is planted within us at our Baptism, and deeper manifestation of that Name through living our faithfulness.  Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving -- as well as special worship services during Lent -- are forms of self-emptying, self-giving.  What we do is to make an attempt to get our own egos out of the way, so to speak, and make more room for God.  Like David's penitential Psalm 51, which works as an archetypal form of confession for all of us, we are effectively asking of God, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit."  Let us also be good bearers of His Name into the world, by keeping the word which Christ has given us, and keeping or restoring clean hearts at this time of Lent, so that our spirits are renewed and upheld in the joy of God's salvation.

 

 

 

 

God, be merciful to me a sinner!

 

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 18:9-14 

 

As we begin to enter into Lent, the lectionary gives us readings to consider and frame our Lenten journey, particularly in the context of the traditions of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting.  For the Oriental Orthodox, Lent began on Monday; today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for the western churches, Catholic and Protestant; for the Eastern Orthodox Lent will begin this Monday.  Yesterday we were given the story of Jesus on trial before Pilate:   Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.  Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king them?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."

 

  Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  My study Bible explains that the Pharisee is highly respected and a careful observer of the details of the Law, whereas the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, and who betrays and cheats his own people.  

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"  The practices of this Pharisee are worthy examples to follow, my study Bible explains to us.  His good deeds (fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, these outwardly good practices are worthless and lead only to pride and judgment of others.  We are to note that he prays with himself, for God is absent where there is boasting.  

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  My study Bible asks us to observe the posture of the tax collector:  it shows an awareness of the state of his soul, as he stands far from the altar of sacrifice with eyes cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, as is the refrain "Lord have mercy" which permeates worship and personal prayer.   

 

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  To be justified means to be forgiven and set right with God, for inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.

My study Bible explains that to be justified essentially means to be forgiven and set right with God.  In pursuit of that end, we must know that inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned.  And that is why this particular parable of Jesus is the archetypal parable for Lent, because during Lent our pursuit of the practices of prayer, of almsgiving, and of fasting are particularly directed at "getting right with God," as the expression goes.  And these are the means whereby we pursue that goal, with Lent as the period particularly dedicated to that end.  This period leading up to Easter is the period dedicated to a preparation for the Lord's Resurrection as the One whom we expect to meet at His Second Coming.  It is a time to think about how we are prepared to meet our Lord, what it is that God praises and that God does not.  The emphasis, then, has always been on the cultivation of humility, on the awareness of our own flaws and things we need to restore or repair, the ways in which we need to grow.  But without humility, we can't possibly even know where we need to shape up our thinking and our lives, the errors we fall into, or the ways in which our Lord would not be pleased to meet us.  This parable given by Jesus is the prime example we have of how Jesus teaches us our attitudes should be.  We can all perhaps recognize in modern form what the Pharisee would look like.  Let us note that his whole focus is first of all on his own self-righteousness, leading to a focus on comparison to others.  This is entirely the wrong focus.  Lent is the time when we learn to focus more clearly on God.  We fast from all the things that distract that focus, we just give everything a rest for a while and we think about God, focusing in on prayer and the other practices that help us to remember God and to know what we are to be about.  We attempt to make more space for attention to God.  We don't focus in on our passions and desires and the million and one things the world seems to clamor for us to follow.  The interesting thing about today's parable (or, at any rate, what grabs my attention today) is that God, however, is comparing us!  At least in this case, Jesus (our Lord) is clearly pointing out that one person is praying "with himself" and that the other, however, is quite aware of his own flaws -- and he compares the two for us, and the one aware of his own mistakes comes up justified, and not the nominally "good" Pharisee.  The Jesus Prayer practice mentioned by my study Bible is a simple yet profound practice of short, repeated prayer, developed through the monastic tradition in Orthodoxy.  It is based, for the most part, on the refrain of the penitent tax collector, but also from other passages in the Bible, and particularly from St. Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing."  In the earliest monastic practices of the desert monks, it was common to repeat a short prayer from the Psalms:  "Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord!" (Psalm 70:1).  In this practice, the monastics were continually reminded of their spiritual struggle.  They would repeat it throughout the day, while doing their work or other activities.  Some used small pebbles to mark each recitation.  These short prayers were called "arrow prayers."  In the Eastern monastic tradition, the Jesus Prayer developed, a way to practice in various times and circumstances, including when alone, a short arrow prayer which is repeated and upon which one focuses.   This practice is also called the Prayer of the Heart, for the idea is that the repetition eventually becomes something which deepens itself within us, penetrating to the heart.  For those interested, I recommend this short, inexpensive book by Met. Kallistos Ware, or for a little more depth, this paperback authored in humility by one calling himself A Monk of the Eastern Church, but known to be Fr. Lev Gillet.   Another book teaching about this prayer tradition by Met. Kallistos is this one.  Please note that there are many Western advocates of this prayer who teach that it is meant to be accompanied by breathing exercises, but traditionally in the East this was never a part of the teaching, especially for lay people.  The true practice is simply to repeat the short prayer to oneself, and when you find your mind wandering (which will happen inevitably), just bring your focus back to the prayer.  In this prayer, even the very Name of Jesus is considered a prayer, and will work as an "arrow prayer."  Note that this is a prayer practice, not a meditation practice.  It is a way of "praying without ceasing," of calling upon Jesus and seeking His presence, both simple and profound, as our prayer deepens within us.

 

 

 

For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice

 

 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.  Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  

 

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king them?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."

 

- John 18:28–38 

 

Yesterday the lectionary began our preparation for Lent.  (For the Oriental Orthodox, yesterday was the first day of Lent; for the denominations of the West Lent begins tomorrow, which is Ash Wednesday; for the Eastern Orthodox, Lent begins this Monday.)  Yesterday we were given the story of  Simon Peter's denial of Christ.  We read that Simon Peter followed Jesus (after Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken by the authorities), and so did another disciple.  Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside.  Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.  Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"  He said, "I am not."  Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.  Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?"  He denied it and said, "I am not!"  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him? Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

 

Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.   My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who notes the irony here that the accusers of Jesus did not fear being defiled by condemning an innocent Man to death, but would not set foot into a court of justice.

Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."   Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.   The chief priests of the Jews, my study Bible says, had no actual crime with which to make an accusation against Jesus, so Pilate refused to pass judgment.  When the chief priests say, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," they are not speaking of the Law of Moses, but rather the laws of Roman occupation, under which only the Romans had the right to execute people.  Thus, the chief priests relied on Pilate to sentence Jesus to death.  Under the Jewish law, stoning was prescribed as the usual means of execution.  But Christ had prophesied that He would be killed by being lifted up on the Cross (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32-33), having the foreknowledge that He would die, not at the hands of the Jews but by the Roman method of crucifixion.  

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"   My study Bible points out that it is unheard of that the accused would have to name the charges against himself in any court, since the captors would be the ones who name the crime.  It says the fact that Pilate has to ask Jesus what the charges are shows that the chief priests could name no crime that Jesus might have committed, as revealed in the first verses of today's reading (John 18:29-30).  Moreover, it shows us that Jesus was Lord over the events of His death (see John 18:4, 8).  As we read here, even the governor, Pilate, has to come to Jesus in order for the trial to proceed.  

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king them?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."  Here, we see an interesting encounter between the one who governs for imperial Caesar and Jesus Christ.  Note that Pilate tries to understand Jesus, as he's been provided with no real information from the chief priests.  He begins with what seems to be an accusation that Christ sought to make Himself king, the only charge about which the Romans would likely care, and one that would bring the death penalty if found guilty, considered to be insurrection against the Herodian dynasty allied with Rome.  Jesus begins to reply concerning the gospel of the Kingdom, that His kingdom is not of this world, and that His kingship begins as One who bears witness to the truth, the reality of His spiritual kingdom.

Jesus power comes up against state power:  in a sense, this is a defining moment in the Gospels.  It is not just about the use of worldly power per se, but about the encounter between the ways in which the world works through material power and the power of Jesus Christ.  When Jesus speaks of the truth, when He says specifically that He has come into the world in order to bear witness to the truth, He speaks clearly of the truth of God.  This truth is not simply a fact, but it something that is connected to God, to the ontological reality of the power and presence of God in our world, whether seen or unseen, known or unknown.  When Jesus speaks of sending the Holy Spirit, He calls Him the Spirit of truth:  "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13.  We understand the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to be God; when Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth, then we understand also that this truth of which Jesus speaks, and for which He has come into this world to bear witness, is the truth of God.  It is God acting among us, revealing God's word, teaching us the reality of God and this living kingdom which dwells within us and among us.  Therefore when Jesus tells Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice,"  He is speaking of the reality of that Kingdom dwelling within us, the internal spiritual response of a heart that embraces the advent of this Kingdom in the world and honors the presence of God which may indwell human beings.  This concept requires of us not only to understand the reality of the Person(s) of God, but also the action of God in our world, or grace, which is also of God.  To bear witness to this truth is to reveal the things of God by the grace of God, even to allow the Spirit to speak through us, just as the Spirit spoke through the prophets who came before Jesus to reveal the word of God to the people.  When Jesus speaks to the disciples about their own testimonies to come when they are dragged to the courts of officials and ruling powers, He says, "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit" (Mark 13:11).  We are expected to be temples of this indwelling Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:17), those who also bear witness to the truth, even the word of God which the Spirit may reveal.  So, as this Lent begins for you, consider what it means to participate in the practices of Lent.  We fast from things that distract and get in the way of the God's work in us as temples.  We give all the things we chase a rest for a while:  we don't need fancy meals, we don't need massive entertainments, we need to pay attention to our words and cut down on our excesses.  We refrain from gossip, backbiting, fighting.  We try to remember that we might disagree, but we are nevertheless taught an inner respect as each person holds this capability to be a temple of God.  We seek our own flaws and things that need improving.  And to do these things, to work on this, we put into practice especially prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.   We see to remember what we are supposed to be about, we give more of our time to God, more of ourselves.  We seek to meet the Resurrection, and Christ as almighty and immortal, with the refreshed perspective of those who truly seek to be like Him, to bear His truth into the world, and especially to be those who can hear His voice, so it is not drowned out in the cacophony of the world and all the things we think we need to desire.