If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

 

 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  

 

Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

- John 8:21-32 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, an eight-day autumn harvest festival which commemorates the time when Israel dwelt in tabernacles, or tents, following Moses.  It is the great and final day of the feast.  It is also the final year of Jesus' earthly life.  On Saturday we read that Jesus spoke to religious leaders again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am one who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

  Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  My study Bible comments that going away here refers to Christ's death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  Note how Jesus once again ties everything in to His communion with the Father.  All things come from God the Father:  "He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  That includes the identity of Christ from the One who sent Him, and all the things Jesus speaks to the world.

Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.   Lift up, as used here by Christ, has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross, and also of being exalted by the Father upon completion of His work.  

 

 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."  My study Bible says that Jesus expects all who follow Him to be disciples.  "Disciple" is the Greek word μαθητής/mathetes, which literally means "learner."  He expects those who follow Him to be learners.  To abide in His word, my study Bible continues, is the responsibility of all believers -- not simply of the clergy or of an elite class of zealots, but all who believe.

 

 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  My study Bible explains that the truth refers both to the virtue of truth, and even more importantly, to Christ Himself (John 14:6).  To be free refers to freedom from darkness, confusion, and lies, as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death. 

What does it mean to be free?  To some people, freedom means freedom from something.  Some may want to be free of financial debts, or possibly a difficult circumstance one wants to escape.  Some may want a kind of spiritual freedom in the sense of doing what pleases them, or what they think is right on their terms.  For others, there is emotional freedom, such as freedom from worry, or freedom from sorrow.  And there is also physical freedom from things:  freedom from pain, freedom from social or political circumstances, freedom from authority with the power to punish or imprison.  There are other kinds of freedom that people desire as well; this is from to do things.   As opposed to freedom from something, one may desire freedom to go to the beach, to smoke cigarettes (or other substances), to shout in a movie theater, to buy a car or build a swimming pool, to go take a walk when we need a break, even to breathe fresh air.  But the kind of freedom which Jesus offers here is the truth in an absolute and even relative sense (relative to our present circumstances, for example), but His truth also includes Himself, everything that is in His being which He offers and freely shares with us.  This is a freedom that goes far deeper than an immediate desire for freedom to or freedom from something.  This is the root of all freedom which asks us the question about what we do with freedom, how we use it, how we take it and explore it, how we think of it or even understand it.  This deep-rooted place of freedom is the place where Christ offers us both "freedom to" and "freedom from," for it is the place of the deep truth which is reality, and offers us what will correct not only what ails us but also offer to us what we need.  It is a truth that teaches us what our best use for freedom is, and how to live that freedom in the best way possible.  It will throw out what is extraneous by getting us down to the nitty-gritty of where our identity is, what truths are that we need to embrace, and what delusions and personal handicaps we need to discard to find who we are.  This kind of freedom roots us in the place where our values can be restored, made whole, and revivified when our dreams are cast down, or our own disillusion gets the better of us.  It will teach us which false gods we worship, and be there when their feet of clay are exposed, and we need direction.  It will make out of us "learners" -- that is, disciples, so that we may find what is worthwhile and not waste our time on what is not.  Christ's truth, therefore, offers us a freedom which cannot be found anywhere else, because His truth is the light of life.  It is therefore the light of this world, where darkness can so easily obscure our best path, because we don't of ourselves have the capacity to know what Christ can reveal and give to us.  For this reason we must all be "learners," and walk the path of the truth He offers, which makes us truly free.

 

 

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life

 

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am one who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

- John 8:12-20 

 

 Yesterday we read that on the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.   Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  My study Bible explains that Jesus declares, "I am the light of the world" in the context of the great lamps being lit at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles.  Therefore, it says, He declares Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light.  In the Scriptures, God the Father Himself is light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), an attribute which is bestowed on God's followers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  Christ confirms this claim that He is the light of the world in the performing of the great sign of opening the eyes of a man born blind in our following chapter (John 9:1-7; note especially verse 5).  

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am one who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Earlier in the Gospel, at the Feast of Weeks (also known as the Old Testament Pentecost, which celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai, Jesus gave four witnesses to His identity (see this reading).  Here, He is again challenged by the Pharisees, and this time He gives two witnesses:  Himself and the Father.  Importantly, Jesus explains that His judgment is righteous because He does not judge according to the flesh; He does not judge according to appearance alone.  In Thursday's reading, Jesus said to them, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Why would His judgment be true, because if He were to judge, He is not alone, but with the Father who sent Him.  His bold statement here is that He bears witness of Himself, and the Father who sent Him bears witness of Him.

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.  My study Bible comments that because the Son and the Father share the same divine nature, one cannot be known apart from the other (John 14:7-11).  Christ's hour is the time of His Passion.  

The lectionary has skipped over a passage that begins chapter 8 of John's Gospel.  This is the story of the woman caught in adultery, and presented to Jesus in the temple as a kind of test to trap Him (see John 8:1-11).  This passage does not appear in several ancient manuscripts, and neither is it covered in the commentaries of St. John Chrysostom and some other patristic figures.   Perhaps it is for this reason that it is skipped over in the lectionary readings.  However, my study Bible comments, it is still sealed by the Church as inspired, authentic, canonical Scripture, and bears the same authority as all other Scripture.  But perhaps it is a good idea to take it in context, and specifically in the context of Christ's teachings in today's reading that He is the light of the world, and that His judgment is true because He does nothing without the Father's presence.   Perhaps the story of the woman caught in adultery is illustrative of that true judgment on the part of Christ, giving us a sense of the insight of God, and what it is to know true judgment.  But let us consider that in saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life," Jesus is offering us a path for our own righteousness.  He offers Himself as guide, the lamp that lights the way in the dark, the road to tread in life so that we also walk in the light of life.  This is related to the true judgment Jesus displays, for this is what His light for -- to help illumine our own potential for discernment and true or righteous judgment.  In John 14:6, Jesus proclaims that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and we should keep in mind that the word for way means also "road."  He is our path, the one that leads to the Father, to the illumination of our lives.  John's Gospel speaks to us of darkness and light, right from the beginning (John 1:1-9).  Darkness is a kind of ignorance that symbolizes evil, the things that are bad and harmful to life.  Jesus as the light of life directs us to life, and life more abundantly:  that would includes righteousness, true judgment, and a path to the Father, a way to walk through this world.  Is righteousness important to us?  Does illumination have meaning for us, and importance?  Is it significant as a worthwhile goal?  We can look around ourselves and see plenty of darkness.  Let us all the more deeply cling to His light, to show us the way to life, and life more abundantly, and to be a part of the light shining in the darkness of the world.

 

 

 

If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink

 

 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 

- John 7:37–52 

 

In our current readings, the events take place in what is now the final year of Christ's earthly life.  Jesus has gone to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (see Wednesday's reading).  Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

 

 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  This last day, the great day of the feast is the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  On this day was the ceremony of the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam.  This was mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as purification and in remembrance of the water which flowed from the rock struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7).  This commemoration is the backdrop for Christ's words, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."   This living water of which Christ speaks is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."   The Prophet refers to the expected Messiah, the Savior foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15-19.

Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.   Bethlehem was the town from which the Christ was expected to come (see the prophecy of Micah 5:2).   The people know Jesus as one whose family is from Nazareth in Galilee; what they don't know is that He was born in Bethlehem, and, in worldly terms, of the lineage of David (see Luke 2:1-7).  

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  The chief priests had earlier sent officers of the temple to arrest Jesus in the middle of the Feast (see yesterday's reading, above).  But by this time, it is the last day of the Feast, and no arrest has been made.  My study Bible comments that the reason for this is these officers had been converted by Christ's teaching ("No one ever spoke like this Man!").  The Pharisees and the scribes, according to St. John Chrysostom, as quoted by my study Bible, who had "witnessed and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from either.  The officers, on the other hand, even though they could not claim any of the learning of the religious leaders, were "captivated by a single sermon."  When the mind is open, "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."  Nicodemus had spoken with Jesus, as reported earlier in the Gospel (John 3:1-21), and had increased in faith since that time.  But, my study Bible notes, his defense of Christ is still based on our law, and this is not yet a public profession of faith (see John 19:38-39).   According to the law, Jesus must be given a hearing before He can be judged (Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 1:15-17).  The Pharisees who dispute with Nicodemus (who is also a Pharisee) declare that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.  But my study Bible says that in so doing, they show their blind hatred and also ignorance of the Scriptures, for the prophet Jonah came from Galilee, from the town of Gath Hepher, which was only three miles from Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25).  

The temple officers declare to the religious leaders, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" and indeed this is true.  No one ever spoke like Jesus.  We recall that it is the words of Christ which also keep His core disciples with Him, while many went away because of the "difficult" saying in the teaching regarding His flesh and blood.  At that time, Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  St. Peter replied to Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  Moreover, Jesus taught Himself, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  Therefore we see in action in today's reading these words of spirit and life, and their impact on the temple officers, who are unable to resist their truth, and unable to arrest Him.  So what is the impact of these words which are "spirit and life"?  How are we to understand the power within the "words of eternal life"?  A similar experience will be had by the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who did not understand that it was Christ in their midst, but later recalled, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"  (See Luke 24:13-35.)   In today's reading, Jesus speaks of the "living water," meaning the Holy Spirit, teaching the people, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  So today, let us ask ourselves, for what do we truly thirst?  What is the deep need we have for something powerful, meaningful, filled with light, and giving us direction and substance?  In the race we lead in life, what are we chasing after?  Do all the things we can accumulate and accomplish leave us still with a thirst for something more?  Do we need direction and meaning?  It is Jesus Christ and His words which bring us this light, and we can be stirred by His words as were the apostles on the road to Emmaus in our own hearts, and we can seek this living water that quenches a thirst we will always have.  For it is God's love that compels us forward and that answers the deepest needs we have, which will lead us forward to shape our lives in meaning and purpose, and teach us what the power of that love holds.  The words are spirit and life and they draw us forward into life more abundantly.  Let us consider what we miss when all we have is a race without the struggle for God, and without the living water which quenches a deeper thirst. 

 

 

You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

 

- John 7:14-36 

 

Yesterday we read that after the disputes over His teachings which we read in John's chapter 6, Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

  Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  My study Bible points out that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  Spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize God's authority.  It notes that St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ in this way:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."

The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Just as He did in Matthew 12:3-5, in citing the feeding of David and his men with the showbread, Jesus here cites a blameless violation of the Sabbath, circumcision.  My study Bible says that He demonstrates that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God.  This is what it means to judge with righteous judgment.

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."   My study Bible comments that the crowds are mistaken here, when they say that "we know where this Man is from."  Both in an earthly and a divine sense this is so.  In worldly terms, they think of Jesus as being from Nazareth of Galilee, but He was actually born in Bethlehem (see verse 42; Luke 2:1-7).  More than this, they can't understand that Christ has come from the Father in heaven, eternally begotten before all ages, and therefore His divine origin also remains unknown to them.

Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  Christ's hour, my study Bible explains, is the time of His suffering and death.  He is the Lord over time, which is an authority possessed by God alone.  Christ comes to the Cross of His own free will, and in His time -- and not according to the plans of human beings (see John 8:20, 10:39).  

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." Here Jesus is referring to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  My study Bible tells us that among the Greeks is a phrase which means among the Gentiles.  This is an unwitting prophecy, moreover, which points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles.  Indeed, as the international language of the time, the New Testament itself would be written in the Greek language as the means of communicating to the world the name of Jesus Christ.

We note how the people (and especially the religious leadership) continue to pose "earthly" questions and challenges to the words of Christ.  This is something typical of John's Gospel, a pattern which we've already read, which is a way in which the things of God become communicated in worldly language.  This transition from a worldly or earthly understanding, to the comprehension of language which is necessarily metaphorical by Jesus, is a way to communicate the things of God in this new doctrine of Jesus Christ, the new covenant offered in His Person to the world.  It tells us there is more to life than we suspect, and that in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, we are offered an abundant life.  More life is added to us than meets the eye, than we already know.  In chapter 10, Jesus will teach, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).   In the Lord's Prayer, we are taught to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:3).  But the word translated as "daily" is a special word, coined apparently just for the Gospel and the prayer, which literally means "above the essence" or "supersubstantial."  The word is ἐπιούσιον/epiousion:  from epi which means atop or upon, and ousia which means substance or essence.  It indicates, my study Bible explains, the bread not only for today's material nourishment, but also the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, the nourishment of our soul.  Of course, the living, supersubstantial bread is Christ, the spiritual bread of eternal life, in accordance with His teachings in our previous chapter (see John 6:27-58).  Therefore, when we consider the Gospel and its juxtaposition of earthly-oriented misunderstandings and Christ's teachings, let us consider the Incarnation itself, Christ who is the "bread who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  The Gospel offers us life, transfigured and transformed through this substance which is added to us through Christ, this mystical reality of the Kingdom which He brings to us, and this is the way to truly understand our faith.  It is a great mistake to separate the earthly and the spiritual without the understanding that in Christ's Incarnation, and in His ministry, what we are offered is both together, inseparable, made one, and this is the life into which He invites us, the life He offers us, and the life in which He invites us to participation in communion with Him.  This word, ἐπιούσιον/epiousion, gives us in some sense everything about Jesus Christ and what He brings to us in a nutshell:  He is fully human and also fully God, and He offers to us this life that He brings into the world, for us to live within and participate in, so that He shares His life with us.  If these concepts are difficult to understand, consider the seven "signs" we're given in John's Gospel.  They are signs because they make us aware of the presence of a deeper substance, something more that exists in our midst.  Christ brings this into our world, so that -- just like Him -- we may live a life in communion with God.  That is, a life not broken into the fragments of a purely material life which cannot collect itself into a meaningful whole.  This more abundant life, this greater substance, gives us a purpose befitting the better things for which we've been created, capable of communion with God.  The misunderstandings in the Gospel seek to bridge that gap, to inform us about our missing understanding of what and Who is among us:  the fullness of the reality of God with us, the Kingdom in our midst (Luke 17:21).  Christ offers us, and those to whom He speaks in the Gospels, so much more, life abundantly.  Let us not be among those mistakenly accepting that the material is all there is, and pass up this gift that gives us so much more than we know.  Let us follow where He leads.

 

 

If You do these things, show Yourself to the world

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that many of Christ's disciples, after they heard His teachings concerning eating His flesh and drinking His blood, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.  

 

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  In chapter 6 we read of events that took place during the second Passover season recorded in John's Gospel, in which Jesus disputed with the religious leaders ("the Jews" is used in John's Gospel most often to denote specifically the religious leadership, and not the people in general).   For this reason He does not want to walk in Judea, the center of the religious establishment and the temple.  We are now beginning to read of events which took place during the final year of Christ's earthly life.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Booths) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  My study Bible explains that it commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or tabernacles.   Along with Passover and Pentecost, these formed the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included may sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, the final day of the feast also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as a purification and also in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Later on the images in this chapter will inform Christ's teachings on light and illumination, reflecting the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  See also 2 Maccabbees 10:5-9.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  His brothers speak in earthly or worldly terms (show Yourself to the world), but Christ's mission is one that testifies to the evil in the works of the world (see Matthew 16:2-24).  My study Bible explains also that in Jewish usage (and for that matter, today in the extended Middle East), the term brother can indicate any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz referred to his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  Jesus Himself had no blood brothers, as Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here were either stepbrothers; that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins.  We can understand this in the action of Christ at the Cross, in committing the care of His mother to John His disciple (John 19:25-27) -- for this would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.  

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible explains that not openly means not with a grand, public entrance as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  John's Gospel gives us the divisions of the people, adding that no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders. 

What does it mean that Christ testifies that the works of the world are evil?  Jesus says to His relatives, when they encourage Him to show Himself openly, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."   His "time" to which He refers is the time of His Passion, and we must understand this also in the context of testimony to the evil works of the world.  The Crucifixion itself, as plotted by the powerful leaders for their own reasons (Matthew 27:17-18), is an act which expresses this evil -- however, it is entered into voluntarily and knowingly by Christ, for it is the culmination of this testimony.  As it is Christ Himself, Incarnate God, the power which is also at work transforms and transfigures the Crucifixion itself, turning the Cross into a sign of Resurrection and God's power against evil.  As noted above, when St. Peter encourages Jesus to avoid the Cross, Jesus responds to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).  It is one example of how a worldly way of thinking does not correspond to God's thinking, and specifically to the mission of Jesus Christ and what He must do in His testimony.  In today's reading, Jesus' extended family, not understanding His mission, encourages Him to "show Yourself to the world."   They reason that "no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly," and that He should "go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing."  But we know that many of Christ's works, in their immediate context, were done by Christ in secret (Luke 8:54-56), or in far away places (such as His revelation of Himself to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4:1-42), with Christ frequently admonishing the beneficiary of His grace and healing to "tell no one."  The "world," by contrast, would clamor for publicity.  Somehow, as in the words of Christ's brethren, everything depends upon proofs, upon showing something to the world that would compel belief (Matthew 12:39).  But often in the Gospels, the deliberate stirring up of crowds is something which in itself is used with evil intent, and misleads leads the people (Mark 15:11).  Faith, however, comes from something more than this, as we have read taught by Jesus throughout chapter 6:  it is the working of Father, Son, and Spirit within us that draws us to know Christ, and works within the heart of human beings.  John's Gospel will continually teach us that even the very Incarnation of Christ tells us something about what it is to seek and know Christ.  His mission is at work in the world but not of it (John 17:14)  There is something more that we seek, a mystical component that feeds also soul and spirit, and that prompts us to wish to know His path for us, and to grow in faith. 

 

 

 

 

The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life

 

 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

- John 6:60–71 

 

 

Yesterday we read that the leaders of the synagogue in Capernaum quarreled among themselves regarding Jesus' teaching, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 

 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.   My study Bible comments that even Christ's disciples took His teaching on His Body and Blood as a hard saying, and many walked with Him no more.  There are still those, it says, who reject Christ's words concerning the sacramental eating of His Body and drinking of His Blood.  This is a highly difficult Mystery to grasp, and many have attempted to define it rationally or to explain it away as purely metaphorical.  (See yesterday's commentary in which we discussed what the sense of "Mystical" means.)   My study Bible comments that either extreme is dubious; to reject Christ's sacramental teaching is to reject the witness of the Scriptures and the unanimous teaching of the Church throughout history.  

Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.   Here in John's Gospel, we have Peter's confession in the light of the words and teachings of Christ:  "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."   My study Bible comments that Peter's understanding that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  

In today's reading, Jesus repeats His teaching from Saturday's reading ("No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him"), saying, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."   But coupled with this teaching is a new element, which we might say in some sense characterizes John's Gospel, and that is the life of the Spirit.   In Matthew's Gospel, when Peter makes His confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus tells him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (see Matthew 16:16-18).   This therefore underscores Jesus' repeated teachings in our recent readings that no one can come to Him unless drawn by the Father; we are only capable of knowing Christ through a desire for God in the heart.  But here, the vivifying, living reality of the Spirit is also given to us in both St. Peter's words and in Christ's teachings.  Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."  And St. Peter affirms the human perspective that grasps for such a living reality where it is met:  "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  So, in a sense, there is a theophany, or revelation of God -- Father, Son, and Spirit -- in today's reading.   Here in John's Gospel, as contrasted with Matthew, Peter's confession of faith includes this working of the Spirit, in the "words of eternal life" which Jesus says are "spirit" and "life."  Therefore,  Father, Son, and Spirit are inseparable also from Peter's confession of faith.   Perhaps it is that John's Gospel is the last of the Gospels to be written, and reflects the illumined understanding in the experiences of the early Church, and the unfolding of the work of the Spirit that informs it.  It is distinguished through Christ's words and teachings, and through Peter's confession, that the role of the Spirit is also inseparable from how we experience faith and how we grow in that faith, and this is the experience of the early Church as reflected here.  The Father draws us and makes possible our capacity to know Christ as Son, and His words are spirit and life.  And we, like Peter, are also drawn by His words, for nobody else has the words of eternal life.  We can look around and ask ourselves, where else shall we go?  Who else has the words of eternal life?  In the literature of the world, we can search and find, no matter the beauty, or the inspiration, or the sublime quality we find elsewhere, none has had the impact of Christ's words -- so that even those who quote wisdom often don't realize they are quoting the teachings of Christ.   Jesus brings together Father, Son, and Spirit -- and together they are met in us, with us.  For we, like Peter, are given these words of eternal life, and Father, Son, and Spirit work in us to help us to come to faith and to grow in that faith through time and through their communion.  Let us accept the power of His words, the light and the life that are in them, and understand.

He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him

 

 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

 

- John 6:52-59 

 

On Saturday we read that the religious leaders complained about Jesus, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."   

 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" Continuing from yesterday's reading (see above), the religious leaders of the synagogue at Capernaum, where this conversation takes place, carry on their dispute with Jesus, after the people sought to make Him king and followed Him to the town.  Let us remember, as always, that most often John's Gospel uses the term "the Jews" in a sort of political sense, to denote the religious leadership; here the religious authorities in the synagogue.  As also happens frequently in John's Gospel, they hear Jesus' words in their "earthly" meaning and quarrel on that basis.

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.  My study Bible comments on today's entire passage (and including the previous verse from Saturday's reading:  "If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world").  It notes that the eucharistic significance of this passage is indisputable.  Christ's declaration that He is Himself the living bread that gives life is a revelation of the Mystical Supper of the New Testament Church.  It notes that John does not report the details of the Last Supper (such as the "words of institution" which are recorded in Luke 22:19-20).  Instead, John's Gospel reveals the significance and truth of these events (we should understand, these are events which were already known to John's hearers) by reporting Christ's own words.  Moreover, in reading His words here, we should hear them as did the early Church, in the light of Christ's Crucifixion:  that He was crucified in the flesh and His blood was shed on the Cross, and on the third day raised in a glorified state.  So we receive the grace of Christ's sacrificial offering by coming to Him in faith (verse 35), and receiving Holy Communion in faith.  My study Bible reminds us that in Communion, so the Orthodox Church has maintained, we eat His flesh and drink His blood which are mystically present, granting the faithful eternal life ("Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"), with Christ abiding in us and us in Him ("He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him").  It quotes the commentary of St. Hilary of Poitiers:  "There is no room left for any doubt about the reality of His flesh and blood, because we have both the witness of His words and our own faith. Thus when we eat and drink these elements, we are in Christ and Christ is in us.

We should think hard about what these words mean, as used by my study Bible.  What is the Mystical Supper?  Why call it that?  What does it mean to say that in the Eucharist, Christ's flesh and blood are mystically present?  This is something to understand which is a spiritual mystery, inextricably linked to the Eucharist, our prayers and worship, and our faith -- and of course to Christ's command and His words here.  See also especially Matthew 26:26-28, Luke 22:19-20, His words at the Last Supper.  For something to be mystically present to us is a reality that we don't necessary see on earthly terms, but is nevertheless present.  We assume that there are angels present, servants and messengers of God, that each of us has a guardian angel, but we don't necessarily see or hear them in an earthly sense.  We assume the presence of the Holy Spirit, Who is "everywhere present and filling all things" according to an Orthodox prayer that begins every worship service (see the Prayer to the Holy Spirit here).  We know the Holy Spirit as a Person (the Third Person of the Trinity), yet we don't see a face or hear a voice in an earthly sense -- but understand the mystical reality that nonetheless is present, even the mystical reality of a Person of God that has qualities different from earthly persons (Joel 2:28).  To know that something is mystically present is linked to faith and prayer, that connection which Jesus assures us is there and present to us at all times.  He tells the disciples -- and all of us --  in His parting words at His Ascension, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).  In Luke's Gospel, He tells the Pharisees, "The kingdom of God is within you," using a word which can also mean "in your midst," (see Luke 17:20-22).  It is a way for Him to say, also, that this Kingdom is mystically present.  And a mystical presence is something that is denoted all throughout John's Gospel by John's reporting of the seven signs of Christ's ministry.  It is important to note that John uses the word "sign" (Greek σημεῖον/semeion) for these miraculous events, because it puts them in the proper context to Christ and what He does.  They are "signs" that point to the mystical reality of the presence of the kingdom of God, that lives in and is made present to us in Christ.  The same is true when we worship, for we consider that Isaiah's vision of heavenly worship in Isaiah 6:1-3, and the vision of the same given to us in Revelation 4, is something that is mystically present to us in our own worship, and all creatures worship together -- both seen and unseen.  This would also include the saints, and those who are departed from us but who live in Christ, for as St. Paul has said, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1-2), who are also mystically present with us.  There are no doubt times in worship and in prayer, in dreams and visions, when people are given glimpses of this mystical reality, tastes of what is truly present in a mystical sense.  But our worship and prayer interacts with this reality in which we have faith; our confidence and trust in Christ also takes root in the same.  For without this understanding, where is Resurrection, and what is it?  Without this understanding, to Whom do we pray, and in what are we participating when we say we participate in the life of Christ?  A highly materialistic mindset would cast this aside for the mistaken notion that what we cannot verify in an earthly sense mustn't be real.  This seems to be a completely misunderstood notion of what science  teaches, as hypothesis, by which all science is conducted, always assumes or seeks what is not yet proven -- and each new proof may dispel a once-cherished notion held previously as scientific truth.  See, for example, the current debate over the newest photos of the James Webb Space Telescope; it illustrates how new data changes and challenges long-held scientific assumptions and theories (see this article, for example).  Moreover, advanced scientific theories and mathematical proofs always hold assumptions.  So when we speak of things which are accepted and understood, but for which there is not necessarily a scientific measure of proofs, even science itself does not declare such reality impossible or nonexistent.  We should look to Christ's own attitude about proofs, shown in the number of times He refused to submit proofs or "signs" on demand in order to force faith ("An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah" -- see Matthew 12:39, 16:4).  In recent readings, Jesus has spoken of faith as that by which the Father draws those to Christ who truly desire to know Him, and who want this mystical truth (see Saturday's reading, above).  Then, as now, faith is a mysterious, God-given thing, that works at depths within ourselves whose origin is as unknown to us as the farthest reaches of the universe.  Let us accept what we are given in the same understanding, that a mystical reality depends on faith, a discernment which has mystical roots in the deepest places in us, known only to God.