Hosanna in the highest!

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna!

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

 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David

That comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!"

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

 

- Mark 11:1–11 

 

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

 

  Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  The events described in today's reading are understood as Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  My study Bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  Let's note Jesus' careful preparation for this event, and the specific directions given, making them very significant in the Scripture.  Jesus specifies a young colt, on which no one has sat.  Note also that He has allowed His disciples to refer publicly to Himself as the Lord.  

Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Jesus rides into Jerusalem in His Triumphal Entry on a donkey's colt, a sign which my study Bible calls one of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  The people spread their clothes in such a way as to pay reverence to a King.  My study Bible says that this is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and even our lives, for Christ.  

 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!"  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went  out to Bethany with the twelve.   The people quote from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  It was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"  

My study Bible comments on today's reading that this entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God, and this is the way we, as followers of Christ, should view it.  It's also a  promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  Jesus walking into the temple as His first act after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is an act of the Messiah, surveilling His heavenly Kingdom.  As we will see, this will be followed by acts which could only be done by the Messiah, in response to which Jesus will continually be questioned as to His authority to do so by the religious leaders.  Tradition asks us to understand the acts of Jesus on many levels at once, as whatever He does is both temporally and eternally true.  That is, as Jesus goes triumphally into Jerusalem, we must also see this -- as my study Bible noted -- as parallel to the promise of entry into the heavenly Jerusalem, and the fullness of the wedding feast unified to His pure Bride, the Church.  Not only do we read about events that happened two thousand years ago in today's text, but we must also understand the promise of this event (which is ongoing, and whose signs are with us, such as the continual growth of the Church around the world), its fulfillment through time, and its ultimate fulfillment at the end of the age which is yet to come. So, therefore, this event exists and is fulfilled at many levels, and its promise ongoing, which is our hope.  Moreover, we know that the events of Christ's eventual suffering, death on the Cross, and Resurrection will also be a part of His experience at Jerusalem, the response of the religious leaders, and even His glory.  For His time on the Cross, paradoxically in worldly terms, will be what He calls His hour of glory, when He will glorify His Father's name (see John 12:30-36).   In Hebrews 13:8, we read, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  In Revelation 1:8, we read, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."  Revelation 4:8 tells us the four living creatures, the seraphim around the Lord's throne, continually praise, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"  Taking all of these things together means that should we choose to dispute whether or not we should look at this event as only something that historically happened once in the past, or as an event of promise continually unfolding, or even as one with an eternal horizon of fulfillment (whose time we don't know), the correct answer to this question is that all of these things are true at once.  And this is our reality as believers, we hold all of these things at once, for they are all true of our Lord, who was and is and is to come. 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

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

 

- Mark 10:46–52 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and the disciples were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."   But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blilnd Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  My study Bible comments on today's reading that the restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected to be performed by the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5).  It notes that this is a power which God had reserved for Himself (compare John 9:32).  The title by which Bartimaeus calls to Christ is a messianic title.  Its use is evidence of Bartimaeus' faith that Jesus is the Christ.  There is another, spiritual interpretation to this miracle found in patristic commentary, my study Bible tells us.  As Jericho was a low-lying city, which was associated with sin (Luke 10:30; 19:1), it is interpreted here to symbolize fallen humanity.  Christ passing through Jericho is an image of His Incarnation.  When the Lord restores sight to Bartimaeus it is a parallel to restoring humanity to glory (bringing "light" to his eyes).  Having been made whole by Christ, human nature can now follow Christ on the road to the Kingdom, which is symbolized by the event in our following reading on Monday, Christ entranced into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11).  

In St. John's Gospel, we read that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12).  At Holy Baptism, we receive His light, and so baptism is also called Holy Illumination.  In the centuries prior to ours, blindness was thought of as a kind of darkness of the eyes, a state in which light could not be received in the eyes.  And it's true, that without light, none of us can see anything.  All that we perceive of the world is quite literally the things that sunlight shows to us.  In fact, in the understood spectrum of physical light, the colors we see and perceive with our eyes are created through the spectrum of light reflected back off of the objects we see.  Everything else in the light spectrum is absorbed.  So, if we think about light, we can truly understand why Christ is the light of the world.  He is the One who illumines for us the realities of life beyond what we can understand naturally, although even in our nature, we do perceive of what is good and what is evil, what is light and dark in that sense.  But Christ has said, again reported by St. John in his Gospel, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  This He said to the disciples as they were approaching the time for His death on the Cross, so "a little while longer" was the time He had left as Jesus in His Incarnation.  That approximately corresponds to this point in His ministry as He approaches Jerusalem in our readings in St. Mark's Gospel.  In the Psalms, we pray, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105), and when we consider Christ as the light of the world, then we need to think about how His teachings -- and yes, His presence, together with the Father and the Spirit -- illumine our paths in life.  So the story of Bartimaeus strikes us, that of the blind man who cries out to the one he can "see" is his Messiah, as he clings to the light of this truth until he is heard, despite the repeated attempts to shush him.  Sometimes in our world it will seem as if there is some kind of conspiracy to keep us from seeing the truth in the light of Christ, as if the whole world is in denial of His light and truth.  But in that sort of darkness that might surround us at times, we should be like blind Bartimaeus, who knows his handicap and cries out to his Messiah.  For this is the way that we ought to pray, especially if we can't see the light, and we feel surrounded by darkness.  In the Creed, we proclaim that Jesus is the "Light from Light, true God of true God," and so, we may go to Him as the source of light, the one who illumines our vision spiritually, so that we can see where we are going in life, and our path is guided by something in which we can trust, an eternal path for us.  Psalm 36:9 declares, "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light."  Jesus fulfills these words in His life and ministry for us, and His continuing abiding presence available to us in the mysteries we're given of our faith.  In a sometimes overwhelmingly sinful and dark world, let us be just like Bartimaeus, continually crying to our Lord.  For this cry of Bartimaeus is the basis of a very good prayer (called the Jesus Prayer) for all occasions, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me."  Let us seek His light, and let none of the darkness dismay or deter us, even when we're shushed or shunned into silence.

 

 

 

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many

 

Deësis mosaic, Hagia Sophia cathedral, 13th century, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire

 

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

 

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."   But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

- Mark 10:32–45 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

  Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  My study Bible comments that Christ's repeated predictions of His Passion were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they would face.  Additionally, these predictions confirm that Christ was going to His death of His own will and choosing.  As He is now going up to Jerusalem, going before them, this much is certain.

 

 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."   But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all."   Once again, questions of who among them will be the greatest in the kingdom they can only imagine come up among the disciples; this time it is James and John Zebedee who make this request.  My study Bible comments that this quest for temporal power and glory is unfitting for a disciple and shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, it is noted that the mother of Zebedee's sons makes this request, but Jesus responds in the plural "you" there, and the brothers' own involvement is clear here in St. Mark's Gospel.  Christ calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  The Cross is a cup, my study Bible explains, because He drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  Christ's death is a baptism, as He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the whole world (Romans 6:3-6).  Christ's prophecy of John and James eventual participating in the same cup and baptism reveals the life of persecution and martyrdom which they would lead after Pentecost.  James would be the first martyr among the disciples, and John lived a long life under persecution and exile.  My study Bible also states that Christ declaring that places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give does not mean that He lacks authority.  It means, instead, that they are not His to give arbitrarily.  They will be given to those for whom God has prepared them.  Also, with regard to sitting as equals on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom, St. John Chrysostom teaches that no one could possibly occupy such a position.  Regarding the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, the icons of the Orthodox Church universally depict the Virgin Mary ("most blessed among women" Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist ("greatest born of women" (Matthew 11:11) holding these places.  

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  For many, according to my study Bible, is an Aramaic expression, which means "for all."

 

 In its commentary on the request of John and James Zebedee, my study Bible tells us that the icons of the Orthodox Church universally depict the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist in the highest places of honor given to human beings, next to Christ.  It quotes from Luke 1:28 and Matthew 11:11, giving us the words from Scripture regarding these two saints.  In the case of the Virgin Mary, the words are of the Archangel Gabriel, in greeting Mary at the Annunciation to her of Christ's birth.  The words describing John the Baptist are those spoken by Jesus Christ.  The mosaic above, called Deësis, which means, in Greek, "Supplication" or "Prayer" shows the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist on either side of Christ enthroned, praying on behalf of humanity.  St. John the Baptist is considered to be a figure of the Old Testament, the greatest of all the prophets, while Mary the Mother of God is the "queen" among the saints, also called "All Holy" in the Orthodox tradition.  She is considered the supreme saint to call upon at all times.   In James 5:16 we read, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  As she is considered to be the greatest among the saints, her compassion is one that turns no one away.  These traditions are born out through the 2,000 year experience of the Church, the prayers and supplications of believers throughout the centuries.  In the mosaic above, we can see the expressions of compassion on the faces of the saints at prayer, and we know that their lives were those of great sacrifice for the love of Christ and of the gospel of the kingdom of God He preached.  All of this speaks to us of love and compassion, love and blessing within the gracious love of God -- even for the Son who came to live among us as one of us, to share our burdens and griefs and die out of love for us.  Ultimately the story of Jesus is a story of so many who were loved by Him and who shared in His love, for He goes to His cup and His baptism "for many," as the text says, meaning for all of us.  Let us consider the compassion and love of a loving God, seeking to free us from the slavishness of a life devoted to a different kind of power, one that knows exploitation and hardship, greedy demands of passions, and stripping us to a bare materialism without pity.  Let us, together with these greatest of saints, participate in the joy of His Kingdom, for there is the place of His love for all of us in which we, too, may share. 

 

 

 

Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

 

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

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

- Mark 10:17–31 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus arose from Galilee and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."  Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His  hands on them, and blessed them.  

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"   My study Bible comments that this man does not come to test Jesus, but to seek advice from one whom he considers no more than a good Teacher.  It says that Christ's response does not deny that He is God, but is designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  The commandments quoted by Jesus are found at Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20.  Let us note that this man who approaches Jesus is often referred to as the "rich young ruler."  Jesus is now in Judea, and is going out on the road, perhaps toward Jerusalem, so this young ruler is likely connected to one of the important families of the temple leadership. 

 

And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  My study Bible comments that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  This young man had an earnest desire for eternal life, and sensed that he still lacked something.  So, he continues to press Jesus for the answer.   

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.   My study Bible says that to be perfect, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  Nothing is gained, it says, unless this sacrifice is given freely.  But the specifics for each person of how one follows Christ will be different.  Here, wealth had such a grip on this rich young ruler, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  According to St. John Chrysostom, giving away his possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here -- to follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.  

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  My study Bible comments that there are various interpretations which have been suggested for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some suggest that this word was not "camel," but rather an Aramaic word that sounds similar but means "rope."  Others have said the "eye of a need" was the name of a city gate through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, symbolizing wealth.  There is an expression in the Talmud "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  But, whatever this phrase refers to, my study Bible says, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.   It notes that this is clearly evidenced by the response of the disciples, "Who then can be saved?"  But through the grace of God, even what's impossible for human beings can come to pass.

 

 Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study Bible says that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses or to abandon children.  Again, my study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that this refers to keeping faith under persecution, even if it means to lose one's family.  It means also to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of a believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, my study Bible says, but in a spiritual sense -- the father's and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

This story of the rich young ruler appears in all three Synoptic Gospels.  Therefore it forms a kind of highlighted, central story in the ministry of Jesus Christ.  We should be careful not to confuse a principle of sacrifice with an elevation to a purpose of modern concepts of sacrifice per se.  In other words, Jesus calls upon this young man to give up his wealth, sell it, and give to the poor, and to follow Him -- all in that order, and for an important intention.  As my study Bible points out, the whole purpose of this is because of his deep clinging to wealth as if it were an ineluctable part of his life and identity, so much so, that it gets in the way of his desire for eternal life and to follow Christ.  And this is the purpose of Christ's command to him, so that he may be able to find the eternal life he seeks.  There is nothing in particular that is inherently evil in wealth.  St. Paul writes that it is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil, not money in itself (1 Timothy 6:10).  Neither is Jesus suggesting that wealth is meant to be distributed for particular purposes of a social or political or even moral nature (for that one presumes that following Christ teaches and leads us in what to do with our wealth).  This young man is in earnest and truly seeks out Jesus as a good Teacher.  But there is one aspect we might consider about his identity.  As he's called a rich ruler, it's likely he's connected to the temple, and his possessions may in fact by the result of inherited position.  The Sadducees, for example, formed a kind of aristocracy around Jerusalem, and they were connected to the priestly families of the temple.  So, one aspect of wealth is its pervasive grip upon personal identity.  Who are we without our possessions?  Possessions also give us social status of a particular kind, and this in turn forms identity.  How others think of us forms a highly pervasive sense of who we are, but Christ calls us out of that place.  Let us keep in mind, for example, the experience of Jesus in His hometown, and how pervasive social status is within community.  So much so, that when He preached in Nazareth, the neighbors clung to their old ideas of Jesus and His family, and could not receive His gracious words, nor could Jesus perform any great work there (see Mark 6:1-6).  His wisdom both astonished and offended His old neighbors.  So important is this event that Christ's saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house" is found in some form in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).  This young man's wealth likely ties him to his family and community in some particular way.  But Christ calls us out of our worldly identity and into one that He gives us in this sense of the eternal life.  Jesus points to that life when He teaches the young man that by giving up his wealth, selling it, and giving to the poor, he will have "treasure in heaven."  For we are called, as this young man is, to take up our crosses in order to exchange one type of life for another, just as we may have treasure in heaven by giving to those in need, a blessing for a blessing.  In the case of this man, that giving will set him free to follow Christ, for this is his particular need at this stage.  Let us note also that the text tells us Jesus gave this command out of love for this young man (Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him . . .).  The difficulties of giving up his wealth seem to keep him from becoming another beloved disciple of Christ, but of course we don't know what he did later on in his life.  For record, we should also note that there are wealthy people in the Gospels who become exemplary followers of Christ.  These are Joseph of Arimathea who donates an expensive tomb (likely made for himself) in order to honor Christ in burial, and Nicodemus the Pharisee.  Both give up a considerable amount to honor Jesus publicly, both endanger, and likely lose, wealth and position in so doing; both were among the rulers in the temple.  In fact, my study Bible notes that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by St. Peter and consequently was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem.  As we read in the text, the disciples, while not men of great wealth, are also those who have left all to follow Jesus, exchanging their places, work, hometowns, and life for the life they are called to by Christ, to become disciples and apostles.  To follow Jesus is to be called out of past identity in one form or another, and to find oneself in His life, His Kingdom.  As my study Bible says, that calling will be different for each, the specifics of each one of us taking up our cross will depend upon the things God calls us out of, and how we're called forward.  For today, let us consider the pitfalls of wealth and even of what we moderns call progress, for so much of this is linked to possessions, to "keeping up."  For the world will always seek to dictate to us whom we are supposed to be, what we need to have and to do, how we look before others, what our social status is and where we fit.  This rich young ruler is directed by Jesus to follow the commandments of the Law as a good thing.  But he's also asked to go further and take up his cross. How does Christ call you forward, to follow Him?

 

 

 

So then they are no longer two, but one flesh

 

 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

 

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

 

- Mark 10:1–16 

 

Yesterday, we read Jesus' continuation of His discussion with the disciples regarding future leadership in His Church, and the treatment of the "little ones."  This discussion began when the disciples disputed about which of them would be the greatest.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

 

  Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."  In Jesus' time, divorce was a hotly debated topic.  The Pharisees generally agreed with Christ's viewpoint.  There were controversies over how money and dowry could be used which also determined legal guidelines regarding marriage, divorce, and subsequent remarriage.  My study Bible comments here that, in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in His time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (He does so twice in St. Mathew's Gospel), and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  The possibility of divorce on the ground of sexual immorality as mentioned in Matthew 5:32 shows that marriage, like other relationships, can be destroyed by sin.  Jesus quotes from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24.

 

 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His  hands on them, and blessed them.  My study Bible explains that, according to Theophylact, the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Jesus both because their manner was "unruly" and they also thought that children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  Jesus rejects this thinking, however, and sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of God.  So, therefore, in Church children are invited -- even as example -- to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion.  My study Bible comments that children can be models of the virtues necessary for entrance into the Kingdom:  humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.

 

 The nature of marriage has possibly changed in a certain sense since Christ's time, at least for most in the West. For the great majority of human history, marriage was a matter for family arrangement.  Of course, customs have varied from culture to culture.  For those of us used to a more modern notion of mutual attraction prior to marriage, the history of arranged marriage might seem strange or alien.  But the most common thing that we can understand about marriage is a kind of mutual dependence within a relationship which Jesus describes with a powerful image of communion, quoting from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24.  This emphasis on the nature of marriage as a bond deep enough so that the two "become one flesh" becomes in the perspective of Christ something more than merely contractual.  The "easy divorce" my study Bible comments on under the Mosaic Law is something that Jesus says was given because of the "hardness of their hearts."  We must note that in this answer, He is speaking to men, for men had the power to divorce.  It's important to consider why Jesus would call easy divorce a product of the hardness of men's hearts, if we're going to put into perspective Christ's views on marriage.  As in today's reading this topic is coupled with another passage on "little ones" (this time literally meaning little children), perhaps we need to take a broader view in the context of the things we've been reading over the past several days in Mark's Gospel.  If we recall, recent passages began with a discussion among the disciples as to who would be greatest, and Jesus spoke to them of service, that the greatest among them should be the servant of all.  He strictly warned them in yesterday's reading about the abuse of those with less power in the Church, the "little ones."  Taken together, all of these teachings form foundational precepts about the nature of community and relationships through the eyes of Christ, and marriage is no exception. He emphasizes love and care.  In the case of marriage, if two become "one flesh" then it stands to reason that husbands and wives ought to care for each another as they care for themselves, in a sense that asks for the deepest consideration.  Today's reading is also followed by yet another passage on the "little ones," this time regarding children themselves, and Christ's fond love for them, "for of such is the kingdom of God."  Through all of these teachings we read recently, Christ's emphasis is ultimately on love, relationships which are more than transactional but are rooted in the understanding of God's work and purpose behind all things.  If we (as inheritors of the traditions of the disciples) are meant to receive "little ones" as if we are receiving Christ, then how must we live in accordance with the teaching that "two become one flesh?"   This sense of interdependence, then, becomes one in which our hearts open to the other in the deepest way, an acceptance of love and care as a foundation for marriage, which in turn becomes a part of the fabric of a society.  If easy divorce is permitted because of "hardness of heart," then it stands to reason that Christ's prescription of marriage as eternal in nature is one that emphasizes the opposite, the mutual care and consideration of those with whom we share our lives.  Perhaps the word "share" is most important, as in the tradition of the Church (at least in Orthodox teaching), marriage is seen as the layperson's way to holiness, precisely because of the nature of mutual giving that constitutes marriage.   In mutual sacrifice for one another, we are meant to grow beyond our own self-centeredness.  Of course, Holy Matrimony in the Church is itself a sacrament, and so all becomes couched and mediated in the embrace of God, as well as part of the mysteries of the Church.  Thus we have the help of the Spirit, and the love of Christ, also involved in marriage, and helping to enable the kind of growth that is possible in such relationship.  Let us consider the power of love which is of God, for God is love (1 John 4:8), and how this forms a basis for marriage and the blessings that may come from marriage.  In a modern context of hyper-consumer orientation, it may be difficult to consider, but Christ asks us to see mutual sacrifice as part of this blessing, also something which spreads to community.  Let us consider the nature of love, and the bonds that love creates through mutual giving, especially where the two may become one flesh.  In this our faith can guide us and strengthen us, building us up so that we may in turn give to others.

 

 

 

 

Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another

 

 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where

'Their worm does not die,

And the fire is not quenched.'

"And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where

'Their worm does not die,

And the fire is not quenched.'

"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where 

'Their worm does not die,

And the fire is not quenched.' 

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

 

- Mark 9:42–50 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  

 

  "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."  This dialogue is a continuation from yesterday's reading, in which Christ spoke to the disciples about what it means to be great (see above).  In yesterday's reading, He took a little child, and taught, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  Here, He continues His discussion of what it means to be a leader in His Church, and the treatment of the "little ones."  My study Bible comments that "little ones" include all who have childlike humility and simplicity, all who are poor in spirit.  These are the faithful who will come into the Church, and need their guidance, protection, teaching, and care.  Here He begins His warnings to those who would commit abuse or harm, violating their positions of trust and power, causing the little ones who believe in Him to stumble.

 

 

"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where  'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"  Here Jesus quotes three times from Isaiah 66:24.  Here Jesus warns strictly of the importance of avoiding sin, and doing whatever we can to do so.  My study Bible comments that the reference to mutilation is an illustration of decisive action to avoid sin -- this also refers to harmful relationships that must be severed for the salvation of all parties (see Luke 14:26; 1 Corinthians 5:5).  Jesus speaks symbolically but vividly, to make the strongest point He can regarding what sin does to us.  Let us consider that a foot can trespass over boundaries where it should not go; a hand can reach out to hit or to grab in covetousness; an eye may look with greed or envy or lust where it should not.  Let us keep in mind these warnings are the strongest for those in positions of authority and stewardship in His Church, and their treatment of the "little ones" who come to them in trust.  See also Matthew 5:29 in the Sermon on the Mount.

 

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."   Jesus draws these images from various forms of sacrifice.  To be seasoned with fire, my study Bible comments, means to be tested to see if one's faith and works are genuine (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).  In saying every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt, my study Bible says, Jesus quotes from Leviticus 2:13, in which salt stands for the remembrance of God's covenant with God's people.  Jesus also uses these words about salt losing its flavor in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13).  Salt had a meaning of binding people together in loyalty; it's also a symbol of our binding in covenant with God.  Therefore in loyalty to  Christ's teachings and covenant, we may have peace with one another. 

In our loyalty to God we are to adhere to Christ's teachings.  In particular, these teachings in today's reading on how we treat one another, and in particular about the use of power -- and the virtues of service -- become core values of how we are supposed to live our lives as faithful, and in community.  Christ's deepest, gravest warnings come to His disciples who will be leaders in His Church, and they are all about how power is used, and in particular the treatment of the "little ones," those without power or clout, with little social status.  As representatives of God's Kingdom, they must take these words to heart, and so must we.  This is a part of our covenant with Christ, the salt He asks us so vividly to retain as the flavor of His Church, His people in the world.  This strong sense of consideration is a powerful incentive for mindful care.  If, as Jesus taught in the reading from yesterday (see above), we're to see Christ in even the little ones we receive in the Church, then we must consider what kind of careful behavior that alerts us to bring to our relationships and community.  How is it we receive the people who are seemingly the least important?  As my study Bible commented in today's reading, the "little ones" aren't simply children.  This term indicates all those of lesser stature or status, the ones who come to Christ in faith and need teaching, leadership, community -- for all of these things contribute to our formation as followers of Christ and faithful.  So let us take Jesus' dire warnings -- thrice repeated for emphasis -- to heart, and learn what it means to be a part of this living kingdom of God He asks us to bear into the world, and among ourselves.  For we are the salt He asks us to be, and that is the flavor of life abundantly.

 

 

 

If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all

 

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. 

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." 

 

- Mark 9:30–41 

 

On Saturday we read that when Jesus (together with Peter, John, and James) came down from the Mount of the Transfiguration to the other nine disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."   

 

Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.   My study Bible notes here that this is the second time Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection (see Mark 8:31).  This is to show, it says, that He is going to His Passion freely, and not being taken against His will.  Note also the attitude of the disciples at this stage of His ministry; they do not understand, and are afraid to ask Him. 

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  The disciples misunderstand the nature of Christ's kingdom.  Moreover, it's possible that they have taken Christ's prediction that "He will rise on the third day" (above) to mean that a worldly kingdom will be made manifest under Him.  Thus they were disputing who would be greatest in such a worldly kingdom under Christ.  In other words, who among them would have the highest rank or place.  My study Bible comments that, not only have they misunderstood the nature of what is to come,  but that this indicates a selfish desire in worldly power.   Jesus points to the notion of service as that which defines greatness in His Kingdom.  Even a little child received by them should be understood as if they are receiving Christ Himself, and even beyond, as if they are receiving the one who sent Him, God the Father.  This is the illustration Jesus makes of what it is to truly be first in His Kingdom.

 

 Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  My study Bible cites the commentary of Theophylact, who sees John's comment as regret, his conscience being pricked by what Christ said about receiving a "little child," above.  But, on the other hand, St. Ambrose sees John as expecting full obedience to accompany such blessings.  Either way, my study Bible notes, Christ's response shows that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples. Theophylact is quoted as saying, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples" (see also Numbers 11:24-30).  On those who use Christ's name without good faith, see Matthew 11:23; Acts 19:13-16.  Note how recognition of those are part of Christ's Kingdom is a kind of reciprocal action.  A little child received by them is like receiving Christ Himself, or even the Father.  Here, even one who so much as gives a cup of water to drink in His name, to one who belongs to Christ, will by no means lose his reward.  

In a sense, the teachings given by Jesus in today's reading teach us what it is to live in the Kingdom of God, which must then by definition be a kingdom of love.  The action of service and serving, of receiving even one of the least status in the Church, because they are a believer, is as if one were serving Christ Himself, and even God the Father.  These are the actions of love, for God is love (1 John 4:8).  And even if someone is to give, in a simple act of kindness, a cup of water to drink in Christ's name, and for the sake of one who believes, there is reward in it because of this power of grace at work, the power of the Kingdom.  This reciprocal, mutual service -- the kindness even to one without status or power, in faith and by recognition of faith in Christ -- is what we understand as truly gracious living.  It is the practice of grace, a sharing in the love of God and God's mercy, in which we all must seek to participate who believe, who follow Christ.  This is what Jesus is sharing with the disciples in today's reading, and teaching them about the nature of the Kingdom, and what must follow in the Church of the believers to come, in which they seek to be "first," or great.  He is teaching His disciples, those who will become leaders, bishops, and presbyters of His Church, what it is to bring His Kingdom into the world, and to be truly great in that Kingdom.  This sort of behavior is that which calls upon us for humility, a willingness to serve in His name, for His sake, on behalf of those who believe, who come for direction and guidance in the Church and to find and follow Christ.  This would be understood and fulfilled in time through many activities of the Church to come, from the establishment of the first hospitals which sought to give care to all, to prison ministries, and even to our own notion of gracious living, common courtesy.  Over time it would extend to the notion of "noblesse oblige" due to the earliest higher educational institutions evolving out of the Church and the sons of the aristocracy who were the earliest non-ecclesiastical pupils. Thus, of what it means to be a "gentleperson."  But we must begin and end with Christ, in our conduct and how we live our lives, and this is particularly true within the Church itself.  For if our Churches cannot be models of this loving and humble behavior, how are we ourselves models of what Christ has called for?  The key here is humility and what it truly means.  Many people think of humility as a kind of self-debasement or slavery to others, but as presented here by Christ it does not mean that at all.  It means, in fact, that we serve Him, above all, and the One who sent Him.  We serve the God of love, and the Son who came above all else to serve us, and to give us grace and mercy.  Let us remember what that means, and always be mindful of how that asks us to conduct ourselves -- especially to the all the "little ones," those who cannot necessarily pay us back (Luke 14:12-14).  At the very least, we can say that Christ calls us to a way of thinking that is not purely transactional, but gracious, merciful, and based on love.  Let us recognize His presence among us.