Jesus wept

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." As soon as she heard that, she rose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" And some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

- John 11:28-44

In the previous reading, Jesus was sent for by the sisters of Lazarus (Mary and Martha), telling Him that Lazarus, "the one whom You love," is sick. Jesus declared that this illness was not unto death, but for the glory of God -- and He delayed two days in setting off for Bethany. When He arrived, Martha met Him, and told Him that Lazarus had been in the grave already for four days. She said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." But Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." As soon as she heard that, she rose quickly and came to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" And some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" While Martha takes on the role of being responsible for hospitality (and met Jesus as He arrived in Bethany), Mary has been at home in the proper position for mourning, along with those who have come from Jerusalem to mourn. We can see the kindness and tenderness between these sisters and Jesus, and the emotional connection He bears to them and to Lazarus. Jesus, we remember, has intentionally delayed His trip, for the glorification of God, and the great significance of the sign or miracle that is to occur. But when He encounters His friend Mary, with her touching faith in Him, and the other mourners, He too, feels the sadness of death and their loss. My study bible says, "As true man Jesus shows by example that weeping in the natural human response to death. As true God He shows compassion upon His creation when the soul is torn from the body." We must also note here the presence of many witnesses in the persons of the mourners who've come from Jerusalem.

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." As noted in the previous reading, there was a rabbinical opinion that for three days after death, the soul lingered about the body. But the fourth day emphasizes the spectacular nature of what is about to occur. My study bible also notes here that "a corpse that has by the fourth day begun to deteriorate is enough reason for Martha's warning. Embalming was prohibited in Judaism. The body was simply anointed with spices and other aromatic substances which would keep the stench of decomposition at bay for a time."

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." Once again, we see a great preoccupation with the witnesses to this miracle. We remember that they have come from Jerusalem, so they are connected to the temple -- and word will definitely come back to the leadership of what has taken place here. Jesus works for their faith, as we can see when He says to the Father that His words are for them, so that they may believe He is sent by the Father. My study bible says that Jesus always refers back to His complete dependence upon God -- and all, we read, is for the glorification of God, including Jesus' desire for the witnesses to see the glory of God in what takes place. And, we note, He reminds Martha of what He has said to her in the previous reading. The loud cry repeats a teaching from earlier in John's Gospel, that "the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth." My study bible also teaches the symbolism in Lazarus' graveclothes: he will still need them one day, as he will eventually die a natural death. This is in contrast to Jesus' graveclothes that will be found in His empty tomb, which He will never need again, as He is the resurrection and the life, and will not die again.

This seventh miracle or sign in John's Gospel is to be Jesus' most stupendous and astonishing -- and, we note, there are so many witnesses to it who are so closely connected to the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus' love for His friends is contrasted with His faith in what He will do. He has intentionally delayed so that Lazarus would be in the tomb for four days, and yet He also weeps with His friends when He sees their sadness. So, we see the touching nature of our very human Jesus as well -- the two natures combined so beautifully in one human being. He bears our weaknesses and sentiments as well as the glory for God which is manifest in Him. Let us think, then, about the times in our own lives when we call upon His stupendous, regenerative power. Are there times when you, too, need a new start? When you have come to a dead end and don't know how to get out? We turn for hope to our Lord for a very important reason, for He is the source of life, the regeneration and new birth we may always need and come to count on, the One to whom we can turn when no one else can help. We remember He has also borne our griefs and losses, and mourned with His friends. "Jesus wept" -- it is the shortest verse in the bible, and so powerful. He feels with us and for us. Let us remember His compassion and His love and mercy, and where our Life truly comes from when we need to call on all the resources there for us. May it all be for the glory of God in your own life as well.

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

- John 11:1-27

In yesterday's reading, Jesus went to the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah - the festival of lights. It is the time to commemorate the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. The leadership once again questions Him - and tells Him to tell them plainly if He is the Christ. Jesus says that the works He has done testify to Him, but they are not of His sheep. They don't "hear His voice." He adds that the Father gives Him His sheep - and that He and the Father are one. For this they try to stone Him, for blasphemy. He says to them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'? If by grace they become sons of the Most High, why do they dispute what He says about Himself? He tells the leadership again that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father - and the testimony of this is His works. They once again wish to stone Him, but He escaped and went beyond the Jordan (to the place where John the Baptist had been baptizing and spoke of Jesus), where He made many converts.

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." In today's reading, we begin to read of the account of the raising of Lazarus, which will be Jesus' seventh and last sign or miracle in John's Gospel. My study bible says that this event signals Jesus as the resurrection and the life. It will seal the decision of the authorities to put Jesus to death. The Evangelist assumes we know of something coming later in his Gospel, the anointing of Jesus' feet by Mary. Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem. My study bible also points out that the name Lazarus is the same as Eleazar -- which means "God helps." Mary, Martha and Lazarus are good friends of Jesus, and He clearly does love them.

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Once again, as in the reading about the man who was blind since birth, an occasion of misfortune is not punishment for a personal sin -- nor, in this case, an event which leads to death, but classified by Jesus as an occasion for the glorification of God. And then, a kind of paradox set up for us by the Evangelist: Jesus is beyond the Jordan, but He delayed two more days before leaving -- because, we are told, He loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. This is enough time for Lazarus to die.

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." Jesus again alludes to the light that is present so long as He is in the world, before it is His "time" and the darkness closes. He has work to do while He is still in the world. The disciples are referring to the occurrences in yesterday's reading, in which the authorities tried to stone Jesus for declaring that He and the Father are one.

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." A typical literary convention in John's Gospel: we are led from metaphor (which others take as plain speech) to Jesus' meanings. He declares that Lazarus sleeps, meaning that he has died -- but will be awakened nevertheless. The disciples misunderstand twice. It will be Lazarus' resurrection that is Jesus' seventh and most potent sign in this Gospel. "Sleep" will often be used in the New Testament to signify death. But, my study bible adds, "Thomas, if not with full understanding, speaks the truth: dying with Christ, in baptism and sometimes in martyrdom, will become the seal of Christian discipleship."

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. My study bible says that there existed a rabbinic opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but from the fourth day on there was no hope of resuscitation. Therefore, Jesus' delay has assured the power of this miracle.

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. In Jewish tradition, official mourning began the day of death and immediate burial is the custom -- which my study bible points out is necessary is warm climates. It notes, "Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted the rest of the week; general mourning lasted 30 days following death. During this time mourners constantly came and went from the home of the deceased." So we have a great picture of what is happening here: being so close to Jerusalem, many have come from the temple to mourn with these pious people; the house is filled with witnesses.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. The Gospels teach us about the differences in personae between Martha and Mary, and it is a wonderful personal touch. Martha is active in hospitality, while Mary is the more contemplative and remains home in mourning. My study bible points out that sitting is the correct posture for Mary when mourning and greeting mourners. Jesus loves them both. See Luke 10:38-42.

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." Jesus takes this personal time with Martha, once again, to teach. He takes her from one understanding to another. At first, she misunderstands, thinking He is referring to the final resurrection. But He takes the occasion to speak to her deeply and personally, and she comes to a confession of faith before the miracle takes place. It is a kind of seal on the love and understanding there is between them.

Jesus' great friends, Martha, Mary and Lazarus, are essential to our understanding of the Gospels and of Jesus' life. Here, we get a glimpse of the personal, and it will continue in tomorrow's reading. Although He loves them all deeply, He understands that Lazarus' sleep will be for the glory of God, an occasion for His greatest miracle or sign. It will also be the thing that seals His fate with the authorities. But the love between these people is the great thing that I notice; His friends who are touched by Him and the holiness He carries into the world are His greatest family. They, too -- especially Lazarus -- will share with Him the burdens of being hunted by the authorities for their role in His ministry. Christ's tremendous power working in us changes our lives, reforming and reshaping priorities, friends, love and community -- perhaps even family. But it is, ultimately, love that is at work here, and love which is shared in Christ's holiness and the work of grace in the world. Love may ask us to share burdens we cannot predict nor know; it may be uncomfortable, unfamiliar and unexpected. But, the question is, can we see it for what it is? Can we embrace it and the holiness the Spirit brings, in whatever form? This, to me, is the great question for today. What form does this love carry into your life? Where does it call you to go?

Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'?

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?" Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked into the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:19-42

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about Himself as the good shepherd -- and that the sheep know His voice. He also taught about what is to come: that He will lay down His life for the sheep, and that others who are hirelings will not do so. He said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." Today, He continues in His dialogue with the temple authorities. All of this has taken place after the healing of the man who was blind since birth (see here and here).

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?" Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" "The Jews" always refers to the leadership of the temple, and from today's reading we can see that there is a division even among them as to who Jesus really is. We know that among the leadership there will also be followers and believers. But perhaps what is most important for this passage is the understanding of the choice that is always offered when holiness makes its way into the world, and creates its effects. In this case, they are arguing after the healing of the man who was blind since birth. Many of the Pharisees have sought to discredit Jesus regarding this sign or miracle, in one way or another, and to claim it is not righteous. But the dispute it creates is inevitable, and it is a metaphor for all of us when faced with such a choice and the action of the holy in our lives.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked into the temple, in Solomon's porch. My study bible says, "This encounter with the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem takes place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (chs. 7--9). The occasion of Christ's presence in Jerusalem is again a religious festival, the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), the festival of lights. This Feast commemorates the rededication of the temple to the God of Israel after the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the temple in 167 B.C. (see 1 Macc. 1--4). The leaders of Israel's past are commemorated, many of whom were literal shepherds." Jesus has many confrontations at the festivals at the temple, where He also goes to teach.

Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." In this dialogue, Jesus covers what is already some familiar territory: that the works He does bear witness of Him. He teaches again that the sheep hear His voice, but they who do not believe are not of His sheep. He teaches that He will keep His sheep with Him forever, giving them eternal life, and that He will lose none of what the Father has given to Him, because "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." Always, we return to the Father, and the union of this embrace in the Holy, that includes His sheep, all of us. But now Jesus adds a powerful note plainly and clearly: "I and My Father are one." My study bible says that the verb are indicates the Father and the Son are two Persons. It says, "They are always distinct, but united in essence, will and action." John's Gospel repeatedly takes us further and further, from the mundane to the holy, and leads us as it teaches, as we follow Jesus' teachings. And we will see the result with His audience at the time.

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" My study bible says here: "Jesus' question comes in response to the Pharisees' charge of blasphemy. What the Lord is saying, according to St. John Chrysostom, is this: 'If those who have received this honor by grace are not found with fault for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?'" It is another remarkable note about Jesus: He will not give up encouraging and teaching, and He does not back down. He will always tell the truth, and let others decide which way they will. He is not afraid of confrontation -- rather, on the contrary, He will do everything He can to refute false charges and to teach, up until the moment it is His hour.

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. Jesus refers again to the works that He has done (most recently, the healing of the man blind since birth), in order to teach and exhort them to belief. They (His works, done in the name of God) testify of Him. And He again teaches of His oneness with God the Father. But this is too much for them to take in, and once again they attempt to seize Him, as they have on other occasions. But it is, again, not yet His time.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there. It's a kind of sly and interesting parallel here: many believed in John the Baptist, though he performed no sign. John was widely regarded as a righteous and holy man. So we have more testimony to Jesus -- again, the works or signs He has done, and the testimony once again of the Baptist. Jesus continues to win faithful followers, outside of the temple.

So, John's Gospel is once again providing us with the split between belief and disbelief. The works that Jesus has done, the signs or revelation of the presence of the Holy with Him, are the testimonies that people believe or disbelieve. There is also the word of the Baptist, among other things, that testifies. And of course, the powerful words Jesus uses Himself to tell of Himself and the Father. But chiefly, we understand that the intervention or revelation of the Holy in our world is an occasion for choice -- and it always becomes an occasion for the exercise of judgment, for which Jesus has also told us He has come. So the real question is, how do we respond to the acts of grace or the holy in our world? Jesus, above, alludes to the passage in which by grace believers become "gods" or god-like. This quotation is from Psalm 82, and if we look at it in context, we see a parallel to the situation in the Gospel. “They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler" (Psalm 82:5--7). By grace, we are all given the chance to be "sons of the Most High." But will we also walk in darkness, or die like mere men? Those who wish to hang onto the power they grasp, without seeing, will fall like every other ruler. It is our choice, up to us. Will we see and grasp the grace we receive? Or are we afraid of losing our own power or authority by doing so? The question remains with us, all the time.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All whoever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who dos not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

- John 10:1-18

In yesterday's reading, we read about the healing of the man who was blind from birth. The authorities of the temple went on to question him (and his parents) about Jesus, and to deny the holiness or righteousness therein. But the formerly blind man stayed with what he knew and understood, that formerly he was blind, and now he sees. For this, he was cast out of the temple. Jesus spoke to him again, and the healed man confessed his faith in Christ. Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." The Pharisees asked, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." After speaking to the Pharisees about sin -- that they claim they see, yet still reject -- Jesus goes on to speak about the need for truth and the recognition of the shepherd. It is, I believe, a question of recognition and the willingness to accept what may shake up our lives and our comfortable positions. The holy will come in all sorts of forms we may never expect, and call us to a life we don't expect -- no matter what we think we already see and know. To follow what the heart teaches may be difficult, it may require us to face our own blindness. And it may require personal sacrifice. But only in that truth do we find the way. The "thief" and the "robber," we shall see, is Jesus' way of speaking about the evil one, the one that would lead us astray from the true door -- and all the sophistries and manipulations therein.

"And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. The healed blind man knows who Jesus is, he has come to a confession of faith. Those who are touched by holiness, by God's work in the world, know and recognize their shepherd. They will flee from the voice of strangers. That voice is in our hearts. Can we hear it? Do we know it? The Pharisees fail to understand what He is talking about. He is speaking of His own, whom the Father brings to Him, of whom He has said He will not lose one.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All whoever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." The loyalty of the sheep for their shepherd is paramount here -- they recognize His voice, although there are many who would mislead them. This is a story about love, and belonging, and loyalty. Who do we follow in relationship? The One who offers us life in abundance, and His love, and not exploitation for some other purpose, to lead astray. My study bible says, "The thief -- the devil -- steals, kills and destroys the virtues of Christian life and lays waste those who follow his heresies. Life more abundantly is the life of God's Kingdom, offered us by Christ Himself." The blind man knows who Christ is, the One who has healed him.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who dos not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Jesus testifies to what is coming, to His own death for the sake of those whom He will not lose, whom He loves and who love Him. He speaks of the hireling: the one who is a false leader (and we know He will also warn us about such that will come in His name, too). But in their hearts the sheep know Him, and He knows His sheep -- for whom He will freely choose to lay down His own life. And the others He will bring into His fold come from everywhere in the world, and continue to flock to Him today. They also will hear His voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." It is in the power and the name of the Father that this love begins and goes forward; He does the will of the Father, and lays down His life within this embrace of love, and will take it up again. We, as the sheep, are embraced by the shepherd who is loved by the Father and knows as He is known. All is a kind of a circle, which we enter through this gate, this door of the shepherd. We must know one thing true in our hearts, and follow that, to be a part of it. The Father links us all.

From what does love and loyalty come? We know what those who would mislead us are like -- they would use and exploit the sheep for their own purposes and standing, their own profit. What is the true shepherd but the One who loves us? He is the One who acts in the true name of the Father who leads us to the shepherd for our own healing, restoration, and life in abundance. And that is where our loyalty lies, in that love and that loving embrace from Creator, from the beginning unto life eternal, and in abundance. We are warned here about false leaders, those who don't really have our best interests at heart -- and we know that it is our job to continue to be aware and watch. Remember that love, the loyalty in our hearts, and what it asks of us. As the healed blind man, we stay with that truth, and follow it where it leads us. Who has the words of truth for you? Who offers you that love? Jesus will stay with us to the end, and see it through.

For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind

But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."

- John 9:18-41

In yesterday's reading, we read of a man blind since birth, whom Jesus has healed and whose sight was restored. Jesus made clay from His own spittle and the dust on the ground, put it on the man's eyes, and told him to wash in the pool called Siloam (which means "Sent"). Answering to the common belief that some personal sin must have produced the man's misfortune, Jesus told His disciples, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." Once again, a great sign or healing is cause for dispute, as the authorities in the temple dispute cause of the healing and its righteousness or goodness, and begin to question the formerly blind man. They once again criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Today, the story continues.

But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." And so, the dispute escalates and the conflict continues. First, Jesus was attacked as a person who cannot be holy or righteous, because the healing occurred on the Sabbath. Next, the blind man himself must be discredited. So they call in the parents as witnesses to prove that this man was blind from birth. We have testimony over and over again, first of the blind man and now from his parents. The parents give their own version of testimony -- they will only go so far as to confirm he was blind since birth. But for any more, the authorities must ask their son. They are afraid of the temple authorities and their hostility toward Jesus and anyone who professes belief in Him. In some sense, the young man is on his own now. Christ's acts convey occasions of choice - for discipleship, or not. And, as such, they establish and create family and relationship through the action of the Spirit. As before, "the Jews" (as used in John's Gospel) refers to the religious authorities. All others in this story (including the blind man whose sight has been restored) are Jewish.

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." They call the healed man to testify, and - similarly to his parents - he sticks to what he knows. But what he knows will lead him further onto the path of faith. His truth and honesty serve his faith - something we should always remember about our own paths to faith. My study bible says that "Give God the glory" is an oath formula, used before giving testimony or before confessing guilt.

Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. The healed man sticks to what he knows! The temple authorities are outraged that the conclusions the man keeps drawing toward are those that vindicate Jesus, and the sign of healing that has been performed. Finally, in their outrage, they cast the healed man out of the synagogue. So, the circle of family or community in some sense becomes fully drawn: his parents insist he must speak for himself, and the authorities also cast him out of the temple. We must remember that it is his honesty that has gotten him to this point. So it may be with faith in our own lives.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." After the man has been cast out, and lost his community, so to speak, Jesus finds Him. And this is indeed the story of our salvation and inclusion in the Body of Christ. "Do you believe?" is the question that is posed when the man is alone and in front of Jesus. And the healed man comes to faith. This occasion of choice -- so apparent in the face of the action of Spirit or God in the world -- becomes the occasion of judgment, for which Jesus says He has come into this world. "For judgment I have come into this world," says Jesus -- and judgment splits us down the middle, to whatever side upon which we come down in how we respond to the actions of the holy in our midst. My study bible says, "Jesus' coming brought judgment by increasing the accountability of those who saw and heard Him, but did not believe. The brilliance of Christ's light becomes an illumination to some, but a blinding glare to others." The light itself, a burning fire of holiness, becomes a test. Can we stand in the light or are we blinded to it by our own insistence that it cannot be so? But if we do indeed stand in that light, and allow it to pervade and illuminate us, it draws us out of the past and into community of its own.

Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains." The greater accountability of which my study bible speaks is here illustrated by Jesus' words to the Pharisees. Sin remains for those who claim they see and know better. Rejection is a powerful choice of separation.

As with the man called Legion, we have another illustration here of community, how it is shaped and reformed around the power of Christ. Those who are rejected for the power of holiness at work in their lives become a part of a different community, the Body of Christ, drawn to and created by Christ. At the point at which He asks, "Do you believe?" we are drawn into community or not. We may find we are cast out of the old and familiar, as with the ancient Israelites drawn out of the old and into the new land. Isaiah writes, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. In our conventional, worldly ways of thinking, the action of the holy doesn't make sense, doesn't fit. We must approach it with the eyes of faith, of spirit, of salvation. John's Gospel will always draw us to the Lord whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways. Can we live with that holiness, and that family and community it creates? Will we remain blind to its light, or learn to approach it and let it illumine our hearts? Do we let our own conventions stand in the way of its action, or do we make way for the light when it calls us to that choice?

Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

- John 9:1-17

Last week we read Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, in which Jesus taught about the Bread of Life. Today the lectionary takes up where we left off before we read Chapter 6. In previous readings, Jesus has been teaching at the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. He has already taught, in Chapter 8, that He is the light of the world. In the reading prior to today's, He taught, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM," sparking the temple leadership to take up stones to throw at Him. But He "hid and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by" as it was not yet His hour.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. My study bible has a fascinating note on today's entire passage: "Of all the miracle stores in the Bible, this is the only one in which the person was blind from birth. This man is symbolic of all humanity: all need illumination by Christ, the Light of the world. This passage is also a picture of baptism, which is also called 'holy illumination.' This healing is the sixth sign of Jesus in John's Gospel . . . In the ancient Church this passage, along with chs. 3 and 5, was read on the Saturday night of Easter, when Christian catechumens were baptized. it reiterates the paschal themes of washing, illumination, healing, faith, conversion, and salvation."

And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." It was a common assumption in the ancient world that personal misfortune or ailment was a consequence of personal sin (as examples, my study bible gives Ex. 20:5 and Ezek. 18:20). The great question of sin and suffering is central not only to the questions of our religion but also that of others; there is no doubt that the existence of sin in the world is the cause of so much suffering -- but, as my study bible puts it, "by no means is all sickness the result of a specific person's sin." Here, Jesus gives us a great insight for our use of the suffering in the world: this particular illness is an occasion for the glorification and revelation of God!

"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Jesus has a short time in the world, and must do His work while it is possible for Him to do so. The "darkness" of evil and suffering - and those who would be proponents of such - will be coming, and He will use that occasion also for the glorification of God. My study bible says, "Jesus speaks of the urgency of bringing light into the darkened world, for the duration of His time upon the earth is limited."

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. We recall from a previous reading (see 7:37-39), when Jesus spoke of "rivers of living water" that this pool was used for the rites of the Feast of Tabernacles. Of course, Siloam - meaning "Sent" - symbolizes Christ and His work in the world. Apostles are also those who are "sent" - from Christ, bringing us all the balm of healing of the Spirit and its "living water" in the world. So, this is another fulfillment of an Old Testament "type." Christ, my study bible points out, is the One "sent" by the Father.

Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." My study bible points out that the making of the clay from dust with Jesus' spittle was said by St. Irenaeus to be a type of mirror of the creation of humanity from the earth. It says, "Jesus reveals His deity by restoring part of the creation in the same way He had created humanity in the beginning." Jesus' act of creation and restoration of humanity in restoring the sight of this blind person becomes an occasion for a debate about who He is, and what is His nature. The glorification and revelation of God will necessarily provoke this response in all people.

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." And we have more debate. The healed man, predictably, is brought before the religious authorities. The blind man testifies as to what happened, and also gives his opinion about Jesus. Those who are experts in Scripture of course must know the testimony of Isaiah as well, who wrote of the messianic signs: "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped." But the glorification and revelation of God is an occasion for an inevitable choice. My study bible says, "As the story progresses, the once-blind man gradually comes to an awareness of who Jesus is, while the Pharisees lapse into deeper darkness."

So, I think that what we can take away from this powerful story (which will continue tomorrow) is first of all the occasion for suffering in the world, and what it may provide us with in terms of an opportunity for the glorification of God. I read once a comment by a woman who had converted to Christianity from Hinduism. She said that the great religions of the East concern themselves with suffering, and find justice in the laws of karma - but that Christianity finds a spiritual use for suffering to bring us closer to God. I think this is a good illustration of the type of "karma," if you will, that Christianity engages us into - the power of the Spirit at work in the world. Have you yourself found occasions of your own suffering for the introduction of spiritual sustenance and guidance in your life? Can we respond to suffering through an invocation of God, and our own willingness to find His will midst a suffering world? If we can but think of our own -- or others' -- misfortunes as occasions for seeking to bring God into our world, perhaps most powerfully first through prayer, then how will we see salvation and restoration as works of God that proceed through our own faith? We recall that Jesus said, in Chapter 6, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." So we begin with our faith, in prayer and relationship, on occasions of suffering, to ask Christ to be in our midst, with us, and we act as our prayer (and as the prayers of the Church and all its faithful of history) will lead us. What occasion can you find for the glorification of God, the work of faith today and the practice of love and its healing and the "illumination" it gives? How do you see the Spirit at work, with its "karmic" action? We also note the response - the work of God in the world will always demand of us a choice, and we choose one way or the other, in a continuous stream through life. At any time, we may also practice a "change of mind" and go the other way. What will wake us up to faith, or keep us down the path of blindness? How do we glorify God and discover God's love?

Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to Him by My Father

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 to you that 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

All this week, we have been reading from John's Gospel, Chapter 6. Jesus has been speaking in the synagogue in Capernaum (in His home territory of Galilee) about the Bread of Life. He has identified Himself as the bread which came down from heaven in yesterday's reading -- He said, "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."

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" These disciples are referring to Jesus' teachings in the previous two readings about His Body and Blood. What is truly extraordinary about Jesus is His willingness to speak the truth that He needs to, and allow others to make their choices to accept or not. He has often repeated that whatever He is given to say by the Father, this is what He says -- united in will, He is doing what He must. All those who come to Him are given by the Father. But even among His own disciples, many fall away because of this "hard saying."

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." My study bible points out that Jesus, as Son and "heart-knower," is aware of the thoughts of men. But, as always, He does not depart from His teachings but rather goes further and deeper. He exhorts them to understand that the words are spiritual in nature, and that the power of His teaching -- and indeed, of life itself -- rests in the spiritual reality He unites in Himself for us in His worldly life. That spiritual connection and its power also reside in us, and they are the source of our faith. He is here to make that connection stronger, to build it up, to build relationship in all ways with us and in us.

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 to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to Him by My Father." And we return again to the theme of the Father at work in us, and within this relationship that we have with Christ. The Father takes us to Him, and He will keep with Him all the Father gives to Him. It is His job to lose none of us.

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. So, even Jesus will lose those who cannot follow His spiritual teachings, for whom the "sayings" have become too hard -- especially the teaching on His Body and Blood. But, we are told, He knows the hearts of all, He knows whom they are inside. But among the Twelve, there is faith, and here in all its power is Simon Peter's confession. The words, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" are extraordinary to me. Where else shall we go? Which other words have the power that is in these Gospels? The great mystery perhaps is how this faith works in us, through trust and relationship and love. Jesus has repeatedly said that it is the Father in us -- and in Peter -- who has revealed this faith. Let us live, then, in his confession as well. And yet, immediately, there are the words of the bitter with the sweet and profound. Jesus knows there will be betrayal even among His chosen Twelve. We will not escape the reality of this world and its brokenness. This story is about our world, and the Lord who comes to give us life, and He will not shirk from exposing all of its reality to us, so that we may walk through it with Him.

I find it heartbreaking to understand the levels of betrayal that will befall Christ -- even at this moment of Peter's confession, in which we are reminded what will come, and that Jesus knows what will befall Him. There is so little faith, it seems, to be found. His sayings are hard, and the Books in which we read of His life do not shrink from revealing what can be hard for all of us, for each of us. The Books of the Church do not shrink from giving us a picture of our world in all of its reality, and the struggle we may all face with faith, as we read of Christ's struggle to teach and to fulfill His mission in which He has come to save what was lost, and to keep all with Him, to lose none of us whom the Father would gather to Him. But this story doesn't shrink from presenting our world as it is, mixing the bad with the good, and this is perhaps one of the very most important things about this Book in which we know the story of Jesus and of our faith. We walk in a world that is difficult; Jesus Himself will teach that the way is narrow. But He has come to show us that way. In a world filled with the pitfalls of confusion, mistrust, lies and greed, of manipulation and tricky sophistries needing discernment, even wolves in sheep's clothing as He has warned us, we walk in faith, just as He did. We turn to the knower of hearts to find our way, and to the Books that help us to understand Him, and ourselves, in relationship - and we pray. When we go through our own struggles with the world, we must not forget that He did the same for us first.