The kingdom of God has come near you

After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.  Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'   But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

"Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." 

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

- Luke 10:1-17

Yesterday, we read that when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.   We recall that Jesus has steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem; that is, He has determined He will go toward His Passion.  The time has come for the gospel message to go everywhere before Him as He makes His final journey toward Jerusalem.  These seventy are sent out as missionaries, like the first twelve apostles.  My study bible notes that although they weren't as prominent as the Twelve, the Seventy carried out their missions with fervor and enthusiasm.  In the Tradition of the Church, the Seventy remained true to Christ and to their calling, playing an essential role in spreading the gospel not just to these cities Christ was to pass through, but out into the wider world as well.  Several of them are named elsewhere in the New Testament, in the Book of Acts and the letters of Paul.  All of them are remembered by the Church.

Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  My study bible notes that we are to prayer not only for the harvest of converts to Christ, but also for the laborers who will reach to them.  This has gone past the "tipping point" of Jesus' mission; He's on His way steadfastly toward Jerusalem, and His speech begins to reflect notions of judgment.

"Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."  My study bible tells us that Jesus' characterization of these apostles as lambs suggests the sacrificial life of the apostles and all followers of Christ, a subject touched upon in yesterday's reading (above), but made much more explicit and vivid here.  It says, "The wolves are those who seek to frighten and devour those who follow the Lord (John 15:18)."

"Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you."  Once again we note the great emphasis on bearing themselves with complete humility.  My study bible points out the emphasis of Christ on eating whatever is offered to them; Chris commands twice that they do so.  A note informs us that there is twofold significance to this:  first, they must be content with whatever is offered, even if the food is "little and simple;"  and second, "the gracious reception of others' hospitality takes precedence over personal fasting or dietary disciplines."  Fasting may be a helpful religious practice, especially as part of a monastic rule, but the law of God demands charity.  St. Cassian, a famous Desert Father, would relax fasting practice whenever the monastery had a guest.  When asked why, his response reflected the words of Christ in defending the "feasting" of His disciples:  "Fasting is always with me, but you I cannot always have with me."  "In this way," says my study bible, "the ascetics would obey Christ's command here and His command that we not 'appear to men to be fasting' (Matthew 6:18; see also Romans 14:2-6; 1 Corinthians 10:27; Hebrews 13:2)."   The rules set down by Christ are similar to those given to the Twelve:  they're not to "trade up" for better lodging, they conduct themselves with humility, the emphasis is on peace, and judgment comes from the hands of God.

"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city."   My study bible notes the emphasis:  the gospel message isn't just that there is a Kingdom in the future, but rather that this kingdom of God has come near.

"Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."   My study bible suggest that judgment is severe for those who reject Christ after they have experienced His grace.  "In contrast," it says, "those who have never known Christ due to genuine ignorance are without sin in that regard (John 15:22-24), and are instead judged by their God-given conscience (Romans 2:12-16)."

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  This is an affirmation that, indeed, the kingdom of God is present with them, carried with them as part of the gospel message.

My study bible gives us examples from the Seventy.  One of them was Barnabas.  He was a Jew of the tribe of Levi, born in Cyprus to wealthy parents.  He is said to have studied with Saul of Tarsus (later called Paul the apostle) under the great rabbi Gamaliel.  He was originally named Joseph, but was called Barnabas ("Son of Consolation") by the apostles (Acts 4:36) because he had the great gift of comforting the hearts of other people.  My study bible tells us that "he sought out Paul when everyone else was afraid of him, bringing him to the apostles."  Barnabas was the one first sent to Antioch with Paul.   Many ancient accounts claim that Barnabas was the first to preach in Rome and Milan.  He was martyred in Cyprus, and buried by his cousin Mark at western gate of the city of Salamis.  Also among the Seventy was the apostle Titus, called by Paul both "brother" (2 Corinthians 12:18) and "son" (Titus 1:4).  Titus was born in Crete, educated in Greek philosophy, but after reading the prophet Isaiah began to doubt the value of his earlier training.  Hearing about Jesus, he joined others from Crete who were going to Jerusalem to see for themselves.  He heard Jesus speak and saw His works, and joined Jesus' followers.  My study bible says, "Baptized by the apostle Paul, he worked with and served the great apostle to the Gentiles, traveling with him until Paul sent him to Crete, making him bishop.  It's said that he was in Rome at the time Paul was beheaded and buried the body of his spiritual father before returning home.  In Crete, he baptized many people and governed the Church on that island until he entered into rest a ninety-four.   There are other examples of the Seventy mentioned in Scripture, but we can get an idea from these two mentioned of the great power of the gospel, how people are drawn to it, and those from all walks of life become members of its evangelizing force.  Each of these individuals was called, one way and another, through their lives of great training and talent, all of it being used as befits the gospel, the spread of the message, the power of the whole of the Church.  In these two examples we see powerfully educated persons, Barnabas and Titus, one educated by the great Gamaliel in the fullness of the Jewish tradition, and the other in the splendor of classical Greek culture, philosophy, mathematics, and science.  Each contributed to the gospel message, bringing all their talents, time, and faith to use by Christ in the service of His Church.  And the same is true for each one of us, each of our lives.  It doesn't matter where we come from or what our talents are, what we've already been trained for, even the ways of thinking we've adapted from our own native homes and cultures.  All  of it, when we're called, can be used in the service of Christ and of His Church.  But that's not really up to us, it's up to the work of the Spirit, how we're called.  Each one comes in his or her own way, but all are called to serve, each in unique capacity, in all our diversity.    In this way, the kingdom of God is always near; we bring all that we have to its service, we bear it with us toward others.

You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:51-62

On Saturday, we read that it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain (of the Transfiguration), that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.  We must remember where we are, exactly, in Jesus' ministry.  He's revealed twice now to His disciples that He will suffer at the hands of the leadership in Jerusalem, and be killed, and on the third day rise.  It seems that, in yesterday's reading, He was preparing the disciples to become the leaders of His Church that He will require after His ascension to the Father.  Here is another example of preparation of these men.  They do not know what manner of spirit they are of.  His Kingdom isn't going to be ruled by a "worldly" sort of power, the manipulative power of destruction that signals a king capable of powerful warfare.  Their emphasis will be to save.  And so, they walk on, to another village that will perhaps be more receptive to the good news of the Kingdom, the gospel.  The event referred to in which Elijah commanded fire to come down from heaven is to be found in 2 Kings 1:12.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."    My study bible notes here that there is a cost to discipleship.  Jesus reveals three of them:  (1)  a disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security -- if the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, neither will the disciple.  (2)  Nothing -- and that means not even the honor that is due to parents  -- can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  (3)  A disciple can't delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands.   We note that when Christ's commands are met with resistance in His followers, His response is to teach, to instruct. 

Again Jesus' encounters serve to boost the faith of the disciples, or rather to teach them what kind of faith is going to be required of them as leaders of His Church.  Each encounter serves as a signpost, a lesson, a kind of emphasis on what sort of men (and women, we remember, are also a part of this ministry) are required for this service, the spreading of the word of the Kingdom.  Our security is in the serving of the Lord, and nothing else, as my study bible notes, can take away this top priority before all things.  Christ Himself has no home; this king is far from a luxurious castle or landholdings, properties, goods, trade, military conquests.  His is a different life, committed to a different sort of kingdom, one that is not seen but nevertheless known and built by faith.  And it's that rock of faith that He's building up, that unbreakable bond between Lord and disciple, built on faith.  And that's why nothing should get in the way of this bond, and everything must serve it:  it's the root of all else to come, the confidence we build up in our lives, the one unshakeable thing.  And this is what He wants from us, a kind of commitment that doesn't let anything else get in the way -- even a commitment in which there are no second thoughts, no hesitation after "putting one's hand to the plow."  It reminds us of the story of Lot's wife, who "looked back" to her old life, and was turned into a pillar of salt.  We could extrapolate from this example, and what it means to be a "pillar of salt," something lacking all moisture, the living water of the Spirit that we are truly "of."  Jesus elaborates, in today's reading, what manner of spirit we are to be of:  prepared, quick to respond to the commands of this Spirit and this Kingdom, fully in and committed, putting nothing else -- not even a memory of the past -- between us and our commitment to God and to the future He brings into the world, the life of the Kingdom.  This may sound terribly harsh, but we remember what manner of spirit we are of -- this is the work of saving, not destroying.  This is the work of the One who is love, who teaches love, who builds up a kingdom of peace.  That's what we learn and where our faith must take us.  As in the example of today's reading, it's not that kind of fire that destroys, but a kind of fire that saves that this Spirit will bring into the world, like the example of the bush that didn't burn when fire appeared to Moses.  This is a spirit of fire that burns with love, that purifies in order to save.  That is the fire in which we participate as those who live with faith in Him, His mission, His kingdom.  It gives us strength, urgency, a confidence in which we serve that which burns in our hearts.  Let us remember His words and His teachings, and what manner of spirit we are of.

O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?

 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

- Luke 9:37-50

Yesterday, we read about the Transfiguration of Christ.  About eight days after the teachings Jesus gave in Monday's reading, He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  My study bible says that while the disciples faith is incomplete (Matthew 17:19-20), Jesus' rebuke is also to the people in the crowds, whose faith was weaker still (see Mark 9:22-24).

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  Perhaps it's because of the marveling of the crowds that Jesus takes this occasion to reiterate what is going to happen to Him.  But the disciples still can't take it in, the words just don't quite "sink down into their ears."   We can sense a kind of resistance; they are afraid even to ask Him about it.  My study bible says that Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion was meant to encourage and strengthen them for the terrifying events they're going to face, and to assure them that He wasn't powerless but rather going to the Cross willingly.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  With the news that Jesus will suffer, and die, and rise again, it's possible that the disciples' minds go directly to the idea that Jesus' rising means His kingdom will manifest.  It's a kind of typical failing of human beings, exemplified in the disciples, another stumbling block to our true faith.  But Jesus' teaching here about humility is the touchstone of all that there is in Christian faith.  These men -- and all the rest of us -- must be shaped to be the leaders He calls them to be.  My study bible says that Jesus' pointing to a little child as a model for discipleship emphasizes the virtues required for entrance into the Kingdom:  humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.  Now that is something to think about indeed!

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."   There's a note here in my study bible that tells us that the NU-Text reads, "Whoever is not with you is on your side."  Either way, it's an important teaching for all of us -- most particularly in the practice of humility and peace.   Theophylact sees this comment by John as a kind of regret, his conscience having been pricked by what Jesus has just taught about the little child.  St. Ambrose of Milan, however, sees John as expecting full obedience.  But my study bible says that regardless of the motivation, Jesus response tells us that those who act in good faith aren't excluded, even if they're not numbered among the disciples.

In today's reading, we can see Jesus shaping the characters of these men who will go on to lead His Church after His Ascension into heaven.  He's teaching them to be the leaders and examples to everyone else who will follow.   The very first requirement is faith.  The qualities of the "little child" that my study bible teaches:  humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved, really fall into a teaching on what it is to have and to develop a greater faith.  We learn a kind of supreme dependence upon God with the growth of faith, as our relationship of faith grows to encompass everything in our lives.  Somehow the very power of the Kingdom and its work through the Church seems to depend on this, as the "failed exorcism" teaches us.  But then Jesus reminds them again of what is to happen to Him.  It is the supreme example of "taking up one's cross" as He taught in Monday's reading.  And it's sobering, here, while all are amazed at the majesty of God, to think about this sacrifice that is to come -- and that the disciple is not greater than his master.  On the contrary, it's a powerful reminder that our faith will ask us to make sacrifices.  These disciples are not simply sharing in the power and the glory and the majesty of God in their ministries, far from it.  And so, there is another preparation for the future as leaders of the Church in Jesus' reminder.   But we can see how the minds of the disciples are working:  they go instead into a competition mode, "Who's going to be greatest in the kingdom?"  They're thinking about position and who will hold what rank among them.  Jesus uses the example of the little child to teach them what His model is for them.  It is a total and complete emphasis on humility as the number one virtue that assures one of greatness in this Kingdom.  It's all about how they treat one another and those who come to them:  the Son and even the Father are there in the ways in which they are to treat the "little ones."   And what about those other people out there?  What about those followers of Christ who aren't with us?  Well, "he who is not against us on our side"  (or "against you," as the case may be).   This is another teaching on humility, but on the aspects of humility that make for peace.  We don't need to pick fights about authority.  We don't need to get into conflict without first being challenged somehow.  And that's a great lesson in His Church; it's a lesson for tolerance and forbearance.  It's a lesson for peace.  And it's all bound up in humility before God, and above all in the faith we place in God.  These are life lessons for each of us, really.  They are Christ's teachings on how we best serve, and how we live a life of faith and dependence upon God.  Let us note that our faith is rooted in our capacity for humility; to be truly faithful is to be humble before God, to put all things in service to the faith.  This may mean sacrifice, a giving up of the things that conflict with our faith.  It will mean a kind of graciousness such as Jesus counsels the disciples to practice with this other group who's not with them.  It's an ability to share this kingdom with others such as the "little child" in Christ's example.  It means keeping God always in our hearts, and practicing love in the ways that God loves us.  A tall order -- and one we practice for a lifetime. 

The Transfiguration

 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

- Luke 9:28-36

Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.   To understand how the verses read in sequence, we need to go back to Monday's reading, in which Peter confessed that Jesus was Messiah or Christ.  This was immediately followed by Jesus' warnings about what was to come in Jerusalem:  His suffering at the hands of the leadership, and His death and Resurrection.  He taught them, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."    Commentators consider this last sentence to refer to the events of the Transfiguration, which is given to us in today's reading.

  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. We may often read about a "mountaintop" experience, and this is perhaps the most distinctive and powerful "mountaintop" experience during His ministry; certainly it would be so for the disciples who are with Him, Peter, John, and James.  These disciples repeated form His inner circle, for particularly great or difficult events.  The word translated as "decease" is literally exodus in the Greek, His departure from this world, His death.  My study bible says that "Christ's death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, for Christ is glorified through His death (John 12:23). . . . The term exodus reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover and is the true exodus from enslavement to salvation."  It is a teaching to the disciples, directly after Jesus reveals what is to happen in Jerusalem, that His death will not be in the hands of others, but comes as a "voluntary offering of love" (as my study bible puts it), "for no arresting soldier could withstand such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53)."   Moses represents the law and all those who have died, while Elijah represents the prophets -- and, as one who did not experience death, all those who live in Christ.  My study bible says, "Their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament."  Moses and Elijah also manifest the communion of the saints:  both are immediately recognizable and talk with Christ.

But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.   We get a picture here, through Peter, of the experience of the disciples.  Imagine this vision as one comes out of a deep sleep.  Peter's words do have a sort of logic to them; the feast of Tabernacles or Booths was the feast of the coming kingdom, commemorating the "exodus" of the Jews as they wandered in the wilderness on their way to the promised land, and lived in tents (called tabernacles or booths).  At the feast, these booths were symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  The cloud is once again a reminder of the times during the Exodus of the ancient Jews, and its presence that went before the Israelites in the wilderness -- the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  This also shapes Peter's perception that the Kingdom has come.

 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"   What makes this event so powerful for the Church is just this:  it is a manifestation of the Trinity.  Christ is transfigured, the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Jesus' divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of the dazzling light surrounding Christ.  From the Greek, this is called an epiphany ("showing" or "appearance") or, more accurately, Theophany (manifestation of God).

When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.  As abruptly as it happened, they are alone again.  This time, the divine secret will stay a secret until it is time for its unveiling.

Immediately after Peter's confession that Jesus is Christ, Jesus reveals what is to come:  His suffering, death, and rising again after three days.  We can hardly know what the disciples made of all of this information.  But certainly commentators throughout the centuries of the Church have viewed this incident of the Transfiguration as a kind of affirmation of the divinity of Christ to these disciples, particularly in light of what is to happen.  It tells that that this death will be voluntary, a sacrifice on Christ's part, an offering of love, as my study bible tells us.  That these three did keep this secret until it was time to tell of it also says something very powerful indeed.  So much of what Christ tries to keep secret is revealed anyway.  Here is such an extraordinary, beyond-remarkable event that these three disciples, who form Jesus' "inner circle" do manage to keep it hidden until it is time to reveal it.  This is the realm of the mystical, the time when time ceases (Moses and Elijah are together with Christ), when space doesn't matter (they all converse with one another), where we are in the realm of the Kingdom and the divine reality (everybody recognizes Moses and Elijah).  It is a defining "mountaintop" experience where our normal boundaries are suspended, and God is revealed.  Perhaps nothing elevates the whole of human nature so much as this episode we read about today.  It's one thing to focus on the divinity of Christ, the revelation of Jesus and His place midst the Trinity, His dialogue with Moses and Elijah.  But what of these disciples, who are taken along for this experience, to whom it is also revealed and shown?  What does that tell us about our own capabilities, and how God elevates us and our nature to "be with Him?"  To my mind, this is an extraordinary grace, a revelation not only to the disciples of just who Jesus is (and so, coloring and filling in all doubts about His death on the Cross as voluntary), but also a grace of God so fully extended to we human beings, that we, too, are a part of this secret and may share in it and view it.  We, too, are capable of receiving this great mystery and experiencing  it on this mountaintop.  It is a kind of extraordinary reaching by God to elevate us to Him.  Jesus has come from above and will return -- but He has come to take all of us with Him.  In all of the Eastern Church, in the whole arc of the great Councils of the early centuries of entire Church, there is perhaps no greater nor more basic theological statement than this one:  "God became man so that man could become a god."  In other words, Christ condescends to us as a human being so that He elevates us to be both "with Him" and "like Him."  (In a very real way, we "get there" by being "like Him" in this world.)  Let us consider then the fact that it is human beings who share in and to whom is revealed this experience, this great mystery, this phenomenon of the communion of saints on this mountaintop.  Peter, James, and John, none of whom was particularly learned but all capable of faith, are brought along for this glimpse of the greatness of God, the reality of the Kingdom come into the world.  And they, as great apostles, take us along with them in the communion of saints, in the reality of this Kingdom, in the good news of the Gospel.  Can we really appreciate what it does for us and for our lives? 

Consider the ravens

Icon of Elijah fed by a raven (detail) - Byzantine Museum, Athens, Greece

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

- Luke 12:22-31

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So He said to them, "When you pray, say:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us day by day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for  a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him''; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind."  My study bible notes here that Jesus warns us against anxiety -- not thoughtful planning.  It says, "Our physical well-being is directly dependent on God, and only indirectly on food, drink, and clothing.  Anxiety over earthly things demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care."

"For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."   Here is a notion that all the world -- including those Gentiles who served pagan idols -- feel dependent on earthly things, and also that we are assured God knows what we need.   In this understanding, our dependence is upon God, not upon the things of the world.  It is a freeing, liberating, way of life.

"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."    My study bible points out that the kingdom of God is the central theme of Christ's teaching.  It says, "Calling us to be free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings."    Our focus is on the Kingdom, where we are "all-included" and embraced, meaning every need we have and what it is to be a human being in every sense.

Once again, as we observed in yesterday's reading and commentary, there is no sense in Christ of a division between the heavenly and the earthly in us:  if we seek first this kingdom, all else is added to us.  God's embrace includes the awareness of the things we need as human beings.  But we are encouraged to focus on seeking that kingdom, and leaving the rest as part of our dependence upon God.  This is not a separation of awareness from the things of the world or the needs of our bodies or social and community lives.  Rather, it is a re-arrangement of priorities, and a diminishing of anxiety; in fact, in Jesus' perspective here anxiety is to be turned away, put aside.  Clearly, it is something indicated to be unhelpful, not good for us.  Undoubtedly it is one of those things that, in the parable of the Sower, is part of those thorns that choke the seeds with "cares, riches, and pleasures of life," and so prevent us from bearing good fruit.  This is still important advice.  All we have to do is look around ourselves and see the levels of disease and ailment -- psychological and physical, in individual and community -- caused by excess anxiety and the stress it creates.  Anxiety diminishes our focus on what's most important, and, like the parable of the Sower teaches, distracts us from what is really essential.  It harms our bodies and souls and spirits.  It distracts from good goals.  Anti-anxiety medication is among the most prescribed medications, and that doesn't include all the ways in which self-medication is also used as a coping mechanism for anxiety (via, for example, alcohol and other types of drugs).  Jesus' "prescription," so to speak, is for reliance upon God.  This is a development of a different set of goals, the subject of our true desire being a deep relationship with God, a sense of belonging to this Kingdom, and allowing our other "dependencies" to rest upon this single first focus of seeking the Kingdom.  It is a way of restructuring ourselves psychologically, a healthy "coping" mechanism, a rootedness in prayer.  It is also a way to form a basis in good community, another healthful coping mechanism.  In yesterday's reading, we were given the prayer to "Our Father," in which we pray "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is heaven."  Surely, anxieties can distract us from this goal.  All in all, God is aware of our condition.  Christ has been one of us, and subject to the same problems we are.  We know His life, His foundation of ministry and preaching the Kingdom.  We know His vulnerability to the same worldly things that we are.  Sometimes we place so much emphasis on what "the world" seems to think we are supposed to have, that we miss entirely the fact that what we have may be adequate for our needs, but that we are not focusing on the spiritual needs that feed everything else, including our sense of security and peace.  I love Jesus' focus on the things of this world and their beauty:  the ravens, the lilies in the field, our own height.  The ravens put me in mind of Prophet Elijah, who was fed by ravens as the Old Testament story goes (see 1 Kings 17:1-7).  If we look closely at these birds mentioned here, we'd learn what great intelligence they have, and that they are sometimes capable mimics of other animals, including human speech!  This glimpse of details about this one example given by Jesus teaches us with what care God seems to equip and bless even these birds, gifted with logic and a great sense of playfulness.   The lilies of the field come in all kinds of gorgeous apparel, and grow wild in all kinds of places, gracing us with the free beauty God gives them.  Lilies also serve as symbolic reminders of Resurrection.  In these small examples, then, are tremendous gifts, beauty and wonder that uplift us -- and work in us, upon observation, to dispel anxiety.  Dwelling upon a life of participation in the Kingdom is a way of actually seeing what blessings are right in front of us.  We are graced with so much, including our own capacities and blessings for all the varieties of abilities in human beings.  When we seek the Kingdom, we put these gifts to good use, and may be surprised and delighted by what is before us, uplifted and inspired by what potentials we may find.  Can we share His focus?

Our Father in heaven

 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one."

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for  a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him''; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

- Luke 11:1-13

Yesterday, we read that it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."   Today the lectionary skips forward into chapter 11 (yesterday's reading was Luke 9:18-27).  We note that at the beginning of yesterday's reading, in which Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus was also praying when His disciples came to Him.  So, first of all, this is something essential to the Gospels.  All along, there is the "punctuation" between events of Jesus at prayer.  He is setting His example for us.  About this request of the disciples, "Teach us to pray," my study bible says that it expresses the universal longing to be in communion with God.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name."  My study bible says that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals our potential relationship with God.  We are also children by adoption; or rather, sons, because in the Jewish tradition, sons inherit.   My study bible says that as "'sons of God,' the Christian is called to love, trust and serve God as Christ does the Father."   Father tells us of relationship; this isn't only about who our Creator is, it's about our growth within the embrace of salvation and communion - an active relationship.  We know about the sacredness of the name of God from the Jewish tradition, which isn't even mentioned here (rather, we address "Our Father"), its "hallowed" quality, meaning the utmost sacredness of God the Father.

 "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  The Most High God is the One whose kingdom we enter into via relationship; we pray that this kingdom manifest itself fully in the world.  In relationship to God the Father, we seek to know and to do God's will.  In yesterday's reading, we noted how in the Jewish tradition, a name indicated what someone or something does.  Here, to do the will of God is to manifest God's name in the world.

"Give us day by day our daily bread."  My study bible points out that "daily" is a misleading translation of the Greek word here, which is epiousios.  Epiousios is a word coined for the Gospels, and it means literally "above the essence" or could also be expressed as "supersubstantial."  The expression daily bread thereby doesn't just tell us about bread for today or for a worldly sense of nourishment.  It's the bread for the "eternal day" of the Kingdom of God.  This is the nourishment of the soul.  My study bible says, "This living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  In the Lord's Prayer, then, we are not asking merely for material bread for physical health, but for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58)."

"And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us."   My study bible notes that the request to be forgiven here is plural, thereby directing us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  This is a sense in which we aren't focusing on personal sin alone, but rather a kind of community short-coming, the ways in which the kingdom isn't fully manifest, in which God's will isn't fully "done on earth as it is in heaven."   The term debts is a way of understanding spiritual debts.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  My study bible says that God tempts nobody to sin (James 1:13).  Temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  A note says, "Temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13) should not come to us."

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for  a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him''; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs."     Here is an illustration of what it is to be persistent with a "friend."  My study bible says that the Church Fathers interpret midnight as both the time of our death and a time of great temptation.  It notes, "The friend is Christ, who, as our only source of grace, provides everything we need."

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"   The words ask, seek, and knock in the Greek are given in a form by Jesus that implies constant action:  "Keep asking," "keep seeking," "keep knocking" would appropriately imply what He's saying here.  My study bible suggests, "God responds when we persistently ask for things that are good."  Bread, fish, and an egg are all images of life -- they symbolize the gift of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:13-14, James 4:3).

Jesus uses elements necessary for daily life to make a point about the things that are necessary for our spiritual lives in today's reading.  We pray for our daily bread, in the English.  But, as noted above, this word translated as daily is "epiousion" -- roughly translated we could say it means "atop the essence" or "more than the essence," something implying a substance beyond what we know in a worldly sense.  This added dimension gives us the understanding that we're talking about something more than feeding the body, but also feeding the soul and spirit.  In some sense this word is a picture of the Eucharist.  More than that, as my study bible has pointed out, this is the bread for the Kingdom of God.  In the final verse, we note that Jesus speaks of the great gift of the Holy Spirit.   The clear implication is that this is the thing for which we are constantly to keep asking, and seeking, and knocking.  With that understanding, all our notions about asking God for something come down to the recognition that He's speaking to disciples, to people who are committed to the life that He offers, the desire to serve God and to participate in this Kingdom.  In that context, prayer becomes the means by which we communicate with the One whom we wish to serve, in whose graces we wish always to live, in whose Kingdom we wish to dwell.   This puts us in mind of Solomon's prayer that was pleasing to God, when Solomon became king, succeeding his father David:  "Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil."   We note God's reply:  “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,  behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.  And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days."   (See 1 Kings 3.)   As disciples, we pray for the discernment of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit.  This is the great gift with which we will be rewarded, which we truly seek in order to discern how we might conduct ourselves properly as disciples.  How do we know what serves the Lord?  What serves the Kingdom?  What is the wise choice in life?  This is the gift for which we are encouraged to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.   Once again, not for the first time in Luke's Gospel, it is the great mysteries that we are to desire to enter into (see the reading in which Jesus gave the Parable of the Sower).   Tomorrow, as the lectionary has it, we will skip into chapter twelve, where Jesus will tell us to "seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Luke 12:31), thereby giving us a New Testament teaching that parallels the example of Solomon's prayer and the Lord's response to it.  Let us commit to a prayer life of loving relationship with God, in which we seek to bring God's kingdom into the world, to find God's will for ourselves -- and in which a loving Father embraces us and knows what our needs are, on every level.  In our modern world, we hear a lot about the "mind-body-spirit" connection, and this is often presented to us as a new idea, or a "new age" concept we sorely need.  All we have to do is take a look at Christ's teachings to understand this connection has never been missing, but is part and parcel of Christianity,  affirmed and reaffirmed in the early Councils of the Church which declared both the divinity and humanity of Christ.  In our faith, all things -- including our bodies and the material world -- are created inseparable from the glory and wisdom of God, the true gifts we pray for.  Our Lord, incarnate as human being -- both man and God --  teaches that in every sense.  The unity of all of it is love.

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

On Saturday, we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.   Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.
 
And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study bible suggests that, "as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided."    It adds that "Who do you say that I am?" is the ultimate question both in Scripture and in all theology.  The answer to the question really defines the universe and its nature.  Christ (Messiah in the Hebrew) means "Anointed One."  Peter's declaration thereby reveals that Jesus isn't just another anointed King or prophet, but rather the long-awaited Savior.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."   Jesus wishes to keep His identity secret (that is, His identity as the Christ) so that He may avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings.  When He preached about "new wine" needing "new wineskins," it was an indication of the broadening out of faith concepts that comes with His ministry and mission.  It is He who must define this Himself.  My study bible tells us that it is only after His Passion and Resurrection that His identity as Messiah can be understood.  Despite the growing hostility of the religious leadership, Jesus calls all to faith through love -- not based on outward signs, nor "worldly" power of any kind.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."   My study bible suggests two things here:  First, each must take up his or her own cross.  This may mean a different sort of burden for each person, and each "has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for his own salvation and the salvation of those around him."  Second, the cross is to be taken up daily.  This faith commitment isn't just a one-time event, but rather a continual practice of faith and obedience to Christ -- and this is before all things, even to the point of persecution and shaming by the world.  We're called to be like Him.

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study bible tells us this is a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (which follows these verses), as well as to those in each generation who experience the presence of God's kingdom.

This is a turning point in Jesus' ministry, in the sense that now His identity as Christ is fully revealed -- at least as far as the Gospel is concerned.  Peter's confession of faith brings it out into the open and confirms all the "signs" we've seen, all the things Jesus has done as part of His public ministry and His teachings to the disciples.  Listening to a lecture by Fr. Thomas Hopko on the names of God in Christian tradition, I was struck by part of his lecture in which he noted that in the Jewish tradition, a name is given in response to what someone or something does.  For example, in the Old Testament, Adam gives the animals names based on his observation of them.  It reminds me of Jesus' teaching that "by their fruits you shall know them."  In this sense, doing becomes a key to identity, to being.  That's another important way we can look at Christ -- at Jesus.  We observe His ministry, we watch what He does, we listen to what He teaches, and all of these things have, all along, been clues to who He really is.  The thing is, if we come to Christ in love, then it becomes about how He's truly identified, and not by simply knowing a name.  We see His love, we observe what He does for others, we note His relationship of love to the Father, His loyalty to His disciples, His kindness and compassion, His deep feelings for His friends, and protection of His disciples -- and desire to do so even for those who reject Him.  All these things are clues to who He is.  They are the things that compel us to love Him and to want to know Him via a depth of relationship to Him.  In today's reading, He also immediately calls all of us -- truly all of us -- to be like Him, in ways that He predicts but haven't been fulfilled yet in the Gospel.  He tells Peter and all of the disciples that awful things are going to happen to Him at the hands of the religious leadership and that He will be killed.  But immediately His teaching goes to what we must do:  we must be like Him.  We must take up our cross daily.  We deny ourselves.  And, "whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  He lives out these words Himself, and there is so much more to come, so many trials and traumas, and so much faith that must be drawn upon, made strong, tested, and built up through experience.  All of this is to say that our very human Jesus is also the Christ, which we know not just because He says so, and not just because somebody thinks so, but because of what we know and what we see and what He does.  This extends into our own lives where His presence, and our dialogue via prayer, can play a great role in shaping how we know who Christ is.  We are able to enter into an intimate relationship, a true dialogue, and know what He does in our own lives.  Given all of this, we can think also about His call to us to take up our own crosses and to be like Him.  We can think about how whatever we do reflects who we are, and think about our choices in life.  This isn't an easy judgment of people.  There are plenty of things Jesus "does" that seem offensive, in particular to the religious authorities who will deem Him not only a sinner but a blasphemer.  This is not to say that we judge by appearances, which Christ Himself has spoken against.  Rather, it is a way to understand that "a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (see this reading from Luke 6).   We're to look to what we do, to what we say, how we affect others, what kindness we can practice, what hope and reconciliation we can bring, and -- perhaps most importantly -- how we handle averse situations.  We do "like" He did.  We turn to God and find our way, so that what we do or choose reflects this commitment, this faith.   In this sense, His teaching about losing our lives to save them takes on the condition of giving up our ideas of who we are or can be to Him, and bearing His likeness into the world.