Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

"Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'
The King of Israel!"

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

"Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey's colt."

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.    The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

- John 12:9-19

Yesterday we read that the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.  Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  John deepens our understanding of the mood of the time; the seventh sign of raising Lazarus from the dead has had its great impact.  Lazarus is someone all wish to see at the Passover feast, but the chief priests also want to be rid of Lazarus for the same reason:  his life is the reason many even from Jerusalem and among the classes of the leadership come to believe in Jesus.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'  The King of Israel!"
Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  This is Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated on Palm Sunday.  The people greet Him as the Messiah, the King of Israel.  Their initial greeting comes from Psalm 118:25-26, verses associated with messianic expectation.  These verses were recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"  In order to understand this event, and in particular the attitudes of the ruling members of the Council and the chief priests toward Jesus, we have to see it in political terms.  By the time of Jesus, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah, who would deliver them from Roman control and reestablish David's kingdom.  Therefore the response of the rulers is a political response, because they see this event as the declaration of the people that they wish Christ as king and ruler.  But Jesus gives a conflicting signal here:  He doesn't ride on a horse nor in a chariot like a national warrior or triumphal war hero.  Rather, He rides on a donkey's colt (Zechariah 9:9).   This is a sign of humility and peace.  My study  bible says that this entrance into the Holy City is a declaration of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  We may also view this scene as a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.    The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"  Here is an interesting juxtaposition.  The disciples did not understand these things at first.  As is true for so much of Jesus' ministry, it is only later that Jesus' disciples remembered these things written about Him and that the people had done these things to Him.  They come to reconcile the birth of the kingdom of God with Jesus' ministry and teachings (John 3:3-5).  But the Pharisees can see these things only on political terms, and the growing power of Jesus among the people who wish to make Him king and ruler of Israel.

Clearly the people who welcome Jesus see Him as King and successor to King David.  A man who can raise one from the dead?  He must be the prophesied King and Messiah, the one who will restore the fortunes of the kingdom of Israel.  The Council takes this political perspective and chooses to act against it, fearing losing their places and also to the Romans.  They will turn to the Romans to give them a charge against Jesus that He sought to be King of Israel.  But Jesus' life and ministry point to a reality that is something entirely "other" than what people expect or understanding.  His is not a political ministry.  His disciples are not military soldiers, and He hasn't amassed an army as a man who would be king would do.  But the perceptions that are around Him, and the fears that stoke those perceptions, indeed tell us something important.  Revelation that is of God, of something holy, will always ask us to stretch ourselves to understand, to comprehend, to take it in.  Christ's ministry is precisely that, all of it -- it is a revelation of God.  It offers new alternatives to everyone for thinking about life and the possibilities of what life in our world can hold, and what meanings may be present for us.  For those who cannot receive Jesus' startling teachings that open up those new possibilities as revelation, misunderstanding alone is possible.  Suspicion based on one's own assumptions and possibilities is the result.  Jesus is revealing the Father in His ministry, His healings, and the signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God.  But for those who do not seek to understand Him, only fear and suspicion are possible.  Even the people who welcome Him to Jerusalem do not quite know what they are doing; their expectations are political, but no doubt there are those in this same crowd who will turn against Him at the Crucifixion.   In our own lives as faithful, we, too, will be challenged to stretch our perceptions and expectations.  A life of faith will ask us to open up to new ways to handle difficult situations and circumstances.  A reliance on God will teach us to be alert and awake, to be flexible, to be able to stretch our hearts and minds to receive Christ in new ways -- whether that will be strengths to survive hard challenges and circumstances, or ways to move forward and expand our faith through all things, or to learn ever more deeply to allow God's love to transform who we think we are.  We may find our own good motivations questioned when we seek to help others.  God's work in the world does not cease to work in the ways that these people in today's reading are and will be challenged.  Their expectations are of a worldly Messiah, and the ones who cannot accept the truth of Christ fear and live a purely political world.  Let us not be those who are only capable of looking with a limited perspective, of assuming that we have already learned everything we need to learn.  Let us live with our hearts open in prayer for where God wants us to go in following and living that Kingdom that Christ brings to the world, in whatever ways that we are called to grow.  When we can say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," we must also remember that our assumptions about what He has to teach us may be entirely too limited.

Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always." 

- John 11:55-12:8

Yesterday we read that after the raising of Lazarus (see the readings from Thursday and Friday) many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.  My study bible tells us that because Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29), John's Gospel continually emphasizes the connection between Christ's death and the Passover.  At the Passover, lambs were slaughtered to save the Jews from death (Exodus 12:1-13).  Christ's death saves mankind from sin and death.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  This is the third Passover mentioned in John's Gospel (after 2:13; 6:4).  It is the setting for the final week of Jesus' earthly life and ministry.  John will narrate it in careful detail.  My study bible says that at this point Jesus has already been glorified through His signs and words.  Now it remains for Him to be glorified through His Death and Resurrection.

There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Think of this setting, with one sitting at the table who had previously been dead!  The gratitude of Mary for this gift is something that is striking to think of, and likely plays a role in what follows.

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  My study bible comments that the other disciples said the same thing that Judas said here, but with a very different motive (see Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas spoke from greed, but the others spoke from the virtue of charity.  A note adds here that the fact that Jesus pt a thief in charge of the money shows that by every means He attempted to save Judas:  He fulfilled Judas' lust for money; He allows him to exercise apostolic authority (6:11; see also Mark 6:7).  he washed Judas' feet with the other disciples (13:5); and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (13:26).  Yet Judas could never overcome his greed.

It's quite a scene to consider, all sitting at table together with one who had literally been dead and was raised by Christ.  It is an image of the communion of saints, gathered together with all of the apostles, with Mary and Martha, and with Lazarus.  It teaches us that all live to Him, and is a literal illustration that He is the Bread of Life (6:35).  There is also a clear eucharistic significance in this supper at which all those who live to Him are gathered, including one formerly dead.  It is a gathering of those who love Him, as is clearly seen in the devotion of Mary.  Mary is an interesting figure, as she takes devotion to Christ one step further than what we have seen.  We have seen the disciples traveling with Him, learning from Him, going through all things to be shaped into the apostles He desires for Himself.  But Mary's act is one of pure love, pure-heartedness.  Christ calls it His anointing before burial, pronouncing it a pure gift.   "She has kept this for the day of My burial," He tells them, and there can be no doubt that what He says is true.  Such is the connection of love, that she alone really perceives what is going to happen.  It is another sense in which this supper is a gathering of the communion of saints, for she anoints Christ death which she knows is coming, even at this gathering of the living and one who has been raised from the dead.  What we infer from this reading is that the communion is made up of love, that love is the substance of what is at work here, unifying all in the life of Christ.  Certainly this is the pure expression of Mary, the beautiful and costly fragrance counteracting the corruption of death, and reminding us of the prayers of the saints rising to heaven in fragrance.  John the Evangelist is given a vision of such, rising from an angel's hand, recorded in the Revelation (Revelation 8:4).  Mary's act of love fills this scene with an unsurpassable kind of beauty.  Jesus affirms this when He tells the disciples to let her alone.  The one who truly cannot understand this is Judas, blighted as he is (according to John) with his own greed.  He cannot see the value of the love she expresses.  It is one more act in the Gospel which separates the faithful from the unfaithful, from those who cannot accept what He teaches.  But this time, the act which separates faithful from unfaithful is from the heart of one who loves Him purely, a woman.  And that is most important too, because in this scene of the living and the dead, gathered in love of Christ is included both women and men, and in particular this woman.  In all the scenes of Mary, her personality is contrasted with Martha.  She does not do the active serving and hospitality in the household, a traditional woman's role.  In Luke's Gospel, she remains at His feet, listening to His word, and learning, with the other disciples, while her sister serves (Luke 10:38-42).  She does nothing to "justify" or "earn" her worthiness through a nominal works, and so she is also an illustration of pure grace.  Indeed, the base for all unguents, perfumes, and medicines in the ancient world was a very pure kind of olive oil (particularly so for a very costly perfume oil like this one).  In the Greek, the words for mercy and for olive oil sound alike; therefore there has always been a symbolic connection between the oil of anointing, of chrismation, of healing, with grace, with mercy.  Mary's expression of love is therefore seen with the materialistic eyes of Judas as superfluous, unnecessary, wasteful.  But in Christ's eyes it is something quite different, a genuine act of mercy and love, made with the the most priceless of motives.  Hers is the grace that seals all things together where those who live to Christ are gathered.  May we always remember His words about her, and sense the beauty in her act of love.

What shall we do? For this Man works many signs

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

- John 11:45-54

In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus had not yet come into the town of Bethany, but was in the place where Martha met Him as He came to the house of Lazarus (now passed) and his sisters.  Then those from Jerusalem 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."

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  The term the Jews, in John's Gospel, is used most often as a kind of political term.  Here it indicates people who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters for their brother Lazarus, now raised from the dead by Christ (see yesterday's reading, above).  These people are clearly connected with the ruling classes who form the Council, the leadership in Jerusalem

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  As high priest, Caiaphas is given the authority to speak prophetically.  It is important to understand that this has to do with the authority of his position, not himself as individual.  My study bible says that the failings and even wickedness of the officeholder do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Here, Caiaphas means only that the death of Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  But God's meaning is that all people will be saved through the death of the Son.

Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.  Jesus stays in the country, near the wilderness, avoiding Jerusalem and its ruling authorities until it is His "hour" of glorification, the time of the Cross (12:23).

The act of the raising of Lazarus from the dead has sealed Jesus' fate with the authorities.  The act itself has made believers out of many connected with the ruling parties, and this is seen as a threat to the Council and the ruling authorities.  At least in the point of view of the Gospel, it is a typical story about power, the will to rule, to retain place, when personal authority becomes the cherished goal above all else.  Christ comes into the world and fills it with grace, divine power working to do all things to heal and make whole.  He even raises a man from the dead.  God's power shakes up the world, takes us out of the commonplace and the acceptance of daily life as rule and norm.  But the point of view of the Gospel is not to say that the "norms" established through Moses and the spiritual heritage of Israel are bad or wrong.  On the contrary, it is specifically expressed here that Caiaphas, regardless of his personal flaws or frailties, prophesies in accordance with the office he holds, that of chief priest.  No, what is at fault here is the all-too-typical stuff of daily life of our world at the time of Christ and in today's headlines:  the manipulation of power and the failure to uphold what is good and established in justice as custom.  The manipulations of the Council that are to follow will defy every rule established for the proper working order of the community and its justice.  Selfishness instead will rule, expediency for the sake of retaining position.  In chapter 7, Nicodemus asks his fellow Pharisees and members of the Council, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  (See 7:45-52.)  The impulse to put the law second and expediency first is already there.  It is a way of showing through works that their duties to God are put into the service of their own personal power, place, and position.  We should not forget that when we forgo justice, we forgo our Lord, who also was the victim of injustice.  Laws put into place to protect the innocent from unlawful conviction, like in the example of Nicodemus asking about witnesses, are laws we can trace with clear importance to the story of Jesus.  The Cross tells us a story about worldly justice, about selfishness, about expediency for the sake of the retention of power, cutting corners, and failing ultimately to uphold what is good for society, for community -- failing to recognize and to cherish the working of God, the good among us.  Let us consider how the Cross pits worldly perspective against God's perspective, what it tells us about justice, and ultimately that the promise of the Cross is that Christ will return with true Judgment.  When we read the story of lying and manipulation and selfishness, we read about the workings of that which hates truth and is the enemy of God.  But all too often, we fail to recognize that this reality lives side-by-side with that which loves and worships truth (see the Parable of the Tares).  It is up to us to choose and to be awake to what is happening all around us, to know how we are called and what we are called to serve, with Him.  Too often we forget what John's Gospel tells us, that Jesus' mission into the world is ultimately all about true justice, the Judgment for which He promises He will return.  In our worldly perspective, we so often think all that matters is our "side" and what's good for that.  Self-righteousness rules the day.  But that isn't what holiness is all about, at all.  What does righteousness really look like to you?

Lazarus, come forth!

Sinai, Egypt - St. Katherine's Monastery, 12th century

 Now Jesus had not yet come into 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 11:30-44

Yesterday we read that, having been called to Bethany where Lazarus was dying, when Jesus came, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for 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."  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 arose quickly and came to Him.  

 Now Jesus had not yet come into 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."   Many have come from Jerusalem to Bethany to mourn with the sisters of Lazarus.  This reference to the Jews is no doubt meant to indicate those who have come to mourn who are members of the Council or in some way connected with the ruling parties.  It gives us a sense of the importance and standing of the family of Lazarus.  My study bible points out to us here that Mary greets Jesus with precisely the same words which her sister Martha did (see yesterday's reading, above).  But while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead.

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?"  John's Gospel gives us the fully human aspects of Jesus, in that He both groaned in spirit and wept in response to the mourning and sadness of this occasion.   He is as subject to grief as any other human being, and His sympathy is clearly marked, as His response is to the weeping of Mary and the mourners.  My study bible tells us that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.

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?"  Although Martha's faith had increased, my study bible says, she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power (see also yesterday's reading, above, and Jesus' interaction with her).  The spices and oils which were used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In icons of the raising of Lazarus there are frequently depicted bystanders covering their noses.  This illustrates both the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh and also the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.  See in the icon above those closest to the tomb, who hold their covered hands to their faces to avoid the stench.

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."  Jesus prays aloud, demonstrating to all that His divine will is one with the Father's, and also that His human will was freely subject in all ways to God the Father's.  He prays aloud because of the people, so that they may believe that He is sent by the Father.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  Here, Jesus' calling forth of Lazarus is not said in the name of the Father, but rather the command is given by His own authority.  It gives us to understand that although He is sent by the Father, He possesses divine authority within Himself.

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."   A frequent patristic commentary on the fact that Lazarus comes out bound in his graveclothes is that it is an indication that he will need them again.  Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will once again end in death.   We contrast this with the fact that Christ's graveclothes will be left in the tomb (20:5-7).  My study bible comments that unlike Lazarus' resurrection, Christ's transfigures human nature -- He will never die again.  It adds that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but also "confirmed the universal resurrection" (quoting and Orthodox hymn), proving that Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13). 

Jesus performs this seventh and final sign in John's Gospel with all witnesses present.  There are His disciples here, His friends Mary and Martha, and those who've come from Jerusalem to mourn with these sisters, many of whom are clearly among the ruling classes, the leadership.  We must juxtapose this with the remembrance that many members of the Council have already sought to put Jesus to death by stoning, and are convinced that His statements of equality with the Father are simply blasphemy, punishable by death.  These witnesses from Jerusalem will therefore be able to testify to what they have seen.  This seventh and final sign will thus become a great test for the religious leaders of the people:  which way will they decide for Jesus?  We know the outcome and the answer, but it's important that we think of it as a sequence of events that tells us a story for ourselves, and not just about history.   It is a testament to the fact that even as Christ's power works for the good, it will always be a challenge for those whose particular point of view is opposed for whatever reason, be it personal and selfish or an ideological conviction or any other form of resistance to God's ultimate authority.  Every new act of Christ, every holy gift to the world, in fact, becomes a challenge.  It asks us a question:  which way will we go in response, for or against?  Can we accept or do we continue to reject?  The nature of life will be in our own lives to continually be asked such a question, regardless of the events we encounter which contain such a proposition for belief and acceptance.  It sounds quite simple, but often our own answers may be tough to discern.  There will always be so much to persuade us "against God," even if nominally meant in the name of God.  Such is illustrated by the positions the ruling Council will take up.  And so we continue to be caught in this world between the rock and the hard place of making such decisions for ourselves.  Selfishness and self-centeredness can be mighty tricky things to discern, and it may take us far away from those whom we love to discern the difference, even those whom we wish to please.  This is illustrated perfectly in the story of Jesus, in His mission for salvation.  It is why detachment would become so important for the early monastic movements and martyrs of the early Church, so often acting against the interests of their class, families, profession in choosing their love of God, despite their love and honor and desire to do good to all.  There is one thing needful, that good part that in the end we must decide to choose.  Even such a stupendous sign as this one will not be enough to make that an easy decision for those who will follow Christ, and so we should not always expect our own choices for faith to be easy and simple.  Let us remember Jesus' love as expressed through today's reading.  His is the life that is continually making all things new, even as we may choose to leave our pasts behind in following where He leads.  He calls us all to "come forth!"

Do you believe this?

 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb for 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."

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 arose quickly and came to Him. 

- John 11:17-29

 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 for four days.   My study bible explains that there was a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but that after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  We recall from yesterday's reading, above, that Jesus has intentionally delayed His travel to Bethany in order for His arrival to be on this day.

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.   Mourning began on the day of a person's death.  Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week.  General mourning lasted thirty days. 

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  We note, as in Luke's Gospel, the contrast in the character of these sisters, both of whom are beloved by Jesus.  Martha is the one inclined to active service.  She rushes out to meet Jesus, fulfilling the duties of hospitality.  Mary remains sitting in the house, which is appropriate to mourning, until she is called by Christ (v. 28-29).  Sitting is the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14). 

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."  My study bible explains that while Martha possesses great faith, her statements reveal a lack of understanding about Christ.  When she says, "If You had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha expresses the idea that she does not fully see that Christ is God.  She believes that He needed to be present to effect healings (contrast this with 4:46-54).  By saying, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she shows that she lacks understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as he wills. 

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."  In order to correct Martha's misunderstanding about Him, Christ declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day as well as here in this world.  The power of His words is so profound that Martha is led immediately to a great confession of faith.  Do you believe this?, my study bible says, is a question that is not only directed to Martha, but to all of us. 

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 arose quickly and came to Him. We observe Mary's obedience to Christ.  As in the story in Luke 10:38-42, Mary responds to Christ with an understanding that His word is above all custom.

I'm always intrigued by the characters of Martha and Mary, and grateful that the Gospels show them so clearly.  They are such different sisters.  Martha is consistently assuming the duties of hospitality in the incidents in which we see her across the Gospels, while Mary is the more contemplative, called to something that seems to be in contradiction to custom and to what is expected of her socially.  Yet, we need to understand, Jesus loves them both.  He gently corrects Martha when she wants her sister to be commanded by Christ to help her in Luke 10, and here she is also gently corrected as to His authority and her faith (to which she responds with a great confession of faith).  As such, He reveals to her His power and authority as God and divine, a tremendous revelation indeed.  In Jesus' love for these two sisters, so much is revealed to us.  His relationships with women are revelatory and contradict all custom.  We recall that John has also given us the story of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4, to whom Jesus first revealed Himself and the power of worship in spirit and truth.  Here in this story of Martha and Mary, we see His closeness to both of them -- how important He is to them, and how important they are to Him.  Indeed, John shows how important they are to the whole story of Christ and His ministry through this last seventh sign that will seal His fate with the authorities.  In His love and regard for these sisters, Jesus shows us that each of us have a pathway to our faith in Him.  It matters not at all that Martha is the one concerned with social service and hospitality, while Mary's character is so different.  Both must come to faith in Him and both are beloved by Him.  Neither does it matter, even in the traditional culture in which they live, that they are women.  Faith is for all of us, our relationship to Christ is equally strong and personal.  We are all called to the same confession of faith.  We must also comment on the relationships here with women, and recall that it was John the author of the Gospel who would become child to Mary, the mother of Christ, according to His word on the Cross (19:26).  John's revelation to us of Christ's own expression of identity to the various women in this Gospel is important in this light; it tells us about the relationship to Mary, and her traditional role in the Church as one who fully and first of all accepted faith in Him.  John illustrates this with her role in the first sign in the Gospel, at the wedding in Cana (2:1-12).  There, Mary's faith is fully evident in her promptings to the stewards and to her Son; she needs no convincing nor education as to His identity.  Let us consider the variety and richness and wisdom we receive in the Gospel.  As each of us is to receive Christ, let us understand that our Church is not to be one that produces cookie-cutter followers.  The saints of the Church emerge as individuals with unique personas and a myriad of expressions of full faith, an ongoing revelation of the Holy Spirit and Christ's ministry in the world, male and female and from all walks and ways of life.  It is the ongoing revelation of holiness in the world.  Do you believe this?

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

 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."

- John 11:1-16

Yesterday we read that once again the religious leaders 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 people came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about His Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

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."  Today we begin chapter 11, and the story of what will be the seventh sign of seven in John's Gospel.  This will be the sign that sealed the religious authorities' decision to put Jesus to death (v. 47-50), the resurrection of Lazarus.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which means "God helps."

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."  My study bible says that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in the words of Jesus.  The Son of God being glorified mustn't be understood as the cause of Lazarus dying.  Rather, it indicates that Christ will be glorified as a result of Lazarus' death, occurring from a natural illness, and his being raised from the death.  Jesus' saying here is similar to His teaching about the previous sign, the healing of the man blind from birth, when He told the disciples, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him" (9:3).

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.  Jesus delays two more days in order for Lazarus to be dead long enough that the corruption of his body could set in (v. 39).  Therefore there could be no doubt about the miracle -- and the power of the Lord would clearly be seen by all.  

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."   In yesterday's reading (see above), the leadership tried once again to stone Him.  Jesus has said that He is the light of the world (8:12).  In connection with the previous healing -- the giving of sight to a man blind from birth -- He said, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day;  night is coming when no one can work" (9:4).  Here once again, He emphasizes that He is the light; as He follows the will of the Father through His ministry, "walking" according to the light as long as He is in the world (9:5).

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."  This is another instance where through misunderstanding of Jesus' words, truths are revealed and incidents remain memorable.  See also Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 15:6 for other instances in which "sleep" is used similarly among the earliest faithful. 

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  My study bible calls this statement by Thomas an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.   It's also an illustration of the path that all believers must take.  We die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24).  

What is light?  What is the light?  Christ says, "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."  Certainly if we understand one thing from John's Gospel, it is that Christ Himself is the light.  John's Prologue makes that explicit to us:  "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  So important is the concept of light as part of Christ's identity, that it is layered and woven throughout the Gospel of John.  Even the first person to whom He clearly reveals Himself as Christ is a Samaritan woman, whose saint's name is "Photini" in the Greek, meaning literally "Enlightened."   Here in today's reading Jesus uses night and day to illustrate what it means to walk in the light, and it's tied to His mission.  While He is in the world, He's said, He is the light of the world.  He must work the works of God while it is day -- while He remains in the world, and before it is His "hour" of glorification, before the Crucifixion.  Tying together all of these images of light, we have a sense of what it means for ourselves to walk in the light, and that light is the light of faith and communion.  We, too, must seek to walk by His light in our lives.  It is an illumination for the sure path that we seek.  Sometimes that light, like the blazing flame that led Israel in search of the Promised Land, takes meandering, wandering courses that don't make much logical sense to us.  Wouldn't a straight line be logical, something more direct?  But we're not the ones who set the goal and fullness of the effects of that light.  Without the meandering it might take us on, the fullness of faith wouldn't be possible.  God illuminates the corners in ourselves that we don't see, and brings us face to face with our own fears, reservations, and hidden parts we don't allow ourselves to acknowledge.  The purpose of that light is to bring us fully to it, to gather to ourselves not all our worldly goals and aspirations, but rather to bring us closer to God, to Christ, and to create even a dependence upon that light and life, stripping away what gets in the way.   What seems to us like a meandering, wandering, illogical road is in fact the straight line to God.  We just don't know the fullness of that light, so we can't see the dark passages it needs to illumine by taking us through them in advance.  One aspect of the working of that light is clearly seen in today's (and other) passages in John.  As St. Paul writes, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  Even through this death of a beloved friend, the light is working.  As Jesus says, it is "for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  So may it be with seemingly unfortunate circumstances in your own life.  Have faith with the light.  It illumines what you need, even when you can't see it's a straight road ahead with a plan for your faith, your soul, your real life.

Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?

 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 people came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about His Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:31-42

Yesterday we read that by the end of Christ's time at the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a division again among the leadership because of His 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 in 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."  Once again the leadership (this is the meaning of the term the Jews in John's Gospel) take up stones to put Him to death for blasphemy.  Jesus emphasizes once more that the works He does bear witness to Him.  Even if they don't believe His words about Himself, they should believe the works they have seen and know about as testimony.  You are gods is a quotation from Psalm 82:6.  My study bible explains that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  St. John Chrysostom expresses what He's saying this way: "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily, and according to His own will (10:17-18), they are unable to arrest Him until He is ready and it is "His hour" (7:30, 8:20; see Luke 4:28-30).

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many people came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about His Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.   Faith comes also through those with whom Christ has relationship, like John the Baptist whose work as prophet is through the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus' works express His identity.  Once again, we are confronted with the reality of who Jesus really is, and that His works bear witness to that identity.  Surely we are asked to follow.  When we think of His works, we think of healing, "making whole" as it is so often phrased in the Gospels.  For which of these do they condemn Him?  How do these works tell us about Christ?  Surely, "making whole" is something we pray for when we pray to Him.  We pray for ourselves, for our friends and loved ones, for our communities, and for our world.   To be "made whole" is to be restored to the true condition of our creation.   Our Creator, therefore, is the help we need to become "whole" -- for real healing.  This can go in all directions.  In the Gospels, the works that Christ does in terms of restoring wholeness vary greatly, and happen in all kinds of conditions and even through varied methods.  For example, in the events for which the leadership is angry with Him -- healings which have taken place during various festivals in Jerusalem -- we've read of Christ healing the paralytic by simply telling him to take up his bed and walk (see this reading, in which, interestingly, Jesus speaks of "working").  Unfortunately, for this the leadership condemn Him, as He told the man to carry his bed on a Sabbath.  And then we read more recently of Christ's healing of a man blind from birth, this time by the method of using His own spittle and the soil, to make mud put on the man's eyes (see this reading, in which once again, Jesus spoke of working the works of God).  But making whole comes in other forms as well as physical healing.  Jesus heals those who are clearly "out of their minds" or who have various diseases and illnesses.   In another sign given only to the disciples, Jesus walks on the water (see this reading).  He tells them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Let us consider the great sign apart from its miraculous properties, and in the framework of the fear of the disciples crossing a stormy sea; His action and work of comfort to them, telling them not to be afraid, is also a form of making whole, of healing, and one which we all need to hear.  Faith is a difficult struggle that involves facing our own fears and growing in our dependency upon God.  Yet, this is the way to wholeness, to be made whole, restored to the condition of our creation.  In all ways, then, we observe that Jesus' work is to "make whole."  Whether we are in need of this restoration (and who is not?) or we can help to offer such restoration to others, to "make whole" is a sign of God's work in the world.  When we pray for others, we do the same.  When we pray for the world, so we offer the world back to God in order for God to return it to us in right relation, understanding that its true nature is to be filled with the presence of God.  Our lives and faith are sacramental, and it is in the nature of sacrament that "making whole" happens.  In today's reading, John the Baptist works through faith as prophet and holy man to bring others to the faith as well.  In this he also shares in the work of restoration and wholeness.  If faith is truly a journey, then it is one to wholeness, to fullness, to the restoration in the sight of Creator on all levels.  Which way does this work in your life today?  In which ways do you need this work?  How does the world know you as His follower in such work of restoring to wholeness?