A Scripture Commentary on the Gospel of the Fifth Sunday of Lent [A]

 

John 11:1-45: Lazarus is Brought Back to Life

This passage from John 11 completes the triptych of the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th Sundays of Lent using the Gospel of John for Baptismal instruction. The other two Sundays mentioned the Woman at the Well and Jesus offering her living water (John 4); and a Blind Man who is healed by washing in the Pool of water called Siloam (John 9). Their references to water evoke Baptism. This Sunday’s Gospel about Lazarus mentions no water but it does mention death and life, realities connected with Baptism (See Romans 6) and the Paschal Mystery: the Dying and Rising of Christ.

"By baptism all are plunged into the paschal mystery of Christ: they die with him, are buried with him, and rise with him." (Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 6)

 

The First Reading from Ezekiel sets the stage for the miracle Jesus will perform:

 

"You shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and make you come up out of them, my people!" (Ezekiel 37:13)

 

Also the Second Reading proclaims to us who received the Holy Spirit at "Baptism:

 

"If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you." (Romans 8:11)

The Church sees the Reading from John 11 about Lazarus to be a prefiguring of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection and subsequently ours. In fact, Jesus says in this passage that he is the Resurrection. We must take note, however, that Lazarus does not experience the physical Resurrection in this miracle; rather he is physically resuscitated and brought back to mortal life. In the Resurrection our physical state will become immortal and transformed into a new creation:

"Christ's Resurrection was not a return to earthly life, as was the case with the raisings from the dead that he had performed before Easter: Jairus' daughter, the young man of Naim, Lazarus. These actions were miraculous events, but the persons miraculously raised returned by Jesus' power to ordinary earthly life. At some particular moment they would die again. Christ's Resurrection is essentially different. In his risen body he passes from the state of death to another life beyond time and space. At Jesus' Resurrection his body is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: he shares the divine life in his glorious state, so that St. Paul can say that Christ is ‘the man of heaven’." (Catechism# 646)

The point of this story about Lazarus does emphasize, however, that Jesus as the Son of God has power over death. As the Paschal Mystery promises, death is not the end of our passage through life.

 

"Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, a the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill." (John 11:1-2)

Right from the beginning this story alludes to the Death of Jesus by mentioning Mary of Bethany and her anointing of his feet. This anointing and her drying of Jesus’s feet is described in John 12. Jesus interprets Mary’s anointing as a preparation for his death and burial (See John 12:7).

 

 

Since Lazarus also dies in the story of John 11, the death of Jesus is connected with every person’s death.

So the sisters sent word to him, saying, ‘Master, the one you love is ill.’ When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’" (John 11:3-4)

There is foreshadowing here: the illness of Lazarus is not to end in death–even though Lazarus does die, Jesus brings him back to life. This will be for the glory of God. St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is the human person fully alive."

"Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was." (John 11:5-6)

The Gospel of John gives several windows into the humanity of Jesus as well as his divinity. Jesus had friendships when he dwelt among us. He loved the particular people named here: Lazarus and his two sisters. This might also be an allusion to a later passage and saying of Jesus: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13)

Something, however, doesn’t sound correct in this passage where love is mentioned and yet Jesus remains two days more where he was while his friend is ill. Jesus knows that he will revive Lazarus and so Jesus had to wait for Lazarus to die. It could also be teaching us that God’s timing is not always our timing and this can cause us to complain as Martha and Mary will do in this story.

Also, sometimes in our illness or the illness of others, it may seem that Jesus is absent. But Jesus will come.

"Then after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.’

 

"He said this, and then told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.’ So the disciples said to him, ‘Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.’ But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, ‘Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.’

 

"So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go to die with him.’" (John 11:7-16)

The Gospel of John uses Light images a great deal. Last Sunday Jesus had described himself as the Light of the world. (See John 9:5) He also spoke about doing the works of God while it is day:

"We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:4-5)

Jesus keeps mentioning a "night." Compare this to the beginning of his Passion when Judas betrays him. Jesus tells the disciples at his last Supper that he would be betrayed. He gives Judas a part of the meal and tells him to go and do what he intended. Then somberly the Gospel says:

"So [Judas] took the morsel and left at once. And it was night." (John 13:30)

May we who partake of the Lord’s Supper never betray him!

Death and darkness are connected; but there will be a new Day, a Day of everlasting light: the Resurrection.

Some say Thomas is showing his loyalty to Jesus by exhorting the other disciples to also go and die for Christ. I don’t see it this way. It sounds more like Thomas is being ironic. But perhaps unaware, Thomas actually is stating a rule of discipleship, i.e. a requirement for following Jesus: "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 44)

With the help of Christ and the Holy Spirit, we must die, i.e. put to death sin and selfishness in order to live the new life of Christ, the beginning of the Risen life. This is part of living the Paschal Mystery.

 

 

"When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days." (John 11:17)

According to Jewish culture at the time of Jesus, it was believed that the soul hovered near the body for three days after death, but after that time there was no hope of resuscitation and decay would begin. (According to the Anchor Bible: Gospel According to John, 424)

"Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.

 

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. 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.’" (John 11:18-22)

Martha voices a complaint that many make in suffering: "Where is God in this suffering? Why didn’t Jesus do something?" If we are to grow in spiritual maturity we must wrestle not with God’s Presence but with God’s seeming Absence at times. A ministry student, Damon Garcia writes:

　

"Even though the void in our soul may be painful, Christianity widens the void and digs it deeper as we thirst and hunger for a God we seek to know, but cannot ever fully grasp. We seek the infinite knowledge of this God’s character, that his presence and absence breaks open. We seek for this void to be filled that may not ever be entirely filled. Even when God fills the void he also widens it the more we desire God. As the psalmist writes, ‘Deep calls out to deep.’ His presence brings wonders, but the feeling of his absence opens us up for that wondrous presence."

(www.whoisdamon.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/the-absence-of-god-part-1)

We might wonder what exactly Martha meant by saying "[But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." If Martha’s brother is dead, what more can there be in this life? Someone like St. Augustine, however, sees this as perfect faith on Martha’s part. In other words, it is as if she is saying, "If you had been here this tragedy would not have happened, but I still believe in you, Jesus."

"Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, ‘I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.’

 

Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’

 

She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.’" (John 11:23-27)

Jesus speaks of the Resurrection: that he is the Resurrection. "Jesus links faith in the resurrection to his own person: ‘I am the Resurrection and the life.’" (Catechism #994) If we are united to Christ, then we are already participating spiritually in the Resurrection. This will culminate in a physical Resurrection after we die, called "The Last Day." St. Augustine taught that there is this two-fold Resurrection, of the soul and of the body:

 

"See how here He delineates that twofold resurrection. "He that cometh unto me" immediately rises again, being made humble in my members; but I will raise him up again on the last day also according to the flesh." (Homilies on John, XXV, Ch. 6:15-44)

 

St. Augustine is also correct when he said Martha has "perfect" Christian faith: Here she makes the same confession as St. Peter in the Gospel of Matthew (see Matthew 16:16 ): "You are the Messiah, the Son of God."

"When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, ‘The teacher is here and is asking for you.

 

As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

 

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’" (John 11:28)

Mary of Bethany sits at Jesus' feet

Such a beautiful invitation is made to Mary of Bethany: "The Teacher is here and asking for you." Sometimes Jesus comes to where we are, as he did to the Blind man in last Sunday’s Gospel. Sometimes we seek him and we can seek him because he has called us to do so. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Mary has the same complaint as her sister, Martha: basically, "Where were you?" However, like her sister, she is still depicted as a disciple who believes, for she falls at the feet of Jesus. She is depicted in a similar way in the Gospel of Luke 10:39: "Mary sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak." Students sat at the feet of their teachers and we still use that phrase today.

 

Obviously we can question and even complain to God in prayer and still believe. Prayer is real when we are real in our communication with God.

 

"When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Sir, come and see.’

 

"And Jesus wept.

 

"So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him.’ But some of them said, ‘Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?’" (John 11:33-37)

Jesus is deeply distressed at the grief of his friends and at the way death seems to rob us of our loved ones. With those who have died, we must also deal with their presence and absence–mostly their absence. Jesus shows that he truly shares our humanity as he weeps at the grave. But did he not already know that he would perform a miracle for Lazarus? Yes, but he can still grieve at the devastation death brings.

Jesus is also criticized; it probably shouldn’t surprise us when we are criticized!

"So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’

"Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, ‘Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone.

"And Jesus raised his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.’" (John 11:38-42)

The tomb with a large stone blocking the entrance might remind us that Jesus was buried in a similar tomb from which he would rise from the dead: "But at daybreak on the first day of the week they [some women] took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." (Luke 24:1-3)

Martha reminds Jesus that the body had been in the tomb for four days and decay had set in with its stench. This detail reinforces once again that Lazarus is really dead. Jesus reminds Martha to trust him and take him at his word: "If you believe you will see the glory of God." Then Jesus prays. He is perfectly in line with God’s will, but he prays to give us an example. He is also concerned to generate belief in others. This was the goal author of the Gospel of John also:

"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."  (John 20:30-31)

 

"And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth.

"So Jesus said to them, ‘Untie him and let him go.’

"Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him." (John 11:43-45)

 

 

 

Jesus calling out in a load voice fulfills what he had said earlier in the Gospel, John 5:28-29a: "The hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out..."

 

The command of Jesus indicates an additional ministry to Lazarus now brought back to life: the burial clothes which bind Lazarus (similar to that of a mummy) must be removed, so that he can be free.

"St. Augustine gave a beautiful analogy comparing Lazarus coming alive out of the dark tomb to the repentant believer through confession who ‘comes forth’ from the darkness of sin and into the light of grace: ‘For what does come forth mean if not emerging from what is hidden, to be made manifest. But for you to confess is God's doing; he calls you with an urgent voice by an extraordinary grace. And just as the dead man came out still bound, so you go to confession still guilty. In order that his sins be loosed, the Lord said this to his ministers: ‘Unbind him and let him go’ [Recall what Jesus said to his Apostles:] What you will loose on earth will be loosed also in heaven. [that is, what sins you forgive will be forgiven; see Matthew 18:18]’ St. Augustine: The Gospel of John 49.24" (From Agape Bible Study)

For a good explanation of this correspondence of "being untied" and Confession see "The Confession of Lazarus," by Fr. Paul Scalia HERE.

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A Scripture Commentary on the Fourth Sunday of Lent [A]

John 9:1-41 The Healing of the Man Born Blind

The Gospel story this Sunday was used in the early Church as an instruction on Baptism and an example of progressive conversion. A washing in water (cf. Baptism) is described and a healing of vision comes from that washing. One of the names of Baptism in the early Church was photismos, Greek for "enlightenment."

The First Reading from 1 Samuel 16 is related to this Gospel by contrasting how humans see (by outward appearances; we might say, by externals) and how God sees (the inward heart, a spiritual vision). The Second Reading exhorts us to "live as children of the light." (Ephesians 5:8) Jesus calls himself "the Light of the world" in the Gospel (John 9:5)

While this story involves a healing of the Man born blind, the great majority of the narrative involves the Man’s conflict with the Pharisees and their persecution of him because Jesus had healed him on the Sabbath (violating the prohibition of work on the Sabbath). Rather than discourage the Man, this conflict and persecution only makes his faith stronger. This is an encouraging story for any Christian going through trial and persecution.

As he [Jesus] passed by he saw a man blind from birth." (John 9:1)

In the Old Testament the phrase "passing by" is used to mark the onset of God revealing himself and his salvation. For example, in Exodus 33:19, God reveals himself to Moses: "And the Lord said, ‘I shall pass before you and proclaim my Name to you.’"

John is using traditional religious language to indicate that Jesus is going to reveal God’s salvation in this blind man’s life. Also note that Jesus sees the Blind Man who cannot see. Compare to Hagar in Genesis 16:3: "She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’" The blind man could have said this, as well, after his healing.

This Man, like the Woman at the well, is not named and so could be any man (or any woman).

"His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’"

(John 9:2-5)

Most Jewish thought at the time saw physical suffering and disabilities as the result of sin. The sin of one’s parents could result in their children suffering (which is a reasonable proposition, not because God passes on the punishment but because what parents do can affect their children). The disciples pose the only two possibilities they can think of regarding the situation of the Man born blind: either his parents sinned or he sinned. That the Man sinned before birth is absurd, but the disciples seem to be asking is that possible?

Jesus answers that neither the Man nor his parents sinned, thus teaching us that suffering and disability is not automatically the result of sin, though Jesus does not rule this out in other situations.

The second part of Jesus’ answer, as given in this Bible translation is problematic. In most translations of John, such as this one of the New American Standard version (NAB; used for the U.S. Catholic Lectionary), it seems to be teaching that God had this Man born blind so that (in order that) Jesus could manifest the works of God in him. It seems cruel that God would do such a thing to an innocent person (Jesus said he was so), to make him suffer blindness all those years, only to do a miracle in his life later.

We need to spend some time on this important issue.

 

Sample of Greek New Testament (No punctuation)

 

For those who study the Bible, it should be noted that the Greek New Testament text does not have punctuation. Punctuation in English is very important. Again, the NAB version reads:

"His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’

Jesus answered, ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.’"

But the Greek didn’t have a semi-colon or periods. So with a slight variation of punctuation we could read:

"His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’
Jesus answered, ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned.
But, so that the works of God might be made visible through him,
we have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.’"

That word "But" is indicated in the original Greek.

This passage is a good example of how important the translation of the Greek text of the New Testament is, and how a literal translation is not always the best translation. In this case, linguist Iver Lasen notes:

"It is difficult to handle this construction in a literal translation, so most English versions are more or less misleading or at best obscure. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) has made the meaning clear, because its translation philosophy allows for a less obscure rendering of the intended meaning: [It translates 9:3 thus:] "But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him."

In other words, God doesn’t cause the blindness so that God may do a miracle. It is because of the occasion of blindness, and Jesus present, that a miracle will be done.

In a unique translation of the New Testament called The Message, that is more a paraphrasing of the original Greek, its translator Eugene Peterson sought "to bring into English the rhythms and idioms of the original ancient Greek—writing straight out of the Greek text without looking at other English translations." (See a description of this version HERE). See, then, how he translates 9:3:

 

"Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do."

"When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and he said to him, ‘Go wash in the Pool of Siloam (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and he came back able to see." (John 9:6-7)

There are various speculations as to why Jesus used spit in performing this healing miracle. It could be because in that day spit was thought in some cases as medicinal. There could be a deeper symbolic meaning. We can note here that this use conforms to the "sacramental principle" where an earthly reality is used to convey God’s salvation.

It is possible that Jesus’ use of clay was meant to parallel God’s original creation of humankind: "The LORD God formed the man from the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7). Jesus will make of each of us a new creation through Baptism. (See Romans 6:4; also 2 Corinthians 5:17: "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!")

Jesus had said that he must do the works of the One who sent him. Then he sends this blind nan to wash in the Pool of Siloam which means "Sent." Through Baptism we share in Christ’s mission (from Latin, "to be sent") of bringing salvation to others.

Artist's Rendition of the Pool of Siloam

The Pool of Siloam was also used in Jesus’ time for ritual purification by Jewish pilgrims to the Temple. They needed to purify themselves before participating in the Temple worship. Compare this to Baptism: "Incorporated into the Church by Baptism, the faithful have received the sacramental character that consecrates them for Christian religious worship." (Catechism#1273) Indeed, at the end of this story the healed Man worships Christ. (John 9:38)

"His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, ‘Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘It is,’ but others said, ‘No, he just looks like him.’ He said, ‘I am [he].’ So they said to him, ‘[So] how were your eyes opened?’ He replied, ‘The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, "Go to Siloam and wash." So I went there and washed and was able to see.’ And they said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I don’t know.’" (John 9:8-12)

We will see the progression of this Man’s faith. He first only knows that Jesus, "the man," healed him. This Man born blind was obedient to Jesus and he was healed. He needs, however, deeper spiritual vision, as we will see.

"They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, ‘He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.’

 

So some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath.’ [But] others said, ‘How can a sinful man do such signs?’ And there was a division among them.  So they said to the blind man again, ‘What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’" (John 9:13-18)

The religious experts (the Pharisees) were called in; why? The act of Jesus making the clay salve was seen as an act of work on the Sabbath, when no work was permitted. Such an act is sinful in their expanded religious system, though Jesus is never actually charged with law-breaking in this story. It is ironic that the Pharisees disregard the wonder and joy that this Man born blind now could see. Jesus on several occasions chastised the Pharisees for putting their Sabbath rules above human need and liberation. (See Mark 2:23-28)

Notice that under questioning, the Man begins to realize and confess that Jesus must be a prophet, not just any ordinary man. The world will ask us for a reason for the work of jesus in our lives. This Man becomes "a witness."

 

 

 

"Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?’

 

"His parents answered and said, ‘We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for him self.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, ‘He is of age; question him.’" (John 9:19-23)

This interrogation of the Man’s parents may make an important point that they knew their son, of course, but they were afraid to say how he was healed (implying they knew). The Christian audience may have been challenged to not act like these parents when persecuted.

"So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give God the praise!’ We know that this man is a sinner.’ He replied, ‘If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.’ So they said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’

"He answered them, ‘I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?’ They ridiculed him and said, ‘You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses!" (John 9: 24-28)

The Pharisees begin to ridicule the Man. They are religious elitists, respected and admired by the people. This Man cannot say whether Jesus is a sinner or not at this point, but he has his experience which cannot be contradicted. And as he persists he is called " a disciple of Jesus."

"[The Pharisees said,] ‘We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.’ The man answered and said to them, ‘This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.’ They answered and said to him, ‘You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?’ Then they threw him out." (John 9:29-34)

The Man in the fire of being questioned and persecuted comes to realize that Jesus cannot be a sinner (remember, he wasn’t sure earlier), but is from God. The questioning and rejection of the Pharisees only highlight that they really don’t know how God is at work in Jesus and that they are spiritually blind.

The reference of being put out of the synagogue may refer to what had happened by the time the author wrote the Gospel according to John: Christians had been excommunicated from Judaism around 85AD.

"When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘I do believe, Lord,’ and he worshiped him." (John 9:35-38)

This is the second time Jesus comes to the Man. He comes to the Christian in time of trial and persecution and rejection.

The Man also comes to the fullness of faith regarding Jesus: Jesus is God and he worships him. Compare this to Thomas after the Resurrection:

"Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’" (John 20:27-29)

 

Belief can be the highest manner of sight, greater than those who saw Jesus on earth and believed. Notice how the Pharisees have seen Jesus but lack the insight of belief, i.e. faith. Thus Jesus concludes:

"Then Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.’Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not also blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, "We see," so your sin remains.’"(John 9:39-41)

In this case sin leads not to physical blindness, as Jesus refuted in verse 2, but rather to a spiritual blindness.

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A Scriptural Commentary on the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent [A]

John 4:5-42 Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

By Il Guercino 17th Century

Since at least the fourth or fifth century, the Gospel Readings for the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent have been taken from the Gospel of John: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, from John 4; Jesus and the Man Born Blind, from John 9; and Jesus and the Raising of Lazarus, from John 11. These Gospels were and are used to prepare the Catechumens for baptism at the Easter Vigil and also prepare the already Baptized to renew their Baptism at Easter. Water imagery is used in both John 4 and John 9.

 

"Now [Jesus] had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, 
near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there,
and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.
It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water,
Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’

(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)" (John 4:5-8)

It is intriguing that the Gospel of John records that Jesus had to go through Samaria. The fact of the matter is that his journey could have been made avoiding Samaria. There had been centuries of political, racial and religious separation between the Jews and the Samaritans (Samaria was a region of ancient Palestine). So Jews did avoid Samaria, "like a bad neighborhood," and considered Samaritans to be unclean and not a part of God’s people, i.e. the Jews.

 

That Jesus felt that he had to go through Samaria indicates that there was something important, or in this case someone important, that he needed to attend. It had to be this Samaritan Woman.

 

Jacob and Rachel at the Well
by William Dyce

Second, the details that Jesus is at this well, Jacob’s well, is significant. John’s Jewish readers would expect to then hear a love story, for a man at a well and a woman who came to draw water was the scene for several Old Testament encounters that resulted in marriage: Isaac (represented by his father’s emissary) and Rebekah, at the well (Genesis 24) , Jacob and Rachel his future wife at the very well Jesus is at in this story (Genesis 29), and Moses and Zipporah his future wife at the well (Exodus 2).

 

It would be like our hearing that there was this sleeping princess who could only be awakened by a kiss. We would expect a handsome prince to come along and kiss her and then they would live happily ever after. The man-at-well-and woman-there-to-draw-water would set up certain expectations of the readers for a future marriage in the making.

 

One final note: near Sychar was the town of Schechem. Here, Joshua renewed the Covenant which God had made with his People in the desert. The name "Jesus" is a variant of the name "Joshua." This "new Joshua," i.e. Jesus, comes to bring a New Covenant. The relationship that is used to illustrate a covenant is very often marriage:

 

"And in that day, says the Lord, you will call me, ‘my husband’....
And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me
in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy.
I will betroth you to me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord" (Hos 2:16, 19-20).

"The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.
How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink,
you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’

‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.
Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?’

Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life.’"   (John 4: 9-14)

I have already mentioned the animosity between Jews and Samaritans. There was also the convention that a righteous Jew, especially a Teacher, would not address a woman in public: that would be unrespectable. Obviously, Jesus puts aside these barriers to relationship in order to be able to interact with this woman. This type of unconventual behavior often got Jesus into trouble. A complaint made often about him was that he ate with tax collectors and sinners. (See Mark 2:13-17, for example)

 

Jesus has revealed that he is thirsty by asking for a drink. The Woman is surprised by this and doesn’t immediately give him a drink. Jesus further draws her into this encounter by offering her "living waters."

 

We know that this is not just a literal discussion about water–though the Samaritan Woman thinks so. The Gospel of John constantly operates at two levels: the literal and the symbolic. Jesus is talking at the symbolic level about "living water." Of course, this could be literal water, "water of life," for water is essential to our life and like all gifts is a gift from God above.

 

Jesus, is speaking of a spiritual gift, a spiritually life-giving water. He is the one who gives the gift. Elsewhere in John the "living water" refers to the Holy Spirit (See John 7:37-39). The Holy Spirit is not something but someone, a Person. When Jesus gives the Spirit, he also gives himself. And where there is given the Son and the Spirit there is given God the Father.

 

So Jesus is offering this Woman himself–just as one would expect in a love-story. However, he is not giving himself to her in a sexual way, but rather as Spiritual Lover, i.e. Lover in the Spirit.

 

Psalm 42:1-2 "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? "

"The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty
and have to keep coming here to draw water.’
He told her, ‘Go, call your husband and come back.’ ‘I have no husband,’ she replied.
Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband.
The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.
What you have just said is quite true.’" (John 4:15-18)

The Woman still doesn’t understand what Jesus is talking about regarding living waters (why should she at this point?) Perhaps Jesus senses that he must go in another direction to get the Woman to understand (he did say, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.")

 

So Jesus speaks to this Woman about her husband. Some commentators observe how this conversation with this Woman sounds like a man trying to "pick up" a woman, if we didn’t know that this is Jesus who has a different agenda. If a man says to a woman he doesn’t know "what does your husband do?" he could be fishing to see if that woman has a husband without coming right out and asking it.

 

Jesus says to the Woman, "Go call your husband." She says, "I have no husband." The Woman has stayed with Jesus long enough to reveal this truth about herself. In our journey with Jesus this can be important information: we come to know Jesus personally a step at a time usually. A relationship where we trust him must come about. We see here that the Woman begins by knowing Jesus only by externals: as a Jew and as a man; she comes at this next stage to see that he is a prophet.

 

But what is the significance about 5 husbands and the one she is living with who is not her husband? Is this a case again of John’s two levels of meaning: literal and symbolic? John Shea notes: "As water imagery was used [in this story] to symbolize spiritual life in the first part of the conversation, marriage imagery will be used to symbolize spiritual life in the second part." (On Earth As It Is In Heaven, p.120)

 

In fact, the matter of the 5 husbands and the one who is not her husband is barely mentioned and next a discussion ensues about worship. Some say the 5 husbands represent the 5 pagan gods worshiped by Samarians in their past. Yet by Jesus day, Samaritans were strict monotheists. On the other hand, if Jesus is actually pinpointing the woman’s marital history, it would have been a story of rejection of the Woman by five men (only men could divorce in that society) and the unwillingness of the sixth man to commit to this "broken woman." If that was the case, Jesus is opening her to her own need for true love "in the desert of her life"which would be found in the living water of Christ.

 

The Woman comes to see Jesus as a prophet and the story continues; now she is going into the spiritual level Jesus wants her to be at.

 

"[The Woman said,] ‘ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,
but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.’
Jesus declared, ‘Believe me, woman, a time is coming
when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know;
we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

Yet a time is coming and has now come
when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit,
and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.’ 

The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming.
When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ 
Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am he.’" (John 4:20-26)

Finally, with this discussion of true worship which is the expression of God’s People to their Covenant Relationship, the woman receives direction for her life and the invitation to enter into the relationship Jesus will establish with those chosen: He will be the Bridegroom and the Church will be his Bride. (See Ephesians 5:25-27) This Bride will not just be Jews nor will it only be righteous people who are eligible to be members; instead, all invited–even Samaritans!–and people broken and rejected are more than welcome to have this personal relationship with Christ and his Church. Entry into this relationship is by Baptism, and the use of this story of water and marriage imagery makes it a perfect story to speak about Baptism and the relationship it brings.

The Woman is brought into the revealed identity of Jesus: he is the Messiah.

The next section of this story is like a "Part 2" and it is permissible to omit it as we will do at Holy Faith this Sunday. It is John 4:27-38. It deals with food. The nourishment of Jesus comes when he can bring others into God’s love. Jesus both hungers and thirsts to have this love relationship with us.

 

We will include verse 28-31:
" Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town
and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.
Could this be the Christ?’
They came out of the town and made their way toward him."

The Woman leaves her heavy water jar behind, perhaps representing laying down her burdens at the feet of Christ. It is also reminiscent of the disciples who left their nets to follow him and become "fishers of men," i.e. evangelists (See Matthew 4:18-22) . This Woman goes to share her new-found knowledge and relationship with her townspeople, the very ones who probably shunned her before.

 

 

"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’
So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them,
and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. 
They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said;
now we have heard for ourselves, and we know
that this man really is the Savior of the world.’"  (John 4:39-42)

The identity of Jesus is further revealed: He is the Savior of the world. This knowledge on the part of the townspeople began with listening to the testimony of the Woman, but became personal as they came to know Jesus themselves: "now we have heard for ourselves."

 

This story gives us many insights into the depths of love Jesus wants to bring us into, so that we might not thirst and die but have his life-giving waters. We come to know him gradually as did this Woman. And he comes to where we are at, to speak to our hearts.

 

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A Scriptural Commentary on the Second Sunday of Lent [Year A]

Matthew 17:1-9 The Transfiguration

In the Bible, mountains are often places to meet God. This can be seen as a common archetype of encountering the transcendence of God or the divine in many religions. It makes sense in our early thinking that if God is "in heaven" above the earth, climbing a mountain brings one closer to heaven and thus to God.

We began Lent last Sunday with the image of the desert. Now on the Second Sunday of Lent, the Church always has one of the Gospel versions of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain.

There is another account in the Scriptures of a mountain in a desert: and Mount Sinai in the desert of the Exodus.

In the time of Moses, the Hebrews, God’s People, were slaves in Egypt. They endured the typical oppression, cruelty, and degradation of slavery. God heard his People’s cry and raised up Moses to eventually lead his People out of Egypt. They went dry-shod through the Red Sea and into the desert to journey to the Promised Land (the Land of Canaan; See Article HERE).

Mt. Sinai

While in the desert the people came to Mt. Sinai, which Moses climbed to meet with God and receive the Law of the Covenant which God was making with the Israelites: God says "You shall be my people and I will be your God." (Exodus 6:7) The Commandments tell the Israelites how to live the Covenant. This entire Exodus experience is the core salvation event of Israel, renewed in the annual Passover Supper (For more on the Passover see HERE).

Mountains are places of encountering God and receiving guidance or instruction from the Lord.
 

Moses had lived in the desert prior to becoming the leader of God’s people. On Mount Horeb (also known as Mt. Sinai) he encountered God in the Burning Bush. There God gave him his vocation to lead the people out of Egypt’s slavery to the Promised Band. Much later, the Prophet Elijah, who had been challenging Israel’s infidelity to the Covenant, went to the same Mt. Horeb and received renewed strength and direction (See 1 kings 19:1-18 HERE).

Finally, some bible scholars assert that the Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as a new Moses. Thus we would expect to find parallels between Jesus and Moses. For example, both are transfigured on a mountain (when Moses returned from Mt. Sinai with the Commandments, his face shone. See Exodus 34:29-30 HERE). However, Jesus is more than just a new Moses: he is as the Son of God greater than Moses (cf with Jesus being greater than Solomon or the Prophet Jonah HERE) and fulfills the First Covenant (the Old Covenant) renewed through Moses.

"Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves." (Matthew17:1)

We do not know why Jesus chose these three disciples from the Twelve to go up the mountain with him. The choice of Peter makes sense because Peter would be the Chief of the Apostles. (See Matthew 16:) But preceding this event of the Transfiguration, Jesus had begun to teach his Apostles that he would suffer and die (See Matthew 16:). This offended Peter who did not understand a "Suffering Messiah."

Some of the early Church Fathers (Teachers) said that Jesus took these disciples to witness his Transfiguration so as to strengthen their faith when it would be tested by the scandal of the Cross by giving them a foretaste of the transformation and glory of the Resurrection.
 

"And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light." (Matthew17:2)

The element most associated with God is probably light. In the Creed when we profess that Jesus is divine and we say he is "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God."

Author Gregory Wolfe compares the light shining from the transfigured and glorified Christ with how God appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush:

 

"The Transfiguration hearkens back to Moses’ own encounter with the divine in the form of the burning bush, and it looks forward to the mysterious post-Resurrection body of Jesus. In each instance, glory is experienced as a transformation that does not consume or destroy what is being transformed. The ordinary becomes extraordinary without becoming something wholly other." "Transfiguration" Image Journal Issue 27 (Article HERE)

"And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him." (Matthew17:3)

The simplest explanation for why Moses and Elijah appear in this story is that they sum up the Law and the Prophets of the First Testament. Again, this would fit into Matthew’s agenda to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises and of the Law and Prophets teaching .

Elijah appears rather than one of the other prophets (such as Isaiah) possibly because he was going to come again before the Messiah came: "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes" (Malachi 4:5) After the Transfiguration in Matthew’s Gospel, in a discussion with Jesus, the disciple’s conclude that John the Baptist fulfills this "appearance" of Elijah as the Forerunner of the Messiah. (See 17:13)

Spiritual writer Fr. Romano Guardini gives another possible reason Moses and Elijah appear to Jesus. Moses had to suffer many trials and opposition even from his own people to lead them to freedom. Elijah experienced opposition and persecution in his ministry, trying to turn the Israelites from sin and idolatry. Perhaps both are encouraging Jesus to stay strong in his coming Passion. Jesus will share this strength with his disciples as we shall see.

 

"Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,  'Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'" (Matthew17:4)

 

Scripture scholars are divided as to what exactly Peter is proposing other than to "pitch camp" and stay on the mountain top. There is the temptation when we have an uplifting spiritual experience to prolong it for as long as we can; but sooner or later, in this life, the exaltation shall come to a conclusion. This part of the Paschal Mystery in our lives. We must be aware that in this life we will experience both the mountain and the desert or the valley; there is the Cross and there is the Resurrection played out thousands of times in our lives. We cannot live on the mountain top in this life, but our daily experience of prayer is at least a small "lifting up of our hearts" to bask in the Light of God.

 

There is also a sense in Peter’s proposal that he may be equating Jesus with Moses and Elijah by proposing the three dwellings, one for each. If there is a hint of this, Peter is corrected by what happens next.
 

 

"While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a Voice that said, '
'This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.'" (Matthew17:5)

 

The bright cloud seems to refer to the Cloud which accompanied the Israelites in the desert in their Exodus from Egypt. "By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night." (Exodus 13:21)This "bright cloud" is associated with God’s Presence and Glory, the Shekinah of the Lord (cf. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3).

 

In the Gospel of Luke’s account of the Transfiguration, this cloud overshadows the disciples. Luke uses a very specific Greek verb for "overshadow" which is used only one other time in the New Testament: The Angel says to Mary at the Annunciation: "The Holy pirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (Luke 1:35)
 

So, just as the Holy Spirit is Present at the baptism of Jesus, so here as well. Once again the identity of Jesusas the beloved Son of God is declared as at his Baptism; however, the Voice of God the Father also says "Listen to him." In light of Peter’s possible equating Jesus with Moses and Elijah, the emphasis may be: "Listen to him." There is support for this because at the end of the vision they will see "Jesus alone [or only]," Moses and Elijah have withdrawn.

 

There are many "voices" in our world, some claiming absolute attention on our part. There are countless temptations. The One we are to listen to absolutely is Jesus, Son of God, who is the Word of God Incarnate.

 

"He, your Teacher [the Lord] will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’" (Isaiah 30:20-21)

 

"When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone."  (Matthew17:7-8)

 

When Jesus touches someone, it is usually to heal them. But what is this touch, this healing to do here? It is to give the disciples courage. Jesus tells them to "Rise," a word which has Resurrection overtones, and he tells them "Do not be afraid," which is also the vocabulary of the easter appearances. jesus heals fear to give courage.

 "As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." (Matthew17:9)

 

Here is further support that this Transfiguration event is a foretaste of the Resurrection. The vision will be understood when Jesus is truly glorified in the Resurrection from the dead. The disciples must now go back down the mountain to face the challenges of ministry (See Matthew 17:14-21)

 

The function of the Transfiguration in the Season of Lent: As we go through the dying aspects of life and its suffering, we are reminded that there is no Cross without the Resurrection. Lent will lead to Easter and our fidelity to God in suffering will lead to our glorification. Regardless, jesus is there to touch us and encourage us.

 

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