Signs for the Pharisees

Chapter 63
MATT. 12:38-45; LUKE 11:24-32
CONTINUING His denunciation of these hypocritical leaders of the Jews, Jesus told them a parable illustrating what would befall this evil generation which had rejected His grace:
"When the unclean spirit has gone out. of a man, he roams through dry places in search of a resting place, and finds 'none. Then he says, T will return to my house which I left'; and when he has come, he finds the place unoccupied, swept and adorned. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be with this evil generation also."
It happened that as He was speaking a woman in the crowd cried out, "Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that nursed Thee." A mother herself, perhaps, she was thinking of how proud the mother of such a wise and courageous son must be. Yet, though a mother may be justly proud of her son's achievements, far more important than maternal pride is fidelity to God. Amending the woman's remark, Jesus said:
"Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."
Some of the Scribes and Pharisees in the gathering now spoke up and said, "Master, we would see a sign from Thee." Jesus replied:
"An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, and no sign shall be given it but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For even as Jonas was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold a greater than Jonas is here."

The words of the woman in the crowd are an introduction to the devotion of the Church in subsequent ages to the Mother of Jesus. In her words and those of Christ, we see the double basis of that devotion. Her words concern Mary's blood-relationship to our Lord; Christ's words touch on Mary's personal holiness. On these two—her maternal dignity and her incomparable holiness—has been based the Church's veneration of Mary through the ages.

Blasphemy of the Pharisees

Chapter 62
MATT. 12:22-37; MARK 3:22-30; LUKE 11:14-23; 12:1O
AT THIS TIME Jesus cured a possessed man whom an evil spirit had rendered blind and dumb. After He had cast out the devil the man was able to see and speak. And the crowds marveled at the miracle, saying, "Can this be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard this, they sought to destroy the people's faith in Christ, claiming that He cured through black magic. "This man," they said, "does not cast out devils except by Beelzebub, the prince of devils." Knowing their thoughts, Jesus called them together and said:
"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? And if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or, how can anyone enter the strong man's house, and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, that every kind of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the world to come. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for by the fruit the tree is known.
"You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man from his good treasure brings forth good things; and the evil man from his evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I tell you, that of every idle word men speak, they shall give account on the day of judgment. For by thy words thou wilt be justified, and by thy words thou wilt be condemned."

Christ's miracle restored sight and speech to a man who had been blind and dumb. But the Pharisees were only enraged and tried to discredit Christ with the people. In matters not quite so serious, we often find ourselves acting the part of the Pharisees. Instead of rejoicing at a neighbor's good fortune, we remark that he hardly deserved it, or that he will probably not use it well, or that it would have been better if someone else had been so fortunate.

A Sermon on Prayer

Chapter 61
MATT. 6:9-15; 7:7-11; LUKE 11:1-13
AFTER THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES JESUS journeyed through Judea, preaching and healing the sick. One day, when He had finished praying, one of the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, as John had taught his disciples. Jesus repeated the prayer He had taught them in His sermon on the mount in Galilee:
"'When you pray, say: 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "
Then He spoke to them of the need for persevering and confident prayer:
"Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has just come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he from within
should answer and say, 'Do not disturb me; the door is now shut, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give to thee.' I say to you, although he will not get up and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him all he needs.
"And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it shall be opened."
Our Father in heaven will give us all that we need, even the supreme gift of the Holy Spirit, if we pray earnestly and persistently and with the confidence of a child in the wisdom of his father.
"But if one of you asks his father for a loaf, will he hand him a stone? or for a fish, will he for a fish hand him a serpent? or if he asks for an egg, will he hand him a scorpion? Therefore, if you, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Good Spirit to those who ask Him!"

To anyone who seriously tries to serve God, prayer is essential, but also full of problems. Fortunately, Christ Himself has given us this simple and clear instruction on how to pray. First He gave us a perfect model of prayer (the Our Father). Then, in two short parables, He tells us that our prayer must be persevering and confident. Christ's simple prescription should be the guide for my prayer.

The Man Born Blind

Chapter 60
JOHN 9: 1-10:21
ON THE SABBATH, Jesus and His disciples came on a blind beggar near the temple. It was generally believed that a father's sins could be punished in his children, and the disciples said, "Rabbi, who has sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" He said:
"Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but the works of God were to be made manifest in him.
"I must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world."
Then He spat on the ground, mixed the spittle with dirt, and spread the moist earth on the blind man's eyes. And He said to him:
"Go, wash in the pool of Siloe."
The man washed the clay from his eyes, and was able to see for the first time in his life. When he returned, the people who knew him did not recognize him at first, but he assured them of his identity and told them what he knew of his cure.
Now he was brought before the Pharisees and subjected to a strict interrogation. Some of his questioners saw in what had happened a violation of the Sabbath. Others disagreed, asking how a sinner could work such signs. There was some question as to whether the man had been really blind at all, and they summoned his parents and asked them.
The parents were reticent, for the Jews had agreed to excommunicate anyone who acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. They said simply, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we ourselves do not know. Ask him; he is of age, let him speak for himself."
Then the Pharisees called up the man again, and asked him to change his testimony. "Give glory to God! We ourselves know that this man is a sinner."
"Whether He is a sinner," said the former beggar, "I do not know. One thing I do know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."
His questioners persisted. "What did He do to thee? How did He open thy eyes?"
But the man said, "I have told you already, and you have heard. Why would you hear again? Would you also become His disciples?"
"Thou art His disciple," they said sneering, "but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from."
He turned on his questioners then and said boldly, "Why, herein is the marvel, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does His will, him He hears. Not from the beginning of the world has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."
Exasperated, they cast him out, but Jesus found him and said:
"Dost thou believe in the Son of God?"
"Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" This protege
of Jesus was now seeking a new kind of vision, and Jesus
answered:
"Thou has both seen Him, and He it is who speaks with thee."
"I believe, Lord," said the man. He fell down and worshiped Him. And Jesus said:
"For judgment have I come into this world, that they who do not see may see, and they who see may become blind."
Some Pharisees asked if they, too, were blind. He said:
"If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, he who enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up another way, is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is shepherd of the sheep. To this man the gatekeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them forth. And when he has let out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. But a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."
Explaining this parable, He said to them:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All whoever have come are thieves and robbers; but the sheep have not heard them. I am the door. If anyone enter by Me he shall be safe, and shall go in and out, and shall find pastures. The thief comes only to steal, and slay, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. But the hireling, who is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep; but the hireling flees because he is a hireling, and has no concern for the sheep.
"I am the good shepherd, and I know Mine and Mine know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for My sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. Such is the command I have received from My Father."

When the man who had been cured of blindness was brought before the Pharisees for questioning, he found himself faced with those who, though they claimed to be "religious," were trying to discredit Jesus. To them the cured man answered simply, "If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." To which the Pharisees could say nothing, so they cast him out. They were unwilling to bow even before the evidence of a miracle. Even "religious" people can proudly persist in their errors.

The Jews Reject the Light

Chapter 59
JOHN 8:12-59
JESUS TURNED BACK to the people He had been teaching and said:
"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me does not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."
"Thou bearest witness to Thyself," some Pharisees objected. "Thy witness is not true." But Jesus said:
"Even if I bear witness to Myself, My witness is true, because I know where I came from and where I go. But you do not know where I came from or where I go. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but with Me is He who sent Me, the Father. And in your law it is written that the witness of two persons is true. It is I who bear witness to Myself, and He who sent Me, the Father, bears witness to Me."
"Where is Thy Father," they asked contemptuously. And Jesus replied:
"You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would then know My Father also.
"I go, and you will seek Me, and in your sin you will die. Where I go you cannot come."
The Jews were perplexed at this, thinking He was speaking of killing Himself. But He went on:
"You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sin."
"Who art Thou?" they asked. And Jesus said:
"Why do I speak to you at all! I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you; but He who sent Me is true, and the things that I heard from Him, these I speak in the world. When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that of Myself I do nothing: but that I preach only what the Father has taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, because I do always the things that are pleasing to Him."
To those that believed in Him He said:
"If you abide in My word, you shall be My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Now there was a protest that the children of Abraham had never been slaves. And He explained:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. But the slave does not abide in the house forever; the son abides there forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are the children of Abraham; but you seek to kill Me because My word takes no hold among you. I speak what I have seen with the Father; and you do what you have seen with your father."
"Abraham is our father," they said. And He answered:
"If you are the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, one who has spoken the truth to you which I have heard from God. That is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works of your father."
Now they chose to think He was accusing them of idolatry. "We have not been born of fornication; we have one Father, God." But He said to them:
"If God were your Father, you would surely love Me. For from God I came forth and have come; for neither have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you cannot listen to My word. The father from whom you are is the devil, and the desires of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie he speaks from his very nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth you do not believe Me. Which of you can convict Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God."
Some in His audience may have been humbled by His words, but many were bitterly resentful. "Are we not right," they challenged, "in saying that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?" Jesus answered:
"I have not a devil, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. Yet I do not seek My own glory; there is one who seeks and who judges. Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone keep My word, he will never see death."
This, they claimed, was sure evidence Jesus was mad. "Now we know that Thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and Thou sayest, 'If anyone keep My word he will never taste death.' Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom dost Thou make Thyself?" Jesus replied:
"If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God. And you do not know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I shall be like you, a liar. But I know Him, and I keep His word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he was to see My day. He saw it and was glad."
Again they resorted to captious argument. "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?" Alluding to His eternally continuing existence, Jesus said to them:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am."
No longer able to restrain their anger, they sought to stone Him, but Jesus escaped from them and left the courts of the temple.

The Jews to whom Christ was speaking regarded themselves alone as a free-born people. Other nations might be slaves, but not the children of Abraham. Hence they resented Christ's statement that His truth would make them free. But Jesus explained that anyone who sins is a slave of sin. We who are proud of our political freedom often fail to see our own slaverv to sin. As long as any sinful habit has a hold on us, we cannot claim to be free men.

The Adulteress

Chapter 58
JOHN 8: 1-11
THAT NIGHT Jesus spent on the Mount of Olives, outside Jerusalem. At dawn the next day He returned to the city and went into the temple, where He sat down and began to teach.
As He was speaking, a group of Scribes and Pharisees came up, bringing with them a woman who had been caught in adultery. They knew His sympathy for sinners, and with the hope of trapping or embarrassing Him, they brought the woman before Him and said, "Master, this woman has just now been caught in adultery. And in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such persons. What, therefore, dost Thou say?"
Affecting an expression of earnest concern, they stood and waited for His response. But Jesus appeared disinterested in their question. He bent down and began tracing with His finger on the ground. They were perhaps nonplussed by this tactic, but repeated their question, and Jesus sat up and said:
"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her."
Then He resumed His idle tracing on the ground. And as He wrote, the Scribes and Pharisees began slipping away, the eldest withdrawing first. They were no longer a sober official body but a group of nervous individuals, each terrified lest Jesus expose his sins, each reluctant to assume the responsibility which Jesus referred to, which was imposed by the Mosaic Law: that the principal accuser of a culprit guilty of death should cast the first stone.
When the last of the conscience-stricken hypocrites had gone, Jesus sat back and said to the trembling woman:
"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned thee?"
Glancing tearfully at this quiet-voiced stranger who had freed her from the hypocritical moralists, she said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus concluded:
"Neither will I condemn thee. Go thy way, and from now on sin no more."

The Scribes and Pharisees brought the adulteress before Christ while He was teaching the multitudes and accused her in front of the crowd. Their action was despicable on many scores. Certainly, it was cruel to accuse her in public. Even if her sins were known to them, they had no right to reveal them. When we know the sins or faults of another, do we delight in gossiping about them? Or do we guard such information, to protect the reputation of others?

Dissension Concerning Jesus

Chapter 57
JOHN 7:30-53
MANY OF THE PEOPLE, impressed by the miracles of Jesus, were accepting Him as the Messiah, but their leaders sent agents to seize Him. However, the time for Him to be delivered up had not yet arrived.
"Yet a little while I am with you, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and will not find Me; and where I am you cannot come."
On the last day of the feast He stood and cried out:
"If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, 'From within him there shall flow rivers of living water.' "
The people were moved by His words. Some acclaimed Him as the Prophet; others said, "This is the Christ." Still others were skeptical, saying: "Can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that it is of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived, that the Christ is to come?"
While the people argued, some sided with the ruffians who had been sent to arrest Him, but they did not dare to seize Him. Thus the deputies of the Pharisees came back empty-handed. They admitted that they, too, had been impressed by the words of Jesus, and the Pharisees said, "Have you also been led astray? Has any one of the rulers believed in Him, or any of the Pharisees? But this crowd, which does not know the Law, is accursed."
One of the members of the Pharisees' council was Nicodemus. He had been attracted to Jesus in the early days of His preaching, and had come to Him secretly for instruction. Now he opposed his unscrupulous fellows and said, "Does our Law judge a man unless it first give him a hearing, and know what he does?"
But the Pharisees would not even consider the justness of his question. "Art thou also a Galilean?" they asked. "Search the Scriptures and see that out of Galilee arises no prophet."
Thereupon the meeting broke up, and the members returned to their homes.

When Nicodemus pointed out that Jesus should at least get a hearing before being condemned, the Pharisees answered, with unbounded presumption and snobbishness, that He could not be a prophet because He was from Galilee. At times we also are guilty of the same intolerance; we sometimes judge people by their place of origin or race, rather than by their deeds.