Rembrandt: Head of Christ (c.1648-56)

Jesus frequently described the kingdom of heaven as a wedding banquet.  He advised on the right etiquette: – to not sit in places of honour in case you get asked to move: better to take the humblest place and be invited forward (Luke 14: 7-11)).   In Matthew 22:2-14 he tells the story of the king’s invited wedding guests all making excuses for their non-attendance due to previous  — and seemingly more important –  personal commitments.

Jesus would have been familiar with the spousal sentiments of scripture – particularly in Isaiah 62, where the land of Zion is referred to as a bride being “married to God.”   As  Jesus publicly announced his identity and ministry using scripture from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue at Nazareth, the same chapter can also shed light on Jesus’  particular mystical anointing  (61.10).

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my whole being shall exult in my God
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

The readying for the spousal celebration is a common theme in Jesus’ teachings.  In fact he refers to himself as “the bridegroom” and his disciples as wedding guests in Matthew 9:14-16 where he acknowledges fasting to be only applicable after he has been taken away from them.

But perhaps the most compelling of nuptial narratives is the parable of the ten bridesmaids, who, with their lamps, set out to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13). Unsuspecting his delay, the five foolish bridesmaids were unprepared.  Everyone slept while they waited for his arrival and were roused at midnight by a shout.  Here he was!   Jesus tells us the five wise bridesmaids trimmed their lamps with the extra oil they had brought along, while the foolish bridesmaids, with dimming lamps, asked the wise for a top up.  Aware that they only had enough for themselves, the wise told them to go and get their own from the dealer.    While the unprepared rushed off to do so, those who were prepared entered the wedding banquet, and the door  was shut behind them.  When the others arrived later, and cried to be let in, the bridegroom declared he didn’t know them.  Jesus’ crowning instruction was to “Keep awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

There are two messages embedded in the bridesmaid story.  The first is when having received the honour of being chosen to diligently “have herself completely in hand”  ** confidently walking the path to unity with God, reverently readying for the coming celestial celebration, be it in this life or the next.  The second message relates to Jesus’ choice of oil and lamps as metaphors for spiritual preparation, particularly because of their practical associations within Hebrew history.

To venerate the sacred presence of the Ark, “the lamp of God” was lit just as church sacristy lamps are to this day. (Ref:  1 Samuel 3:3). However, the lamp calls a disciple to more than worship; it symbolizes divine love, light and unity about which David expressed in his Song of Thanksgiving :-

“With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
with the pure you show yourself pure……
For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down,
It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.”
(Psalm l8:25-28)

Jesus expects his chosen to be ready.  Filled with the light of his presence, they have the clarity to go where needed and rest when required, knowing to stay on the path and not to be distracted by the confusion caused by others’ spiritual negligence.  His chosen are eager, peaceful and pragmatic as they prepare for sacred union.  The inner chambers of their hearts are searched by “the lamp of the Lord”  (Proverbs 20:27) “for the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”  (Proverbs 6:23). Only she who has undergone divine scrutiny becomes “more precious than jewels.”  (Proverbs 31:10) and she “rises while it is still night and provides food for her household……..Her lamp does not go out at night.” (Proverbs 31:15 & 18). Her soul mirrors the grandeur of the holy city, the new Jerusalem, which has “no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Rev 21:23).

The last pages of the Christian bible recount the coming “Marriage Supper of the Lamb”  as a time of exultant rejoicing because “his bride has made herself ready:  for her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure — for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”  (Rev 19:7-8).

** Edith Stein in “The Science of the Cross”  p. 160.

Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection carried a clear message.  Mistaken for a gardener, a stranger and a ghost, Jesus proved he was none of these by the sharing of food.

Sitting at a table with him was normal before his death, and as the apostles discovered, it was to be hardly different after his death.  Jesus was still teaching the truth of life, not so much through parables, but the story of his body.  Walking with two followers on the road to Emmaus (with whom he later dined – Luke 24:13-35) he also asked for something to eat when he appeared to his disciples through locked doors (Luke24:40-43). His was a body not just glowing with divine light, but imbued with the scars of suffering.  He was not only fully spirit but fully human, revealed by his eating and drinking, and by being physically touched, still in collegial friendship with his disciples as before.

During the Last Supper, when Jesus broke the bread and passed the wine as being his flesh and blood, the power of such a transformation was beyond reasoning.   Often in the scriptures we read of his apostles not understanding and wondering what he meant.  Jesus’ last earthly act of breaking bread and washing feet seemed so simple: as was his broiling fish for breakfast on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (John 21:1-14).

The risen Jesus was to dissolve the boundaries between spirit and matter and fuse them perfectly in an embodied Truth.  Therein this Truth was not to be devoid of human needs and realities: it embraced the every day. According to Revelations (3.20)) Jesus stands and knocks at the door.  If he’s heard and welcomed, he’ll come in, sit down and ”eat with you and you with me.”

H. Bruggen "The Crucifixion with the Virgin and St. John, 1625

In the Book of Deuteronomy (10:18) widows and orphans were first identified as the people most vulnerable and in need of care.  Defining “the essence of the law” God was not only “mighty and awesome who is not partial and takes no bribe” but “who executes justice for the orphan and the widow.”  God is also called a Father “of orphans and protector of widows” in Psalm 68 (5-6 ) who provides the desolate with a home to live in. “The Lord sets the prisoners free……The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down…..The Lord loves the righteous…. He upholds the orphan and the widow.” Psalm 146 (7-9 ).

Jesus’ obedience to the will of God was not only particular to his own circumstance.  He had identified himself in Luke 4:16 -22 as the anointed one who was “to bring good news to the poor….to recover sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”  Jesus’ ministry was full of examples of this anointing.  But it wasn’t until he hung on the cross in his final hour, that “the essence of the law” was given its paradigmatic demonstration.   The gospel of John tells us that Jesus’ mother and “the disciple whom he loved” stood side by side at the foot of the cross.  By Joseph’s absence it can be assumed that Mary was a widow.  Jesus’ last action of his earthly life was to take care of his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” (John 19:26-27).  The beloved disciple, presumed to be John and, like all Jesus’ followers, soon to be spiritually orphaned, was given Mary as his mother to take into his home.   After Jesus’ utterance of thirst and fulfillment, he “gave up his spirit” and was pierced in his side – usually required to stop the heart – from where “blood and water” flowed.

A holy rabbi and Jewish prophet no more, a crucified renegade no more, a mighty healer and preacher no more.  How could anyone believe that a man who had suffered to the extremes of physical torture could still care for the stranger (crucified beside him) pray for those who had condemned him, and above all, make sure that his mother, soon to be widowed and vulnerable, and his disciple orphaned and alone, would not suffer homelessness by his parting?  A heart pierced and flooding the earth was the last embodied symbol of the ceaseless, unending, protective love of God.

Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane has often been viewed as a struggle of the human spirit, between his will (for what was to come to be taken away) and the will of God, (to go through with it).  This standard interpretation presumes Jesus as fully human, certainly imbued with extraordinary abilities, miraculous interventions, amazing prophecies, and wise teachings.  Thus his sweating of blood has always been considered a reaction to acute emotional anxiety towards the suffering awaiting him.  Could this be wholly true however?

Human interpretations of Jesus’ words and acts will always be limited to what has been experienced, or imagined could be experienced.  Yet, the mysteries of God are never left exposed: it is natural and necessary to search deeper for understanding.

In the great mystical traditions, revelations and visions have been the source of wider perspectives and ways of capturing truth.   In one such case, St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) received a unique interpretation of Jesus’ Passion, recorded for posterity by her spiritual director, Raymond of Capua.   Referring to Matthew 26:39 (where Jesus had said, “if it be possible let this chalice pass from me”) St. Catherine suggested that Jesus was not asking that his forthcoming Passion “be cancelled or postponed.”  Instead, she claimed that from the moment of his earthly conception, Jesus  “had undertaken to drink the chalice of the desire for the salvation of mankind, so now, as that time drew near …..he had asked for it to be fulfilled which He had longed for so long and with such great anxiety: that is to say, that the chalice from which He had been drinking throughout his life should at last be completely emptied.   He was not, therefore, asking for a respite but for a quick fulfillment.” **

St. Catherine clarified that  “although this chalice of desire was a most grievous thing for Him to drink”  yet, because Jesus was the Son obedient to the Father in all things, he had said, “not my will be done but yours.”  (Matthew 26:29). By these words, Jesus illustrated that he was prepared for a delay in the fulfillment of his desire, if that is what God wanted.  Thus  “Let this chalice pass from me” was not referring to the chalice of his future passion, but to the sufferings Jesus had endured in the past and was still enduring in the present.

St. Catherine’s interpretative twist has foundation in scripture.   In Mark 8: 31-32 Jesus had openly forecast that he was to undergo “great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”  When on trial Jesus had said that his kingdom was not from this world (John 18:36) therefore the opportunity to return to his kingdom (ending his exile on Earth) would have hardly been undesired.  In fact in John 12:27-28 Jesus said, “Now my soul is troubled.  And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour?  No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’”

Through the uncharacteristic displays of upsetting the tables in the temple and frustratingly declaring “How much longer must I be among you, how much longer must I put up with you?” (Mark 9: 19) –  Jesus’ final words on the cross  “It is finished” could emphasize not only the completion of his work on Earth, but confirm that he had endured all his life to this end.  He had reached supreme emptiness and come home.

** The Life of St. Catherine of Siena by Blessed Raymond of Capua  p. 165.

Paul Cezanne Still Life with Fruit l886-l890

Human life carries many aspects of enslavement  – duties and responsibilities, self-imposed or otherwise,  poverty, distress, disappointments, rejections, loss, disabilities of various kinds, the list goes on.  But what exactly was Jesus alluding to when he spoke in Luke 17: 7-10 about a master’s expectations of a slave?  A harsh taskmaster, the slave’s owner requires extended toil before a slave can pause for refreshment.  Jesus, invoking the imagery of such a relationship, was responding to a question about increasing faith.  The slave is required to be obedient and humble in carrying out the will of God.  If you do your basic duty of “ploughing or tending sheep in the field” Jesus said you are not going to be automatically welcomed at the end of the day to dine with your master at table.   More is certainly required of you, like preparing the master’s dinner, putting on one’s apron and serving food to others.  When all that’s done, then you can sit down and eat.  In Jesus’ story, no gratitude is extended the slave for the work performed, because the slave is expected to do what he is commanded to do.  That is the foundation of the relationship between a master and slave, the security of knowing one’s place and one’s duty towards the other.  The master is secure in knowing the slave does what is commanded, the slave is secure in being rewarded at the end of the day.  Both expect stability and both know their place.

French priest, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, wrote in his book, The Joy of Full Surrender, that we do not know at times why we are treated by a loving God in harsh, unyielding ways.  He claims that when we endure these challenges without question, our souls become pliable in the hands of our master.  The slave has only to love God and “endure all that he inflicts on me.  As for what I am destined to be and how to achieve it, that is his business.  I am as ignorant of what he is doing as I am of what I am destined to become.  All I know is that his work is the best, the most perfect that it could be.’ *

As Jesus never preached what he didn’t practice, his entire life was a model of total obedience to the commands of God.  In Philippians 2: 5-7, Paul wrote, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something o be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.”

Jesus directed his disciples to do what’s commanded, saying to themselves, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done.” (Luke 17:10).  At the end of his life, Jesus showed what he had to do for his master:  the cross was his emphasis.

*The Joy of Full Surrender” Jean-Pierre de Caussade, p. 93

Although Jesus used parables as a means of imparting his wisdom, his chosen apostles were more commonly taught directly. Such was the case on the shores of the lake of Gennesaret, where, after teaching the crowds from Peter’s boat, Jesus instructed Peter and his companions to put out into the deep waters and drop  nets for a catch.  Peter’s first response was a rational one.  With his fisherman’s wisdom he explained that this part of the lake had already been extensively fished throughout the night and there was nothing to be caught in these waters.  But, as Luke reported  (5:1-8) Peter didn’t hesitate to obey Jesus’ command.   Peter’s shift from his rational explanation over intense human effort, to witnessing so many fish that his nets were near tearing and the boats were struggling to keep afloat, made him claim that Jesus should go away from him “for I am a sinful man!”   But Jesus didn’t leave: Peter did. He left his old ways and followed a way that only Jesus promised.  The old route, guided by personal skill and self-determination, was nothing in comparison.

Jesus gives a similar message in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The master goes on a journey and entrusts his property to his servants.  On his return he rewards those who, through respect for their master and in recognition of responsible action, had multiplied the gifts he has given them.   The one who feared his master  — and hid his talent in the ground  — yielded no returns and was called “worthless” and cast into “outer darkness.” The ones who gave back more than they were given were told that much more was in store in their future.

Jesus invites us into relationship with the magnificent abundance of God.   Our response can be either to bury ourselves in disbelieving the enormity of grace that awaits us at every moment, or do the best we can in learning how to receive such grace. In explaining the relationship of God’s abundant love, St. Francis de Sales ** wrote that “the Divine goodness receives greater pleasure in giving.”  If we are able to expand our capacities to receive God’s generosity, through a relationship of loving cooperation, trust and hope, then, Jesus tells us we will  “enter into the joy of your master.”

** St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) in “Treatise on the Love of God.”  p. 55.

“How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire,” exclaimed James about the foibles of the human tongue (ref. James 3:5).   As a deliverer of both blessings and curses (and a lot in between) the tongue has a delinquency of sorts and a mind all its own.  Jesus addressed the dichotomy head-on.

He first acknowledged that in the past it was a rule to not swear falsely – which would include the seventh commandment of not taking the Lord’s name in vain – but he then went on to say  “do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is as the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool…” (Matthew 5: 33-37). Jesus showed other examples, such as not swearing by Jerusalem “for it is the city of the great King.”   The final addition to his list was not swearing by one’s head because, he said, you “cannot make one hair white or black.”

Jesus’ lesson on manners of linguistic response are largely about being honest and direct.    For those inclined to speak too much, or make excuses, or simply hover interminably in the grey “maybe” areas,  Jesus commanded clarity.   “Let your word be either “Yes,” or “No,” he instructed, because anything else causes insidious suffering and can fall prey to evil.  Being truthfully succinct refreshes every situation and liberates confusion.

In the past self-knowledge was discovered through the regimens of contemplation, study, prayer and meditation, either alone or with the guidance of a spiritual master or director.  During the last century, psychology has largely taken the place of such practices, introducing methods and processes to enable a more thorough understanding of the mind, emotions, motivations and habits.

Psychological perception particularly pin-points why certain behaviours mirror aspects of one’s personality that are usually disliked.  These aspects lie hidden in the sub-conscious and can manifest in expressions of fear, anger and criticism.  The therapeutic process helps unravel the truth behind such behaviours, and provides ways to encounter forgiveness, self acceptance and a more honest outlook.

Jesus had a handle on psychological wisdom centuries before the discoveries of Freud, Jung, Reich and Perls.    In Matthew 6 (22-23) he likens the eye to a lamp.  If the eye sees clearly then the body “will be filled with light.”  If, however, the eye is diseased the whole body “will be darkness.”  The eye could mean the mind but it could also mean that how we see ourselves is important for healthy relationships.   This seeing of self is not just about exterior impressions but an inner clarity, a knowing of the truth of who we are.  When we arrive at that truth, the light of the Spirit dwells within us.

Jesus seemed well aware of the dangers of a person who is self-ignorant. Without having brought to light the shadowy parts inside, many are likely to turn to projection, judgment or dismissal of others whose character, manner and actions remind them of what they don’t want to face in themselves.  Jesus doesn’t only define – and remind us – of the law of cause and effect (“Do not judge, and you will not be judged because the judgments you give are the judgments you will get.”  (Matthew 7:1-2)) but he tells us to first recognize our emotional disabilities, especially if led to relate from a critical or superior position.   “Why do you observe the splinter in your neighbour’s eye and never notice the great log in your own?”  he asks (Matthew 7:3). That “log” Jesus infers is a self burden far greater than the perceived burdens of others.

Those who have undergone personal therapy know well of what Jesus was inferring.  Gaining familiarity with one’s interior darkness eases that burdensome log and creates a lighter sense of self and a clearer intent towards helping others.   Jesus instructs, by “taking the log out of your own eye first, you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your neighbour’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).

Only those who have suffered and found truth are able to effectively guide others on the path to wholeness and healing.

Even though Jesus preached a non-violent and non-retributive response to others’ judgments or hurtful acts, he offered sound suggestions on how to heal relationships and promote justice and peace.    For instance, in Matthew 18:15 -18, he provides ways and means to confront wrongdoing within community (which today could include friends, family, associates and others).  Jesus asks for courage to be clear and truthful when sinned against by another, to first point out the fault to the person alone in private. If the person listens to you, your relationship is restored.  However, if you are not heard, Jesus says you take one or two witnesses along with you.   If that doesn’t work, you involve the whole community, and if the offender still refuses to listen, then Jesus says your relationship with that person is over.

With zero tolerance for offences against another, Jesus requests resolution before anything else.  In Matthew 5:21-26 he suggests healing rifts with others before going to worship.    He also doesn’t believe in long, drawn-out legal proceedings to resolve conflict.  Instead, he says, we have to come to terms with our accuser “quickly” – in other words before the fissure in relationship breaks beyond repair.  Jesus suggests we keep well away from courts, for if it gets that far we are liable to lose everything including our savings.

Jesus’ points are clear: that wrongdoing needs to be held accountable; that the process of accountability needs to be swiftly undertaken and that prolonging any closure damages the prospects for peace.

In summary, the longer one waits to restore equilibrium, the harder it is to achieve.   The power of Truth can only be unleashed through honest encounter and an unsullied desire for rapid conciliation.

Piero della Francesca detail Nativity (1470-5)

When a woman raised her voice and uttered a blessing on Jesus’ mother,  Jesus’ reply seemed startlingly dismissive.  “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” the woman had cried.  Jesus responded, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11: 27-28) It was as if Jesus disallowed his mother recognition as particularly blessed with the privilege of maternal relationship.  Instead he elevated her to the family of God, to the only reality in which Jesus was familiar, that of being ready and receptive to hear God and to act in loyal obedience to everything requested.

The womb that bore Jesus yielded, the breasts he suckled fed him on surrender.

To know Jesus is to recognize his mother: from the beginning they were entwined in union with God’s purpose, so much so that Mary had the strength to stand silent at the foot of the cross and share in the transforming grace of suffering.  She who began the journey completed it with her son.

Jesus accomplished not just the work of his life but the circle of both their lives, the completion of that perfect union of mother and son in the mystery of Divine intention.