The Greatest

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Beaten with rods, flayed like a fish and then crucified upside down.” This was the fate of St. Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael. He is among the lesser-known disciples. In fact the story of his martyrdom is one of tradition. It is a tradition to which we subscribe, but know full well that it is not Scripture. But what is Scripture is the Gospel appointed for this day of St. Bartholomew. And one could ask the question, “So why is this Gospel lesson chosen for him? He is not mentioned by name. None of the disciples are mentioned by name” The answer is found when you put the story of his martyrdom and this Gospel together.

“Who is the greatest of all the disciples?” Certainly it has to be St. Peter, the confessing rock of the Church, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” No, it is not him. Remember, Jesus calls him Satan in the same conversation in which Peter confesses the truth about Jesus. And three times Peter denied his Lord, the very same night of this debate between the disciples. Certainly he is not the greatest.

Dogs and Crumbs

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today's Gospel lesson is not a popular one. It is not one of those accounts of Jesus being all nice and sweet. He does not multiply bread and fish and feed a zillion people. He does not have compassion and heal crowds of sick people. He does not do anything neat and cute and altruistic. He does not even say anything nice that we can file away in a Hallmark card and save to spout later when it sounds cute. In fact, today's Gospel lesson makes Jesus sound like a jerk.

Here is this poor woman, and she comes to Jesus, asking Him to heal her daughter who has been severely oppressed by a demon. And what does Jesus do? Nothing. Not one thing. He keeps on walking. He ignores her. Gentiles do not approach Jews, and women do not approach rabbis. It is as if she does not exist.

Then, after she has pestered His entourage enough that the disciples entreat Jesus to make her go away, He tells her that He was not sent to her, and calls her a dog, one of the more offensive terms one could hurl at another human being in that day. Dogs were scum, scavengers and nuisances, a cause for concern and disdain, dirty and impure. And Jesus called this woman a dog, simply for coming to ask Him to heal her daughter. What a jerk, right?

Limits

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga, there is a scene where the band of good guys are racing through the underground realm of Moria, and they are confronted with an ancient evil foe risen from the lowest depths of the earth. The Balrog comes up from the darkness and pursues them through the caverns and halls, until they reach the bridge of Khazad-Dum, a narrow stone bridge spanning an abyss that falls into the very heart of the earth. The men, dwarves, and hobbits race across the bridge toward safety, but, seeing that they are in dire danger, Gandalf the wizard stops in the middle of the bridge, plants his magical staff, and defies the enormous ancient beast, shouting, “You shall not pass!” The demon tries with all its might to attack Gandalf, but the light holds fast against the darkness, until Gandalf strikes the bridge, shattering it and sending the Balrog down into the abyss, allowing the rest of the Fellowship to escape. However, at the last second, the demon's whip grabs Gandalf and pulls him down, too.

Blessed, Not Destroyed

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus had compassion upon the people. He looked upon their infirmities and their afflictions, and He healed them. And He healed them. And He healed them some more.

He healed them of their illnesses and their diseases. He drove out their demons. He made the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the mute speak. He forgave sins and proclaimed freedom to those held captive by sin, death, and the devil. He did all this out of compassion for their sorry state of affairs. And what did it cost the poor, bedraggled masses? Nothing.

Then it got late. It was a desolate, wilderness place, and the day was far spent. The disciples petitioned Jesus to tell the crowds to go away. “Send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Go away and leave us alone. Find your own food. Can't you see that Jesus has done enough? You already chased Him all over hill and dale, all the way across the Sea of Galilee. Let the poor man rest, and go spend your own money for once.