CHAPTER NINETEEN: FOOD AND FOOD FOR THOUGHT

An uneasiness had settled in among Jesus’ disciples as they were unsure of who exactly Jesus was or where this ministry was going. Jesus seemed to have alienated not only his family and hometown folks, but also various of the Jewish authorities as well, so they asked themselves– Where could this all be leading? Jesus was well aware of these concerns and he decided the time was now to do some more teaching about his views on a variety of subjects.

The day had begun innocently enough with Jesus eating with his disciples, but Jesus and the disciples were never alone these days, whether they were in Galilee or Judea, and among those present were some Pharisees and their scribes who taught Torah and who had come to Galilee from Jerusalem after his recent visit there. They saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. So the Pharisees and their teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”

Jesus’s reply was blunt and to the point: “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
” ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’

“You have let go of the commands of G-d and are holding on to the traditions, setting aside the commands of G-d in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to G-d), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of G-d by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Speaking to both his inquisitors and his disciples and others gathered there Jesus said , “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.'” These responses were hardly satisfactory to the Pharisees, who saw them as not merely setting aside the traditions of the elders, but setting aside some of Torah itself.

Jesus did not wait around for a rebuttal by the Pharisees. Rather he left the crowd and entered the house of Simon’s mother-in-law, where his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body. What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of human hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a person ‘unclean.’ “

The disciples listened intently, but Nathan’el replied, “Master even if what you say is true, do we really need to alienate the Pharisees and their scribes? They are well respected by the people.” Jesus did not directly reply to this, but said instead “clearly, it is time for more teaching. So let us climb up to the hills above the sea. Of course the crowds will follow us, wanting healing, but I want them to overhear what I am teaching you, as some them will one day become disciples, perhaps some of them even today.”

The path was well known, and sure enough, the very minute Jesus came out of the house there was clamoring for attention, but Jesus with a look of determination headed up the hill and around the northern tip of the lake, going to a large bowl shaped meadow on the northeast side of the Kinneret where he could sit and the sound of his voice could be heard throughout the meadow, especially since Jesus had a strong voice. His disciples made a small circle around him, and the crowds began to fan out in concentric circles outside that inner circle, crowding in so they could hear more clearly. Looking at his disciples, but speaking loudly enough so all could hear, Jesus began to teach them saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see G-d.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of G-d.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Amen I say to you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.^“

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into Gehenna. It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on grounds of incest, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, ‘Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before an audience, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by a crowd. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:
” ‘Abba,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

^“For if you forgive people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon.”

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how G-d clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Jesus had been teaching for only about thirty minutes, and already the disciples were feeling like they had heard more than they could quickly process. On the one hand it sounded as if Jesus was intensifying the demands of Torah, for example in allowing no oaths at all, on the other hand it sounded like he was setting some of it aside, or saying it had already been fulfilled. And some of the teaching was just new—what sort of messiah could Jesus be if he was eschewing the use of military might, and telling his disciples to not resist evil by violent means? What did he mean about loving enemies and praying for those who persecuted them? On the one hand this teaching gave more insight into Jesus’ mind and ministry, but on the other hand it was confusing, as it did not fit various of the hopes and expectations of these disciples.

Judas and Simon the Zealot were especially perplexed and concerned, as it sounded as if Jesus had no intention of rallying Israel against her oppressors. Could he really have meant it when he said that lust in the heart was the same as an adulterous act, and that divorce was in essence not an option for those who wanted to be his disciples and enter G-d’s eschatological Dominion? This teaching raised as many questions as it provided answers.

The teaching went on for several hours, and the heat of the day began to affect the audience. Most of them had followed Jesus with no thought about food and drink, and now they were hungry for more than words. Jesus looked at the crowd, which now seemed to number in the thousands, and felt compassion in his heart, because they hungered for the truth about G-d, but were like sheep without a shepherd.

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.”
But Judas said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five–and two fish.”

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand, not counting the numerous women and some children as well.

As the crowd was eating, Jesus decided it was time to slip away, and so quickly Jesus made his disciples get up and head to the lakeshore where there were several boats anchored. He told them to get in the boat and go on ahead of him to Bet-saida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

The sun had been going down rapidly, and the disciples had been in no hurry to row across the northern part of the lake, but now the wind was picking up dramatically. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. From the hill above Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Jesus went down to the lakeshore and then out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely dumbfounded, for they had not understood about what the multiplication of the loaves had suggested about who Jesus was; their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.

As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went–into villages, towns or countryside–they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village here, people will have too many questions and won’t leave you alone.”

It was nearly midnight when Jesus finally retreated indoors into Simon’s own house in Bet-saida. He said to Simon as they were bedding down for the night–“it is time Simon, time for us to head north in the morning. There are some more things you need to know about me….and about yourself.” Simon had learned to expect the unexpected, and he was too tired to argue, so he simply replied, “Yes master, sleep well.”