General Chapter References
Frederick Buechner, “Jesus,” Peculiar Treasures, p. 61-64
John Dominic Crossan, “A Leper Cured,” The Historical Jesus, p. 321-323
1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; 2 and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.”
8:1 καταβαντι δε αυτω απο του ορους ηκολουθησαν αυτω οχλοι πολλοι 8:2 και ιδου λεπρος ελθων προσεκυνει αυτω λεγων κυριε εαν θελης δυνασαι με καθαρισαι 8:3 και εκτεινας την χειρα ηψατο αυτου ο ιησους λεγων θελω καθαρισθητι και ευθεως εκαθαρισθη αυτου η λεπρα 8:4 και λεγει αυτω ο ιησους ορα μηδενι ειπης αλλα υπαγε σεαυτον δειξον τω ιερει και προσενεγκε το δωρον ο προσεταξεν μωσης εις μαρτυριον αυτοις
Dom Helder Camara, Through the Gospel, p. 60
John Dominic Crossan, “Distant Boy Cured,” The Historical Jesus, p. 326-328
Virginia Stem Owens, “Powerful Outsider,” Looking for Jesus, p. 105-110
Oscar Romero, The Violence of Love, p. 132
Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited, p. 102-104
11 Luke 13:29
12 Matthew 22:13, 25:30; Luke 13:28
5 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; be it done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
8:5 εισελθοντι δε αυτω εις καπερναουμ προσηλθεν αυτω εκατονταρχος παρακαλων αυτον 8:6 και λεγων κυριε ο παις μου βεβληται εν τη οικια παραλυτικος δεινως βασανιζομενος 8:7 και λεγει αυτω ο ιησους εγω ελθων θεραπευσω αυτον 8:8 και αποκριθεις ο εκατονταρχος εφη κυριε ουκ ειμι ικανος ινα μου υπο την στεγην εισελθης αλλα μονον ειπε λογω και ιαθησεται ο παις μου 8:9 και γαρ εγω ανθρωπος ειμι υπο εξουσιαν εχων υπ εμαυτον στρατιωτας και λεγω τουτω πορευθητι και πορευεται και αλλω ερχου και ερχεται και τω δουλω μου ποιησον τουτο και ποιει 8:10 ακουσας δε ο ιησους εθαυμασεν και ειπεν τοις ακολουθουσιν αμην λεγω υμιν ουδε εν τω ισραηλ τοσαυτην πιστιν ευρον 8:11 λεγω δε υμιν οτι πολλοι απο ανατολων και δυσμων ηξουσιν και ανακλιθησονται μετα αβρααμ και ισαακ και ιακωβ εν τη βασιλεια των ουρανων 8:12 οι δε υιοι της βασιλειας εκβληθησονται εις το σκοτος το εξωτερον εκει εσται ο κλαυθμος και ο βρυγμος των οδοντων 8:13 και ειπεν ο ιησους τω εκατονταρχη υπαγε και ως επιστευσας γενηθητω σοι και ιαθη ο παις αυτου εν τη ωρα εκεινη
Jesus and the Disinherited
By implication he says, “It is my faith that speaks, that cries out. I am stripped bare of all pretense and false pride. The man in me appeals to the man in you.” …
… The Roman was confronted with an insistence that made it impossible for him to remain a Roman, or even a captain. … and mingle his desires with the longing of all the desperate people of all the ages. …
… wherever a need is laid bare, those who stand in the presence of it can be confronted with the experience of universality that makes all class and race distinctions impertinent.
17 Isaiah 53:4
14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever; 15 he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
8:14 και ελθων ο ιησους εις την οικιαν πετρου ειδεν την πενθεραν αυτου βεβλημενην και πυρεσσουσαν 8:15 και ηψατο της χειρος αυτης και αφηκεν αυτην ο πυρετος και ηγερθη και διηκονει αυτω 8:16 οψιας δε γενομενης προσηνεγκαν αυτω δαιμονιζομενους πολλους και εξεβαλεν τα πνευματα λογω και παντας τους κακως εχοντας εθεραπευσεν 8:17 οπως πληρωθη το ρηθεν δια ησαιου του προφητου λεγοντος αυτος τας ασθενειας ημων ελαβεν και τας νοσους εβαστασεν
Gerald Stern, “Odd Mercy,” This Time, p. 243-245
“Odd Mercy”
… I still
freeze when I see a corpse, the spiteful dead
imitating the living, still lying there
with a hand between their thighs, or a paw lifted up
against the light. Let the clogged-up neck
bury the clogged-up neck, let the wristbone
bury the wristbone. … (p. 243)
… Let me be the father
and bury myself. Follow me. …
… The foxes
have condominiums, the birds have silkweed
but my poor son doesn’t have a sofa, … (p. 244)
19-20 2 Samuel 7:6
20 Thomas 86
19-20 John Dominic Crossan, The Essential Jesus, p. 94, 160f.
20 Loren Eiseley, The Star Thrower, p. 256
The Star Thrower
20 Karl Kirchwey, “He Considers the Birds of the Air,” The New Yorker (March 3, 1994), p. 78
“He Considers the Birds of the Air”
We get up at six with him and build a fire.
Against a choir of straight second-growth woods
on a morning when the thermometer stands
at zero he considers the birds of the air.
They hop down and again hop down to the feeder
beyond the window for the black sunflower seeds
or the suet’s white shoulder, a traffic of chickadees
to which cardinals and pine grosbeaks add color.
His man-in-the-moon face his eyes of cracked sapphire
reflect necessity in that repeated
motion. An infant gazes at some birds
and for a moment it all balances there…
He will have nowhere
to lay his head no matter how he builds
no matter how he watches where unnumbered
small creatures have their being in the weather.
21-22 John Dominic Crossan, The Essential Jesus, p. 114, 164f.
18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
8:18 ιδων δε ο ιησους πολλους οχλους περι αυτον εκελευσεν απελθειν εις το περαν 8:19 και προσελθων εις γραμματευς ειπεν αυτω διδασκαλε ακολουθησω σοι οπου εαν απερχη 8:20 και λεγει αυτω ο ιησους αι αλωπεκες φωλεους εχουσιν και τα πετεινα του ουρανου κατασκηνωσεις ο δε υιος του ανθρωπου ουκ εχει που την κεφαλην κλινη 8:21 ετερος δε των μαθητων αυτου ειπεν αυτω κυριε επιτρεψον μοι πρωτον απελθειν και θαψαι τον πατερα μου 8:22 ο δε ιησους ειπεν αυτω ακολουθει μοι και αφες τους νεκρους θαψαι τους εαυτων νεκρους
25 Malcolm Muggeridge, Jesus: The Man Who Lives, p. 119
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
8:23 και εμβαντι αυτω εις το πλοιον ηκολουθησαν αυτω οι μαθηται αυτου 8:24 και ιδου σεισμος μεγας εγενετο εν τη θαλασση ωστε το πλοιον καλυπτεσθαι υπο των κυματων αυτος δε εκαθευδεν 8:25 και προσελθοντες οι μαθηται ηγειραν αυτον λεγοντες κυριε σωσον ημας απολλυμεθα 8:26 και λεγει αυτοις τι δειλοι εστε ολιγοπιστοι τοτε εγερθεις επετιμησεν τοις ανεμοις και τη θαλασση και εγενετο γαληνη μεγαλη 8:27 οι δε ανθρωποι εθαυμασαν λεγοντες ποταπος εστιν ουτος οτι και οι ανεμοι και η θαλασσα υπακουουσιν αυτω
Dom Helder Camara, Through the Gospel, p. 64
Czeslaw Milosz, “Readings,” Divine Inspiration, p. 132
Richard Wilbur, “Matthew VII, 28 ff.,” New and Collected Poems, p. 154
"Matthew VIII, 28 ff."
Rabbi, we Gadarenes
Are not ascetics; we are fond of wealth and possessions.
Love, as you call it, we obviate by means
Of planned release of aggressions.
We have deep faith in prosperity.
Soon, it is hoped, we will reach our full potential.
In the light of our gross product, the practice of charity
Is palpably inessential.
It is true that we go insane;
That for no good reason we are possessed by devils;
That we suffer, despite the amenities which obtain
At all but the lowest levels.
We shall not, however, resign
Our trust in the high-heaped table and the full trough.
If you cannot cure us without destroying our swine,
We had rather you shoved off.
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.
8:28 και ελθοντι αυτω εις το περαν εις την χωραν των γεργεσηνων υπηντησαν αυτω δυο δαιμονιζομενοι εκ των μνημειων εξερχομενοι χαλεποι λιαν ωστε μη ισχυειν τινα παρελθειν δια της οδου εκεινης 8:29 και ιδου εκραξαν λεγοντες τι ημιν και σοι ιησου υιε του θεου ηλθες ωδε προ καιρου βασανισαι ημας 8:30 ην δε μακραν απ αυτων αγελη χοιρων πολλων βοσκομενη 8:31 οι δε δαιμονες παρεκαλουν αυτον λεγοντες ει εκβαλλεις ημας επιτρεψον ημιν απελθειν εις την αγελην των χοιρων 8:32 και ειπεν αυτοις υπαγετε οι δε εξελθοντες απηλθον εις την αγελην των χοιρων και ιδου ωρμησεν πασα η αγελη των χοιρων κατα του κρημνου εις την θαλασσαν και απεθανον εν τοις υδασιν 8:33 οι δε βοσκοντες εφυγον και απελθοντες εις την πολιν απηγγειλαν παντα και τα των δαιμονιζομενων 8:34 και ιδου πασα η πολις εξηλθεν εις συναντησιν τω ιησου και ιδοντες αυτον παρεκαλεσαν οπως μεταβη απο των οριων αυτων