Acts 4

When the apostles are put on trial before the Sanhedrin, we see a few very important truths revealed. The first is when we read that “when they saw that they were uneducated and untrained men…” This refers, of course, to any formal religious training. See, the Sanhedrin consisted of the top theological minds of their time; whereas the apostles had training only from being students of John the Baptist (and that only a few of them), the few years that they had spent learning from Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And yet, we see the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the experience of spending time with Jesus transcending all of this earthly teaching. Just as we see in Amos the Prophet, or in the shepherds who received the revelation of the Nativity; it is not those with the best seminary education, the most college degrees, the most letters proceeding their name, that the Lord uses. Not those whom we, in our carnal and finite minds would ever conceive of being the most qualified. Rather, it is he who opens himself up to receive the word of the Holy Spirit, he who walks away from the cares of the world and spends time with the Lord, who is qualified by God; and oftentimes that very person is not the one whom we would deem to be worthy. The teacher, teaching his own theology for fifty plus years, who has founded a prestigious seminary, who has written in excess of forty books, would often be willing to receive a revelation which may contradict his theology, thus, while wee would consider that person worthy, the Lord would be much less likely to use such a one. The apostles on the other hand, who had successful careers, jobs, lives, that they all chose, of their own free will, to surrender, in the name of the Lord, would be fully open to receiving any revelation from the Lord. They surrendered their very lives to live with Him, learning from Him, following Him. They rejected all notions and desires of the outside world and sought only to draw closer to the Lord, thus, they were qualified by God for their very asceticism. They had no reputations to fear tarnishing, no public image to uphold, no ministry that they may jeopardize by learning something contrary to their previously held beliefs.

And then. look at what we see next. These wise and educated men, the Sanhedrin, confess to this notable miracle. They even say, “that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it” (V. 16), and yet, they still refuse to accept this as truth. This displays fully how strongly their years of learning had hardened their hearts. That they could plainly see and confess this miracle and still refuse to accept it shows the danger of this pride that is spawned from human wisdom. Having received their various degrees, they acknowledge these miracles, but, as it would contradict their own teaching, rather than changing their thoughts on the topic, they seek to silence it. To mock it. Imagine, in our generation, someone speaking of an image of the Blessed Mary streaming myrrh and healing those who touch it. How would our leaders respond? How would those very contemporary theologians respond to the idea that an image or a statue could bring about such healing, even in the face of countless witnesses? Would they immediately seek to silence those witnesses? Would they seek to mock those who believe in it? Would they write their next best-seller about how the miracles ceased with the close of canon, blatantly denying the two thousand year old history of the Church? Would they respond in human wisdom, puffed up with pride, like the Sanhedrin, or would they respond in faith, like the apostles?

And then we must turn this question inwards to our own hearts? The history and tradition of the Church and the Scriptures speak of the supernatural powers of our God. The Scriptures tell us that God never changes and nowhere in Scripture do we find that He will ever cease to perform miracles. Thus, the tradition of the Church as well as the Scriptures tell us that He will never cease performing miracles; only an academic and worldly approach to theology would ever state that He would. The history of the Church shows us countless examples of the miraculous after the apostles’ time on the earth had come to an end.

So, bearing that in mind, how do we respond when we hear the story of a miracle truly happening? If we hear of an icon streaming myrrh, or of a statue crying, or some other supernatural miracle happening, how do we respond? Do we respond in faith; or puffed up by our own human wisdom, do we refuse to accept the supernatural abilities of God, thus distilling our faith to a humanistic philosophy and political structure? Do we more highly value counsel meetings and Bible studies, seeking to “unravel the mysteries of God,” or do we enter into a liturgical worship service preferring to experience those same mysteries?

There is one evangelical pastor that is a huge influence over my entire theological outlook, and one of the statements that he made that has always meant so much to me is this: “I wish the people in America would realize that they don’t have to be content to talk to Moses anymore, they can go up the mountain themselves and come face to face with the heavens. Like, they can have their own experience, they don’t have to be content with hearing someone else’s experiences with God.” It’s so true. We can go up the mountain. Worship isn’t about hearing what someone else has done or experienced, it’s about entering into the heavenly kingdom and joining into the eternal liturgy. It’s about experiencing the mysteries of our faith, not trying to solve them. It’s bowing down and saying “Lord have mercy” and praising God, singing, “holy, holy holy, Lord of Sabbaoth.” If you are in a service for an hour, and forty-five minutes of it is listening to one man give you his interpretation of a passage of Scripture, are you truly worshiping God, or the man who is telling you his opinion of who God is?

May the grace of the Lord be with you all, my beloved family. Christ is in our midst.

Acts 3

We see here Peter and John entering the temple to keep the ninth hour of prayer (3:00 PM). It’s worth noting that the apostles maintained this obedience to the prescribed hours, because it is only through this obedience that we can shed pride and find humility; that we can silence our own desires to spend our time doing whatsoever we wish, and instead submit to the traditions handed down. A prideful heart seeks after it’s own desires and makes excuses to chase after it’s own wants, but a humble heart hears the commands of the Lord, either through His word or through His Church, and obeys. A humble heart places the traditions of the Church and the rules of it’s spiritual father above it’s own preferences.

And, we see a miracle happen because of this. A lame man is healed. A man, Scripture tells us, “lame from his mother’s womb,” who then was “walking, leaping, and praising God.” Now, consider for a moment, if Peter and John had not been obedient to the tradition of the hours; they would never have entered at the moment that this man was there, and he would never have been healed. However, because of their obedience, he was healed so that the healing power of faith in Jesus might be displayed to everyone. And so that there is no question as to the source of this healing, and to prevent the spirit of pride from even having the opportunity to rear it’s head, Peter immediately discourses on the power of Jesus to heal. See, in this passage, we see not only the importance of obedience in our own salvation, but also in the salvation of others. And this is an important fact for us to notice. Our humility, our obedience, effects not only our own lives, but the lives of those around us. It reminds me of the story of Achan, who had stolen accursed items and hidden it, and because of his sin his entire family and thirty six of his kinsmen were killed. As our sin effects others, so too does our holiness. St Seraphim of Sarov teaches us that if you “acquire the Spirit of Peace a thousand souls around you will be saved.”

Peter ends his sermon here by stating that “to you first, God, having raised up His servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning every one of you from your iniquities.” This is a very easy teaching. Repentance always brings the blessing of the Lord. We see it in 2 Chronicles, where the nation is told, “if My people, who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn away from their wicked ways, then I will be merciful to their sins and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14). It’s such an easy teaching to understand and such a hard lesson for most of us to obey. Some fear the obedience to the commandments of the Lord because they fear that turning away from sin makes life unbearable. Think of the decadence and debauchery that is not only accepted, but is celebrated in the name of “freedom.” Think of the general position of society on the ascetic life that Christians are actually called to in the Scripture. Consider even the antinomian position that a lot of theology takes where we are “saved” and then allowed to continue to live however we choose because we are now “forgiven.” To the contrary of all of these worldly opinions however, Jesus came that we may “have life and have it abundantly.” Through our obedience to Him, we attain the humility that His grace requires, the humility that says that it is not through our own will or power that we are able to resist sin, but through His grace. And once we recognize that. we recognize the moment we begin to fall again into sin. We recognize it, repent, and ask for His grace to free us from those passions, His guidance to lead us away from it, His mercy. And it is through this repentance that a life that was once merely existence can now be truly lived; a life lived in faith, joy, love, and hope; freed from the fetters of sin which once held us captive.

In our own power, we can do nothing more than remain slaves to the sins which we celebrate. The sins in which we revel in the freedom to commit, the sins which we put on parade to broadcast our pride to the whole world. The sins which we think are done out of freedom, but in reality have become our masters. In His grace only, however, can we be truly freed from the passions which once held our hearts captive.

Christ is in our midst.

Acts 2

The day of Pentecost, 50 days after Passover. This very image perfectly displays for us the image of Christ’s Church. Consider the pride, which was the basis of the segregation of nations at the tower of Babel. Because of their pride, God divided the nations and gave each nation a different tongue, that they would no longer be able to communicate. That they might no longer conspire, considering that they might in some way be able to reach heaven by their own efforts. This pride which so readily comes to us has only the possible end of division. Where there is pride, there can never be true unity. Consider the denominational differences which litter our current generation. Each denomination founded by one who considered their way the “right way” and everyone else’s way wrong, completely neglecting Paul’s teaching that “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:3-6). Through the pride of these founders, further and further divisions occurred, to the point of literally tens of thousands of divisions now separating each of us from one another. Pride can only lead to division, whereas only through true humility can unity ever be achieved. As each of the believers humbly gave themselves over to the Holy Spirit, as they each submitted, they were then given to speak in different tongues, that all who were present were able to clearly hear the Gospel delivered in their own language.

So often in our own lives, we encounter this very thing. This pride which deafens the ears and blinds the eyes of the soul. We approach every conversation, every debate, with the goal of victory rather than progress. We start wars for the purpose of winning battles. But the victor in any war never truly wins, they merely lose the least. No one won World War II, one side merely suffered fewer casualties than the other. Likewise, our pride can never “win” unity. Evangelistically, no one ever came to Christ because they lost an argument, but rather they were humbled by the humility of believers. Consider here how the Church is described, “They continued steadfast in the apostles’ doctrine; in fellowship; in breaking of bread; and in prayers…with one accord…breaking bread from home to home, they ate with gladness, praising God for having favor with all people.” They gathered together in fellowship with one another, as a family. They learned the traditions of the apostles, they didn’t argue over which one was right and which one wasn’t, they were unified. They shared the Eucharist together and joined in the liturgical prayers with one another, of one accord, with one purpose. That they sold their possession and shared everything shows their lack of pride, their humility. They weren’t concerned with who had the nicer house or the nicer car, who had which “top selling Bible translation;” there was no room for any of that, anything which would cause division between them was nonexistent. They affirmed that no one really owns anything, that every good and perfect gift is from above, and is for the benefit of all mankind. It says that they “had favor with all people.” Think about that for a moment. Rather than allowing self-righteousness and pride to stand between them and others, in their humility, they displayed the compassion of Christ to all people. And the result, the Scripture tells us, “The Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved.”

See, we tend to think that if we argue, we will be able to “save” people on our own. We can “win one for the kingdom.” But, it’s not through intellectual assent that one comes to faith in Christ, thus arguing intellectually with someone is of no profit. When we argue to “prove we’re right,” we prove nothing more than that we will never accept someone who believes that we are wrong. The more we trumpet our honor and trustworthiness, the quicker the world counts it’s spoons. And the first time it finds a flaw in us, because we’ve been so proud of our flawlessness, it immediately devastates our witness. When we cast judgment and condemnation on those who live differently than us, then we open ourselves to receive that same judgment when we fall, which we shall. However, if we focus on our own sinfulness then we are much less likely to see the sins of others. It is only through the lens of our own self-righteousness that we are able to see the faults of others; if we focus on our own sinfulness, however, we will never have time to see the sins of others. And the most amazing thing about that truth is that: when we don’t focus on the faults of others, we have more time to love them. And that love is the love that Jesus tells us will be how the world will know that we are truly His followers.

Christ is in our midst.

John 21

After the Resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples. He stands on the shore and, because His resurrected body was transfigured, He could only be seen if He so willed. Thus, though they saw a man standing there, they had no knowledge initially that it was Him. As He repeats the miracle of blessing them with a large bounty of fish, it is worth noting that Jesus often revealed Himself in familiar ways after the Resurrection, that they might better grasp and believe that it was indeed Him.

Scripture tells us that John, the disciple who loved Him, was the first to recognize Him as the risen Christ. this stands to teach us an important truth, that it is through love for Christ alone which we can attain to spiritual insight. And then, upon John’s revelation, it is Peter who displays for us the great boldness of faith, plunging headlong into the sea and swimming towards Him. It is this faith that states, “though I could remain on the boat and eventually get to Him, nothing will keep me from Him any longer.” Notice that all of the disciples believed it was Him, all of the disciples had walked with Him and believed in the Resurrection, all of them had studied the Scriptures and knew the prophecies, and yet it is these two whom we are given as examples. The great love that allowed John to see Christ as He truly was, and the boldness of faith that caused Peter to abandon what seemed logical in lieu of what he knew to be miraculous.

Christ confronts Peter with a simple question. “Do you love Me?” To which Peter responds, “Yes Lord, You know that I love You.” It bears notice that thrice the Lord asks Peter this simple question. And it is not without consequence that He asks him these three times, for thrice Peter had denied Him, thus thrice he repents with this confession of love. It was a form of penance for Peter to confess this three times, once for each time of his denial. Thus, in this threefold confession of love, Jesus fully restores Peter.

John here ends his Gospel by declaring his purpose for writing it. That others, those who do not believe, could come to the faith by having a detailed description of these miracles that Jesus performed and things that He did. These detailed fragments of Jesus’ earthly ministry. However, he also makes a statement which can not be lightly overlooked. In his declaration of purpose, he states that “there are still many other things which Jesus did and said, which, “if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” We find a similar truth in the book of Acts, wherein St Paul, who never met Jesus in the flesh, quotes Jesus as having said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” (Acts 20:35) a statement not recorded in any of the Gospel accounts of His life. Now, consider, having never met Jesus in the flesh, and having not been recorded in the Gospel, that this statement must have been one that Paul had received handed down orally from the Church.

It is of the utmost importance to realize this, because so much has been written in certain parts of Christendom about the authority of Scripture alone, and yet here are but two examples of times where the Scripture itself denies this stance. The Scriptures are the words of God, they are to be highly revered as such, but they themselves are not God. And we must be ever so careful here, because while we must never neglect the words of God or the value of the Scripture, we often make an idol out of it when we place the Scripture, the canon of which was determined in the fourth century, and altered in the Protestant reformation in the 16th century, above the Church which Paul tells us is the “pillar and foundation of truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15). The Scriptures themselves are inspired by God, and thus we must study them, but the Scriptures are not God, neither are they Christianity. God has given us them, and He has given us the Church as those who will help us to understand them, and we must never replace one with the other, but rather, like Philip and the Ethopian, allow the eyes of one to make clear the vision of the other.

It is through the teachings and the traditions of the Church that the words of Scripture can be truly understood, heeding the warning of St Peter that “no matter of prophecy is a matter of personal interpretation.” When we study the Scripture without the traditions, without the teachings of the Church to help us, we often put much more of ourselves into our interpretation, never actually realizing that it is ourselves we instead begin to worship. Our pride so often says that “we are right and the Church is wrong,” as though our one hour daily Bible reading has given us more wisdom and insight than two thousand years of holy, anointed, men of God, who lived, breathed, and even died for the faith.

Let us never fall victim to that pride, my beloved brethern. Let us never exalt our own wisdom and trust in our own understanding. Let us instead humbly concede that there are things beyond our own comprehension, and turn to those far wiser than us in those matters. I believe fully in the sufficiency of Scripture, in fact, I believe so fully in it that I will never trust my own finite mind to comprehend these infinite truths, and I refuse to disrespect the words of Scripture by trying to distill it all down to that which I myself can understand. We are the Ethopian in the story, we are Timothy, we are to be the ones to receive instruction from our spiritual fathers and obey them; else we may become merely lovers of self, believing only in that which we agree with and like. Someone once told me that their god would never…to which I asked, “does your god ever do anything that you don’t like?” His answer, honestly, was no. Thus, I had to ask him, “so who do you really worship?” The Scriptures were inspired by God and written by men to assist men in becoming like God, which requires going against a lot of our natural inclinations. If we read the Scripture and everything seems to fit with our lives, and none of it requires an interior change of heart, then there’s a good chance that we’ve allowed our own feelings into our interpretations, that we’ve allowed the spirit of the age into our theology, that we’ve walked away from the true faith and embraced idols.

I’ve heard it said that the traditions of the Church corrupt. I would argue that the traditions of the Church protect from corruption. When there is no tradition, then whatever is trending can easily be accepted into our doctrine; when we’ve got a two thousand year old tradition that we cling to, however, there is no room for corruption. It’s much harder to argue against two thousand years of tradition than it is to change a doctrine with no foundation aside from a personal interpretation of Scripture. Which is exactly why for over a thousand years, there was only one Church, and then it split is 1054 and became two churches, which lasted until 1517; and since the reformation, there have been spawned literally thousands of denominations. With no foundation of tradition, literally anyone who can read can start a new denomination, and teach whatever they choose. And we so oft wonder why so many say that “that’s what you believe, but that’s not what everyone believes.” And there is no room to argue that, because in absentia of tradition, there is no history to support our truth.

May we all be like the Thessalonians, to whom Paul offered the lesson, “hold fast to the traditions handed down, whether by word (oral tradition) or epistle (written word).” And let us all hold to the Scripture, understood by the light of the Church, interpreted by thousands of years of holy anointed men of God, enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Let us not worship the interpretation of any one man, but rather look to the whole of Church history, to understand the faith handed down to us since the time of the apostles.

Christ is in our midst.

John 20

Mary Magdalene and the other women return to the tomb on the first day of the week, which is Sunday, or the Lord’s day. The Church still holds this day as a blessed day, the day of Resurrection, sometimes referred to as the eighth day, or the day without end. It’s noteworthy that this day does not replace the Sabbath, but rather completes it. Saturday is still the Sabbath day, the day in which Christ rested in the tomb after the crucifixion, much as He rested on the Sabbath after the creation account in Genesis. It also bears note that, in the Genesis account, when the Lord rested, there is never an account of that work being finished until, on the cross, He declares, “it is finished.” Everything from the beginning of Genesis up until the crucifixion had led up to that point, it was all a part of the creation story; and that story was not perfected until Jesus was lifted up on the cross.

With that being the case, then in creating man and woman in the image and likeness of God; then it is in this, the image and likeness of the crucified Christ. That image is the very image which displays for us the life that we were created to live. A life lived fully for others, one that is fully sacrificial; willing to endure all suffering even unto death out of love for others. And it is only through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and our willingness to endure those things, to do those things which He did, to suffer as He suffered, that this image can be fully restored. To be “imitators of Christ” means not to necessarily suffer these things, but to be willing to do so. To obediently and humbly submit ourselves to the will of the Father, regardless of what the consequences are for us. To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and might and to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is through this willingness, and this willingness alone, that we are made worthy to bear His name, as His ambassadors on earth.

We, as a generation, are horrible at this. We have this amazing trait of being very deeply superficial. When it comes to our faith, our lives are characterized by endless creeds, much book learning, laborious hours of study. And none of these things are bad in and of themselves; it is only when they are accompanied by an unchanged heart that they become sinful. I heard a quote recently that “what a man truly believes isn’t what he recites in his creeds, it is what he’s willing to die for.” And that sums up the entire concept of faith in the Western world. No matter how much knowledge we attain, if our faith doesn’t encompass our entire lives, it does not profit us anything. I heard someone make a statement that was wise beyond her years. She said, “I realized that either I don’t believe what Jesus said and would live my life as an agnostic, or I would believe Him and religion would become my life; there is no in-between.” And that’s sort of what we see whenever we look at the Scripture. There is no grey area between the two, no Biblical example of a “lukewarm Christian.” You either “deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow,” or you don’t. But to be a follower of Jesus, that’s what He said it requires.

There are two masters in the world, two targets. There is Jesus and there is Satan. And every thought you think, every word you utter, every action you do, you must remember this; whatever doesn’t make you more like one, makes you more like the other. May we allow this thought to lead us each moment of our lives.

May the grace of the Lord be with us all. Christ is in our midst.

John 19

When Pilate confronts Jesus, he asks, “do you not know that I have the power to crucify You or release You?” To which Jesus replies, “you would have no power at all unless it had been granted from above. Therefore, the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

See, Pilate was not blameless in his execution of Jesus. The fact alone that he had been given authority means that it had been given from above. Paul tells us, “Let every soul be subject to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God;” a sentiment echoed by Peter, who teaches us to “submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.” Thus Pilate, who had received this authority from God, shares in the sin of condemning Jesus.

However, it should be noticed the second part of Jesus’ statement as well. Pilate had no knowledge of Christ, neither knowledge of the Scriptures. It was rather he who knew of Jesus, he who had studied the Scripture and knew the prophecies about the coming Messiah, and yet, knowing these things, still delivered Him to be executed.

This leads to the question, when we are ignorant of Jesus, are we still held accountable for our sins? And the answer that we plainly see here is yes, we are. But, once we come to a knowledge of Him and His commandments, and still continue in our sin; we are held to a far greater accountability. Peter teaches us that “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.” (2 Peter 2:20-21), and Paul warns us, “it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

A man who is raised in an atheistic society, who has no knowledge whatsoever of Jesus, of His laws and commands, would be based on his actions based on his knowledge. St Paul again explains this, stating that “when the Gentiles, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law, these, having not the Law, become a law unto themselves.” Before we ever know anything about the Law of God, the commands of Christ, He will judge us based on things that are intrinsic to our nature; the law written on our very hearts. Love, compassion, mercy, almsgiving; these actions are written on our conscience, and when we consent accordingly, in absentia of the knowledge of Christ, it is for these qualities that we are judged. Pilate is held guilty of his actions not because he had gone against the Law as it was written in the Torah, but rather because he knew this Man to be innocent, and yet, even with that knowledge, still consented to his execution. However, what Paul, Peter, Jesus Himself warn us of is that once we come to the knowledge of Christ, our excuses are for naught. Our adherence to the Law becomes a far greater demand, to abide in the ways of the Lord.

So, would this mean that we are better off having never heard of the commands of the Lord? God forbid! We need to search our hearts and determine the meaning of “salvation” to us. What do we seek from our Christian walk? If all salvation means to us is that we come to a far better end than the “bad people,” then perhaps it would be better to have never learned these things. However, it is through knowledge of God and our relationship with Him that we are able to experience the true freedom that comes from our salvation. It is through His grace alone that we are able to overcome the bonds of iniquity that hold us captive to our sin. It is only through His grace that we can obtain the spiritual maturity that allows us to cast off the sins which keep us captive, and experience the true freedom that comes from a growing relationship with Christ. It is that alone which will allow us to participate in His life, growing more and more like Him, in preparation for the final judgment. And, with that growing relationship comes also a growing opportunity for forgiveness. One who has no relationship with Christ will still be accountable for every sin that they commit, they have never been washed of their sins; whereas those in Christ have been washed and can constantly be made anew through repentance and confession.

May we all recognize this. We who have knowledge of our Lord will be held much more accountable than one who has never tasted this grace of God; and yet, in tasting it, we understand that we can be freed from the sins which enslaved us. May we all constantly be washed through repentance and confession; seeking the holiness which is ours only through the grace of our Lord Jesus. May we constantly strive for this sinless perfection, and each time we fail, take a deep breath, pray “Lord have mercy,” and begin anew. May we understand that the purpose of our Christian walk is far more than “earning” a ticket into heaven, it is to be fully freed from the bondage of our sins on earth, to be reconciled more and more into the image of Christ. It is to experience the true freedom, the true joy, the true contentment, that comes only through our growing relationship with Christ in this life. It is understanding that Christ came to earth, not to forgive us of our sins, but to save us from their power over us.

Christ is in our midst.

Acts 1

When the Lord initially offers the disciples the promise of the Holy Spirit, the disciples respond by asking if He is finally going to restore the kingdom of Israel. That they are still fixated on this idea of an earthly kingdom shows that they are lacking the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for it is only after Pentecost that they come to fully understand the goal of the Lord. Christ came not to restore the kingdom of Israel, but rather to restore Israel and all of the world to the kingdom of Heaven.

This is important for us in the West to understand. We are so often guilty of doing exactly this. We come to the faith and begin seeking contemporary role models. In so doing, we end up aligning ourselves with a particular political party. We turn to those media outlets which promote those contemporaries and, lacking the discernment of the Holy Spirit, immediately accept those ideals instead of the concepts that we see in Scripture. Ultimately, we assume a reductionist approach theologically, mentally assenting to the existence of God, rather than coming to true faith in Him. We distill our faith from the supernatural kingdom down to a political demographic, replacing dogma with policy and miracles with legislation. We teach that miracles ceased with the close of the canon, and that the power of the Holy Spirit is evident only through those concrete actions which we could easily attribute to the power of the will. Our faith ultimately becomes evident solely based on our voting attendance and political stances. Most Americans, when they hear that someone is a Christian, rightly assume certain things about them, politically speaking. Unfortunately, when we do this, we display to the world that we are seeking a governmental system rather than a Church, and that our faith is in politics, in man, rather than in God.

Then Jesus ascends into the heavens, and the disciples stand there, until the angels come and ask why they are just standing there. One of my favorite images in all of Scripture. See, we are called to faith and the action which that faith demands; not standing idly gazing into heaven, neither sitting idly staring at books. Jesus Himself warned us, “You search the Scriptures, thinking that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40). The Scriptures are given that we may know about God, that we may learn about Him, but that knowledge can never replace our relationship with Him. So often, we mistake knowledge for maturity, forgetting that Satan himself quotes Scripture constantly. And He prescribes for us what this relationship must look like. “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” (John 14:15), He warns us. “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). And what does He tell us? “I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; naked and you did not clothe Me; in prison and you did not visit Me…inasmuch as you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for Me.” (Matthew 25:42-43,45). James warns us to be “doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22) and that “pure and undefiled religion before God is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27).

See, before Pentecost, the disciples sought the Messiah to establish this earthly kingdom, a government that would uphold their values. One that would defend and strengthen their nationalism. They were from a great kingdom historically and wanted to Messiah to restore that greatness. Remember, they didn’t ask the Messiah if He would finally build a new kingdom, they asked if He would restore the kingdom to Israel. But, after they had received the Holy Spirit, they understood more clearly that His purpose was not to save one nation, but rather to restore all nations to the kingdom of Heaven. With no ethnic barriers, no walls, no elect people to be saved; but rather to display the mercy, love, the compassion, the forgiveness of the Lord to everyone. And, as His followers, it is our responsibility to actively participate in that work. To feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit the prisoners and the infirmed, to truly love our neighbors as ourselves. We cannot be followers of Christ and build barriers to keep out those that we don’t like; we cannot choose whom we deem worthy of sharing in the very gifts that God has blessed us with, unworthy though we be to have received them to begin with. In sharing the love of Christ with all, regardless any earthly label which separates us, we truly stand apart from the rest of the world.

Our salvation is not in a national government, it is participating in the life and saving work of Christ, and displaying those traits, His love, His mercy, His charity, His compassion to all. He never sought to restore any earthly kingdom, to make any nation great, but rather to restore the entire world to the kingdom of Heaven. In 2010, there were 2.19 billion people in the world who claimed to be Christian, who claimed to be ambassadors of our Lord Himself. Consider for just a moment what the world would look like if, rather than allowing ourselves to be distracted by worldly politics, or disputes over “works vs faith,”, all of us just stopped and did the work which He so plainly calls us to do.

Christ is in our midst.

John 18

When Jesus is arrested, we find Him going out to a place well known to all of His disciples. He and the others go there and, when Judas arrives with the guards, it is Jesus who steps forward and speaks. Knowing that it is He whom they are after, you would expect perhaps one of the others to step forward first, but instead it is He Himself. This happens that we might see a truth, that even throughout His arrest, it is He who has the authority. It is Him in control, and He going of His own will. The fact alone that He went to a place known by all of the disciples, including Judas, reveals that it was not Judas who found Jesus, but rather, Jesus who found Judas.

When the guards reveal that it is Jesus whom they are seeking, His response is simply, “I AM” (though translated in most versions as “I am He,” ego eimi literally translates to I am, with no pronoun attached). And the sheer power of this statement is so strong that it drives His accusers to the ground. This further serves to illustrate the power and authority which Jesus has in this very situation. At His own arrest, He is giving the orders and commands, which are in turn obeyed, even by the very guards who have come to arrest Him.

Consider for a moment this fact which is often overlooked. We know that when they come to arrest Him, Peter impetuously unsheathes his sword and severs the ear of one of the guards. And we know that immediately, Jesus heals the wound, healing the severed ear, and then rebukes Peter for his actions. And yet, what is so often overlooked is the reality of the situation. Peter unsheathes his sword and attacks a servant of the high priest; a guard with the authority to defend himself without question, or at the very least to arrest Peter for such an affront. And yet, Peter does so with no repercussions. He attacks him with no retribution, and no penalty aside from the rebuke of Jesus. Even in the face of such a grave offense against a servant of the high priest, Jesus command of “let these go their way” is obeyed.

And this fact serves as a great reminder to we who are in Christ. No matter what crimes we have committed, what transgressions we are guilty of; if we humble ourselves before the Lord, we always have this opportunity for this great mercy; for this forgiveness of God. Jesus has conquered the very power of death, the greatest threat that this world could ever hold over us. He has authority over all things, on earth and in heaven. If we are willing but to empty ourselves of ourselves and seek His mercy, His forgiveness, His grace; there is nothing in this world that will ever again have dominion over us. No sin, no passion, no power in the world can ever have dominion over us, if we but humble ourselves and fall before the Lord, seeking His mercy.

Christ is in our midst.

John 17

The Lord here prays to the Father. To begin, He prays that those He has been given will come to a full knowledge of the Father. It’s important to recognize that this knowledge that He prays for, the full knowledge, is not only what they have learned from studying the Scriptures, but rather all of those things which they have seen, heard, and participated in. We have to remember that at least some of the disciples were knowledgeable about the Scripture. No, much more than mere intellectual knowledge, this full knowledge is an active participation in His life. It’s a bridge where what is to the left is mere study, and to the right is pure sentiment; and the bridge upon which we must maintain our balance is the perfect synergy of the two. It is feeling God actively in your life and participating with Him in His good works, while maintaining our faith and studies so that we will ever be grounded in their truth.

And we see that He prays this pray, to begin with for His disciples, those who were present at that moment, but then also for all those who come to believe. See, it’s so easy for us to be dismissive, to think that these teachings were only for those who were there at the moment, to see the teachings of Jesus as being “out-dated” in our modern world. It’s so tempting to want to claim that only the apostles must love their enemies, that only the apostles will be hated for following Him, that only the apostles needed to pray without ceasing, that only the apostles needed to obey their earthly leaders and rulers. But, He tells us here that this is contrary to His teaching.

Consider this for a moment. We believe that every believer is granted eternal life. John 3:16. And we believe that each person who joins the faith is adopted into this family, the One Body of Chris, the Church. Thus, if all generations are adopted into the same family, and those in the family have everlasting life, then every generation of believer participates in the same life and the same glory of the same God. We all enjoy this unity with God, and as each one of us is joined equally to God, then so too are we joined equally to one another. Hebrews tells us that we are surrounded by “so great a cloud of witnesses,” and those witnesses are those who have entered the kingdom and, while still living in the kingdom, they watch over us. Much as Moses and Elijah returned on the Mount of Transfiguration, because they were not “dead,” so too are all those who have passed before us; for “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

It’s important for us to understand that when we consider those who have gone before us, if we separate ourselves from them, then it’s so easy to separate ourselves from the teachings that they received. When we think of ourselves as being 2000 years removed from the teachings of Jesus, that He spoke to a bunch of people who died 2000 years ago, then it’s easy to consider His teachings to have been solely for them. It’s easy for us who are separated by generations and generations of earthly lineage to distance ourselves from them spiritually, and ultimately, what happens? If St Peter isn’t alive, and I can no longer ask him to pray for me, then what do I truly say about my faith in eternal life? If my worship isn’t me joining in with the heavenly choirs, singing the same songs that we see in Scripture, then what does that say about my belief in heaven? If I believe that those who have passed on before me are no longer present in my life, then what am I saying about my faith in the words of Scripture when I read this passage in Hebrews about the great cloud of witnesses? See, when I separate myself from all of these things, I separate myself from the eternal, everlasting Church and declare that I do not believe that Jesus truly conquered death.

No, rather, when we come to the faith, we are joined to all of these great men and women; all of the saints, the ascetics, the martyrs and confessors; all of these people from all of Church history, and we must remember this fact. Let us look to these great heroes of the faith as our role models, seeking to emulate their lives. St Paul himself commends us, “imitate me, as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). And when we remember that we are joined to the same body as these great men and women, it becomes easier to remember that the teaching that the received is the same teaching that we receive, and when we look to them as our spiritual role models, it’s easier to see how we are to apply those teachings to our lives. When I look to the Western culture, I think about our governmental system. And I don’t agree with much of what happens there. But, then I read the words of Paul and Peter, but telling us to obey the government and have respect for those in authority; and I remember that those words were given during the times of Nero and Diocletian. And, all of a sudden, loving my enemy seems so much easier. Obedience to the government seems so much easier. Praying for those who persecute me seems so much easier. Because rather than considering the time between us, I consider the fact that I am of the same body as they are, and; while persecution may come in many forms, it comes nonetheless. And, as they were able, through the grace of God, to overcome, so can I. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And each of us, according to St John, who is “born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” (1 John 5:4).

May the grace of the Lord be with us all. Christ is in our midst.

John 16

When Jesus reveals to His disciples that He is leaving, Scripture tells us of them that “sorrow has filled their heart.” This sorrow, however, is this extreme grief leading to despondency, which rather than godly mourning is instead a sinful passion. Chrysostom writes of this passion with the warning that “great is the tyranny of despondency.” It is this paralyzing sorrow that leads to sinful inaction. When all hope seems lost, when the world persecutes Christians, at times when God seems so distant, we must fight against this strong passion of despair, finding instead our comfort in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Consider that the disciples knew that Jesus was God, and God had just told them that He was leaving them. How often do we feel that exact feeling in our own lives? How often do we feel as though God was here and suddenly left? And yet, when the disciples felt that way, He assured them that if He didn’t leave them, then the Holy Spirit would not come. And it is the Holy Spirit who brings us this comfort.

Many times in our lives, something will go wrong. And when that happens, most often, our first reaction to it is that God has left us. Sometimes we feel as though He has gone away, or we have grown distant from Him. We have an option, however, as to whether we will sink into this despondency and allow the distance to grow, or find our comfort in the Holy Spirit, knowing that the Lord will neither leave us nor forsake us. It is at the very moment where we feel that way that we must decide whether we will leave and forsake Him, or seek after Him instead. It is at that very moment when our faith is being tested that we must rise up in faith, and seek after Him. And that requires swallowing our pride, falling on our face before the Lord, saying “Lord, I can’t do this on my own, please come and help me.” We so often believe and are taught that God is chasing us, as though He needs us. But, the reality of it, is that the opposite is true. We need God. Thus, if our response to His seeming distance is apathy, then it is so easy for us to turn away from Him, to be lost in this “tyranny of despondency.” However, if we respond in faith, finding our comfort in the Holy Spirit, and continue to seek after Him, then we will be freed from this bond.

And to what end does the Spirit come? “To convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment,” the Scripture tells us. When He comes, He will convict the world of sin, the greatest of which is it’s consummate denial of Christ; in righteousness, which it fails to accept from Jesus; and in judgment, for all who reject Christ are the children of Satan and will receive the same punishment as their father. Scripture tells us of the world, “you are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father, you will do.” (John 8:44-45).

Lastly, Jesus both begins and ends this chapter with multiple warnings of the trials which are to come. It is no consequence that He begins by speaking of the trials to come, warns against the passion of despondency, and then returns to the topic of trials. He wants us to recognize that no matter how bad things may seem, He is always there, and we can always look to the Spirit for comfort. He speaks of being put out of the synagogues, of being persecuted, of being rejected by the world. He speaks of times when people will execute Christians, claiming to do so in God’s name even. He warns of all of these things that we, as His children, will have to endure. And yet, He reminds us to be of good cheer, not to fear any of these things, for He has overcome the world. No matter what our circumstances may be, He is master over all. And while things in this life may seem to be overwhelming, if we constantly turn to Him for comfort and mercy, there is nothing that we can not overcome, never allowing the circumstances of this world to get the better of us.

See, when life is great, we must remember to thank the Lord, for “every great and perfect gift is from above.” However, when things aren’t “going great,” we must also remember to thank Him for these very trials that He allows for the purpose of strengthening our faith. No matter our circumstances, we must always turn to Him, seeking our strength, our refuge, our guidance, and our comfort in Him.

The disciples were disheartened because He had told them that He was leaving them, and then rebuked them for doubting the very plan that He had in store for them. May we not do the same. He allows the good and the bad to happen for a purpose, and though that purpose may not always be clear to us, we must always trust in Him, and turn to Him for comfort and guidance through whatever situation we are in.

Christ is in our midst.