"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you...all these things they will do to you for My name's sake because they do not know Him who sent Me...this happened that the word might be fulfilled,.. 'They hated Me without a cause.'" John 15:18, 21, 25
We often lose sight of the enmity which exists between the world systems and the Kingdom of God. It takes senseless acts of cruelty in the face of God's offered grace and mercy to remind us that the unregenerate heart "is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9), and that left to itself it will trample the Son of God underfoot, count the blood of the covenant as a common thing, and insult the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29). The beginning of the Church's liturgical year provides us a stark comparison between the gift of divine love offered, and the hatred of sinful man blinded in pride and earthly ambition. Consider the Christmas angel's message of "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men," and compare it to the dying screams of toddlers and babies, the broken-hearted wailing of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they were no more. It is no wonder that Paul tells us in II Corinthians 6:14-15 that there can be no covenant between righteousness and lawlessness, between light and darkness, between the temple of God and the idols of Satan. The Church has purposely placed three days of remembrance within the octave of Christmas to remind us that those are truly blessed who "are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). One of those days is Childermas (in its old form), or as we know it today, the remembrance day of the Holy Innocents.
The story is brief enough and found in the gospel of Matthew 2:1-8, 12-18. Herod the Great was troubled about the announcement of the birth of the Lord's anointed in Bethlehem, Who was prophesied to sit on the throne of His father David. Herod the usurper, Herod the ambitious, Herod the ruthless lied to the wise men who brought news to him of this marvelous, long-awaited birth. "Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him bring back word to me that I may come and worship Him also." But God judged the intent of Herod's heart, and sent His angel first to the wise men (warning them not to return to Herod), and then to Joseph (warning him to flee to Egypt because Herod was about to "seek the young Child [Jesus] to destroy Him"). Scripture records that Herod, "when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under." There have been many opinions as to how many gave their lives for the Christ Child that day. The Greek Liturgy sets the number at 14,000. Certain Syrian documents state 64,000. Many medieval interpreters conclude that the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 14:1-5 are these holy innocents "found without guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God." Still others set the number low, pointing out that it did not even warrant a mention by the historian Josephus who certainly chronicled other cruel, hateful acts by Herod the Great during his reign. We may not be able to define the exact extent of the bloodshed, but to illustrate the depth of cruelty and blind ambition in Herod's heart the story concerning Casesar's response to the reports of the massacre may best state it. Augustus Casesar was reported to have remarked that it was "better to be Herod's hog than his son", for at least the Jews prohibited the killing of swine. This quotation was attributed to the report that one of the children under two years of age killed in the Bethlehem slaughter was Herod's own son. This may be an apocryphal application of Augustus' quotation which others believe that he actually said concerning the death of an older son (when Herod was lying on his own death bed he ordered his grown son Antipater to be beheaded because of intrigue against the king). The story's point is illustrative regardless.
It was mentioned earlier that the Church has placed three remembrance days within the octave of Christmas, days set aside to remember the so-called "companions of Christ." These include the remembrance day of St. John the apostle (martyr in will, but not in deed), St. Stephen (martyr in both will and deed), and the Holy Innocents (martyrs in deed, though not in will). In these three instances we see portrayed the full testimony of those who "did not love their life even to death" (Revelation 12:11); from the testimony of the elder father who had known Him from the beginning, to the strength of the young man full of faith and overcoming the devil, and finally to the innocence of babes reflecting the glory of those who inherit the kingdom. The Church, since the time of Irenaeus (2nd century) has ascribed to these holy innocents the title of martyr, for they gave their lives in Christ's stead, giving testimony not by word, but by their blood.
One last piece needs to be added to complete our picture. The evangelist Matthew tells us that the slaughter of the Bethlehem innocents was a fulfillment of the prophecy found in Jeremiah 31:15 "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more." It is at Ramah (north of Bethlehem and Jerusalem) that the tomb of Rachel, ancestress of Israel is found. It was in this region that the remnants of Judah were gathered after the fall of Jerusalem to be led into captivity to Babylon. The prophet said that Rachel wept at the fall of Judah for her lost children, for few would return from judgment. Matthew, under divine inspiration, applies it as well to that time when Herod sought to destroy the Messiah, forcing Him to flee into exile in Egypt for a time. Once more Rachel is said to weep for her sons, once more heartbreak and loss fills the cities of Judah. All of these pieces come together to form this remembrance day which traces its placement in the liturgical calendar of the Church back to the fourth or fifth century when the date for Christmas was also formally established.
We may never be able to explain why the hand of God was not raised to avert this great tragedy. Perhaps it was a foreshadowing of when His own Son's blood would be spilled upon a cross in this same vicinity so that the children of Israel might know at last the freedom from their enemies. Perhaps it was to show the depth of human depravity which required the sending of Jesus Christ to earth to redeem it from the hand of Satan. Perhaps the words of the gospel of Matthew 19:13-14 come closest to communicating the deeper significance of this day. It is there that we will close our narrative. "Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
St. John, the Beloved Disciple, Apostle (Remembrance Day December 27)
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life...that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you may also have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His son Jesus Christ." I John 1:1-3
Disputes over doctrine often form the battleground for denominational religion. Doctrine is important in that it tells us what lies within the Kingdom of God, and what lies outside of its realm. But that makes it more like the fence that surrounds the pasture of the Lord; it is not the pasture itself in which the daily Christian life grows and prospers. Once we are within that pasture, it matters not so much what we believe, as Who it is that we believe in. Life within the pasture is based on relationship to Jesus Christ, and it is devotion, not doctrine, that is the better measure of life within the kingdom. Christ's rebuke of the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:4 is that "you have left your first love." Purity of devotion is never intended to be sacrificed in order to attain purity of doctrine. We are not meant to spend our lives being fence-menders. Our fences of doctrine have been established by the ancient Church since its beginning; it's time to live out the liberty by which Christ has set us free. In every age of the Church there have been those who have possessed an inner delight at having an intimate relationship with their Lord. They have "chosen that good part which will not be taken away from [them]" (John 10:42), that contentment of spirit which comes from sitting at the feet of the Lord. Such a man was John, both an apostle and an evangelist, but better remembered as that "disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 20:2).
John was the son of Zebedee and brother of James the Greater (Matthew 4:21-22). Since he is always mentioned after James in any listing of the two brothers, commentators have concluded that John was the younger of the two. Although he is portrayed in the synoptic gospels as a fisherman, we also know from his own gospel that he was a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:34-40), one of two to which John the Baptist declared "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" as he sent them to follow this new Teacher come from heaven. What we see portrayed of John in the gospels is a man deeply in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, a man whose devotion grows daily as he is accounted worthy of love and trust by the Lord. Consider these Scriptures. John was one of the three (along with Peter and James) who was present at the raising of Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:51), who was on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), who was present at the Lord's agony in prayer in the garden (Matthew 26:37). He and Peter were sent into Jerusalem to prepare the Lord's final passover meal with His disciples (Luke 22:8), during which he sat at the Lord's side leaning back on His chest (John 13:23-25). He was present at the Lord's trial before the Sanhedrin (John 18:15-16), and when it appears that all other of the disciples deserted Jesus for fear of their lives, John stood at the base of His cross and received the mother of Jesus into his care (John 19:25-27). It is no wonder, therefore, that he was one of the first disciples to run to the Lord's grave on Resurrection Day after the news of Mary Magdalene reached them, and was the first disciple to believe that Christ was alive once more (John 20:2-10).
Because of Jesus' words to Peter recorded in John 21:20-23 the rumor was started that John would not see death. What we know of his later life is taken from both scripture and church tradition. We know that he remained in Palestine until Herod's persecution (compare Acts 8:1-2 and 12:1-2). Church tradition tells us that some time after that John went to minister to the churches in Asia Minor which had been started through the ministry of Paul. It is probable that he returned in A.D. 51 with the rest of the apostles for the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-6). Paul referred to John as one of the pillars of the Church (Galatians 2:9), and it is doubtful that he would have been absent from such a gathering. At some time in his mission work, he was arraigned before the Romans for his faith, and tradition tells us that he was immersed into a cauldron of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously delivered. He was subsequently banished to Patmos under the reign of the emperor Domitian (A.D. 81 to 96) and it was on that island that he received the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:9). After Domitian's death, John returned from exile and settled at Ephesus (Jerusalem had been besieged and destroyed by the Romans some 25 years earlier). There are several sources which confirm this. Justin Martyr, writing from Ephesus in the early second century, mentions in the Dialogue with Trypho (Chapter LXXXI) that "there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ..." And Irenaeus, writing in the same era in Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter I Section 1) states that "John, the disciple of the Lord...did himself publish a gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia." According to church records, John died in A.D. 100 at Ephesus, bringing to an end the apostolic age. He was succeeded by his most famous disciple, Polycarp, but that is another story.
His gospel differs from the other three in its nature, with the same difference which devotion has when compared to doctrine. In the three synoptic gospels we have an account of all that Jesus did and taught (as Luke tells us in Acts 1:1). But in John we see the revelation of the person of Jesus Christ, at least insofar as his words were able to communicate that person. Consider the pictures which John paints to describe Him "who dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory..." (John 1:14). To John, Jesus was The Word of God (John 1:1), the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the Second Birth (John 3:1-17), the Living Water (John 4:13-14 & John 7:37-39), the Messiah (John 4:23-26), the Fulfillment of Scripture (John 5:39), the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the Light of the World (John 8:12), the True Liberty (John 8:32,36), the Door of the Sheepfold (John 10:7), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), the Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6), the Humble Servant (John 13:12-17), the True Vine (John 15:1), the Giver of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22-23), the Son of God (John 20:30-31). These are a few of the images of one who knew Jesus, not knew about Him; it is the perspective born of devotion, not doctrine. One last thing can be mentioned of John to further bear this out. The Church has ascribed to him two symbols of his ministry. The first is the eagle which speaks of the heavenly heights which are portrayed in his gospel. The second is the chalice which Jesus told him he would drink of in Matthew 20:23 after his mother asked preference for him and his brother. This speaks of a deep, heart relationship, a "fellowship" as John puts it in our opening scripture, which is "with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." This is the good part which John sought from His Master which is now his eternally to enjoy. May we never confuse our practice of religion with only the mastery of doctrine. It is the depth of relationship to Jesus Christ that we are to seek so that the words of our Lord in John 17:22-24 might be fulfilled for us as they were for John; "...that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in unity, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
Disputes over doctrine often form the battleground for denominational religion. Doctrine is important in that it tells us what lies within the Kingdom of God, and what lies outside of its realm. But that makes it more like the fence that surrounds the pasture of the Lord; it is not the pasture itself in which the daily Christian life grows and prospers. Once we are within that pasture, it matters not so much what we believe, as Who it is that we believe in. Life within the pasture is based on relationship to Jesus Christ, and it is devotion, not doctrine, that is the better measure of life within the kingdom. Christ's rebuke of the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:4 is that "you have left your first love." Purity of devotion is never intended to be sacrificed in order to attain purity of doctrine. We are not meant to spend our lives being fence-menders. Our fences of doctrine have been established by the ancient Church since its beginning; it's time to live out the liberty by which Christ has set us free. In every age of the Church there have been those who have possessed an inner delight at having an intimate relationship with their Lord. They have "chosen that good part which will not be taken away from [them]" (John 10:42), that contentment of spirit which comes from sitting at the feet of the Lord. Such a man was John, both an apostle and an evangelist, but better remembered as that "disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 20:2).
John was the son of Zebedee and brother of James the Greater (Matthew 4:21-22). Since he is always mentioned after James in any listing of the two brothers, commentators have concluded that John was the younger of the two. Although he is portrayed in the synoptic gospels as a fisherman, we also know from his own gospel that he was a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:34-40), one of two to which John the Baptist declared "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" as he sent them to follow this new Teacher come from heaven. What we see portrayed of John in the gospels is a man deeply in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, a man whose devotion grows daily as he is accounted worthy of love and trust by the Lord. Consider these Scriptures. John was one of the three (along with Peter and James) who was present at the raising of Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:51), who was on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), who was present at the Lord's agony in prayer in the garden (Matthew 26:37). He and Peter were sent into Jerusalem to prepare the Lord's final passover meal with His disciples (Luke 22:8), during which he sat at the Lord's side leaning back on His chest (John 13:23-25). He was present at the Lord's trial before the Sanhedrin (John 18:15-16), and when it appears that all other of the disciples deserted Jesus for fear of their lives, John stood at the base of His cross and received the mother of Jesus into his care (John 19:25-27). It is no wonder, therefore, that he was one of the first disciples to run to the Lord's grave on Resurrection Day after the news of Mary Magdalene reached them, and was the first disciple to believe that Christ was alive once more (John 20:2-10).
Because of Jesus' words to Peter recorded in John 21:20-23 the rumor was started that John would not see death. What we know of his later life is taken from both scripture and church tradition. We know that he remained in Palestine until Herod's persecution (compare Acts 8:1-2 and 12:1-2). Church tradition tells us that some time after that John went to minister to the churches in Asia Minor which had been started through the ministry of Paul. It is probable that he returned in A.D. 51 with the rest of the apostles for the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-6). Paul referred to John as one of the pillars of the Church (Galatians 2:9), and it is doubtful that he would have been absent from such a gathering. At some time in his mission work, he was arraigned before the Romans for his faith, and tradition tells us that he was immersed into a cauldron of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously delivered. He was subsequently banished to Patmos under the reign of the emperor Domitian (A.D. 81 to 96) and it was on that island that he received the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:9). After Domitian's death, John returned from exile and settled at Ephesus (Jerusalem had been besieged and destroyed by the Romans some 25 years earlier). There are several sources which confirm this. Justin Martyr, writing from Ephesus in the early second century, mentions in the Dialogue with Trypho (Chapter LXXXI) that "there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ..." And Irenaeus, writing in the same era in Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter I Section 1) states that "John, the disciple of the Lord...did himself publish a gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia." According to church records, John died in A.D. 100 at Ephesus, bringing to an end the apostolic age. He was succeeded by his most famous disciple, Polycarp, but that is another story.
His gospel differs from the other three in its nature, with the same difference which devotion has when compared to doctrine. In the three synoptic gospels we have an account of all that Jesus did and taught (as Luke tells us in Acts 1:1). But in John we see the revelation of the person of Jesus Christ, at least insofar as his words were able to communicate that person. Consider the pictures which John paints to describe Him "who dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory..." (John 1:14). To John, Jesus was The Word of God (John 1:1), the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the Second Birth (John 3:1-17), the Living Water (John 4:13-14 & John 7:37-39), the Messiah (John 4:23-26), the Fulfillment of Scripture (John 5:39), the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the Light of the World (John 8:12), the True Liberty (John 8:32,36), the Door of the Sheepfold (John 10:7), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), the Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6), the Humble Servant (John 13:12-17), the True Vine (John 15:1), the Giver of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22-23), the Son of God (John 20:30-31). These are a few of the images of one who knew Jesus, not knew about Him; it is the perspective born of devotion, not doctrine. One last thing can be mentioned of John to further bear this out. The Church has ascribed to him two symbols of his ministry. The first is the eagle which speaks of the heavenly heights which are portrayed in his gospel. The second is the chalice which Jesus told him he would drink of in Matthew 20:23 after his mother asked preference for him and his brother. This speaks of a deep, heart relationship, a "fellowship" as John puts it in our opening scripture, which is "with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." This is the good part which John sought from His Master which is now his eternally to enjoy. May we never confuse our practice of religion with only the mastery of doctrine. It is the depth of relationship to Jesus Christ that we are to seek so that the words of our Lord in John 17:22-24 might be fulfilled for us as they were for John; "...that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in unity, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
St. Stephen, Martyr (Remembrance Day December 26)
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." Matthew 10:16-20
In a familiar parable (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23) the Lord talked about the shallowness of religion. "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles." That word, stumbles, is better translated, "is offended." A shallow faith is easily ashamed of its religion, is afraid of public censure or opinion. Such a faith has a limit beyond which it will not go even for the love of God. Such a faith is a sorrow to the heart of God, for it has a form of godliness, but denies its power. Yet in every age and in every people there have been those with the depth of faith against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail; those who are willing to overcome "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and that they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 11:11) The Church calls these "martyrs" from the Greek word which means "witness", for by the giving over of their lives these men and women bear powerful witness to the reality of God's promises in Jesus Christ. Such a man was Stephen, first called to wait upon the widow's tables, afterwards sealed to the Lord as the Church's first martyr.
All that we need to know about Stephen is found in Acts 6 and 7. In Acts 6:1-7 we read first that Stephen was one of seven who were chosen by the disciples to oversee the daily distribution of food and alms to the Church's needy. This might seem to us a menial task, but consider that the apostles established the following criteria as necessary to wait upon the Lord's tables of mercy. "Seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom..." One of these was Stephen, a "man full of faith and the Holy Spirit." We can infer that he was a Hellenistic Jew from the dispersion. Only one of the seven chosen was referred to as a proselyte; the others we assume were therefore Jews. Also in Acts 6:8-9 we read that Stephen's preaching was primarily to the Synagogue of the Libertines (the Freedmen). These were probably the children of Jews taken into captivity to Rome by Pompey in 63 BC who had subsequently been freed and returned to Palestine. Stephen disputed with them and "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke." But the word that Stephen spoke was an offense to them, and instead of embracing the truth as he had done, they accused him of blasphemy against the law and God. Stirring up the elders and scribes, they brought him to the Sanhedrin for judgment. Acts 6:15 sets the introduction for his defense. "And all who sat in the council looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel." Such is the power and glory that is given by the Holy Spirit in times such as this.
Acts 7 is Stephen's defense as the high priest asks simply "Are these things so?" With wisdom and true devotion, Stephen recounts as his defense the covenant of Yahweh, laying it out milestone by milestone until we arrive at verse 51. It is at this point that the Holy Spirit rebukes the council through Stephen, calling them stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and ears, resistors of the Holy Spirit, murderers of the prophets, and finally, betrayers of their own Messiah. I said earlier that the preaching of Jesus Christ was the stone of stumbling, the rock of offence. Jesus said of this in Luke 20:18 , "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken [unto salvation]; but on whomever it falls [in judgment], it will grind him to powder." We see those very reactions portrayed for us in the book of Acts. When Peter preached in Acts 2, it records in verse 37 that "when they had heard this, they were cut to the heart and said...'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'" That day 3,000 were added to the Kingdom. But in Acts 7:54, 56 it records that when Stephen spoke, although they were also cut to the heart, this time they gnashed at him with their teeth. Being unable to withstand his words, they stopped their ears, cast him out and stoned him into silence at last. Or so they thought.
Three things are recorded of Stephen's death. First, that he was granted a vision of Jesus Christ standing, not sitting, at the right hand of power; standing, I believe, on his behalf, for "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." (Psalm 116:15). Second, he prays at the last, "Lord, receive my spirit"; and finally, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." We see the Lord's own words from the cross mirrored in Stephen's (Luke 23:34, 46). What better words might a saint of God pray as this world passes away and the Kingdom of God comes clearly into focus? The Council thought they had silenced the testimony of this follower of Jesus, and they used the event as an occasion to begin a widespread persecution of the Church at the hands of Saul. Acts 8:3 "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every home and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison." But the wisdom of men is foolishness before God. Their plans for silencing the testimony resulted in a scattering of the disciples throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). Where there had been one voice crying aloud, now there were hundreds proclaiming the faithful witness of Jesus Christ. Such is the power of the blood of the martyrs.
But now, what of us? What have we done when confronted by this rock of offense, Jesus Christ? His words cut to our heart, it is impossible to ignore them. And when we hear them, we can only have one of two reactions. Either we will cry out "Men and brethren, what must we do to be saved?"; or we will stop up our ears and seek to still the voice which speaks to us. Oh, we may not cast stones at the prophetic voice as the Sanhedrin did, but we will rationalize our lives into a position where we can still retain a semblance of Christianity while remaining comfortably in control of ourselves. Stephen's words resound in rebuke at us if that is our course....Stiff-necked! Uncircumcised in heart! Resistors of the Holy Spirit! His words will haunt us into the courts of eternity. May we therefore never be ashamed of the gospel. As Paul said in Romans 1:16, "it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..." May we choose rather to commit ourselves, whatever the cost, to proclaiming the testimony of our Lord. We live in a world which has their fingers in their ears and is in desperate need of our message. But do not doubt for a minute that the price of martyrdom may be required from our hands in this godless age! If not our lives, then perhaps our livelihood, our reputation, our circle of friends. If it comes let us not fear it, for the Son of God will stand for us on that day as He did for Stephen.
In a familiar parable (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23) the Lord talked about the shallowness of religion. "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles." That word, stumbles, is better translated, "is offended." A shallow faith is easily ashamed of its religion, is afraid of public censure or opinion. Such a faith has a limit beyond which it will not go even for the love of God. Such a faith is a sorrow to the heart of God, for it has a form of godliness, but denies its power. Yet in every age and in every people there have been those with the depth of faith against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail; those who are willing to overcome "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and that they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 11:11) The Church calls these "martyrs" from the Greek word which means "witness", for by the giving over of their lives these men and women bear powerful witness to the reality of God's promises in Jesus Christ. Such a man was Stephen, first called to wait upon the widow's tables, afterwards sealed to the Lord as the Church's first martyr.
All that we need to know about Stephen is found in Acts 6 and 7. In Acts 6:1-7 we read first that Stephen was one of seven who were chosen by the disciples to oversee the daily distribution of food and alms to the Church's needy. This might seem to us a menial task, but consider that the apostles established the following criteria as necessary to wait upon the Lord's tables of mercy. "Seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom..." One of these was Stephen, a "man full of faith and the Holy Spirit." We can infer that he was a Hellenistic Jew from the dispersion. Only one of the seven chosen was referred to as a proselyte; the others we assume were therefore Jews. Also in Acts 6:8-9 we read that Stephen's preaching was primarily to the Synagogue of the Libertines (the Freedmen). These were probably the children of Jews taken into captivity to Rome by Pompey in 63 BC who had subsequently been freed and returned to Palestine. Stephen disputed with them and "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke." But the word that Stephen spoke was an offense to them, and instead of embracing the truth as he had done, they accused him of blasphemy against the law and God. Stirring up the elders and scribes, they brought him to the Sanhedrin for judgment. Acts 6:15 sets the introduction for his defense. "And all who sat in the council looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel." Such is the power and glory that is given by the Holy Spirit in times such as this.
Acts 7 is Stephen's defense as the high priest asks simply "Are these things so?" With wisdom and true devotion, Stephen recounts as his defense the covenant of Yahweh, laying it out milestone by milestone until we arrive at verse 51. It is at this point that the Holy Spirit rebukes the council through Stephen, calling them stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and ears, resistors of the Holy Spirit, murderers of the prophets, and finally, betrayers of their own Messiah. I said earlier that the preaching of Jesus Christ was the stone of stumbling, the rock of offence. Jesus said of this in Luke 20:18 , "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken [unto salvation]; but on whomever it falls [in judgment], it will grind him to powder." We see those very reactions portrayed for us in the book of Acts. When Peter preached in Acts 2, it records in verse 37 that "when they had heard this, they were cut to the heart and said...'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'" That day 3,000 were added to the Kingdom. But in Acts 7:54, 56 it records that when Stephen spoke, although they were also cut to the heart, this time they gnashed at him with their teeth. Being unable to withstand his words, they stopped their ears, cast him out and stoned him into silence at last. Or so they thought.
Three things are recorded of Stephen's death. First, that he was granted a vision of Jesus Christ standing, not sitting, at the right hand of power; standing, I believe, on his behalf, for "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." (Psalm 116:15). Second, he prays at the last, "Lord, receive my spirit"; and finally, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." We see the Lord's own words from the cross mirrored in Stephen's (Luke 23:34, 46). What better words might a saint of God pray as this world passes away and the Kingdom of God comes clearly into focus? The Council thought they had silenced the testimony of this follower of Jesus, and they used the event as an occasion to begin a widespread persecution of the Church at the hands of Saul. Acts 8:3 "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every home and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison." But the wisdom of men is foolishness before God. Their plans for silencing the testimony resulted in a scattering of the disciples throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). Where there had been one voice crying aloud, now there were hundreds proclaiming the faithful witness of Jesus Christ. Such is the power of the blood of the martyrs.
But now, what of us? What have we done when confronted by this rock of offense, Jesus Christ? His words cut to our heart, it is impossible to ignore them. And when we hear them, we can only have one of two reactions. Either we will cry out "Men and brethren, what must we do to be saved?"; or we will stop up our ears and seek to still the voice which speaks to us. Oh, we may not cast stones at the prophetic voice as the Sanhedrin did, but we will rationalize our lives into a position where we can still retain a semblance of Christianity while remaining comfortably in control of ourselves. Stephen's words resound in rebuke at us if that is our course....Stiff-necked! Uncircumcised in heart! Resistors of the Holy Spirit! His words will haunt us into the courts of eternity. May we therefore never be ashamed of the gospel. As Paul said in Romans 1:16, "it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..." May we choose rather to commit ourselves, whatever the cost, to proclaiming the testimony of our Lord. We live in a world which has their fingers in their ears and is in desperate need of our message. But do not doubt for a minute that the price of martyrdom may be required from our hands in this godless age! If not our lives, then perhaps our livelihood, our reputation, our circle of friends. If it comes let us not fear it, for the Son of God will stand for us on that day as He did for Stephen.
Advent, The Preparation Days of Christmas
"...But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Galatians 4:4-5
There have always been two opinions present in the world concerning God and His involvement in our world. The first is expressed in II Peter 3:3-4, "...know this first, that scoffers will come in the last days...saying 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.'" The world has little use for God under the best of conditions, and it certainly has no interest in a God that has promised some day to intervene by separating wickedness from righteousness and by bringing in a judgment which will forever bind the spiritual forces of evil in order that the Kingdom of heaven might be manifest. The second is expressed a little further on in II Peter 3:11-13 where it proclaims "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." To the first group, the Day of Yahweh (the covenant God) is a religious fable; to the second group it is the sure promise of God that the day of their salvation has come. The difference in perspective is critical. It can mean missing the presence of the Lord and His Kingdom as it had for the Jews at the first coming of the Lord. Luke 10:41-44 "If you had known...the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes....because you did not know the time of your visitation." Or it can mean receiving the fullness of God's salvation at His appearing as it says in Luke 21:28, "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is near." The season of Advent is given to us so that we might examine our hearts to see which of the two opinions holds sway within us, for the season of Christmas can either be a season of light and grace (a blessed Christmas), or it remains only a season of merchandising and nuisance (a Bah, Humbug!).
The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means a coming or arrival. It was used in the pagan nations to herald the official visit of important dignitaries or rulers. It was also used to indicate the annual observances and ceremonies in the various temples of the gods. It is an especially good word for the Church to use for in this season we remember the birth of Jesus Christ who is worthy of our homage as the King of Kings, and worthy of our worship as God the Son. Two themes are interwoven throughout the season. The first is penitence and preparation as the season reminds us that we are not all that we should be, that our lives, no matter how we may fill them up, are still empty at their core if we do not first acknowledge our need for God. This theme is visually portrayed to us by the use of the liturgical color violet, the Church's color of penitence and self-examination. The second theme, however, is that of joyful hope and expectation of fulfillment as the season reminds us that God's promises are made "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus Christ. This theme is woven in by the use of the liturgical color rose on Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent.
The tradition of observing four Sundays prior to Christmas Day is ancient within the Church. It is first found in the liturgical books of Spain and France as far back as the fourth century and appears to have made its way to the Roman Church by the fifth century. Although it had some of the elements of a solemn preparation for the Holy Day of Christmas, it was not of the same penitential attitude of the season of Lent. It was better characterized as a season of "joyful preparation" as we mentioned above. By the thirteenth century it appears to have been universally adopted for use within the Church. Some liturgical interpreters have said that the four weeks of Advent are intended to remind us of the 4,000 years of darkness in which the world walked after the sin of Adam and prior to the coming of the light of Christ to dispel that darkness. That certainly expresses the true significance of Christmas Day which we look forward to throughout the season. The season is fixed and variable at the same time; fixed in the sense that it is always the four Sundays immediately preceding Christmas Day, variable in the sense that it moves about on the secular calendar with the first Sunday being the one nearest to the Remembrance Day of St. Andrew. For the Church it marks the beginning of its liturgical year reminding us that we walk according to a time-table which celebrates the works of God's salvation and not just the marking of time in the world.
The four Sundays have their own individual sub-themes as well, as expressed in the prayers and scriptural readings for the day. On the first Sunday of Advent we stir up within our hearts both self-examination and longing. We remember the true condition of our hearts without God, and we cry out with the Apostle Paul in a sense of helplessness "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24-25). The answer comes to us in a moment, "I thank God --through Jesus Christ our Lord!" As we light the first candle on the Advent wreath may we recall when God first kindled the light of life in our hearts. May it shine forth brighter each day that we live. On the second Sunday of Advent we recall the true depth of humility that was portrayed to us in Jesus Christ "Who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men..." ( Philippians 2:5-8) We recall further, that true humility is the entrance-way to the Kingdom. As we light the second candle may we add humility to the light of salvation, for it is the doorway to Heaven; and by it we will shine as the lights of the world. On the third Sunday of Advent we remember that for all His humility and submission to the Father's will, Jesus is still the Christ, God's anointed, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As He came in humility that first Christmas, so He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. As it says in Revelation 19:11-16, "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True...His name is called The Word of God...and He has on His robe...a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords." The mystery of God's salvation is, after all as Paul said in Colossians 1:27 "Christ in you, the hope of glory." As we light the third candle, may we add this hope of glory to our humility and salvation that it might be a lamp to light our way home. And on the fourth Sunday of Advent we at last prepare our hearts to make a straight way for the Lord on the day of our visitation as it says in Isaiah 40:3-5 "Every valley shall be exalted,....every mountain shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places made smooth." When once our heart is prepared in this way then "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed". As we light the last candle and see them all burning may we recall the fulfillment of Christ's love and the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us. As these candles say "Complete" may we also be completely ready to receive Him anew in this season.
We must be the people of God who looks for and hastens the day of His second coming by our prayers, our hopes, our lives of godliness and righteousness. May our attitude in this Advent season reflect that which is recorded by the Apostle John in Revelation 22:17-21, "...the Spirit and the bride [the Church of Jesus Christ] say 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely....He [Jesus Christ] Who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen [that is, let it be so]. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!."
There have always been two opinions present in the world concerning God and His involvement in our world. The first is expressed in II Peter 3:3-4, "...know this first, that scoffers will come in the last days...saying 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.'" The world has little use for God under the best of conditions, and it certainly has no interest in a God that has promised some day to intervene by separating wickedness from righteousness and by bringing in a judgment which will forever bind the spiritual forces of evil in order that the Kingdom of heaven might be manifest. The second is expressed a little further on in II Peter 3:11-13 where it proclaims "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." To the first group, the Day of Yahweh (the covenant God) is a religious fable; to the second group it is the sure promise of God that the day of their salvation has come. The difference in perspective is critical. It can mean missing the presence of the Lord and His Kingdom as it had for the Jews at the first coming of the Lord. Luke 10:41-44 "If you had known...the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes....because you did not know the time of your visitation." Or it can mean receiving the fullness of God's salvation at His appearing as it says in Luke 21:28, "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is near." The season of Advent is given to us so that we might examine our hearts to see which of the two opinions holds sway within us, for the season of Christmas can either be a season of light and grace (a blessed Christmas), or it remains only a season of merchandising and nuisance (a Bah, Humbug!).
The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means a coming or arrival. It was used in the pagan nations to herald the official visit of important dignitaries or rulers. It was also used to indicate the annual observances and ceremonies in the various temples of the gods. It is an especially good word for the Church to use for in this season we remember the birth of Jesus Christ who is worthy of our homage as the King of Kings, and worthy of our worship as God the Son. Two themes are interwoven throughout the season. The first is penitence and preparation as the season reminds us that we are not all that we should be, that our lives, no matter how we may fill them up, are still empty at their core if we do not first acknowledge our need for God. This theme is visually portrayed to us by the use of the liturgical color violet, the Church's color of penitence and self-examination. The second theme, however, is that of joyful hope and expectation of fulfillment as the season reminds us that God's promises are made "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus Christ. This theme is woven in by the use of the liturgical color rose on Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent.
The tradition of observing four Sundays prior to Christmas Day is ancient within the Church. It is first found in the liturgical books of Spain and France as far back as the fourth century and appears to have made its way to the Roman Church by the fifth century. Although it had some of the elements of a solemn preparation for the Holy Day of Christmas, it was not of the same penitential attitude of the season of Lent. It was better characterized as a season of "joyful preparation" as we mentioned above. By the thirteenth century it appears to have been universally adopted for use within the Church. Some liturgical interpreters have said that the four weeks of Advent are intended to remind us of the 4,000 years of darkness in which the world walked after the sin of Adam and prior to the coming of the light of Christ to dispel that darkness. That certainly expresses the true significance of Christmas Day which we look forward to throughout the season. The season is fixed and variable at the same time; fixed in the sense that it is always the four Sundays immediately preceding Christmas Day, variable in the sense that it moves about on the secular calendar with the first Sunday being the one nearest to the Remembrance Day of St. Andrew. For the Church it marks the beginning of its liturgical year reminding us that we walk according to a time-table which celebrates the works of God's salvation and not just the marking of time in the world.
The four Sundays have their own individual sub-themes as well, as expressed in the prayers and scriptural readings for the day. On the first Sunday of Advent we stir up within our hearts both self-examination and longing. We remember the true condition of our hearts without God, and we cry out with the Apostle Paul in a sense of helplessness "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24-25). The answer comes to us in a moment, "I thank God --through Jesus Christ our Lord!" As we light the first candle on the Advent wreath may we recall when God first kindled the light of life in our hearts. May it shine forth brighter each day that we live. On the second Sunday of Advent we recall the true depth of humility that was portrayed to us in Jesus Christ "Who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men..." ( Philippians 2:5-8) We recall further, that true humility is the entrance-way to the Kingdom. As we light the second candle may we add humility to the light of salvation, for it is the doorway to Heaven; and by it we will shine as the lights of the world. On the third Sunday of Advent we remember that for all His humility and submission to the Father's will, Jesus is still the Christ, God's anointed, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As He came in humility that first Christmas, so He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. As it says in Revelation 19:11-16, "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True...His name is called The Word of God...and He has on His robe...a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords." The mystery of God's salvation is, after all as Paul said in Colossians 1:27 "Christ in you, the hope of glory." As we light the third candle, may we add this hope of glory to our humility and salvation that it might be a lamp to light our way home. And on the fourth Sunday of Advent we at last prepare our hearts to make a straight way for the Lord on the day of our visitation as it says in Isaiah 40:3-5 "Every valley shall be exalted,....every mountain shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places made smooth." When once our heart is prepared in this way then "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed". As we light the last candle and see them all burning may we recall the fulfillment of Christ's love and the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us. As these candles say "Complete" may we also be completely ready to receive Him anew in this season.
We must be the people of God who looks for and hastens the day of His second coming by our prayers, our hopes, our lives of godliness and righteousness. May our attitude in this Advent season reflect that which is recorded by the Apostle John in Revelation 22:17-21, "...the Spirit and the bride [the Church of Jesus Christ] say 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely....He [Jesus Christ] Who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen [that is, let it be so]. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!."
St. Andrew, Apostle (Remembrance Day November 30)
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said 'Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of Whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'....' I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon Whom you see the spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.'" John 1:29-34
In the world's systems of philosophy and science, the appeal based on authority is considered one of the weakest forms of argument. "Show me, prove it to me, let me experience it" demands the world! To believe or hold to something simply because someone else tells you it is true, or that it is right to do so is held to be nonsense, absolute foolishness. But in the Kingdom of God, authority is considered to be one of the strongest forms of evidence, for the authority of the Kingdom is God Himself. The scripture clearly states in Romans 3:4 "Indeed let God be true, but every man a liar." The scholars of the world may scoff at the man who walks by faith and not by knowledge or sight. "A simpleton!", they will call him. So be it. In every age, in every nation there have been those men who have heard the voice of God's authority speak, and have instantly been made more certain of the truth than if they had pursued it in the universities for their entire life. Their faith is not only diametrically opposed to the wisdom of the world, but becomes the power of the Kingdom against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail. For this reason it was said of these men of faith that they "have turned the world upside down..." Acts 17:6. Such a man was Andrew, one of the first to be called by the authority of Jesus Christ.
The earliest account which we have of Andrew is in the gospel of John. In John 1:35-40 we discover that he was a disciple of John the Baptist until the day when the Baptist pointed to another and simply said "Behold the Lamb of God." He hurried after Jesus until the Lord turned and asked "What do you seek?" What a question! How could he express the hopes, the dreams the desires of his heart which had been inflamed by the preaching of the Baptist and which now seemed so close to fulfillment? His initial response was guarded at first, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" But the Lord's acceptance ("Come and see") of his simple response was soon translated into a more certain declaration as Andrew later declared to his brother, Simon Peter, "We have found the Messiah". From Matthew 4:18-20 we read that he was a fisherman in partnership with his brother. In John 1:44 we learn that he had originally been born in Bethsaida, a city on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, but that he now resided at Capernaum (as shown in Mark 1:21, 29).
The lists of the apostles (such as in Matthew 10:2-4) always list Andrew among the first group of four named. That this is more than a numbering convention but one of divine ordination is seen in Mark 13:3 where that same first group of four, Peter, Andrew, James and John are taught privately of the end of the age by Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives. What we see foremost in the scattered gospel accounts where Andrew's name is mentioned is an unwavering faith which found its birth in the declaration of the Baptist at the Jordan, and which found its fulfillment again and again in the travels throughout Judea, Perea, Decapolis, Galilee. Wherever the Lord led, His first words to Andrew, "Come and see", provided the backdrop for greater revelations of the Son of God. Andrew's testimony is ever the same "We have found the Messiah!" Consider the account in John 6:8-9 where the Lord looks upon the great multitude and says "Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?" The disciples were dismayed, they were in favor of sending the crowds away to forage as best as they could in the surrounding towns. It is interesting to note that all four gospels record this event, but only the gospel of John (who was the second of the disciples of the Baptist who ran after Jesus with Andrew) states that it was Andrew who responded with what faith he had in the person and power of Jesus Christ. "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Perhaps he hoped in his heart, but was afraid to speak out his convictions as he had been afraid on that first day by the Jordan, that Jesus Christ would say "In my hands they are sufficient for the task at hand." Again in John 12:20-22 it is Andrew who is one of those who bring word to the Lord that certain Greeks had come who wished to see Him. Andrew had found that pearl of great price of which the scripture speaks, and wherever the Lord was to be found, we may expect that Andrew would surely not be far from Him.
The accounts in the Church Fathers writing in the second to fifth centuries ascribe an active ministry to him. Origen credits the mission field of Scythia to Andrew. Gregory Nazianus lists Epirus; Jerome, Achaia; Theodoret, Helgas. There is some truth in all of these, for Nicephorous compiles still larger a sphere by listing Cappadocia, Galatia, Bithynia, Scythia, Byzantium, Macedonia, Thessaly, and Achaia. Most accounts are in agreement that in A.D. 60 he was martyred by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross in Patras of Achaia by the Roman Governor Aegeas. Tradition tells us that he was bound to the cross, not nailed, that his suffering might therefore be prolonged.
Let's return to our original starting point. The world equates faith with willful ignorance, humility with weakness, submission to divine authority with superstition. There can be no reconciliation of the world's wisdom with true religion, nor should there be. Paul challenged the scoffers to their face in I Corinthians 1:20 "Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" He was much softer in his criticism than Jesus Christ was, for the Lord spoke of them in Matthew 15:14 in this manner, "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." But Andrew was a man who submitted to divine authority without hesitation. He had sat at the feet of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives and heard Him solemnly warn "Take heed that no one deceive you!" Mark 13:5 He was not fearful to cast off everything that he had held dear whether it was the knowledge and ways of the world, or the comfort and assurance of his Hebrew religion in order to seek out that one thing for which his heart had always yearned. And his simple testimony still rings with power even today. It was sufficient for the challenges of his discipleship whether it required him to believe that 5,000 men could be fed with five loaves, or whether it kept him unbroken in his conviction on the cross of martyrdom. "I have found the Messiah." May our faith be as simple and unshakable as this.
In the world's systems of philosophy and science, the appeal based on authority is considered one of the weakest forms of argument. "Show me, prove it to me, let me experience it" demands the world! To believe or hold to something simply because someone else tells you it is true, or that it is right to do so is held to be nonsense, absolute foolishness. But in the Kingdom of God, authority is considered to be one of the strongest forms of evidence, for the authority of the Kingdom is God Himself. The scripture clearly states in Romans 3:4 "Indeed let God be true, but every man a liar." The scholars of the world may scoff at the man who walks by faith and not by knowledge or sight. "A simpleton!", they will call him. So be it. In every age, in every nation there have been those men who have heard the voice of God's authority speak, and have instantly been made more certain of the truth than if they had pursued it in the universities for their entire life. Their faith is not only diametrically opposed to the wisdom of the world, but becomes the power of the Kingdom against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail. For this reason it was said of these men of faith that they "have turned the world upside down..." Acts 17:6. Such a man was Andrew, one of the first to be called by the authority of Jesus Christ.
The earliest account which we have of Andrew is in the gospel of John. In John 1:35-40 we discover that he was a disciple of John the Baptist until the day when the Baptist pointed to another and simply said "Behold the Lamb of God." He hurried after Jesus until the Lord turned and asked "What do you seek?" What a question! How could he express the hopes, the dreams the desires of his heart which had been inflamed by the preaching of the Baptist and which now seemed so close to fulfillment? His initial response was guarded at first, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" But the Lord's acceptance ("Come and see") of his simple response was soon translated into a more certain declaration as Andrew later declared to his brother, Simon Peter, "We have found the Messiah". From Matthew 4:18-20 we read that he was a fisherman in partnership with his brother. In John 1:44 we learn that he had originally been born in Bethsaida, a city on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, but that he now resided at Capernaum (as shown in Mark 1:21, 29).
The lists of the apostles (such as in Matthew 10:2-4) always list Andrew among the first group of four named. That this is more than a numbering convention but one of divine ordination is seen in Mark 13:3 where that same first group of four, Peter, Andrew, James and John are taught privately of the end of the age by Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives. What we see foremost in the scattered gospel accounts where Andrew's name is mentioned is an unwavering faith which found its birth in the declaration of the Baptist at the Jordan, and which found its fulfillment again and again in the travels throughout Judea, Perea, Decapolis, Galilee. Wherever the Lord led, His first words to Andrew, "Come and see", provided the backdrop for greater revelations of the Son of God. Andrew's testimony is ever the same "We have found the Messiah!" Consider the account in John 6:8-9 where the Lord looks upon the great multitude and says "Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?" The disciples were dismayed, they were in favor of sending the crowds away to forage as best as they could in the surrounding towns. It is interesting to note that all four gospels record this event, but only the gospel of John (who was the second of the disciples of the Baptist who ran after Jesus with Andrew) states that it was Andrew who responded with what faith he had in the person and power of Jesus Christ. "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Perhaps he hoped in his heart, but was afraid to speak out his convictions as he had been afraid on that first day by the Jordan, that Jesus Christ would say "In my hands they are sufficient for the task at hand." Again in John 12:20-22 it is Andrew who is one of those who bring word to the Lord that certain Greeks had come who wished to see Him. Andrew had found that pearl of great price of which the scripture speaks, and wherever the Lord was to be found, we may expect that Andrew would surely not be far from Him.
The accounts in the Church Fathers writing in the second to fifth centuries ascribe an active ministry to him. Origen credits the mission field of Scythia to Andrew. Gregory Nazianus lists Epirus; Jerome, Achaia; Theodoret, Helgas. There is some truth in all of these, for Nicephorous compiles still larger a sphere by listing Cappadocia, Galatia, Bithynia, Scythia, Byzantium, Macedonia, Thessaly, and Achaia. Most accounts are in agreement that in A.D. 60 he was martyred by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross in Patras of Achaia by the Roman Governor Aegeas. Tradition tells us that he was bound to the cross, not nailed, that his suffering might therefore be prolonged.
Let's return to our original starting point. The world equates faith with willful ignorance, humility with weakness, submission to divine authority with superstition. There can be no reconciliation of the world's wisdom with true religion, nor should there be. Paul challenged the scoffers to their face in I Corinthians 1:20 "Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" He was much softer in his criticism than Jesus Christ was, for the Lord spoke of them in Matthew 15:14 in this manner, "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." But Andrew was a man who submitted to divine authority without hesitation. He had sat at the feet of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives and heard Him solemnly warn "Take heed that no one deceive you!" Mark 13:5 He was not fearful to cast off everything that he had held dear whether it was the knowledge and ways of the world, or the comfort and assurance of his Hebrew religion in order to seek out that one thing for which his heart had always yearned. And his simple testimony still rings with power even today. It was sufficient for the challenges of his discipleship whether it required him to believe that 5,000 men could be fed with five loaves, or whether it kept him unbroken in his conviction on the cross of martyrdom. "I have found the Messiah." May our faith be as simple and unshakable as this.
Monday, November 8, 2010
All Saints Day (November 1)
"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'" Revelation 7:9-10
One of the greatest weaknesses in any society occurs when it can no longer differentiate between the sacred and the secular, the divine and the commonplace, the holy and the profane. God severely rebuked His priesthood for this very failing in Ezekiel 22:9, 26 "You have despised My holy things...her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things. They have not distinguished between the holy and the unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean..." When this difference is lost, sin becomes acceptable and even fashionable, the things of God become objects of contempt, society casts off restraint. You will notice that the duty entrusted to the priesthood was to maintain and instruct the people in this clear difference. For this reason, the Church has always believed that God is able to sanctify (that is, to make holy) time, things, places and people. And one of the days that is set aside in the liturgical calendar to recognize this divine action is All Saints Day.
In order to understand the significance of a day dedicated to the remembrance of all saints, it is first necessary to understand what it means to be a saint. This is a word which is used in both the Old and New Testaments. In Psalm 16:3 it declares "And to the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight." Or in Jude 14 it states "Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints..." In both Old and New Testaments, the word saint is derived from other words which help us to understand the depth of divine meaning in the designation. In the Old Testament, saint derives from a word which means sacred. When it is used as a verb, to sanctify, it refers to those things, places or people which are set aside for use in the worship of God. A reading of the Old Testament Torah gives us the very clear picture that such objects, places or people are set aside as belonging to God. As such, they are to be used solely by Him for His purposes, in the way He sees fit. In the New Testament, saint derives from a word which means the holy ones, those separated out of the world to be a holy people unto the Lord. We need only compare the descriptions in I Peter 2:4-5; 9-10 with Exodus 19:5-6 to see the consistency of God's calling throughout the entire scripture record.
And its just at this point that we start to understand what it means to be a saint of God. It has nothing to do with attainment, something or some place for which we have worked or disciplined ourselves. It has everything to do with calling. It is that state in which we find ourselves when God's grace has called us out of the world and translated us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son. That is why Paul addresses some of his epistles to "all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints..." (Romans 1:7) or "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord..." (I Corinthians 1:2). It's no wonder that Paul urged the Church to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to the world...." (Romans 12:1-2). It was nothing more than what was expected of them in their calling! He speaks even more clearly in I Corinthians 6:19-20 "...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
Now the Church has set aside November 1 near the end of the liturgical year to celebrate the remembrance of all the saints of God. Throughout the year there have been Remembrance Days in which specific saints are remembered who have had a special or important place in the foundation of God's continuing work of salvation through the Church, but on this day, the day of all saints, we remember every member of the Church triumphant (those saints who have passed on to glory) and renew unity with every member of the Church militant (those of the brethren who yet contend for the faith upon the earth). The day is intended to remind us that when we gather as the Church we "have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things..." Hebrews 12:22-24. Concerning the history of All Saints Day, it has been celebrated in the Church dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries, and was formally added to the liturgical calendar by the bishop of Rome in AD 610. But as we have already pointed out this formal declaration was only the recognition by the Church of a work which had been decreed and brought to pass by God in the calling of His people.
Sacred or secular, Holy or profane. The world may downplay or even deny such distinctions as being outdated, but it is upon these distinctions that God has founded His Kingdom. For the record of scripture is clear "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." Leviticus 19:2 God has never changed, the calling has never changed, it is only the hearts of men who no longer have a clear understanding of the unclean and the clean. May we, the saints of God, raise up that standard once more in order that our history, the things which fill our lives, the places in which we dwell, and the people of our communities may once more become consecrated to the service and use of God.
One of the greatest weaknesses in any society occurs when it can no longer differentiate between the sacred and the secular, the divine and the commonplace, the holy and the profane. God severely rebuked His priesthood for this very failing in Ezekiel 22:9, 26 "You have despised My holy things...her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things. They have not distinguished between the holy and the unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean..." When this difference is lost, sin becomes acceptable and even fashionable, the things of God become objects of contempt, society casts off restraint. You will notice that the duty entrusted to the priesthood was to maintain and instruct the people in this clear difference. For this reason, the Church has always believed that God is able to sanctify (that is, to make holy) time, things, places and people. And one of the days that is set aside in the liturgical calendar to recognize this divine action is All Saints Day.
In order to understand the significance of a day dedicated to the remembrance of all saints, it is first necessary to understand what it means to be a saint. This is a word which is used in both the Old and New Testaments. In Psalm 16:3 it declares "And to the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight." Or in Jude 14 it states "Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints..." In both Old and New Testaments, the word saint is derived from other words which help us to understand the depth of divine meaning in the designation. In the Old Testament, saint derives from a word which means sacred. When it is used as a verb, to sanctify, it refers to those things, places or people which are set aside for use in the worship of God. A reading of the Old Testament Torah gives us the very clear picture that such objects, places or people are set aside as belonging to God. As such, they are to be used solely by Him for His purposes, in the way He sees fit. In the New Testament, saint derives from a word which means the holy ones, those separated out of the world to be a holy people unto the Lord. We need only compare the descriptions in I Peter 2:4-5; 9-10 with Exodus 19:5-6 to see the consistency of God's calling throughout the entire scripture record.
And its just at this point that we start to understand what it means to be a saint of God. It has nothing to do with attainment, something or some place for which we have worked or disciplined ourselves. It has everything to do with calling. It is that state in which we find ourselves when God's grace has called us out of the world and translated us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son. That is why Paul addresses some of his epistles to "all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints..." (Romans 1:7) or "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord..." (I Corinthians 1:2). It's no wonder that Paul urged the Church to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to the world...." (Romans 12:1-2). It was nothing more than what was expected of them in their calling! He speaks even more clearly in I Corinthians 6:19-20 "...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
Now the Church has set aside November 1 near the end of the liturgical year to celebrate the remembrance of all the saints of God. Throughout the year there have been Remembrance Days in which specific saints are remembered who have had a special or important place in the foundation of God's continuing work of salvation through the Church, but on this day, the day of all saints, we remember every member of the Church triumphant (those saints who have passed on to glory) and renew unity with every member of the Church militant (those of the brethren who yet contend for the faith upon the earth). The day is intended to remind us that when we gather as the Church we "have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things..." Hebrews 12:22-24. Concerning the history of All Saints Day, it has been celebrated in the Church dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries, and was formally added to the liturgical calendar by the bishop of Rome in AD 610. But as we have already pointed out this formal declaration was only the recognition by the Church of a work which had been decreed and brought to pass by God in the calling of His people.
Sacred or secular, Holy or profane. The world may downplay or even deny such distinctions as being outdated, but it is upon these distinctions that God has founded His Kingdom. For the record of scripture is clear "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." Leviticus 19:2 God has never changed, the calling has never changed, it is only the hearts of men who no longer have a clear understanding of the unclean and the clean. May we, the saints of God, raise up that standard once more in order that our history, the things which fill our lives, the places in which we dwell, and the people of our communities may once more become consecrated to the service and use of God.
Sts. Simeon and Jude, Apostles (Remembrance Day October 28)
"Now, therefore, you are....fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22
Let us make no mistake about it, the world and the Kingdom of God are at war with each other, and it is a war to the death. No quarter can be given for eternity hangs in the balance. Such a struggle is inevitable, for the world holds a philosophy which is anathema to the Kingdom, and it moves with means and methods that are not worthy of the high calling of the gospel. It's easy to spot worldliness, but the opposite, that it should also be easy to spot kingdom-ness, is not always true. We would expect the kingdom to stand out with a luster and shine that would draw all men to its revelation. But consider what Paul states simply in II Corinthians 4:7 that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." We know what men of power and ambition look like, our entire society is filled with such movers and shakers. But we have so very poor an understanding of what spiritual men of power are, most would not even attract a second glance from us. Paul describes the apostles in I Corinthians 4:9-13, and it is upon this "offscouring of all things" that Christ chose to found His Kingdom. The world would see no sense in such an action, but Paul explains in I Corinthians 1:27-31 that "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things of the mighty....and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are..." I'm afraid that in our world today, if Jesus Christ advertised in the classifieds for apostles using Paul's job description, very few would vie for the position. Let us be thankful, however, that in an age when apostate religion and military might held tenuous sway over the empire, and when spiritual darkness bound men's hearts in chains that none could break, that twelve men came forward to answer that call. Two such men were Simon the zealot, and Jude, the brother of James.
The scriptural and historical records of the Church are sketchy at best concerning these two men, but let's piece together what is available so that we can at least become acquainted with these foundation stones of the Church. Simon is referred to as the Cananites in Matthew 10:4 and Mark 3:18, and as Zealotes in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13 to distinguish him from Simon Peter, and from St. Symeon, the brother of James, the Lesser. These surnames are both translations of a Hebrew word which means "the zealous" and refers to the attitude of his heart before the Lord and His law. It does not indicate the place of his residence or his political affiliation as some early interpreters were quick to conclude. Beyond this little else is known. Traditions claim that he preached in Egypt and was later joined by St. Jude who was preaching in the Mesopotamian area. Together they traveled to Persia where they were martyred for their faithful witness of Jesus Christ. The symbol of St. Simon is the saw, for tradition ascribes his martyrdom to being sawn apart.
We know that St. Jude was also called Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddeus (from Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18) and that he was also called Judas, identified as the brother of James (Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13). From these scriptures we can draw some other conclusions. The first is that this is the same Jude who wrote the short epistle and who identifies himself in Jude 1 simply as "as servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." The second is that the brother James whom he refers to is none other than James, the bishop of the Church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:13) whom Paul refers to as "the Lord's brother" in Galatians 1:19. This would lead us to conclude that James and Jude are mentioned in Matthew 13:55 when the crowd wonders aloud of Jesus "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?" The whole question of exactly how he was related to the Lord is difficult to sort out and not without complications. Eusebius, in his History of the Church, Book III, Sections 19, 20 and 22 quotes Hegessipus as declaring that Jude "was said to have been the brother of the Lord according to the flesh." We will take his statement at its face value and not try to interpret it any further. Jude's name is associated with preaching in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria and Mesopotamia. According to Eusebius' record, he returned to Jerusalem in 62 A.D. after the martyrdom of James (his brother) at the hand of the Jewish party, and helped to elect another brother, Symeon, as the second bishop of the Church at Jerusalem. The internal evidence of the epistle of Jude suggests that it was written around this time, probably from Jerusalem, and was addressed primarily to Hebrew converts in the Palestine region. Tradition then tells us that Jude joined St. Simon in a mission to Persia and there suffered martyrdom in Armenia.
By the world's standard, these two men were hardly worth any attention. They are only indirectly mentioned in the writings of antiquity, and even in the scriptures of the Church of which they were apostles very little is recorded of them. The world would classify them as foolish, weak, of no repute. And yet it is precisely upon men such as these that Christ placed the entire weight of His Church, the very visible manifestation of the Kingdom upon earth. And because of their persevering spirit to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them....teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..." (Matthew 28:18-20), we who read this brief account of their lives have been born again by faith in the same Lord of which they were servants and apostles. Bernard of Chartres writing in the 12th century said "We are like dwarfs seated on the shoulders of giants; we see more things than the ancients and things more distance, but this is due neither to the sharpness of our own sight, nor to the greatness of our own stature, but because we are raised and borne aloft on that giant mass." The Church is that giant, and such men as Simon and Jude are Christ's chosen foundation upon which that giant stands. We may know very little of them this side of the Jordan, but may we ever be thankful to the God whom we together serve that they took seriously their apostolic charge when the whole world was arrayed against them and have made the way of salvation evident even to us today.
Let us make no mistake about it, the world and the Kingdom of God are at war with each other, and it is a war to the death. No quarter can be given for eternity hangs in the balance. Such a struggle is inevitable, for the world holds a philosophy which is anathema to the Kingdom, and it moves with means and methods that are not worthy of the high calling of the gospel. It's easy to spot worldliness, but the opposite, that it should also be easy to spot kingdom-ness, is not always true. We would expect the kingdom to stand out with a luster and shine that would draw all men to its revelation. But consider what Paul states simply in II Corinthians 4:7 that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." We know what men of power and ambition look like, our entire society is filled with such movers and shakers. But we have so very poor an understanding of what spiritual men of power are, most would not even attract a second glance from us. Paul describes the apostles in I Corinthians 4:9-13, and it is upon this "offscouring of all things" that Christ chose to found His Kingdom. The world would see no sense in such an action, but Paul explains in I Corinthians 1:27-31 that "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things of the mighty....and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are..." I'm afraid that in our world today, if Jesus Christ advertised in the classifieds for apostles using Paul's job description, very few would vie for the position. Let us be thankful, however, that in an age when apostate religion and military might held tenuous sway over the empire, and when spiritual darkness bound men's hearts in chains that none could break, that twelve men came forward to answer that call. Two such men were Simon the zealot, and Jude, the brother of James.
The scriptural and historical records of the Church are sketchy at best concerning these two men, but let's piece together what is available so that we can at least become acquainted with these foundation stones of the Church. Simon is referred to as the Cananites in Matthew 10:4 and Mark 3:18, and as Zealotes in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13 to distinguish him from Simon Peter, and from St. Symeon, the brother of James, the Lesser. These surnames are both translations of a Hebrew word which means "the zealous" and refers to the attitude of his heart before the Lord and His law. It does not indicate the place of his residence or his political affiliation as some early interpreters were quick to conclude. Beyond this little else is known. Traditions claim that he preached in Egypt and was later joined by St. Jude who was preaching in the Mesopotamian area. Together they traveled to Persia where they were martyred for their faithful witness of Jesus Christ. The symbol of St. Simon is the saw, for tradition ascribes his martyrdom to being sawn apart.
We know that St. Jude was also called Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddeus (from Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18) and that he was also called Judas, identified as the brother of James (Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13). From these scriptures we can draw some other conclusions. The first is that this is the same Jude who wrote the short epistle and who identifies himself in Jude 1 simply as "as servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." The second is that the brother James whom he refers to is none other than James, the bishop of the Church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:13) whom Paul refers to as "the Lord's brother" in Galatians 1:19. This would lead us to conclude that James and Jude are mentioned in Matthew 13:55 when the crowd wonders aloud of Jesus "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?" The whole question of exactly how he was related to the Lord is difficult to sort out and not without complications. Eusebius, in his History of the Church, Book III, Sections 19, 20 and 22 quotes Hegessipus as declaring that Jude "was said to have been the brother of the Lord according to the flesh." We will take his statement at its face value and not try to interpret it any further. Jude's name is associated with preaching in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria and Mesopotamia. According to Eusebius' record, he returned to Jerusalem in 62 A.D. after the martyrdom of James (his brother) at the hand of the Jewish party, and helped to elect another brother, Symeon, as the second bishop of the Church at Jerusalem. The internal evidence of the epistle of Jude suggests that it was written around this time, probably from Jerusalem, and was addressed primarily to Hebrew converts in the Palestine region. Tradition then tells us that Jude joined St. Simon in a mission to Persia and there suffered martyrdom in Armenia.
By the world's standard, these two men were hardly worth any attention. They are only indirectly mentioned in the writings of antiquity, and even in the scriptures of the Church of which they were apostles very little is recorded of them. The world would classify them as foolish, weak, of no repute. And yet it is precisely upon men such as these that Christ placed the entire weight of His Church, the very visible manifestation of the Kingdom upon earth. And because of their persevering spirit to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them....teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..." (Matthew 28:18-20), we who read this brief account of their lives have been born again by faith in the same Lord of which they were servants and apostles. Bernard of Chartres writing in the 12th century said "We are like dwarfs seated on the shoulders of giants; we see more things than the ancients and things more distance, but this is due neither to the sharpness of our own sight, nor to the greatness of our own stature, but because we are raised and borne aloft on that giant mass." The Church is that giant, and such men as Simon and Jude are Christ's chosen foundation upon which that giant stands. We may know very little of them this side of the Jordan, but may we ever be thankful to the God whom we together serve that they took seriously their apostolic charge when the whole world was arrayed against them and have made the way of salvation evident even to us today.
St. Luke, Evangelist (Remembrance Day Ocober 18)
"Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which are most surely believed among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." Luke 4:1-4
It used to matter very much what a man did with his life. This was reflected in the word that was used to describe a life's profession; it was a vocation, from the Latin word meaning "to call". This calling was none other than the divinely ordered purpose that God had for the life with which He was entrusting them. But as life became less sacred and more secular, men replaced a vocation, with an occupation. The divinely ordained purpose of life became only a means of making a living. Quite a difference in perspective! But there have always been men whose souls were sensitive to the voice of the Lord, and who were willing to leave every part of their life behind in order to embrace God's choices for their life when these became evident. Such a man was Luke, by occupation a physician, by vocation an Evangelist.
From Eusebius' History of the Church (Book III, Section 4) we learn that Luke was "by birth an Antiochene and by profession a physician"; that he "was for long periods a companion of Paul and was closely associated with the other apostles as well. So he has left us examples of the art of healing souls which he learnt from them in the two divinely inspirited books, the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles." Some of this we can also glean from the Scriptures. In Colossians 4:14 Paul calls him "Luke, the beloved physician." We learn from Colossians 4:10-15 that he was a Gentile, for he is not named by Paul as a fellow worker for the kingdom of God who were of the circumcision. Some say that his name Luke, was a shortened version of the Romanized name Lucanus. That he was familiar with Antioch in a way that could indicate it as a hometown is implied from his frequent and detailed references to the city and the Church within it (see Acts 11:19-30, Acts 13:1, Acts 14:19-28; Acts 15:22-35; Acts 18:22-23). Also, when he listed the seven deacons chosen in Acts 6:5, only one, Nicolas from Antioch, had his hometown mentioned.
He was well educated as is evidenced by the two books which he wrote, in which he demonstrates his knowledge of the Septuagint, and his proficiency in both Greek and Aramaic. His calling as an evangelist is clearly put forth in the introduction to His gospel. In any but a true servant of the Lord the words we read here might seem prideful, but for Luke they were nothing more than the setting forth of his calling. His purpose was never more than that his audience might know the certainty of those things which were contained within his books. He addresses both the Gospel and the Acts to Theophilus, which in the Greek translates as "the friend of God". Whether this was a specific person or not is unimportant for now. What is important is that it clearly establishes that the message of the gospel is given freely to those who are lovers of God. To these alone is it the good news of salvation. Eusebius further indicates that Luke and Paul were closely knit in the spreading of this good news. He claims that when Paul refers to "my gospel" (such as in Romans 2:16, 16:25 or II Timothy 2:8), he is referring to the gospel as recorded by Luke. This could be entirely possible, for Luke credits his source as the ministers of the word to whom it was first entrusted as eyewitnesses, and he spent most of his evangelism with Paul. Although he is only mentioned by name four times in the New Testament (Colossians 4:14, II Timothy 4:11, the subscript to II Corinthians, and Philemon 24), his life and calling is interwoven in the Acts of the Apostles beginning in Acts 16:9-10 when he writes that "the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.” With Paul it was said also of him in Acts 16:17 that "these men are the servants of the Most High God who proclaim to us the way of salvation." It is evident that he went with Paul to Rome in Acts 27 (since he is mentioned in the books of Colossians and Philemon, which were written by Paul during imprisonment in Rome), and by Paul's testimony that Luke had remained faithfully with him to the very end (II Timothy 4:11). So close was this relationship that Paul refers to Luke as the beloved physician, and Jerome (writing about A.D. 400) maintains that Paul speaks of Luke in II Corinthians 8:18 when he refers to "the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches."
Julius Africanus, writing in A.D. 165 records that Luke wrote his gospel in Achaia. Perhaps this occurred during the two years that Paul ministered at Ephesus (Acts 19:10), before Luke was reunited with him in Macedonia as recorded in Acts 20:1-6. According to Africanus, Luke died at age 74 in Boeotia, a city in Central Greece. He was not held to have been a martyr, although he was certainly acquainted with the suffering that comes at the preaching of the gospel. His name has been tied to preaching in Italy, Dalmatia, Macedonia, Asia Minor, and all of these are certainly possible if we trace the missionary and Roman travels of Paul, his companion. The Church represents him by the symbol of the calf, the sacrificial animal, for his gospel account begins with Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, performing his priestly duties in the temple. Little more do we know with certainty.
When we look around us, we see people struggling for identity, seeking to carve out their niche in the world, but all of it is in vain if it is apart from God. And yet in Luke we see none of this striving after wind, although he could have sought fame as a physician, a historian, a chronicler of the Mediterranean, a writer trained in the classical tradition. What we rather see in him is the fulfillment of Paul's words recorded in II Timothy 2:5 "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." Those words must have cut him to his heart, for his identify was found in his vocation, and his vocation was not found in the world, but received from God's hand....Evangelist. Because of his openness to the calling of God the world may have lost a first-rate physician, but we are the richer for having that remarkable record of "all that Jesus began both to do and to teach." The Gospel of Luke moves us inexorably from a manger in Bethlehem to a cross in Jerusalem, the Acts of the Apostles from the Mount of Ascension into "Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." May the ministry of Luke always remind us of our own callings as evangelists, those whose lives are imprinted by the good news. Wherever our feet trod then becomes a mission field, each day is another opportunity to bear witness to Jesus Christ. Lord, grant to us to fulfill our true vocations in Your will. We must, after all, be about our Father's business, not our own.
It used to matter very much what a man did with his life. This was reflected in the word that was used to describe a life's profession; it was a vocation, from the Latin word meaning "to call". This calling was none other than the divinely ordered purpose that God had for the life with which He was entrusting them. But as life became less sacred and more secular, men replaced a vocation, with an occupation. The divinely ordained purpose of life became only a means of making a living. Quite a difference in perspective! But there have always been men whose souls were sensitive to the voice of the Lord, and who were willing to leave every part of their life behind in order to embrace God's choices for their life when these became evident. Such a man was Luke, by occupation a physician, by vocation an Evangelist.
From Eusebius' History of the Church (Book III, Section 4) we learn that Luke was "by birth an Antiochene and by profession a physician"; that he "was for long periods a companion of Paul and was closely associated with the other apostles as well. So he has left us examples of the art of healing souls which he learnt from them in the two divinely inspirited books, the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles." Some of this we can also glean from the Scriptures. In Colossians 4:14 Paul calls him "Luke, the beloved physician." We learn from Colossians 4:10-15 that he was a Gentile, for he is not named by Paul as a fellow worker for the kingdom of God who were of the circumcision. Some say that his name Luke, was a shortened version of the Romanized name Lucanus. That he was familiar with Antioch in a way that could indicate it as a hometown is implied from his frequent and detailed references to the city and the Church within it (see Acts 11:19-30, Acts 13:1, Acts 14:19-28; Acts 15:22-35; Acts 18:22-23). Also, when he listed the seven deacons chosen in Acts 6:5, only one, Nicolas from Antioch, had his hometown mentioned.
He was well educated as is evidenced by the two books which he wrote, in which he demonstrates his knowledge of the Septuagint, and his proficiency in both Greek and Aramaic. His calling as an evangelist is clearly put forth in the introduction to His gospel. In any but a true servant of the Lord the words we read here might seem prideful, but for Luke they were nothing more than the setting forth of his calling. His purpose was never more than that his audience might know the certainty of those things which were contained within his books. He addresses both the Gospel and the Acts to Theophilus, which in the Greek translates as "the friend of God". Whether this was a specific person or not is unimportant for now. What is important is that it clearly establishes that the message of the gospel is given freely to those who are lovers of God. To these alone is it the good news of salvation. Eusebius further indicates that Luke and Paul were closely knit in the spreading of this good news. He claims that when Paul refers to "my gospel" (such as in Romans 2:16, 16:25 or II Timothy 2:8), he is referring to the gospel as recorded by Luke. This could be entirely possible, for Luke credits his source as the ministers of the word to whom it was first entrusted as eyewitnesses, and he spent most of his evangelism with Paul. Although he is only mentioned by name four times in the New Testament (Colossians 4:14, II Timothy 4:11, the subscript to II Corinthians, and Philemon 24), his life and calling is interwoven in the Acts of the Apostles beginning in Acts 16:9-10 when he writes that "the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.” With Paul it was said also of him in Acts 16:17 that "these men are the servants of the Most High God who proclaim to us the way of salvation." It is evident that he went with Paul to Rome in Acts 27 (since he is mentioned in the books of Colossians and Philemon, which were written by Paul during imprisonment in Rome), and by Paul's testimony that Luke had remained faithfully with him to the very end (II Timothy 4:11). So close was this relationship that Paul refers to Luke as the beloved physician, and Jerome (writing about A.D. 400) maintains that Paul speaks of Luke in II Corinthians 8:18 when he refers to "the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches."
Julius Africanus, writing in A.D. 165 records that Luke wrote his gospel in Achaia. Perhaps this occurred during the two years that Paul ministered at Ephesus (Acts 19:10), before Luke was reunited with him in Macedonia as recorded in Acts 20:1-6. According to Africanus, Luke died at age 74 in Boeotia, a city in Central Greece. He was not held to have been a martyr, although he was certainly acquainted with the suffering that comes at the preaching of the gospel. His name has been tied to preaching in Italy, Dalmatia, Macedonia, Asia Minor, and all of these are certainly possible if we trace the missionary and Roman travels of Paul, his companion. The Church represents him by the symbol of the calf, the sacrificial animal, for his gospel account begins with Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, performing his priestly duties in the temple. Little more do we know with certainty.
When we look around us, we see people struggling for identity, seeking to carve out their niche in the world, but all of it is in vain if it is apart from God. And yet in Luke we see none of this striving after wind, although he could have sought fame as a physician, a historian, a chronicler of the Mediterranean, a writer trained in the classical tradition. What we rather see in him is the fulfillment of Paul's words recorded in II Timothy 2:5 "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." Those words must have cut him to his heart, for his identify was found in his vocation, and his vocation was not found in the world, but received from God's hand....Evangelist. Because of his openness to the calling of God the world may have lost a first-rate physician, but we are the richer for having that remarkable record of "all that Jesus began both to do and to teach." The Gospel of Luke moves us inexorably from a manger in Bethlehem to a cross in Jerusalem, the Acts of the Apostles from the Mount of Ascension into "Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." May the ministry of Luke always remind us of our own callings as evangelists, those whose lives are imprinted by the good news. Wherever our feet trod then becomes a mission field, each day is another opportunity to bear witness to Jesus Christ. Lord, grant to us to fulfill our true vocations in Your will. We must, after all, be about our Father's business, not our own.
Michael and the Holy Angels (Remembrance Day September 29)
"Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!" Psalm 103:20-22
The angelic realm is poorly understood because, for the most part, it is hidden from our direct gaze and we can only catch glimpses of it when God allows. Because of this our imaginations are free to work on very limited information and we are content to conjure up all sorts of pictures of these spiritual beings that are not in keeping with the revelation of scripture. One only needs to look at what the new age society has turned angels into to recognize where this practice leads. Our short excerpt from Psalm 103 actually provides us a summary of all that we need to know. There are six things. First, angels were created by God to give him pure worship. The Seraphim seen by Isaiah around the throne of the Lord in Isaiah 6:1-3 exist only to pronounce His holiness and glory. We see that same image described by John in Revelation 4:6-11 in which he describes these creatures as giving glory, honor and thanksgiving to Him who sits on the throne. Second, the angels belong to God, they are His creation and although they are powerful beings in their own right, they do not exist apart from God and His purposes. That is why their appearance in the Old Testament is often called the coming of "the Angel of the Lord." Because they belong totally to God and His work, they are often referred to as "the holy angels" (Matthew 25:31), they have a share in His holiness and reflect His glory. Third, they are powerful. Paul describes them in II Thessalonians 1:7 as "mighty angels" and Peter refers to them in II Peter 2:11 as being "greater in power and might" as compared to the men of the earth. They are pure spirit, not confined to the material realm as we are, but able to travel the length and breadth of God's universe. Fourth, they do His word, heeding all that properly belongs to it. That is precisely what separates the holy angels from the fallen angels, obedience to the word of God. Some commentators believe that after God created the angels, they assisted Him in the rest of creation and were assigned oversight over portions of His creation. That is why when Job describes the creation of the world by the hand of God in Job 38 he says that the "morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy (see also Job 1:6). Fifth, they are His ministers, bringing to pass His pleasure, His will and counsel. We know that in addition to overseeing the creation of God, the holy angels have been assigned a special place as ministers to the heirs of salvation, God's elect people. Hebrews 1:14 calls them "ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation." and Psalm 104:4 refers to them as "spirits, His ministers a flame of fire." We know that they take a particular delight in seeing the grace of God work in the human soul for salvation, for we read of their rejoicing over such a soul in the parable of Jesus in Luke 15:10. Lastly, they extend the dominion of the Lord, the very real presence of His power and majesty, throughout the universe. It is from this last task that many have said that God rules over creation through His angels. They are called His angels (messengers), His hosts (army), His works (the stewards of His dominion). His glory is their joy, to accomplish His will is their delight.
On this day the Church remembers all of the holy angels who minister to the heirs of salvation, and in particular Michael the archangel who is the patron and protector of the people of God. His name means "who is like God" and from this we can draw the conclusion of how accurately and clearly this servant of God must mirror the glory and majesty of His Lord. He is mentioned by name only four times in scripture. In Daniel 10:13 he is referred to as one of the chief princes and in verse 21 as the upholder or support of the other angels in their work upon earth. In Daniel 12:1-3 he is said to be the "great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people." In Jude 9-10 he is said to have contended over the body of Moses with Satan (apocryphal writings declared this was necessary since Satan intended to make the remains of Moses an object of reverence to the people of God thereby distracting them from the true service of God). Finally, he is portrayed in Revelation 12:7-12 as being the champion of God, leading the holy angels in open warfare against Satan and his host of rebellious angels to cast them down from heaven. From these scriptures and others, the Church has ascribed four offices to Michael the archangel and those angels who serve under his command. First, they are the host of God which fight against Satan. They cast Satan down from the presence of God at the first struggle, and they continue to stand against his evil upon the earth until the triumph on the final day of judgement (Revelation 20:7-10). Second, they rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the evil ones. The Church has believed from the earliest times that God appoints these angels as guardians over his elect. The teaching of Jesus in Matthew 18:10-11 seems to hint at this. Thirdly, Michael is the champion of God's people. As he was the protector of Israel as described in Daniel, so now Michael and his angels are the champions (they actively take up the cause) of His elect wherever they may be upon the earth. Psalm 34:7 declares that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear the name of the Lord, and we can see this more vividly portrayed in the account found in II Kings 6:15-17. Finally, they are the instrument which God has chosen to bring the souls of men to judgement. They gather the elect of God (Mark 13:26-27) so that not one soul is lost (see the promise in Matthew 3:12) and they gather up those things which are offensive to God unto judgement (Matthew 13:37-43).
There are many, many more things written in both the Old and New Testament about angels, the messengers and ministers of God. But let us close with only this one last thing. For all that they are in the sight of God, glorious in His power and holiness, they are a part of the communion of saints which will some day share eternity with us in the presence of God. They are, therefore, not to be reverenced beyond what their official capacity in God's service requires. Paul describes the worship of angels as an entanglement which can defraud us of our true reward in God's kingdom (Colossians 2:18) and the angel who spoke to John at the giving of the book of Revelation was clear to state (as John fell at his feet to worship him) "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" Fellow servants who have the testimony of Jesus, a fitting description for the God-ordained relationship between angels and the Church of God. They should ever give us example of what that means. To return to our opening psalm excerpt, we find in the example of the holy angels an exhortation to truly worship God proclaiming his glory, honor and worthiness; to do His word, giving it careful heed and striving to understand it and bring it to pass in all its fullness; to ever be His ministers of salvation, delighting to do His will in every part of our own life; and to walk in faithfulness extending His dominion to the ends of our earth and to the depths of the hearts of men. Such is the true testimony of Jesus Christ in the hearts and lives of His servants.
The angelic realm is poorly understood because, for the most part, it is hidden from our direct gaze and we can only catch glimpses of it when God allows. Because of this our imaginations are free to work on very limited information and we are content to conjure up all sorts of pictures of these spiritual beings that are not in keeping with the revelation of scripture. One only needs to look at what the new age society has turned angels into to recognize where this practice leads. Our short excerpt from Psalm 103 actually provides us a summary of all that we need to know. There are six things. First, angels were created by God to give him pure worship. The Seraphim seen by Isaiah around the throne of the Lord in Isaiah 6:1-3 exist only to pronounce His holiness and glory. We see that same image described by John in Revelation 4:6-11 in which he describes these creatures as giving glory, honor and thanksgiving to Him who sits on the throne. Second, the angels belong to God, they are His creation and although they are powerful beings in their own right, they do not exist apart from God and His purposes. That is why their appearance in the Old Testament is often called the coming of "the Angel of the Lord." Because they belong totally to God and His work, they are often referred to as "the holy angels" (Matthew 25:31), they have a share in His holiness and reflect His glory. Third, they are powerful. Paul describes them in II Thessalonians 1:7 as "mighty angels" and Peter refers to them in II Peter 2:11 as being "greater in power and might" as compared to the men of the earth. They are pure spirit, not confined to the material realm as we are, but able to travel the length and breadth of God's universe. Fourth, they do His word, heeding all that properly belongs to it. That is precisely what separates the holy angels from the fallen angels, obedience to the word of God. Some commentators believe that after God created the angels, they assisted Him in the rest of creation and were assigned oversight over portions of His creation. That is why when Job describes the creation of the world by the hand of God in Job 38 he says that the "morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy (see also Job 1:6). Fifth, they are His ministers, bringing to pass His pleasure, His will and counsel. We know that in addition to overseeing the creation of God, the holy angels have been assigned a special place as ministers to the heirs of salvation, God's elect people. Hebrews 1:14 calls them "ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation." and Psalm 104:4 refers to them as "spirits, His ministers a flame of fire." We know that they take a particular delight in seeing the grace of God work in the human soul for salvation, for we read of their rejoicing over such a soul in the parable of Jesus in Luke 15:10. Lastly, they extend the dominion of the Lord, the very real presence of His power and majesty, throughout the universe. It is from this last task that many have said that God rules over creation through His angels. They are called His angels (messengers), His hosts (army), His works (the stewards of His dominion). His glory is their joy, to accomplish His will is their delight.
On this day the Church remembers all of the holy angels who minister to the heirs of salvation, and in particular Michael the archangel who is the patron and protector of the people of God. His name means "who is like God" and from this we can draw the conclusion of how accurately and clearly this servant of God must mirror the glory and majesty of His Lord. He is mentioned by name only four times in scripture. In Daniel 10:13 he is referred to as one of the chief princes and in verse 21 as the upholder or support of the other angels in their work upon earth. In Daniel 12:1-3 he is said to be the "great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people." In Jude 9-10 he is said to have contended over the body of Moses with Satan (apocryphal writings declared this was necessary since Satan intended to make the remains of Moses an object of reverence to the people of God thereby distracting them from the true service of God). Finally, he is portrayed in Revelation 12:7-12 as being the champion of God, leading the holy angels in open warfare against Satan and his host of rebellious angels to cast them down from heaven. From these scriptures and others, the Church has ascribed four offices to Michael the archangel and those angels who serve under his command. First, they are the host of God which fight against Satan. They cast Satan down from the presence of God at the first struggle, and they continue to stand against his evil upon the earth until the triumph on the final day of judgement (Revelation 20:7-10). Second, they rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the evil ones. The Church has believed from the earliest times that God appoints these angels as guardians over his elect. The teaching of Jesus in Matthew 18:10-11 seems to hint at this. Thirdly, Michael is the champion of God's people. As he was the protector of Israel as described in Daniel, so now Michael and his angels are the champions (they actively take up the cause) of His elect wherever they may be upon the earth. Psalm 34:7 declares that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear the name of the Lord, and we can see this more vividly portrayed in the account found in II Kings 6:15-17. Finally, they are the instrument which God has chosen to bring the souls of men to judgement. They gather the elect of God (Mark 13:26-27) so that not one soul is lost (see the promise in Matthew 3:12) and they gather up those things which are offensive to God unto judgement (Matthew 13:37-43).
There are many, many more things written in both the Old and New Testament about angels, the messengers and ministers of God. But let us close with only this one last thing. For all that they are in the sight of God, glorious in His power and holiness, they are a part of the communion of saints which will some day share eternity with us in the presence of God. They are, therefore, not to be reverenced beyond what their official capacity in God's service requires. Paul describes the worship of angels as an entanglement which can defraud us of our true reward in God's kingdom (Colossians 2:18) and the angel who spoke to John at the giving of the book of Revelation was clear to state (as John fell at his feet to worship him) "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" Fellow servants who have the testimony of Jesus, a fitting description for the God-ordained relationship between angels and the Church of God. They should ever give us example of what that means. To return to our opening psalm excerpt, we find in the example of the holy angels an exhortation to truly worship God proclaiming his glory, honor and worthiness; to do His word, giving it careful heed and striving to understand it and bring it to pass in all its fullness; to ever be His ministers of salvation, delighting to do His will in every part of our own life; and to walk in faithfulness extending His dominion to the ends of our earth and to the depths of the hearts of men. Such is the true testimony of Jesus Christ in the hearts and lives of His servants.
St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Remembrance Day September 21)
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means `I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Matthew 9:12-13
We often upbraid the world for neglecting the gracious gift of God's Son. The world's systems are devoid of real life, morally bankrupt, and yet the charade of life goes on as if everything were under control. James puts it rather succinctly in James 4:2 "You do not have because you do not ask." When we do detect any turning of those in the world to Jesus Christ, we are quick to applaud it. Yet James cautions us further in verse 3. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." There are times when it suits the unregenerate of the world to court the favor of Jesus Christ, to quote from the Word of God, to put on the outer trappings of acceptable religion. It may be political expediency, it may be inner turmoil, it may be acute practical need that forces them to do so. In such cases we must not be too quick to declare a conversion, because the coming to Jesus Christ must, at first, be for one purpose only, to have one's sins forgiven. As the Apostle John declared at the manifestation of Jesus Christ, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29). Or as Paul wrote concerning the gospel in I Corinthians 15:3 "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures..." Jesus Christ can be many things - healer, friend, comforter, confidant - but first He must be Savior. And it is the man who is willing to bow his head and mourn for his own sinfulness, whose only prayer is "God be merciful to me a sinner" who will possess the kingdom of God. Such a man was Matthew, the tax collector.
The New Testament only mentions Matthew seven times with four of the references being to list him with the chosen apostles. This much we can glean. He names himself Matthew, the "gift of Yahweh" in the gospel which bears his name. The gospels of Mark and Luke refer to him as Levi, the name of one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Mark identifies him as the son of Alphaeus. His calling is recorded for us in Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27. Matthew records that Jesus crossed over [the lake] and came to His own city (Matthew 9:1) which Mark identifies as Capernaum (Mark 2:1). It was in Capernaum of Galilee that Matthew collected taxes for the Romans under Herod Antipas' rule. He was therefore by residence a Galilean, although the historian Eusebius, declares that he was Syrian by birth. And it is here in Capernaum that the gospels record that Jesus went out, took notice of one sitting at the receipt of custom, and said "Follow Me." The record is consistent. Matthew stood and followed at the Lord's command, Luke adding that he left everything behind. The gospel accounts then state that Matthew gave a great feast (Luke calling it a reception) at which Jesus and His disciples were honored guests. Matthew is honest in his account, recording that the feast was filled with other tax-gatherers and sinners. He does not exempt himself from these categories. It is an honest evaluation from an open heart.
And at this feast, the Lord is first challenged by the Pharisees for eating with sinners, to which He replies that it is the sick, not the righteous who need healing. He is then challenged by the disciples of John who ask why both they and the Pharisees fast while the Lord's disciples do not. To this He answered that the marriage attendants cannot mourn and fast while the bridegroom is among them. How much in conflict was the message of Jesus Christ to the status quo of religion and self discipline. Their conceptions of the Messiah-Savior were so shallow that Jesus likened it to trying to put new wine into old wine skins. The old wine skins of Phariseeism could not contain the fullness of the Kingdom which He was proclaiming. He stood ready to give not only the new wine of the kingdom, but also a new vessel to contain it. All this Matthew took in and by the end of the feast we must judge that his heart was that new vessel.
Matthew has been called the evangelist to the Hebrews. When he looked upon Jesus Christ he saw the true Messiah, the one in Whom all the promises of God were both revealed and fulfilled. For him the question asked later by John the Baptist "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" was never an issue. His entire gospel reflects his conviction from its first sentence which proclaims it as the "book of the generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Matthew exalted Jesus Christ from the very beginning as the holy seed promised to Abraham in which all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and also as the one who would sit upon the throne of his father David, whose kingdom would have no end. This was the Lord who made covenant. Matthew undergirded this theme by making generous use of the Old Testament, and he was especially fond of quoting the prophets making it clear that what was spoken by them was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. His gospel was the first written, probably about 40 to 50 A.D. The Church Fathers of the first three centuries claim that the gospel was written in Hebrew specifically for the Jewish nation, and Pantaneus in 180 AD claims to have seen a copy of this Hebrew gospel in southern Arabia, borne there by Bartholomew in his missionary journeys. Regardless of which language it was first written in, Matthew's only purpose was to "preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children..." (Acts 13:32).
Why does the good news not grab at the hearts of our generation? Perhaps it is because this generation has lost the dread of sin and its effects. Perhaps we are so sin-deadened that we have grown somewhat tolerant of our condition. How can there be any good news after all, if there is not first a recognition of bad news? I think it is interesting that in all of the lists of the apostles (there are four, Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13), Matthew alone chooses to list himself as "Matthew, the tax-gatherer". This was not a title to be proud of. Matthew recorded the Lord's rebuke for the unrepentant brother in Matthew 18:17 "Let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-gatherer." He understood the title to be a curse upon his soul. But to Matthew this was only one more testimony of how mighty the grace of God was, in that it could restore even such a one as he to righteousness. Perhaps it is Matthew's life we find mirrored for us in a story, more than a parable, which the Lord told and which is recorded in Luke 18:10. We are left to ask how powerful is the grace of God in cleansing sin? How far down is it able to reach to restore a human soul? Consider the transformation. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." In that moment a publican and notorious sinner was made an apostle and evangelist. May Matthew's life be ever an example for us that it is only the sinner, not the self righteous which can be healed, and it is to such that the promise of the Kingdom is ever given.
We often upbraid the world for neglecting the gracious gift of God's Son. The world's systems are devoid of real life, morally bankrupt, and yet the charade of life goes on as if everything were under control. James puts it rather succinctly in James 4:2 "You do not have because you do not ask." When we do detect any turning of those in the world to Jesus Christ, we are quick to applaud it. Yet James cautions us further in verse 3. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." There are times when it suits the unregenerate of the world to court the favor of Jesus Christ, to quote from the Word of God, to put on the outer trappings of acceptable religion. It may be political expediency, it may be inner turmoil, it may be acute practical need that forces them to do so. In such cases we must not be too quick to declare a conversion, because the coming to Jesus Christ must, at first, be for one purpose only, to have one's sins forgiven. As the Apostle John declared at the manifestation of Jesus Christ, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29). Or as Paul wrote concerning the gospel in I Corinthians 15:3 "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures..." Jesus Christ can be many things - healer, friend, comforter, confidant - but first He must be Savior. And it is the man who is willing to bow his head and mourn for his own sinfulness, whose only prayer is "God be merciful to me a sinner" who will possess the kingdom of God. Such a man was Matthew, the tax collector.
The New Testament only mentions Matthew seven times with four of the references being to list him with the chosen apostles. This much we can glean. He names himself Matthew, the "gift of Yahweh" in the gospel which bears his name. The gospels of Mark and Luke refer to him as Levi, the name of one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Mark identifies him as the son of Alphaeus. His calling is recorded for us in Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27. Matthew records that Jesus crossed over [the lake] and came to His own city (Matthew 9:1) which Mark identifies as Capernaum (Mark 2:1). It was in Capernaum of Galilee that Matthew collected taxes for the Romans under Herod Antipas' rule. He was therefore by residence a Galilean, although the historian Eusebius, declares that he was Syrian by birth. And it is here in Capernaum that the gospels record that Jesus went out, took notice of one sitting at the receipt of custom, and said "Follow Me." The record is consistent. Matthew stood and followed at the Lord's command, Luke adding that he left everything behind. The gospel accounts then state that Matthew gave a great feast (Luke calling it a reception) at which Jesus and His disciples were honored guests. Matthew is honest in his account, recording that the feast was filled with other tax-gatherers and sinners. He does not exempt himself from these categories. It is an honest evaluation from an open heart.
And at this feast, the Lord is first challenged by the Pharisees for eating with sinners, to which He replies that it is the sick, not the righteous who need healing. He is then challenged by the disciples of John who ask why both they and the Pharisees fast while the Lord's disciples do not. To this He answered that the marriage attendants cannot mourn and fast while the bridegroom is among them. How much in conflict was the message of Jesus Christ to the status quo of religion and self discipline. Their conceptions of the Messiah-Savior were so shallow that Jesus likened it to trying to put new wine into old wine skins. The old wine skins of Phariseeism could not contain the fullness of the Kingdom which He was proclaiming. He stood ready to give not only the new wine of the kingdom, but also a new vessel to contain it. All this Matthew took in and by the end of the feast we must judge that his heart was that new vessel.
Matthew has been called the evangelist to the Hebrews. When he looked upon Jesus Christ he saw the true Messiah, the one in Whom all the promises of God were both revealed and fulfilled. For him the question asked later by John the Baptist "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" was never an issue. His entire gospel reflects his conviction from its first sentence which proclaims it as the "book of the generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Matthew exalted Jesus Christ from the very beginning as the holy seed promised to Abraham in which all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and also as the one who would sit upon the throne of his father David, whose kingdom would have no end. This was the Lord who made covenant. Matthew undergirded this theme by making generous use of the Old Testament, and he was especially fond of quoting the prophets making it clear that what was spoken by them was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. His gospel was the first written, probably about 40 to 50 A.D. The Church Fathers of the first three centuries claim that the gospel was written in Hebrew specifically for the Jewish nation, and Pantaneus in 180 AD claims to have seen a copy of this Hebrew gospel in southern Arabia, borne there by Bartholomew in his missionary journeys. Regardless of which language it was first written in, Matthew's only purpose was to "preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children..." (Acts 13:32).
Why does the good news not grab at the hearts of our generation? Perhaps it is because this generation has lost the dread of sin and its effects. Perhaps we are so sin-deadened that we have grown somewhat tolerant of our condition. How can there be any good news after all, if there is not first a recognition of bad news? I think it is interesting that in all of the lists of the apostles (there are four, Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13), Matthew alone chooses to list himself as "Matthew, the tax-gatherer". This was not a title to be proud of. Matthew recorded the Lord's rebuke for the unrepentant brother in Matthew 18:17 "Let him be to you as a heathen and a tax-gatherer." He understood the title to be a curse upon his soul. But to Matthew this was only one more testimony of how mighty the grace of God was, in that it could restore even such a one as he to righteousness. Perhaps it is Matthew's life we find mirrored for us in a story, more than a parable, which the Lord told and which is recorded in Luke 18:10. We are left to ask how powerful is the grace of God in cleansing sin? How far down is it able to reach to restore a human soul? Consider the transformation. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." In that moment a publican and notorious sinner was made an apostle and evangelist. May Matthew's life be ever an example for us that it is only the sinner, not the self righteous which can be healed, and it is to such that the promise of the Kingdom is ever given.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Willingness of Jesus
Kathy and I are in transition regarding our participation in an established Christian fellowship and so, as is our current custom, we seek out churches to visit and worship with on occassion. This past Sunday we attended the First Baptist Church of Lebanon, NH where the pastor chose to speak on Jesus' encounter with a leper in Mark 1:40-45. I found one verse transition especially vivid, moving from verse 40 to 41. The leper falls on his knees before Jesus and says"If you are willing, you can make me clean." The next verse is instructive, most bibles translate it as "moved with compassion", Jesus reached out, touched him, and said "I am willing, be cleansed." The pew bible was Today's New International Version which interestly enough chose a variant translation used in only a few translations. It basically said that Jesus was indignant, which to me implies miffed, mildly angry, upset, irritated. Now this is not intended to be a bible exegesis post, it is simply to point out how nuances of meaning can be aduced from variant readings. The leper says, "If you are willing....", and the fact that Jesus may have been upset by this statement that implies that maybe Jesus would rather have the leper remain blemished and diseased, speaks to me that willingness is one of his prevalent attiributes, with availability being closely aligned. Perhaps the combination of those two attributes forms a working definition for true compassion, the preferred translation.
One more point. Let's not confuse will with willingness. While we might pray "if it be Your will" where we are uncertain of the outcome or direction, let us never doubt that Jesus is willing to make us clean whenever we seek him out and ask. His answer is to the point, "I am willing, be cleansed."
One more point. Let's not confuse will with willingness. While we might pray "if it be Your will" where we are uncertain of the outcome or direction, let us never doubt that Jesus is willing to make us clean whenever we seek him out and ask. His answer is to the point, "I am willing, be cleansed."
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ (Celebration Day August 6)
"...He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11
Often times our Christianity becomes so familiar to us that we begin to sin presumptuously in the sight of God. We presume, for instance, to proclaim what His will is without seeking it fervently with prayer and fasting. We presume upon His grace to forgive our sins even as we have allowed ourselves to grow feeble or apathetic in our struggle against unrighteousness. We presume to constrain Him to bless or to heal us by quoting the word of God to the One Who was God the Word incarnate. In countless ways we have become all too familiar with the God that we serve and it is then that the prophet fittingly rebukes us and reminds us of our place. "With whom did He take counsel and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the balance.....Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers....." Isaiah 40:12-24. Or in the words of Solomon which begin our meditation, God restores His people by putting again a measure of eternity in our hearts. For just such a reason was the Lord Jesus Christ transfigured before His closest disciples.
Consider the setting for this miraculous event. It records in Matthew 17:1 "Now after six days...." and we must ask ourselves, six days after what? There are many candidates in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew for the starting point that we seek, but one which stands out is Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ. It was undoubtedly the high point of the disciples' growth in faith, but the scripture well exhorts us "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." ( I Corinthians 10:12) For shortly after this mighty confession, the Lord rebukes Peter for taking a heavenly vision and turning it so easily into an earthly viewpoint. "You are an offense to Me for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." (Matthew 16:23) And it is just here that He once more sets eternity in their hearts as He proclaims "Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Now this prophetic word has been applied to many events, but certainly there is no conflict in ascribing it in the most present sense to the Transfiguration which took place almost immediately afterwards.
The actual events of the Transfiguration are recorded for us in the synoptic gospels (Matthew 17:1-8a, Mark 9:2-10 and Luke 9:28-36). It would do us good to read all three accounts to get a fuller picture of what occurred that day. Matthew tells us that Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a high mountain by themselves. The early Church Fathers believed that this was Mount Tabor, other commentators have identified it as Mount Hermon. Regardless of the location, Luke adds the note that Jesus chose this location in order to pray. To pray about what? Certainly about the future, for only a week before this Jesus "began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer...and be killed and be raised again the third day." And as He prayed He was transfigured before them, His clothes becoming white as light, His countenance changing with glory shining out as the sun. This word transfigure is the Greek word "metamorphuo" from which we easily recognize our English word metamorphosis. It was a change not just in appearance, but in type and substance. One moment the Son of Man stood before them praying, the next the Son of God was clearly revealed. And as He stood there resplendent in glory, Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets, or to use Jesus' words the truth and the spirit, conversed with Him. Luke tells us that they spoke of His "decease", His death, resurrection and ascension which was to take place in Jerusalem. The Apostle Peter responded to the vision before Him, and each of the three gospel writers records a different title which formed upon his lips as he beheld His glory...."Lord....Rabbi....Master...it is good for us to be here". Jesus was all those titles in that moment and more beside. Peter's is a classic understatement, perhaps because, as Mark records, they were greatly afraid; or as Luke concludes simply, because he did not know (to which we add, could not know) what he was saying. Upon them, then, came the cloud of Yahweh's presence, even as it had descended upon Sinai at the giving of the law. And as Moses and Elijah parted from Jesus Christ, from that cloud came the declaration of eternity that pierced their hearts, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear Him." We can gain an appreciation for the significance of this proclamation in light of what we read in Hebrews 1:1-3 "God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past ....by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son."
And as suddenly as it began, so it ended, and they were alone with Jesus and He was speaking words of comfort to their fearful hearts. As they came down from the mountain, the Lord commanded them to tell the vision to no man until He had risen from the dead, thus securing the work of salvation for all time. And when they finally had leave to speak, what was it that they said? In John 1:14, John declares "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Or in I John 1:2 "...the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us...." Peter is even more straightforward in II Peter 1:16-19 "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [in the glory of His kingdom], but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain..."
God puts eternity in the hearts of His people that they might have, as Peter says, the prophetic word made more sure. It is a light that truly shines in a dark place until, as Paul says, "the veil is taken away...[and] we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed [transfigured] into the same image from glory to glory..." (II Corinthians 3:17-18). Such a dramatic change in our character comes to pass as "the day dawns and the morning star [Jesus Christ] rises in our hearts.”
Often times our Christianity becomes so familiar to us that we begin to sin presumptuously in the sight of God. We presume, for instance, to proclaim what His will is without seeking it fervently with prayer and fasting. We presume upon His grace to forgive our sins even as we have allowed ourselves to grow feeble or apathetic in our struggle against unrighteousness. We presume to constrain Him to bless or to heal us by quoting the word of God to the One Who was God the Word incarnate. In countless ways we have become all too familiar with the God that we serve and it is then that the prophet fittingly rebukes us and reminds us of our place. "With whom did He take counsel and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the balance.....Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers....." Isaiah 40:12-24. Or in the words of Solomon which begin our meditation, God restores His people by putting again a measure of eternity in our hearts. For just such a reason was the Lord Jesus Christ transfigured before His closest disciples.
Consider the setting for this miraculous event. It records in Matthew 17:1 "Now after six days...." and we must ask ourselves, six days after what? There are many candidates in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew for the starting point that we seek, but one which stands out is Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ. It was undoubtedly the high point of the disciples' growth in faith, but the scripture well exhorts us "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." ( I Corinthians 10:12) For shortly after this mighty confession, the Lord rebukes Peter for taking a heavenly vision and turning it so easily into an earthly viewpoint. "You are an offense to Me for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." (Matthew 16:23) And it is just here that He once more sets eternity in their hearts as He proclaims "Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Now this prophetic word has been applied to many events, but certainly there is no conflict in ascribing it in the most present sense to the Transfiguration which took place almost immediately afterwards.
The actual events of the Transfiguration are recorded for us in the synoptic gospels (Matthew 17:1-8a, Mark 9:2-10 and Luke 9:28-36). It would do us good to read all three accounts to get a fuller picture of what occurred that day. Matthew tells us that Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a high mountain by themselves. The early Church Fathers believed that this was Mount Tabor, other commentators have identified it as Mount Hermon. Regardless of the location, Luke adds the note that Jesus chose this location in order to pray. To pray about what? Certainly about the future, for only a week before this Jesus "began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer...and be killed and be raised again the third day." And as He prayed He was transfigured before them, His clothes becoming white as light, His countenance changing with glory shining out as the sun. This word transfigure is the Greek word "metamorphuo" from which we easily recognize our English word metamorphosis. It was a change not just in appearance, but in type and substance. One moment the Son of Man stood before them praying, the next the Son of God was clearly revealed. And as He stood there resplendent in glory, Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets, or to use Jesus' words the truth and the spirit, conversed with Him. Luke tells us that they spoke of His "decease", His death, resurrection and ascension which was to take place in Jerusalem. The Apostle Peter responded to the vision before Him, and each of the three gospel writers records a different title which formed upon his lips as he beheld His glory...."Lord....Rabbi....Master...it is good for us to be here". Jesus was all those titles in that moment and more beside. Peter's is a classic understatement, perhaps because, as Mark records, they were greatly afraid; or as Luke concludes simply, because he did not know (to which we add, could not know) what he was saying. Upon them, then, came the cloud of Yahweh's presence, even as it had descended upon Sinai at the giving of the law. And as Moses and Elijah parted from Jesus Christ, from that cloud came the declaration of eternity that pierced their hearts, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear Him." We can gain an appreciation for the significance of this proclamation in light of what we read in Hebrews 1:1-3 "God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past ....by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son."
And as suddenly as it began, so it ended, and they were alone with Jesus and He was speaking words of comfort to their fearful hearts. As they came down from the mountain, the Lord commanded them to tell the vision to no man until He had risen from the dead, thus securing the work of salvation for all time. And when they finally had leave to speak, what was it that they said? In John 1:14, John declares "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Or in I John 1:2 "...the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us...." Peter is even more straightforward in II Peter 1:16-19 "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [in the glory of His kingdom], but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain..."
God puts eternity in the hearts of His people that they might have, as Peter says, the prophetic word made more sure. It is a light that truly shines in a dark place until, as Paul says, "the veil is taken away...[and] we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed [transfigured] into the same image from glory to glory..." (II Corinthians 3:17-18). Such a dramatic change in our character comes to pass as "the day dawns and the morning star [Jesus Christ] rises in our hearts.”
St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Remembrance Day August 24)
"And at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico...and all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number....." Acts 5:12-14
Christianity is a religion of power. If it were not so, then it could in no way contend with sin, Satan and death for dominion over the human soul. Truly the weapons of Christ's warfare are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses, as Paul says in II Corinthians 10:3-5. So true is this that Jesus proclaimed that the Church had been founded upon the rock, and the gates of hell would not prevail against her. But power of this sort can deceive the unregenerate heart. Thus we read of Simon Magus (known to the common people as the Great Power of God) , a practitioner of earth magic, who, when confronted with the true power of God the Holy Spirit, thought that such power was available for purchase and was pronounced by Peter to be "in the bondage of iniquity." (Acts 8:9-24) Even to the regenerate heart, such power is a temptation. For power focuses attention, and attention sows the seed of pride, and pride brings forth ambition, and ambition seeks to turn the things of God into that which can be bartered (we get the word "simony", the buying or selling of sacred things from Simon Magus). We can see such abuses in the circus atmosphere which sometimes surrounds charismatic-type gatherings. You almost feel as if you were watching a performer rather than a minister of Jesus Christ. And the popularity of so many television ministers that seem more intent on building up an earthly empire rather than the kingdom of God seems a perversion of the gospel. But the ministry of divine power does not always have to focus upon the one presuming to hold it. If a soul is transparent enough it is incapable of taking to itself any honor or benefit, and the divine power associated with the preaching of the gospel becomes only the glory of God shining forth unto salvation. We see that trait of transparency recorded of the apostles in our opening scripture. And in that circle of apostles was one man surnamed Bartholomew.
So transparent was this apostle that we can scarcely find anything recorded of his life in either the New Testament or Church tradition. We know simply that he is named in the lists of those called apostles by Jesus Christ in Matthew 10:1-5, Mark 3:16-19 and Luke 6:12-16 as Bartholomew, a surname which is literally Bar Tolmai, or son of Tolmai. His proper name is never clearly given, but many biblical commentators feel that he is one and the same with Nathanael whom we read about only in the gospel of John (John 1:43-51). The evidence for this is compelling, but not conclusive. Three main points can be made for this identification. First, the calling of Nathanael as recorded in John 1:43-51 is certainly of the type which is recorded of other of the apostles. Second, it was the apostle Philip who sought out Nathanael to bring him to Jesus, and in each of the three apostolic lists mentioned above, Philip and Bartholomew are always paired together. Finally, the second mention of Nathanael is at the end of the gospel of John (John 21:2) where he is present with other of the named apostles on the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In the account of John 1 noted above, we get the impression of a man who studied the scriptures and earnestly sought for the manifestation of the Kingdom of God as promised within its pages. He was of the same genre as Simeon in the account of Luke 2:25, a man who was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel. To such a one came Philip with a startling declaration "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth...." It was not unbelief which tempered his response, but a knowledge of God's word. Could the Messiah come forth from Nazareth? The invitation of Philip laid aside any speculation at that point, "Come and see." And it is at this point that we hear the Lord's assessment of this man's heart. "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile." Here was a Jew indeed circumcised in the heart, as Paul teaches in Romans 2:28-29, whose praise is not from men, but from God. And hear what praise comes from the Son of God! Here is one in whom there is no guile, no hidden traps, no deception, no subtlety. In a word, here was one who was transparent. Nathanael Bar Tolmai's response is forthright "You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel." Jesus acknowledges his response of faith and notes that it was based on the smallest of signs. Then He promises that he would see even greater signs than those, and He implies in such a promise that Bartholomew's faith will also thus be increased to the glory of the Son of Man.
Here the scriptural record stops, and we must turn to what little Church tradition we can gain from the historian Eusebius. In his History of the Church (Book 5, Chapter 10) it is recorded that Bartholomew preached in the barbarian east, traveling as far as India in his preaching (for in the third century another missionary traveled to India and found a copy of the gospel of Matthew in use in that region, supposedly having been carried there by Bartholomew in his evangelistic travels). He is credited with spreading the gospel in Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Armenia, Lyaconia, Phrygia, and along the shores of the Black Sea. Tradition tells us that he died at Albanopolis in Armenia being flayed alive and crucified by a nobleman related to the king. His crime worthy of death?.... being persuasive enough in his witness for the Lord to bring the king of Armenia into the fold of Christ.
The gospel reading for St. Bartholomew's day in Luke 22:24-30 reminds us that even the apostles of the Lord were subject to wrongly place ambitions. They argued amongst themselves as to who was to be accounted the greatest. I believe it was one argument in which Bartholomew took no part, for his heart could hide no such inclinations in the presence of His Lord. He coveted no honor, he desired no titles save one, apostle, one sent out at the hand of and to the work of a greater Lord. He will always be to us an example of that man of God who has no veil over his heart, but beholds, as Paul says in II Corinthians 3:18 the glory of the Lord, and is thus transformed into the same image from glory to glory....in a word, he becomes transparent. May we also resolve to leave behind any false ambitions which we may have picked up concerning our own spiritual worth to the kingdom of God and pray only as the psalmist does in Psalm 51 "Create in me a clean heart, O God...", that is, a heart which can hold no guile. Once that is true of our life, then we, with Bartholomew can continue on in the declaration of that Psalm "then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You." (Psalm 51:10-13)
Christianity is a religion of power. If it were not so, then it could in no way contend with sin, Satan and death for dominion over the human soul. Truly the weapons of Christ's warfare are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses, as Paul says in II Corinthians 10:3-5. So true is this that Jesus proclaimed that the Church had been founded upon the rock, and the gates of hell would not prevail against her. But power of this sort can deceive the unregenerate heart. Thus we read of Simon Magus (known to the common people as the Great Power of God) , a practitioner of earth magic, who, when confronted with the true power of God the Holy Spirit, thought that such power was available for purchase and was pronounced by Peter to be "in the bondage of iniquity." (Acts 8:9-24) Even to the regenerate heart, such power is a temptation. For power focuses attention, and attention sows the seed of pride, and pride brings forth ambition, and ambition seeks to turn the things of God into that which can be bartered (we get the word "simony", the buying or selling of sacred things from Simon Magus). We can see such abuses in the circus atmosphere which sometimes surrounds charismatic-type gatherings. You almost feel as if you were watching a performer rather than a minister of Jesus Christ. And the popularity of so many television ministers that seem more intent on building up an earthly empire rather than the kingdom of God seems a perversion of the gospel. But the ministry of divine power does not always have to focus upon the one presuming to hold it. If a soul is transparent enough it is incapable of taking to itself any honor or benefit, and the divine power associated with the preaching of the gospel becomes only the glory of God shining forth unto salvation. We see that trait of transparency recorded of the apostles in our opening scripture. And in that circle of apostles was one man surnamed Bartholomew.
So transparent was this apostle that we can scarcely find anything recorded of his life in either the New Testament or Church tradition. We know simply that he is named in the lists of those called apostles by Jesus Christ in Matthew 10:1-5, Mark 3:16-19 and Luke 6:12-16 as Bartholomew, a surname which is literally Bar Tolmai, or son of Tolmai. His proper name is never clearly given, but many biblical commentators feel that he is one and the same with Nathanael whom we read about only in the gospel of John (John 1:43-51). The evidence for this is compelling, but not conclusive. Three main points can be made for this identification. First, the calling of Nathanael as recorded in John 1:43-51 is certainly of the type which is recorded of other of the apostles. Second, it was the apostle Philip who sought out Nathanael to bring him to Jesus, and in each of the three apostolic lists mentioned above, Philip and Bartholomew are always paired together. Finally, the second mention of Nathanael is at the end of the gospel of John (John 21:2) where he is present with other of the named apostles on the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In the account of John 1 noted above, we get the impression of a man who studied the scriptures and earnestly sought for the manifestation of the Kingdom of God as promised within its pages. He was of the same genre as Simeon in the account of Luke 2:25, a man who was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel. To such a one came Philip with a startling declaration "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth...." It was not unbelief which tempered his response, but a knowledge of God's word. Could the Messiah come forth from Nazareth? The invitation of Philip laid aside any speculation at that point, "Come and see." And it is at this point that we hear the Lord's assessment of this man's heart. "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile." Here was a Jew indeed circumcised in the heart, as Paul teaches in Romans 2:28-29, whose praise is not from men, but from God. And hear what praise comes from the Son of God! Here is one in whom there is no guile, no hidden traps, no deception, no subtlety. In a word, here was one who was transparent. Nathanael Bar Tolmai's response is forthright "You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel." Jesus acknowledges his response of faith and notes that it was based on the smallest of signs. Then He promises that he would see even greater signs than those, and He implies in such a promise that Bartholomew's faith will also thus be increased to the glory of the Son of Man.
Here the scriptural record stops, and we must turn to what little Church tradition we can gain from the historian Eusebius. In his History of the Church (Book 5, Chapter 10) it is recorded that Bartholomew preached in the barbarian east, traveling as far as India in his preaching (for in the third century another missionary traveled to India and found a copy of the gospel of Matthew in use in that region, supposedly having been carried there by Bartholomew in his evangelistic travels). He is credited with spreading the gospel in Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Armenia, Lyaconia, Phrygia, and along the shores of the Black Sea. Tradition tells us that he died at Albanopolis in Armenia being flayed alive and crucified by a nobleman related to the king. His crime worthy of death?.... being persuasive enough in his witness for the Lord to bring the king of Armenia into the fold of Christ.
The gospel reading for St. Bartholomew's day in Luke 22:24-30 reminds us that even the apostles of the Lord were subject to wrongly place ambitions. They argued amongst themselves as to who was to be accounted the greatest. I believe it was one argument in which Bartholomew took no part, for his heart could hide no such inclinations in the presence of His Lord. He coveted no honor, he desired no titles save one, apostle, one sent out at the hand of and to the work of a greater Lord. He will always be to us an example of that man of God who has no veil over his heart, but beholds, as Paul says in II Corinthians 3:18 the glory of the Lord, and is thus transformed into the same image from glory to glory....in a word, he becomes transparent. May we also resolve to leave behind any false ambitions which we may have picked up concerning our own spiritual worth to the kingdom of God and pray only as the psalmist does in Psalm 51 "Create in me a clean heart, O God...", that is, a heart which can hold no guile. Once that is true of our life, then we, with Bartholomew can continue on in the declaration of that Psalm "then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You." (Psalm 51:10-13)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
St. James, the Greater, Apostle and a Son of Thunder (Remembrance Day July 25)
"For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost whether he has enough to finish it, lest after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to mock him, saying 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'...So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:28-33
There is a weakness in the Church of America because the strong calling of the gospel has been watered down to become palatable to our self-centered society. It has been remade in the image of man's interests and ambitions in order to attract people to it. It has been toned down so as not to offend, it has been updated to include the latest trends, it has been packaged and marketed along side of a dozen other self-improvement fads whose only aim is to make people feel good about their self image. And in so doing it has become a sword without an edge, no longer able to cut and divide righteousness from wickedness, the sacred from the secular. The calling of the gospel, just as the sword without an edge, has become a museum piece, a memento of Christianity, which has lost its effectiveness to separate. We have tried to "become all things to all men" (I Corinthians 9:19-23) in order to make the gospel big enough for everyone. But here we have erred. The gospel has always been big enough for everyone, for Christ died for the sins of the world. It is the entrance into the gospel, its calling, that we have really objected to. We judge it much too narrow a way for it requires us to come to the gospel on the Lord's terms, not ours. The Lord is clear in John 10:1 "he who does not enter...by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." Those that have entered by another door do not possess true Christianity. But in every age, in every people, there have been those that have heard the calling of the gospel as a sword that pierced their heart, and have not been ashamed by it; those who have purposed in their hearts to enter by the Lord's door, and who have never once held back having once crossed the threshold. Such a man was James, the son of Zebedee.
He is called "the Greater" by the Church to distinguish him from James, the son of Alphaeus, another of the Apostles. We know that he was the son of Zebedee and brother of John the Apostle as it records in Matthew 4:21-22 (it is believed that he was the elder brother since he is always named first in any mention of the two brothers together). Salome, one of those women who ministered to the Lord until the end, is named as his mother by a comparison of Matthew 27:55-56 with Mark 15:40-41. We also know that he was one of the first disciples called while he sat mending the fishing nets with his family. The scripture simply states that when "He (Jesus) called them (James and John, his brother) ... immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him." There is little doubt that James embraced without hesitation the calling of Lord when it came. But what of counting the cost to see if he was able to finish what he had begun, as our opening scripture exhorts us? For the answer to that we must glean from other accounts in the pages of scripture.
Scripture records that Jesus called James and his brother Boanerges, a Hebrew word which when translated means "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). As the thunder is the herald for the approaching storm, so perhaps this name characterized the zealous and impetuous nature which the Lord saw at a glance within James. In Luke 9:49 it records that John (perhaps in consort with his brother for he uses the word "we") forbade one casting out demons in Jesus name because he did not "follow with us". And in Luke 9:54 we see the brothers rebuked for wanting to call down the fire of judgment upon the Samaritans that refused to show Jesus hospitality on the road to Jerusalem. Surely we see a burning evangelical zeal for the Lord, one severe in temperament at any perceived sleight of the Master. Had he counted the cost while listening to the demands of Jesus' teachings and judged himself to possess what he had heard? The Lord's words in Luke 9:55-56 indicate that there was still more to count "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of." Scripture also relates that both the brothers and their mother made bold to request from Jesus the honor that one would be seated at His right hand, and the other at His left when He entered into His kingdom (Matthew 20:-28 and Mark 10:35-45). Once more the son of thunder was called to account. "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" With all his heart he replied "I am able" although he could not yet know fully the bitter dregs that the cup contained. The Lord's answer to him was prophetic "You will indeed drink My cup...."; and we later read in Acts 12:1-3 that "about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the Church. Then he killed James, the brother of John with the sword..."
Was this man of God able to finish what he had begun so many years earlier on the Sea of Galilee? History judges for us. Eusebius, writing in his history of the Church (Book II; 9:2-3) around 325 AD, quoted from Clement of Rome concerning the death of James. So profound was the testimony and demeanor of James before his accusers, that the one who had led him to judgment became a Christian in that very court of Herod and the two were beheaded together. Before the sword fell, the accuser asked James to forgive him, and at that moment when all earthly accounts had come due for the Apostle, James, no longer filled with a spirit of unguided and restless zeal, but now filled up with the Spirit of Jesus, His Master, answered "I wish you peace", and kissed him in brotherly charity. The first of the Apostles to be martyred, James, the Son of Thunder, counted the cost of following Jesus and was not found lacking at the end. In his life and death he showed the words of Jesus Christ to be true...."what you hear in the ear, preach (or perhaps thunder?) from the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body...." (Matthew 10:27)
So, what of us? What call does the blood of James spilled out before the heathen king place upon us? Have we counted the cost? Are we even now striving forward with all of our heart to uphold Jesus Christ and His Kingdom? Of such men of the gospel the Scripture proclaims "they overcame him (Satan, the great dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and that they did not love their lives to the death." ( Revelation 12:11) Such is the cost that the gospel call demands of us. When the Lord bids us follow, may we unhesitatingly spring up, leaving all behind that would hinder us. And when He asks us, "are ye able?" may we with James be not ashamed to say with all the faith our heart can muster "I am able", or, if lacking that, let us as least proclaim, "I am willing Lord, make me able."
There is a weakness in the Church of America because the strong calling of the gospel has been watered down to become palatable to our self-centered society. It has been remade in the image of man's interests and ambitions in order to attract people to it. It has been toned down so as not to offend, it has been updated to include the latest trends, it has been packaged and marketed along side of a dozen other self-improvement fads whose only aim is to make people feel good about their self image. And in so doing it has become a sword without an edge, no longer able to cut and divide righteousness from wickedness, the sacred from the secular. The calling of the gospel, just as the sword without an edge, has become a museum piece, a memento of Christianity, which has lost its effectiveness to separate. We have tried to "become all things to all men" (I Corinthians 9:19-23) in order to make the gospel big enough for everyone. But here we have erred. The gospel has always been big enough for everyone, for Christ died for the sins of the world. It is the entrance into the gospel, its calling, that we have really objected to. We judge it much too narrow a way for it requires us to come to the gospel on the Lord's terms, not ours. The Lord is clear in John 10:1 "he who does not enter...by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." Those that have entered by another door do not possess true Christianity. But in every age, in every people, there have been those that have heard the calling of the gospel as a sword that pierced their heart, and have not been ashamed by it; those who have purposed in their hearts to enter by the Lord's door, and who have never once held back having once crossed the threshold. Such a man was James, the son of Zebedee.
He is called "the Greater" by the Church to distinguish him from James, the son of Alphaeus, another of the Apostles. We know that he was the son of Zebedee and brother of John the Apostle as it records in Matthew 4:21-22 (it is believed that he was the elder brother since he is always named first in any mention of the two brothers together). Salome, one of those women who ministered to the Lord until the end, is named as his mother by a comparison of Matthew 27:55-56 with Mark 15:40-41. We also know that he was one of the first disciples called while he sat mending the fishing nets with his family. The scripture simply states that when "He (Jesus) called them (James and John, his brother) ... immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him." There is little doubt that James embraced without hesitation the calling of Lord when it came. But what of counting the cost to see if he was able to finish what he had begun, as our opening scripture exhorts us? For the answer to that we must glean from other accounts in the pages of scripture.
Scripture records that Jesus called James and his brother Boanerges, a Hebrew word which when translated means "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). As the thunder is the herald for the approaching storm, so perhaps this name characterized the zealous and impetuous nature which the Lord saw at a glance within James. In Luke 9:49 it records that John (perhaps in consort with his brother for he uses the word "we") forbade one casting out demons in Jesus name because he did not "follow with us". And in Luke 9:54 we see the brothers rebuked for wanting to call down the fire of judgment upon the Samaritans that refused to show Jesus hospitality on the road to Jerusalem. Surely we see a burning evangelical zeal for the Lord, one severe in temperament at any perceived sleight of the Master. Had he counted the cost while listening to the demands of Jesus' teachings and judged himself to possess what he had heard? The Lord's words in Luke 9:55-56 indicate that there was still more to count "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of." Scripture also relates that both the brothers and their mother made bold to request from Jesus the honor that one would be seated at His right hand, and the other at His left when He entered into His kingdom (Matthew 20:-28 and Mark 10:35-45). Once more the son of thunder was called to account. "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" With all his heart he replied "I am able" although he could not yet know fully the bitter dregs that the cup contained. The Lord's answer to him was prophetic "You will indeed drink My cup...."; and we later read in Acts 12:1-3 that "about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the Church. Then he killed James, the brother of John with the sword..."
Was this man of God able to finish what he had begun so many years earlier on the Sea of Galilee? History judges for us. Eusebius, writing in his history of the Church (Book II; 9:2-3) around 325 AD, quoted from Clement of Rome concerning the death of James. So profound was the testimony and demeanor of James before his accusers, that the one who had led him to judgment became a Christian in that very court of Herod and the two were beheaded together. Before the sword fell, the accuser asked James to forgive him, and at that moment when all earthly accounts had come due for the Apostle, James, no longer filled with a spirit of unguided and restless zeal, but now filled up with the Spirit of Jesus, His Master, answered "I wish you peace", and kissed him in brotherly charity. The first of the Apostles to be martyred, James, the Son of Thunder, counted the cost of following Jesus and was not found lacking at the end. In his life and death he showed the words of Jesus Christ to be true...."what you hear in the ear, preach (or perhaps thunder?) from the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body...." (Matthew 10:27)
So, what of us? What call does the blood of James spilled out before the heathen king place upon us? Have we counted the cost? Are we even now striving forward with all of our heart to uphold Jesus Christ and His Kingdom? Of such men of the gospel the Scripture proclaims "they overcame him (Satan, the great dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and that they did not love their lives to the death." ( Revelation 12:11) Such is the cost that the gospel call demands of us. When the Lord bids us follow, may we unhesitatingly spring up, leaving all behind that would hinder us. And when He asks us, "are ye able?" may we with James be not ashamed to say with all the faith our heart can muster "I am able", or, if lacking that, let us as least proclaim, "I am willing Lord, make me able."
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