John 21:15-25 (Matins)
1 Corinthians 9:2-12
Matthew 18:23-35
John 21:15-25 (Matins)
1 Corinthians 9:2-12
Matthew 18:23-35
Yes, Jesus renovated and revivified the entire Creation with His Incarnation. 1. When the Person of the Creator really and actually entered and became wed to His Creation — in a marriage of Heaven and earth, if you like — producing a shock so great that it flipped the télos and destiny of each thing from death to life. That is, nine months after that, He would be born into the new Eden where death has no dominion. In fact, every boy and girl born into the world would be free to begin the journey of Theosis with nothing impeding their path ahead. The way ahead had been cleared (which is the correct meaning of our all-important word sotería, or "salvation."
But the more difficult task still lay ahead: the task of changing the minds of people. Hasn't this always been the intractable part of God's struggle with man? Man had to be weaned away from the School of Moses, which is the belief that blood-sacrifice was the secret way to God's heart and that obedience to certain Laws inevitably led to illumination.
Indisputably, the Commandments are commendable. But who can attain to righteous life solely by following the Commandments. Are they really all that is required? Will they, in and of themselves, bring the nous to spiritual illumination?
This is the task before the Master and His Apostles and disciples ever after: to bring a whole world down a certain path (without alienating anyone) that will reveal the vast work yet to be done. We see Jesus setting about this task this morning.
We actually have before us this morning two landmarks of Scripture: Jesus summary of life unto eternal life and St. Paul's statement of the Christian faith. I'd like to begin with St. Paul, but I always repeat a versicle whenever I wade into these unpredictable waters, for the currents are apt to pull me under!
| "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Cor 9:22) |
We know from own experiences in writing essays or in speaking to groups of people that we, first of all, must consider who our audience might be. For certain words or phrases are liable to touch hot buttons among our readers and listeners, and we try to steer clear of them.
St. Paul tells us plainly that he is especially careful not to lose any among his audience On Mars Hill he skillfully reveals the Unknown God, which he argues, the pagans already believe.
|
".... for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship,
I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. "Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you ...." (Acts 17:23) |
And among the Jews he does not directly challenge their cherished belief in expiatory sacrifice saying,
|
Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin
You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb 10:8-10) |
As we have considered on many Sundays, the first-century Levant is the scene of diverse religious beliefs but chiefly two by the lights of Jesus teaching ministry: sacrifices of animals as a means to appease God and sacrifices of righteousness as means to advancing in Theosis. In the passage we have just read, Paul tries to appeal to both groups. He says that God never desired blood sacrifice in the first place and that the body of Jesus Christ is offered once for all. That is, he gives both sides something to go away with in, arguably, his greatest rhetorical performance, the book we call the Epistle to the Hebrews (though in fact it was addressed to the Jews and had no title originally).
For even the Apostle to the Gentiles knew that the early Church was chiefly made up converting Jews, nor did he wish to make enemies of Peter or James who were overseeing the "apple cart" of the mostly Jewish nascent Church.
Yet, Paul is just as skilled in touching all the hot buttons when he wants to:
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But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees,
he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection — and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. (Acts 23:6-10) |
With these characteristic skills in mind, let us turn to his first epistle to the Church at Corinth, which is our Epistle Lesson for today. He starts out by declaring "this is matter of life and death":
| "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel .... by which also you are saved ...." (1 Cor 15:1-2) |
With the word saved, we have the verb form of sotería, which we can be variously translated as "rescued" or "having the way ahead cleared." That is, there is room here for both groups. But let us go on:
| ".... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ...." (1 Cor 15:3) |
This word for is better translated "on behalf of" implying a ransom (as we have considered) versus sacrifice. And Paul, we should note, says "died on behalf of." He does not say that Jesus ritually sacrificed. This what Paul received whole cloth from the body of believers.
We do not believe that Jesus was born to participate in the Babylonian cult of blood sacrifice but that He revealed the Kingdom of Heaven religion of angels and afterlife and relationship with Father God. So let us go back to St. Paul's epistle and ask what is the significance of Jesus' death? Jesus raised the dead three times, even the rotting body of His friend Lazarus, to make the point that death is an illusion. He did made the same point by revealing the deathless ones, Elijah and Moses, on the summit of the Mount of Transfiguration. The primary point, He teaches, is advancing of our spiritual selves such that it rises above and leaves behind our carnal selves. That is, death is the toxic and disgusting concentration of our earthly passions while spiritual life is the body and soul completely liberated from what we have called dog-think and animal-life. With this is mind, let us now turn to our Gospel Lesson. which might be titled, "What's It's All About."
A young, rich man comes to Jesus starting down a path that is designed to test Him, for Jesus has become known as the Teacher who questions the customs of Moses. And the lesson serves as a vehicle to allay fears. Jesus dutifully rehearse the Ten Commandments, which confirms the Jewish view of obedience to the Law as means to pleasing God.
Certainly, the Commandments represent the rudiments of righteousness. And we might say, in addition, no one achieves righteous life violating the Commandments. Yet, we must also say that no enters the Kingdom of Heaven by keeping all the commandments.
Jesus began His ministry with a single word, Metanoeite! which is translated "Be transformed in your Nous or spiritual mind." And He concludes today by stating this same principle state in practical terms: "Young man, if you horde your considerable wealth in the face of families who have no shelter from the harsh weather and who have nothing to feed their children, do you imagine that are fit for the Kingdom of Heaven?"
This, in a nutshell, is the gospel St. Paul was given to preach,
the good news for mankind
—
that there is a righteous and good Father in Heaven,
that He has called all of us into His good life,
and
that,
in the end,
for such as these,
death will have no dominion.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
1
St. Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation Bilingual English-Greek Edition (Rex Mundi, 2024),
51-53.