| 3. Faith Although love appears as the supreme commandment, the Fourth Gospel emphasizes faith in Jesus, 2798 perhaps because faith is what the believers» current trials are testing most: «While the emphasis is on believing in John 1–12 , love becomes central in John 13–17 . But there it is love as the basis of the possibility that the world might come to believe. Thus the focus remains on faith. In 1 John the focus is on love as a test of all claims to know God.» 2799 Whereas Mark uses πιστεω 10 times, Matthew 11, and Luke 9, the verb appears by itself (without following clause or object) 30 times in John, 18 with the dative, 13 with cm, 36 with εις, and once each with èv and the neuter accusative. 2800 John employs the verb 98 times, whereas the three Synoptics employ it 30 times, and Paul 54 times (by contrast, Paul employs the noun 142 times, the Synoptics 24 times, and John never). 2801 Viewed from another angle, cognates of this term appear on the average page of the Greek text of the NT according to the following distribution: 0.09 in Revelation; 0.24 in the Synoptics; 0.55 in Acts; 1.10 in the Catholic Epistles; 1.25 in Paul; 1.31 in Hebrews; and 1.48 in John. 2802 That John emphasizes faith heavily cannot be disputed. 2803 Secular Greek and the LXX provide no parallels for πιστεω ες; it may resemble the Semitic hémin be, but the LXX renders that with the dative. 2804 This construction may thus represent «a distinctive Christian creation designed to express the personal relationship of commitment between the believer and Jesus»; 2805 if it turns out to be less than completely distinctive, it is nonetheless noteworthy that a construction so rare outside Christian literature would be so prominent in this literature. John was not the only religious propagandist (in the neutral sense of the phrase) to explore development of faith through characters in his narrative. The guest in Philostratus " s Heroikos initially does not believe in heroes but is willing to be persuaded (3.1; 7.10–11; 8.2). Before long, however, he begins to believe in response to accounts of the signs (7.12; 8.18; 16.6; 17.1; 18.1; 44.5). 2806 Philostratus is late enough to reflect Christian influence, but it is at least possible that this motif is independent; if dependent, it at least demonstrates that early readers understood the centrality of faith development in Johns plot. A broader Mediterranean audience might understand faith in the context of dependence on a divine provider 2807 and certainly would understand the dangers of active unbelief that provoked the anger of deities. 2808 But one also finds judgments for unbelief in a divine agent in the OT (2 Kgs 9:7; Dan 9:6–7 ; Amos 7:12–17), Amoraic texts, 2809 and Luke-Acts (Luke 1:20; Acts 13:11). |
| “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1: 47-48) Elizabeth had already been “filled with the Holy Spirit”, precisely that she might cry out: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” (Luke 1:41, 42) This honor given the Theotokos by her cousin is exactly what all generations of the Church do when they call her blessed. Finally, when Jesus saw His mother and the disciple John standing by the cross, He entrusted him with her care, but He also established a new spiritual relationship between them in saying to the disciple: “Behold thy Mother!” (John 19:27) What possible significance could this declaration of our Lord have except to make His Mother the Mother of all Christians? If she really had other children would she be in need of an outsider’s home? The Incarnation of God was foretold in the Old Testament. A race was chosen for a specific purpose: to produce a holy humanity from which God could take flesh. Mary is the one who, in the Lord’s words, “heard the word of God and kept it.” (Luke 11:28) Through her personal sinlessness she fulfilled all the hopes and prophecies of Israel. She figured greatly in the very prophecies, the most important of which is that of Isaiah: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) The Church has always considered the following as prefigures or symbols of the role of the Theotokos in the Divine plan, and appoints them to be read on the eves of three of the feasts dedicated to her memory. The first is the story of Jacob’s ladder, which refers to her being the means by which God chose to enter into the world physically. “He saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven, the angels also of God ascending and descending by it”. (Genesis 28:12) Then from the Prophecy of Ezekiel are the words concerning her perpetual virginity: |
| My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. " (Luke 1: 47-48) Elizabeth had already been " filled with the Holy Spirit " , precisely that she might cry out: " Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. " (Luke 1:41, 42) This honor given the Theotokos by her cousin is exactly what all generations of the Church do when they call her blessed. Finally, when Jesus saw His mother and the disciple John standing by the cross, He entrusted him with her care, but He also established a new spiritual relationship between them in saying to the disciple: " Behold thy Mother! " (John 19:27) What possible significance could this declaration of our Lord have except to make His Mother the Mother of all Christians? If she really had other children would she be in need of an outsider " s home? The Incarnation of God was foretold in the Old Testament. A race was chosen for a specific purpose: to produce a holy humanity from which God could take flesh. Mary is the one who, in the Lord " s words, " heard the word of God and kept it. " (Luke 11:28) Through her personal sinlessness she fulfilled all the hopes and prophecies of Israel. She figured greatly in the very prophecies, the most important of which is that of Isaiah: " Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. " (Isaiah 7:14) The Church has always considered the following as prefigures or symbols of the role of the Theotokos in the Divine plan, and appoints them to be read on the eves of three of the feasts dedicated to her memory. The first is the story of Jacob " s ladder, which refers to her being the means by which God chose to enter into the world physically. " He saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven, the angels also of God ascending and descending by it " . (Genesis 28:12) Then from the Prophecy of Ezekiel are the words concerning her perpetual virginity: " And the Lord said unto me: This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it; because the Lord God of Israel hath entered in by it, and it shall be shut. " (Ezekiel 44:2) The same is true of the burning bush seen by Moses: Mary contained in her womb the God-man, Jesus Christ, the God who is a consuming fire, and was not consumed. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Choosing the Good Part: Homily on the Feast of the Pochaev Icon Archimandrite Joseph (Eremenko) 05 August 2015 Archimandrite Joseph (Eremenko) In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! “From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48), said the Immaculate Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation. From that moment she became the Queen of Heaven and earth, the Mother of all people. And for almost two thousand years all nations have called her blessed, hastening to her maternal care, receiving that for which they have asked, and praying before the great multitude of her wonder-working icons. And today we have the grace-filled opportunity again to celebrate joyfully with prayers and spiritual hymns the Queen of Heaven before her Pochaev Icon. We have now heard the Gospel reading concerning how the Lord Jesus Christ visited the home of Martha and Mary. Martha and Mary received their Divine Guest into their home with joy, but this joy was manifest by them in different ways. While Martha bustled about with appropriate hospitality, Mary sat at the Savior’s feet and listened to what He said. At one point Martha approached the Savior and asked Him to order Mary to help her: “Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40-42). This excerpt from the Gospel according to Luke is always read at feasts of the Theotokos, because the Mother of God united within herself, in her life, Martha and Mary; she united in herself labor and listening to the Word of God, but united them properly, the way they should be. |
| Staretz Sophrony points out that the union of the human nature in Christ is of course hypostatic or prosopic, that is to say, that Christ is a divine Person, the Person of the Son and Word of God; but, it is equally important to note that the union of the two natures in Christ is also energetic. The significance of this energetic interpenetration of the divine and human natures in each other is of paramount importance for us human beings in that it forms the basis of our own union with God, which is also energetic and not essential or hypostatic. In other words, it proves to us that the example of Christ is also realizable, also attainable, by us human persons, and that theosis to the point of divine perfection, far from being optional, is in fact an obligation. It is in this sense that Staretz Sophrony understands the exhortation: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48). Father Sophrony also highlights another mystery concerning the Life of Christ on earth as a model and pattern for our own Life in Christ. This is revealed in the fact that even with the human nature of Christ we may observe a certain growth or dynamism, or, as Holy Scripture puts it, a certain “increase:” And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). Thus, before all things had been fulfilled, even after the hypostatic union of human nature to the divine Person of the Word; even after His assumption of our humanity into His divine Person; even Christ, in His human aspect, appears as increasing in perfection. Hence, He also undergoes temptations (Luke 4:1-13, Hebr. 2:18); and even reached the point of agony (Luke 22:44). This, as Father Sophrony remarks, is due principally to a certain division which may be observed in Christ before His glorious Ascension, owing to the asymmetry of His natures. Following His Ascension, and the sitting of Christ the Son of Man on the right hand of God the Father, we have the new vision of the Christ-Man as equal to God, not of course according to His nature, but according to His energy. |
| Romans 13:8–9 He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still. 1 John 2:9 Love of Enemies Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and be displeased, and turn away His anger from him. Proverbs 24:17–18 You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43–48 But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 15 Luke 6:27–28 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:34–36 WAR Inevitability of War Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household. Matthew 10:34–36 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. Luke 12:51 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the sufferings. |
| 3B. Jesus» Answer (2:4) Jesus» answer in v. 4 is a rebuff, but like the rebuff of 4:48, is more a complaint than an assertion that he will not act. Γναι (2:4; 19:26) was usually respectful and not an unusual greeting to a woman (4:21; 20:13,15; cf. 8:10; Matt 15:28; Luke 13:12; 22:57; 1Cor 7:16 ), 4478 but it is not natural for onés mother. 4479 Further, it appears brusque because the reader does not normally expect it for a woman one knows (it does appear for Mary, but Jesus then calls her by name, 20:15–16). 4480 One might be more apt to address onés mother with a title like κυρα, 4481 also a respectful title for a woman of rank. 4482 Consequently, some have sought to find symbolic import in the address, 4483 seeing the woman as a representative of Israel, 4484 a new Eve as the mother of the new Israel, 4485 and/or the church. 4486 Yet apart from excess weight on this term (often interpreted in light of Rev 12:1–2, though it appears twenty other times in the Gospel) and similar allegorization of 19:26, we lack adequate clues to confirm this allegorizing. (She may well function as a representative of the church as a model disciple, but only in the same way that other disciples in the narrative do.) This is especially the case if we are tempted to view the mother " s intercession as prefiguring a later role as mediatrix; we do not turn other suppliants in John " s stories into mediators, and would not do so here apart from the influence of much later traditions. 4487 More likely, in view of the prominent role assigned to honoring onés parents in Judaism 4488 (and indeed the ancient Mediterranean in general), 4489 Jesus is establishing a degree of distance between himself and his mother, 4490 as did the Jesus of the Synoptic tradition. 4491 She approached him not as her son but as a miracle worker; he replies not as her son but as her Lord. This response certainly parallels 7:6–8, where he does what was asked of him only later; this demonstrates his dependence on the divine timing 4492 (perhaps also 4:4); but in this case, given his mother " s apparent faith (v. 5), the text is not solely reproof. The sequence of request (2:3/4:47), action withheld (2:4/4:48), and request reasserted (2:5/4:49) parallels 4:47–49, 4493 which makes Jesus» mother a model of faith and discipleship like some other women in the Gospel, 4494 although her faith is not yet informed by understanding of the cross. 4495 Perhaps Jesus creates an obstacle partly to challenge her to greater faith, as in 4:48–50; 6:5–6; and elsewhere in the Jesus tradition (e.g., Mark 7:27 ; the possible question in Matt 8:7); but there is also a matter of the meaning and cost of his compliance. 4496 Jesus is still placing distance between himself and his mother. As Augustine suggested, she had to learn that her relationship to Jesus as disciple was more important than her relationship to him as mother. 4497 |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation The Annunciation Source: No Other Foundation Archpriest Lawrence Farley 07 April 2021 Photo: Sergei Vlasov/foto.patriarchia.ru St. Ignatius of Antioch, martyred in Rome in about the year 107, wrote that along with the death of the Lord, the virginity of Mary and her giving birth were mysteries that were hidden from the ruler of this age, and were accomplished in the silence of God ( To the Ephesians , 19.1). That is, their full significance were not immediately perceived by the world. This was certainly true, for when news of Mary’s pregnancy became known in her small town home in Nazareth, no one there suspected that the Child she was carrying was about to change the world forever. Most young mothers can expect to be showered with congratulations and good wishes when they share the news of their pregnancy. But not Mary. At that time she was only betrothed to her fiancé Joseph, and the wedding itself was still some months away. It was clear enough that Joseph was not the father of her baby, and the wagging tongues of Nazareth would assume the obvious and the worst. It is easy for us to forget this. Elizabeth her cousin greeted her with joy and pronounced her blessed among women, but Elizabeth was something special. She was the mother of the one chosen to be the Forerunner, and when Mary entered her home to visit with her during her advanced pregnancy, Elizabeth’s baby leaped up inside her, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). The old biddies in Nazareth, it is safe to say, were not so filled with the Holy Spirit, and they did not pronounce Mary to be blessed among women. As far as they were concerned, the young adolescent (the normal age for betrothal then being about thirteen) was an immoral woman. That meant that when Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth and brought the good news that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, the news was not all good. In the long term, all generations of those who served the Messiah would call her blessed (Luke 1:48), but in the short-term, all her neighbours would call her something else, and small town Nazareth very quickly became a very unfriendly place. How else could one explain why Mary was willing to accompany Joseph for a long journey to Bethlehem in Judea when she was nine months pregnant? Better to brave the hardships of a journey like that than to stay at home among the slanderous tongues of Nazareth. |
| New persecutions followed and the Prophet of God fled to the mountain of Choreb. There Elijah experienced the presence of God as a voice of thine air (III Kings 19:11-12). Elijah was taken to Heaven on a chariot of fire (IV Kings 2:11), and gave to his disciple Elissaios his blessings to have twice the portion of God’s Grace which he himself received (IV Kings 2:9). Elijah is one of the holiest prophets and greatest personalities of the Old Testament. He never left any writings behind. His zeal to preserve the true faith in God made him well known throughout the centuries till today. In the Books of the Prophet Malachi (4:4) and the Wisdom of Sirach (48:1-15) his second coming foretells that he shall prepare the world of the coming of the Messiah. And, behold, says the Lord, I will send to you Elijah the Thesbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes; who shall turn again the heart of the father to the son, and the heart of a man to his neighbour, lest I come and smite the earth grievously (Malachi 4:4). In the New Testament the Prophet Elijah appeared with Moses on Mount Tabor at Christ’s Transfiguration (Matth. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36). According to the Book of Revelation, before the Second Coming of Christ, the two Prophets Enoch and Elijah will come again and they will prophecy for three and a half years (Rev. 11:3). When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them (Rev. 11:7). After three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God shall enter them, and they shall come back to life, and great fear shall fall upon those who killed them. They will ascend into heaven in a cloud (Rev. 11:12). In the New Testament Christ Himself used the Prophet Elijah as an example to describe the zeal of St. John, the Baptist. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17). When our Lord was asked by His disciples: Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? He replied saying: Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished (Matth. 17:12). For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come (Matth. 11:13-14). |
| 7778 Normally, however, one anointed kings, guests, or others on their heads; 7779 that Mary anoints Jesus» feet (12:3; cf. Luke 7:38, 44–46, 48) indicates an even greater respect for Jesus (cf. Luke 10:39); she takes the posture of a servant (1:27; 13:5). (One may compare a later story in which one who wished to greatly honor R. Jonathan kissed his feet.) 7780 That she also wipes Jesus» feet with her hair (12:3) reinforces this portrait of humble servitude; a woman " s hair was her «glory» ( 1Cor 11:7 ) . 7781 Commentators often observe that it would have violated the Palestinian Jewish custom that required women to keep their heads covered. 7782 This custom obtained only for married women, however, and it is unclear that either Mary or Martha is married; given the nature of ancient sources, one would expect them to report if either was married, but we instead get the impression (though it is never explicit) that Mary and Martha live in their brother " s home, and that if either had been married, they were not married now. They appear to be Lazarus " s closest relatives (11:19–20), suggesting that all were unmarried (which might suggest their youth, and perhaps that Simon the leper in Mark 14was their deceased father); but John may simply omit extraneous characters and information, so we cannot say for certain. Whether Mary was single or married, however, to use her prized feminine hair (see above) to wipe Jesus» feet, when normally only servants even touched the master " s feet (see comment on 1:27), indicates the depth of her humble submission to and affection for Jesus. 7783 Banqueters were known to wipe excess water or oil on the head or hair of servants; Mary seeks this servant " s role as an expression of devotion to Jesus. 7784 And given the taboos of the very pious against even speaking with women, 7785 and undoubtedly the suspicions of most people when too much cross-gender affection between nonrelatives appeared in public, her action would probably seem immoral to many bystanders if they were present. |
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