Reflections on the Gospels

Reflections on the Gospels

Rev. David A. Fisher

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say,‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.” - Matthew 23:16-22

In this passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is revealing the lack of true spiritual knowledge held by the Pharisees. The Pharisees were so concerned with self-righteous actions, in that their meticulous obedience to following the Mosaic Laws would make better than others, and total opposites of the pagan Roman rulers. Jesus often points out their empty religiosity:“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence”(Matthew 23:25).

Jesus made it clear to his disciples that true worship of the Father, was not a matter of actions, to gain public favor, but from the heart and depth of our soul; to be transformed. Indeed, Jesus had forbidden all oaths: “Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one”(Matthew 5:33-37).

Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No; if you are an honest man or woman of faith, a person of Christian integrity, nothing else is needed.

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He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power.”

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”-Mark 9:1-7

The Transfiguration is a revelation from God that although the Apostles and therefore the Church, will witness the humiliation, and death on the Cross of Jesus; He who is the fulfillment of the Law (Moses) and Prophets (Elijiah), shall be glorified and with Him the Church. With Jesus the Kingdom of God is already present and his Church shall not taste death; for through Him, with Him, and in Him, the members of HIs Body (Church) will share in his Resurrection.

Just as the cloud shadowed the meeting tent in the time of Moses, and covered the Temple at its dedication, so now it covers the Church as the place where God meets his people. However, as the meeting tent and the Temple passed away, the Church will never pass away, as the words of the Lord will never pass away, but all will be fulfilled in the fullness of the Kingdom.

The Transfiguration tells us “to heart” and to be strong of faith, for as we share in his suffering and death, we shall also share in his victory and eternal life.

The Eucharist is a fire which inflames us. - St. John of Damascus, 676-749AD

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One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”-Luke 23:39-43

This is usually the gospel reading I select for funeral Liturgies. It reminds us that all of us stand in judgment before the throne of God, especially at the end of our earthly sojourn. The two thieves that hung on each side of Jesus, even at the point of their last minutes of earthly life had the chance to repent. One decides to hold on to the darkness and face death as he had faced life, as if there was no meaning to either. The other one, St. Dismas according to tradition, realizes that although he is a sinner, that hanging next to him is the Sinless One. The two thieves of course represent all men and women, for we have all sinned, we cannot save ourselves. We have the freedom to remain in the darkness or to seek the Light, who enlightens all who seek life in its fulness. This gospel reading reminds us that it is never too late to change our lives, to seek Christ, and to find true peace.

Let your door stand open to receive [God], unlock your soul to him, offer him a welcome in your mind, and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. – St. Ambrose of Milan, 340-397 AD

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“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”-Luke 12:10-12

Jesus is teaching us a very important truth of who we are as Christians; that is the new life we are given in Christ (Baptism), by the Father, is lived in the power of the Father’s Holy Spirit (Chrismation/Confirmation). If we reject this gift of the Father’s Spirit, if we blaspheme the Spirit, if we ignore the Spirit, we no longer have this “new life” active within us, this is why it unforgivable; in truth we condemn ourselves.

If we live in the Spirit we have nothing to fear, as we proclaim Christ to the world and face all obstacles, the Holy Spirit “will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

This passage so beautifully proclaims to us our Trinitarian Faith, and how we are wrapped into the divine life of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“A person who governs their passions is master of their world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.” - St. Dominic

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And the Word was made 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. - John 1:14

“God became man that man might become God,” St. Athanasius (ca 298–373), found in his On the Incarnation.

The Incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ the God-Man can only be fully appreciated in the light of the Paschal Mystery (Cross/Death, Resurrection, and Pentecost). The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, not only to save us from sin and death, but by the same power by which he rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit, to share in his glorious victory over death, and enter the gates of everlasting life.

In Jesus Christ we behold the gloryof the only-begotten Son of the Father, in other words in Christ we see the face of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are cradled in the arms of our loving Father, as we are born into the fullness of human life.

As both Church Fathers, Saint Irenaeus and Saint Athanasius stressed in the first centuries of the Church; that the Son of God in becoming one of us, brings us to dwell eternally in the Realm of God, we become divinized. Not by our carnal nature but by our rebirth in Christ (Baptism) and the Spirit (Chrismation/Confirmation) into the Kingdom of Our Father, prepared for us from before (eternally) the beginning of time.

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And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. [So] cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’” - Luke 13:6-9

We might characterize this passage as divine patience. Our Father shows us patience that like his mercy is beyond all comprehension. We were not created by God to be lost, to be eternally separated from him. As Scripture says, the Father sent us two Advocates, the Son and the Spirit, to teach us, guide us, and carry us to the Father’s Kingdom. In doing so he respects our freedom, for love is only true where there is freedom.

Possibly the root cause of our disobedience towards God, is not that God is too great a mystery for us to comprehend, rather it is the fact that we are a mystery to ourselves. God has revealed himself to us, in Word and Sacrament, in the lives of the martyrs and saints, those who have come to believe and seek him with all their minds and hearts. God is not far from us.

Saint Augustine said,“our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” We find who we are when we find God. Saint Paul exclaimed, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God”(Colossians 3:3).

God is waiting for you!

Christ the Lord is risen. Our joy that hath no end. - St. John of Damascus

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The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted…. “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. - Matthew 13:10-11, 16-17

The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven have been granted to us! Prophets and righteous people longed to see wha we see but did not see it and to hear what we hear but did not hear it!

What is a mystery in Christian theological/religious terms? It is a reality, a truth, that is beyond human abilities to totally comprehend. That is why, especially in Eastern Christian terminology the Holy Sacraments are called Holy Mysteries. We cannot totally comprehend and appreciate the presence of Christ by the power and overshadowing of the Holy Spirit in the Holy and Sacred Mysteries, revealing to us the Father of all and allowing us a foretaste of his eternal Kingdom.

In like manner, how can we give worthy praise and thanksgiving for the gifts that we receive from our loving God. What we have to offer is our lives, in service of God and neighbor. To grow in prayer, charity, patience, faith, hope, and love. To imitate Christ, to the best of our abilities in conformity with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Each day we give thanks for living in the endtimes, the time of salvation, the time of the Holy Spirit.

“Above all guard for me this great deposit of faith for which I live and fight, which I want to take with me as a companion, and which makes me bear all evils and despise all pleasures: I mean the profession of faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I entrust it to you today.” - Saint Gregory the Theologian (Nanzianzus)

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. - John 1:1-5

We celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus the Christ; the one who was born to die for us. Even at his birth we have the symbols of his saving death on the Cross. For example, his holy mother held him at his birth and when his body was taken down from the Cross. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, he could not move, just as when he was nailed to the Cross. He was born in a manger in a cave, he was buried in a cave tomb; and there are so many more parallels, because from the moment of his birth begins his walk towards Calvary.

Jesus shows us what it means to be God by the way he dies as a human being. So often we think of God in his perfect realm and we in our imperfect realm. We also think why did God not make us perfect so that we would not sin and die. Yet, Scripture reveals to us that God made us in his image and likeness; that is to say he made us to be Christ-like and with the freedom to embrace that calling. Jesus by his Cross of self-sacrifice gathers up all of human history and offers it back to the Father of all, and if we freely choose to be a part of that offering, to be Christ-like, to love, then death cannot hold us, fear is destroyed, and we enter into the Liturgy of the Kingdom of God, where we shall praise the Lamb who was slain, Jesus Christ.

When seen in this context Christ’s death is not just atonement but is glorification. When Jesus says upon the Cross, it is finished, does he not mean that in himself as the eternal Son of the Father, the creation of humanity is finished; because in his self-sacrifice, light has destroyed darkness, faith has overcome fear, and life has defeated death. Therefore, we who are made in his image and likeness are called to take up our cross and follow him, which means in Christ-like love to lay down our lives for others.

Make no room for darkness and fear in your life; thanks be to God who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

AD MAIORUM DEI GLORIAM