Category: Peter

‘Statement’ as the weapon of war: The spiritual dynamics of Great Lent

Fr Dr Saji K Mathew3 Comments

This blog meditates on the role and power of verbal statements in our spiritual life. At the outset, a statement could be defined as something that is said or written to inform in a ‘formal’ or ‘definite’ way. The two words ‘formal’ and ‘definite’ correspond to ‘responsibility’ and ‘surety’ respectively. A person making a statement is bound by and responsible for it. Hence s/he should be confident about what is being stated. Moreover, it is a matter of accountability as well. Jesus said, For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:37). Proverbs 6:2 says you are snared by the words of your mouth. The power of a statement is unambiguously represented in Proverbs 18:21a: Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Our words/statements can get us eternal life or divine reprimand, a choice God wants us to make, using our free will. The above quoted verses reasons to justify incorporating statements in our conversation (prayer) with God so as to win His grace and mercy. Equally important is the power of statements as a means to witness the grace and mercy of God.

The above introduction opens a pathway to enter into the spiritual world of the Great Lent. It is an established belief that the key purpose of the Great Lent is individual and communal repentance aimed at spiritual rejuvenation. The Lenten prayers of the Orthodox church are frequented with virtual signposts pointing to the examples and experiences of the lent observed by many great personalities from the Old Testament. For instance, the lent observed by Moses (Exodus 34:28), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), Daniel (Daniel 10:2-3), and the young men (Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) (Daniel 1: 3-16) are used as examples to motivate us during the Lenten season. Whilst these Lents were not of repentance, the prayers for the Great Lent also cite the Nineveh lent (Jonah 3:6-9) to appeal the faithful to seek forgiveness, mercy and compassion from God. Noteworthy too is the prayer (Bovutho/Bovusso) of Saint Ephrem which is sung as part of the Soothoro (before bedtime) prayers: Both Moses and Elijah; Fasted forty days and nights; As our Lord also fasted; And conquered the evil one.

The church fathers are in no way wrong as the profundity of the prayers written by them is clearly visible as a journey that starts with repentance but immediately advances to the battlefield, where one is expected to fight the devil. This means, the Great Lent is not expected to be confined to repentance which apparently characterises the Old Testament (Nineveh) lent. The predominant discourse of the New Testament lent is grounded on the one that Jesus observed by fasting forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:2). Jesus did not spend those days and nights repenting to God the Father. Instead, He was on an ‘operation desert’ mission which involved direct fight with Satan. Mark 1:13 states that Jesus fought the devil continuously for forty days, until He won. Jesus of course was sinless (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22) and hence did not need to repent. But human beings definitely need to repent – hence the church fathers have incorporated prayers that lead to repentance, but only as a starting point to make the faithful qualified and strengthened for the great battle. In other words, repentance leads the faithful to the battle field. The primary duty of a frontline solider in the battlefield is to fight. If a soldier ignores this responsibility and stays back in the barracks surviving on the provisions, the battle may turn to defeat. Analogically, instead of battling the demon, if a faithful prefer to survive on God’s mercy and compassion, it could only be viewed as laziness or rather cowardice. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power (2 Timothy 1:7). Hence, instead of living in fear, God wants His faithful to fight the devil. This does not negate the fact that we are dependent on God. In fact, our dependence on God is rooted in the freedom (power) for which we are called (Galatians 5:13).

The freedom that we enjoy in Christ (John 8:36) is the outcome of our repentance, of course granted by grace. This freedom powers the faithful to fight Satanic aggressions and bondages. The gift of repentance is the transformation of our spirit to be strong. This transformation should be articulated by the very first statement against Satan: “greater is the one who is within me than you devil” (see 1 John 4:4). Simultaneously, we get ready for the battle by wearing the full armour of God (see Ephesians 6:12f). After this, we are in full combat mode. In this battle, we follow our Lord Jesus Christ who had already won, and should never deviate from it. Saint Paul cautions about the danger of deviation as getting outwitted by the devil (2 Corinthians 2:11). This means, in the same way as a soldier is expected to behave in the battlefield, we need to be cautious, active, alert, and sensitive throughout the war against Satan.

Saint Paul in his discourse on spiritual warfare exhorts that though we are human beings, we do not follow human standards to fight the devil. Instead, our weapons have divine power to destroy strongholds (2 Corinthians 10: 3-4). These words point to the power of our statements – as the most lethal weapon (to inflict casualty and destruction on Satan and his army). Revelation 12:11 clearly states …. they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Whilst the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) represents our deliverance through repentance, our statements deliver the ultimate blow to Satan leading us to victory.

Ephesians 6:17 too identifies the weapon of our war as the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This verse is a clear guidance about how to make statements. The statement that we make should never be hollow (Ephesians 5:6) as it will only land us in trouble (see Matthew 12:36). Instead, we draft our statements using the Word of God which has the power to work as a sharp double edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). This is the strategy that Jesus used in His fight against Satan during His lent. As we read in Matthew 4:1-10 and Luke 4:1-13 the three statements of Jesus to counter the devil were quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; and 6:13. And the outcome of this battle was Satan’s defeat. Likewise, in our battle with Satan, we only need to follow Jesus’ footsteps (1 Peter 2:21) and make bold statements. Jesus set an example for us to do the same thing He did (John 13:15). This means, the more the Word of God we are armed with, the better we are positioned in our battle with the devil.

As mentioned in the beginning, the purpose of our statement can attract grace and mercy from the Lord. We have the finest of examples reported in the synoptic gospels – Saints Matthew (8:2) Mark (1:40) and Luke (5:12) reports using the same words, the powerful statement made by a leprosy patient, on his knees: Lord if you choose, you can make me clean. This statement of the leprosy patient must have impressed and amazed Jesus for the simple reason that the former did not just beg with a few self-crafted words but paraphrased a quote from the Old Testament- Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved (Jeremiah 17:14). Though no explicit linkage is drawn to this quote by the authors of the synoptic gospels, it does set the reader to discern how the Word of God could transform a sinner to repentance followed by physical and spiritual transformation. The disease itself was the consequence of sin as could be understood from Leviticus 13 &14 (hence the mention of guilt offering in Leviticus 14:12-13).

The transformation as the first step in the journey through the Great Lent (please refer to my previous blog on Wedding at Cana) should enable us to demonstrate spiritual dynamism by way of making bold statements to Jesus as well as on behalf of Jesus, to the world. A person unsure of the next step post transformation is stuck and may just decide to bury it (Matthew 25:18). For those who are unsure, the leprosy patient appears in the second week of the Great Lent to show the way. He shares the mantra to win the Lord, make spiritually bold statements. The Tuesday morning office of the Great Lent includes the prayer of Saint Jacob (Bovutho/Bovusso) which exhorts: O mouth, speak and speak and gain the One who hears you. Yes, our spiritual statements have the power and capacity to attract the Lord’s grace and mercy, as long as they are genuine and honest.

The dual nature of our statements – repentance and the seeking of grace and mercy is evident in the appeal of the leprosy patient. His statement simultaneously acknowledges the power and authority of the Lord to accept his repentance and deliver him from the demonic bondage of leprosy. Similarly, Saint Peter, in response to Jesus’ repeated question Do you love me? responded finally with a statement Lord you know everything; you know that I love you (John 21: 17) reflects his repentance as well as seeking Jesus’ mercy to strengthen him from wavering in his love for the Lord. The same spirit of repentance and mercy seeking is reflected in Saint Thomas’ statement My Lord and my God (John 20:28). In both these latter cases we see that grace and mercy of the Lord were showered on Saint Peter and Saint Thomas, after fetching statements from them.

Secondly, we should aim to witness the Lord with statements. Since, He has forgiven our sins, and blessed us with grace and mercy, we should be looking for ways and means to share them with our brethren, in line with Psalm 116:12: what shall I return to the Lord for all His bounty to me?. The answer also comes from King David who asked the question, I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you (Psalm 22:22).

Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, Saint Peter stood in the midst of the rulers, elders and scribes, and made one of the most powerful of the statements: There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12), which witnessed Jesus and reflected His words I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). There are in fact so many such bold statements recorded in the New Testament as we journey through the ministry of the Apostles.

Saint Peter’s statement stirred up the soul of individuals leading them to repentance (Acts 2:37), demonstrating its power. The responsive statement of Saint Paul, Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all those who are listening to me today might become such as I am-except for these chains (Acts 26:29), made King Agrippa and his entire court to stand up to agree of the former’s innocence. The most powerful statement ever, was made by none other than Jesus Christ Himself, at the Garden of Gethsemane: I AM (John 18:5), which forced the soldiers and the police who came to arrest Him step back and fall on the ground. As could be discerned from these examples, our spiritual statements could have a range of effects- to make people repent, agree or instil awe.

The above reflection points to a visible difference between the Old and the New Testament lent. Whilst the former entails dependency (on God), the latter proceeds to empower those who are dependent on God. This means the Great Lent is a journey of empowerment too, to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and fight the devil in the same way as He fought non-stop for forty days. The power to wage this forty days battle with the devil requires the grace of God. One of the finest examples could be found in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 where the frustrated Saint Paul pleads God to put an end to his battle with Satan by granting him victory. But God denied his plea but assured full grace in his battle with Satan.

This incident leads us to a brand of New Testament lent which makes us even more responsible in this world – to confront the devil upfront and wage battle against him. As we are covered by His grace, and armoured with truth, righteousness, proclamation of the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17), the victory is ours. Prior to this the epistle exhorts to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power (Ephesians 6:10) which further empowers with the boldness in Christ to fight the devil.

Jesus does not want us just to remain as mercy seekers but expects to demonstrate the freedom that He has already granted us from His cross. As Galatians 5:1 says For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm therefore…This verse indicates how we are upgraded from mercy seekers to responsible partakers in the Kingdom of God. As partakers, our status is elevated from servants to friends (John 15:15) and to heirs (Romans 8:17). As the latter verse further states, if we are heirs, we suffer with Him so that may be glorified with Him. It is an agreed fact that there is suffering in every battle, but the victory is ours.

The whole discussion points to the maturity that one needs to demonstrate during the Great Lent. Spiritual maturity is achieved when we are empowered by God’s grace and realise our status as heirs. This means our spiritual status is upgraded from receivers to responsible adults. As James 1:22 exhorts, we are not mere hearers of the Word but doers of the Word. The forgiveness of sins that we receive through His grace and mercy needs to be articulated. During the Lent season, this articulation is by way of battling Satan, throughout for forty days. We have Jesus as our role model and icon in this fight. We just need to copy the same strategy that Jesus applied to fight and defeat Satan.

The advantage of this Great Lent war is that we are fighting a defeated enemy. Jesus disarmed Satan and his army and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15). Therefore, Great Lent is not a season of difficulty as many of us often perceive or feel but rather a joy to defeat the defeated. We fight Satan during the Great Lent (and to that matter anytime) with the power and authority of the Word of God articulated by way of bold statements. In this battle, nothing should confront us as a difficult proposition. The food restrictions, the fasting, the offices (prayers), the kneeling down and kissing the cross of our Lord (40 times) or other self-disciplinary actions are not difficult at all when compared to the glory about to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Yes, we are soon going to be glorified and declared winner once again in the battle against Satan. When we stand at the foot of the cross on Good Friday, we should be able to make our final statement: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

This blog meditated on the role and power of (verbal)statements as spiritual weapons to fight Satan and his army. Great Lent is a time when repentance transforms us to combat mode. The Word of God embedded in each of our statements has the power to inflict heavy casualty on the devil. Satan has never won any battle, nor will he ever win any battle against God and His children. Therefore, as confident and courageous soldiers, let us come in fellowship to fight this battle out. Let us make bold statements and work our way up to the cross of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.

In Lord’s service

Fr Saji K. Mathew

Amen.

I shall not sit nor bow my head, for my lord Jesus Christ is coming soon

Fr Dr Saji K Mathew2 Comments

‘…………………stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near’ (Luke 21:28).

The above exhortation is the conclusion of Jesus Christ’s prophecy regarding His second coming.
The aim of this blog is an attempt to put on track the way one should focus on Jesus’ second coming. There is no dearth of preaching, teachings, and writings available on the second coming of Christ. In the recent past, blood moon was the subject of analysis and discussion regarding Jesus’ second coming. Interestingly, even the dates were calculated and announced about His coming. That particular date has passed in the year 2015 but the ‘second coming’ has not happened.

The above verse said by Jesus starts with ‘when these things begin to take place….’ Christian world in general has attributed this time towards the ‘second coming’. However, if we travel back through the history of this world, it would not be difficult to see the signs in the sun, moon, and stars as well as on the earth. Therefore, these phenomena have had been happening ever since. The world has been in turbulence ever since Jesus left, and even in the immediate time after He left. Saint John warned ‘Children, it is the last hour……….so now many antichrists have come’ (1 John 2:12).

Saint Peter cautioned of scoffers indulging in selfish teachings 2 Peter 3:3-4. Therefore, it is necessary to rightly understand about Jesus’ second coming. This write up is a humble attempt to look beyond words for the actual goals of Jesus’ exhortation.

As Saint John cautions, antichrists started working on earth ever since Jesus descended to save the mankind. Satan who disguised as snake in the Garden of Eden to destroy the first Adam is now dressed as antichrist to whisk away the children of second Adam (Jesus Christ) (see 1 Corinthians 15:45; Romans 5:12-19). The intention of this antichrist is to steal, kill, and destroy (the children of God) (John 10:10). Therefore, it could be discerned that end time has always been there in the lives of mankind ever since Jesus cautioned of it. Moreover, the signs listed in Luke 21:25-26 are also visible and felt from time to time, even though the degree of turbulence is increasing as we approach Jesus’ arrival.

Speculation of time about Jesus’ second coming has only led to playing into the hands of Satan’s. Though many people became more spiritual (perhaps out of fear), it soon vanished as the D-day passed without anything happening and leaving no traces of Jesus’ coming. Apparently, it affected the faith of many leading to a state that they now ignore not only about the second coming but also their core faith in Jesus Christ. This was cautioned by Jesus Christ himself (Matthew 24:23-24), later forewarned by Saint Peter as ‘scoffers out with selfish teaching’.
It appears to be a human tendency to analyse the business of the source than utilising the resource. For example, when Saint Peter asked Jesus about the future of Saint John, Lord’s reply was ‘if it is my will……….what is that to you’ (John 21: 22) In other words, Jesus’ response to Peter was ‘it is none of your business’. Similarly, about His second coming, Jesus said, ‘but about that day and hour, no one knows………………nor the Son, but only the Father’ (Matthew 24:36: Mark 13:32). Therefore, it is not our business to know about Lord’s second coming. If it is something confined to Godhead, then who is so impatient about Jesus’ second coming. Using the gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:8) it won’t be difficult to know it is Satan, because he is scared of his own destruction at the second coming. Therefore, Satan is trying to use humans to speculate so that he could plan and execute his destructive activities accordingly. What is important us is, ‘He will come again as He went’ (Acts 1:11: John 14:3), which also ought to be the fabric of our faith.

Yes, I believe, Jesus will come again, and when He comes (no matter when) I will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). But, I do not want to speculate on the time of His arrival, for that day will come like a thief, which means unannounced (2 Peter 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Matthew 24:42-44). Therefore, to be in ‘His glory’, we should do what we are expected to do, which constitutes the core of our life in Christ.
The title verse of this blog points to Jesus’ exhortation: ‘stand up’ and ‘raise your heads’ (Luke 21:28).

Stand up:
One needs confidence in self to stand up; and in Christian life, it is the demonstration of our strength achieved through full faith in Jesus Christ. As a toddler fights against the gravitational force and succeeds to stand and walk, children of God get liberated from demonic forces to stand up and well. As we read, the crippled woman who was bent over was freed from the bondage of Satan, and was able to stand straight (Luke 13:13, 16). To the man lying for thirty eight years by the side of Beth-zatha pool, Jesus said, ‘stand up, take your mat and walk’ (John 5:8). In another incident, Jesus forgave the sins (liberation for demonic force/s) of a paralytic man and asked him to stand up, take his bed and walk (Matthew 9:2&6; Mark 2:5&11). Yet another example is found in Acts 3:6 where Peter asked the crippled man to ‘stand up’, and walk. Saint Paul too asked a crippled man to ‘stand upright’ and was instantly delivered from his infirmity (Acts 14:10).

Jesus, in relation to His second coming exhorts to ‘stand up’. And, the above verses suggest standing up as a spiritual sign of liberation from sin, and its perpetrator Satan, as happened to the crippled and paralytic. Therefore, ‘standing up’ should be understood as an attempt to be free from the clutches and bondage of Satan. In other words, we are to strive for a pure life, free from sins. Saint Paul exhorted Thessalonians to keep the body, soul and spirit blameless at the second coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). In order to achieve this purity, we must ‘stand’ against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). Saint Paul lists the whole armour of God to fight against the evil forces in Ephesians 6:14-17: belt of truth fastened around the waist, breastplate of righteousness, gospel of peace to protect the feet, shield of faith to quench the flaming arrows of Satan, helmet of salvation, and word of God as sword.
Lord’s children are expected to ‘stand up’. However, Satan’s mission is to woo away by making us ‘sit down’ and waste time on insignificant matters such as speculations. Remember, Jesus never asked His followers to sit down and calculate the time of His arrival. Instead, Christ asked to be ever ready (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40); keep awake (Matthew 25:13); and be alert (Mark 13:32).

Being ready, alert and awake is an ongoing process of standing up unblemished in our lives. Moreover, we must stand up dressed in the whole armour of God, and produce the fruits of Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and keep ourselves free from the snare of the devil who tries to hold his victims captive so as to execute his mission (see 2 Timothy 2:26).

It is the power of Holy Spirit that enables us to stand up and stand firm; and Lord’s mercy bestows Holy Spirit in us. Therefore, we should pray and ask for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). As tribulations are increasing in this world, it is necessary to accelerate our preparation for Jesus’ second coming. This could be achieved by seeking mercy for our brethren as well as for ourselves. It is unfortunate that we contradict Jesus’ ways and teachings when trials and tribulations increase in our lives. We wrongly think of fixing our problems before setting out to help others. Jesus Christ did not scare off the disciples by prophesying all the tribulations in store for the disciples and left to fate to fight their battle. After explaining all the forthcoming hardships that the disciples would face (John 16) Jesus is seen immediately praying to God the Father for His disciples (John 17). Following Jesus’ footsteps, instead of scaring people with speculations about the second coming, we should strengthen more and more of people to receive Jesus Christ in their lives.

Raise your heads:
Jesus also exhorts to raise our heads as preparation ahead of His second coming. Raising head is to receive the ‘king of glory’ as King David sings in Psalms 24:9. Our body, soul and spirit unify in a receptive mode when they are aligned in purity. This wholesome of our personality, filled with Holy Spirit will then groan for eternal redemption and adoption at Jesus’ second coming (see Romans 8:23). Speculation could be the result of an impatience of flesh in control by Satan as he knows about his fate at the second coming of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 8:29).
Raising heads symbolises the process of transformation which sets our life into spiritual mobility. Unlike this worldly mobility, which is a free run, spiritual mobility represents the revelation of the mystery of gospel through us (Ephesians 6:19). In other words, raising our heads enable us to act- to deliver the message of the gospel so that more and more of mankind is attracted towards the eternal glory of Christ. Jesus said, ‘look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting’ (John 4:35). There are still millions of people to whom the gospel has not yet reached reminding us that gospel field is not yet saturated; and it may never be as Jesus said, ‘you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes’ (Matthew 10:23).

Speculating on Jesus’ second coming should also be viewed as an attempt by Satan to sabotage gospel reaching the ends of the world. This is so because there are still regions in the world where the good news has either not been proclaimed or unable to be preached due to restrictions. Therefore, the time is not ripe; and premature arrival of Jesus Christ would only help demons to continue in this world using the bodies of those who have never heard about salvation. Thus Satan may be hoping for a survival as against Revelations 20:10– And the devil who had deceived them………………………will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Therefore, we should not fall into the deceptive designs of Satan. Instead, those who have found salvation in Christ are ‘ambassadors in chain’ (Ephesians 6:20) who are obligated to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16). It is our duty to prepare our brethren for the second coming of Christ. Our primary responsibility is not to attempt interfering in divine business but to execute divine will; and Jesus said, ‘…..this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day’ (John 6:39).
Evangelisation is a gaining phenomenon as opposed to losing. It is life giving and leads to eternity which is gained through Jesus Christ, whereas speculation is a kind of gambling which leads to destruction, and hence devil inspired (John 10:10). Raising our heads for the harvesting of souls reap simultaneous rejoice for the sower and the reaper, as it leads to eternal life (John 4:36). Thus, the evangelist and the evangelised both gain eternal life through evangelisation. Therefore, it is an obvious requirement to declare with our mouth that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9) which apparently is the only way to live in Christ because if we as followers of Christ keep our mouth shut, the stones will take our place (Luke 19:40).

To conclude, Jesus Christ is not asking us to remain seated nor bow our heads down without hope, and in shame. Instead He is asking us to stand up and raise our heads, both of which demonstrate confidence in Him. Standing up in our earthly lives is a preparation for Jesus’ second coming, and all our attempts and successes are getting recorded in the ‘book of life’ (see Revelations 20:12). We must be on guard against the nefarious designs of Satan who will try to weigh our hearts down with dissipation, drunkenness and worldly worries (Luke 21:34). Raising our heads is an assurance that we are accepted by Christ, and our names are written in the book. On the contrary unable to lift our heads is surrendering as Midian had to before the sons of Israel (Judges 8:28).

Waiting for you O Lord Jesus Christ.

God-persons and Corporate Churches: And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?

Fr Dr Saji K MathewLeave a comment

The focus of this blog is on Jesus’ prophetic question whether He would be able to find faith when He returns (Luke 18: 8b). In other words, how easy or difficult is it to find (true) faith in the contemporary world overshadowed by pseudo god-persons and corporate churches rule.

God-man is actually a term used to characterise Jesus Christ. We can see this term used to describe the incarnation of God the logos (John 1:1&14) in the writings of Origen (3rd century). Sadly, this concept has lately been hijacked by ‘ordinary people making extraordinary claims’ (Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, second President of India) with the primary objective of profiteering. As a result, lately, there is a parallel claim for divinity, obviously prompted by Satan, to distract the innocent from true faith. Jesus said, ‘for false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect’ (Matthew 24:24). The Bible suggests that the distractors and deceivers have always been there since the beginning of the gospel. For instance Romans 16:18 states ‘for such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the heart of simple minded’. St Paul described such people as destined to destruction as their god is their stomach (Philippians 3:19).

The question ‘And yet when the son of Man come, will he find faith on earth’ could be read as a conclusion of the parable of the widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). Jesus contrasts God’s quick justice to the unjust judge’s delayed justice. As the legal maxim goes ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. A person dealing with justice (judge) is in an extremely responsible position and hence is expected to be zero tolerant to injustice. It is the person’s institutional and societal role and obligation to impart justice with prudence. Unfortunately, in this case the judge describes the self as having ‘no fear of God and no respect for anyone’ (Luke 18:4) albeit, he decides to grant justice to the widow so as to avoid getting worn out (Luke 18:5).

On the contrary, our eternal judge, God almighty, is ever keen to impart justice to His chosen ones without any delay (Luke 18:7-8). Even then, He is not expecting faith to be found on the second coming. In other words, faith would become extinct by that time. Prior to exploring the possible reason behind this obsoleteness, it is important to understand what exactly faith means.

According to Hebrews 11:1, ‘faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen’. When we cry out to Jesus, we do it in the backdrop of faith as defined in the above verse. Prayer in faith is the perceived realisation of future in spirit. Jesus said, ‘whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24). There are other similar verses on faith, said by Jesus Christ. (For instance, see Matthew 17:6 & 21:22). Besides, please be aware that faith is a gift of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). Therefore, when we pray in faith we simultaneously believe in the fulfilment of a futuristic subject (of our prayer).

The spiritual visualisation of this futuristic dimension is well articulated in Hebrews 11:4-12:2 where the faith of so many of God’s children starting from Abel to many Israelites is listed. It is so spiritually inspiring to note Hebrews 11:39-40 where it states that despite such strong faith, they did not receive what was promised, ‘since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect’. It is indeed amazing to discern that their faith was not affected due to non-realisation of hope in their earthly life.

God is just (2 Thessalonians 1:6); He loves justice (Isaiah 61:8), and executes justice for the orphans and the widows (Deuteronomy 10:18). He continues to be the same and never changes, for according to Hebrews 13:8, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’. But unfortunately, we human beings do change. Even after receiving answers to our prayers and getting justice executed, we often fall back. St Peter quotes Proverbs 26:11 in his epistle (2 Peter 2:22) to describe this fall as ‘a dog’s return to its vomit’.

This fall could be better discerned by understanding the way the enemy (Satan) works, as detailed in the parable of weeds among the wheat, in which the enemy sowed weeds among the wheat (Matthew 13:24). The enemy sowed weeds when the sower (of wheat) was not alert. In the same way, our faith gets corrupted due to the lack of being alert to Satan’s designs. Consequently, we now see around a diminished faith where weeds have outgrown wheat, or rather material visualisation has outgrown spiritual realisation, leading to the growth of a ‘wicked and adulterous generation seeking signs’ (Matthew 12:39). This has lately paved the opportunity for many pseudo-god-persons to sprout and burgeon. Having said, the commitment of many individual evangelists and missionaries cannot be negated either.

It has lately become a fashion to stage spirituality by way of ‘miracle performances’ as if they are the only way to make people believe in the power of God. This has further extended to the commercialisation of spirituality with advertisements and other publicity stunts using the social media. It has now boiled to a state that many or most people are unable to believe in Jesus and His power without seeing such demonstrations. ‘Seeing to believe’ is a commercial slogan rather than a spiritual one. Jesus said to St Thomas, ‘blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe’ (John 20:29). Instant spirituality is less based on faith (in Jesus) and more on immediate material realisation, ‘today and now’. Such attitude prompts an ‘eat, drink and be merry’ (Luke 12:19) approach which is detrimental to spiritual life.

The poisonous mushrooming of pseudo-divine individual entities has eventually led to corporate churches confined to ‘five star or even seven star’ gatherings in ultra luxurious settings as opposed to Jesus’ call for ‘carrying the cross to follow Him’ (Mark 8:34) by entering through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:14). Apparently, as if imitating the corporate leviathan, the humble masses are forced to carry heavy loads and the so called god-persons not even moving their little finger (see Luke 11:46).

Our aim and focus must not be ‘this worldly’ but heavenly, rooted in a faith which is futuristic and realistic. In order to achieve what we aim, we need to follow the ‘pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (Hebrews 12:2), Jesus Christ. We are expected to follow Him by ‘denying all the ungodliness of the present age, and living sensibly, righteously and godly’ (Titus 2:12). In this way, we wait for the ‘appearance of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13). If we do so, then Jesus, in His second coming would be able to find faith somewhere in the corner of this world. Let us prepare ourselves not to disappoint Jesus at His second coming.

Lord please be kind and have mercy on us. Amen.

Jesus and the fox: declaration of an all-out war (Luke 13:31-33).

Fr Dr Saji K Mathew4 Comments

This blog is based on Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees who brought seemingly important information- ‘Herod wants to kill you’. A second reading of verse 31 reveals that it is not only the plain information that they brought to Jesus, but an advice coated with friendly overtures-‘get away from here’.

It does not require a great deal of intelligence to discern the intention of Pharisees. Before getting into this, let us have a quick look at Herod. Setting aside historical facts, from the very own words of Jesus, he is a ‘fox’. The first thing that comes to our mind about a fox is its cunning nature. Foxes are a nightmare for farmers for they steal their livestock and causes severe environmental damages. It is reported that foxes inflict an economic loss of around 100 million dollars to Australian economy each year.

It is interesting to see the way Jesus exposes the Pharisees that pretended good will to Him. It is like killing two birds with a stone when Jesus replied ‘go and tell that fox’ (Luke 13:32), for it implies that Herod is a fox, and hence is primarily unclean; and secondly, that they though being Pharisees are in league with the unclean. Let us have a look at these two points in detail:

  1. Herod equated to fox

Leviticus 11:27 says, ‘All that walk on their paws, among the animals that walk on all fours, are unclean’. Accordingly, fox is an unclean animal. The uncleanness of Herod is clearly visible from his life history. For instance, Herod built a city to honour his Roman overlords, named Tiberius. This city was built on top an old Jewish cemetery, and hence was unclean for a pious Jew to enter. Only the gentiles lived in the city of Tiberius. The sly nature of Herod is also evident from the above act when he pretended to be a friend of the Jews.

Herod was dirty with his personal life as well, as is evident from the immoral life he lead. His relationship with Herodias, wife of his brother Philip (Matthew 14:3-4)was against the social norms. Moreover, the dance which culminated in the martyrdom of John the Baptist was performed by none other than his own step-daughter, before the company (Matthew 13:6). No noble family would allow their daughters to dance in public in those days, as it was a shameful thing. The dirt of Herod and more of Herodias is visible here when their daughter is not only allowed to dance in public but also offered a reward (Matthew 13:7).

  1. Pharisees in league with the unclean (Herod)

The word Pharisee means one who is set apart (for God). Being the strict custodians of Lord’s law, the Pharisees are meant to keep themselves immaculately pure, with no physical contact or association with impure and unclean. For instance, in Luke 11:38 we read that the Pharisees were amazed at to see that Jesus did not wash before dinner. At another instance, they questioned Jesus about His disciples not washing their hands before eating, and thereby breaking the tradition of elders (Mark 7:5).

The corruption and degradation of ‘the separated’ (Pharisees) is exposed by Jesus when they brought the news about the (so called) plan of an unclean person, Herod(Luke 13:31). Without having close proximity to Herod it would have been impossible for the Pharisees to spy out such a sensitive information, more importantly because Herod always feared political unrest as is evident from the case of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:5).

Further, we read that Jesus asks the Pharisees who brought the news of his destruction to go back to Herod and convey His message (Luke 13:32). Thus, Jesus returns the unclean (Pharisees) to the unclean (Herod). This act of Jesus could be linked to Deuteronomy (23:14) where it says, ‘Because the Lord your God travels along with your camp, to save you and hand over your enemies to you, therefore, your camp must be holy…’. Jesus as God our saviour came to rescue the mankind from its enemy, Satan, the lord of impurities. Thus the act of Jesus is to keep His camp clean and safe from all impurities. This is further evident from Jesus’ swift action inside the Jerusalem temple where He drove out the sheep, cattle and dove sellers, and the money changers (John 2:14-16), and thereby reasserting that ‘my house shall be called a house of prayer’ (Matthew 21:13 cited from Isiah 56:7c).

In league with the fox, the Pharisees themselves have turned into the ways of the fox. The Pharisees, instead of leading and guiding Lord’s people have turned into exploiting and killing God’s children as is evident from the following:

  • They tied up heavy burdens on the shoulder of others but they themselves did not lift a finger to move them (Matthew 23:4),
  • They locked people out of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 23:13,
  • The manipulated the Law of Moses (Matthew 23:16, 23, 25 & 27),
  • They were the killers of prophets, sages, and scribes (Matthew 23:30-35).

Binding the two actors, Herod and Pharisees, we see a league of foxes, as enemies out to destroy Jesus’ ministry. Unveiling the foxes brings forth Satan and his army; with Satan in place of Herod as the lead, and the demons in place of the Pharisees that follows Herod instead of Lord God. Let us again have a look at these two actors bit more in detail, this time with Satan in place of Herod the fox, and demons in place of the Pharisees:

Satan’s work through Herod-

The justification for drawing the parallel between Herodand his fox-ways could be linked to Jesus’ statement exposing the nature of Satan as ‘a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him……..for he is a liar and the father of lies’ (John 8:44). Further, in Genesis (3:1) Satan (appeared in the form of serpent) is identified as ‘crafty’. The crafty nature of Satan could further be discerned from his way of using Pharisees to convey the information instead of going directly to Jesus. Remember, Satan was defeated thrice attempting to fail Jesus with temptations (Luke 4:1-13); and he won’t dare to go directly as Jesus had already exposed and defeated him in the tests.

The Pharisees in league with Satan

The Pharisees are in violation of the first commandment (Exodus 20:2-3), as they are following Satan instead of Lord the God. This violation is exposed by Jesus in his statement to the Jews, ‘You are from your father the devil’ (John 8:44).Thus, the Pharisees, instead of supporting Lord’s ministry are seen throughout as spoilers of the kingdom of God. Neither do they enter nor they allow anyone to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 23:13-14). The information coated in kindness was actually to dissuade Jesus from doing Lord’s work (see John 9:7 & 10:37).Satan was trying to destroy the vineyard that Jesus was planting, or rather re-planting (see Luke 20:9), using the Pharisees, as could be linked toSong of Songs (2:15) and Ezekiel (13:4)- foxes ruining the vineyard and false prophets as jackals.

The distractive and destructive forces of Satan and his allies are ever active in this world. Hence, Saint Peter cautions that Satan is like a prowling lion always looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Let us have a brief look at this with reference to Lord’s ministry during the early churchdays:

  1. Thessalonians 2:18: ‘For we wanted to come to you……but Satan blocked our way’. We could see even today so many people wanting to do Lord’s work but are blocked by many worldly forces.
  2. 2 Thessalonians 2:9– Satan will use all power signs, lying wonders, and every kind of deception. This is evident from many pseudo ministries commercialising the gift of Holy Spirit, so as to fulfil selfish motives rather than the will of God.
  3. 1 Timothy 1:19– It is also not uncommon to see many enthusiastically stepping into Lord’s ministry but eventually failing to keep the true faith intact and work in good conscience. This especially happens when the ministry start prospering with money and fame. 1 Peter 5:9 advises to resist Satan and remain steadfast in faith. We should always be aware of the schemes of Satan (2 Corinthians 2:11).
  4. 1 Timothy 5:15: ‘For some have already turned away to follow Satan’. These are the kind of people that jumps into the ministry without adequate preparation and entrenchment in the word of God, and gets carried away by Satan. Hence the advice of Saint Peter for self-discipline and remaining alert is very important (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus said, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’ (Luke 9:62).

Now, let us place ourselves in the situation Jesus was when the Pharisees brought the distractive information. Let us ask ourselves as to how we would react and respond to such a situation if it happens today. The distraction from Satan comes in various different ways in our lives. It could be through family pressures, time constraints, social standing and reputation, adverse societal conditions, risk of losing friendship and relationships, fear of creating disharmony, and all that we can think of. This is where the challenge of living in comfort overcomes true life in Christ. Unfortunately many or most prefer a gospel of worldly comfort and are averse to sufferings which entails Lord’s ministry in this world. Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth’ (Matthew 10:34). He also said, ‘those who want to follow me must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me’ (Mark 8:34). The spiritual attitude and determination of Saint Paul is articulated in his declaration, ‘neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:38-39).

Coming back to the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees:

Jesus’s response is extremely audacious amidst a politically volatile context, as it involved direct confrontation with the rulers. Jesus said, ‘go and tell that fox…., and detailed what He planned to do- two days of ministry in this world and one final blow on the third day.

The two days of ministry is Jesus’ war with the demonic forces in this world. On the third day He will be captured and killed. But, after His death, as we read, Jesus went straight into the Sheol, the core dwelling place of Satan and handed him the final deadly blow by liberating the souls through the proclamation of gospel to them(1 Peter 3:19).

In short, Jesus’ response to Pharisees should not be viewed as just a human interaction but a spiritual communication. He is in-fact talking to the demons hidden within the Pharisees, who would take the report back to their boss, Satan. This style of communication is seen in another instance, in the case of the Gerasene demoniac. There, we can see that Jesus is not talking to the man but directly to the demons (Mark 5:1-13).

I wish to conclude here with a note that foxes are everywhere around a committed Christian. Those who are in league with Satan won’t have much trouble and their ministries and Christian lives are smooth, popular in the worldly sense, andmaterially prosperous. This is because the lovers of this world are loved in return (John 15:19).Every word, deed and act of commitment (to Jesus) is provocative to Satan and his army, upon which he will initiate attacks. This is the reason why Jesus said, ‘In the world you face persecution, but take courage; I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).Genuine followers of Christ are hated by this world because they do not belong to this world (see John 15:18).

When we make all kind of excuses (no matter whether it is for missing family prayers, fellowships or Sunday worships, or for not being proactive with Lord’s ministry), we should, for a moment, think about the lives of Jesus’s disciples. Most of them had family, parents, siblings, wife and children. But we do not know who took care of them or what happened to them as the disciples travelled around the world and were martyred in foreign countries. The Bible is silent about this subject. But we know that the ‘crown of righteousness’(2 Timothy 4:7) is on their heads, and they are sitting on their thrones (Matthew 19:28).

We must not make excuses because it is not by our might or power, but by the spirit of the Lord (Zechariah 4:6)that we work for Jesus Christ.

Lord be kind and have mercy upon us. Amen.