Category: Psalms

‘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.

Paulos I know, Apollos I know; But who is Jesus?

Fr Dr Saji K Mathew6 Comments

This blog is based on 1 Corinthians 3:4 where St Paul sadly comments on the worldly nature of the church in Corinth that he founded, quarreling in the name of human leaders creating a kind of cultic personalities out of God’s servants. And we see in this chapter, Paul struggling to put the church back on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Hence, the sarcastic question in the second part of the title.

Corinth was evangelized during the latter half of St. Paul’s second missionary journey. As usual, Paul first preached to the Jews in Corinth, but upon being rejected, turned to the Gentiles. Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew who was well versed in the scripture and testified Jesus Christ as the Messiah. However, he knew only the baptism of John the Baptist (Acts 18:25), of that of repentance (Acts 19:4). Apollos first came to know about the baptism of the Holy Spirit when Priscilla and Aquila instructed him (Acts 18:26). After supposedly receiving the baptism of Holy Spirit, he was further charged spiritually and went to Corinth to preach Jesus Christ (Acts 18:27).

Corinth had the double blessing of hearing about and knowing Jesus Christ, first from Paul, followed by Apollos. The division or rather fragmentation in the Church of Corinth reflects that the teaching and preaching of two spiritual giants (Paul and Apollos) yet had not made inroads into the spirit of the people of Corinth. This suggests that they received Jesus Christ only superficially, but still were unmoved in their heart and spirit.

A doubt arise as to what actually the Corinthians were hearing when Saints Paul and Apollos spoke to them. It could be assumed that the people of Corinth were more attracted to the personalities of Saints Paul and Apollos over the gospel and its essence, the salvation. They might have been impressed on St. Paul as a learned and rich man, as well as a former Jewish authority who had close connections with the hierarchy in Jerusalem (see Acts 22:3-5). Moreover, his wisdom and knowledge were up to a level of high intellect that the common mass often failed to understand (1 Peter 3:16). St. Apollos too was a learned man, well versed in the scripture, and more importantly eloquent (Acts 18:24). Being from Alexandria, historians are also of the view that he followed the Philo style of allegoric interpretation in his teachings. In short, the people of Corinth were more blessed to have two great personalities from the Christian world, when compared to other disciples who were mostly uneducated and ordinary men (Acts 4:13). But the primary and sole focus on the physical qualities proved miserable as the Corinthian church missed the key message that there is salvation in none but only in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). St. Paul himself did not consider any of his worldly qualifications as worthy but counted them as rubbish (Philippians 3:8 &11).

Poor believers of Corinth were in a situation as quoted by Jesus Christ, ‘……hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand’ (Matthew 13:13). The primary reason for this cognitive disability is due to the unwillingness to detach from the comfort zone of worldly glories. The word of God will only enter a person when s/he is separated from this worldly thoughts and deeds. As we read in Numbers 8:6, Moses was instructed by God to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, so that they could serve Him. In order to hear God and serve Him, we need to detach from worldly things. Unfortunately, it appears that the believers of Corinth were not detached but continued in the worldly comfort even after becoming the followers of Christ, a trend that we see existing even today.

The two factors that St. Paul identified as the cause of division in the Church are jealousy and quarreling (1 Corinthians 3:3). Diagnosing jealousy, the root cause could be attributed to the absence of self-confidence and feeling of insecurity due to the lack of contentment. Jesus said, Do not let your heart be troubled (John 14:1); and ……….take courage, I have conquered the world (John 16:34). St. Paul said that God has not given us a spirit of cowardice but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (1Timothy 1:7). The absence of the discernment of gospel leaves us devoid of power, love, and self-discipline, leading to a sense of insecurity.

God has given us His power (Acts 1:8), but we do not recognize it nor do we try to exercise that power. God is love (1 John 4:16) and Jesus gave us a new commandment, to love one another (John 13:34). The uniqueness of God’s love is that it is patient, kind, not envious or arrogant or boastful or rude (1 Corinthians 13:4). These qualities only make us self-confident and secure, and not otherwise.

The Corinthian church boasted more on its human leaders than the true leader, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:21). Thus, the eternal Lord, the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrew 12:2), Jesus Christ is sidelined or even forgotten in most instances. Jesus said you can do nothing without me (John 15:5). Yet, people boast and rely on human leaders hoping that flesh can feed and make them content. It is similar to what happened when the prophets of Baal prayed at the top of their voice O Baal answer us (1 Kings 18: 26) and Elijah taunting them Cry aloud…….he is either meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep….. (1 Kings 18: 27). In the following verses, we read that Baal never answered. Any image made by or statuses attributed to human beings according to human designs and skills (Acts 17:29) is idol worship. And God said you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol (Exodus 20:3-4).

As a result of idolizing their human leaders, Paul and Apollos, there erupted quarrel among them. The focus of the people drifted away from Jesus Christ, to the question of who is more powerful, Paul or Apollos. As one group pitched for Paul another set claim on Appolos. It is to be noted here that the Galatians were also affected by a similar kind of distraction, and St Paul rebukes them saying I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:6). In both the churches, the deception of Satan is evident that they had not completely thrown out the gospel but kept it as a pretext to win human arguments. St. Paul calls the Galatians ‘fools’ and asked them who has bewitched you? (Galatians 3:1).

Contentment is the key to success in Christian life. This is achieved when we have confidence in Christ which in turn provides us with a sense of security. St. Paul said, I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). The extreme sense of confidence is testified by St. Paul when he said, Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Romans 8:35); and he goes on to answer, For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, 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). St. John said, this is the confidence that we have in him…..(1 John 5:14). The Word of God tells us to be content (Hebrew 13:5), and say with confidence that the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid (Hebrews 13:6).

Our confidence in Christ will help us to love each other rather than quarreling with our brethren. A human question comes, what shall we do when somebody tries to snatch what is genuinely ours? Well, the answer is, show to them who you are in Christ. Jesus said, Do not resist an evildoer…..if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well (Matthew 5:39-40). The assurance is blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely (Matthew 5:11). Are these impractical and ornamental words? Not at all, because Jesus would not have said this if he himself could not practice it, as he himself was tested by what he suffered (Hebrews 2:18), and succeeded. Therefore, to weed out such evils of the flesh, jealousy, and quarreling is possible with the help of Christ, and Christ only (Acts 4:12).     

In order to achieve this status, we need to transform ourselves from flesh to the spirit (Romans 12:2). In order to achieve this, one needs to submit his/her flesh/body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). By doing this, we are able to align our body and spirit so that both could glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:20). If we fail to achieve this alignment, we are then hypocrites, as our body does one thing which may be contrary to our spirit. We may pray, but our prayers may not be answered, we may be churchgoers, and physical followers, but as long as we are not aligned within ourselves, Jesus will say, I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers (Matthew 7:23). The underlying reason for jealousy and quarreling among the people of Corinth was that they were still in flesh and were not completely transformed in Spirit. Our relationship with God is established only when we identify with Him. God is Spirit (John 4:24) and those who want to identify with Him must transform themselves into the status that God is. This is testified by St. Paul, and it is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20); because if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In conclusion, it is none of the human leaders but God that matters (1 Corinthians 3:6). It is not by human might and power that the Church is sustained but by the Spirit of the Lord (Zechariah 4:6). We read in Psalms (118:8), it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. David prayed, what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? (Psalms 8:4). Indeed we have no identity outside Christ, for we are what He has given us.

Therefore, let us testify:

I was a sinner but by His blood, my sins are cleansed off (1 John 1:7&9); I was deformed and my sins resulted in all kind of diseases in my body, but Jesus took all my infirmities and bore my diseases (Matthew 8:17). And, by His stripes, I am healed (Isaiah 53:4). Therefore, I do not want myself to be identified outside and above Christ because He is my identity. As St. Paul quoted Jeremiah 9:24 Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 10:17).

Jesus was never jealous, how could I be?

Jesus never quarreled? How can I?

Jesus never boasted about Himself, but always glorified His Father, and gave thanks to Him. How could I then claim a worldly status for myself?

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.

From unbecoming to becoming: the transformative power and dynamics of the Word of God.

Fr Dr Saji K MathewLeave a comment

The Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14)

The Word mentioned in the above verse is God Himself (John 1:1) that came down to earth and identified as the Father’s only Son (John 1:14).

The ‘becoming’ of flesh by God could be discerned as the greatest sacrifice by God for the sake of humanity; and this sacrifice is non-selfish, and out of sheer love. This kind of love is termed agape in Greek language.

We do have examples of agape- as witnessed from the lives of many saints and social reformers who have sacrificed their better living conditions for the sake of divine or social causes. However, these samples are only like one in a million if not billion, of the population. This means the process of ‘becoming’ for a self-less cause is fast facing extinction. On the contrary, ‘becoming’ for a selfish cause is booming, especially in the modern days, as we get to either hear, view or read from the stories of material achievers such as business, political and silver screen personalities. It may be quite appropriate to quote Psalms 53:2-3, where God is looking down from heaven for people who have selflessly ‘become’ (or are trying to ‘become’) His children but find none.

The above paragraph identifies a difference between self-less ‘becoming’ and selfish ‘becoming’. As stated above, the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God is without doubt, a selfless ‘becoming’, and an act out of unselfish love, as could be understood from the discussion below:

 Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons (130 – 202 AD) said that God became man so that men may become gods. Whilst Jesus is the only son of God (John 1:14, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:9)¸ He is not selfish to safeguard that status but gave each and every one of us the freedom to be called sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). This is a very good example for many of us that struggle to safeguard the achievements including power and status. Termed ‘sustainability tactics’, in line with modern rhetoric, this exercise of not sharing or parting is a love only towards the self and a lack of God’s love within. I recommend the writings of Dr Geevarghese Mar Osthathios on this topic for a better understanding of the importance of sharing. Jesus’ act of divine sharing contradicts selfish acts of extreme individualistic pursuits by ignoring the co-beings. Whilst Jesus Christ wants every one of us to ‘become’ like Him, we human beings do not want others to ‘become’ like us, especially when we are well off than others.

Saint Paul wrote that Jesus did not regard His equality with God so as to keep his status firm (Philippians 2:6). Instead, the apostle states that Jesus emptied Himself by taking the form of a slave being born in human likeness (vs.7). This descending act of God is a lesson on ‘becoming’ for both Satan and the mankind. Human beings are often found reluctant to move out of their worldly comfort zone, especially after enjoying many worldly luxuries. In the spiritual realm of life, it is not uncommon to see people expressing their displeasure and intolerance towards lent, fasting and sometimes even prayers. Such people either craft questions about the relevance or need of these things, or come up with parallel systems appealing to those who do not want to leave their comfort zone. They may define lent and fasting as not necessary and prayer as too time consuming which could be otherwise utilised. Remember, Satan approached Eve in the same manner asking, do you really need to obey God by not eating the fruit of the tree; ‘believe me you will not die’ (Genesis 3: 4). Adam and Eve were misguided into the trap that they could still live comfortably in Eden without making the sacrifice of avoiding to eat from the tree marked by God. It is this same demonic force that work even today propagating against lent and fasting especially, with the intention to avoid mankind to ‘become’ what God wants, free from demonic hold. Jesus said ‘But this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29). Therefore we could discern that prayer, lent and fasting are mould to ‘become’ what God wants of us- a means for the flesh to ‘become’ divine in nature.

Jesus did not come into this world for holidaying. Instead, every moment of His life on earth was a sacrifice. Being the King of kings, He was born in a manger, being the Ruler of rulers, He accepted to live as a refugee in a foreign land (Egypt), He had no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58) even when He could easily live in a palace of His choice. Jesus submitted Himself to be obedient to His earthly parents Luke 2:51) when He could easily ignore them. Most important of them all, Jesus lived every moment of His life on earth with sinners of various degrees, and finally laid His life for their (and our) salvation. Imagine if we have to share a room or live for a few days with people with contagious diseases. How many hours would we stay with them? This is how we should be evaluating (though God is beyond human evaluation) the sacrifice of Jesus which was a natural derivative of the love of God (see 1 John 4:10-11). Saint Paul rightly states that Jesus lowered Himself to the abysmal point of death (Philippians 2:8).

The above paragraph may portray a contrast to the charitable activities that we see around now a days. It is sad and sometimes sickening to see many modern charitable activities revolving around fame and popularity minus sacrifices. Charity is not a one off event to decorate the pages and frames of media, but an ongoing sacrifice derived from the ocean of God’s love. It is in fact a true ‘becoming’ in God’s image. Jesus exhorted to ‘live’ in His love (John 15:10), not to be a visitor of His love. Visit lasts for a few minutes, hours or days but living is perpetual. Charity is neither a replacement for lent, fasting and prayer. Instead it is an ongoing articulation and fulfilment of God’s love collected through them. Since the love of God is not momentary, charity also should not be short term but an ongoing process of ‘becoming’ like Him. Jesus said ‘just as I have loved you, you also should love one another’ (John 13:34), and it is apparent that Jesus’ love is reflected through His sacrifices for us.

Jesus’s sacrificial decision to descend from heaven is a blow to Satan’s mindset as well. Whilst Satan wanted to ascend and raise his throne above the stars and God, and ‘become’ like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-14), Jesus decided to humble His equality with God (Philippians 2:6), and decided to ‘become’ flesh in order to win back the mankind for His Father. As a reward to His work, Jesus was exalted by God the Father above all names (Philippians 2:9) whereas Satan who out of his greed conspired for this position was thrown down to Sheol, to the depth of the pit (Isaiah 14:15). Jesus said, ‘all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted’ (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11). In other words we can say, all who humble themselves will ‘become’ like Jesus, and all who exalt themselves will identify with Satan.

Humility is an essential component of agape (unselfish love) which is a proprietary of God Almighty. In fact, God is Love (1 John 4:8 & 16). But Satan has no element of agape in him. Rather, Satan is a deceiver (Revelations 20:10) and a liar (John 8:44; Genesis 3:4-5). Hence, love, humility and sacrifice are not Satan’s essential nature, rather he is averse to all these. The love of God towards mankind is expressed in His humility to ‘become’ one like us in essence but at the same time without being touched by sin. Accordingly, he ‘became’ like any other human being, grew like us, ate and drank like us, walked like us, thought and felt like us, laughed and wept with human beings, incurred assault, oppression, pain, hunger, thirst and finally death (see Galatians 3:1).

Is it then possible for us to ignore to ‘become’ like our Lord Jesus Christ? Can we walk away from ‘becoming’ like Him, humble and full of divine love, and making sacrifices for our co-beings? After receiving Jesus into our lives can we now turn away from Him (Galatians 3:3)? If we neglect so great a salvation then we won’t escape God’s wrath (Hebrews 2:3). Let this nativity be an opportunity to do away with our flesh related malice such as anger, wrath, impurity, slander, abusive language, deception and so on, and cloth ourselves with the new self, by ‘becoming’ a true reflection of the image of Christ (Colossians 3:8-10). 

It is good news for the entire creation that the Word has indeed become flesh. Let us become like Him as God became like us.