DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
St. John
1:29-34 Synaxis
of the Honorable, Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, & Baptist John (1/7)
Testifying:
St. John
1:29-34, especially vs. 34: "I have seen and
testified that this is the Son of God." The Hebrew Prophets, like
Isaiah, declared God's living word to His ancient People so that Israel would
witness faithfully among the community of nations. “All the nations are gathered
together” (Is. 43:9), therefore, God declared through Isaiah, “Be
ye My witnesses...saith the
Lord God...and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe,
and understand that I Am He: before Me there was no other God, and after Me
there shall be none.” (Is. 43:10 LXX).
Anciently
God promised the Patriarch Abraham that “...in thy seed shall the nations
of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). From this promise, Israel
understood that “All the ends of the earth shall remember and shall turn
unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations
shall worship before Him” (Ps. 21:27 LXX). However, Israel did not
testify to the nations, but withdrew into herself, assured she was God’s
chosen. Therefore, the Lord Jesus
passed on to the Church the mission of testifying to Him before the world, commissioning
the Apostolic Community to “make disciples of all the nations” (Mt.
28:19). What better model of
faithful testifying is there than the Forerunner John? He reveals how to prepare the peoples of
earth to receive their Life-creating Savior and Lord.
First of
all, St. John
announced that the Messiah was present among the people, although unrecognized:
“...there stands One among you Whom you do not
know” (Jn. 1:26). Likewise, the Church is to testify that
the Savior is present among all of earth’s peoples. Your living and worship is to divulge
“The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (vs.
29). You are to manifest His
presence to men and women, that they may recognize Him and turn to Him.
The
Church has two structures for testifying: parish churches and monastic
communities. How great is the need
for active, worshiping parish communities in every city and village! Local congregations, however, are only
one agency of the total evangelical task and they need the witness and aid of monastics. St.
John, an ascetic formed by years as a solitary in the desert, in testifying to
Christ, sent his disciples to follow the Lord Jesus in the world (Jn. 1:35-37).
St. John
testified that the Lord Jesus is God's ultimate solution: “Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin
of the world” (vs. 29). Yet
sadly in today’s world, the mental health professions burgeon because the
Sin-Bearer's life-giving and healing Mysteries are so little known. Beloved, strive to “give to the
Lord the glory belonging to His name...” (1 Chron.
16:29 LXX) as testimony to Him, and let your life “tell of all [His]
wondrous works” (Ps. 25:7 LXX).
In this
connection, heed Metropolitan Hierotheos
Vlachos’ words: “Contemporary man, tired and discouraged by the
various problems which torment him, is looking for rest and refreshment...he is
seeking a cure for his soul....Orthodoxy...[aims to] heal man and guide him to
God.” St. John, the Prophet of the desert, reminds
us of the desperate need that exists today for living, prayerful, ascetic
witness to the healing power of the Orthodox Faith. Show others where rest and refreshment
exist.
The
world does not need theories concerning Christ, but lived testimony to the
Lord. It hungers for the living God
Whom St. John encountered: “This is He of Whom I said, ‘After me comes One who is preferred before me, for He was
before me’” (vs. 30).
As Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov reminds us:
“It is not enough to be convinced in one’s mind of the Divinity of
Christ....We must make the maximum effort to live according to His word...we
must follow up with a prolonged prayer of repentance.” Orthodox Believers,
let us with our lives testify to Salvation Himself as well as telling
people about Him. Let us testify
with words and deeds.
O Blessed
Forerunner, thou didst show us the Lamb that taketh
away the sin of the world. Implore
thou Him that we also may manifest Him Who sanctifies
the nature of man.
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