DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
St. Luke 20:19-26 (1/11)
For Friday of the 33rd Week after Pentecost (Fri 28th
Week)
War and
Peace: St. Luke 20:19-26, especially vss. 19, 20: “And
the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on
Him.... So they watched Him, and
sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words,
in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the
governor.” Our
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, became Incarnate to free the inhabitants of
the earth from the tyranny of our ancient enemy, to abolish death, and to
destroy sin. The time of His
appearing ignited a violent spiritual war.
Do you see the irony? The
God of peace assumed our vulnerable flesh that He might conquer all that
militates against both God and
Who was
the enemy? As we read today’s
lesson, it would appear objectively that it was the chief priests, the scribes
and their spies (vss. 19,20). Even while the Lord was still in
Galilee, it was scribes and Pharisees who assailed Him vehemently, who
cross-examined Him about many things “...lying in wait for Him, and
seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse
Him” (Lk. 11:54). By the time the Lord came to
The
appearance of opposition manifested itself very early in the Gospel (Mk. 3:2,6). It
continued throughout His ministry.
How long these men might have gone on plotting is uncertain, but, at
last, opportunity presented itself to them. One of the Lord’s own disciples,
Judas Iscariot, went “...his way and conferred with the chief priests and
captains, how he might betray Him to them,” even as they “...sought
how they might kill Him...” (Lk. 22:4,2). Clearly,
all these men were His visible enemies, yet let us consider the real
“enemy” behind the scene.
As the
chief priests were plotting, St. Luke reports: “Then Satan entered Judas,
surnamed Iscariot...” (Lk. 22:3). Let us change our vision of the war for
eternal life and reflect on the reality behind this verse. Spies, captains, scribes, Pharisees,
chief priests, and a traitor merge to form a single cadre of opposition, but
they were mere enlistees and pawns of the real enemy, Satan.
As St.
Nikolai of Zica points out, the Lord actually prayed
for these very men from the Cross for He said, “Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Surely He would not have prayed thus for
the demons! Hear St. Nikolai:
“This means that [the men] were not only doing their own will but the
will of another. ‘Many
dogs’ (see Ps. 21:16 LXX) were gathered to destroy Christ the Lord. When the devil failed to overcome the
Lord on the Mount of Temptation with his false promises (Lk.
4:1-13), he applied his wiles and strength to destroying the Lord through men
by a dishonorable death on the Cross.” Let us heed St. Nikolai since he resists
applying the term “many dogs” to the men involved, for “David
would not have called God’s People, the crown of His creation, dogs, but
he called the demons dogs....”
Satan
and his minions are the true enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are actual forces and they
attempted to kill the Life-giver.
Most important, it was they who were defeated by the Lord on the
Cross. All men, at all times,
everywhere, were victors in the war of God to free the inhabitants of the earth
from the tyranny of the enemy, to abolish death, and to destroy the sin of the
world. Hence, let us never cease to
pray for all men and women who are used of Satan as opponents of the Gospel of
peace on earth, for “...God has called us [all] to peace” (1 Cor. 7:15)
May the God of peace bruise Satan under your feet quickly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen.(Rom.
16:20).
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