DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
St. Mark 9:42-10:1 (1/28) For Mon of the 31st
Week after Pentecost (Mon of the 31st Week)
Trial,
Temptation, and Sacrifice: St. Mark 9:42-10:1, especially vs. 49: “For
everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with
salt.” The
entire reading for today confronts Christ’s Disciple with the
“demanding” side of the life in Christ. Effectively, the Lord Jesus admonitions
in this lesson are a manual for martyrs, and should be received in that vein.
“Eternal
life” demands uncompromising purity and faithfulness. Purity and faithfulness are what God
requires as a condition for saving us from the fires of hell “that shall
never be quenched” (vss. 43,45).
Truly, painful choices are sure to
confront us - if not today, sooner or later. Moments and events will force us to
decide, whether “...the sufferings of this present life are...worthy to
be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).
The
demands listed in this reading are those that the three holy youths confronted
in the burning fiery furnace (Dan. 3:16-18). Notice that the Lord Jesus uses the
identical language that the Apostle Peter employs when he refers to
“fiery trials” (1 Pet.1:7; 4:12). St. Peter asks: Will we stand with
Christ whatever the cost? Will we
be healed of sin despite the pain of the treatment? Will we trust that God is faithful to
His word? Will we be faithful in
our words and deeds?
These
verses makes clear that it is a disservice to Christians and non-Christians
alike to suggest that the life in Christ will be free of trial, temptation, and
sacrifice. Still, the good news is
that the Lord is “faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond
what .you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape,
that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor.
10:13).
To
maintain oneself in the face of the demands of Christ Jesus, we must set
boundaries. Since trial and
temptation are certain, it is mandatory to make preparations for addressing
them. Having boundaries helps us in
meeting assaults against our faith, attacks that constantly besiege the edges
of our integrity. Boundaries help
keep temptations out of the depths of our hearts.
The
alcoholic keeps liquor out of the house.
The sexually tempted keeps a covenant with his eyes and guards his every
thought (Job 31:1). St. Theophylact of Ochrid says
bluntly: “the Lord exhorts those to whom offense is given to guard
themselves against those who are always ready to offend and to tempt. Whether it be your foot, hand, or eye,
which cause you to fall, which means, even if it is one of your closest friends
or relatives, in close relationship to you either by kinship or by necessity
who causes you to fall, cut him off, that is, reject that friendship or kinship
to him.” Such choices involve
wrenching soul pain, like amputation without anesthesia.
How does
one prepare for inevitable pain and fire?
The boundary around one’s life helps with many of the day to day
choices. The technique is simple:
by-pass the doorways that lead to choices that we know will certainly spell
defeat.
Of
course the enemy has a way of slipping past our boundaries and pressing his
fiery trials deeper! Graciously,
the Lord warns us, expect that “...everyone will be seasoned with
fire.” He prophesies such
trials for our lives (Mk. 9:49).
Those who are practiced in small, undramatic
acts of faithfulness are much more likely to survive when the harder tests by
fire come along.
The Lord,
His Prophets, and His Apostles operated in a culture that used salt to ratify
agreements. Hence, salt served to
symbolize fidelity and constancy.
When the Lord Jesus says, “every sacrifice will be seasoned with
salt,” He means that genuine sacrifice must be inseparable from fidelity
and constancy. The only way to be
ready for fire is to be well-disciplined in fidelity, a gift of the Holy Spirit
given to the earnest and faithful Christian. Hence, the Lord also connects our having
the salt of constancy with our having “peace with one another” (vs.
50).
O
Lord... lead me in the right path, because of mine
enemies. (Ps. 26:13 LXX)
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