DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 No Fasting Holy Unmercenary
Healers, Cyros and John
1st Vespers Meeting of the
Lord: Exodus 12:51-13:3, 10-12, 14-16; Exodus 22:29; Leviticus
12:1-4, 6-8; Numbers 8:16-17 LXX
Epistle: 2 Peter 3:1-18 Gospel: St.
Mark 13:24-31
The First-Born: Pentateuch Selections LXX, especially
vs. 15: “And when
Pharaoh hardened his heart so as not to send us away, He slew every first-born
of man and the first-born of beast: therefore do I sacrifice every offspring
that opens the womb, the males to the Lord, and every first-born of my sons I
will redeem.” The composite
Vesperal reading for the Meeting of the Lord illumines the two ceremonies which
the Theotokos fulfilled in bringing her Child and our God to the Temple. The Gospel for the Feast (Lk. 2:22-40)
alludes to these two rites: first, “the days of her purification...were
completed,” referring to the rite restoring her place in the worship of the
Temple. Second, the phrase, “to
present Him to the Lord (as is written in the Law of the Lord),” refers to the
consecration of her first-born to God - our Lord Jesus Christ (Lk. 2:22-23).
Being a composite of passages from three Old
Testament Books (Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers), the reading of each portion
focuses attention on different aspects of the two rites. The Exodus verses describe the
consecration of a first-born male child.
The Leviticus portion (12:1-8), depicts the rite for purifying a mother
following birth-giving. The third,
from Numbers (8:16-17), reveals the consecration of a firstborn as a redemptive
sacrifice of the first-born from death.
Exodus 13:15 provides the catechetical answer
which fathers in ancient Israel were to give when their sons asked (vs.14) the
meaning of the rituals related to firstborns. The whole portion from Exodus explains the three elements in
the father’s answer: the purpose of the ritual was 1) to “Sanctify to Me every
first-born...opening every womb,” 2) to associate the rite with Passover and
the day “when Pharaoh hardened his heart so as not to send us away,” and 3) to
redeem the child from death - “every first-born of my sons I will redeem.’”
(vs. 15).
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying ‘Sanctify
to Me every first-born, first produced, opening every womb among the children
of Israel both of man and beast: it is mine.’” (vss. 1,2). From Latin, the English word
‘sanctify,’ emphasizes the total surrender of all firstborns to God as holy;
and note: in English, “holy” and “wholly” derive from a common root, being
intimately united in meaning. In
performing rites associated with firstborns, a worshiper renounces personal
ownership and declares God is wholly the Owner of all he has received by live
birth.
As a firstborn is confessed to be God’s, so
all subsequent births are presumed to belong to Him as well. Hence, the Lord said to Moses: “And
thou shalt say to Pharaoh, These things saith the Lord, Israel is My
first-born. And I said to thee,
Send away My people, that they may serve Me: now if thou wilt not send them
away, see, I will slay thy first-born son ’”(Ex.4:22,23).
Note also that all rites sanctifying
firstborns are associated directly with Passover and the related Feast of
Unleavened Bread – Mazzoth. As
Israel came out of Egypt, so also “leaven shall not be eaten” (Ex. 13:3). The key phrase in Ex. 3:13 is “out of”:
leaven is purged ‘out of’ bread as Israel was brought forth ‘out of’ Egypt (vs.
3). The Lord has consecrated a
People to Himself, and taken them “out of” bondage in Egypt, and they are to
remember “this day” and Whose hand
brought them forth thence (vs. 2).
“Redemption” in rites of firstborns refers to
an action that saves the life of the firstborn: “Every offspring opening the womb
of the ass thou shalt change for a sheep; and if thou wilt not change it, thou
shalt redeem it: every first-born of man of thy sons shalt thou
redeem.”(Ex13:13), obviously there being no infant sacrifice in God’s eyes. While a lamb might be substituted for
the ass, the custom of a five shekel offering also could be made for a first
born son (Nu. 18:16).
Come, let us all praise Him Who was
crucified for our sakes, Mary’s Son and our God.
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