DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Avoiding Christ: St. John 20:19-31, especially vs. 31: “...but these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in
His Name.” It is worth the effort to examine closely our willingness
to believe in the Lord Jesus as the One in Whose Name is Life. The Forerunner John challenged men to
accept Jesus as God, as the One Who is above all men by nature, the living
Truth of God embodied as man. (Jn. 1:15-18).
The
present passage is from the end of St. John’s Gospel and records events
from the final days of the Lord’s physical presence, but the
Forerunner’s challenge remains and is for us: will we commit ourselves to
Jesus as Thomas did, crying out “My Lord and my God” (vs. 28)? The Forerunner’s challenge came before
the healings, the teachings, the Cross and the glorious Resurrection. On the other hand, Thomas had time to
“think over” the issue.
Thus, his confession of the risen Lord faces us. The One Who was dead stands before you
and me, challenging us: look at My wounds, touch
Me. I have trampled down death by My death. “Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (vs. 27). What will it be - acceptance or
avoidance?
How easy it is to avoid Christ, to evade His
claim on one’s life: stay away from the Church and her worship. Out of sight, out of mind! It is the “method of choice”
for many. The disciple Thomas
“was not with them when Jesus came” (vs. 24). What did he know of the gladness, the
joy when Life touched and renewed them (vs. 20)? Their story was “all right for
them,” but Thomas demanded tangible proof (vs. 25). When he rejoined the other Disciples,
the Resurrection was for him hearsay - the experience of others and without
personal vitality.
Beloved, the undistorted, living presence of
the Lord in His fulness occurs when the Orthodox
Faithful gather for the Liturgy.
When we stay away, the clamor and claims of the world deaden our hearts
to the Lord Jesus’ presence.
Of course He is everywhere, yet how shall we hear Him fully, or how
shall we truly “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 33:8),
apart from the Liturgy? The world
promotes not being with the Church, not being forgiven (vs. 23), not
hearing His peace (vs. 21), not being filled with the life-giving Spirit
(vs. 22), not receiving His true Body (vs. 27).
Instead, the world offers pleasures in ample abundance:
sleeping in, sports, travel, work, hobbies, entertainment, family-time, and
chores. One chooses whether or not
to join in the action of the Body of Christ, a decision avoided once, and then
repeatedly. St. Ignatius said
clearly: “Unless a man is within the sanctuary, he lacks the Bread of
God...Therefore he who does not come to the assembly is already
proud.” The world
corrupts. The Lord heals and cleanses.
There is another way to avoid the Lord’s
claim. The technique is to set up
one’s own conditions for submission to Christ as God: “Unless I
see...and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (vs. 25). Such an assertion is fueled by
self-assurance and pride. The
demand for objective, verifiable evidence sounds entirely reasonable at first
blush, but it is human “wisdom.” The contemporary world is filled with
people who brush the Lord aside with this demand.
Be advised: God does not stop anyone who
tosses aside the claim of the Person and ministry of the Lord Jesus. He allows us to set our standards of
evaluation, to “reduce the size of the playing field,” and to
“prove” what pleases us at the moment. The results are materialism,
self-indulgence, and the passions.
When God is addressed as another hypothesis, where is the mystery that
humanizes life? Listen to
Turn the obstinacy of my soul into fervent
faith, that I may cry out from the depths of my soul, Thou art my Master and
God, Who didst arise from the dead.
Glory to Thee!