DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
St. Luke 7:17-30 (5/25) Gospel, Feast of the 3rd
Discovery of the Head of the Forerunner
Being a Forerunner: St. Luke 7:17-30, especially vs. 20:
“When the men had come to
Him, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to You,
saying, Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” The
Faithful call John, who Baptized Jesus, “The Forerunner,”
recognizing the unique ministry of John in preparing for the coming of Christ
among men. This passage from St.
Luke reveals three ways by which St.
John carried out his mission as Forerunner: he
centered his life on Christ, directed others to Christ, and encouraged men to
discover for themselves whether or not Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Through these actions, St. John models
for the Faithful how we may be forerunners of the Lord: by seeking the grace of
God within ourselves, preparing non-believers, inquirers, and Catechumens to “remove
far from them their former delusion,” and directing them to “the
faith, hope and love” that are from God in Christ.
First and foremost, as the Forerunner, St. John defined his life solely in terms of
his relationship to the Lord Jesus.
Even as a babe in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth,
the Forerunner leaped at the voice of the Theotokos
as she was carrying the Incarnate One (Lk. 1:41). As a grown man, having begun a ministry
of baptism for repentance in the waters of the Jordan
River, John was asked, “Who are you?” He confessed, “I am not the Christ....[but] the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make
straight the way of the Lord” (Jn. 1:19,20,23).
The Forerunner sought to prepare people for the One Who
would come after him and Who would baptize
“...with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Lk. 3:16). Still, when the Lord Jesus Himself
actually came to be baptized at St.
John’s hands, the Forerunner “...tried to prevent Him,
saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You.” He finally agreed to the Lord’s
request in order “...to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt. 3:14,15), respectfully, not to be seen greater than Christ (Jn. 3:30).
This Gospel passage reveals St. John persisting in a Christ-centered
manner of life. When his disciples
expressed concern about Jesus’ ministry, the Forerunner sent two of them
to the Lord to inquire whether Jesus was “the Coming One,” that is,
the Christ (Lk. 7:17-19).
Let us be true forerunners and develop St. John’s
habit of referring every aspect of our lives to the One Who is Come (vs. 19),
to the One Who ‘dwells in us’ (Jn.
6:56). May our hearts leap for joy
at the presence of the Lord (Ps. 94:2). May nothing in our lives divert others
from Christ our God but lead them to Him; and may we always submit our wills to
His will.
The Forerunner John encouraged men to ask:Is He the Christ, the Ultimate, “or do we look
for another?’ (Lk. 7:20). Do you see? St.
John did not use persuasion to convince his disciples
about the Lord Jesus. Rather, he
said to go search out the truth for yourselves from
His actions and words (vs. 19). O,
that our words and actions always encourage men to investigate Christ Jesus for
themselves. We need not persuade
men to become Christians or “sell” Christ to the world like a
commodity. Faithful forerunners,
knowing that exposure to the Lord and His teaching is more powerful than all
human ideas, plant questions and invite exploration.
Finally, St. John
encouraged men to observe the Lord Jesus carefully, to determine if He were the
Christ or “do we look for another?” (vs. 20). The Lord amply demonstrates the truth
about Himself (vs. 21). How many
people come into our churches, return, and eventually join themselves to Christ
because they sense that “He is present in this place”! Let us take ourselves out of the way of
others and permit the Lord Himself to heal their blindness, to end their lame
manner of living, to raise their dead hearts, and to enrich their spirits (vs.
22).
Shine through us, O Light of all, that all men may see Thee
and give glory to the All-Holy and Glorious God in Tri-unity of Persons, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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