DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS

St. John 8:52-51   (5/26)    CHRIST IS RISEN!    Gospel, Monday of the Samaritan Woman

 

What We Are Up Against: St. John 8:42-51, especially vs. 44: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do....”  Many observers find three recent news events unrelated, for they occurred in different parts of the world and concerned very different experiences.  They do share a superficial connection in that they all involved Orthodox Christians: a group of Islamic militants burst into a village church in Egypt and machine gunned a young peoples’ meeting, leaving at least a dozen dead; American Orthodox missionaries in Romania attending Divine Liturgy at a local Cathedral found scores of people amazed that there were Americans who were Orthodox, who cared about them, and who did not think Romanians were pagans needing to be converted; and, finally, an article in a major national news magazine reported the details of Mafia-type operations plaguing Russia, but bannered the report with a picture of a high-level United States official greeting the Patriarch of Moscow.

            For those ready to indulge in “conspiracy” theories, the three events could be seen as illustrations of a worldwide, anti-Orthodox plot.  However, looking at these events through the lens of today’s Gospel, a deeper, more troubling connection emerges.  The Lord points out in today’s reading that, in fact, there is a “conspiracy,” traceable to the devil and in opposition to  Himself in four ways, all of which Orthodox Christianity confronts today.

First, there is hatred.  The Lord said to His opponents, “If God were your Father, you would love Me....You are of your father the devil....” (vss. 42,44).  They hated Him, and true Christians should expect the same (Mt. 10:22-24).  Let us never be deceived because people are “tolerant” or “polite,” nor simply because the Church currently enjoys a certain freedom to teach and preach the great truths of the Faith.  The present cultural tide is running against Christianity throughout much of the world, and Orthodoxy, as the staunch guardian of the fullness of Apostolic Faith, readily serves as a target for hatred, as the tragedy in Egypt demonstrates.

Second, those in the first Century as well as today who oppose the Lord and His Church “do not hear” His words, because they “are not of God” (vs. 47).  How often even the mention of the Name of Jesus evokes offense or “blank” stares?  The reason is not hard to discern.  Today, a generation has come of age ignorant of the essentials of Christianity, “...foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).  It makes perfect sense to such secularists, as they write about crime in Russia, to use an obviously “Russian” photograph in order to “catch their readers’ eyes,” and so they paste in a colorful picture of the Patriarch of Moscow.  “What’s the contradiction?!”

Third, the Lord said, “...the desires of your father you want to do....there is no truth in him....But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me...” (vss. 44,45).  Brethren, how great are the temptations to follow pleasant lies, to “enjoy” temptations, to adapt the Faith, to accept watered-down Christianity as the whole truth!  Many advocates of some of the current expressions of “Christianity” actually think they will save the world, including the poor, deluded Orthodox Christians.  The devil was and “...is a liar and the father of it” (vs. 44).

The final form of opposition to the Lord is to dishonor Him.  “...I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me” (vs. 49).  Remember how the devil dishonored the Lord, insinuating what was contrary to fact: “If You are the Son of God...” (Mt. 4:6).  Many know Christ is worshiped as God, yet disdain those who reverence Him as King and Lord.  Subtly or baldly insulting!

O God Who dost guide the meek, grant us, Thy people, grace in all our uncertainties to ask what Thou wouldest have us to do, and save us from all false choices by Thy pure Light.

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