OUR HEAVENLY FRIEND AND HIS DISCIPLES
Having seen in the Lord Christ the Friend Lover of all mankind, who unceasingly works to make us receive His friendship, with, and in us; this chapter presents to us the goal of this friendship, which is His transfiguration in His believers and ministers, to declare His heavenly nature in our life. He became poor to make us rich, and partook of our sufferings to carry us to His riches and heavenly glories.
The Lord did not present the glories of His transfiguration all at once, but, having chosen His twelve disciples, He transfigured in their life a step at a time, to proclaim the authority of His kingdom through sending them without any temporal possibilities, but provided them with His authority to heal the bodies and souls. He granted them to get in touch with His transfiguration and His heavenly possibilities through how Herod was perplexed from afar; how He fed the hungry multitudes; and how God the Father proclaimed Himself to SimonPeter........................................................................... Finally, talking to them
about the cross, He took with Him three of His disciples, to have the privilege of watching His splendor on Mount Tabor. And after that seen transfiguration, for fear lest they would be overcome by pride, He talked to them about their commitment to be crucified and to walk with the spirit of humility, together with serving the others through taking the narrow road
- The Lord sends His disciples to preach the kingdom of God 1 - 6
- Herod got perplexed 7 - 9
- The disciples and feeding the multitudes 10 - 18
- The disciples and recognizing the Person of the Lord 19 - 21
- The disciples and the crucifixion 22 - 27
- The disciples and the glory of the transfiguration 28 - 36
- The disciples and casting out the evil spirits 37 - 43
- The disciples and the betrayal of the Son of Man 44 - 45
- The disciples and humility 46 -48
- The disciples and serving the others 49 - 50
- The disciples and asking for fire from heaven 51 - 56
- The conditions of the discipleship to the Lord 57 - 62
As we have already talked about this subject in our interpretation of the gospel according to Matthew 10: 1; and the gospel according to Mark 6: 7. Here, we shall only show that the Lord Christ, as a heavenly Friend, came down to our earth, dwelt with us, and chose His disciples from among the illiterates to transfigure in them, proclaiming Himself through His possibilities He presented to them, which are:
- Then He called His twelve disciples together” (1)
This divine ‘call’ for discipleship, even though it bears no commitment to respond to publicly, yet it involves an invitation to His beloved; But in the eyes of those who accept it, it represents a deputation through
which the deputy or the steward works in the name of His (employer), to his account, and by his possibilities. Through this call, the disciples received a new position, to work as stewards of the secrets of God.
- “and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases” (1)
Having appointed them as stewards of His secrets, He gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure the sick.
Many have the authority through their positions as kings, rulers, elites, and judges; but, having no power within themselves, they abuse their positions, as well as themselves. The Lord Christ, on the other hand,
together with the authority, He gave power to His disciples, which is not set upon outer temporal appearances, but it is “His Holy Spirit” who dwells in them, and works by them.
Even though the devil claimed authority for himself, supported in it by the weakness of humanity that bowed down to have him reign over them, to called “the prince or ruler of this world” (John 12: 31); as well as “the strong” (or “the strong” (Matthew12: 29)……., yet his authority came through perversion, and set upon his deception of men, and their weakness. To overcome such an enemy, the disciples were committed to carry an authority supported by the divine power.
- “He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick” (2)
This possibility involving “the power of preaching the kingdom of God” is not just a talk of philosophy, and a call to piety, but an enjoyment of the kingdom within the soul. Or in other words, the apostolic preaching is a gift presented by the Holy Spirit, by which He moves the soul from the darkness to the kingdom of light, to enjoy, through the water of baptism, the sonhood to God; and to turn their inner soul into a heaven, holy for the Lord.
- And He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece” (3)
He sought from the disciples to practice the “forsaking”, not to live in deprivation, but in order that the Lord would become everythingfor them. It is amazing how, before seeking from them to “forsake, He
granted them the authority, the power to preach, and to heal the sick,”; for, by having Him, with all His possibilities, they would reject all the worthless temporal things.
He commanded them to take nothing: neither staffs nor bag, nor bread, nor silver, not to have two tunics apiece; a commandment befitting of those who enter a temple, or a sanctuary of the Lord, not to carry with them what belong to this world, so as not to be confused or preoccupied with anything other than God.
………. It is, therefore befitting of the disciples to have their whole life “a presence with God in His sanctuary”; to perpetually feel, wherever they are, as though in divine sanctuaries.
We pray to God to grant us such a feeling that fills the heart with the holy fear, and lifts the soul up to live as though in heaven; not to be confused by the things of this world, nor need a staff, bag, bread, silver, nor to have two tunics apiece,
- “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart” (4)
Finding all the houses of the believers open before him, as though his own, the disciple would dwell in any of them, like one of the household, would partake of their regular daily food; and stays there until it is time for him to depart.
This commandment probably presents to the minister a commitment not to abuse the love of people for him in Christ, nor to turn it into compliments; that his life there would turn into banquets, instead of concentration upon preaching the word of God and His gospel.
Not to move from one house to another, will take away from the families, the spirit of competition in giving hospitality, for which countries of the east are reputed, up to this very day
Finally, He probably intended for the house, to be a nucleus for a church in the city, where the believers would come to encounter the apostles, and there to worship, and specifically to practice the sacrament of communion (the Eucharist) in the first day of every week.
On the contrary,
“Whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them”(5)
So did Barnabas and Paul when they departed from Antioch (Acts 12: 51). By such a command He probably means that temporal things however important they may seem, are just like dust that have no place except on the feet. A minister, whose spiritual word is rejected by men, will have to reject, as well, anything
of their worthless temporal things. The church does not seek money, but shakes it off her feet; she only seeks souls. The bishops and the priests are urged to reject gifts from the unrepentant wicked, as though shaking off the dust on their threshold as a testimony against them, to exhort them to repent.
According to St. Ambrose: That dust refer to the weaknesses that is befitting of the Shepherd to carry on behalf of the people of God, according to the words of the apostle: “Who is weak, and I am not weak?” (2 Corinthians 11:9). But he should not let these weaknesses cling to him, but cast them underneath his feet, saying: [It is the duty of the preacher of the gospel to carry the physical weaknesses of the believers away and crush them underneath his feet like dust].
Having been granted the privilege to work to the account of their heavenly Friend, the Lord intended to reveal to His disciples, a step at a time, His authority and possibilities. Here, the Evangelist Luke narrates how Herod got perplexed when he heard about the news of the Lord Christ and His works. And, being a Sadducee, who does not believe in the resurrection from the dead, how the events made him change his views, and said: “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” (9). He started to doubt whether He was John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the old prophets, who had risen again?! As his conscience began to stir up in him; he did not refer the killing of John the Baptist to the deception of ‘Herodias’ or her daughter, nor to the swordsman, but to himself, saying “John I have beheaded” ; and he sought to see Jesus.
All that came upon Herod through hearing about the works of the Lord Christ , even though nobody ever addressed to him a word of rebuke, nor preached to him a good tiding….............................................................................. But we can say that, if the voice of John the
Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord, and who came to prepare the way before Him, was not muted, even after being beheaded, but remained active, bringing terror into the heart of Herod; How much more would be the word of the Lord Christ itself, and preaching it through His disciples?! Which, according to the apostle Paul it could not be restrained.
The disciples received the call, enjoyed the power and the authority, and saw by their own eyes, and heard by their own ears, how Herod was perplexed and was about to collapse.................................................................................... Now, the Lord proclaims to them that He is
the One to feed the hungry multitudes......... As we have already talked about this miracle in our interpretation of the
gospel according to Mathew (14) and to Mark (6), we shall only mention the following points:
- “Then (the Lord) took (His disciples), and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city, called Bethsaida; but when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him, and He received them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing” (10, 11)
The disciples were in need to sit privately with the Lord, yet the multitudes did not let them, for they followed the Lord and He received them, namely welcomed them. For His comfort and that of His disciples is in comforting the tired and satisfying the hungry souls.
- This miracle came after choosing the disciples and sending them to preach, to proclaim the goal of this mission, which is “satisfying the hungry humanity”.
Commenting on the position of this miracle among the events going on around, St. Ambrose said:
[The reason why the Evangelist mentioned the death of John the Baptist (Herod referred to his death) (9), is probably because the gospel intended to satisfy the hungry souls started by the end of the law.
He presented the food after healing the woman with the flow of blood – the symbol of the Church -- and after sending the disciples on their mission to preach the kingdom of God.
Let us contemplate in those who enjoyed the banquet…....... They were not the lazy who dwell in the city,
like those in the synagogue, who sought the honors of the world; but those who seek Christ in the wilderness those whom Christ “receives” and to whom the Word of God speaks, not about the
world, but about the kingdom of heaven. And in case there are among them, those who had need of healing, He healed them.
It was God’s will to satisfy the hunger of those whom He healed of their painful wounds, and to grant them the spiritual food; for no one can enjoy the heavenly banquet, unless he is healed first:................................................................................ whoever was
lame got the strength to walk to come to God the Father; and whoever lost the light of vision, did not enter into the house of the Lord except after he got his eyesight back............................................................................ That is how the Lord does all the
time: He first gives the forgiveness of sins and the healing of wounds; then prepares the heavenly banquets.
……….The hearts hungry for the steadfast faith, will not be satisfied except by the body and blood of Christ. c- “and healed those who had need of healing” (11)
He only healed those who felt the need to be healed and who sought the Physician. Our Physician is always ready, and is capable to heal, but He does not grant His gifts except to those who seek it, lest they would probably despise the gift.
We may probably wonder: ‘What shall I do, if I do not feel an infirmity?’............. Do as the multitudes did:
follow the Lord to listen to Him, you will then feel hungry for Him, and feel your need to be satisfied; and even if you do not ask Him, the disciples will ask Him on your behalf.................................................................................... We are in need to sit together
with them to listen to His voice through His gospel to feel our need to be healed and to be satisfied. According to St. Ambrose: [Once man starts by listening to Him, he will feel hungry, and the disciples who will see it, even though they, themselves, cannot satisfy his hunger, they will ask the Lord to do].
- :When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to the Lord: Send the multitude away that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions, for we are in a deserted place her” (12).
Out of human emotion, and according to human account, the disciples assumed that feeding such large multitude needs a plenty ofmoney According to St. Ambrose: [They still did not understand that the
food for believers is not to be purchased, but, Christ knows how to provide us with redemption, and with a free banquet].
- Commenting on the food presented by Christ to us, lest we may fail on the way, and would not be able to reach God the Father, St. Ambrose proclaims that the food presented by the Lord is strong enough to support us on the way; and in case we do fail, the reason would be in us, for by our slothfulness, we may scatter the power He has granted us….................. The prophet Elijah could walk forty days, supported by one
meal provided for him by the angel, and did not fail, the way he previously did on his own......... The banquet
provided by Christ will support us all the days of our life.
- Finally, We have already studied the symbolic significance of the 5000 men who were satisfied by the five loaves of bread, and the two fish, What we intend to make clear here, is that the disciples ,
having received the blessing from the hand of the Savior, have, not only satisfied the multitude, but twelve baskets of the left over fragments remained, one for each disciple, as a practical testimony for the work of
the Lord through them............ When the believer gives to the others, they will be satisfied, and his own
hands will be filled with the blessings of the Lord; meaning that giving increases the blessings of the Lord in our life.
“And it happened as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them: ‘Who do the crowd say that I am?’” (18)
Having encountered the multitudes, spoke to them, healed their wounds, and satisfied their hunger; …… but with His disciples, He entered into a secluded retreat, that when they Him pray, they will perceive His unique relationship with His Father; and to teach them that prayer is the way to enjoy the secrets of the Father and the Son; hence came the question: “Who do the crowd say that I am?”, to be followed by another question:
”And who do you say, that I am?” (20)
Even though, together with the multitude we enjoy hearing His divine words, and be satisfied with His amazing works, Yet He intends for us to sit with Him alone to enjoy His divine secrets, to present Himself to us on a personal level; to say with apostle Peter:
“The Christ of God” (20).
According to St. Ambrose: [This name covers everything, expresses His nature, and includes all virtues]. We have already talked about this conversation between the Lord and His disciples with some details in our interpretation of the gospel according to Matthew 16: 13; and to Mark 8: 27), together with some comments by the fathers.
- THE DISCIPLES AND THE CROSS:
As the apostle Peter proclaimed his faith in the Lord Christ, He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying:
“The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (22)
By this command to His disciples, He meant to postpone the proclamation of His Person until the events of the crucifixion and the resurrectionare fulfilled. While He did not want to hinder those events, ‘for had they known,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2: 8); at the same time, He intended to proclaim His Person to His disciples, lest they would probably be offended by His crucifixion; and warned them to tell this to no one until the crucifixion is fulfilled.
The revelation of His Person actually merged with the cross; for the sacrifice of the cross would be of no value, unless the Person of the Son of God as the only begotten Son of God, and His Holy Christ, is proclaimed. And We cannot enjoy the Person of the Messiah as the Son of God, outside the cross.
If the Lord Christ is our heavenly Friend; He came to carry us by His love to His cross; for there, we rather recognize Him, receive Him, and abide in Him as members of His body, and enter into the bosom of His Father.
And we cannot recognize His cross, except by carrying it, together with the Lord, as a daily experience of godliness; hence His talk about His crucifixion merged with His talk about our own daily crucifixion, together with Him; or about carrying His cross, and enjoying the fellowship with His passion; according to the words said by the Evangelist:
“Then He said to them all: ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me’”(23)
Here, He reveals Himself to us, lest we would probably become offended by His cross; and He draws us to His cross, to share His passion everyday with joy, to be counted worthy of the fellowship of His glories.................................................................................... That is the heart
desire of every apostle, and of every believer: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians3: 10).
According to St. Jerome: [His cross is the pillar of humanity........... Whenever I say “The cross”, I do not think about
the (tree), but about the passion.......... And if your soul is not ready to carry the cross, as it is the case with Me
(namely with Christ), you cannot be My disciple…........ Blessed is he who carries in his heart, the cross and the
resurrection, to become the place of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ!........... Blessed is he who has
Bethlehem in his heart, where Christ is born every day!............ Christ is crucified in us every day, and we to the
world ……Blessed is he in whom Christ resurrects every day! For He resurrects if the sinner repents his sins, even those he unintentionally commits].
The cross does not destroy our life, as long as we carry it with Christ, who has overcome death; in other words, as long as it is carried by Christ who dwells in us. While outside Christ, the cross destroys the soul, in Christ it is
the way to salvation and resurrection. Hence the Lord Christ Himself says:
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (24)
Namely, Whoever desires to save his life, or to glorify it by its eternal resurrection, is committed to destroy it through carrying the cross together with its Savior; For the cross, even though it carries, on the outside, the portrait of perdition, yet it is rather the grantor of salvation.
This divine phrase has drawn the attention of many scholars of new education, in their researches concerning the best way to raise the children. It revealed to them the concept of the true parental love................................................................................ No one can save his
children unless he destroys the ‘ego’ in himself; for many so love themselves, or rather love themselves in their children; that they, intending to conform their children according to their own desires, intentions, and longings; regardless of the minds, talents, and possibilities of their children, they are actually captivating their children in the prison of their own ‘self’, from which they would not be able to set themselvesfree.............. We can say that, being
crucified together with Christ, we deny ourselves, to live as living members in the body of Christ. And here, we should not captivate our children in our own ‘ego’, but feel them as persons, and members, together with us, in the One Body of Christ; have their own independent personalities, talents, energies, and possibilities, put and kindled in them by the Holy Spirit of God Himself; All we can do is to serve them, and direct them with true and unselfish love.
The cross is therefore, the secret of life of every member in his own life, in his familial relationships, and in his Church and social relationships As he lives, giving in the Lord, He does not seek anything for himself, to gain
everything. The more he denies himself, the more his soul would grow with love, God would transfigure in him; and would become the object of love of heaven, as well as the earth. Hence, St. Augustine confirms that we have to bring our ‘ego’ to perdition to gain our souls.
Again He talks to us about the cross in another way saying:
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (25)
By the “world” here, he does not mean its inhabitants, but its material and mental things. As according to St. Augustine: [By living by the spirit of selfishness (the love of self); concentrated around himself, set forth to acquire the things of this world to his own account, intends for it to submit to his own pleasures; works to the account of his own riches, honor, and the desires of his body; Man loses his love for himself, as he destroys it….......... Whereas he who
accepts to be crucified together with Christ, deny himself, set forth out of his ‘ego’, to die with love for the others, and to have his heart wide open to endure and to serve the others, gains all to himself!................................................................................. Let us, therefore, die to live!
……….. Let us be buried together with the seeds, to give fruition s: thirty, sixty and hundredfold!.......... For the cross
is a profit and not a loss, as long as it represents a fellowship with the Crucified.
That was how the lord Christ spoke to us about our crucifixion together with Him, something that is difficult for man to perceive; hence He says:
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels” (26)
According to the scholar Tertullian: [I will be safe if I am not ashamed of my Lord........ The Son of Man was crucified,
a fact of which I am not ashamed, even if the other people are. The Son of God died; and I believe that in every way]. Being ashamed of the Lord Christ and His cross may be by words, as well as by work. For whoever does not carry the features of the Lord Christ, walks by His Spirit, and accepts His passion, would be ashamed of Him and His cross.
So the crucified Lord Christ exhorts us to receive Him in our daily life, so as to be able to experience His glories, to be counted together with Him as heirs to God, and to be honored by the heavenly hosts . Such an experience of the glories that we reach through the cross, is not only an estachological experience that we taste in the world to come, but is a living experience we enjoy its deposit now.. Hence the Lord ends His talk concerning the sufferings that grant glories by saying:
“But I tell you truly, that there are some standing here, who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God” (27).
By those words, He probably meant the three disciples He took with Him to Mount Tabor to see His glory in the moments of transfiguration; on account of that the talk about the transfiguration came directly after it….......................................................................................... Or He
probably meant the disciples who saw the kingdom of God proclaimed among the peoples of the world; ………..
According to St. Ambrose, they are probably the believers who have seen heaven, like the apostle Paul;......... We
may also say that this divine promise touches everyone of us, when the kingdom of God is transfigured in the soul ,to take away from her, death and corruption, and grants her the heavenly splendor in the Lord;.......................................................................................... While
according to some Christians of Jewish origin, it probably refers to the Jews who remain scattered in this world, until when the kingdom of God is proclaimed to them at the end of time, by their return from their denial of the Lord Christ (See also our interpretation of Matthew 16: 28; and Mark 9: 1).
- THE DISCIPLES AND THE GLORY OF THE TRANFIGURATION:
We may say, without exaggeration that the goal of the gospel is our enjoyment of the transfiguration of the Lord Christ in His Church, in everyone of her members; namely in the depths of our souls; until we set forth to the perfect proclamation of His glory in the great day of the Lord. For if the cross, the resurrection, and the ascension, represent one integral work that occupies the center of our faith, the Lord Christ, in His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, intends to grant us the spiritual insight to see Him transfigured in us, to experience Him amid our tribulations, crucified for us, to present to us the joy of His resurrection, and the glories of His heavens in our inner depths.
In other words, if we strive, it is for that, by faith, the Lord Christ would be proclaimed in us; to see Him face to face, transfigured in the perfection of His splendor in the great day of the Lord.
We have previously spoke about the transfiguration in our interpretation of the gospel according to Matthew 17; and of Mark 9) in more detail, with the comments of the fathers. Here we shall have that according to St. Ambrose who says: [Peter and those with him saw that grace, even though they were heavy with sleep, on account of that the infinite splendor of the Godhead crushes us. For if the human eye cannot hold her stare on the glare of the sun, how much more would the human body endure the glory of God?! That is why in the resurrection, the human body will be clothed with a form more pure and light, free of its shortcomings. After such a heavy sleep, fully awake, the disciples saw His glory. It is, as well, befitting of us to wake up to see the greatness of Christ. Peter exulted, as the
greatness of the present time could not take his attention away from the magic of the resurrection, hence he said:
“Master, it is good for us to be here” (33), as an example of the time to come; and Paul said: “I have the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1: 23)]… In the transfiguration it is to be noticed:
- Because of the importance of the transfiguration, the three Evangelist talked much about it; while John, on the other hand, did very concisely, yet strongly and with conviction; saying: “We beheld His glory” (John 1: 14). Configuration probably would never depart from Peter’s heart and mind all along the days of his preaching, counting it as a sign of truth of the Messianic mission; and binding between the transfiguration and the power of the splendor of Jesus Christ on His coming;… ”We beheld His glory”, for He took after
God the Father , honor and glory; as confirmed by the voice that came from high above, saying: “This is My
beloved Son, (in whom I am well pleased)hear Him” (35). “We heard this voice which came from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1: 16 – 18).
- If the transfiguration took place eight days after the Lord’s talk with His disciples about the cross; Even in the moments of the transfiguration, “Moses and Elijah spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (31). The transfiguration of the Lord in us, or our enjoyment of the fellowship of His splendor and glory in us, is the fruition of our acceptance of His cross in our life; and of that the cross will remain the subject of our preoccupation , even in the midst of the moments of the transfiguration. In other words, we shall not enjoy the transfiguration of the Lord in us in this world, nor the appearance of His glory to us in the ultimate day, unless we receive the commandment of the crucifixion together with Him. And when we enjoy His transfiguration here and there, the cross will remain the subject of our joy and eternal praise. So the cross will be melded with the glory; and the glory will proclaim the power of the cross, and its divine
- The Church cares for the transfiguration, celebrates it as a major feast, being a true testimony of His Godhead, hidden under the veil of the body, which the Lord proclaimed to some of His disciples, as much as they could endure, to let them perceive what the Church enjoys in eternity in an unutterable exalted
In this transfiguration, we see what thje Lord grants us as a gift when He changes the nature of our body of dust to a spiritual body, and raises us from our corruption to non-corruption, through our unity with Him and our enjoyment of His eternal inheritance; As according to the apostle: “Who will transform our lowly body
that it may be conformed to His glorious body” Philippians 3: 21........... But the transfiguration of the Lord is
a proclamation of His truth hidden from us because of our weakness, presented to us as much as we can endure. Whereas our own glory is a free gift He grants to us.
- “As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered” (29)
As we already said, the gospel according to Luke is the gospel of “prayers”; but our Lord Jesus’ prayer is the talk of fellowship with the Father, One with Hoim in Godhead, and not the talk of him whom God adopted as a gift. Our Lord Jesus carried us with Him to the mountain; and our behalf He prayed; to teach us
that, if we intend to be altered in appearance, and to enjoy the transfiguration of the Lord in our depths, we are committed to go up with Him to the mountain to pray............................................................................... For there is no other way to transfiguration
without prayer.
Taking with Him three of His disciples to the holy mountain to proclaim to them His nature as a heavenly Friend, to whom the Father Himself testifies that He is the only begotten Son, in whom He is pleased; and in whom the prophesies are fulfilled, and the law is realized; He was also joined by Moses and Elijah, who came exultant for His coming, and to talk to Him about His crucifixion, namely His departure. In Him those who still strive rejoice, and seek to stay with Him on the mountain forever; and in Him those who departed rejoice as well…................................................................................... He is the subject
of peace to heaven and earth, and their reconciliation by His blood; For He came down to the plains to transfigure in another way, through His divine work, by driving out the evil spirits who destroyed the life of man. He came to carry humanity to His transfiguration and to the enjoyment of His glories; but that would not be realized except by liberating it from its bondage to the devil and his hosts. The Lord came down from the mountain to the plains, to find a
son possessed by the devil who threw him down and convulsed him (42), that he became the cause of bitterness to his father, relatives, and all those around him.
We may say that our heavenly Friend, the only begotten Son of God the Father, by His ascending the mountain and His transfiguration, He proclaimed in a way or another, humanity melded with Him to enjoy the fellowship of His glories, to bring pleasure to the Father and joy to the heavenly creatures; and in her the Word of God is fulfilled, and the prophesies are realized............ Whereas the son on the plains, captivated by the devil, on the other hand,
represents humanity that brought sorrow to the heart of the Father, and lost her fellowship with the heavenlies by her disobedience.
“Teacher! I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child” (38)
Those strong words uttered by the father, were full of bitterness, as well as with wisdom. On one aspect, he sought from the Savior, only to “look”; a request that carries faith in the love of the Savior who cannot endure to see anyone suffering, particularly a father for the sake of his only son; and on another aspect, while proclaiming his identity as the father, yet he admits his helplessness, “for he nis my only son”; and he also presented an admonishment, saying:
So I implored Your disiples to cast it out, but they could not” (40) Now what did the Lord Christ do?
- He admonished the multitudes, saying: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear withyou?” (410. For He desired to have a faithful generation that terrify the demons!
- He said to the father: “Bring your son here” (41)…........ He requests from every believer to look on the
destroyed and captive souls, as his own children, to present nto the Lord through prayers, to enjoy salvation. c- “Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father” (42)................................................................................ It is
not enough to drive the enemy away from the place he took by force, but to give the place back to its owner. In other words, the goal of our Christ is not only to liberate us from the devil, but to bring us back into the bosom of our heavenly Father, to enjoy together with Him the divine bosoms.
“He said to His disciples, ‘Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men’” (44).
For the second time the Lord Christ spoke to His disciples about His crucifixion, after Moses and Elijah spoke to Him concerning the samesubject… While the multitudes were amazed at the majesty, the power and authority of
the Lord, , and while everyone marveled at all the things that Jesus did,healing the possessed child from the unclean spirit; He intended to keep the hearts of His disciples from being drawn to temporal glories, but to the cross, as a proclamation of His authority in the salvation of humanity. But even though His words about the cross were clear, yet they did not understand; for through a divine ordinance, the secret of the cross was hidden from them until it is realized.
While not understanding the talk of the Lord Christ that He is about to be delivered to crucifixion, as a way to His heavenly kingdom, on the contrary,
“A dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, abs said to them, ‘whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for he who is least among you all will be great” (48).
Being a heavenly Friend who reigns, not through the temporal greatness, and self-esteem, but through love ; the Lord wished for His disciples to carry His features, to reign together with Him by the spirit with humility.
Warning against pride, in his talk entitled :”Against the thoughts of the eight evil desires”, Father Oghris said: [The spirit of vain glory is the worst of thoughts, that intends to grow in the souls of those who practice virtue; leading them to show off publicly their strife, seeking the commendation of men; claiming that they could heal women, cast the evil spirits, and that the multitudes gather together to touch their robes.... Such pride is the cause of utterly destroying
the souls of men].
And exhorting us to have humility, Father Dorotheos said: [Let us, as well, have humility to be saved. …. In case we cannot endure to bear many troubles, because of our weakness, let us then be humble; for I truly believe that the little worl done with humility, makes us, by the mercy of God, be in the same place earned by the saints after so much labor, as true ministers of God……… Yes! We are weak and unable to do many things, but can’t we be humble?!.......
Indeed, beloved brethren, blessed is he who is truly humble]......... (See the sayings of the fathers in our
interpretation of the gospel according to Matthew 18: 1, and of Mark 9: 35).
“Now John answered and said: ‘Master, we saw someone casting demons in Your name, and we forbade
him, because he does not follow with us’. But Jesus said to him: ‘Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side” (49, 50)
As we said in our interpretation of the gospel according to Mark 9: 38, the Evangelist John did not forbid that man out of jealousy or envy, but because he longed for him to join them in following the Lord Christ. And it is obvious from the answer of the Lord, that that man was not against Christ, neither by his mouth, nor by his heart, but, even though his circumstances probably did not allow him to follow the disciples in an apparent way; yet he was one of them in faith.
Any way, our heavenly Friend, by His words, presents to us a new concept of the holy congregation; that it is not just a physical encounter, but is a unity of life and faith. The Lord intended in His disciples to have a heart wide with love, and to long for all to practice their talents to the account of the kingdom of God with no bigotry but in the unity of
faith, and of an upright spiritual spirit.
- THE DISCIPLES AND COMMANDING FIRE TO COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN:
“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem; and sent messengers before His face. And they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they, said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’ But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s
lives but to save them’; and they went to another village” (51 – 56).
- Saying: “When the time had come for Him to be received up”, (51), the Evangelist used the same expression “to be received up”, used when Elijah was taken up to heaven (2 kings 2: 9-11); in glorifying the suffering servant by Isaiah(Isaiah 42: 1), and in the ascension of the Lord Christ up to heaven (Acts 1: 2, 11) When the time had come to be glorified by entering into passion as a slave, to cross over to His
glories ascending to heaven, the Lord Christ steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, the location where He was to be tried, and crucified; to suffer on our behalf, to glorify us with, by, and in Him.
He set forth to Jerusalem, as though hastening the events anticipated by all the generations, being the work of salvation of God, by which the believers are glorified.
- A village of the Samaritans did not receive Him. We know that the Samaritans were foreigners brought by Babylon to dwell in the place of those captivated from Israel in the year 721 BC; Their worship was a mixture of Jewish and pagan; and accepted only the five books of Moses of the Old Testaments. There was animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans all the
Seeing how that Samaritan village did not receive the Savior, James and John asked the Lord Christ to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, the way Elijah did before (2 kings 1: 10, 11)… Probably because of this fiery attitude, “the Lord called the two sons of Zebedee “Boanerges”,
that is (sons of thunder” (Mark 3: 17). But the Lord refused their request, and rebuked them because of it; saying that He has come, not to destroy but to save............................................................................. With such longsuffering, He anticipated the
repentance of all, and it actually so happened that Samaria eventually received faith (Acts 8: 3: 17).
The Lord Christ came, not to catch the souls to faith by force, but by love and longsuffering. According to St. John Chrysostom: [ whoever receives faith out of fear, will soon forsake it; whereas whoever received it through love and compassion will abide in it].
While the two disciples sought fire from heaven to consume, the Lord presents Himself a heavenly Friend, like dew that quench the fire of evil desires. And in case He sends His fiery Holy Spirit, He does to enflame the heart for love, and not for revenge].
- THE CONDITIONS FOR THE DISCIPLESHIP TO THE LORD:
While our heavenly Friend opens His arms wide longing to embrace all to Him to enjoy the fellowship of His glories; He will not send fire to consume those who reject Him................................................................................. At the same time, not everyone is fitting to be His
disciple, but only him who respond to Him to carry His features and thoughts. The Evangelist Luke presented to us three examples of persons who asked to be His disciples. In our study of the gospel according to Matthew (8: 19), I included the comments of some fathers on the first two persons: the scribe who requested to follow Christ, yet with an untrue intention, to be answered By the Lord: “”Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (58). Namely, the Son of Man did not find a place inhim…................................................................................ The second person,
even though he longed for discipleship with a good intention, yet was hindered by a familial duty, important in the eyes of men, namely caring for his father until he buries him....................................................................................... To those two examples, the Evangelist Luke
added a third person, who longed to be a disciple of the Lord, and to follow Him, yet not with a complete devotion, nor true maturity; asking to go first to bid farewell from those in his household........................................................................................ The Lord responded to him by
saying: “No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (62). In those three examples, it is to be noticed:
- Our heavenly Friend knows what goes on in the inner heart: The first and the third persons sought the discipleship, and their request was rejected, on account of that the first had a heart not pure in its depths and gols; and he third was not serious… The second person, on the other hand, even though he did
not seek by his lips, but the Lord, hearing his heart’s request, called him to discipleship. Yet, when he asked the Lord the permission to go first to bury his father, He raised him above the temporal duties for the sake of the eternal work of preaching.
The first and the third persons counted themselves zealous and fit for discipleship; and the second, in humility did not request it, but was called by the Lord. In other words, I wish we request the discipleship to God, not by our lips, but by the purity and inner flame of our hearts; for then, the Lord will call us, and will bandage the wounds of our weakness, to prepare us to testify to Him.
- Commenting on the first person, St. Augustine says: [Intending to follow Christ, the Lord knew for sure that he (the first one) was seeking what is for his own sake, and not for that of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2: 21), saying: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 7: 21). That man, therefore did not know himself, as the divine Physician knew him. If he ever perceived that he was full of hypocrisy and deception, he would know with whom he was talking. That is why the Lord said to him: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (58) namely that He had no place in your heart, where the foxes find holes for themselves.; and the birds of heaven find nests, being high and haughty. Because you are full of craftiness and pride, you are not fit to follow me; for how could the crafty follow the simple?].
We may also say that that person, being bound to the love of the world, requested discipleship, not for the sake of the Lord Himself, but for the sake of an earthly honor or a temporary benefit; that is why the Lord revealed to him the nature of the Teacher; that the foxes living in the wilderness have hples to which they are bound, and in which they find comfort; So are the birds of heaven, they have nests to which they resort every now and then; but the Son of Man, is Heavenly, and has no comfort in the temporals; nor has on earth
a place to settle down …… Hence you are not fit for discipleship until you set yourself completely free from the earth, and let your soul sour up to heaven
Our Heavenly Friend, wishes for His disciples to carry the feature of heavenly thought, and of the exalted high up life.
- Presenting to us an interpretation close to that of St. Augustine, concerning the first person, St. Ambrose says: [Despite his obedience and steadfast ministry, yet he did not find favor with the Lord; on account of that the Lord does not care for the outer appearances, but cares for the hidden purity of heart; hence, exhorting the mature to have the heart of children, He once said:
“Whoever receives this little child in My name........... ” (48)
To teach us that simplicity should not be for a purpose; nor love be envious; but giving has to be willingly and not forced It is befitting of us to have the true simplicity, a nature acquired through strive; hence
the Lord says: “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives, not Me, but Him who sent Me” (Mark 9: 37).
Yes indeed! Whoever receives him who likens Christ receives Christ; and who receives the image of God receives God; But, being unable to see the image of God, the Word Himself came to dwell in our midst through incarnation, to bring Godhead close to us, even though He is far above us.
“Foxes have holes”. The devil is deceptive like foxes, sets snares and lives with craftiness.......... seeks a
prey inside the dwelling place of man himself.
The Lord compares the heretics to foxes, hence He keeps them away from His crop, saying: “Catch up the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vine” (Songs 2: 15).
And the birds of heaven often refer to the evil spirits that build their nests in the wicked hearts; where the Son of Man finds nowhere to lay His head.
Craftiness leaves no place for simplicity, nor for Divinities in those hearts........... But, wherever the Lord
sees the purity of heart, there, He would lay His great work; namely the great and exalted gift that flows in the hearts of the godly].
- Commenting on the second person, he did not seek the discipleship with his lips, like the first one, but talked with the purity of his heart; he was ready for discipleship, yet for the sake of a familial commitment toward his father, requested postponement, St. Ambrose says: [Even though the faith of his heart proclaimed itself before the Lord; yet His emotion and familial commitment made him request postponement. But the Lord Christ, preparing men for the gospel, did not allow for any temporary physical emotion to come in the
Yes indeed, the divine law commanded the commitment to these duties; and the Lord Himself rebuked the Jews for breaking it (see Matthew 15: 4, 5); and the apostle Paul said in his epistle: “ the first commandment with a promise is: ‘Honor your father and mother’” (Ephesians 6: 2). That young man,
therefore longed to obey God’s commandment, and to go and bury his father….... Yes indeed, the parents
should be honored; but God should be obeyed first. We are committed to love those who gave birth to us; but not more than our love for Him who created us. It is as though He says to him: [I called you to My gospel; I need you to do something greater than that you yourself intend to do Therefore,
“Let the dead bury their own dead” (60)].
If the fault of the first one, was that, in human enthusiasm he said: I will follow You wherever You go”,, while his heart was bound to the world, that of the second, saying: “Let me first go and bury my father”, has put his father ahead, when God should be put ahead.. According to St. Augustine: [Love should be put in its proper order; Give it to everyone as is befitting of him; do not put in the rear what should be put ahead; Love your parents, but love God more.
According to St. Ambrose: [How would man be kept from burying his own father, even though this is one of the godly works?! The Lord teaches us to put Him ahead, to be followed by man. Even though burying
one’s father is something commended, yet not befitting; lest the minister would divide his care, his love for preaching would become lukewarm, and his spiritual growth would be impaired.................................................................................. We should go first to
preach, before we are hindered by any other commitment.............. Hence, when the Lord sent His disciple
to preach, He commanded them not to greet anyone on their way; not that He does not care for love, but His care for the growth of ministry gives him more pleasure].
“Let the dead bury their own dead” (60)
St. Ambrose wonders: How could the dead bury their own dead?........... [Here He refers to two kinds of
death: the death of the body, and the death of sin; and there is even a third kind of death by which we come to death to sin, and live to God; the way the Lord Christ did when; “the death that He died, He died for sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God” (Romans 6: 10).
There is the kind of death that separates the spirit from the body, which we should not fear, on account of that it is the start of settingforth, It is not a punishment, which the strong do not fear; the wise desires,
and the miserable long for it, as is written: “In those days, men will seek death, and will not find it”
(Revelation 9:6).
Another kind of death puts an end to the evil pleasures of this world, when the body does not die, but sin does. Such death we practice when we are buried together with Christ in the font of Baptism (Romans 6: 4; Colossians 2: 22); when we die to things of this world, and forget about our past life; a kind of death desired by Balaam, when he prophesied, saying: “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his” (Numbers 23: 10).
The third kind of death is carried by Christ (by the cross) for our life, for we know that He is the eternal life (John 17: 3) . It is seen by the righteous now, as though a riddle, but they will ultimately see it face to face, for: “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was caught in their pits, of whom we said, ‘Under his shadow, we shall live among the nations” (Lamentations 4: 20);................. David says: “In the shadow of
Your wings, I shall make my refuge” (Psalm 57: 1)............ And the Church longed. “to sit down in His shade
with great delight” (Songs 2: 3). If Your shadow, O Lord is with such a benefit, how would be Your truth?! “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, so also you will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3: 3, 4). How amazing is this life that knows no death! God,
therefore, does not forbid us to mourn and to bury our dead; but He puts the godly piety in the foremost level, to be followed by thefamilial commitments.......................................................................... Let the spiritually dead bury their dead; but let the
chosen ones follow Him].
- Concerning the third man, he was not serious in his intention to follow the Lord; With a divided heart, he wished to follow Him, but at the same time he loved the world..................................................................................... Such a man, can start, but will never
fulfill; hence it is said:
“No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (62).
God wants to have the whole heart, to remain with Him, and never apostatize, lest it would become a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife, who was saved by departing from Sodom together with her husband Lot and her two daughters, but she did not finish her way, but apostatized by her heart, and perished. Because of this, our Lord Christ says: “Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field, not go back to take his clothes” (Matthew 24: 17, 18). Whoever was raised by the Lord up to the (housetop) to behold the heavenly secrets, should not come down where the temporal things are; and whoever set forth along the way of preaching, should not retreat from ministry.
Writing to ‘Paula’ to exhort her not to go far in her grief because of the death of ‘Blaesill’, St. Jerome says: [Surely, believing in Christ and bearing Him inside us; and because of the anointment we have received (1 John 2: 270, it is befitting of us not to depart from His temple – namely from our Christian work – and not to
become perplexed like the non-believing nations, but to perpetually remain inside, as servants obedient to the Lord]… Asthough, having dedicated her life to minister to God, he demands from her, not to let her
mourning on anyone make her forsake her evangelic worshipping work, but consummate the way of her strife until the end.
According to St. John Cassian: [It would be very unfortunate that, when you should bear the basic and main principles , to set forth ahead toward perfection, you start to fall back to what is worse. It is not who starts, but “He who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24: 13). Exhorting us on the unceasing
spiritual strife, without retreat, he says: [There is a hidden accusation in the book of Deuteronomy against those who claim that they have forsaken the world, while they fear of losing their earthly possessions; being written: “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart” (Deuteronomy 20: 8). What is more clear than this testimony?!..........
Is it not obvious that the Holy Book would rather have them not give that pledge in its early stages, nor bear its name, lest they become a bad role model that draws the others to divert away from the perfection of the Holy Book].