THE FULFILLING CHRIST Chapters 8-10 address several questions, some of which are posed by the Lord Himself, some by the disciples, and on certain occasions, by the multitude or by the adversaries. They all reveal something about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ who works for humanity, the very object of His love. In this chapter, the following questions reveal His Person as the source of real satisfaction for the soul: 1- A question about the bread 1-10. 2- Asking for a sign from heaven 11-12. 3- A conversation about the leaven 13-21. 4- A question about insight 22-26. 5- A question about the identity of Christ 27-30. 6- His proclamation about the Cross 31-33. 7- His proclamation of the fellowship of the Cross 34-38. 1- A QUESTION AROUND THE BREAD The Lord had blessed the bread and two fish to feed 5000 men, besides women and children (6:34-44), having been moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep having no shepherd. He talked to them for a long time in a deserted place, and the disciples wanted Him to send them away that they might go to buy themselves bread. But He declined to send them away hungry. Now, another opportunity came by, when the multitude stayed with Him for three days, having nothing to eat; the Lord, likewise, declined to send them away hungry, lest they would faint on the way, for some of them had come from a far. (v. 3). St. Mark could not give a count of the healings of the sick and the casting out of unclean spirits performed by the Lord, but the Evangelist St. John says: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (Jn. 21: 25) As far as feeding the multitude is concerned, Jesus probably only did it twice, lest the crowd would gather around Him for the sake of the material bread. He did not want their vision to deviate from spiritual satisfaction to earthliness. Still, He did not ignore their physical condition; He reveals His concern for the flesh without sacrificing the spiritual.We have already discussed these two miracles, especially the symbolic sides they embrace (see the interpretation of Matthew 14:14-21; 15:32-38); I will only mention here, the following points: (1) We cannot ignore the close resemblance between the two miracles included in chapters 6 and 8, and the similar conditions in both of them1: Feeding 5000 men (6:35-44) Feeding 4000 men (8:1-9) Crossing the lake (6:45-52) Crossing the lake (8:10) Crossing to Gennesaret (6:53-56) Crossing to Dalmanutha (8:10) A dispute with the Pharisees about the unwashed hands (7:1-23) A dispute with the Pharisees about a sign from heaven (8:11) Conversation with the Phoenician Conversation with the disciples 1 Cf. Jerome Biblical Commentary, p 35. 5 woman about the children’s bread (7:24-30) about the leaven of Pharisees (8:13-21) Healing of the deaf mute (7:31-37) Healing of the blind (8: 22 - 26) The great resemblance between the conditions surrounding the two miracles binds them very closely, as we have already seen in our study of the Gospel according to St. Matthew1, the Evangelist. The first miracle is proclaiming the Person of the Messiah, the fulfiller of the Jews, the keepers of the Law; the second, on the other hand, is proclaiming the Person of the Messiah as the fulfiller of the Gentiles as well. The two miracles bear the same meaning and concept; yet, the similarities of the conditions surrounding and following the two incidents, could not have been just a matter of coincidence. Rather, they must carry a spiritual message that touches our life, which can be summarized as follows: a- In the two miracles, after feeding the multitude, the Lord Christ, together with His disciples got into the boat to cross the lake to the other side. This exemplifies that Christ’s goal is the satisfaction of our souls which is accomplished when we taste the “cross-over.” In this manner, we exit with Christ through His life-giving Cross (the boat) through the wilderness of the world, and its waves and currents, to enter into the other life, to enjoy eternity. This exodus would not be realized, far from the Lord Christ, the Head and Leader of the Church. b- Having fulfilled the multitude, the Pharisees started, in both occasions, to dispute with Him, one time about the unwashed hands, and in the other, asking for a sign from heaven. It seems that while the Lord Christ preoccupies Himself with fulfilling us internally, and setting forth with us to His Father’s bosom so that we may abide in Him, the evil one tries hard to engage us in idiotic disputes in order to cloud the purity of our inner hearts. The enemy wishes to draw us away from the inner satisfaction, towards vain formalities, or to exciting signs. c- After the first miracle, He talked to the Phoenician woman about the children’s bread, which He wished those of the Law to keep, as children; but having rejected it, it was given to the foreign Gentiles. After the second miracle, He talked to His disciples, warning them against eating of the leaven of the Pharisees, asking them, instead to enjoy Him personally, the sole Bread coming down from heaven! d- After the first miracle, the Lord Christ healed the deaf mute; while after the second, He healed the blind. The Lord, the fulfiller of souls, came to open up our spiritual ears, to hear His word; our tongues to sing His praises; and our eyes to be able to behold the splendor of His glory. (2) The bread presented by the Lord to the multitude after they had been with Him for three days with nothing to eat ( 2) could be none other than His Holy Body, risen from the dead on the third day! Whoever shares His passion, carries His Cross, and is buried with Him, would be like someone, who having fasted from the world, is being given by the Lord His own Body as life-giving Bread, the Body risen from the dead. Some Church Fathers believe that that Bread refers to the Word of God, or to the word of preaching of the Gospel, presented to the hungry humanity. St. Augustine says: [What you eat, I also eat. And on what you subsist I also do. We have in heaven, a mutual store, from which we get the word of God... God’s banquet, concerns the heart and not 1 .335- الإنجیل بحسب متى، 1983 ، ص 331 6 the belly1.] Pope Gregory (the Great), says: [He did not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on their way. It is fitting for Him, who hears the word of preaching, to get a word of comfort, lest his hunger and need for the food of truth, would cause him to fall under the burden of life2.] If that bread refers to the word of preaching, some scholars see in number 7 (7 loaves), a reference to the 70 disciples, who carried out the preaching task among the Gentiles; and to the 7 deacons (Acts 6:3)3. Still several others see in number 7 a reference to the works of the Holy Spirit in the Church of Christ; as though that bread, which is the word of preaching, is the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers within the Church of Christ. In other words, the Holy Spirit, working in the Church, especially through the 7 sacraments, offers to us the word of God, living, active, and practicing, in our life, to lead us to perfection. St. Augustine says: [The 7 loaves mean the 7 works of the Holy Spirit; the 4000 men are the Church built on the 4 Gospels; and the 7 baskets with the leftover fragments are the perfection of the Church; as this number always refers to perfection4.] Fr. Theophlactius says: [Number 7 refers to the Holy Spirit, which consummates everything; as our life would be consummated through the 7 days5.] St. Ambrose6 believes that that food refers to the strength He grants to those who believe in Him. So, while He, in His commandment, requests from us strife and perseverance, yet, He gives us the strength, lest we faint on our way. He sends strength to everyone never ignoring anyone; but if someone refrains from stretching his hand to get the strength of the inner Spirit, he would faint on his way of strife. (3) He gave a count of the men, yet, did not ignore the women and children; and as said by St. Augustine: [Let children eat, to grow and become children no more; and let those soft as women, get fortified7.] Actually, some scholars believe that number 4000 here covers all, and not just men, as was the case in the previous miracle. (4) Concerning the 7 baskets of leftovers taken up by the disciples, that is a sign of the Messianic blessing; it refers to the 7 Churches (Rev. 1:12-20) in the midst of which the Son of Man dwells, illuminates, and encourages, through the Word of the Gospel, working by His Holy Spirit in it. It is to be noted that the word ‘baskets’ used here, came as the Greek ‘Spyris,’ while, in the first miracle, it came as the Greek ‘Kophinos,’ which means, in Arabic ‘koffa.’ So, if the miracle with the 7 baskets refers to the satisfaction of the Gentiles by the Savior Messiah, and the previous one refers to the satisfaction of the Jews by Him, the word ‘Spyris,’ meaning a regular fish basket used by all, and ‘Kophinoi’ which represents a special kind used by the poor Jews in Rome8, show direct significance towards these accounts. For the same reason, the miracle of the 7 baskets refers to the consummation of preaching in the whole world, while in the previous one, their 12 count 1 Ser. on N.T. 45: 1, 2. 2 Mor 1: 9. 3 Nineham, p 207. 4 Ser. on N.T. 45: 2. 5 Cf. Catena Aurea. 6 In Luc. 6: 73. 7 Ser. on N.T. 45: 3. 8 Nineham, p 207-8, Jerome Bib. Comm. p 39. 7 refers to the 12 apostles. 2- ASKING FOR A SIGN FROM HEAVEN “And the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His Spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.” ( 11, 12) Even after the 5000 men were fed by the hands of the disciples, they did not discover the realization of the prophesies. Rather, they only saw that the disciples’ hands were unclean because they were not washed before eating, according to the tradition of the elders. Even the Messiah who came and granted His disciples to offer His blessings to fulfill the multitude with the divine gift and to collect the blessed leftover fragments was unclean in their eyes. The Lord confirmed for them that He is the Messiah, the desire of nations, and the consummation of the prophesies by feeding 4000 more. Instead of reconsidering their attitude, they added to their ignorance by asking for a sign from heaven to test Him. And as said by St. John Chrysostom: [They asked for a sign, not to believe, but to test Him. If the adversaries had been ready to receive faith, He would have given them the sign they asked for1.] The Lord Christ wished to enter with them into heaven itself, offering Himself as the true Manna, the Bread from heaven, for the eternal life (Jn. 6). However, they did not seek satisfaction, but asked for a visible sign for the sake of dispute and resistance. With that, they could not differentiate between the first advent of the Lord Christ to grant salvation to the whole world through His exalted love, and His second advent to judge the world. The sign of His first advent has been to stretch His hands in compassion and love towards every soul, especially on the Cross; while that of the second advent for judgment rocks the powers of heaven and stops the sun and the moon from giving their light, etc. The Lord sighed deeply in His Spirit, and said: “Why does this generation seek a sign?” As though, in bitterness, He sees that the generation, which should have been preaching the Gospel and teaching the world about salvation through the Cross, had deviated from that mission to testing the Lord, as did their fathers before them. The prophet Moses says: “So He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17: 7) And the Psalmist says: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, and as in the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me. They proved Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation.” (Psalms 95:8-10) 3- A CONVERSATION AROUND THE LEAVEN “And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them saying, ‘Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” ( 13-15) (1) The evangelist revealed how the disciples were keen about following Him. So, although they collected 7 baskets of leftover fragments, yet, when they saw the Lord entering the boat, they overlooked taking bread with them; their love for the Lord drew their hearts from everything earthy. That is why St. John Saba says: [Who tastes the 1 In Matt. Hom., 53. 8 sweetness of the fruit of the tree of life, then would rush towards the fruit of love of the stinking world?1], and also says: [Those who have not tasted the love of God, are poor and wretched. God grants those who love Him what would get them drunk with joy2.] (2) The evangelist says, “They did not have, but just one loaf of bread” to proclaim that even the disciples, after the miracle of the feeding of the multitude, have not yet opened their eyes to realize that in their midst was “the Bread of Life” (Jn. 6:51) which satisfies the whole Church and grants it the unity of Spirit, according to the words of the apostle: “For we, being many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” (1 Cor. 10: 17) The disciples were in need of the teaching of the Lord Christ, to rid them of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, in order to open their eyes to behold the secret of the bread, our Lord Jesus Christ. (3) Since the disciples were still unable to understand the concept of spiritual food and to recognize the Lord Christ as the bread of life, they got confused when He asked them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. He presented them with 7 questions to reveal to them their wounds, and to lead them towards spiritual understanding, even though He did not give them the answers: 1- “Why do you reason because you have no bread?” (v.17) To reveal that He is aware of their thoughts which were still not capable of rising above the material concept. 2- “Do you not yet perceive nor understand?” (v.17) To exhort them to enter into the depths, to recognize who in their midst is, and what the goals of His works are. 3- “Is your heart still hardened?” (v.17) To proclaim their need for a total renewal of their hearts, to carry Him inside, and to apprehend the secrets of His kingdom. 4- and 5- “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?” (v.18) He reminds them of the word of the prophet Jeremiah, concerning the old people, “Who have eyes and see not; and who have ears and hear not” (Jer. 5:21). Since they have the physical senses and lack the spiritual ones, they are not able to enjoy the heavenly concepts. It is as though He is exhorting them to seek the capabilities of the New Covenant in order to enjoy, through the new man, the heavenly concepts. 6- and 7- “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousands, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets, full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” So He said to them: “How is it you do not understand?” (v.19-21) He is exhorting them to recall His works, which proclaim - through the Old Testament - the secrets of the kingdom of God, and that remind them of the symbols and prophecies that are being realized now before their eyes. He is also asking them to look into the two miracles of feeding the thousands in order to apprehend that He is “the Bread of Heaven,” Who fulfills the souls. (4) The two evangelists Matthew (16:12) and Luke (12:1) interpret the leaven of the Pharisees as their hypocrisy; the Jews consider the leaven as a symbol of corrupting power (1 Cor 5:6-8 Gal 5: 9); As for the leaven of Herod, it represents his shrewdness; he was called a ‘fox’ by the Lord Christ. The Pharisees shared with Herod his resistance to the Lord, pretending to defend the truth while actually they were keen on keeping their social positions. The Lord was warning His followers against hypocrisy and shrewdness, رسالة 1 .33 رسالة 2 .6 9 to be able to apprehend the truth through a heavenly spiritual vision. I have already talked about the leaven of hypocrisy in our study of the Gospel according to St. Matthew1. I will only present here some of St. Cyril the Great’s sayings: [Hypocrisy is hated by God and men; it never pays a reward, and never saves a soul, but actually ends in its destruction. If somebody uses hypocrisy to get away with something he has done, that would be only for a limited time, after which he would be surely exposed and defamed. He would be likened to an ugly woman, after the superficial make-up is removed from her face. Hypocrisy thus, is not the way of saints; Nothing done or said is hidden from the Divine eyes; as is written: “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.” (Lk. 12: 2) So if our talks and actions will be revealed on the day of judgment, hypocrisy would then be in vain2.] 4- A QUESTION AROUND INSIGHT After feeding the multitude from five loaves and a few small fish, Christ proclaims that He is the secret of true satisfaction for the Church. This is accomplished through His dwelling within the Church, working His commandment in it, and the gift of His Holy Spirit. We find Him now, opening the eyes of a blind man in Bethsaida to confirm that He is also “the true secret of enlightenment.” The evangelist says: “Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And He looked up and said, ‘I see men like trees, walking.’ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying, ‘Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.” ( 22-26) (1) Bethsaida was known for its lack of faith, spiritually likened to that blind man; as revealed by what the Master said addressing it: “Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” (Mt. 11: 21) The name Bethsaida, also means “house of the valley,” a symbol of the world, the valley of tears, that gave humanity the spiritual blindness, and took away from it the inner enlightenment. Those who brought the blind man to Jesus are none other than the Patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament, who also brought the blind world to Lord Christ. They presented Him to the world as a Savior to be enjoyed through prophecies and symbols, and to receive His work in the world, presenting it with the spirit of enlightenment. The disciples and apostles added to the work of the men of the Old Testament, by preaching the word to the Gentile world, bringing it to the Lord, to open its insight. (2) “He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town.” (v. 23) As the Lord Christ takes us by the hand the first thing He does in our life, is to lead us “out of town;” to carry us through His Cross, out of the ‘ego.’ To live, not for our own sake, but for His, He who loved us and died for us. To live by the Cross, not centered around our selves, but to receive, with love, God and His creatures within our depths, in a heart, wide enough to embrace everyone in it. Probably, that was what the apostle Paul meant by saying: “I have been crucified with Christ: It is no longer I who live, but Christ 355-353 . الإنجیل بحسب متى، 1983 ، ص 1 2 In Luc, Ser 86. 10 lives in me.” (Gal 2:20) and “Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” (1 Cor. 10: 33) The Lord Christ leading the blind man out of the town may represent a divine invitation to us, to “go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.” (Heb. 13: 13) (3) When healing the blind man, the Lord spat on his eyes, and then put His hands on him. The first act refers to the wisdom coming out of His mouth, and the second, to the need for His divine hands, or His godly capabilities for the work. It is as though, the inner insight is not based on the wisdom independent of work, or on the work independent of knowledge or divine wisdom. Our inner enlightenment is based on our enjoying practical fellowship with God in Christ Jesus, in order to enjoy knowing Him and to walk by His Spirit. In other words, our faith is not a mental thought that we embrace, nor an ethical behavior we practice, but it is an integral life, through living faith working by love; without separation between faith and works! (4) The Lord Christ asked Him if he saw anything, not that He needed him to know what he sees because the Lord already knows everything. Rather he did it to exhort him to believe, as He did before when He asked Adam, ‘Where are you?’ not to know his location, but to give him the chance to repent. Because of his weak faith, his vision was not perfect; so he needed to ask the Lord for help. He answered saying that he sees men like trees, walking (v. 24). He sees, yet without discernment; that is why the Lord put His hands on him another time, granting him that gift, to be able to see everything clearly. Seeing men like trees reflects his despair. He thought of everybody, as high trees moving towards heaven to present divine fruit; while he, in his own sight, seems among them, disabled, and in need of somebody to give him support and hope, to turn into “a green olive tree in the house of God.” (Psalm 52:8) (5) Granted the ability to see people clearly, He sent him to his house, as though He wished for him to go back to look into his heart, to discover in it the kingdom of heaven. And as St. John Saba says: [Blessed is he, who has his treasure within him, and out of himself he does not get his nourishment! Blessed is he, whose sun shines in him, and does not let others see it! Blessed is he, whose ears are closed to the tunes of evil, but are open to those of the heavenly! Blessed is he who smells the fragrance of the Holy Spirit, and his body smells of it! Blessed is he, whose soul has got the sweet taste of God, and his bones acquired of His fat1.] (6) Finally, the Lord asked him to keep silent, proclaiming that what He did to him, was for the sake of love, and not to seek compliment or glory from people. 5- A QUESTION AROUND THE IDENTITY OF CHRIST Christ asked the blind man what he is seeing to exhort him to ask for more, in order that he would enjoy the enlightenment of his eyes more perfectly; Now, on the way to Caesarea Philippi, in order to let His disciples apprehend and enjoy His Person, and to see Him with the enlightened eyes of faith, “ He asked His disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah, and others, one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered and said to Him, رسالة 1 .34 11 ‘You are the Christ.’ Then He charged them that they should tell no one about Him.” ( 27-30) After knowing Him through a divine proclamation, Christ asked them the above question to reveal Himself to them and to exhort them to acknowledge Him. They could obtain a better position and glorify Him more than the commoners. St. John Chrysostom says: [He led them to a more exalted feeling and to higher thoughts concerning His Person, so as not to be like the rest of the common people1.] And St. Jerome comments on the words of the Lord, “But who do you say that I am?” by saying that the disciples are not ordinary men anymore, but, through Him, became gods. [As though He is saying to them, ‘the others, being human, thought along human lines, but you, as gods, who do you say that I am?!’2] In our study of the sixth chapter,(14- 16) we saw that Herod thought of Him, through his troubled conscience, as John the Baptist. Others said, through their yearning for the Messianic Kingdom as a material kingdom, that He was Elijah. Still others, out of the bitterness of their souls, and as a result of the absence of prophets for the last three centuries, thought of Him as one of the prophets. All these assumptions came out of pure human feelings. But Peter, apprehended His secret, through a Divine Proclamation, and said: “You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16: 16) The following are quotations of the comments on that situation, by St. Ambrose: [We may consider the testimonials of the multitude as useless; some thought of Him as Elijah, risen from the dead, in their belief that he would eventually come; others thought of Him as John the Baptist, although they knew for sure that he was beheaded; and still others thought of Him as one of the ancient prophets. Although researching the Person of Christ is something beyond our capabilities, it is not so for the mind and wisdom of someone like St. Paul who is: “Determined not to know anything... except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2) What knowledge could he wish for more than the fact that He is Christ? In this very name, “Christ,” Divinity is transfigured and incarnation is proclaimed, together with passions. All the rest of the disciples recognized Him, but it was up to Peter alone to proclaim that He is “The Christ of God” (Lk. 9:20), a name that embraces everything, expressing His nature and including all His virtues. Is it appropriate for us to raise questions concerning the way the Lord was born, when we consider Paul who is determined not to know anything except “Jesus Christ and Him crucified?” and for Peter to proclaim that He is “the Christ of God”?! While we use our weak human minds to research when, how, and what the Lord’s greatness consists of, Paul opposes this way of thinking believing it to be destructive rather than constructive. Peter knew that everything lies in “the Son of God;” in Him is the eternity and greatness of the Father. “The Father... has given all things into His hands.” (Jn. 3: 35) If I come to believe that He is “The Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16), I should not question how He was born; yet, I should not be ignorant of the truth of His birth. Let us, then, believe, the way Peter did, in order to be blessed, and be likewise worthy of hearing the Divine words: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (Mt. 16: 17) Flesh and blood do not acknowledge anything 1 In Matt. hom 54. الإنجیل بحسب متى، 1983 ، ص 2 .355 12 but earthliness; but he who utters the secrets of the Spirit, does not depend on the teachings of flesh and blood, but on divine proclamation. I wish you do not depend on flesh and blood as sources of instructions, lest you yourself would be flesh and blood; “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Cor. 6: 17) God says: “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh.” (Genesis 6: 3) May the Lord not allow the listeners to be flesh and blood, but to become foreigners to the lust of flesh and blood, in order that each one of them would proclaim: “I will not fear, what man (that is flesh and blood) can do to me.” (Psalm 56: 4) Whoever conquers the flesh, will become one of the pillars of the Church. If he can attain what Peter did, he will also enjoy the limitless gifts of God. We should ask ourselves, “Why did the multitude think only of Him as Elijah, Jeremiah, or John the Baptist?” They probably saw Elijah in Him because the former was taken up to heaven. However, Christ is not like Elijah because He was not taken up to heaven, but rather came from it; Elijah was taken up to heaven, while Christ “Who, being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped” (Phil. 2:6) Elijah took revenge with the fire he requested from God (1 Kings 18:38) while the Lord Christ longed for the salvation of those who did Him wrong, not for their destruction. Why did they think of Him as Jeremiah? Probably because, “before he was born he was sanctified” (Jer. 1:4). But Christ is not like Jeremiah. The latter was sanctified, while the former is the One Who sanctifies. Why did people think of Him as John the Baptist? This is probably because John knew Christ while he was still in his mother’s womb. Still, Christ is not like John. John worshipped while still in the womb while Christ is the One towards whom the worship is directed. John baptized with water while Christ baptized with the Holy Spirit. John proclaimed repentance while Christ absolved sins1.] Finally, “He warned them not to tell anyone about Him” (v. 30) Christ did this in order to let what is written about His crucifixion be consummated because if they had known that He is the Lord of glory, they would never have crucified Him. St. Ambrose offers another interpretation that states that the Lord wanted the preaching about Him being the Christ, to be done after His crucifixion and resurrection. He wanted to be known to them as the crucified Christ who rose from the dead. St. Ambrose says, [“He warned the disciples not to preach about Him simply as the Son of God, but as the crucified Son of Man. This is the splendor of faith, to apprehend the truth of the Cross of Christ! It is only the Cross of Christ that is of benefit to me, “…by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” ( Gal. 6: 14) If the world has been crucified to me, I should know that as long as the world is dead, I should not love it. I should know the corruption that is in the world so as to avoid its filthy odor, to escape from it, as though from plague, before it harms me2.] 6- PROCLAMATION ABOUT THE CROSS Certain scholars believe that the Gospel according to St. Mark could be divided into two main consummated parts. The first part starts from its beginning up to just 1 In Luc 9. 2 In Luc 9. 13 before the question posed by the Lord Christ to His disciples concerning what the people think of His Person. The second starts by that question and continues until the end of the chapter. The first part proclaims the Person of the Lord Christ, the Worker and Teacher, who serves humanity through love and compassion, accompanied by the shadow of the Cross. With the second part, the actual stage of the crucifixion starts. He begins it by proclaiming His Person to the extent that sustains them until crucifixion is consummated, to be glorified by His practical love. He would then reveal to them the splendor of His glory through His resurrection, His appearances, his ascension, and particularly, by sending His Holy Spirit that would tell them everything. What took place between Him and His disciples, was a personal talk, an introduction to the proclamation of His crucifixion; as the evangelist says: “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter saying, ‘Get behind Me Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” ( 31-33) The apostle Peter was able, through a divine proclamation, to recognize “Jesus” as “Christ” on His way to the towns of Caesarea Philippi (v. 27), the center of Baal and Greek pagan worship and Roman authority. Yet, it was not possible for Peter to apprehend the Person of Christ as a Redeemer to be crucified for the sake of humanity which he will raise with Him because that was completely rejected by the Jewish way of thinking. Thus the Lord Christ hastened to correct that concept. We can summarize the Jewish concept concerning the advent of the Messiah in the following points: a- Prior to the advent of the Messiah, there would be a great tribulation upon the whole world, resulting in horrible devastation, accompanied by wars, disturbances, and bloodshed,… all of which are likened to the labor of a woman delivering a baby. b- In the midst of all this devastation that affects the lives of humans, animals, birds, and even fish, the prophet Elijah appears to prepare the way to the Messiah. The appearance of Elijah is considered such an essential part to the extent that the Jews, in their celebration of the Passover, used to leave a vacant chair for Elijah. They called it ‘Elijah’s chair,’ as they were expecting Elijah to enter unexpectedly during one of these celebrations. c- The Messiah Himself would not come humanly born, but as a full grown mighty man, to deliver His people. d- His advent would turn kings against Him, cause a war in which they would be defeated and the Messiah would be the greatest conqueror in the history of mankind, and would overcome His enemies. e- Having prevailed over the Gentiles, He would begin cleansing Jerusalem, or a new Jerusalem, with new columns. He would come down from heaven, where Jews from all over the world gather as masters of humanity, before whom the rest of the remaining world would bow in humiliation. The Jews would then live in such great jubilation that the dead would rise to share that joy. By this fanatic, materialistic way of thinking, the Jews see how eternal peace will prevail in the world. With such a fanatic vision, it would be impossible for them to accept the mystery of the Cross or the opening of the gate of 14 faith to the Gentiles. That is why Peter rebuked his Master when He talked about the Cross and suffering. St. Ambrose comments on the words of the Lord Christ to His disciples concerning suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, saying, [In appreciation of the strife required by His disciples, in order to be able to believe in His suffering and resurrection, He preferred to confirm those issues to them personally, to let that be a start and cause, for the initiation of faith in them1.] It is to be noted here that the evangelist, while telling us how the Master told His disciples of His commitment to suffer, be rejected, killed, and resurrected after three days, does not tell us the details of that teaching. Did He talk to them about the prophecies of the Old Testament or did He present to them the theological concept of His work of salvation?! The Lord Christ revealed to them that it would not be possible to fulfill salvation through the death of anyone except that of the Son of Man, the only One capable of putting to death, death itself, and of rising again. St. Ambrose says: [Nobody has reached the level of greatness that qualifies him to absolve the sins of the whole world; neither ‘Enoch,’ nor ‘Abraham,’ nor ‘Isaac,’ who surrendered himself to death, yet was unable to forgive sins. Who is He, by whose death all sins are put to death? Nobody of the congregation or the leaderships can do that. So the Father chose the Son, the Son of God, who is above all, to offer Himself for everyone’s sake. He Himself wished to die, as He is stronger than death and capable of saving others; He rose from the dead without help, conquered death without support from man or any other creature; he rose to abolish slavery to lusts, as He did not acknowledge the chains of death.] 7- HIS PROCLAMATION ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE CROSS The Lord Christ did not only rebuke Peter for not accepting the Cross of the Lord, but He also invited him and his fellow disciples to the fellowship of the Cross with Him, saying to them: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” ( 34-38). a- He asked them to bear the Cross with Him, through denying themselves. Selfdenial means not getting involved in oneself by worrying about the future, fearing sickness, tribulation, or death. It means to be very strict with the ‘self,’ refraining from enjoying the lusts of the flesh. St. John Chrysostom says: [He did not say ‘Man should withdraw from himself,’ but went beyond that to say, ‘He should deny himself.’ To withdraw from oneself is to have nothing to do with it; he faces danger and looks at it as though it is somebody else who is facing it; but, to ‘deny oneself’ is to take up the cross, that is to say, to accept, even disgraceful death.] We deny ourselves, when we avoid what is old in ourselves, striving to gain always what is new, “until we come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of 1 In Luc 9. 15 Christ.” (Ephes. 4:13) St. Augustine says: [If man, through his love for himself, is lost, surely through denying himself, he will be found!... Man should withdraw from himself, not for worldly affairs, but to get attached to God1.] b- Having exhorted His disciples to deny themselves and to take up the cross, He offered them the reward; Whoever acknowledges Him through his life and takes up the cross, will receive the fellowship of His glories on the final advent of Christ. On the other hand, for him who is ashamed of His Cross and rejects His commandment in this world, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him on the day of His great glory and will count him as someone unknown to Him. As expressed by St. Jerome: [God does not know the evil man, but the righteous2.] The Lord Christ, describing His final advent says: “When He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (v. 38) And as said by St. Ambrose: [To reveal that the greatness and glory of the Father are the same as the greatness and glory of the Son... The angels come in humility, but He comes glorified! They come as followers, but He will sit on His throne! They stand, but He sits! And if we use the language of our daily human relationships, we can say, He is the Judge, while they are only courthouse staff.]
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