DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint John 8:21-30
(9/17-9/30)
The Saturday after the Elevation of the Holy Cross
The Cross ~
Ultimate Revelation: Saint John 8:21-30, especially vs. 28: “Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the
Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself;
but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.’” All
four Gospels disclose that during His brief, three-year ministry the Lord Jesus
awakened an intense, opposition among ‘the Scribes and
Pharisees.’ That antagonism
culminated in His Passion. The
present passage from Saint John needs to be read with this in mind, for the
Lord’s remarks herein were directed to these leaders of the ancient
People of God, to open the hearts of as many of them as possible to Himself as
Savior of the world. Saint
John’s comment at the end of the reading records at least a temporary
result: “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him” (Jn. 8:30).
In this passage, our Lord makes four assertions: 1) He is
God (vss. 23,28); 2) failure to believe in Him
consigns the non-believer to die in his sins (vss. 21,24); 3) what the Lord says is of God and,
therefore, is truth (vs. 26); and 4) the truth He proclaims will be confirmed
in an ultimate manner by the Father through His Passion and Resurrection (vss.
28-29).
Thus, the Crucifixion looms large in these verses, being
referred to by three expressions: His ‘hour’ (which actually
precedes the reading, vs. 20), His ‘going away’ (vs. 21) and His
‘lifting up’ (vs. 28).
In reading, pay close attention to what the Lord is teaching about the
role of the Crucifixion in God’s plan of the salvation for mankind.
First, observe the Lord Jesus’ assertion that His
Passion is a state, place, or condition into which He is going where the Jewish
leaders cannot go (vss. 21,22). The declaration prepares the reader to
understand His further, clarifying statements: “I am from above. You are
of this world; I am not of this world. ” (vs. 23). These declarations constitute both an
affirmation of His Divinity (‘I Am from above’) and a logical
conclusion derived from His first declaration - that the Passion is uniquely an
action of God: “Where I go you cannot come” (vs. 22). Only God can effect and experience
atonement for the sins of the world.
First and foremost, the Cross is a saving action of God, and not a work
to which men contribute anything creative (Ps. 48:7,8).
The second assertion follows: failure to believe in Christ
Jesus consigns one to die in his sins (vss. 21,24). The Apostolic Church preached and
continues to preach this life-giving message: “...Christ crucified....the
power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:23,24). Mankind is dependent on God for
salvation, which, because of illumination in Christ, impels us to disciple the
nations and baptize (cf. Mt. 28:19) into the Lord’s saving Mystery.
The third assertion of Christ our God affirms the truth of
the message of salvation through the Cross; for, the Lord says, “...I do
nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things” (vs.
28). The message is from God and is
not of human agency.
Our Lord knew perfectly well that His revelation was not
‘registering’ with His opponents; it still does not make sense to
many who read and hear it. The
proof of the Lord Jesus’ message had to be realized through His Passion
and Resurrection. For only
“...When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am
He...” (vs. 28). Ultimately, it is only understood by
“...those who are called, both Jews and Greeks” (1 Cor. 1:24).
Taken together, the Passion of our Savior and His
death-defeating Resurrection (with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) reveal
the place of the Cross in God’s Life-giving Salvation in Christ and
enable us to say, “...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,
not imputing their trespasses to them” (2 Cor. 5:19). The Lord chose the Cross as His means
for saving us.
We adore Thy Cross, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we
glorify.
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