DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint Luke 4:37-44
(9/26-10/9)
Monday of the Nineteenth Week after Pentecost
God The Uncircumscribed:
Saint Luke 4:37-44, especially vss. 42, 43: “And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried
to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, ‘I must preach the
Kingdom of God to the other cities also....’” Men
often attempt to manage God, define Him by their theo-logic,
create Him to suit themselves. In response to such attempts by His
creatures, God consistently says, “For my counsels are not as your
counsels, nor are My ways as your ways....But as the heaven is distant from the
earth, so is My way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from My mind”
(Is. 55:8-9).
Observe God Incarnate, since becoming the God-Man. He continues to be the One Who knows all
things, pursues His will, and defines His own times and ways among men. No creature controls God, for the Lord
is unlimited and uncircumscribed, even as He lived
and moved among men as Man. We
still cannot limit God; He sets the boundaries for us.
Notice how skillfully the Lord Jesus manages His visit in
Simon Peter’s home. It
‘appears’ that by asking Him to heal Simon Peter’s
mother-in-law, they were setting the agenda and controlling Christ’s
visit. But do you think that He did
not know she was ill with a high fever?
No indeed! He defined many givens in the situation. Years before, He leapt over the infinite
boundary between God and man and took human flesh (Lk.
1:38; 2:7). He began His
relationship with Simon Peter (Jn. 1:42).
He established Himself in men’s minds as One Who
could heal (Lk. 4:37). At that very juncture, He accepted an
invitation to visit Simon Peter’s home as his guest. Therefore, even though He knew Simon
Peter’s mother-in-law was ill, He waited; He allowed them to make the
“...request of Him concerning her” (Lk.
4:38).
The situation is the same today. Today, our Lord and God is above the Heavens, but out of great love He approaches us
in many different ways, still setting and maintaining the limits. He waits for us to call out in faith,
even as He prepares the stage for our response. He designs and leaves us free to act,
indulging, but not over-indulgent.
Listen to the Holy Prophet Isaiah: “Seek God, and when you find
Him, call upon Him when He draws near...” (Is.
55:6).
Next, observe our Lord Jesus controlling demons: “And
He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the
Christ” (Lk. 4:41). Why did He not permit demons to identify
Him openly? It is contrary to His
nature to use the powers of evil to awaken faith, love, and hope in Himself. He will not violate His purity to win
our love. He is not like human
propagandists who use ‘techniques’ to convince. He wins by attraction, not manipulation.
Some broadcasters use garish means to broadcast the Holy
Name of God over radio or television; it is an abomination, a pack of slick
techniques. God is not a
commodity. The Lord amply demonstrates
His love for us, as the Holy Fathers knew.
They teach us to cry out to Him, the “...only Lover of
mankind.” God chooses His
grounds and means for friendship with us.
He will not brook demonic intervention, nor allow the unclean and the
uncommitted to use Him very long, nor will He endlessly tolerate men selling
the Gospel for profit.
In short, God cannot be controlled: “...the crowd
sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them” (vs.
42). And what? They could not! Kindly, but firmly, even stating His
reasons, He departed to preach “...in the synagogues of Galilee”
(vs. 44). It is instructive that
the Lord encourages us “...to call upon Him” (Is. 55:6). He clearly encourages us to ‘keep
at’ Him with our prayers and needs (Lk.
18:3-8), but He refuses to be kept or controlled.
Fulfill now, O Lord, the petitions of Thy servants as may
be most expedient for us, granting us in this world the knowledge of Thy truth,
and in the world to come, life everlasting.
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