DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint Mark 9:10-16
(12/15-12/28)
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week after Pentecost
New Ground: Saint Mark 9:10-16, especially vs. 10: “So they kept [Jesus’] word to themselves,
questioning what the rising from the dead meant.” Keep in mind
the two major parts of the Gospel of Saint Mark - 1) from the beginning through
Saint Peter’s confession (vss. 1:18:29), followed by 2) a portion in
which the dominate theme is the Lord Jesus’ Passion (vss. 8:
31-16:20). Be sure to notice that
the second part of the Gospel includes Christ’s greatest announcement:
His triumphant Resurrection. He
gave the disciples not just the painful prophecy of His execution, but the
message of ineffable victory - “...rising from the dead....” (Mk.
9:10).
Through all time, every faithful Christian, every true
disciple of Jesus Christ, passes through a ‘learning curve’ similar
to the experience of Christ’s first disciples. First, the Lord provides them with
amazing revelations of His nature.
Then He speaks of the ineffable ‘Mystery of Christ’ (see
Eph. 3:4) - death, resurrection, and what it costs to live in Him and for Him. The conclusion then fully dawns on heart
and mind that only God could have achieved what the Lord Jesus did in three
brief years with ‘...the fishermen...most wise....”
Carefully trace the transmission of these truths through
the centuries: essentially, the fulfillment of the Lord’s work was
carried on through the Twelve, then, in turn, through those who followed them,
all solemn work of the Holy Spirit ever breaking new ground with mankind. Historically, it was Holy Fathers of the
Church who defended the Apostles’ message with careful precision, making
no substantial change to the basic truths, instead defeating a series of
substantive threats against Christ’s saving gospel. Assaults came not just from false
thinking, but worse, from deluded heretics obsessed with destructive ideas they
‘knew’ were correct.
Among our Lord’s teachings, Resurrection provides the
substantial, radical, and powerful new ground for faith. Introducing Resurrection completed the
three-pronged revelation of Incarnation, Passion, and vanquishing Death - the
wonder of the glorious “...mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not
made known to the sons of men....” (Eph. 3:4-5). But do not ever simply read about what
the disciples ‘learned.’
Instead, determine to enter into the true ‘learning curve’
of Apostolic faith and ‘apply’ the Gospel Truth in heart and
actions.
As a foundation, celebrate the Incarnation of God which
under girds the Passion of the Lord in the flesh as well as His bodily
Resurrection. Understand: because
Christ took every aspect of humanity on Himself, we have firm ground for believing
that God will restore our entire nature - body, soul, and spirit. In upholding the Apostolic
truth that God-the-Word became Man, the Holy Fathers asserted that by Grace we
all may become what God is by Nature.
Therefore, when the Lord Jesus prompts the disciples to
question the meaning of the words “...rising from the dead...”(Mk. 9:10), He likewise is urging us to consider what
may be accomplished within our lives through the illumination of the Holy
Spirit. Christ mandates that we
strive to become deified, knowing with a sure and certain hope that such is
possible.
Also realize that the Resurrection and Incarnation unite us
to the saving message of Cross and Passion. As Saint Paul said, “...we preach
Christ crucified...to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:23,24). The message that God “...made Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21) affirms our suffering, but,
even more important, empowers our faith to “...walk in newness of
life. For if we have been united
together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection” (Rom. 6:4,5).
Death hath been spoiled. Christ God is risen,
granting the world the Great Mercy.
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