Teach Me Thy Statutes

Today’s episode explored the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. On the surface, this parable is about wealth and poverty, but Fr Aaron argued that there is much more to this story and highlighted a deeper understanding. Namely, he showed how the rich man represents the Jewish religious establishment, who have the Law and the Prophets and are therefore spiritually wealthy. Lazarus, on the other hand, represents the Gentiles and the Jewish outcasts, who were outside the Jewish religious establishment and were ritually unclean. Those within the establishment hoarded God’s mercy for themselves, resulting in their condemnation. On the other hand, the angels, who represent the apostles, the messengers of the Gospel, bring the Gentiles and Jewish outcasts under God’s covenant.

In today’s episode we went back to Genesis 10 to help us properly understand Jesus’ statement in Luke 11: “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” Through this statement, Jesus is telling us we cannot claim to accept His message while also excluding those we do not respect or those who we despise. We must be willing to gather the harvest with Jesus to be part of the authentic community of God. Finally, we noted the acceptance of Jesus’ teaching and way of life is not a singular act on our part—it must be a continuous choice we make throughout our lives.

We discussed the biblical theme that sinners and outsiders are the ones who recognize God’s Messiah rather than those who are viewed as righteous. We examined this theme in light of the Roman centurion whose faith in Jesus led to the healing of his slave. This centurion, a Gentile, demonstrated his complete trust in the Lord with these words, “Just say the word, and let my servant be healed.” This healing of the slave from afar also demonstrates another common theme of Scripture; that God is not seen, but is heard and to be obeyed. Our job is to heed His word, because through His Word, God is present.

Today we discussed the context of the Epistles to the Corinthians, noting the community was predominantly Gentile, one made up of Roman converts to the faith. We then discussed the similarities in the Bible of both Jews and Gentiles in that Scripture is critical of both communities. Later in today’s reading, we hear Paul address the Corinthians with a bit of sarcasm, to offer a warning: If we expect that being a Christian will bring us an easy life, and that we can be viewed as honorable by a corrupt world, then we are doing something very wrong. Jesus teaches us that a servant is not greater than his master. If Jesus was persecuted, so too will His servants. To live the Christian life properly means that our ways will not be popular with those in society, and at times, even among other Christians.

We discuss Jesus’ appearance to His disciples and his questioning of why they did not believe in Him. We evaluate this appearance and “proof” of the Resurrection in light of Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in which Jesus taught if people did not believe in the teaching of Moses, neither would they be convinced if one rose from the dead. Fr Aaron explained that ultimately Christ was rebuking His disciples by appearing to them. Like the Roman centurion (soldier), we should be able to recognize the crucified Messiah as the Son of God. In addition to this topic, we explore the meaning of different liturgical customs and practices in the Orthodox Church related to the reading of the Resurrection Gospels.

In this episode we discuss what it means to be “justified.” Fr Aaron explained that the Greek word that is often translated as “justified” can also be translated as “declared righteous.” And so, we can understand that to be justified means that we have been declared righteous. With this legal terminology in mind, we then discussed that while part of salvation is legal or juridical, salvation goes beyond a mere legal process. St. Paul is telling us in Galatians that to be declared righteous means that we have been freed from the Mosaic Law which allows us to avoid the curse of the Law. This leads to the opportunity for us to find salvation, healing, and restoration. Thus, to be declared righteous is not the end, but rather the beginning of our walk as a Christian.

We began by focusing on the problem of self-righteousness addressed in the Gospel. It is important to note that while the Pharisees were often portrayed in a negative light because of their consistent condemnation by Christ, the Pharisees were viewed by the the people of their time as respectable and pious. However, as evidenced by the Gospel teaching, if we are to avoid judgement by Christ as a Pharisee on the Day of Judgement, we must recognize ourselves as Pharisees so that we might change our attitude and the way we live our lives. If we live humbly, we will not focus on the sins of others as did the Pharisee in today’s reading, but rather we will focus on our own sins and the change that is necessary in our own heart.

Today we examined the role of parables in Scripture. We began by stressing the importance of viewing the entirety of Scripture as parable, as well as the value of parables as guiding principles in our lives, since we are wired to better understand moral and spiritual lessons when they are told in story form. Christ Himself used parables to penetrate more deeply; to engrain the lesson on our heart. We also discussed the modern idea of the Bible as a scientific or historical book, pointing out the flaw in both positions that those of us living in the 21st century are at the center of the universe. By reducing the Bible to a science text or a history book, we cheapen its impact. As Christians, we are not allowed to define Scripture, for Scripture defines us. We are beneath Scripture and must submit to it.

We begin with an examination of the so-called “unforgivable sin.” From a thorough understanding of the preceding verses in Mark’s Gospel, we see this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an accusation that the work of Jesus is the work of demons. Father Aaron used the example of St. Paul to illustrate that this particular sin, as with all sin, can be forgiven if we repent. Only in persisting and dying in this sin against the Holy Spirit will we not receive forgiveness. We concluded with a discussion that Jesus’ true family is not based on biology or genealogy, but on faith. Put another way, to be part of God’s family is not based on our DNA, but on doing the will of God.

We discuss the tradition of fasting, dating back to pre-Christian Judaism. This helps us better understand why Jesus was questioned by the disciples of John as to His disciples not fasting. Jesus’ response, together with Isaiah 58, shows that the true purpose of fasting is not to make ourselves hungry, but to relieve the hunger in others and to relieve their burdens. Jesus shows how the most religious people are too often focused on their own self-righteousness rather than this biblical meaning of fasting.