Teach Me Thy Statutes

Today we discuss Jesus talking about being "the bread of life" and instructing His disciples to "eat [His] flesh." We tried to discern what Jesus means by looking back to the story of Exodus and the manna in the wilderness. In doing so, we understand that the physical food in Scripture is always connected to the spiritual food, i.e. God's teaching. We then discussed the reception of the Eucharist in the Christian community, and how biblical teaching has been and continues to be intimately linked with it. Finally, we mentioned historical factors that likely led to a false dichotomy between the Eucharist and biblical teaching.

Today’s discussion revolved around the passage from John 5 that is read at every Orthodox Christian funeral service, which distinguishes between those "who have done good" and those "who have done evil," and how the result of the resurrection will be different for each. We began by examining the apparent contradiction between faith and works, and how faith is not just an intellectual concept, but a way of life. We then briefly discussed how salvation is similar to an inheritance: it can never be earned, but it can be lost. Finally, we discussed the reason this passage is used in the funeral service.

During Lent we will be re-running some of our most popular episodes. This week is a re-run of Week 53, in which 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.

During Lent we will be re-running some of our most popular episodes. This week is a re-run of Week 51, in which 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.

This week we are sharing Fr Aaron's homily on the current war in Ukraine. Fr Aaron focuses on how we can often overlook or demonize those we see as enemies and invites us all to look inside ourselves to ensure during this Lenten season we seek to expunge all hatred from our own hearts.

During Lent we will be re-running some of our most popular episodes. This week is a re-run of Week 28, in which we discuss why John 1 is read at Pascha rather than an account of the Resurrection. Fr Aaron connected the beginning of this Gospel to the reading from Matthew 28 at the Vesperal Liturgy prior to the Paschal Liturgy that concludes with “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” At Pascha the following day, we here from John 1, “In the beginning was the Word.” Because the church revolves around Pascha, we end our year with a reminder that God’s Word was there in the beginning, and then turn to the promise that the Word will be there in the end. God’s Word abides forever. We then turned our attention to what John refers to in his Gospel as “the Word.” Father Aaron explained that we can understand “word” to be a statement or a brief teaching, as “the word of God” (Scripture), and/or as the incarnate word/incarnate Scripture, which is Jesus Christ. With this in mind, we can comprehend that God first gave His word to Abraham, then through His Scriptural message, and finally culminated with the Word incarnate—our Lord Jesus Christ.

During Lent we will be re-running some of our most popular episodes. This week is a re-run of Week 49, in which 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.

Right before we begin the Lenten fasting season, the Orthodox Church appoints a reading from St Paul that begins: "Brethren, food does not commend us to God." We discuss why this reading is selected at the beginning of the fasting season and discuss the true nature of biblical fasting.

In analyzing the parable of the Prodigal Son, Fr Aaron argues that most of us should identify more with the faithful son. After explaining why this is the case, we discussed the practical implications of why we are still in need of repentance, even if that repentance is for different reasons than the prodigal son.

The parable of the Publican & Pharisee is appointed at a pivotal time in the Orthodox Church. By discussing the historical reputation of each of these characters and the parable itself, we highlight how Jesus' teaching prepares us for Great Lent. Furthermore, the parable teaches us about what God most desires, which is not that we are "moral" people, but that we are first and foremost humble, compassionate, and forgiving.