Food for the Soul:
An Introduction to Jesus Christ in the Scriptures
This guide is intended to serve as a "map" to help
us find our way through some of the New Testament. Every map
has a specific way of presenting information. Some maps show
political boundaries. Other maps show physical characteristics
such as mountains and valleys. Still others indicate what natural
resources can be found in any given locale.
This "map is intended to help you see the connection between
many of the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament concerning
the Messiah (i.e., the anointed one of God) — and how they have
been fulfilled by Jesus Christ (the word "Christ"
is from the Greek, meaning anointed) as recorded in the New
Testament.
Remember:
As an Orthodox Christian, the Old Testament and the New Testament
are not just books. They are your history with God. The stories
they contain are your stories. The people they speak of are
your ancestors.
The message they contain respond to your concerns. They are
your Scriptures.
Let's begin by reading a lesson we hear at the Divine Liturgy
on Tuesday of Bright Week (and also at Sunday Matins, Gospel
selection # 5):
Luke 24:13-35
13: That very day two of them were going to a village named
Emma'us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14: and talking with
each other about all these things that had happened. 15: While
they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew
near and went with them. 16: But their eyes were kept from recognizing
him. 17: And he said to them, "What is this conversation
which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And
they stood still, looking sad. 18: Then one of them, named Cle'opas,
answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who
does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
19: And he said to them, "What things?" And they said
to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet
mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20: and
how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned
to death, and crucified him. 21: But we had hoped that he was
the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now
the third day since this happened. 22: Moreover, some women
of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the
morning 23: and did not find his body; and they came back saying
that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he
was alive. 24: Some of those who were with us went to the tomb,
and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not
see." 25: And he said to them, "O foolish men, and
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26: Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these
things and enter into his glory?" 27: And beginning with
Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself. 28: So they drew near
to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going
further, 29: but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with
us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent."
So he went in to stay with them. 30: When he was at table with
them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave
it to them. 31: And their eyes were opened and they recognized
him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32: They said to each
other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked
to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?"
33: And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem;
and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were
with them, 34: who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and
has appeared to Simon!" 35: Then they told what had happened
on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of
the bread.
This passage tells us that the Lord Jesus discussed with Luke
and Cleopas all the Old Testament scriptures of the law and
the Prophets that concerned Himself. But just what are these?
+ + +
Review
of the Old Testament prophecies
It is said that there were over 300 prophecies (spoken by
different voices over 500 years) that the Lord Jesus fulfilled,
including 29 major prophecies fulfilled in a single day — the
day He was crucified. (While some of these prophecies may have
found fulfillment on one level in the prophet's own day; they
found their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.)
Look briefly at some of the prophecies about the Messiah from
Isaiah. Note the prophetic expectation. (The texts marked with
° indicate that they are taken from the lectionary appointed
for the Nativity services.)
Isaiah 2:1-5
1: The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning
Judah and Jerusalem. 2: It shall come to pass in the latter
days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established
as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the
hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3: and many peoples
shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain
of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach
us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out
of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem. 4: He shall judge between the nations, and shall
decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
any more. 5: O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light
of the LORD.
° Isaiah 7:10-15
10: Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11: "Ask a sign of
the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven."
12: But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put
the LORD to the test." 13: And he
said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for
you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14: Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman
shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Imman'u-el. 15: He shall eat curds and
honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
° Isaiah 8:9-10; 9:1-7
9: Be broken, you peoples, and be dismayed; give ear, all
you far countries; gird yourselves and be dismayed; gird yourselves
and be dismayed. 10: Take counsel together, but it will come
to nought; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with
us.
1: But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish.
In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zeb'ulun
and the land of Naph'tali, but in the latter time he will make
glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee
of the nations. 2: The people who walked in darkness have seen
a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on
them has light shined. 3: Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou
hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy
at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4:
For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of
Mid'ian. 5: For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle
tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel
for the fire. 6: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will
be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace." 7: Of the increase of his government
and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David,
and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with
justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for
evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
° Isaiah 11:1-10
1: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2: And the Spirit
of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the
LORD. 3: And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He
shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his
ears hear; 4: but with
righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity
for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with
the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall
slay the wicked. 5:
Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness
the girdle of his loins. 6: The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and
the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall
lead them. 7: The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall
lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8: The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and
the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9: They
shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover
the sea. 10: In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an
ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings
shall be glorious.
Isaiah 29:17-19
17: Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall
be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall
be regarded as a forest? 18: In that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book, and out of their
gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. 19: The
meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among
men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 35:1-10
1: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert
shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2: it shall blossom
abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon
shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They
shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3:
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4:
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear
not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense
of God. He will come and save you." 5: Then the eyes of
the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6: then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue
of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the
wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7: the burning sand shall
become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the
haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become
reeds and rushes. 8: And a highway shall be there, and it shall
be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it,
and fools shall not err therein. 9: No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be
found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10: And the
ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Reflections
-
So, briefly, what are some of the basic clues to recognize
the Messiah from Isaiah's prophecy?
-
How do these compare to other possible expectations?
-
To what extent do you acknowledge your need for a savior?
Why do think this is the case?
Some background
information on the Prophet Isaiah
Isaiah — whose name means, "The Lord gives salvation,"
most likely grew up in Jerusalem, the city where the Temple
of the Lord stood. He lived around 742-701 B.C. He was primarily
interested in the idea that the Messiah would come from the
line of King David. Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom
of Judah where the southern tribes lived, and Isaiah prophesied
of God's protest to Judah for their wicked ways. Shechem was
the capital of the tribes of the northern Kingdom of Israel.)
Now look at these prophecies:
° Micah 5:1-4
1: Now you are walled about with a wall; siege is laid against
us; with a rod they strike upon the cheek the ruler of Israel.
2: But you, O Bethlehem Eph'rathah, who are little to be among
the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3: Therefore
he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail
has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return
to the people of Israel. 4: And he shall stand and feed his
flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name
of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he
shall be great to the ends of the earth.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
5: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when
I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign
as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness
in the land. 6: In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel
will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be
called: `The LORD is our righteousness.'
Baruch 4:21-22; 5:7-9
21: "Take courage my children, cry to God, and He will
deliver you from the power and hand of the enemy. 22: For I
have put my hope in the everlasting to save you, and joy has
come to me from the Holy One, because of the mercy which soon
will come to you from your everlasting Savior."
7: For God has ordered that every high mountain and the
everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to
make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory
of God. 8: The woods and every fragrant tree have shaded Israel
at God's command. For God will lead Israel with joy, in the
light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come
from him."
Ezekiel 34:11-16
11: "For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself
will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12: As a shepherd
seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered
abroad, so will I seek
out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they
have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13:
And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them
from the countries, and will bring them into their own land;
and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains,
and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14: I will feed
them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing
land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of
Israel. 15: I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I
will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 16: I will seek
the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind
up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat
and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice.
Background
information on the Prophets
Micah was from the country. He came from a little village
about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem called Moresheth-gath.
Micah spoke up for the poor farmers who suffered injustice at
the hands of the rich
landlords. He prophesied from 725 – 701 B.C.
Jeremiah was from a priestly family. He lived in Anathoth,
a village about 4 miles to the northeast of Jerusalem. Jeremiah
was called by God to prophesy in 626 B.C. when he was just a
boy. Jeremiah was
convinced that it was God Who was coming to execute judgment
against Judah through Judah's enemies.
Baruch was Jeremiah's scribe or secretary. His prophecy was
sent from Babylon back to Jerusalem in order to give the inhabitants
there hope that ultimately God will bring about justice and
overthrow the evil
empire of Babylon.
Ezekiel was one of the first exiles to Babylon in 593 B.C.
He was one of the cream of the Jerusalem crop. He was of priestly
lineage. Ezekiel believed that the fall of Jerusalem was divinely
willed as a punishment for evil.
Now look at these:
Isaiah 40:1-11
1: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2: Speak tenderly
to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that
her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's
hand double for all
her sins. 3: A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare
the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for
our God. 4: Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain
and hill be made low; the
uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
5: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
6: A voice says,
"Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All
flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the
field. 7: The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath
of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people is grass. 8: The
grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will
stand forever. 9: Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald
of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem,
herald of
good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah,
"Behold your God!" 10: Behold, the Lord GOD comes
with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is
with him, and his recompense before him. 11: He will feed his
flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms,
he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that
are with young.
Isaiah 42:1-9
1: Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom
my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring
forth justice to the nations. 2: He will not cry or lift up
his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3: a bruised reed
he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4: He will not fail
or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law. 5: Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth
the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people
upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6: "I am the
LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by
the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the
people, a light to the nations, 7: to open the eyes that are
blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the
prison those who sit in darkness. 8: I am the LORD, that is
my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven
images. 9: Behold, the former things have come to pass, and
new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you
of them."
Isaiah 50:5-6
5: The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious,
I turned not backward. 6: I gave my back to the smiters, and
my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face
from shame and
spitting.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
13: Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted
and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14: As many were astonished
at him -- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form
beyond that of the sons of men -- 15: so shall he startle many
nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that
which has not been told them they shall see, and that which
they have not heard they shall understand.
1: Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has
the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2: For he grew up before
him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he
had no form or comeliness
that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire
him. 3: He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their
faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4: Surely he
has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed
him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5: But he was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes
we are healed. 6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. 7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the
slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb,
so he opened not his mouth. 8: By oppression and judgment he
was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that
he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the
transgression of my people? 9: And they made his grave with
the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had
done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10:
Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him
to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall
see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the
LORD shall prosper in his hand; 11: he shall see the fruit of
the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall
the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous;
and he shall bear their iniquities. 12: Therefore I will divide
him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil
with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and
was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 60:1-6
1: Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory
of the LORD has risen upon you. 2: For behold, darkness shall
cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD
will arise upon you, and his
glory will be seen upon you. 3: And nations shall come to your
light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4: Lift up
your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they
come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters
shall be carried in the arms. 5: Then you shall see and be radiant,
your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of
the sea shall be turned to you, the
wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6: A multitude of camels
shall cover you, the young camels of Mid'ian and Ephah; all
those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall
proclaim the praise of the LORD.
Isaiah 61:1-3, 10
1: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD
has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are
bound; 2: to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the
day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3: to
grant to those who mourn in Zion -- to give them a garland instead
of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle
of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called
oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may
be glorified.
10: I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall exult
in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself
with her jewels.
Zechariah 9:9
9: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter
of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious
is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an
ass.
Background
information on the Prophets
"Second Isaiah" is likely not actually Isaiah at
all. This prophet was likely one who prophesied during the Babylonian
Captivity / Exile — about 540 B.C. — and whose message was attached
to the end of the
prophecy of Isaiah. His concern is with the "man of sorrows"
— the Messiah.
Zechariah, who prophesied about 520-515 — was very interested
in rebuilding the temple of Jerusalem once the exiles returned
from Babylon. He sought to have a restored Jewish state under
the co-leadership of the king and the high priest. The Messiah
was to come and herald this new kingdom.
Now that we have looked at the major prophecies of the Messiah,
try to summarize the basic expectations and characteristics
you have discovered:
+ + +
The Messiah
We will investigate the "seven signs" found in the
Holy Gospel according to John. St. John tells us at the very
end of his Gospel, "There are also many other things which
Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that
the world itself could not contain the books that would need
to be written" (Jn. 21:25).
The number 7 is an important number in the Bible. It usually
indicates a certain fullness, completion, totality, etc. St.
John has chosen only seven wonders (miracles or signs) to include
in his Gospel, but these seven simply point to the fact that
all that the Lord Jesus did fulfils the prophecies about the
Messiah. The Hebrew people looked for signs and wonders (Exod.
7:3; Deut. 4:34; Isa. 8:18; Jer. 32:20) as a test for the presence
of the Anointed One.
St. John wrote his Gospel around A.D. 100. The Synoptic (meaning
they see things in much the same way) Gospels of SS. Matthew,
Mark and Luke were written up to 50 years earlier. St. John's
Gospel is written more as a well-thought-out presentation of
what he was an eyewitness of: giving us a contemplative interpretation
of the "things, which Jesus did."
+ + +
The First Sign: The Wedding at Cana — John 2:1-12.
1: On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there; 2: Jesus also was invited
to the marriage, with his disciples. 3: When the wine failed,
the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
4: And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do
with me? My hour has not yet come." 5: His mother said
to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6: Now
six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of
purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7: Jesus
said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they
filled them up to the brim. 8: He said to them, "Now draw
some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So
they took it. 9: When the steward of the feast tasted the water
now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though
the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the
feast called the bridegroom 10: and said to him, "Every
man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely,
then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."
11: This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee,
and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
12: After this he went down to Caper'na-um, with his mother
and his brothers and his disciples; and there they stayed for
a few days.
We hear this at every celebration of Holy Matrimony as well
as at the Divine Liturgy which is celebrated on the Monday after
the Sunday of St. Thomas (9 days after Pascha). Although this
is not directly a fulfillment of one of the Old Testament prophecies,
the fact that the Savior changed water into wine is an indication
of the blessing of the Messianic age. Wine makes glad our hearts
(Ps. 104 (3): 13) and its abundance will mark the Messianic
Kingdom (Gen. 49:11, ff.; Isa. 62:8, ff.) This sign, together
with the multiplication of the loaves (the Fourth Sign recorded
at 6:1-13), is an obvious verbal icon of the Sacramental Mystery
of Holy Communion and a fulfillment of the Passover Meal (Exod.
12:11, ff.) and the Manna in the Wilderness (Exod. 16:15, ff.).
The Marriage Feast is also one of the single most important
images found in the Old and New Testaments. It is a symbol for
the Kingdom of God — the union between God and His People (see
Isa. 62:4-5; Mt. 22:1-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23; Apoc.19:7-9).
There is no active action on the part of the Lord; His Word
is sufficient to work wonders. (See Gen. 1:3, 6, 9; Isa. 55:11;
Jn. 4:49-53; Mt. 8;8.)
Reflections
-
Why was this first Sign particularly important? (vs. 11)
-
How is the Lord Jesus revealed to be God in this event? (vs.
9)
-
Can you think of any specific significance for us today in
the changing of water into wine at the wedding at Cana?
- Relationships
develop, as people grow to know each other better. How does
this fact affect your relationship with Christ?
+ + +
The Second Sign: Healing the Nobleman's son — John
4:46-54
46: So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made
the water wine. And at Caper'na-um there was an official whose
son was ill. 47: When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea
to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his
son, for he was at the point of death. 48: Jesus therefore said
to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not
believe." 49: The official said to him, "Sir, come
down before my child dies." 50: Jesus said to him, "Go;
your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus
spoke to him and went his way. 51: As he was going down, his
servants met him and told him that his son was living. 52: So
he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said
to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
53: The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to
him, "Your son will live"; and he himself believed,
and all his household. 54: This was now the second sign that
Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
We hear this passage at the Divine Liturgy for the third Monday
after Pascha. As with the previous Sign, the Lord Jesus' might
is shown here as a verbal power: the power of His creative Word.
The prophecies
stated that the Messiah would be able to heal (Isa. 35:5-6;
61:1-2; Joel 2:28-31). The Kingdom at the End of the Age will
be characterized by healing (Apoc. 22:2). Even the Lord's disciples
will be empowered
with the gift of healing (Lk. 9:6; Acts 2:16-21; 1 Cor. 12;10;
James. 5:14-16).
Reflections
-
How did the Lord Jesus test the faith of the nobleman? (vs.
50)
- How
did the man respond to this test? (vs. 50)
- How
is faith connected to healing? (vs. 50)
- How
can faith be a result of healing? (vs. 53)
- Can
you think of any significance for us today regarding this
miraculous healing?
- How
do you think Christ would have defined "healing"?
- What
is there about yourself that you would like to be "healed"?
+ + +
The Third Sign: Healing of the Paralytic — John 5:1-15
1: After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went
up to Jerusalem. 2: Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate
a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za'tha, which has five porticoes.
3: In these lay a
multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. 5: One man was
there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6: When Jesus
saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he
said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" 7: The sick
man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the
pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another
steps down before me." 8: Jesus said to him, "Rise,
take up your pallet, and walk." 9: And at once the man
was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day
was the sabbath. 10: So the Jews said to the man who was cured,
"It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your
pallet." 11: But he answered them, "The man who healed
me said to me, `Take up your pallet, and walk.'" 12: They
asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, `Take up your
pallet, and walk'?" 13: Now the man who had been healed
did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was
a crowd in the place. 14: Afterward, Jesus found him in the
temple, and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more,
that nothing worse befall you." 15: The man went away and
told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
This passage is proclaimed in the Church on the 4th Sunday
of Pascha. Once again, the prophecies of healing apply to this
Sign. But this takes place at the Pool of Bethesda, near the
Temple in Jerusalem. The water from this high-ground pool gurgled
up from underground springs. Among other uses, the water from
this pool was taken to wash down and quench the thirst of the
sacrificial lambs before they were slain in the Temple liturgy.
There are a number of levels of significance here. First: Christ
is the Passover Lamb (Jn. 1:29, 36; 19:17-37). Second, the pool
is a symbol or figure or type of Baptism in which the faithful
are washed and cleansed and healed — Acts 22:16 (This is why
this passage is proclaimed in the Church during Paschaltide.)
Finally, this event occurred near the Jewish Feast of Pentecost
— i.e., 50 days after the Passover. The theme for Pentecost
was the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. The Law declared : "Keep
the Sabbath day holy;" — that is, no work; dedicate the
day to God alone. Jesus, He Who Is the Lord of the Sabbath,
instructs the paralytic who is now healed to carry his mat.
To the super-orthodox Jews, this was considered to be unlawful
labor. But Jesus states that the Sabbath was made for mankind,
not mankind for the Sabbath. He taught that meeting the needs
of people can be more important than following the letter of
the law.
Reflections
-
The sick people (vs. 3) were physically ill and waiting for
a miraculous cure. How might those who are not physically
ill be in need of healing and health?
- What
are some ways that we might be excused from formal dherence
to the rule, according to St. Basil (who calls these things
"reasons worthy of a blessing")? Why is this? (See
Mt. 25.)
3. What might some significance be for us today regarding
this particular healing?
- What
does this act tell us about Jesus Christ?
- Taking
these things into consideration, how can I and should I respond
to Him?
+ + +
The Fourth Sign: Feeding the Five Thousand — John 6:1-13
1: After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of
Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber'i-as. 2: And a multitude
followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those
who were diseased. 3: Jesus went up on the mountain, and there
sat down with his disciples. 4: Now the Passover, the feast
of the Jews, was at hand. 5: Lifting up his eyes, then, and
seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip,
"How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?"
6: This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would
do. 7: Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would
not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8: One of his
disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9: "There
is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what
are they among so many?" 10: Jesus said, "Make the
people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place;
so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11: Jesus
then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed
them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as
they wanted. 12: And when they had eaten their fill, he told
his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that
nothing may be lost." 13: So they gathered them up and
filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves,
left by those who had eaten.
(There are parallel stories in Mat. 14:13-21, Mk. 6:30-44 &
Lk. 9:10-17.)
This passage is proclaimed in the Church at the Divine Liturgy
on the 5th Wednesday of Paschaltide. In Isaiah 51:3 we learn
that the Lord God will make the desert (i.e., the wilderness)
a place of joy and
gladness like Eden. (See Ps. 23.) We read in John 6:31 that
the people ate manna in the wilderness (see Exod. 4;15; 16:15-21;
Numb. 11:8; Ps. 78:24 & Ps. 105:40). In this story we read
that the Lord Jesus
took the loaves, gave thanks ("eucharisto") and distributed
them. There is an obvious connection with the events of the
Last Supper (Mt. 26, Mk. 14, Lk. 22 and Jn. 13) as well as with
the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Church (1 Cor.
11:23-26). "Our daily bread" (Mt. 6:11) may refer
to the Bread of the Holy Communion. "Daily" is an
unfortunate translation of the original word which means "essential."
This, then, would refer to the Bread of Life, the living bread,
Christ Himself, given in the Holy Eucharistic Mysteries to those
who believe in Him and who receive Him. The giving of this bread
in the wilderness is an image of the heavenly Bread. The bread
and fish are reminiscent of the post-resurrection appearance
on the shore of Galilee (Jn. 21:9), where the Risen Lord prepares
breakfast for Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John. All
of this is a foretaste of eating in the Kingdom (see Apoc. 19:7-9).
Refer, again, to the First Sign above for the Eucharistic connections.
In 2 Kings 4:42-44 the Prophet Elisha fed 100 with 20 loaves.
The Lord Jesus surpasses even that wonder.
Reflections
- Why
did many in the multitude follow the Lord Jesus? (vs. 2)
- He
went up on the mountain to perform this sign. What are other
events on or near mountains that took place in the Bible?
- Any
thoughts on the significance of this extraordinary event for
our lives today and our relationship to Christ Jesus?
+ + +
The Fifth Sign: Christ walks upon the water — John
6:16-21
16: When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,
17: got into a boat, and started across the sea to Caper'na-um.
It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18: The
sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. 19: When they had
rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the
sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, 20:
but he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
21: Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately
the boat was at the land to which they were going. (There are
parallels in Mat. 14:22-33 and Mk. 6:45-52.)
We hear this Gospel passage proclaimed on the Second Saturday
of Paschaltide. Chronologically, it took place immediately following
the feeding of the multitude (the Fourth Johannine Sign, above).
The Church has seen in this event a reenactment of the Hebrews
crossing the Red Sea to freedom (Exod. 15), and of their crossing
the Jordan River into the Promised Land (Numb. 35; Deut. 12;
Josh. 4; 1 Sam. 13), for the Savior also leads His disciples
to the land where they were going. Additionally, we understand
this as an image also of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan
(Mt. 3:13-17). Here the Savior tells the Apostle Peter "Fear
not, I AM" (at least this is the literal Greek of the Gospel).
This is a divine statement (Gen. 15:1, 26:24; Isa 41:10, 43:5;
Apoc. 1:17 and especially Jn. 8:58), and St. Peter (well versed
in his Scriptures) recognizes it as such. God the Word manifests
his lordship even over the cosmic elements — in this case, water
(see Job 38:8-11; Pss. 65:5-8;107:29; Lk. 8:35-41). It is significant
that a story such as this comes from John, the son of Zebedee,
a fisherman with experience of the lake and all its moods —
accustomed very well to sudden storms.
Reflections
- Why
was the Savior not with the disciples in the boat?
- What
was the reaction of the disciples when they saw Jesus walking
on the sea?
- What
is the significance of His response to them?
- What
is the significance of this story for us today?
- What
type of relationship would be appropriate with someone who
has such power and authority?
+ + +
The Sixth Sign: Christ heals the man born blind —
John 9:1-41
1: As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 2:
And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man
or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3: Jesus answered,
"It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that
the works of God might be made manifest in him. 4: We must work
the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes,
when no one can work. 5: As long as I am in the world, I am
the light of the world." 6: As he said this, he spat on
the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's
eyes with the clay, 7: saying to him, "Go, wash in the
pool of Silo'am" (which means Sent). So he went and washed
and came back seeing. 8: The neighbors and those who had seen
him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who
used to sit and beg?" 9: Some said, "It is he";
others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I
am the man." 10: They said to him, "Then how were
your eyes opened?" 11: He answered, "The man called
Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, `Go to
Silo'am and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight."
12: They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I
do not know." 13: They brought to the Pharisees the man
who had formerly been blind. 14: Now it was a sabbath day when
Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15: The Pharisees again
asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them,
"He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."
16: Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God,
for he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How
can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division
among them. 17: So they again said to the blind man, "What
do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He
said, "He is a prophet." 18: The Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they
called the parents of the man who had received his sight, 19:
and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born
blind? How then does he now see?" 20: His parents answered,
"We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21: but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened
his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself."
22: His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for
the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess him
to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23: Therefore
his parents said, "He is of age, ask him." 24: So
for the second time they called the man who had been blind,
and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this
man is a sinner." 25: He answered, "Whether he is
a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was
blind, now I see." 26: They said to him, "What did
he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27: He answered
them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become
his disciples?" 28: And they reviled him, saying, "You
are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29: We know
that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not
know where he comes from." 30: The man answered, "Why,
this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet
he opened my eyes. 31: We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God
listens to him. 32: Never since the world began has it been
heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33:
If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34:
They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would
you teach us?" And they cast him out. 35: Jesus heard that
they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do
you believe in the Son of man?" 36: He answered, "And
who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" 37: Jesus said
to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to
you." 38: He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he
worshiped him. 39: Jesus said, "For judgment I came into
this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those
who see may become blind." 40: Some of the Pharisees near
him heard this, and they said to him, "Are we also blind?"
41: Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have
no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains.
We proclaim this Gospel passage on the Sixth Sunday of Pascha
each year. It has obvious baptismal allusions: washing (see
Jn. 3:5), healing, faith, conversion, salvation, seeing (see
Isa. 35:5), illumination (see Heb. 6:4), and anointing (in this
case, spittle and dust from the ground — i.e., clay: see Gen.
2). Here we can see that the Savior rejects the universal assumption
that malady and trouble are ecessarily a consequence of sin.
The two can be (and often are) connected, but this is not always
the case, as seen here. The man's blindness provides the occasion
for God's mighty signs and wonders to be revealed.
The Savior also uses the divine statement again: "I AM"
in verse 5. The Jewish leaders, says St. John Chrysostom, cast
this man out of the Temple and the Lord of the Temple found
him. We see in this story a progress of faith on the part of
the blind man. At first he simply declares that 'a man called
Jesus" is the healer. Then he states that Jesus is from
God. Next he declares that He is a prophet. Finally he says
that he believes in Jesus as Lord and he then falls down in
worship. In this passage we see Jesus as the Light of the World.
Reflections
-
How do the Jewish authorities try to discredit this miracle?
Why is this?
- What
is the position that this man's parents take concerning this
whole event?
- Is
there any significance for us today in this story?
- Do
you ever feel that you have ever been punished by God for
something you have done?
- Do
you ever feel as though you have brought about your own punishment?
+ + +
The Seventh Sign: The Raising of Lazarus — John 11:1-54
1: Now a certain man was ill, Laz'arus of Bethany, the village
of Mary and her sister Martha. 2: It was Mary who anointed the
Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother
Laz'arus was ill. 3: So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord,
he whom you love is ill." 4: But when Jesus heard it he
said, "This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory
of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of
it." 5: Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Laz'arus.
6: So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed two days longer
in the place where he was. 7: Then after this he said to the
disciples, "Let us go into Judea again." 8: The disciples
said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone
you, and are you going there again?" 9: Jesus answered,
"Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walks
in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of
this world. 10: But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him." 11: Thus he spoke, and
then he said to them, "Our friend Laz'arus has fallen asleep,
but I go to awake him out of sleep." 12: The disciples
said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."
13: Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that
he meant taking rest in sleep. 14: Then Jesus told them plainly,
"Laz'arus is dead; 15: and for your sake I am glad that
I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
16: Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let
us also go, that we may die with him." 17: Now when Jesus
came, he found that Laz'arus had already been in the tomb four
days. 18: Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19:
and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console
them concerning their brother. 20: When Martha heard that Jesus
was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house.
21: Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died. 22: And even now I know that
whatever you ask from God, God will give you." 23: Jesus
said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24: Martha
said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection
at the last day." 25: Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he
die, yet shall he live, 26: and whoever lives and believes in
me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27: She said
to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ,
the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." 28: When
she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying
quietly, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."
29: And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.
30: Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still
in the place where Martha had met him. 31: When the Jews who
were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly
and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going
to the tomb to weep there. 32: Then Mary, when she came where
Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord,
if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33: When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her
also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; 34:
and he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said
to him, "Lord, come and see." 35: Jesus wept. 36:
So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37: But
some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of
the blind man have kept this man from dying?" 38: Then
Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb; it was a cave,
and a stone lay upon it. 39: Jesus said, "Take away the
stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him,
"Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been
dead four days." 40: Jesus said to her, "Did I not
tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of
God?" 41: So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted
up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast
heard me. 42: I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have
said this on account of the people standing by, that they may
believe that thou didst send me." 43: When he had said
this, he cried with a loud voice, "Laz'arus, come out."
44: The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages,
and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind
him, and let him go." 45: Many of the Jews therefore, who
had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him;
46: but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what
Jesus had done. 47: So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered
the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man
performs many signs. 48: If we let him go on thus, every one
will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both
our holy place and our nation." 49: But one of them, Ca'iaphas,
who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know
nothing at all; 50: you do not understand that it is expedient
for you that one man should die for the people, and that the
whole nation should not perish." 51: He did not say this
of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied
that Jesus should die for the nation, 52: and not for the nation
only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered
abroad. 53: So from that day on they took counsel how to put
him to death. 54: Jesus therefore no longer went about openly
among the Jews, but went from there to the country near the
wilderness, to a town called E'phraim; and there he stayed with
the disciples.
We celebrate this Gospel passage each year on the day just
before Palm Sunday: Lazarus Saturday. This is the Savior's last
and greatest sign. Jesus is the Source of eternal life and resurrection
for all. In this
passage we see Jesus as the Life of the World. Although Lazarus
will die again (this is simply a resuscitation of his body),
it is a first installment, so to speak, of the Resurrection
and the Life (see Jn. 5:21, 25, 28). Again we hear the divine
statement: "I AM" — there should be no mistake this
time about just Who Jesus says He Is. Nonetheless, He groans
in the spirit and is "deeply moved, troubled" because
He was face to face with the realm of Satan, here represented
by death. He weeps. He undoubtedly knows that this ultimate
and greatest Sign would bring about His own Passion and Death.
The Father has given over to His Son the power over death and
life (see Jn. 5:24-29). This last and greatest sign has two
different effects: an outburst of faith in Jesus as the Messiah
and an outburst of hostility on the part of the Jewish authorities.
This leads to two "outcomes." The authorities sentence
Him to death — but ultimately this only paves the way to His
(and our) Resurrection.
Reflections
-
What is the statement Martha makes of Jesus before He declares
to her "I AM'?
- What
are the three things that Martha declares about Jesus in verse
27?
- Caiaphas
the evil high priest prophesied that Jesus would die for the
nation. This is actually something that corresponds to prophecies
in the Old Testament. Can you find it?
- Are
there any implications for us today in this awesome wonder
worked by God?
Conclusions
Take
some time to pray and reflect upon the person of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
-
What have you learned about Him?
-
How would you describe Him to someone who may have never heard
of Him?
- What
are the dynamics of a relationship with someone Who is both
the very Son of God and the ultimate loving and selfless servant.
- How
would you describe your current relationship with Him?
- In
what way(s) would you like to improve that relationship?
O
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me, a sinner.
On the Calendar:
Upcoming Retreats on Jesus Christ: the Way, the Truth, and
the Life.
November 1st, 2002 – Jacksonville, FL - High School
Retreat, Sponsored by the Florida Deanery
Jesus Christ: the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Time: Friday 7:00 PM – Saturday 6 PM
Location: Mayport Naval Base (on the beach!): Drop off and pick-up
at St. Justin the Martyr Orthodox
Church
Contact Lee Ann Pisarchuk 904/367-0570 by Oct 25, 2002
November 16th, 2002 – Storrs, CT - College Retreat,
Sponsored by the University of Connecticut OCF
Jesus Christ: the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Time: 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Storrs Congregational Church, Storrs. Church is on
Route 195 leading to the middle of campus
Questions/RSVP to uconnocf@yahoo.com
If you know of other retreats or events taking place throughout
the Church let us know, we will include
them here and on the youth, young adult, and adult calendar
pages of our website (http://yya.oca.org)
Real Questions/Real Answers:
Did this issue raise some questions for you? Send your questions
to youth@oca.org and we'll answer them in an upcoming issue.
Readers Write:
Don't necessarily have a question, but would like to share
some thoughts on this issue or another topic?
Send us an e-mail to youth@oca.org
and we'll print them in an upcoming issue.
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