Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday after Epiphany

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16–21)

Our Savior, after reading this prophecy through in the synagogue one day to a multitude of Jews, shut the book and said, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” He began his own teaching from that point. He began to preach the gospel to the poor, putting in the forefront of his blessings: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”Yes, he proclaimed forgiveness to those who were hampered by evil spirits and bound for a long time like slaves by demons. He invited all to be free and to escape from the bonds of sin, when he said, “Come to me, all you that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.”

To the blind he gave sight, giving the power of seeing to those whose bodily vision was destroyed. He showered those in ancient times who were blind in their minds to the truth with the vision of the light of true religion. The prophecy before us shows it to be essential that Christ himself should be the originator and leader of the gospel activity. The same prophet foretells that after him his own disciples should be ministers of the same system: “How beautiful are the feet of them that bring good tidings of good things, and of those that bring good tidings of peace.”

Eusebius, Proof of the Gospel 3.1

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Second Sunday after Epiphany

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until My righteousness goes forth as light,
And My salvation burns like a lamp.
The Gentiles will see your righteousness,
And kings your glory;
And one will call you by your new name,
Which the Lord shall name.
You shall also be a crown of beauty
In the Lord’s hand,
And the diadem of a kingdom
In the hand of your God.
You shall no longer be called Forsaken,
And your land shall not be called Desert;
For you shall be called My Will,
And in your land, the Inhabited Earth.
As a young man lives in wedlock with a virgin,
So shall your sons dwell with you,
And as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
So the Lord shall rejoice over you. (Is 62:1–5)

In the translators the prophet holds forth like one caught up in delight: “For Zion's sake I will not keep quiet.” For I will cry to God and ask to see the perfecting of what has been said—a time when “righteousness and the salvation of Jerusalem” will enlighten all. For after this a “light to the nations” will be passed on. For the choir of apostles extended the teaching to all the kingdoms, “and the kingdoms were like a jewel in the hand of God,” and so on. This was the blessing of those who fulfilled the promises first of all, that is, the community among the Jews called Jerusalem. Some call these new, for the apostles of the church were the firstfruits. “And I will not stop,” therefore, until God will fulfill His promises to it, the salvation through Christ for all the earth. For God is not of Israel alone but also of the nations. Some think that the words “my righteousness and my salvation” are actually spoken by the mouth of God promising to fulfill all these things.

Christ is righteousness and salvation, just as a light in the world, saying, “When I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” which was formerly discordant in godlessness and all shadows. “Righteousness and glory” are terms that once more name Christ. For we are justified in Him, and we are enriched with glory from Him. To the newness of life, in place of the synagogue is rendered the name “church” and house and city of God, in which David said, “Glorious things are said of you, city of God.”

Because she will be adorned and established in incomparable beauty, he adds, “You will be a beautiful garland.” For every holy soul and the whole church must be compared with a garland put together from many flowers and a royal jewel. For David says that the church is adorned in gold-embroidered and multicolored clothing similar to what is said in our text. “In the hand of God” means “under his shelter.” For he says, “Under my hand I will shelter you.” And Christ concerning his own sheep said, “No one can steal them from the Father's hand.” Some say that the garland of Christ are those corrected by him. And the jewel of his kingdom are those martyrs for His sake, whom in his hand the Father had chosen to put round the Son, garlanding Him and placing as a royal jewel, with the fullness of those who have been saved through Him and by him. Among these taking a new name, she will no longer be called “she who is left deserted” but “my will,” that is, according to my will. This means that she who was previously deserted will be saved and placed with Him, rather than deserted.

Procopius of Gaza, Commentary on Isaiah 62.1-12

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to Jesus' Baptism

Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”… When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:15-22)

And after this, he again brings forward a second proof, saying, “I indeed baptize you in water: but He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire.” And this too is of great importance for the proof and demonstration that Jesus is God and Lord. For it is the sole and peculiar property of the Substance That transcends all, to be able to bestow on men the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and make those who draw near unto It partakers of the divine nature. But this exists in Christ, not as a thing received, nor by communication from another, but as His own, and as belonging to His substance: for “He baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” The Word therefore That became man is, as it appears, God, and the fruit of the Father's substance. But to this, it may be, those will object who divide the one Christ into two sons,—those I mean who, as Scripture says, are “animal, and dividers, and not having the Spirit,”—that He Who baptizes in the Holy Spirit is the Word of God, and not He Who is of the seed of David. What answer shall we make, then, to this? Yes! we too affirm, without fear of contradiction, that the Word being God as of His own fullness bestows the Holy Spirit on such as are worthy: but this He still wrought, even when He was made man, as being the One Son with the flesh united to Him in an ineffable and incomprehensible manner. For so the blessed Baptist, after first saying, “I am not worthy to stoop down and loose the thong of His shoes,” immediately added, “He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire;” plainly while having feet for shoes. For no one whose mind was awake would say, that the Word, while still incorporeal, and not as yet made like unto us, had feet and shoes, but only when He had become a man. Inasmuch, however, as He did not then cease to be God, He wrought even so works worthy of the Godhead, by giving the Spirit unto them that believe in Him. For He, in one and the same person, was at the same time both God and also man.

“But how then,” they object, “was He baptized, and received also the Spirit?” To which we reply, that He had no need of holy baptism, being wholly pure and spotless, and holy of the holy. Nor had He need of the Holy Spirit: for the Spirit That proceeds from God the Father is of Him, and equal to Him in substance. We must now therefore at length hear what is the explanation of the economy. God in his love to man provided for us a way of salvation and of life. For believing in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and making this confession before many witnesses, we wash away all the filth of sin, and are enriched by the communication of the Holy Spirit, and made partakers of the divine nature, and gain the grace of adoption. It was necessary therefore that the Word of the Father, when He humbled Himself unto emptiness, and deigned to assume our likeness, should become for our sakes the pattern and way of every good work. For it follows, that He Who in every thing is first, must in this also set the example. In order therefore that we may learn both the power itself of holy baptism, and how much we gain by approaching so great a grace, He commences the work Himself; and, having been baptized, prays that you, my beloved, may learn that never-ceasing prayer is a thing most fitting for those who have once been counted worthy of holy baptism.

Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke 10, 11

Invisible Aspects of Worship

What do we consider when coming together with other believers for Sunday worship? No, I do not mean what we see, hear, smell, taste, or feel. Those are common to all in attendance—unless distracted. My question is more of what we consider that cannot be grasped with our five senses but are nonetheless very present. In a lecture Dr. John Kleinig gave on Hebrews (see embedded link at bottom), he noted that the writer recognized seven of these in Hebrews 12:22–24 (ESV). I give them below with a few notes from his lecture.

1. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem – We in the States tend to think of meeting in a structure with a roof and walls, however, we come to God’s dwelling place from which He reigns over heaven and earth.
2. And to innumerable angels in festal gathering – Angels have the initial focus of leading in worship. Our worship is only imperfect, but they are able to do so perfectly.
3. And to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven – Christ is the firstborn over all creation (Col 1:15), and every believer has their name registered in heaven. In our locale, we join with all others also worshiping around the world.
4. And to God, the judge of all – Every Lord's day is judgment day and should be treated as such. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (He 10:31), but we are vindicated in Christ.
5. And to the spirits of the righteous made perfect – These are the faithful who have fallen asleep in Christ and are now before the throne.
6. And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant – This is the summation of the book Hebrews. He is the mediator of that covenant ensured by better things.
7. And to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel – The blood speaks, “This is the blood of the new covenant for the remission of sins.” It cries for mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

As Dr. Kleinig went through each of these, I noticed what appears to be a chiastic structure.

A. Location of worship (Mount Zion, holy ground) (Rev 4:2; 7:9)
     B. Heavenly host worships (Rev 4:6–11; 5:11–12; 7:11–12)
          C. Church Militant worships (Rev 7:9–10)
               D. Recipient of worship (Rev 14:7; 16:4–7; 19:1–5)
          C'. Church Triumphant worships (Rev 5:8–10; 7:9–10)
     B'. Heavenly Mediator for worship (Rev 7:15–17)
A'. Qualification for access (Rev 7:13–14)

I may have forced the structure on the text, but as I considered what was happening, the parallels to Revelation came to mind, especially those passages in which the worshipers acknowledge the Lord’s righteous judgment.

What is my takeaway thought after looking at these things? We miss a great deal in our worship. By and large, Christians grasp neither the scope of activity in heavenly realms nor the solemnity and reverence due to God. In some measure, we are simply ignorant;, never having been instructed on the wonder and vastness of whose company we keep as we are assembled; in another we are just casual and complacent in our comfortable pews. You see, for the most part are comfortable in our pews.

The solution is to understand the wonder of the majestic unseen company with whom we are privileged to join in the adoration of a holy and just God.

The 11-part series can be found here. Each video is about an hour long and well worth the time investment.

Worship Must Be Spontaneous—Not!

Jonathan Aigner has a well-written post addressing the idea that if worship must be spontaneous to be genuine. Here is a portion:

Worship based on personal expression is me-worship. It is a self-absorbed, self-referential exercise. It is like the immature utterances of a group of small children, each intent on dominating the conversation.

It is an exercise in human futility.

Me-worship values casual, familiar, extemporaneous conversation. True worship values planned, refined, elegant speech, carefully crafted to write God’s message on our hearts. True worship prays truly.

Aigner brings out the historicity of corporate liturgy and offers comparisons demonstrating its effectiveness and rightness.

When considering worship, choose wisely.

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to Epiphany

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matt 2:9–11)

Shall we see what sort of glorious thing they rejoiced to see in the lad, since they had undertaken the hard work of such a long journey in order to see a king? They did not see a palace resplendent with marble, did they? They did not see His mother crowned with a diadem and lying on a golden bed, did they? They did not see a child clad in gold and purple, did they? They did not see a royal courtyard echoing with all sorts of people, did they? But what did they see?… If, then, they had come to seek an earthly king, they would have been more confused than glad, because they would have undertaken the hard work of such a journey for no reason. But because they were seeking a heavenly king, even though they saw nothing royal in Him, nonetheless they rejoiced, being content with the testimony of the star alone. Their eyes could not notice that the boy appeared contemptible because the spirit in their hearts showed Him to be one to be revered. Moreover, if they had sought Him out as an earthly king, they would have remained with Him once they had found Him, as often happens in this age, as people leave behind their own king and hasten to another. But they worshiped this king and returned to their own, so that they had a heavenly king over their souls but an earthly king over their bodies.

They fulfilled the confession of the Gentiles in Christ, and they indicated that the prophecy of Isaiah had been fulfilled, who says, “All those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar.” [Is 60:7] When at once they recognized Him and opened their treasure chests, they showed their offering through the very gifts that were fitting for the Gentiles in Christ. Because they recognize Him to be a king and a pure first-fruits and one precious to the saints, they offered the gold that had been stored away for themselves. Because they understood His divine and heavenly origin, they brought Him the fragrance of incense, a type of the pure prayer offered in the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit. Because they understood His human and temporal death, they gave Him myrrh.

Incomplete Commentary on Matthew, 2

The Lord Sees and Hears

I have written before of how the Lord’s promises to Abram (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:4–6) has far-reaching implications. Not only would Abram be blessed, but so would his offspring and all tribes of the earth. The blessing, though given to one person, was intended to extend to all peoples of the earth. One early reception of this blessing I had completely missed until just recently—the situation of Hagar and Ismael.

Hagar is introduced as Sarai’s Egyptian maidservant (Ge 16:1), presumably an acquisition when Abram and Sarai had gone to Egypt because of a famine and was later forced by Pharaoh to leave (Ge 12:10–20). Nothing much is mentioned of her afterward until Sarai became impatient with God’s promise of a son and hatched a plot of her own to gain the result through her own means: she would have Abram go into Hagar so that the resulting son would be Sarai’s by legal right (Ge 16:2–3). While the plan was an acceptable cultural practice of the day, this was not the Lord’s plan. What He had promised would be delivered in His own terms and timing, not through human machinations. As best laid plans so often do, the result backfired. Hagar indeed became pregnant, but she despised her mistress. A lowly servant was able to accomplish something her mistress could not. Sarai blamed Abram for the newly found discord within the family, so he allowed her to handle the situation however she wished. Taking advantage, she treated Hagar harshly so that the pregnant maid fled. During this trip, she had a remarkable encounter.

Now the Angel of the Lord found her…
The story may be so familiar that we lose sight of the import: the Angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ, paid Hagar a visit (Ge 16:7). Take note that this is the first appearance of the Angel found in Scripture. That privilege did not come to Abram or Moses or anyone else of great faith found in Hebrews 11. Rather He saw and visited someone who was no person of position and was completely outside the bloodline of the promise.

Hagar admitted that she was running away, and after her confession, the Angel told her to return to her servitude with a humble heart, but He also offered something unexpected.

Again, the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will surely multiply your seed exceedingly, that it may not be counted because of its multitude.”

The son to be born received the promise of abundant offspring. While the number would not be as overwhelmingly grand as was given to Abram (as sand on the shore and stars in the sky), but he would receive it in similar measure. Hagar recognized that the One before her is the God of Abram and what was being offered and called the name of the Lord “You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees-Me” (Ge 16:13). She knew He saw because He responded and dealt with her attitude, circumstances, and future.

But God heard…
The story of God’s involvement with Hagar and Ishmael continued beyond the initial meeting. Years later, after Isaac was born and tensions once again arose, God told Abraham to follow through with Sarah’s plan to send away Hagar and Ishmael (Ge 21:12–13). While the previous fleeing had presumably been in familiar territory, so that Hagar could stop at springs, now they were in a life-threatening situation, so that she separated herself from Ishmael because she could not bear to watch him die. She had given up hope. Evidently, Ishmael had not, because God heard him and responded.

But God heard the voice of the lad from the place where he was. Then the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven , and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.” (Ge 21:17)

Rather than a face-to-face meeting, this time the Angel of God called from heaven. At this point someone may object that this cannot be Christ because of the change of reference from of the Lord to of God, however, notice what the Angel promised:

“Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” (Ge 21:18)

I will make him a great nation. No angel had the power or authority to make, much less ensure, such a promise. This was the same Person who had appeared to Hagar previously. Certain that God had abandoned her, she could not raise her voice to heaven, but Ishmael would, receiving mercy in their dire straits and reassurance for his mother.

Outside the promise, but still blessed
We can only wonder what would have happened had Ishmael clung to the God of his father, yet we know from history the continual conflict between his family and that of Isaac, through whom the promise continued. Even so, Hagar and Ishmael, having no hope of a future, received that very thing within the family of Abraham. They received what they had not right to receive.

Gentiles—those outside the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—are outside the family, yet we can come under the promise by virtue of like faith.

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Ro 4:16–25)

We who were formerly outside the promise, now stand within it when we believe the God who promised by His Word what is accomplished for us in Christ. We are accounted as Abraham’s offspring and receive the blessing of righteousness.