How long do you keep us in doubt?

I was blessed to reflect on the Gospel at St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church of Chicago on Sunday, November 8th ... really humbled, and this blog-post is based both on the prepared notes as well as"real-time" deviations.

Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever ... Amen

On this 2^nd Sunday of our Church Liturgical Cycle, known as Dedication Sunday, the Gospel reading is from St. John 10:22-38. Because of the limited time, let’s focus on two points which I pray gives a better understanding on why this Gospel reading was chosen by our Church fathers for this 2^nd Sunday of the Liturgical Calendar.

In verse 24, we hear the Jewish authorities surrounding Jesus yet again, challenging Him by asking, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly”.  And Jesus responded:  “I told you, and you do not believe.  The works I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me, but you do not believe” 

In last week’s Gospel reading (Matthew 16:13-23), Jesus first asks His disciples who people say that He is, and then followed by asking the disciples who they think He is.  It is St. Peter who responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

On this Dedication Sunday, this is the first reflection point that we,  as His followers and as His disciples, must understand, believe and confess – Jesus is the Christ.  He is the Truth, the fulfillment of the Scriptures that was written thousands of years ago.  Jesus is the Truth, the Son of God, fully man and fully divine. 

Every Holy Qurbana (Divine Liturgy), we are reminded of this – through the hymns, through our responses, through our prayers.  Everything in the Orthodox Church points to that revelation of Truth.  

Why did I kiss the hand of the Achen before speaking? Because he has touched the living Body and Blood of Christ.  Why do we close the curtain? As a remembrance to us of the Old Testament days before the Incarnation, as a remembrance of time of crucifixion of the Lord, and when closed again before the Body and Blood of Christ is brought the act serves as a remembrance of the Second Coming.

Everything in the Church points to this truth - that Christ is the Son of the Living God.  There is no doubt in His believers.  

This is the teaching given to the Apostles and in turn handed to our forefathers and to us.  This is the fullness of Truth - the same Truth that St Thomas brought to India.  When asked, we refer to ourselves often as Indian Orthodox Christian.  But what we must really understand is that we are Christian Orthodox ... Orthodox because there was no additions or subtractions from that ancient revelation of Truth.  It's an after-thought that most of us happen to be Indian.   

The words Jesus uses to those who challenge ... “I told you, and you do not believe.  The works I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me, but you do not believe”.

The verse continues, and Jesus explained to the authorities, “I and My Father are one”. This angers some of the people to the point they are ready to kill Him, and begin picking up stones.  Christ then responds by referencing a Psalm - “Is it not written in your law , “I said you are gods?”.   This is Psalm 81 (or 82, depending on translation) i.e., “I said, “You are gods, And you are all sons of the Most High”.  

Why did not God “tell us plainly”, as the Jewish leaders were asking Jesus in this Gospel message? God the All Mighty could easily have magically snapped His fingers and eliminated all evil, forcing all to see His Majesty and Lordship. 

But the Church understanding of why He came down to Earth goes back to the story of Creation in Genesis (1:26), where Man was created in God’s image and likeness.  It was always God’s plan for us to have eternal life and grow in communion with God.  But we have to do this willingly, through love, become like Christ … become like God.  

St Athanasius, a Church father who is remembered in the 5th Thubden, explained the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus -  “God became man, so that man can become God”

How can this be?  By following His teachings, given to the Apostles and to His followers … His Body, the Church.   Through the Church, we are transformed to be like Him. This transformation is emphasized the Scripture - Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”.  St Paul writes in 2 Peter 1:4, “that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature”. 

As we grow in Him, we gain knowledge .. illumination .. understanding of the Truth.   What the non-believer sees and what a Christian sees is different - the non-believer sees bread and wine, but we experience through our Faith the Body and Blood of Christ.  “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (St Paul, 2 Corinthians 4:18).  

This path to the Truth is given to us through the Church, where we have the most intimate communion with Christ through the Holy Qurbana (Eucharist).  We become like Him. 

This is our call for Dedication Sunday - to remember all that Christ revealed, and be committed to continue our transformation to be like Christ.  Our Baptism into the Church is the beginning of this new life in Christ, the beginning of an endless process guided by teachings of the Faith to become divine.