JOHN THE PRESBYTER OF THE LORD
“The body’s lamp or source that renders light is that which is perceived through the eyes – if you desire good and your gaze is upon that which goodness provides then your pursuit is according to the divine nature within you. Yet if your mind craves all the world’s lusts and your eyes burn for its contemplation, then that divine light that has been bestowed you is snuffed out; the severing from the source of all goodness resulting where darkness dwells.” (Mt 6: 22-23)
This Sunday which is the last Sabbath of the Apostolic Fast (preparation period for the feast of the Apostles) commemorates the birth of the one (John) who came to introduce, to prepare the road for the one (Jesus) who comes with the name above all names who is the Lord! John which the name means the Lord grants in abundance, was born in a time of change, uncertainty and upheaval within the land of Judea.
The nation was non-existent as far as dignity and rights of that nation are concerned, they were invaded by the grand empire of Rome and at times were subject to various indignities; yet the greatest blow of all time was when their leaders (religious and state) sacrificed the blood of their people to keep their own prestige safeguarded!
As we know, there are times that we become the very impediment to our own growth and with that – our worst enemy! With all logic and sound mindedness, when certain situations become intolerable – rebellion swings into action which of course works against the desired outcome! Hence, there were many zealots within the Judean populace that worked tirelessly for the freedom of their nation from their captors; outnumbered and lack of resources always provides a recipe for disaster!
Apart from the fact that such rebellion was punished via crucifixion and other torturous means, TRUST was the issue in question and the lack thereof causing a division in that particular society. Hence, you had the state leaders implementing Roman rule to safeguard their dignity and protection, but this also resulted with compromise the Jewish people’s faith of the time.
Long gone were the days where priests, people and influential members of society stood together to defend the moral and the Faith of their Fathers!
One such example was the siege of Jerusalem in 63BC where the Roman General Pompey stormed the temple and the faithful formed a human shield around the entrance to the Holy of holies blocking the general access. They were all martyred and the general did dare enter where the high priest (bishop) could only enter once a year to offer the atonement rites.
Hence, not only were forbidden images (roman imperial décor) placed in the temple, but Rome (worldly government) decided or rather appointed who the high priests (bishops) and administrative clergy were – a trend that the state church in orthodoxy keeps; the rendering of uncanonical in status! Therefore, many people and faithful quite rightly removed themselves from the religious powerhouse (the temple) of the time – as did many saints in the history of the Church to which Athanasius the Great is a primary example!
Thus, many schisms were caused due to this intolerable situation with the temple and various faithful retreated to the Judean desert to live the ascetic life and commune with God; amongst these were the Essene communities who have their roots in 2nd century Judaism. Therefore amongst the clergy of the temple, there was a faithful man Zacharias who served as a priest at the altar of incense commencing under the administration (episcopacy) of his brother-in-law Joachim (Father of Mariam all Holy of Nazareth) who was slaughtered by the Romans. It was the custom that all male children who came under the presbyteral line of Aaron the high priest (brother of Moses) would in time serve as priests of the temple.
“You will not serve two masters for this will compromise your standing and alienate your commitment. You cannot render wholehearted service to both for this in itself will be the very fabric of betrayal which will cause your undoing. You will not serve God whilst rendering homage to mammon!” (Mat 6: 24)
It’s very hard these days when we speak of FAITH and THE APOSTOLIC FAITH in terms of conviction of receiving that which is necessary via God’s intervention. How painful it is when parents desire to have children but can’t due to impediments of various kinds – yet miracles happen when least expected. When we consider the formative years of our story (back in the biblical timeframe) bareness (unable to have children) was as crime in the Levitical Law – people were ostracised and considered cursed by God!
Yet we know that God is full of surprizes and acts according to time as written in the Book of Ecclesiasticus…..(Ec 3:1-8) and little gems of his providence have been recorded throughout biblical history. Apart from the Incarnation which is the intervention of God, Zacharias and Elizabeth were beyond that cycle for children to be born from them. One day whilst Zacharias was at prayer and offered incense onto God, the Archangel Gabriel (the one who speaks on God’s behalf) came to announce a surprize; ‘their shame would become their fame’ a baby boy whose name is to reflect God’s gift of abundance (John) will be born to them. (Lk 1:5-25)
John like many moved away from that which was established retreating to the desert; he like many of his contemporaries could not tolerate the hypocrisy to which he would always challenge openly. Although he abandoned the allotment of presbyteral duties that would befall him from the age of thirteen, yet he ministered to those who were marginalized and desired the promise of the One who would come amongst them as the Saviour; paving the way for he (Jesus) who is the Bishop of his Church!
“Do not be concerned about how your life will talk shape to store provisions to sustain thus; life itself is beyond earthly sustenance. Let your mind be upon God’s creatures – they have no temporal structures as you have, yet the Father Pantocrator provides for their every need; are you not greater in his eyes than they? Will the endless preoccupations that disturb your minds in order to seek means of stability one desires to structure in thought ensure the length and quality of your earthly existence?” (Mat 6: 25-27)
When one reaches an advanced spiritual level (which no institution can teach for it is a gift of the Holy Spirit) then you learn that the things you thought were so important and vital - quite simply pale away into insignificance! The early monastics learnt this (Anthony of Egypt is a primal example) and desired to be liberated from worldly cares – a dying to one’s self as it were in order to grow and be sustained beyond our realities. Comfortable monasteries are a waste of time and should close for they have missed the point and perhaps that’s why such a lifestyle is in decline and many places are closing down and are being sold off!
Although there are various levels of monasticism, yet John trained himself to reach the angelic state where he lived on bare essentials and the Holy Scriptures – the Word of God (Jesus) became his daily bread! His simplicity was mirrored via that which consisted of his clothing – a camel’s hair garment tied with a belt of raw leather. He ate once a day consisting with a diet of wild locust berries (not locusts as insects) and honey. (Mat 3:4) Therefore, his ministry of the word was rendered in the spirit of metanoia which is the Greek word for change – the humbling of one’s self in order to place that which is truly important first whilst placing aside all those things that impede our growth towards God.
John was truly the one who re-echoed the voice of the Prophet Isaiah to awaken the people who dwell in delusion with the message of amending one’s life so that the one who is the Light of the world (Jesus) could transform their very existence; the means of new life which is eternal. (Is 40: 3-5) This was the confirmation of John’s prophetic ministry that sealed him as the last of the Old Testament prophets, yet the waters of repentance which he administered at the shores of the Jordan was the affirmation of the presbyteral ministry to come with the New Testament Church which Christ sanctified. (Mat 3:11)
As we know, the Lord at times gives us that reassurance we crave and at other times, he speaks through others and of course without looking for things – through signs and wonders (miraculous occurrences)! Therefore, when cousin Jesus who John knew as a boy and perhaps did not recognize him initially as Emmanuel, came to the shores of the Jordan to confirm John’s ministry and sanctify those waters via his presence; John’s eyes fully opened when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord in the form of a dove. (Lk 3:22) Why a dove? Doves don’t rest on anything polluted, and this was God’s way to make things click in the confirmation that Jesus IS the immaculate one – the unblemished calf of the true sacrificial offering! This very statement was later affirmed by John to his disciples who then followed the Lord; “He is the Lamb of God who removes the world’s sin!” (Jn 1:29)
Hence, John bore witness onto the Lord who has come into the world to which the consistency of his ministry had many flock to the shores of the Jordan; all elements of society came to understand that holiness radiated from John to which many sort his council. He thus reminded all to render witness onto God by one’s very existence – offering those less fortunate around them with the bare essentials. The military (certain members) who were rather unlawful back then came onto John because many of them had an awakening that they could not continue as they rendered – something was wrong and their souls were in a state of unease. He reminded them to not go beyond their limits via exploiting others, rather that they should be content with the stability such a life gave them (Lk 3:14)
Considering the theme of military power and collateral damage, I was driving to work the other day listening to 3MBS which is the classic and choral music station, and they had a program of Jazz music in the early 1950’s from the United States. Hence, the presenter was describing the music piece and the timeframe of thus whilst alerting us to the political happenings of the time…. Hence, the Korean War had come to a close and another was about to begin.
The then 34th President of the United States was no stranger to war – he had firsthand experience as a soldier and commanding officer. Thus, when he came into power however his dislike for the spotlight and prestige was, Dwight David Eisenhower delivered a dose of reality to those around him that were like sharks to blood –war was good business and a stable economy in their eyes. I’d like to share a portion of his presidential speech with you at this point – nothing changes, unfortunately history repeats it’s blunders so far as up to present times…..a reason why we gather as the Communion of Saints and pray as the Lord instructed - that the Lord comes and intervenes for the last time as the King of all nations!!!
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in a final sense – a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed…..the cost of one modern heavy bomber is this; a modern brick school in more than thirty cities……It is; two fine, fully equipped hospitals…..We pay for a single fighter plane with half a million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than eight thousand people. This – I repeat – is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron!” (Washington 1953)
Hence, John the Forerunner of the Lord denounced those very men of power who drained the lifeblood of their people in order to keep such status alive. Although he was feared by many particularly the ruling class, John was never harmed for they were convinced that he was the Messiah. The Herod’s who were Rome’s puppetry acting as Judean royalty were living the life that the pagan nobility enjoyed – a lifestyle not compatible with the Lord’s precepts. Yet they were afraid and superstitious to harm John due to a prophecy that would result in agonizing death to those who harm the Messiah.
When John was asked if he were the Christ (Lk 3:16) he had the humility and the wholeheartedness to proclaim the truth that he is merely the one who prepares the way for his coming….This act of witness signed his death warrant for that Herodian fear of the prophecy was no longer; decapitation for many years of being the thorn in their side via speech was the punishment. It is interesting to note that in the Italian tradition for one who sponsors another in baptism or crowning/matrimony etc.…although the common word is “Compare/Commare”; the ecclesial word still remains in certain parts of Italy. In the South a sponsor is called IL SAN GIOVANNI – the Witness according to St. John. In the north, a sponsor is called IL SANDALO – the Sandal; that which St. John affirmed that he is not the Christ but a servant who is not worthy to untie his (Jesus) sandal!
Once the royal party disposed of St. John, the priestly hierarchy launched an attack on the one who John affirmed as the HE who baptises with the Holy Spirit who is fire. Hence, in order that they could find an excuse for execution (one down another to go) they demanded that he (Jesus) explain himself and give an account onto them for they considered themselves of the true linage of Abraham. Yet, God always is transparent and reveals that which is unacceptable in his sight. Therefore Jesus corners them and uses John’s ministry as the very tool to shame them and hurl them from thrones they have themselves hijacked.
Then Jesus said onto them: “Answer me this: was the baptism ministered by John ordained by God or was it implemented for the prestige of man?” At this they withdrew in private and strategized amongst themselves saying: “If we say that John was a man sent from God he then will scold us and accuse us of unfaithfulness!” “Although if we answer that such was a result of public admiration - the people who followed John believing that he was a prophet will cause an uprise and place us in peril!” Therefore they returned from council and stated: “We don’t know and cannot comprehend!” At this he replied: “Neither will I reveal to you my authority!” (Mk 11:29-33)
On the subject of voicing one’s opinion and making people reason which these days is nearly impossible due to various factors in place, I was called upon to serve in the capacity of Bishop for a funeral of a young man of 21yeasr of age who was afflicted with cerebral palsy (disease that cripples violently the movement of the body) from birth. Although the was crippled in body, yet he was the life and light of his family….his own father stated; “If things were normal and my son had a normal life like others do to which he is worthy of, I can truthfully tell you that I would either of ended up with the wrong company, would be in and out of jail, or knowing my self well – would have been dead many years ago….yet my son kept me on the straight and narrow via being his carer!”
It is souls like this dear young man who are as a voice in the wilderness: “Amend your ways!” Such as these little gems in their own right put the rest of us to shame for they are a reflection of the parable of the birds in the air, and the lily’s in the field. Further, the presence of the Saviour who was crippled via corrupted humanity who stretched out his hands on the wood of the cross voicing his concern for us and affirming his love! (Lk23:34-49) May the Lord raise up holy men and women in his Church with the zeal of St. John to once again speak to a desolated institution that will be raised up on living stone and become once again the house of prayer and centre of our lives!!!
Glorious prophet and forerunner of the coming of Christ – God gifted you as the means to shame the bareness imposed by corrupted natural order onto Zacharias and Elizabeth. You are the one that proclaimed the He who comes to baptize the world with his Spirit which is the purifying fire that redeems sin is love personified. You taught the world to lay aside its concerns that impede its growth and open the doors of its heart onto the one who will raise it up anew; St. John the Baptist pray that the Church never severs itself from Christ via corruption and pride.
Troparion of the Nativity of St. John the Forerunner – Typikon of the Sothern Cross.
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