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Contemplations on the Resurrection
Chapter 9 of "Contemplations on the Resurrection" written by H.H. Pope Shenouda III, found here: http://tasbeha.org/content/hh_books/Ressurec/index.html
CHAPTER NINE
Contemplations On The Resurrection
The first thing we observe is the modesty of the Lord when He
allowed His crucifixion and the insults of the Jews against Him
to occur publicly before all the people. At the same time He
made His glorified resurrection in private and a secret not seen
by anyone.
He did not rise in glory before all men in order that He might be
compensated for the insults and the reproach caused to Him
during the crucifixion but He rose in secret.
He chose the dawn to be the time of His resurrection because at
that time all human were sleeping.
He chose the dawn in order that no one might see Him during
His glorious resurrection.
He was far from the dazzling views of His resurrection as it
happened on His birthday.
Then, He appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the other Mary, to
Peter, to the women, to the two of Emmaus, to the Eleven, to
Saul from Tarsus and to some of the brothers .... to the
favourites, to His own but not to those who formerly gloated on
Him.
In spite of all that, the resurrection which took place in
secret troubled the Jews and caused to them terror beyond
measure. They made great efforts to oppose it or at least to
prevent people from believing in it .... but in vain.
106
When they found that they had failed in preventing the
occurrence of the resurrection by setting the guards, the big
stone and the seals, they wished to prevent it from being
conveyed to men in another way, by telling lies, with
bribery and by rumours.
When their trials failed and they could not prevent the news of
the resurrection by their false means and when the news spread
all over the world through the preaching of the disciples they
resorted to another stratagem.
They tried to prevent preaching the resurrection by
arresting the disciples, flogging them, putting them in jails
and making complaints to the governors against them.
All the human plans done to prevent men from believing in the
resurrection failed.
It was true when the Bible said " No weapon formed against
you shall prosper. " (Is 54:17)
What was the secret of this great resurrection? Its secret
was that for the first time and also for the last time a person
could rise from death by himself. He was raised by no one.
Indeed, this occurrence terrified them.
The Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled what He said about Himself.
"No one can take it from Him." " I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again." (John 10:18)
The powerful Nazarene has triumphed over them. That
Nazarene whom death could not conquer.
That Nazarene who trod death down and rose at the time
He had fixed and according to His former prophecies. No
one could oppose His resurrection. But why didn't Christ
107
appear to them after the resurrection? Wasn't it suitable to
convince them to believe in Him!?
He did not appear to them because they were unworthy of
Him... Even if He had appeared to them, they would not have
believed in him.
This point reminds us of what Abraham, the Father of Fathers
had said to the rich man who was contemporary with poor
Lazarus "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead"(Luke
16:31)
Moreover, the Lord Jesus Christ made many other miracles
before them and they did not believe in Him.
When He healed the born blind they said to the man "We know
that this Man is a sinner." (John 9:24)
During the crucifixion, darkness came over all the land; the
earth shook and the rocks split; the curtain of the temple was
torn into two from top to bottom and some of the holy people
who had died were raised to life and in spite of all these
occurrences they did not believe in Him.
He did not appear to them because they were not only
unworthy of Him but also because they had no faith. Then,
why did He not appear to other men?
The Lord Jesus Christ left a field for faith about which Paul, the
apostle, said " ... faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen. " (Heb 11:1)
If the resurrection had been something visible it would have
been added to the circle of viewing and not to that of faith
because faith means: "to be certain of what we do not see."
108
It was enough that when He appeared to the rulers, all men
believed in Him through them.
As for faith, all men could not bear this matter, so, when
Christ appeared in His resurrection, He did not appear in
His glory, even to His own, because they could not bear it.
With the two of Emmaus, who did not know Him at first, He
spoke to them gradually.
With Mary Magdalene, He hid His personality that she thought
Him to be the gardener; then He revealed Himself bit by bit.
As for Saul, from Tarsus; when Jesus appeared to him in some
of His glory, his eyes were blinded by the radiant light of
Christ's face, then He healed him.
Also, when Jesus appeared in some of His glory to Saint John,
the beloved one, he fell to Christ's feet as if he were dead. The
Lord raised him and told him not to be afraid.
Indeed, who can bear seeing Christ in His glory? But as for
His modesty, it was enough for Him to make Himself
nothing.
He will appear to them with His glory in the second coming
and then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to
the hills, "Fall on us!" and all nations on earth will mourn.
With the spirit and power of the resurrection Christianity
began its glorious history.
The disciples went forward into a new epoch of power. " And
with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. " (Acts
4:33)
109
All the attempts they had done to smash Christ, He Himself
smashed by His resurrection.
Even the devil himself was completely destroyed by this
resurrection.
The Christ who conquered death and who said " ... I have
overcome the world. ... " (John 16:33) is able to do everything.
He can always lead us in His victorious procession.
This triumphant, the rising from the dead, can lead a group of
the triumphant ones and give them from His grace and from His
power.
Thus, the defenceless Christianity could face Judaism and other
ancient religion. It, also, could stand firm before pagan
philosophies, Roman authorities, conspiracies, judgments and
persecutions.
Christianity remained persisting and moved forward under the
power of Christ, the rising from the dead, till it changed the
Roman nation to a Christian one.
Paganism disappeared from the world and the whole land
became for God and His Christ.
Also, the resurrection of the body was a sign of rising from
sin.
About this matter, the apostle said "And you He made alive,
who were dead in trespasses and sins. ", "and raised us up
together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus, " (Eph 2:1,6)
May we all live under the power of the resurrection. This
resurrection which changed the disciples and made the empty
tomb a sign of perpetual triumph.
110
This resurrection which was the beginning of the power in the
life of the first church.
111
Some Of The Occurrences Of The Resurrection
The Lord Jesus Christ, glory be to Him, did not stop work for
the benefit of humanity even when His body was in the tomb.
He has done work between the crucifixion and the
resurrection.
God, by His resurrection, sanctified the human nature which is
liable to death and made it liable to the resurrection.
Before the resurrection, God, also, worked for our sake
even when His body was on the tomb.
By means of death His spirit was separated from His body
but His divinity never separated from His soul or His body.
His spirit, united with His divine nature, could do a
wonderful rescuing action for the sake of those who are
sleeping on hope.
With His death He paid the price of sin and bought us by His
blood. So, after He redeemed humanity, it was His right to
carry the sleeping from Hades to Paradise and it was so.
With His spirit, united with divinity, He went down to Hades to
say the good news to the sleeping there on hope. " ... He also
first descended into the lower parts of the earth? When He
ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to
men." (Eph 4:8).
112
He opened the gate of paradise and carried to Him the
righteous who were waiting in Hades. With them, He also
let in the right robber to paradise.
Indeed, how trustful He was when He said to Saint John, the
visionary, "And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (Rev
1:18) (Phil 4:3)
Indeed, blessed are those whose names are written in the
book of life because death has no authority on them.
They may stay there for a time, as Jonah remained in the belly
of the huge fish (whale) then He rescued him safely without any
harm.
Thus, God brought out those who were in Hades and by His
authority He let them into Paradise.
This great deed was done by god in secret. Heaven praised
God. The sayings of the prophets were accomplished and
in secret, also, the Lord rose from the dead.
His spirit, united with His divinity, came and united with the
body which was united with divinity, then, He was raised by the
power of His divinity and went out of the tomb with its seals.
113
The Women Carrying Spices And Perfumes
It was something strange that the women took spices and
perfumes and went to the tomb while these perfumes do not
agree with believing in the resurrection.
But the Lord took interest in their love and treated the
defect found in their faith.
Did they carry the perfumes for the body which was in the
tomb? Hadn't they the faith that Christ had risen and left the
tomb?
Thus, the good tidings of the angel revealed the same meaning
when he said to the two Marys "I know that you seek Jesus who
was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. "
(Matt 28:5,6)
The same words of reproach were said to the women, who
were carrying the perfumes and the spices, but with clearer style
"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here,
but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still
in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise
again.' And they remembered His words." (Luke 24:5-8)
Yes, He, formerly, said that He would rise from the dead. He
did not only say those words to the women but many a time, he
said them to His disciples also.
114
If the Lord informed the disciples of His resurrection and
they did not believe Him, how much the more would those
women be?
115
The Disciples' Doubts
The resurrection of Christ was an occurrence never happened
before as He rose by Himself without any help from others and
His strange words, never said by anyone before, were verified.
" I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it
from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have
received from My Father." (John 10:17-18).
Who dared say such words except Christ? So, His resurrection
distracted the minds. It was above intelligence especially after
the events of the cross and the pains and the insults directed to
Him. And after the potency and authority with which the Jews
treated Him.
Thus, it was not easy for the disciples to believe in the
resurrection while they were afraid and hiding in the attic.
On the cross, He said "It is finished" which meant that the
redemption was completed and the price of sin was paid.
But, there was another work for Him to complete. It was a
work special for patronage.
Before Him, there were righteous persons who were troubled
and in need of soothing.
What would He do to strengthen their weakness and to banish
their doubts and fears?
116
He did not wish to blame these persons kindly for their
weakness or for their doubts or for their ingratitude but He
came to soothe them.
As He formerly said that He had not come to judge the people
but to save them; how much the more His own who were in the
world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. (John
13)
Saint John said about this love "We love Him because He first
loved us." (1 John 4:19).
He did the same thing with Thomas who doubted in His
resurrection and insisted on putting his finger in the places of
the wounds. He did not blame him kindly for his doubts but
tackled the matter with him.
Jesus responded to Thomas and let him put his finger to be sure
of the places of the wounds.
The same thing happened with Peter, with Mary Magdalene and
with the two from Emmaus.
The Lord wished to strengthen the faith of those persons
who would carry faith all over the world and it was so.
Thus, the matter was not limited by His resurrection, but there
happened many appearances afterwards.
He stayed with the disciples for forty days during which " ...
after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by
them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to
the kingdom of God. to whom He also presented Himself
alive" (Acts 1:3)
117
CHAPTER NINE
Contemplations On The Resurrection
The first thing we observe is the modesty of the Lord when He
allowed His crucifixion and the insults of the Jews against Him
to occur publicly before all the people. At the same time He
made His glorified resurrection in private and a secret not seen
by anyone.
He did not rise in glory before all men in order that He might be
compensated for the insults and the reproach caused to Him
during the crucifixion but He rose in secret.
He chose the dawn to be the time of His resurrection because at
that time all human were sleeping.
He chose the dawn in order that no one might see Him during
His glorious resurrection.
He was far from the dazzling views of His resurrection as it
happened on His birthday.
Then, He appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the other Mary, to
Peter, to the women, to the two of Emmaus, to the Eleven, to
Saul from Tarsus and to some of the brothers .... to the
favourites, to His own but not to those who formerly gloated on
Him.
In spite of all that, the resurrection which took place in
secret troubled the Jews and caused to them terror beyond
measure. They made great efforts to oppose it or at least to
prevent people from believing in it .... but in vain.
106
When they found that they had failed in preventing the
occurrence of the resurrection by setting the guards, the big
stone and the seals, they wished to prevent it from being
conveyed to men in another way, by telling lies, with
bribery and by rumours.
When their trials failed and they could not prevent the news of
the resurrection by their false means and when the news spread
all over the world through the preaching of the disciples they
resorted to another stratagem.
They tried to prevent preaching the resurrection by
arresting the disciples, flogging them, putting them in jails
and making complaints to the governors against them.
All the human plans done to prevent men from believing in the
resurrection failed.
It was true when the Bible said " No weapon formed against
you shall prosper. " (Is 54:17)
What was the secret of this great resurrection? Its secret
was that for the first time and also for the last time a person
could rise from death by himself. He was raised by no one.
Indeed, this occurrence terrified them.
The Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled what He said about Himself.
"No one can take it from Him." " I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again." (John 10:18)
The powerful Nazarene has triumphed over them. That
Nazarene whom death could not conquer.
That Nazarene who trod death down and rose at the time
He had fixed and according to His former prophecies. No
one could oppose His resurrection. But why didn't Christ
107
appear to them after the resurrection? Wasn't it suitable to
convince them to believe in Him!?
He did not appear to them because they were unworthy of
Him... Even if He had appeared to them, they would not have
believed in him.
This point reminds us of what Abraham, the Father of Fathers
had said to the rich man who was contemporary with poor
Lazarus "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead"(Luke
16:31)
Moreover, the Lord Jesus Christ made many other miracles
before them and they did not believe in Him.
When He healed the born blind they said to the man "We know
that this Man is a sinner." (John 9:24)
During the crucifixion, darkness came over all the land; the
earth shook and the rocks split; the curtain of the temple was
torn into two from top to bottom and some of the holy people
who had died were raised to life and in spite of all these
occurrences they did not believe in Him.
He did not appear to them because they were not only
unworthy of Him but also because they had no faith. Then,
why did He not appear to other men?
The Lord Jesus Christ left a field for faith about which Paul, the
apostle, said " ... faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen. " (Heb 11:1)
If the resurrection had been something visible it would have
been added to the circle of viewing and not to that of faith
because faith means: "to be certain of what we do not see."
108
It was enough that when He appeared to the rulers, all men
believed in Him through them.
As for faith, all men could not bear this matter, so, when
Christ appeared in His resurrection, He did not appear in
His glory, even to His own, because they could not bear it.
With the two of Emmaus, who did not know Him at first, He
spoke to them gradually.
With Mary Magdalene, He hid His personality that she thought
Him to be the gardener; then He revealed Himself bit by bit.
As for Saul, from Tarsus; when Jesus appeared to him in some
of His glory, his eyes were blinded by the radiant light of
Christ's face, then He healed him.
Also, when Jesus appeared in some of His glory to Saint John,
the beloved one, he fell to Christ's feet as if he were dead. The
Lord raised him and told him not to be afraid.
Indeed, who can bear seeing Christ in His glory? But as for
His modesty, it was enough for Him to make Himself
nothing.
He will appear to them with His glory in the second coming
and then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to
the hills, "Fall on us!" and all nations on earth will mourn.
With the spirit and power of the resurrection Christianity
began its glorious history.
The disciples went forward into a new epoch of power. " And
with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. " (Acts
4:33)
109
All the attempts they had done to smash Christ, He Himself
smashed by His resurrection.
Even the devil himself was completely destroyed by this
resurrection.
The Christ who conquered death and who said " ... I have
overcome the world. ... " (John 16:33) is able to do everything.
He can always lead us in His victorious procession.
This triumphant, the rising from the dead, can lead a group of
the triumphant ones and give them from His grace and from His
power.
Thus, the defenceless Christianity could face Judaism and other
ancient religion. It, also, could stand firm before pagan
philosophies, Roman authorities, conspiracies, judgments and
persecutions.
Christianity remained persisting and moved forward under the
power of Christ, the rising from the dead, till it changed the
Roman nation to a Christian one.
Paganism disappeared from the world and the whole land
became for God and His Christ.
Also, the resurrection of the body was a sign of rising from
sin.
About this matter, the apostle said "And you He made alive,
who were dead in trespasses and sins. ", "and raised us up
together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus, " (Eph 2:1,6)
May we all live under the power of the resurrection. This
resurrection which changed the disciples and made the empty
tomb a sign of perpetual triumph.
110
This resurrection which was the beginning of the power in the
life of the first church.
111
Some Of The Occurrences Of The Resurrection
The Lord Jesus Christ, glory be to Him, did not stop work for
the benefit of humanity even when His body was in the tomb.
He has done work between the crucifixion and the
resurrection.
God, by His resurrection, sanctified the human nature which is
liable to death and made it liable to the resurrection.
Before the resurrection, God, also, worked for our sake
even when His body was on the tomb.
By means of death His spirit was separated from His body
but His divinity never separated from His soul or His body.
His spirit, united with His divine nature, could do a
wonderful rescuing action for the sake of those who are
sleeping on hope.
With His death He paid the price of sin and bought us by His
blood. So, after He redeemed humanity, it was His right to
carry the sleeping from Hades to Paradise and it was so.
With His spirit, united with divinity, He went down to Hades to
say the good news to the sleeping there on hope. " ... He also
first descended into the lower parts of the earth? When He
ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to
men." (Eph 4:8).
112
He opened the gate of paradise and carried to Him the
righteous who were waiting in Hades. With them, He also
let in the right robber to paradise.
Indeed, how trustful He was when He said to Saint John, the
visionary, "And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (Rev
1:18) (Phil 4:3)
Indeed, blessed are those whose names are written in the
book of life because death has no authority on them.
They may stay there for a time, as Jonah remained in the belly
of the huge fish (whale) then He rescued him safely without any
harm.
Thus, God brought out those who were in Hades and by His
authority He let them into Paradise.
This great deed was done by god in secret. Heaven praised
God. The sayings of the prophets were accomplished and
in secret, also, the Lord rose from the dead.
His spirit, united with His divinity, came and united with the
body which was united with divinity, then, He was raised by the
power of His divinity and went out of the tomb with its seals.
113
The Women Carrying Spices And Perfumes
It was something strange that the women took spices and
perfumes and went to the tomb while these perfumes do not
agree with believing in the resurrection.
But the Lord took interest in their love and treated the
defect found in their faith.
Did they carry the perfumes for the body which was in the
tomb? Hadn't they the faith that Christ had risen and left the
tomb?
Thus, the good tidings of the angel revealed the same meaning
when he said to the two Marys "I know that you seek Jesus who
was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. "
(Matt 28:5,6)
The same words of reproach were said to the women, who
were carrying the perfumes and the spices, but with clearer style
"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here,
but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still
in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise
again.' And they remembered His words." (Luke 24:5-8)
Yes, He, formerly, said that He would rise from the dead. He
did not only say those words to the women but many a time, he
said them to His disciples also.
114
If the Lord informed the disciples of His resurrection and
they did not believe Him, how much the more would those
women be?
115
The Disciples' Doubts
The resurrection of Christ was an occurrence never happened
before as He rose by Himself without any help from others and
His strange words, never said by anyone before, were verified.
" I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it
from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have
received from My Father." (John 10:17-18).
Who dared say such words except Christ? So, His resurrection
distracted the minds. It was above intelligence especially after
the events of the cross and the pains and the insults directed to
Him. And after the potency and authority with which the Jews
treated Him.
Thus, it was not easy for the disciples to believe in the
resurrection while they were afraid and hiding in the attic.
On the cross, He said "It is finished" which meant that the
redemption was completed and the price of sin was paid.
But, there was another work for Him to complete. It was a
work special for patronage.
Before Him, there were righteous persons who were troubled
and in need of soothing.
What would He do to strengthen their weakness and to banish
their doubts and fears?
116
He did not wish to blame these persons kindly for their
weakness or for their doubts or for their ingratitude but He
came to soothe them.
As He formerly said that He had not come to judge the people
but to save them; how much the more His own who were in the
world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. (John
13)
Saint John said about this love "We love Him because He first
loved us." (1 John 4:19).
He did the same thing with Thomas who doubted in His
resurrection and insisted on putting his finger in the places of
the wounds. He did not blame him kindly for his doubts but
tackled the matter with him.
Jesus responded to Thomas and let him put his finger to be sure
of the places of the wounds.
The same thing happened with Peter, with Mary Magdalene and
with the two from Emmaus.
The Lord wished to strengthen the faith of those persons
who would carry faith all over the world and it was so.
Thus, the matter was not limited by His resurrection, but there
happened many appearances afterwards.
He stayed with the disciples for forty days during which " ...
after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by
them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to
the kingdom of God. to whom He also presented Himself
alive" (Acts 1:3)
117
Comments
believe in that resurrection and their repeated doubts
which caused others to stumble?
The Holy Bible says that He appeared first to Mary Magdalene
" ... She went and told those who had been with Him, as they
mourned and wept. " (Mark 16:10)
How did the disciples receive her good news about the
resurrection?
Saint Mark, the evangelist, gives the answer saying: " And
when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her,
they did not believe. " (Mark 16:9-11)
He appeared to the two from Emmaus who did not know Him
and who did not believe what the women had said about the
resurrection that Lord Jesus rebuked them saying "O foolish
ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have
spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and
to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the
Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning Himself." (Luke 24:25-27)
At last, those two from Emmaus believed. What was the
impression of their faith on the apostles?
Saint Mark says "And they went and told it to the rest, but they
did not believe them either.. " (Mark 16:13)
We hear, afterwards; that the women went to the tomb, entered
it and did not find Jesus' body. Then the angels appeared to
them and announced the good news of the resurrection.
They hurried away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.
118
Saint Luke, the evangelist says "And their words seemed to
them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. " (Luke
24:11)
These were the eleven apostles, the columns of the church,
before whom there were many testimonies as Mary Magdalene;
the two from Emmaus and the women... and they did not
believe them.
Afterwards, Mary Magdalene hurried to Peter and John and
told them about the empty tomb. They immediately arrived and
went into the tomb "and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying
with the linen cloths. " (John 20:6,7).
Here the Bible says about John "... he saw and believed. "
But inspite of all that we read something strange...
We read that after all of them knew that saying, "The Lord is
risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! ". (Luke 24:34), it
happened that the Lord Himself stood among them and said to
them "Peace be with you. ".
Did they believe when He appeared to them and spoke with
them?
No, "But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed
they had seen a spirit." . (Luke 24:37).
The Lord rebuked them for their situation and said to them
"Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me
and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I
have." (Luke 24:39).
If the disciples had thought that what they had seen had been a
ghost it would have been a heresy which would shake their as if
119
the body did nit rise. For this reason , the lord showed them his
hands and His feet .
Thus , the problem was not that of Tomas only to whom
the Lord said "Reach your finger here, and look at My
hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do
not be unbelieving, but believing." (John 20 :27). But , it was
the problem of the eleven apostles.
All of them complained ; all of them were in need of proofs
They needed feeling, touching and seeing the places of the
wounds in order to believe .
The Lord tackled the problem of their thinking him a ghost or a
spirit practically.
About this matter Anba Peter the Sedmenty, said that the Lord
, during the period he spent in human nature on earth , He
proved his divine nature , but after the resurrection He
proved His human nature
120
The Lord Proves His Human Nature
Thus, after the resurrection, we hear that, in order to convince
them of His human nature, And He took it and ate in their
presence. (Luke 24:43)
He said so, while we know that the body of the resurrection is a
luminous spiritual body which neither eats nor drinks.
God did so to convince them of His human nature but, after the
ascension, His body had not any relation with this material food.
In all these matters we see that the Lord met the disciples'
doubts with convincing and not with rebuking or
punishment.
They are the persons in whom He will have confidence to
promulgate faith all over the world. So, they themselves must
have a strong, firmly established faith which they can convey to
others, convincing and without any doubt. So, the Lord led
them to this strong faith.
If they did not acquire the faith which believes without
seeing, there would be no objection for them to begin with
faith which depends on senses although it is of a weak
degree.
The Lord condescended and accepted their sensuous faith, not
to be stabilised in Him but to be mere beginning that leads to
faith. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen" . (Heb 11: 1).
121
Thus Saint John said "That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, "
(1 John 1:1).
This faith which, in the beginning, depended on senses because
stronger and could convince the whole world with what it had
seen and heard lest some men should think that the apostles had
been deceived or believed in some matters which had not taken
place.
So, we notice Saint Paul, the Apostle, announce good news
about what he had seen and beard on his way to Damascus.
He explained the whole matter to king Agrippa saying " ... O
king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than
the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me
... " (Acts 26:13-15)
The apostle concluded his words saying " Therefore, King
Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, " (Acts
26:19)
This is The Lord Jesus Christ who worked to strengthen the
disciples' faith; who tackled Thomas' doubts; who comforted
Peter's sorrow and Mary Magdalene when she wept. It is He
who gave faith back to the church.
122
The Risen Christ Works For Us
The Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead because it was
impossible for death to overcome Him. He bore in Himself the
power of His resurrection.
So, He was the only one who rose from the dead by Himself
without any help from anyone.
He rose, and by His resurrection, He gave humanity the blessing
of the resurrection " ... for the hour is coming in which all who
are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth ... " (John
5:28,29)
He rose triumphant and trod on death to lead us in the
procession of His victory and to teach us not to fear death as
the apostle said afterwards "O Death, where is your sting? O
Hades, where is your victory?" (1 Cor 15:55)
God who has allowed death to enter our human nature,
also, with His mercy, has allowed the resurrection to do the
same thing.
As He had created man from dust and, because of sin He has
brought Him back to dust, He, also, by the resurrection,
allowed this dust to be changed into a body once more but in a
better nature.
Before His crucifixion, He said "My father is always at his work
to this very day, and I, too am working. "
123
After the resurrection the Lord continued His work not only to
soothe the fatigued souls and strengthen the weak disjoined
knees but also to make His disciples ready for service and able
to take over the great responsibility of preaching the Gospel to
all creation.
In this way, after the resurrection, the Lord continued to
work for patronage.
By His resurrection, He gave the spirit of joy to His disciples as
He had told them before His crucifixion " ... but I will see you
again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take
from you. " (John 16:22)
It was so, and they got rid of fear and terror "The disciples
were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. (John 20:20)
They were greatly affected by the resurrection which
strengthened them so deeply that they testified to it.
In every circumstance, they used to preach the rising of the
Lord from the dead.
Those, who were afraid and hiding in the attic, appeared with
stout hearts and filled the world with evangelising.
They did not care for the threatening of the chiefs of the Jews.
They said to them "We ought to obey God rather than men."
Acts 5:29)
"And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being
saved.. " (Acts 2:47)
"And with great power the apostles gave witness to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon
them all. " (Acts 4.33)
124
As God stayed with Moses on the mountain a period of forty
days to give him the Laws and the copy of the tent of meeting
and its contents, the Lord also appeared to the Disciples over a
period of forty days and spoke " of the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God. " (Acts 2:3).
Indeed, there is time for tranquillity, contemplation and recess
while attending others has another time.
The Lord Jesus Christ stayed with God a period of forty days in
a spiritual recess. He, also spent another period of forty days
with his disciples during which he taught them and confirmed
their faith. He gave them the creed and all the details of faith,
the sacred sacraments of the church and instructed them how to
practise them.
He also gave them all the arrangements concerning worship.
The resurrection of the Lord became the centre of the disciples'
joy and the subject of their preaching.
It was a period of delivery, teaching and comprehension.
After that, He also appeared to Saint Paul who said about the
Sacrament of Eucharist "For I received from the Lord that
which I also delivered to you ... " (1 Cor 11:23).
Thus, the act of delivery went on successively from the Lord to
His disciples and then to others and so on.
The Lord delivered Paul; but what did Paul do? He says to His
disciple Timothy "And the things that you have heard from me
among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will
be able to teach others also.. " (2 Tim . 2:2).
125
Thus, after He had taught His disciples, He said to them before
his ascension, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature. " (Mark 16:15).
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; " (Matt 28:19,20).
And, as He handed instruction over to them he committed
baptism as well.
As for instruction and baptism. He did not charge the whole
people with them but only the disciples who delivered them to
their successors, the bishops.
Those bishops, by turns, gave them to honest persons adequate
for the job and not to the common people. It is a sacerdotal
work done by priests.
So, He handed priesthood over to them before delivering
instruction and baptism.
With priesthood He gave them the power to forgive sins.
Thus, Saint John, in. his gospel, explains to us how the Lord
appeared to His disciples.
He entered, with the doors locked, and said to them "Peace be
with you. As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you. And
when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them,
Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
(John 20:19-23)
126
The act of the Holy Spirit bestowing authority of priesthood
and forgiving sin on the disciples differs from that on the
Pentecost when the Holy Spirit bestowed on them the talent of
speaking in new tongues and the power of preaching the
Gospel.
127
guys, i know these were long posts, but pls read them :)
I picked up an online version of his "The Nature of Christ" yesterday, and am soooo happy the way it is directed and can be understood by someone as theologically uneducated as me! :D It is very clear and concise and simple, yet defends and supports the true Orthodox Christology in a style that is pleasurable to read :D God keep the Pope for us!
pray for me
joe
My beloved sons in the lands of immigration, priests and congregation.
Peace and grace from Our Lord, hoping that God may bless your lives and sanctify them and may every work that you do be successful.
We thank God Who granted us to complete this Holy Pascha in peace and has brought us to the joys of His Resurrection. Our joy is not merely the joy of the Feast after ending the fast. Our joy however, is a spiritual joy, as the apostle said, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)
I wish that you meditate well on this phrase and practice rejoicing in the Lord and on how it should be. We rejoice in the presence of the Lord with us during this period, to strengthen our faith and to speak to us about matters pertaining to the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). He gives us the feeling that He is with us all the days and to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
These are the feelings of the holy fifty days after the Resurrection. Do we have such joy and contemplate on its reasons as a principle for these fifty days, focusing all our thoughts on matters pertaining to the Kingdom of God? Do we examine what are these matters and how to live by them?
I hear so often some people, whilst being perplexed asking me, how can we keep our spirituality during these fifty days when we have been deprived from fasting and prostrations during these days and also from the liturgies that begin in the afternoon and end at sunset? Whereas some say more than that, how can we overcome lukewarmness during these days? Here I say to you that every season has its own spiritual nature. Fasting and prostrations were the nature of the Great Lent. However, there are other spiritual means for the holy fifty days. What are they?
In the period of the fifty days, the focus is on prayer, spiritual reading, contemplation, praising and hymns, deep spiritual meetings, exercises of repentance and spiritual growth.
This is what each individual as well as those who are responsible for the ministry should be concerned with. It is inevitable to present spiritual
nourishment to take place of the fast. Spiritual nourishment was the aim and the means of the fast, "Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
If fasting includes self control and strong will, we should continue in these two virtues with various and many exercises.
With respect to food, it is not appropriate to lose control when breaking the fast. We should eat with self-control and not with gluttony. We should not be like those who after breaking the fast cause upset to their stomachs, or those who destroy and lose all of the benefits of the virtues of fasting without wisdom or discernment by the way they eat.
One of the exercises of self-control during the fifty days after Lent, is lack of eating between meals. It is a useful spiritual exercise, as it is at the same time useful for the health of the body. Whereas this may be difficult for some with respect to the many visits and banquets that they attend and host, this can be minimized by lack of eating as much as we can between meals, except when necessary.
We do not fast during the fifty days after Lent according to the saying of the Lord, "can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?" (Mark 2:19) The reason therefore, is our feeling of the Lord’s presence with us or our presence with Him. This will take place through the continuity of prayer or through the remembrance of the Lord.
Through this, the fifty-day period after Lent is a period of prayer, contemplation and our feeling of being in the presence of the Lord, as were the disciples after the Resurrection. "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16) It is a period in which praising increases. There is no doubt that this also agrees with the saying of Saint James the apostle who said, "Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms." (James 5:13) Some beneficial spiritual exercises are memorizing psalms and parts of praise and using them as an opportunity for contemplation, in order for them to originate from the heart as prayer. That is why the apostle
repeats the phrase, "singing in your heart to the Lord" "making melody in your heart to the Lord.":
May the Lord grant it to be a period of spiritual joy for you my beloved, in which you rejoice in the Lord and to make the Lord rejoice by your pure lives that are filled with God’s love. Hence, the period of these fifty days was also a period of repentance, since by repentance heaven and earth rejoice according to the Lord’s saying, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:7) How much more so if he also grows in grace.
Therefore, be a source of joy to God, His angels and to heaven. Be also a source of joy for us when we hear about your righteous life, your growth in grace, ministry and in every good work. The Lord be with you and wishing you a happy Feast of the Resurrection."
His Grace Pope Shenouda III
Yet, again, Pope Shenouda hits a home run.
I love our Pope!! He is very wise.
God bless him.
May I just say also that in his book: Comparative Theology, H.H also mentions the importance of NOT forgetting your sins. He discusses well, and also explains the importance of it. This is a huge issue with the Protestant/Evangelical Churches.
Sorry, I know I'm going on about this a lot, but you will only appreciate our Church if you see how we are different we are with respect to the other CHurches (non orthodox) and how our sacraments are precious and the meaning behind them.
Like I said, we have a LOT of good food in the Coptic CHurch, but not much time to eat them.
[quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=9070.msg113277#msg113277 date=1271298205]
Yet, again, Pope Shenouda hits a home run.
I love our Pope!! He is very wise.
God bless him.
May I just say also that in his book: Comparative Theology, H.H also mentions the importance of NOT forgetting your sins. He discusses well, and also explains the importance of it. This is a huge issue with the Protestant/Evangelical Churches.
Sorry, I know I'm going on about this a lot, but you will only appreciate our Church if you see how we are different we are with respect to the other CHurches (non orthodox) and how our sacraments are precious and the meaning behind them.
Like I said, we have a LOT of good food in the Coptic CHurch, but not much time to eat them.
Zoxasi you are dead on, we have innumerable treasures in our church yet very little take advantage of it. HH books are only one source of many amazing that the church has. The majority of people are not aware of the in depth patristics we have, writings by St. Athanasius, St. Cyril, St. Basil, St. Isaac the Syrian to name a few. I highly suggest to anyone who is serious about learning to find writings by these saints and to read books by HH.
Pray for me and my weakness
Forgive me for I have not had time to read the posts from H.H.'s book.
However, I had a related question. Does anyone have any articles or books talking about the 7 weeks of resurrection and what they have in common, or if anyone can even tell anything they know? Sort of the like the 7 weeks of lent and how they have repentance and confession leading up to the pascha week, what is the "theme" of the 7 weeks leading up to pentecost? I would appreciate any replies asap due to the fact i have to finish a sunday school lesson for this weekend. Haha :). Thanks.
Alithos Anecti!,
George Mikhaeal