Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“We are not sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?” (2 Cor 3:5-8, italics mine).
[Then] Jesus said to [the paralytic], ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath” (John 5:8-9)
Brethren, in ministry, in prayer, in our service to the Church and to one another, in fasting, in tithing: I believe we so often forget that our work is neither magical nor moral. Let me say that again: in ministry, in prayer, in our service to the Church and to one another, in fasting, in tithing; I believe we so often forget that our work is neither magical nor moral. But all of our work is spiritual, that is, informed and brought to completion by the grace of the Holy Spirit of God.
It is a tale as old as time, or at least, with respect to today’s Gospel Reading, a tale as old as 1st century Jewish Pharisaism. Someone calls a play outside the parameters of the playbook, and the referees go wild; someone pushes the rules of the game. Someone does something outside the parameters of the Mosaic law, say, for instance, a man healing another man on the Sabbath, and “For shame! Don’t you know? Healing is work; and rolling up one’s mat… is work. Jesus—you, you conjurer!—you have done work on the Sabbath, and in healing this man of his infirmity, you have caused him to do work on the Sabbath! For shame! For shame!” Indeed, Jesus found himself in a number of these predicaments during his ministry. In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus heals a paralytic of his lameness on the Sabbath. Whoops! In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (cf. Matt 12:9-13, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11). Whoops again! Lastly, also in the Synoptics, Jesus and his disciples are walking through the grainfields, picking heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees say, “What they are doing is not lawful on the Sabbath!” (cf. Mark 2:24). Whoops, whoops, triple whoops! Doesn’t Jesus know the law? He is the Law! He is the law-giver. Of course he does. So why does Jesus do what he does? He explains it to his disciples in the Synoptic accounts:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.
… Then Jesus asked… ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent. And he looked around at them in anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man [with the withered hand], ‘Stretch [it out]” (Mark 2:27-28, 3:4-5).
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). In ministry, in prayer, in fasting, in tithing, so much of our work is neither magical nor moral.
Brethren, as Orthodox Christians, we subscribe to a great deal of the biblical law and its moral components. “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. … You shall not covet” (Exod 20:13-15, 17). Yeah, don’t do those things! In addition, we subscribe to the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Faith; the rulings and the acta of Ecumenical Councils, national and local synods; to the wisdom of our patristic and monastic heritage; to the authority of our bishops and father-confessors; to the traditions—even many “little-t” traditions—of our various jurisdictions. “And when you pray, pray thus…” (Luke 11:2). Subscribing to this Great Tradition and abiding in it is of immense spiritual benefit. “Why re-invent the wheel?” we say. But even in our reverence of, our respect of, our diligence in such a Great Tradition, we must always keep in mind the words of our Lord and the words of his blessed Apostle:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
“For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6).
We might rephrase, “The Tradition, the prayer books, the fasting rules, the tithe, the prostrations, the services, the services (the services, the services!)… were made for man, not man for them.” Does this mean that we are free to neglect any of these things? Absolutely not!
“For you were called to freedom, brethren. Only do not use your freedom as opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal 5:12-14).
“Only do not use your freedom in prayer as opportunity for the flesh (to ramble on mindlessly, to beg of God endlessly) but to speak to your Father who is in heaven in love.”
“Only do not use your freedom to give as you are able as opportunity for the flesh (to give outside the needs of the local parish only; to storehouse your wealth in case there comes a greater need) but to provide for one another in love.”
“Only do not use your freedom in fasting as opportunity for the flesh (to eat carelessly, mindlessly, or critically [of another]—God forbid) but to tame the flesh and give thanks to God for his provision in love.”
Much of our work is neither magical nor moral, but all is spiritual. When a priest flubs up the words of the Anaphora, “And make this bread to be the precious B-l-ody; uh, uh, Body of our Lord…,” does this invalidate the Mystery? Does this put a sort of cover on the heavenly manhole? Does the Spirit say, “Excuuu-se me? Uh-uh, I ain’t coming down”? Surely not. When a deacon chants, “Again and again, in peace, let us pay to the Lord,” does this render the ears of God deaf to the petition that follows? When a cantor sings in Tone 9, does this rob the hymn of its edifying power? No, no. Is it best for a priest, a deacon, a cantor to be as attentive, as reverent, as diligent as possible in performing their sacred office? Of course! But from whom does all grace come? Who is it that works through the service—beautiful or not, perfect or not—of the officiants? God. God is the one who works and who wills, and we are so blessed to cooperate with him; faithless, and stupid, and imperfect though we be. God forbid that we be so Pharisaical as to be unjustly critical, unjustly legalistic of others and their service, and even, of ourselves.
Who is it that turns the offering into the Eucharistic Mystery? God. Who is it that receives our prayers as an evening sacrifice? God. Who is it that gave the Law? God. Who is it that fulfilled the Law? God. Who is it that reaches out his hand (yes, even sometimes on the Sabbath) to heal the blind, the cripple, the sinner? God.
In our ministry, our prayer, our fasting, our tithe, our everything, may we always remember, the Tradition is for us: to guide us, to perfect us in holiness, to chastise us when we need it, and to support us and to offer us God’s grace, also, when we need it. If God can say to the paralytic in his lameness, “Rise, take up your bed and walk,” then surely, he will also say to us, who are paralyzed by the fear of imperfection, anxiety, legalism, fear of criticism, fear of messing up, “Hey, it’s going to be alright. My grace is sufficient for you [2 Cor 12:9]. Get up.”
Through the prayers of our holy fathers and mothers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!