The Compassion of the Christ

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (B)
July 19, 2015
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Excursus. Praise God that after three weeks of worshiping at a rest house, we are now back here and worshiping in our new (albeit still under construction) chapel. It might be coincidence—or the providence of God—that the Old Testament reading today (II Samuel 7:1-17) is about the desire of King David to build a Temple for the LORD (v. 2). The LORD told David through Nathan the Prophet that it will not be he who would built His Temple but his son who would come after him (vv. 12-13); i.e., King Solomon. But because of his desire to build Him a house, the LORD promised David that his dynasty will rule Israel forever (vv. 15-16); and from this “house” will come the Messiah, Jesus the Lord.

It is also the providence of God that our Epistle reading for today (Ephesians 2:11-22) says something of building upon “the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (v. 20, New King James Version) and the building of “the whole building, being fitted together” growing “into a holy temple in the Lord” (v. 21, NKJV). Let the ongoing construction of our chapel be a reminder that we are only building upon the foundation laid by the apostles, with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone.

Introduction

Jesus is the model of compassion (which I would like to render in Tagalog as 'pagmamalasakit'). When He saw the "great multitude", He "was moved with tender compassion* for them; because they were as sheep having no shepherd" (Mark 6:34, John Wesley New Testament). Just as Jesus had compassion upon the people, we are also to show compassion toward our neighbor.

Exposition. In our Gospel reading two Sundays ago (Mark 6:1-13), Jesus sent the Twelve to preach the Kingdom of God, to heal the sick, and to cast out demons. In verse 30 of today's Gospel reading, the Apostles (Greek αποστολος apostolos, 'one who is sent') had returned from their mission and told Him everything they had done. Their mission was very demanding (physically and spiritually), so He told them, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while" (v. 31). St. Matthew adds that Jesus had also heard of the beheading of His servant and cousin, St. John the Baptist (14:13); no doubt that He wanted to be alone and mourn. "And they departed into a desert place by boat privately" (Mark 6:32).

But when the people saw Him, they ran to the place where He and His disciples went. By the time Jesus arrived at the place, there was already a large crowd of people (Mark 6:33-34). When He saw the people, he "was moved with tender compassion for them; because they were as sheep having noss shepherd" (v. 34, John Wesley New Testament).

What is 'compassion'? Many Tagalog versions, including the Ang Biblia 1901, the Magandang Balita Biblia 1985, & c. use the word nahabag ('felt pity'). But I prefer to use the word nagmalasakit ('had compassion on them'), as in "Nagmalasakit siya sa kanila sapagkat para silang tupang walang pastol" (v. 34, Magandang Balita Biblia 2005, altered).

Compassion is different from pity. Pity is saying, "It is cold. Too bad you have nothing to wear and to eat. I'll just pray for you. 'Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled (cf. James 2:15-16). Compassion means feeling other people's pain.

In today's Gospel, there are four ways that Jesus showed compassion.

I. Jesus taught the people. (Mark 6:34)

When Jesus saw the people, He "was moved with compassion because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things" (v. 34, New King James Version).

We have been reading and listening to the Word of God for years. One way of showing compassion to others is teaching people the Word of God. We need to teach people that they need the Lord. We need to tell people to teach people to pray in the time of need (see Hebrews 4:16). We should teach them to love their enemies, to bless those who curse them, to do good to those who hate them, and to pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44).

The next two points were skipped over today's Gospel pericope: the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Mark 6:35-44) and the Walking on Water (6:45-52). This will be the Gospel reading for next Sunday (from John 6:1-21).

II. Jesus fed the hungry (Mark 6:35-44)

After teaching the people "many things", Jesus fed the hungry. This shows us that Jesus cares not only for our souls but also for our bodies also. When the day was "far spent", the disciples asked Jesus to send the people away so that they can buy food (vv. 35-36). But Jesus fed the people (five thousand men, not counting women and children) using five loaves and two pieces of fish.

Jesus showed compassion by feeding the hungry. This means that He cares about our bodily needs. We should not only be concerned with the salvation of their souls but also with their bodily needs.

III. Jesus rescued the disciples from calamity (Mark 6:45-52).

After Jesus fed the multitude, He made His disciples get into a boat and go before Him on the other side while He stayed behind to dismissed the people and to pray by Himself on a mountain (vv. 45-46). When they were in the middle of a lake, a sudden squall came upon them; and Jesus came to them walking upon the water (vv. 47-48).

Another way of showing compassion is by helping people who were hit by calamity. The United Methodist Church has an agency called UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. It brings aid to people hit by calamity here in the Philippines and all over the world. Our bishop in the Manila Episcopal Area, Bishop Rodolfo A. Juan, has a program called Disaster Response and Relief Team (DRRT) whose aim is to help people struck by typhoons or any calamity. Part of your offerings are given as apportionments; part of which is used to help people struck by disaster in many places around the world.

IV. Jesus healed the sick (Mark 6:53-56).

When Jesus and the disciples arrived at the land of Gennesaret, He healed the sick that were brought to Him from all over region or in whatever place He went (vv. 53-56). Jesus showed compassion by healing the sick.

All of us have ministries to the sick. Doctors, nurses, and other health professionals treat illnesses using medicines, surgery, medical equipment, & c. We pastors heal the sick by anointing them with oil and praying for them (cf. Mark 6:13; James 5:13-17). You lay people may not have the ability to prescribe medicine or to anoint with oil, but you also have the ministry to pray for one another. You can also visit those who are sick, care for them, help those who watch over them, bring them food, & c.

Conclusion

John Wesley wrote Nature, Design, and General Rules of these United Societies in 1743, which would eventually become the General Rules of The United Methodist Church. According to him, the only requirement for those who want to join the Methodist societies is "a desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins". These rules are divided into three: 1) to do no harm; 2) to do good; and 3) to attend upon the ordinances of God. Under the second section, to do good, John Wesley instructed:

Secondly: By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men:

To their bodies, of the ability which God giveth, by giving food to the hungry, by clothing the naked, by visiting or helping them that are sick or in prison.

To their souls, by instructing, reproving, or exhorting all we have any intercourse with; trampling under foot that enthusiastic doctrine that "we are not to do good unless our hearts be free to it".

Wesley concluded the General Rules thus:

These are the General Rules of our societies; all of which we are taught of God to observe, even in his written Word, which is the only rule, and the sufficient rule, both of our faith and practice. And all these we know his Spirit writes on truly awakened hearts. If there be any among us who observe them not, who habitually break any of them, let it be known unto them who watch over that soul as they who must give an account. We will admonish him of the error of his ways. We will bear with him for a season. But then, if he repent not, he hath no more place among us. We have delivered our own souls. (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2012, par. 104, pp. 77-78)

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* The Latin Vulgate does not use the word compatio in this verse; but rather: "Et exiens vidit turbam multam Jesus: et misertus est super eos, quia erant sicut oves non habentes pastorem, et cœpit docere multa". The only verse in the Latin Vulgate that uses compatio is Hebrews 4:15 - "Non enim habemus pontificem qui non possit compati infirmitatibus nostris: tentatum autem per omnia pro similitudine absque peccato".

The Beheading of St. John the Baptist

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (B)
July 12, 2015
Mark 6:14-29

Introduction

The measurement of our success should be our faithfulness to the truth, not with our popularity with people. Sometimes, our measurement of success is the approval of the powerful and the popular but not the approval of God. If this is so, then John the Baptist was a failure. We read in the Gospels that multitudes of people listened and followed him (see Matthew 3:5 and Mark 1:6). But in our Gospel reading today (Mark 6:14-29), John the Baptist refused to compromise the truth, so he was beheaded. In the eyes of men, he was a failure; but not in the eyes of God.

Exposition. In last Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mark 6:1-13), Jesus called twelve of His disciples to preach of the Kingdom of heaven, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons (cf. Matthew 10:7-8). When Herod the tetrarch heard about Jesus, “for His name had became well known”, he thought the John the Baptist had risen from the dead (Mark 6:14).

I. Herod the Great, Founder of the Herodian Dynasty

There is a popular television series now based on a series of novels known as Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. One of the many characters there is Lannister family, a powerful and wealthy ruling family. The House Lannister is known for their incestuous relationships among each another. (For example, twins Jaime and Cersei Lannister produced a son, Joffrey Baratheon, who would sit on the Iron Throne.)

The Herodian dynasty is kind of like the Lannister family, only a lot worse. The Herod in our story is not the Herod who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents (Matthew 2:16-18). The king during the time of Jesus’ birthday was the father, Herod the Great. Herod was an Idumean (i.e., Edomite) who was installed as a “client-king” of Judea by Augustus Caesar (The Wars of the Jews*, Book 1, Chapter 20). He is known for his massive infrastructure projects; such as the Temple in Jerusalem, which took forty-six years to build (see John 2:20; cf. Jewish Wars I:21). But Herod the Great was also known for his cruelty, executing his wives and children (see Jewish Wars I:22-ff.).

Herod the Great died a horrible death—the Bible mentions that Herod died (see Matthew 2:20) but not how. According to the Roman Jewish historian Josephus, Herod died at the age of seventy.

After this, the distemper seized upon his whole body, and greatly disordered all its parts with various symptoms; for there was a gentle fever upon him, and an intolerable itching over all the surface of his body, and continual pains in his colon, and dropsical turnouts about his feet, and an inflammation of the abdomen, and a putrefaction of his privy member, that produced worms (Jewish Wars I:33.4).

Even if he bathed in hot springs or had hot oil poured upon him, he could not find relief. Before he died, he decided that instead of having a single heir, his kingdom be divided into four and ruled by four of his children.

I met a certain young Roman Catholic parish priest in Ilocos Sur named Father R. His advocacy is the end of political dynasties. (Observers of Philippine politics know that certain places in the country and even positions in the national government are dominated by certain political families.) Whenever he preaches anything remotely related to political dynasties, he is summoned by the powers-that-be. And still he would not stop!

II. Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch

The Herod in our story is the son of Herod the Great and also goes by the name Herod Antipas (or Antipater). He is the governor or tetrarch of Galilee. The woman he took was Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, tetrarch of Traconitis (also known as Herod Philip II) (Mark 6:17). According to Josephus, Herod Antipas fell in love with Herodias when they in Rome. But at that time she was already the wife of Philip and he himself was married (Antiquities XVIII:5.1). To make things more complicated, Herodias is the daughter of their brother Aristobulus, making her their niece!

What was strange about Herod Antipas is that he actually enjoyed listening to John the Baptist and feared him as a man of God (Mark 6:20). (According to Josephus, if Antipas had John executed, the people might rebel against him—Antiquities XVIII:5.2; cf. Matthew 14:5) There are still people who are like Herod Antipas: they enjoy reading and listening to the Word of God yet they do not do what it says!

Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice. (James 1:20, Today’s English Version)

III. Herodias and Salome

They say that behind a great man is a great woman. The same thing can be said of Antipas. As we said earlier, Antipas actually feared John the Baptist, recognizing him as a just and holy man and even protected him. It was actually because of Herodias who had John the Baptist bound and thrown into prison (Mark 6:17). She wanted him executed but Antipas would not have him executed.

Women, like the ninja, have plenty of weapons up their sleeve. The “opportune” time came on Herod’s birthday, when Herodias’ daughter, traditionally identified as Salome (Antiquities XVIII:5.4), danced before Herod and his guests. When asked for what she wanted, Herodias had her daughter ask for “the head of John the Baptist on a platter” (Mark 6:25). Antipas had no choice but to have John the Baptist executed (vv. 26-30).

Conclusion: Where was Jesus?

The question now here is: Where was Jesus when all these things happened? Was He ‘too busy’ with the ministry that He had no time to save His very own cousin and loyal servant?

Josephus records the defeat of the army of Antipas when he went to war with King Aretas of Arabia Petres, whose daughter Antipas divorced so that he can marry Herodias:

Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness (Antiquities XVIII:5.2)

Where was Jesus in all of this? God in his mysterious and sovereign will allows faithful servants such as John the Baptist to become martyrs (Greek μάρτυς martus) which also means ‘witness’. The death of people like John the Baptist is an example for us to hold on to the faith even until death.

Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword;
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’ver we hear that glorious word.
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee ‘til death.

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* When citing Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews is henceforth referred to as Antiquities while The Wars of the Jews is Jewish Wars. Hence, The Wars of the Jews, Book I, Chapter 33, Paragraph 4 is cited as "Jewish Wars I:33.4".

Rejection and Mission

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 5, 2015
Mark 6:1-13

 Introduction

The theme of today's Gospel reading (Mark 6:1-13) is rejection and mission. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus was rejected in His hometown of Nazareth. Nevertheless, He continued His mission and even called twelve of His disciples to engage in mission and taught them how to handle rejections. As we United Methodists engage in our mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” (The Book of Discipline 2012, ¶120) Jesus helps us in handling rejection.

I. Jesus' Rejection at Nazareth (Mark 6:1-8)

After healing the hemorrhaging woman and raising Jairus' daughter (last Sunday's Gospel reading, Mark 5:21-43), Jesus “came to His own country' (Mark 6:1); i.e., to Nazareth (cf. Luke 4:16). On the Sabbath day He went to the synagogue and taught (v. 2).

A. People had two reactions to Jesus: astonishment and rejection.

1. At first, the people were “astonished” at Him: “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!” (v. 2, New King James Version) They marveled at a) His wisdom, as shown in His teaching, and at b) His power, as seen in the miracles (called here as “mighty works”, Greek δυναμις dunamis, 'power'; the etymology of the English word dynamite) that He performed.
2. But afterwards, they were “offended” at Him. They made mention of His family: that He is the son of Mary, and of His brothers and sisters*. “So they were offended (Greek εσκανδαλίζοντο eskandakilizonto, 'scandalized' or 'made to stumble') at Him” (v. 3).

B. As a result, Jesus “could do no mighty work there” (v. 5). Some “faith preachers” use this verse to “prove” that faith is necessary for miracles to happen. Conversely, if one does not experience miracles, one “does not have faith” (or worse, is harboring some “unconfessed sin”). But Jesus was able to perform a few miracles there: “...except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them” (v. 5). Jesus did not perform miracles (at least not many and not openly) there because “He marveled at their unbelief” (v. 6).

Jesus often requires faith when performing miracles; but as God, He has sovereign will to do whatever He pleases. He can perform miracles even in the absence of faith. But Jesus performs miracles so that people will have faith in Him (cf. John 2:11). He knew that people that even if He performed miracles, the people will still not believe in Him. (Which was what the St. John wrote in his Gospel: “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they would still not believe in Him”--John 12:37, New International Version).

C. Jesus taught us how to respond to rejection in the ministry. 1) He continued to do good, even to a few (v. 5) and 2) He continued in His work of teaching: “Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching” (v. 6).

II.   The Mission of the Twelve (Mark 6:9-13)

Afterwards, Jesus called twelve of His disciples to Himself “and gave them power over evil spirits” (v. 9). He commanded them to preach on the Kingdom of God, to heal the sick, to cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons (cf. Matthew 9:7-8).  He gave them orders that are still useful to us today.

A. In mission, depend on God for provisions. “He commanded them to take...no bag, no bread, no copper in their their money belts” (v. 8). Conversely, they were told to take only what is necessary for the journey: a staff and sandals (for walking); but not to have two tunics (i.e., a change in clothes. They are to depend on the hospitality of the people of the place. In His commission to the Seventy disciples, Jesus said,

And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.” (Luke 10:7-8)

Jesus told them not to go “from house to house”--which does not mean that they are not to conduct house-to-house visitations, but not to look for better accommodations elsewhere!

There are those who go on mission who sustain themselves with livelihood. For example, St. Paul supported himself by tent-making (Acts 18:3). There are those, like the Apostles, who were called to full-time ministry. But for most of us, bivocational clergy and especially you lay people, you are called to make a living. Nevertheless, we are to depend on God for our needs!

B. Be prepared to handle rejection. Jesus also taught the disciples how to handle rejection. Just as they might receive hospitality, they will also receive rejection! Jesus taught the disciples that when they are rejected in a town, they are to shake off the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. (v. 11). Shaking off the dust off one's feet is a gesture of judgment. According to John Wesley, (Notes Upon the New Testament), the Jews considered the very dust of the Israel as holy. When they have come from a Gentile town, they shake off the dust of their feet before entering the Holy Land. They believed that Gentile dust should not be brought into Jewish soil. Thus, to shake dust off one's feet at someone is to declare that that someone is an unbeliever!

People are free to reject to good news of the Kingdom of God. As believers, we are to recognize that a person chose not to believe. Jesus told the Seventy to say,

The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you. (Luke 10:11, NKJV)

But that we are also make people realize that rejecting the Gospel does not absolve them of responsibility. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (v. 11).

Conclusion

In our Epistle reading (2 Corinthians 12:1-10), St. Paul mentioned a “thorn in the flesh” (v. 7), perhaps a physical ailment, “a messenger of Satan” (literally, angel of Satan; i.e., a demon!) that was sent to “buffet” him “lest I be exalted above measure” (v. 7). He prayed three times for it to be removed (v. 8)--which means that God did not heal him the first and second time. On the third time, God responded; and His response ought to speak to us today:

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore Paul said,

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In our mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”, there may be time that we may be rejected. But God's grace is sufficient for us, and His strength is made manifest in our weakness. By God's grace, when we are weak, then we are strong. Amen.
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* His brothers and sisters – Catholics and the Orthodox understand these “brothers and sisters” are not actual literally brohers and sisters but as other relatives, i.e., cousins. Meanwhile, Protestants and Evangelicals interpret this as Jesus' literal brothers and sisters; the children of Joseph and Mary after the birth of Jesus. John Wesley understood these brothers and sisters are  the cousins of Jesus: “They were the sons of Mary, sister to the virgin, and wife of Cleophas or Alpheus” (Note on Matthew xiii:55; cf. Notes on John vii:1, John xix:25, & c.)

Salvation and Healing

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (B)
June 28, 2015
Mark 5:21-43

Excursus. First, a little word on the First Reading from 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27. This is a lament composed by David for the death of King Saul and his friend Jonathan in battle with the Amalekites (1:1, 17-18). This is not “proof” that David and Jonathan were in a homosexual relationship; in spite of the verse that reads:

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; wonderful was thy love to me, passing the love of women. (I Samuel 1:26, Jewish Publication Society, emphasis added)

This is especially controversial now since last Friday, June 26, the United States Supreme Court upheld, in a five-to-four vote, that states must allow same-sex couples to marry.

Men in Middle Eastern cultures, such as Arabs and Jews, are very affectionate. They kiss—something that is strange to American and Filipino culture (but not in certain European cultures—I am not sure if men kiss in other Asian cultures). But they are macho men: that is why Muslims are stereotyped as terrorists--never as hairstylists*! What David and Jonathan had can be better termed as a "bromance".

Introduction

Today’s Gospel reading (Mark 5:21-43) contains a miracle within a miracle. Jairus, a “synagogue ruler”, approached Jesus to heal his sick daughter. On the way to the house of Jairus, a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years was heal by touching Jesus’ garment. Here we do not only have stories of healing, but also stories of salvation.

Exposition. In Mark 5, Jesus had just crossed over from Gadarenes, where he exorcised a man with a “legion” (a Roman military unit composed of five thousand soldiers plus a thousand support personnel) of unclean spirits, which he allowed to enter into a herd two thousand heads of swine (vv. 1-20). When the people saw that Jesus had power over evil spirits, they became afraid of Him and begged Him to leave (vv. 15, 17). So He and his disciples crossed over again to the other side of Lake Galilee (v. 21) into Capernaum, where they met Jairus, “one of the rules of the synagogue” (v. 22).

I. Jairus (Mark 5:21-24)

Jairus was an αρχισυνάγωγος archisunagōgus, or ‘synagogue ruler’. According to Thayer, his duty is “to select the readers of teachers  in the synagogue, to examine the discourses of the public speakers, and to see that all things were done with decency with ancestral usage”. In modern-day Judaism, he is called a “president of the synagogue”.

When Jairus saw the Lord, “he fell on His feet and begged him earnestly” (vv. 22-23). The “Pinoy Version”** captures the desperation in Jairus’ plea:

“Delikado na po ang lagay ng anak kong babae. Please, sumama po kayo sa akin para mahawakan nyo po ang bata para gumaling sya” [‘My daughter is in critical condition. Please, come with me so that you could touch the child that she will get well.’]

The word used by Jairus for “be healed” is σωζω sōzō, which also means “be saved”. Thus, Jairus’ plea can be translated as “Come lay Your hands upon her so that she [may] be saved and live” (v. 23; Gk. σωθή και ζήση sōthē kai zēsē).

II. The Hemorrhaging Woman (Mark 5:25-34)

On the way to the house of Jairus, there was “a certain woman [who] had a flow of blood for twelve years” (v. 25). In the Jewish law, there is a set of laws for menstruating women called נדּה niddah, or ‘separation’. According to Leviticus 15, a woman on her monthly period is considered “unclean” for seven days (v. 19-24). If a woman’s period lasts for many days, she shall be “unclean” until the end of her period and be considered “clean” after seven days, i.e., on the eighth day (vv. 25-29). Thus, the hemorrhaging woman is considered being on her period, and thus “separated” and unclean, for the past twelve (12) years—as long as the daughter of Jairus has been alive!

The word “unclean” does not always imply sin or "cursedness". It is more often just “ritual uncleanliness”; i.e., being unable to perform rituals. In Jewish law, it is very difficult not to be unclean. In fact, uncleanliness is sometimes necessary to perform a mitzvah, a commandment. In Judaism, burying the dead is a very virtuous act; but one becomes unclean when handling a corpse (cf. Numbers 19:11-22). A person who handled a corpse is considered unclean for seven days; he must undergo a purification ritual (v. 18), take a bath and wash his clothes, and shall be considered clean until the evening (v. 19). Thus, the laws of separation and purification are there for hygienic purposes as well as to give people a time to rest. If we did this until today, women should be entitled to a leave of seven days every month because of their period!

Thus, the hemorrhaging woman was not “outcast” by society. She is merely “niddah”, separated. She wants to be healed. She has already “spent all that she had” on physicians but her condition “grew worse” (v. 26). So when she heard about Jesus, she came in behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer garment (Gk. ιμάτιον himation)***, believing that by doing so, she will be healed (vv. 27-28)

Jesus commended the faith of the now-formerly hemorrhaging woman. Many people were pressing on Him and yet it was only when this woman touched His cloak that He knew “in Himself that power had gone out of Him” (vv. 30-31). He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (v. 34, New King James Version). The word that He used for “made you well” was σέσωκεν sesōken (which comes from the word σωζω sōzō, which means ‘to be saved’); but the word “be healed” was υγιής hugiēs. Thus, the woman was both “saved” and “healed”!

III. The Daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:35-43)

After the healing of the hemorrhaging woman, messengers from the house of Jairus announced that his daughter is dead: “Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (v. 35). Jesus encouraged Jairus, “Do not be afraid, only believe” (v. 36). When they arrived, professional mourners had already arrived (vv. 38-39; rich Jewish families usually hire professional mourners). He took Jairus & his wife, and His inner circle of three disciples, Peter, James, and John (vv. 37, 40) into the room of the girl. He took her hand and said (in Aramaic), “טַלְיְתָא קוּמִי Talitha kumi!”**** ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise!’ (v. 41). “Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement” (v. 42, New King James Version). Jesus then commanded that they tell no one about it (for it is not yet time, as St. John is wont to say in his Gospel) and said that the girl should be given something to eat (v. 43).

The resurrection of Jairus’ daughter may be seen as a picture of the baptism of children. Jairus begged Jesus to come with him so that his daughter***** might be healed—and saved. Jesus required not the faith of the girl but of the parents: “Do not be afraid, only believe” (v. 36). (Could the presence of the three disciples mean that they served as ‘witnesses’?) The resurrection of Jairus daughter is a picture of baptism, which is rising from death to life (Romans 6:3-4).

Conclusion

Jesus said to the hemorrhaging woman, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (v. 34, New King James Version). Jesus does not only care for the salvation of our soul but also the healing of our body. In Jesus we can find complete salvation. Amen.
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* See for example, the comedy movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan, where the titular character is a superpowered Israeli commando who went to America—to become a hairstylist.

** The “Pinoy Verson” is an ongoing translation of the Bible into informal Tagalog. The first portion published is Ang Buhay ni Jesus Christ sa Kwento ni Mark  (2012). The language of the translation is (self-)described as one used “by the young urbanite, usually educated, and very much a user of the Internet”. The style is “a mixture of languages”, with “shortened words, short sentences, [and] simplified spelling…” (Annie del Coro, “Reader’s Note”). 

*** Himation is translated “cloak” in Matthew 5: 40. According to John 19:23, the Roman soldiers divided His himation into four but not his “tunic” (Gk. χιτών chitōn) which was “without seam, women from the top in one piece”. The himation (cloak) was an outer garment; the chitōn (tunic) was an inner garment.

**** In Hebrew, הַיַּלְדָה אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָךְ קוּמִי נָה (Mark 5:41, Trinitarian Bible Society) Hayal’dāh, ani ‘omar lāk: Qumi nāh! ‘Little girl, I tell you, arise!’

***** Jairus’ daughter is called “little” (Gk. θυγάτριον thugatrion, ‘little daughter’) in v. 23 because she might not yet be actually twelve years old. In Jewish law, a “little girl” becomes a “young woman” at twelve years old. Verse 42 might be translated as “around twelve years old”. (In modern-day Reform Judaism, a twelve-year old girl becomes a bat mitzvah, equivalent to a boy becoming a bar mitzvah.)

"Be Still and Know that I am God"

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (B)
June 21, 2015
Mark 4:35-41

The “Jesus Boat” (Image from WikiMedia)

Introduction

In 1986, a drought brought down the water levels in the Sea of Galilee. Two Israeli brothers, Moshe and Yuval Lufan, discovered the remains of a wooden boat buried in the sand. The boat’s remains were 27 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and 4.3 feet high (8.27 meters by 2.3 meters by 1.3 meters). Radiocarbon and other dating methods have placed the age of the boat at around 40 AD (plus or minus 80 years), or around the time of Jesus. There is no proof that Jesus or disciples used the boat, but it must have been typical of the boats of that time. The boat has since been known as “the Jesus boat”.

Today’s Gospel reading is one of the few “nature” miracle stories in the Gospels. There are many stories of how Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons. But only a few involve nature. Other “nature” stories include the Feeding of the Multitudes (the five thousand and the four thousand) and the Walking on Water. Nevertheless, this story of Jesus stilling the storm has the same basic structure as a miracle story, i.e.:

1. The human need - This describes an unsatisfactory aspect of human condition; such as sickness, hunger, being in a storm, & c.
2. The act of Jesus – This describes what Jesus says and does to treat the human condition: the sick are healed, the hungry are fed, the storm is stilled, & c.
3. The human response – This describes how humans react to the power of Jesus: they become afraid, they are filled with awe, & c.

The stilling of the storm shows us the power of Jesus not only over sickness and unclean spirits, but over nature itself.

Exposition. Jesus had just finished teaching the people with parables (we studied two of these last Sunday: the Parable of the Growing Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed). There was a multitude on the shores of Lake Galilee; so Jesus had to sit in a boat and teach them from there, a little distance from the shore (Mark 4:1; in order not to be crushed by the crowd, cf. 3:9). After teaching that is when Jesus said, “Let us pass over unto the other side” (v. 35).

I. The Human Condition: Sailing in a Storm (Mark 4:37-38)

While they were sailing, there was “a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now full” (v. 37, King James Version). Perhaps many people imagine that rain involved here; but the Bible says it was “a great storm of wind”. The boat became full of water not because of rain, but because of the waves. (We Filipinos usually associate strong rains with typhoons; but the word typhoon comes from the Mandarin Chinese 颱風, táifēng*, which means ‘violent wind’. Typhoons are classified by how strong their winds are, not by how much rain they bring.)

The Philippines is a typhoon-prone country. Sometimes classes are suspended because of an approaching typhoon. Back when I was teaching at a state university, I had students from Vanuatu, which is a group of islands in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. I asked them when was the last time a typhoon (which they call a “cyclone”) hit their country. I was surprised that one Ni-Van student said it was five years before**. I was surprised to find out that they rarely have cyclones. (Typhoons that hit the Philippines usually form over the Pacific Ocean; but usually somewhere around the Marshall Islands near the Equator, north of Vanuatu.) And they were surprised when I told them, “Usually in the Philippines we usually get twenty per year; sometimes we run out of letters of the alphabet when naming them!”

We Filipinos know storms very well. Just like the disciples, we become afraid. We lose property, livelihoods, and even people that we love. Just like the disciples we cry, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38, New King James Version).

II. The Act of Jesus: Sleeping in the Storm and Stilling the Storm (Mark 4:38)

A. Sleeping in the Storm. While other gospels tell the same story, St. Mark adds the poignant detail of Jesus in the stern of the boat “asleep on a pillow”. (Tradition says the St. Mark had St. Peter as his source for his gospel; thus the little eyewitness details such as these.) In moments like storms we may feel that “God is sleeping” and that He doesn’t care that we are perishing. But the sleeping Lord shows us that we will not sink because He is with us.

B. Stilling the Storm. “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea. ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). “Peace!” (σιώπα! siōpa!) 'Be quiet!' “Be still!” (περίμωσο! perimōso!) This shows the power of Jesus over the forces of nature. The winds and the waves obey His word.

III. The human response: Fear and Faith (Mark 4:40-41)

Jesus asks, “Why are you so fearful?” He knows that we are afraid; and yet it is a mild rebuke:
Why are you afraid when I am with you? “How is it that you have no faith?” (v. 40) Fear is the opposite of faith. When we fear, we lose focus on the One who were should trust. When the disciples saw the power of Jesus, “they feared exceedingly and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’” (v. 41). The disciples became afraid because the Person in the boat has the power to control nature. The wind and the waves obey His word.

Conclusion: “Jesus is Lord; and He will not let you down”
 

Pope Francis preaching at an open-air Mass at Tacloban National Airport.

One of the most touching sermons I’ve heard is the homily of Pope Francis, bishop of Rome, which he delivered in an open air Mass at Tacloban National Airport on January 17, 2015 during his pastoral visit to the Philippines. He came to visit the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) which hit the area 14 months earlier. Quite fittingly, there was also a typhoon when he celebrated Mass there. He had a prepared sermon but he decided not to use it. Instead, he delivered a homily straight from his heart, in his native Spanish. He told the people, “Jesús es el Señor; que Jesús no defrauda”: ‘Jesus is Lord, and He will not let you down’. It was a bold statement to those who have lost homes and loved ones during the catastrophe; and yet it was true. There were plenty of wet eyes on that day.

___________________
* Actually 颱風 táifēng is a doubling of the word 風 fēng, ‘wind’. Note that the first character, 颱 tái, also contains the character 風 fēng, ‘wind’.

** Probably referring to Cyclone Funa in 2008. Vanuatu was recently hit by Cyclone Pam last March 6, 2015.

"Big Things Come in Small Packages"

Third Sunday after Pentecost (B) 
June 14, 2015
Mark 4:26-34
 

Introduction

In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus used figurative stories called parables* to teach people about the Kingdom of God. According to John Wesley, parables are “a kind of instructive speech, wherein spiritual things are explained and illustrated by natural [means]….” (Note on Mark IV:2, Notes Upon the New Testament). Furthermore, a parable has two layers: 1) the proverb, which is “the literal sense”; and 2) the interpretation, which is “the spiritual [thing] resting in the literal sense”.

Jesus taught using parables to speak the Word “to them as they were able to hear it” v. 33); i.e., according to their level of understanding. Earlier in the chapter Jesus said, “To you [i.e., the disciples] it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables” (v. 11). Jesus did not use parables to blind the people from the truth, but to show how unperceptive they have grown to be—if they understood, they would have understood the message of the parables.

Today’s Gospel reading contains a “twin” of parables, the Parable of Growing Seed (4:26-29) and the Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30-32). (The Parable of the Mustard Seed is also told in the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark and is the more well-known one. The Parable of the Growing Seed in only told in the Gospel of Mark.) Both parables use the imagery of a seed. What can we learn about the Kingdom of God from these parables?

I. The Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)

In the Parable of the Growing Seed, we can see the mystery of how a seed grows. A certain man scattered some seed on the ground. Then he went about his daily routine—sleeping by night and rising by day—while the seed grows—how, he does not know (v. 27). But soon the seed grows into a plant and produces grain; and when the grain ripens it is harvested (v. 28).

There are many people who are obsessed with “church growth” as if it was a matter of numbers, without acknowledging that there is a mystery behind it. People believe that by implementing this outreach activity or that discipleship program, the church will grow—and if these fail, they feel frustrated. We fail to understand that church growth involves a synergy (in Greek, συνεργέω, sunergeō, ‘working together’) of two things: the work of man and the work of God.

On our side, it is our duty to sow the seed; that is, the Word of God (see Mark 4:14). We cannot harvest if we do not sow because grain does not automatically grow on fields where it was not sown! But on the other side there is the work of God, who makes the seed grow. If you think about it, there is something wonderful and mysterious about the growth of a seed. John Wesley wrote,

For as the earth by a curious kind of mechanism, which the greatest philosophers cannot comprehend, does as it were spontaneously bring forth first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear: so the soul, in an inexplicable manner, brings forth, first weak graces, then stronger, then full holiness: and all this of itself, as a machine, whose spring of motion is within itself. Yet observe the amazing exactness of the comparison. The earth brings forth no corn (as the soul no holiness) without both the care and toil of man, and the benign influence of heaven. (Note on Mark IV:26)

There are people who believe that talking and singing to plants makes them grow better. But no amount of talking or singing can make a plant grow! It is a mistake to think that we can make seeds grow through our own efforts. It is our duty to sow seeds; it is God’s work to make them grow.

In his first epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul dealt with an issue about factionalism in the church in Corinth. Some were for Paul, others were for Apollos, and some claim they were for Christ! St. Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (I Corinthians 3:6-7 New King James Version).

St. Paul “planted” the church in Corinth (Acts 18:1-11) and apparently Apollos (a Grecian Jew from Alexandria, Egypt) continued (“watered”) the work Paul started there (Acts 18:23-28; esp. v. 27). But for Paul, it was not important to know who is more important. He and Apollos both did their part; but the growth of the church in Corinth can be credited to neither of them. In His mysterious way, it was God who “gave the increase”.

II. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32) 

Mustard seeds in Israel. (Image from Dqhall59.com)

The second parable, the Parable of Mustard seed, tells us of the mystery of how something small can grow to be something big. A mustard seed is only about one to two millimeters in diameter; hence, in the Bible, the mustard seed is proverbial for something very small (as in faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6). But when sown, the mustard seed can produce a tree** (generally considered to be the black mustard, Brassica nigra, which is common in the Mediterranean region) which can grow from seven to up to nine feet tall.

The General Sherman, one of the biggest trees in the world. (Image from Wikimedia Commons)

One of the biggest species of trees in the world is the giant sequoia (Sequoiadrendron giganteum). The largest specimen is found in California and named the “General Sherman”; it is 275 feet (83.8 meters) tall, 25 feet (7.7 meters) in diameter, and has an estimated age of 2,500 to 2,700 years. The surprising thing is the size of a sequoia seed: It is only one millimeter long and a wingspan of four to five millimeters wide. Because of its wing and small size, the seed is carried away by the wind. Yes these seeds can produce trees hundreds of feet that can live for more than three thousand years. Big things come is small packages.

The seed of the giant sequoia. (Image from A Life Without Borders)

In the book of Zechariah the Prophet, the LORD said, “For who hath despised the day of small things?” (4:10, Jewish Publication Society). During the time of Zechariah, the Jewish people had a problem. A few years before, they have just returned from the Babylonian Exile. They began to rebuild the Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians 70 years before, under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. But by the time of Zechariah, the people have had grown complacent and stopped rebuilding the Temple. Thus, the LORD showed Zechariah several visions in order to inspire the people to rebuild the Temple. One of these visions was of their governor Zerubabel holding a plumb line, a measuring instrument used in building. God is telling the people: Do not let get discouraged with what you have begun, no matter how small.

Guess what this is. (Image from Ship of Fools)

Often small churches envy the big churches; some traditional churches envy “megachurches” in the malls, & c. We try to imitate their methods, such as bright lights, upbeat music, and entertaining sermons. But these are methods of the world and the world will always be better than the Church in these matters. If people want to be entertained, they can just watch TV or go to a concert. But if they want to go to church, they will go to church!

 The altar of Salcedo Central United Methodist Church.

We are often frustrated of why our churches here in Cavite are often small. I once went on a retreat with some pastors in Ilocos Sur and we visited some of our churches there. There were churches in nearly every barangay and many of them are big and magnificent. One church, Salcedo UMC, was even bigger than the neighboring Roman Catholic parish and the locale of the Iglesia ni Cristo. Most of the churches here in Cavite are around twenty to thirty years old—but many of the churches in Ilocos Sur are more than a hundred years old! If we want to harvest something in a few months, let’s plant a squash; if we want to harvest fruit for years to come, let’s plant a tree!

Conclusion

Jesus used parables to communicate the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. In a seed we can see the mystery of how something that appears to be lifeless can sprout into something that has life. In a seed we can see the mystery of how small things can grow into big things. It is our duty as citizens of the Kingdom to sow the seed of the Word; and let God, in His mysterious power, to make it grow in people’s lives. Amen.

_________________

* In Tagalog, the word parable, in Greek παραβολη, parabolē, is usually translated as “talinhaga”; as in the Ang Biblia (1901; revised 2001), the Magandang Balita Biblia (Tagalog Popular Version, 1985; and Revised TPV, 2005) and the Ang Salita ng Dios version (2010). But in Tagalog, “talinhaga” means ‘figure of speech’ in general. A parable is just one of the many figures of speech (the others being: simile, metaphor, personification, paradox, irony, & c.). Hence, this author prefers the loan word parabula.

** The mustard “tree” is actually a shrub. The expression used in the Bible is that it is “greater than all herbs” (Mark 4:32; in Greek, λάχανον, lachanon, literally, ‘vegetable’ or perhaps also 'herb' or 'shrub'). St. Matthew uses the expression “it is greater than the herbs (λάχανον, lachanon) and becomes a tree (δένδρον, dendron; ‘tree’)” (Matthew13:32).

If No One is Offended by You, You're Probably Not Doing Your Job

Second Sunday after Pentecost (B)
June 7, 2015
II Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6

Introduction

The Rev. Dr. Billy Graham once said, “Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone—except God.” Last May 22, the Republic of Ireland voted in a referendum (62% yes) to allow same-sex marriages—the first nation in the world to do so. (In the United States, same-sex marriage is allowed only in certain states but not allowed in others.) The President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Rev. Peter Murray issued a statement on the referendum. He said:

I strongly urge Methodist families, small groups and larger fellowships to be safe places where LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] people feel accepted and loved, be able to share their stories freely and be involved in the life of the church.

At the same time the referendum result is not compatible with what the Methodist Church in Ireland recognizes as the basis of Christian marriage. Our understanding is that marriage is between a man and a woman and so in the context of weddings with Methodist churches our practice remains that no minister has the authority to conduct the marriage of same-sex partners.

Rev. Murray further stated that while the Irish parliament passes the referendum into law, the government should “ensure that church and other faith bodies will not be compelled by law to act contrary to their definition of marriage”.

The Methodist Church in Ireland could have said, “All right, since 62% of all Irish people believe in same-sex marriage, maybe we should too.” While its president called on “the people called Methodist” not to discriminate against LGBT people, Rev. Murray remained firm on the stand of the church regarding same-sex marriage. (Sadly, it’s a different story in many parts of the UMC in the United States.)

It seems nowadays we are emphasizing on “being nice” and avoiding to offend other people. But I say: If no one is offended at you, you’re probably not doing your job. I’m not telling you to be lazy so that your parents will get angry at your for being lazy. I’m not telling you that it’s your job to offend people. What I’m saying is that if you’re too busy at “being nice”, you’re probably not doing your job.

I. Treasure in Clay Jars (II Corinthians 4:5-12)

In his second epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul the Apostle describes himself and his associates (including St. Timothy, 1:1) as “earthen vessels” that contain spiritual treasure, “that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (4:7).

We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed….

(II Corinthians 4:8-9, New King James Version)

The Orthodox Study Bible says, “This is victorious, but not trouble-free, Christianity. These trials ‘show both the power of God and, more, disclose His Grace’ (St. John Chrysostom)” (note on 2 Corinthians 4:8-12).

II. Jesus and His Disciples Pluck Grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-27)

In the first part of our Gospel reading (Mark 2:23-27), Our Lord and His disciples passed through a field on the Sabbath and “as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain” (v. 23). (According to St. Luke, this happened “on the second Sabbath after the first” [6:1]; i.e., the Sabbath after the Passover.) In the Torah, the people of Israel were told not to harvest the edges of their vineyards and fields in order for poor people to “glean” on them (Leviticus 19:10 and Deuteronomy 24:21). This is what apparently what the disciples did.

When the Pharisees saw this, they said that what the disciples did was “not lawful on the Sabbath” (v. 24) because apparently, gleaning falls under the same category as harvesting, which is work and forbidden on the Sabbath. (In addition, St. Luke adds that the disciples rubbed the grain in their hands, which is the same as grinding them, and is also work forbidden on the Sabbath.)

The Lord answered them with the story of how Abiathar the High Priest (actually his father, Ahimelech; Abiathar would later become High Priest during the reign of King David) gave David and his men, who were starving, gave “showbread” from the Tabernacle to eat (I Samuel 21:1-6). According to the Torah, the showbread are twelve loaves of bread that are placed in a table in the Tabernacle (and later in the Temple) for seven days, and replaced with fresh bread every Sabbath (Exodus 25:30, 39:36). Only priests were allowed to eat the showbread that was taken out of the Tabernacle. David and his men were fleeing for their lives from King Saul, so they were very hungry. So Ahimelech gave David and his men the showbread that had just been taken out of the Tabernacle.

Jesus showed the Pharisees that they cared more about the letter of the Law than it’s spirit; i.e., that it was written for the good of people. That is why He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (v. 27).

III. Jesus Heals the Man with a Withered Hand (Mark 3:1-6)

In the second part of our Gospel reading (Mark 3:1-6), Jesus healed a man with a withered hand in the synagogue during the Sabbath. Again, the Pharisees “watched Him closely…so that they might accuse Him (v. 2). So Jesus asked,

Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?

(Mark 3:4)

In Jewish Law, all of the commandments can be broken only by the commandment to save a life. “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world” (Mishnah, Tractate Sanhedrin 4:9; Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a). When Jesus asked, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill,” the Pharisees knew the answer—they just don’t like it. So “they kept silent” (v. 4). Jesus broke the law of the Sabbath to save a life—by healing a man’s withered hand. He cared more about doing good than not offending other people’s hypocritical religious sensibilities.

Conclusion

If no one is offended by you, you’re probably not doing your job. Our job is not to “be nice”. Our job is not to please people, but God.

A Sermon for Trinity Sunday - An Exposition of the Nicene Creed

First Sunday after Pentecost (Ordinary Time)
Trinity Sunday (B)
May 31, 2015

Introduction

Last Sunday we celebrated the Day of Pentecost, the end of the Easter Season. Today is the First Sunday after Pentecost, the beginning of Ordinary Time (or, as we United Methodists prefer to call it, “Kingdomtide”). The First Sunday of Ordinary Time is celebrated as Trinity Sunday (called “the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity” in the Roman Catholic Church), which celebrates the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

In our sermon last Ascension Sunday, we said that “mystery” (Greek, μυστηριον, mustērion) does not mean ‘unknown’ but rather ‘cannot be fully expressed in words’. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity can be summed up in the following words: “There is only one God in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. But we cannot fully explain in words how one became three and three became one. It is a mystery.

I don’t like giving illustrations to explain the Holy Trinity because no illustration is perfect; often it repeats past heresies. “The Trinity is like an egg: the shell, the albumen (egg white) and the yolk.” But the shell, the egg white, and the yolk are different substances; that is like saying that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are “parts” of one God. “The Trinity is like I am a father to my children, a husband to my wife, and a pastor to my church.” But this repeats the heresy of Modalism where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are only one Person. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is best summarized as: “There is only one God in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”.

There is no verse in the Bible that says, “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God”.* The doctrine of the Holy Trinity was born from a wide reading of the Scriptures, where the fathers of our faith saw that there is only one God; but the Son and the Holy Spirit share characteristics that only the Father possesses. It is out of this study of Scripture that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity was formulated. And this doctrine is expressed in statements of faith called creeds.

Today, I would like to use as my “text” the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed is one of the two ancient creeds used by The United Methodist Church, the other one is known as the Apostles’ Creed. This creed was called “Nicene” because it was composed during the Council of Nicaea (in modern-day Turkey). Emperor Constantine convened bishops from all over the world in order to end disunity among Christians due to heresy. The greatest threat to the unity of Christians during that time was a heresy called Arianism. During this time, a priest named Arius taught that Jesus Christ was not God but only man. (Until today this heresy is taught by certain groups, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Iglesia ni Cristo.) It is said that there was a “lively” debate among bishops on the true nature of Christ.

One of the bishops was St. Nicholas of Myra (popularly known as Santa Claus). He was known to be a meek and mild person; but it is said that during the debate he punched Arius on the side of the head. Nicolas was removed from his council membership and suspended from his bishopric. Nicholas accepted this suspension; until he was recalled to the Council and was restored to the episcopacy. It was decided that the best way to fight Arianism was to compose a statement of faith called a creed; and St. Nicholas was among those chosen to write it. This statement of faith was eventually called the Nicene Creed.

I. On God the Father.

The Nicene Creed says, “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.” We believe that there is only one God (not three; as the Athanasian Creed says, “So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords”). “We believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth” says the Apostles’ Creed. He made all things, “visible and invisible”; i.e., the physical world in which we live in and the spirit world, which is composed of Heaven and Hell, and inhabited by angels and demons.

II. On God the Son.

The Nicene Creed says, “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God”. Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God (John 3:16) is called the Lord, just like the Father and the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Creed explains the nature of Jesus Christ: He is “eternally begotten of the Father”; using these beautiful words: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God”. Jesus Christ is “begotten, not made”, meaning that He was not created by God but “begotten”. The Creed also says that Jesus Christ is “of one substance with the Father”. Since He was “begotten, not made”, Jesus is “of one substance with the Father”, meaning He is also God. What does it mean that Jesus was “begotten” by the Father in eternity past? Again, it is a mystery. “Through him all things were made.” This means that like the Father, the Son is the Creator of all things.

The Nicene Creed also says that Jesus “came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man”. This is the mystery of the Incarnation, which we celebrate every Christmas Season. The Bible is clear that the Virgin Mary “conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit” (from the Apostles’ Creed; cf. Luke 1:35) but it is not clear on what it means. (Another ancient creed, the Athanasian Creed, explains thus: “Who although he be God and Man, yet he is not two, but one Christ; One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God”.) Again, it is a mystery.

The Nicene Creed furthermore says that Jesus died for our sins: “he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried”—which we commemorate during Holy Friday. “On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures”—which we celebrate during Easter. “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father”—we recently celebrated on Ascension Sunday. The Creed also teaches His coming again: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end”.

III. On God the Holy Spirit.  
“We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord”. The Holy Spirit is Lord: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

“The Giver of life”. The Holy Spirit is the Giver of Life. In Genesis, we read that the Spirit of God was moving “upon the face of the waters” (1:2). According to Bishop Emerito P. Nacpil, in his book The Spirit that Secularizes, the “waters” here are a symbol of nothingness; and it was the Spirit of God that made creation out of this nothing (creatio ex nihilo) possible. In our Psalm for today, the psalmist says that God sent the Holy Spirit and all things (“they”) were created, and he renews “the face of the earth” (Psalm 104:30).

“Who proceeds from the Father”. Before Jesus left the world, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to the disciples: “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me” (John 15:27).

“With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified”. Since the Holy Spirit is the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17), together with the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified.

“He has spoken through the Prophets”. The Bible itself says that it was written through the “inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16; in Greek, θεόπνευστος, theopneustos, literally ‘God-breathed’). The Bible also says that the writers of the Bible were only able to do so because of the Spirit; in fact, even the interpretation of Scripture is through the help of the Holy Spirit: “[K]nowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as there were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 3:20-21).

The Holy Spirit is the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from God the Father. Together with the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
Conclusion: The rest of the Creed.

The Creed ends with other articles of faith. “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church”. It contains the four characteristics of the Church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. There is only “one” Church—denominations, while being a sad reminder of the divisions within the Church, are merely manifestations of the one true Church. The Church is “holy”; i.e., it is separated from this world. The Church is “catholic”—not Roman Catholic but ‘universal’—it’s faith is the same at all places and at all times. The Church is “apostolic”; i.e., its faith comes directly from the Apostles.

The Creed also says, “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins”. There is only “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5)—meaning that we are only baptized once. “For the forgiveness of sins”—as Jesus said in John 3:5, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”.

Finally, the Creed says, “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come”. We Christians believe in “the resurrection of the dead”, which means that we do not believe (as many mistakenly believe) that after we die, we will live as spirits in Heaven forever. No! We believe that Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead”. He will resurrect those who are dead during His Coming and judge them, as Daniel 12:2 says, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”.

This is the Christian Faith. Let us meditate in silence, and rise to profess our faith.

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* In the King James Version and the New King James Version, I John 5:7 reads, “For there are three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Meanwhile, other versions have, “For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree” (I John 5:7-8, English Standard Version). The KJV is based on the Textus Receptus (‘Received Text’), which is not the oldest Greek manuscript. Nevertheless, even in versions that do not have this verse, the teaching on the Holy Trinity is clear.