Sun, July 25, 2004
(Tone 7)
Dormition of Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Theotokos
Kellia: 1 Maccabees 2:15-30 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Gospel: St. Matthew 14:14-22
1 Maccabees 2:15-30, especially vs. 27: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports
the covenant come out with me!" Zeal is considered to be ardent interest in or pursuit of a desired object, yet the zeal of
fallen human beings always is a mix of the best and worst within us as we pursue what we desire. By contrast, as the
Apostle shows (Jn. 2:17), the Lord Jesus, with pure zeal cleansed the Temple of moneychangers, fulfilling prophecy that
"Zeal of Thy house hath eaten Me up" (Ps. 68:12 LXX). Indeed, our zeal is bound up in self-serving and not in honoring
God. St. Paul's example of the zeal refers to those who reject Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:1-4). However, the zeal of Christ
has a different essence, following the pattern of Scripture, in which "zeal" is purified by God (Is. 9:7; Ezek. 5:13). Thus,
some, like Mattathias, burn with zeal" to uphold the righteousness of God (cf. 2 K. 10:15-17; 2 Cor. 7:11).
Godly zeal - of the sort Mattathias exhibited in Modein - is stirred to full flame at the enforcing of apostasy, as by the
officers of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes before Mattathias eyes (vs. 15). The "abomination of desolation" - the worship of
the Olympian Zeus - had been imposed into the Temple at Jerusalem, including the offering of swine on God's altar. The
act was a horror to Mattathias. Then, however, such worship was commanded in every city and town throughout Judah,
and holy zeal, the response of a God-purified heart, ignited in Mattathias. He saw blatant apostasy before his eyes, and he
responded with a zeal of the type which Christ would reveal fully in His cleansing of the Temple before His Passion.
The pure worship of God, commanded in the Law of Moses, had long required that sacrifices only be offered in the Lord's
Temple. Over several centuries, a great and prolonged struggle had gone on in ancient Israel to assure that sacrifices would
only be offered in the Temple at Jerusalem, the single national shrine, God's own designated house of prayer for His
People. Sacrifices at other locations were prone to the subtle introduction of pagan elements (cf., 1 K. 14:22-23). But, the
Seleucid actions commanded sacrifice in every town, and, to assure offence, swine were to be used for the sacrifices - an
unusual practice even for pagans.
Outspoken condemnation of sin and apostasy is another characteristic of righteous zeal. Mattathias' declaration to the
king's officers (1 Mac. 2:19-22) arose in his heart from the Holy Spirit just as did the Lord's outburst against "the
moneychangers, and...them that sold doves...It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it
a den of thieves" (Mt. 21:12,13). In the righteous man's declaration against "departing" from Mosaic tradition, or deserting
"the law and the ordinances" or "turning aside" from the Faith, one hears the universal cry of all the righteous in their pain
and offense at sin and wrongdoing: "My zeal for Thee hath made me to pine away because mine enemies have forgotten
Thy words" (Ps. 118:139 LXX). Both in Mattathias' assault and in the Lord's cleansing of the Temple, indignant words
were the prelude to a full response against evil. Action served as an icon to challenge the Faithful to repudiate sin, resist
apostasy, and seek purity before God. Mattathias not only killed the principals engaged in the abominable sacrifice, but
issued a challenge to all gathered at the scene (1 Mac. 2:27). Similarly, the Lord Jesus' actions prompted "the blind and the
lame" to come to Him in the Temple for healing (Mt. 21:14). In both cases, acts of protest led to full scale repudiation of
sinful activities: for Mattathias, in the igniting of a rebellion (1 Mac. 2:29, 30) and for the Lord Jesus, the setting of His
face toward His Passion to defeat Sin, Death, and Satan.
O Christ our God, Who gave Thyself for us to redeem us from all iniquity, and purify us to Thyself as a people, zealous of
good works, fill us with holy fervor for Thee (see Titus 2:14)