Bright Saturday
CHRIST IS RISEN!
Saturday, May 7, 2005
4th Vigil of Pascha: Jonah 4 Apostle: Acts 3:11-16 Gospel: St. John 3:22-33
St. John 3:22-33, especially vss. 31, 32: "He Who comes from heaven is above all. And
what He has seen and heard, that He testifies and no one receives His testimony." Recent archaeological explorations
have unearthed hundreds of first-century tubs or pools built in Jerusalem for ritual baptisms. Scrolls found at Qumran
reveal that the Essene community forcefully promoted ritual bathings and cleansings during this same era. In today's
lesson, observe that the disciples of the Forerunner, as well as the community gathering around the Lord Jesus, actively
practiced baptisms.
It is not surprising that St. John's disciples should become involved with other devout Jews in "disputes about purification"
(vs. 25). Notice also the competitive spirit they displayed on behalf of St. John. They worried about the growing
popularity of the Galilean Who had come down into Judea: "behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" (vs. 26).
As he had earlier, the Forerunner humbled himself in relation to Jesus (1:19-34): "He must increase, but I must decrease"
(Jn. 3:30). In this vein, St. John made three assertions: He comes from heaven. He ranks in authority above all on the
earth. He speaks heavenly truth He has seen and heard.
The Forerunner asserts a qualitative distinction between his own relationship with God and the Lord's: "...I have been sent
before Him....He...comes from heaven..." (vss. 28,31). St. John coupled these two remarks with a contrastive explanation:
"He Who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth" (vs. 31). Thus, he
proclaimed the Faith of the Orthodox, asserting the very truth the Church affirmed against Arius and so many other
heretics. Christ our God is no mere creature, not even a superlative, special Creation of God through Whom the Lord
created the universe [Arius' view]. Even as a man, being God Incarnate, He remains God of God, one in essence with the
Father, from before time and forever.
The contrastive images of the Bridegroom and the "friend of the Bridegroom" draw out the same point. The relationship of
God's People with the Lord is cast in terms of marriage: "...and it shall come to pass that as a bridegroom will rejoice over
a bride, so will the Lord rejoice over thee" (Is. 62:5). As St. John Chrysostom says, St. John was consoling them,
"...showing them that it was not a man, but God, Who surpassed them in honor; and that, therefore, they must not wonder
if...all men came unto Him: for...this was the nature of divine things."
The Lord's inherent identity led the Forerunner to affirm Jesus' greater rank and higher authority "ahead" of his own or of
any other human being. "He Who comes from above is above all" (Jn. 1:31). St. John Chrysostom has the point: "...Christ
hath need of nothing, but is Himself sufficient for Himself, and incomparably greater than all." St. John the Baptist
consistently labors to direct all glory and respect to Him Whom he already has identified as "the Lamb of God" (vs.1:29),
as "He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (vs.1:33), as "the Christ" (vs.3:28).
The issue of truth concerning the Lord Jesus dominates this Gospel passage. What the Lord Jesus says, but even more so,
Who He is, is Truth. Neither the Lord nor His words are mere information. They and He are Truth providing eternal
salvation for anyone who "has received His testimony" (vs. 33). The Forerunner emphasizes that anyone who receives the
Lord's testimony (vs. 32) has also "...certified that God is true" (vs. 33). Reflect on "certified" (vs. 33). This word refers to
placing of one's seal on a document. St. John's point is this: when a man receives Christ, he does not merely agree with a
human being. Rather, he embraces what God says. He affirms Jesus' Lordship and commits himself to Christ as God.
Dost thou believe in Him? I believe in Him as King and God.
