The topic of reading the Apostle
today is faith, and there are two good works about it at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/PowerOfHuman.html
https://sites.google.com/view/rozdumy23/home/isnuvanna-piznaemo-virou
… for he looked to the reward.
– in the original he looked
intently at the reward, not looking at anything else
– that is, the
English (and not only the English) translation omits an important point.
Indeed, if Moses had thought about something else, not about the reward,
not about justice, compassion and unity with the afflicted native
people, then he would have at least hesitated whether to stay with the
Egyptians, we would have a completely different Moses
, and, moreover ,
perhaps the Lord would have sent someone else to the Israelites.
Remember what happened to Peter when, walking on the water to Jesus
Christ, he began to look at the stormy waves and the storm.
Why did Moses looked at Jesus Christ
? After all, at that time the
Son of God had not yet appeared in this world in the flesh, and Moses
was not yet a prophet called by God? But let’s remember the words of
Christ: Whatever you (did not) did to one of these little ones, you
(did not) did to Me
(Matthew XXV, 31-46). Moses did it for the sake of
the Jewish people, for the sake of God’s justice, therefore, he did it
looking at Jesus Christ
, [Who is] God’s power and God’s wisdom
. The
same can be said about every person who does this like Moses.
Then Paul lists other Old Testament believers, using the word
better
twice – in the original stronger
, that is, that which
excels, is more glorious.
Old Testament saints and believers received perfection in Christ.
Indeed, what was promised to them by God was fulfilled precisely in
Christ. The thought means that God gave fulfillment to the faithful at
the time of Jesus Christ, and not earlier, although people expected it
even before that. Paul does not explain why so much time has passed, but
simply states the very fact of fulfillment.
The reading ends with a call to faithfulness and patience in following Christ and glorifying Him.
A well-known passage about the calling of the disciples Philip and Nathanael (most believe that Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same person). Nathanael believed because he prayed for the coming of the Messiah, Christ, it was a completely secret prayer (as in Matthew VI) that only God could see, and it is believed that he felt in prayer that God hears his prayers, and therefore the promised and long-awaited Messiah of the Jews can come soon.
The answer to Philip’s words is connected with the fact that
Nathanael, as a well-educated Jew, knew the prophecy about the coming of
the Messiah as a descendant of David, from the city of Bethlehem, and
not from Galilee, which, moreover, in those days there were already many
pagans (it is not for nothing that the prophets call it the Galilee of
the Gentiles
).
Nevertheless, his friendship with and trust in Philip was genuine,
why Nathanael left. He also left because he was not biased. Indeed, it
is one thing to have an opinion on this or that question in advance
,
before it is asked, but it is another thing not to want to change it for
the sake of truth, another thing to hold on to it for the sake of pride,
for example, or profit, another thing not to want to learn the truth
where it can really be done, another thing is to put it off for later
under various pretexts, etc. The list can be continued, but Nathanael
did not have all this, he really was an open and sincere person who
knows the Scriptures, who is waiting for the Messiah-Christ, who is
already foreshadowing
Him with his life, although he does not know it
yet. That is why Jesus praises Nathanael, and he realizes the
correctness of praise. Why does it surprised Nathanael? Tell me, would
you dare to praise a complete stranger to you at the first meeting — to
praise about some deeply personal qualities that cannot be judged by
appearance
in any way? And Christ praises absolutely aptly, in the top
ten.
Confession of faith is related to what Christ said about the secret
prayer about the Messiah. The words about the Angels are a parallel to
the famous dream of the patriarch Jacob (Genesis XXVIII, 11-22), which
is also called Israel because of his struggle. But this is also the
science to Nathanael and all those who have an open heart – not to
despise. There is a good essay about it at the link:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CF9Iu1Gg3S6/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mereza/posts/2656891927942736/
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!