Glory be to Jesus Christ!
🌞
Today's reading has 2 verses in common (5-6) with the reading I wrote about here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/01092023.html
The Apostle Paul speaks figuratively of the faithful as the Bride of Christ, that is, the Church.
But while the Church remains with Christ always, individuals can fall and leave, can even disown and begin to enmity against Christ. Engagement precedes Marriage, and already requires fidelity, but is a kind of test. Therefore, here the life of believers in full unity with Christ (which is most characteristic of the future age, the Kingdom of God) can be figuratively likened to the Marriage of Christ and the Church, in particular, we have the well-known image of the Kingdom of God as the Wedding Supper of Christ. And the path of the earthly Church, in the present age, can then be likened to the period of betrothal.
He also warns against accepting a different teaching, about some other Christ
, either about a different person or that Christ Himself was not that way
. This has been actual in different times, and it is also true now.
The apostle says that the Gospel and the faith of Christ, although they may not be expressed in the best of terms (including by individuals and groups), are deep down priceless, true, right, salvific, glorious, wonderful, joyful, etc.
And the apostles, including Paul himself, share in that fullness of life in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, in truth.
For the parallel passage to verses 57-60 (Matthew VIII, 19-22), please refer to the following link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/01072023.html
Verses 61-62 are similar in meaning to the previous ones, Christ says that one must have determination and irreversibility, finality in the decision to follow Christ. Otherwise, a person is not constant in their aspiration, so they are not reliable in entering the Kingdom of God in the Gospel sense, which I have written about several times before i. e. already in this life to be able to consciously live and do God's will.
There is a visible parallel with 1 (3) Kings XIX, 20, where Elisha asked to say goodbye to his father before becoming a disciple and later a successor of Elijah. Elijah allowed it, but Jesus is Greater than Elijah. The vocation of Christians to follow Christ is even greater than the vocation to become a disciple of the great prophet Elijah.
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!