🇬🇧 Glory be to Jesus Christ! 🌞
2 Corinthians V, 16 – ‘ημεις’ – ‘emeis’ - ‘we’.
2 Corinthians V, 18, 19 – ‘ημας’ – ‘emas’ – ‘us’. ‘ημιν’ – ‘emin’ - ‘us’.
2 Corinthians V, 20, 21 – ‘ημων’ – ‘emon’ – ‘us’. Verse 20 is best
translated for the reason of Christ, for Christ’s sake, for Christ
become reconciled to God
.
Continuation of yesterday’s reading, which also repeats verse 15 for
the second time.
21082023.html
The Sacrifice of Christ cannot leave people aside because of its significance – Paul asks to be reconciled to God through it (the other option is to reject it, remaining in our sins and multiplying them, which obviously does not lead to God and eternal life in love).
There is a good piece on Christ’s Sacrifice, the Sacrifice of truth
and reconciliation, at this link (it refers directly to today’s reading,
but in different words):
15072023.html
As if God were asking through us
– God does not ask people in the
proper sense, but invites them (hence the comparison, not a direct
statement), but the apostles, not being God, amplify God’s invitation to
the point of pleading. God invites, the apostles implore; it is a kind
of synergy, a cooperation of people with God for the salvation of the
many.
This is a complex theological thought, but it is worthy of attention.
People ask for something when it is something deeply personal, affecting
them directly. For example, when Christ was crucified and despised, He
asked the Father for the forgiveness of people because He was hanging
Crucified on the cross, suffering. Apostles and preachers ask because it
also concerns them directly, personally, it is their mission, their
work, their life. But God does not ask because He does not need our
consent. He Himself gives all good things to everyone, without needing
anything from anyone, but He wants us to live in love and joy with Him
in eternity. As many theologians say: We are not needed to God (He is
Self-sufficient), we are desirable to Him (He loves us).
And another reason is that it is not appropriate for God to be asking people… to be happy forever. But this is exactly what He created them for. If people don’t want eternal life in joy, what will asking them to want it do? That is an important point here – Paul first of all speaks of the desire for reconciliation on the part of people, it is needed that people will want it.
Why do the apostles implore reconciliation? In order not to hinder the preaching of Christ, they humble themselves in this way.
God has reconciled the world to Himself
– God has done everything
(and continues to do so) to make sure that people are truly in peace
with Him. And God expects people to respond.
See also the essay on human freedom:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/DialogueOnWordsChristFear.html
I wrote about the parallel passage in Matthew
(Matthew IV, 18-23) here:
18062023.html
Here Mark speaks of something that was particularly surprising to people at the beginning (and throughout) of Jesus’ preaching: He taught as the Sovereign of God (which is what the Messiah, Christ, is). But we must understand that Christ did not have to do it any other way. He is indeed the Lawgiver and God, so He teaches as the Sovereign, with absolute confidence and full authority.
This also teaches us that when a person does God’s work, they should
do it in faith. There is also a good article about faith at the
following link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/PowerOfHuman.html
To the Apostle Matthias:
For the
story of the choice of Matthias instead of Judas Iscariot, see this
link:
17042023.html
For the reading from the Gospel of Luke, see the explanation of the
parallel passage in Matthew (Matthew X, 5-15):
19062023.html
20062023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!