Commentary for (Mark XVI, 9-20; Romans V, 1-10; Matthew VI, 22-33; 2 Corinthians XI, 21-XII, 9; Matthew XVI, 13-19)

Oleksandr Zhabenko 🇬🇧
Glory Be to Jesus Christ!
🌞

Since in the works published at the following links:
https://churchandsociety.org.ua/pdf/projects/zbirnyk.pdf
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/17082024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27112024.html
it is written that the use of prepositions is important for the correct understanding of important and actual issues, in particular the issue of power, I am writing commentaries on the use of these prepositions. As a piece of advice on how to read the text, you can read the verse in translation and/or in the original (if you have the opportunity), and then the commentary on prepositions here. Next, you need to understand which part of the verse the commentary refers to, and consider what it affirms — or less often, denies — that is essential to understanding. This thoughtful reading helps to deepen understanding and protects against the mistakes mentioned above.

Matins:
(Mark XVI, 9-20)
More about the reading from the Gospel see at the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/04052025.html

Liturgy:
(Romans V, 1-10)
Romans V, 1 — 'ἐκ πίστεως' - 'ek pisteos' - from faith. It concerns becoming righteous through active manifestations of faith in life. See more at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/22032025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10062025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/18062025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/21062025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/28062025.html

Romans V, 2 — 'εἰς τὴν χάριν ταύτην ἐν ᾗ ἑστήκαμεν' - 'eis ten kharin tauten en he estekamen' - into this grace in which we stand; into this grace with which we are established. That is, access to what, to Whom, and what this means.

Romans V, 3 — 'ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν' - 'en tais thlipsesin' - in tribulations. That is, in what circumstances we boast.
About the chain, hope and love — living Christian hope is a consequence of love from God, therefore when a person preserves and multiplies the gift of love, then they are enduring and in them in various life events, situations there is born unashamed hope in God's love, eternal life and victory over sins. This hope is not these gifts themselves, but when all these gifts are manifested it becomes stronger.
See also:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/posts/

Romans V, 5 — 'ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου τοῦ δοθέντος ἡμῖν' - 'en tais kardiais hemon dia pneumatos hagiou tou dothentos hemin' - in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us. That is, here one need not separate the Holy Spirit and God's love. The image of liquid that flows, pours, fills, points to the meaning of the comparison — the Holy Spirit filling in the heart all new and new areas, places, like that liquid, and precisely in these areas God's love appears. The heart here is the place in which the Holy Spirit is to pour out, flow further — to new places, so that there God's love might appear. One can here figuratively speak about the action of the Holy Spirit, God: the action of the Holy Spirit — a river, current, stream of love, which embraces in the heart all new and new.

Romans V, 8 — 'ἀγάπην εἰς ἡμᾶς' - 'agapen eis emas' - love towards us. Shows the gradualness of the revelation (movement of revelation, manifestation) of God's love in Christ. Also indicates to whom God's love leads Him Himself — to people, to their search for their salvation.

Romans V, 9 — 'ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ' - 'en to haimati autou' - with His Blood. With what we become righteous, what leads people to true righteousness, justification. 'ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς' - 'apo tes orges' - from the wrath. The preposition 'apo' indicates here that salvation means complete deliverance from the state which provokes God's righteous wrath, therefore, complete becoming righteous.

Romans V, 10 — 'σωθησόμεθα ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ' - 'sothesometha en te zoe autou' - we shall be saved in His life; we shall be saved by His life. Here both variants of translation are possible. The first indicates that people's salvation — is in Christ's Resurrection from the dead, the second — that the life of the Risen Christ is people's salvation. Were reconciled — literally changed mutually, came to a compromise, exchanged. It means that Christ died instead of us (exchange), and this made people and God similar in Christ (brought close, became like a compromise). The meaning of reconciliation is derivative from the general meaning of the passage. The sacrifice of the Son of God became the Sacrifice of reconciliation.

More about the reading see at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/25062023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/14072024.html

(Matthew VI, 22-33)
Matthew VI, 22 — ´απλους´ - ´haplous´ - folded together, single, simple, perfect, complete (eye). ´ολον´ - ´holon´ - all, whole. folded together whole, all, single — probably, in modern language — full and whole eye, that is, perception, awareness, sight, view, worldview, also all the full body, that is, here rather the state of life, of human nature.

Matthew VI, 23 — 'ἐν σοὶ' - 'en soi' - in you. Where. The importance of mind, perception, sight, attitude and the like in a person's life, particularly spiritual.

Matthew VI, 26 — ´εμπλεψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ´ - ´emblepsate eis ta peteina tou ouranou´ - look attentively at (unto), carefully observe the birds (as if you live in their environment, among them, try to be similar to them as your surroundings, neighbours) of heaven. It concerns visible birds that have bodies and bodily needs (part of living nature). 'οὐδὲ συνάγουσιν εἰς ἀποθήκας' - 'oude synagousin eis apothekas' - neither gather together into barns (places for storing supplies). Where.

Matthew VI, 27 — 'τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν' - 'tis de ex hymon' - who then among you. That is show Me such a person! Where are they? — as a manifestation of confidence that there is none such.

Matthew VI, 28 — ´καταμαθετε´ - ´katamathete´ - consider well. See also at the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/uk/Matthew6.html

Matthew VI, 29 — 'οὐδὲ Σολομὼν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ περιεβάλετο ὡς ἓν τούτων' - 'oude Solomon en pase te doxe autou periebaleto hos hen touton' - not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these (lilies). I wrote earlier, here I shall quote part of the citation:
Lest it should seem from the foregoing that Christ despises external beauty, He also says this. Notice that here the lilies turn out to be more glorious than Solomon, God's chosen one, known for the fact that in his time there was peace and much gold, he built the temple and a very glorious temple for the Lord and was glorious not only externally, but also by his great wisdom. Here Christ unexpectedly says that the lily is more glorious than Solomon himself, God's chosen one. How can this be, for this is quite opposite to what He had just said, that you are more valuable than grass. But the matter is that beauty needs to be noticed; if one does not pay attention to the beauty around, the beauty of ourselves as well, then it is often unnoticeable and it seems that there is none at all. But as you begin to look closely, you will see what an abyss of this beauty is hidden there where we perhaps do not notice at all, for look: lilies are beautiful in that the Lord has invested so much in them, in each cell, in each tissue of their organism, they are filled with God's design, God's care, and any researcher, truly a good botanist will say that very much is laid there, their organism is truly wonderful. Concerning Solomon, it is primarily about his clothing: a person cares for clothing, creates it partially beautiful, one can say that he does not invest in his clothing as much wisdom as the Lord has laid in the lily as an organism. Therefore, if we look at this, then lilies in this sense are more glorious, more beautiful than Solomon's clothing.
Also noticeable here is a certain hierarchy of beauty: first things which we consider beautiful, more — living nature which does not have an immortal soul, particularly plants and animals (therefore quite Christian are the efforts of animal protectors, for example, concerning not using their fur for decorations), even more — people who are created in the image of God.
I wrote in detail at the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/Beauty.html

Matthew VI, 30 — 'εἰς κλίβανον' - 'eis klibanon' - into the oven. Where. See the link above.

See also the verse at the link about cares (verse 34) — expanded semantic poetic translation of the Gospel verse:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C7cEETLs_Qe/

To the Apostles Peter and Paul:
(2 Corinthians XI, 21-XII, 9; Matthew XVI, 13-19)
2 Corinthians XI, 21 — 'ἐν ᾧ' - 'en o' - in what; by what. Both variants of translation are possible. 'ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ' - 'en aphosyne' - in want of reason; unreasonably; foolishly. How. The apostle does not encourage speaking about oneself and one's achievements. Here he as if enters into competition, who is greater, which Christ also teaches to avoid, but does this for the salvation of disciples. See more at the links:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/posts/
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/20022023.html

2 Corinthians XI, 23 — 'ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως' - 'en kopois perissoteros' - in labours more (that is in higher measure — in the passage several times). 'ἐν πληγαῖς περισσοτέρως' - 'en plegais perissoteros' - in stripes more (excessively, much). 'ἐν φυλακαῖς ὑπερβαλλό' - 'en phylakais hyperballo' - in prisons immeasurably (even more, much, which is difficult to keep all at once in operative memory, that is more than 7-9 times). 'ἐν θανάτοις πολλάκις' - 'en thanatois pollakis' - in deaths many times. The plural indicates circumstances and state of affairs, that is in circumstances when death is expected.

2 Corinthians XI, 24 — 'ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων' - 'hypo Ioudaion' - from Jews. The preposition 'hypo' here with genitive case and indicates here the passive state of receiving (as unjust punishment for preaching Christ). 'πεντάκις τεσσεράκοντα παρὰ μίαν' - 'pentakis tesserakonta para mian' - five times forty save one. That is, maximum disciplinary punishments by Jews. The preposition 'para' here with accusative and indicates here that something is lacking, namely — only one stroke less than exactly 40.

2 Corinthians XI, 25 — 'ἐν τῷ βυθῷ' - 'en to bytho' - in the deep sea. That is in the open sea without a ship, simply on the waves in the water.

2 Corinthians XI, 26 — 'ἐκ γένους' - 'ek genous' - from family (from Jews). 'ἐκ γένους' - 'ex ethnous' - from nations (that is from Gentiles). That is, from whom were the dangers. 'ἐν πόλει' - 'en polei' - in cities. Where. 'ἐν ἐρημίᾳ' - 'en eremia' - in wilderness. Where. 'ἐν θαλάσσῃ' - 'en thalasse' - in sea. Where. 'ἐν ψευδαδέλφοις' - 'en pseudadelphois' - in the midst (environment) of false brethren. In what environment, among whom.

2 Corinthians XI, 27 — 'ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις πολλάκις, ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει, ἐν νηστείαις πολλάκις, ἐν ψύχει καὶ γυμνότητι' - 'en agypniais pollakis, en limo kai dipsei, en nesteiais pollakis, en psykhei kai gymnoteti' - in many watchings (without sleep), in hunger and thirst, in many fastings (that is without food for several days and nights), in cold and nakedness. How, in what, in what situations and states.

About verses 2 Corinthians XI, 31-XII, 9 see at the link:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/03112024.html

More about the reading from the Apostle see at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/29062024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/12072023.html

Since there are many reflections on the topic of conflict between the apostles Peter and Paul, I must say the following here.

The conflict described in Scripture was not theological. All the apostles at that time agreed on theology. Peter was pleasing people.
The greatest zealot of Old Testament traditions was James, but he personally advocated for a peaceful proposal. Peter adhered to tradition until God's revelation in matters of ritual. But in the case of conflict with Paul he simply did not act according to faith and reason, but was guided by pastoral considerations regarding some, forgetting about others.

See particularly:
Acts X, 9-16; 34-48; XI, 2-18; XV, 1-33; Galatians II, 11-15.

Paul in other Epistles and texts does not oppose Peter, but those who compelled to observe Jewish traditions.

Peter, judging by everything, under the influence of Paul's rebuke, corrected himself.

The apostles did not compel anyone after the Apostolic Council to observe all the Law of Moses. But besides apostles there are various people in the Church. Just as now a person who enters a Church may meet there not only a bishop or priest, but also parishioners who may say something quite different. The same problem existed in the times of the apostles.

Matthew XVI, 13 — 'εἰς τὰ μέρη Καισαρείας τῆς Φιλίππου' - 'eis ta mere Kaisareias tes Philippou' - into the parts of Caesarea Philippi. Where.

Matthew XVI, 17 — 'ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς' - 'ho pater mou ho en tois ouranois' - My Father Who is in the heavens. Where.

More about the reading from the Gospel see at the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/29062024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/12072023.html

Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!