Embracing The Real

The whole point of Orthodoxy is to bring us to an ever-dawning embrace of reality focused on Jesus Christ.

I say it all the time: “Father” isn’t a title. At least it isn’t just a title. Of course, I hear folks objecting to we Orthodox calling our priests “father” all the time and quoting Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”

Jesus also goes on to command us never to call anyone “master” or “teacher” either.

So, why do we still do it? Because of the revelation we read about in today’s lesson.

You see, dearest, Jesus insists we always tell the truth, face reality, abandon delusion, and wake up to the power of Truth to set us free!

Look at our lesson today in Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2:

Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.

It is always important to remember why a letter in the Bible was written in the first place. It’s important to know who the letter was written to and what is it about that audience that the Apostle is trying to instruct or correct. Knowing the background of the Scriptures is part of being a good student of the Holy Scriptures and unpacking all the spiritual treasuries and wisdom found there.

And the Book of Hebrews is a letter written to, as the name suggests, Hebrews. These are Jewish converts to Christianity in the time of St. Paul, himself a Jewish convert to Christ.

This letter is written at a time when these precious believers were facing persecution and a lot of pressure to abandon Jesus and go back to Temple Judaism. St. Paul speaks to these dear ones and tells them that what they have in Christ is Better because Christ is the fulfillment of all the promises they had in their old ways. He insists these Christians would be going backward if they abandoned Jesus. And he’s right!

Paul does this by comparing the reality of what they have in Christ to the shadow of what they had before Christ. Paul tells these believers that Jesus is a Better High Priest because He never has to make another sacrifice again. He is the Eternal High Priest. Paul tells them that Jesus is Better than the physical Temple in Jerusalem because He is resurrected as the true Builder of an Eternal Temple by assembling together His Church, which is a “temple not made with hands,” to be God’s Eternal home.

So, all reality, all revelation, and all wisdom are embodied in Jesus Christ, who offers humans eternal reality!

That’s why Jesus commands us not to lie when or if we call anyone “father.” It isn’t a prohibition against saying a word. Jesus insists we tell the truth! Does the priest actually reflect the Only True Father we have? Does his life and love for us reflect he takes seriously his role in being an icon (and an icon only) of our True Father?

Orthodox Christianity is the disciplined life lived by committed disciples of Jesus that pulls the curtain back on the delusions of this world to challenge us to deal with reality; the reality that God truly loves us and sets us free to return that love in a life transforming communion. Tell the truth. Don’t LIE!

No wonder the Church calls us to remember that great saint of the Faith Photios, the Patriarch of Constantinople. This hero of the Faith stood in the face of multiple voices calling him to abandon reality and accept the novel notion of authority in the Church that threatened to turn the Church into just another human institution with bosses and underlings. This man stood against the reduction of the Holy Icons to just pictures. He defended the teaching of the Church about the true nature of Christ, and he insisted we deal with reality based on Jesus and not the delusions of temporary political power. No wonder we call him “thrice-blessed.”

Today, are you allowing the Faith to continually conform your living to the eternal reality of Jesus Christ? Normal Orthodox life looks so weird to our modern society because we refuse to believe the lie that the temporary is more important than the eternal!

P.S. Far-reaching beacon of the Church and God inspired Guide of the Orthodox, you are now crowned with the flowers of song. You are the divine words of the Spirit's harp, the strong adversary of heresy and to whom we cry, "Hail all-honorable Photios."