Reflections on The Bible Readings

Fourth Sunday of the Holy Pentecost John 12: 35-50

“A little while longer the light is with you, walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you”.

How often, the world blinds man’s sight so that he or she see nothing … this age’s mankind is like a man travelling on an aeroplane which about to crash or erupt in flames and a passenger within the aeroplane is comfortably seated, eating and drinking and enjoying his or her travel with music and films … strange atmosphere within the aeroplane which makes the traveller forget him or herself, unaware that one is flying above the clouds and cannot see what is surrounding them … and abruptly one finds him or herself falling down with a great speed like lightening to the bottom of the seas or on top of mountains or snow … to a fatal end … thus are the gods of this world have blinded the eyes of their followers and they have forgotten their salvation and the everlasting life (in heavens) and have forgotten that life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14) … and their bodies like the shepherd’s tent quickly demolished and covered in dust … We heard, sometime ago of a horrific accident where a family of six people were ridding in one car returning from the cemetery after saying goodbye to a beloved member (of the family) but this departure only lasted a few kilometres till their car collided with a truck and all died under the wheels of a the large truck and nothing was left of their car or the passengers … maybe you do understand now, Beloved, what is meant by “a little while longer the light is with you.

A little while longer the light is with you Job lived for 200 years and said of his time (on earth( “Are not my days few?” )Job 10:20( … And Jacob lived for 130 years and said “few and evil have been the days of the years of my life”

(Genesis 47:9) …

Despite this few is little … but extremely little … how often, one will waste this little time … regardless how frequently one will say “time is short” … but even this short time, man makes it even shorter … what do you do with this short and little time??? Jeremiah the prophet written his prophecy warning the Israelites and their king of the evils of their lack of restraints and evil doings … the scroll where the prophecy was written, was taken to the king who sat by a hearth of fire for warmth )during winter) and after reading a few lines of the prophecy, the king cut the scroll with a knife and trow it in fire to burn and watched as it burned )Jeremiah 36) … perhaps, he thought that the prophecy will not materialize for a long period … or maybe he didn’t think much of what it contained … but, the reality is there was no time to spare … at the same the armies of the enemy were advancing toward the town (where he lived) and a few days later, he was captured and lost his eyes and taken as prisoner in chains …

King Belshazzar ordered for the vessels taken from the house of the Lord (the temple in Jerusalem) and given a great banquet in his palace drinking and getting drunk using the holy vessels … he was proud of his might and (earthly) fading glory … and suddenly a hand appeared and written on the walls … a terrifying words no one could understand … scared and terrified the king asked for some to interpret these writings and could not anyone but Daniel … who read the writings for the king and refused to take any vain rewards (Daniel 5) … and the words said “ Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin” You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting … Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:25-28) … and this will be done?? … tonight … They were dancing and singing in Sodom … the presence of Lot the righteous among them … was a warning and caution but they took no notice … the entrance of the two angels into the town a warning … at last they closed their eyes and followed their physical lusts … and when morning dawned, the skies rained fire and sulphur on Sodom and it burned and the smoke of it’s fire rose like a incinerator …

In the days of Noah, they were drinking wine and getting drunk and merry … and perhaps they took no notice of Noah and his warnings … despite Noah was building his ark for about a hundred years (Genesis 19) … and this was little and short time but they did not benefit from it … and when Noah and his sons went into the ark and the Lord shut the door on them and all the inhabitants at the time were destroyed by the flood … beloved, this time is little and short … what do you do (to benefit( of this little time …

The day which goes by will not come again … the hours you spend in laziness and sleep, shouldn’t you spend it in prayers and in the church (of God)

… it is a very valuable hours … it is a misuse to waste it … maybe you still in good health and can spend (time in prayers) … who knows what condition you will have tomorrow???

This time you spend in watching unprofitable films or in in idle chat with friends which has no value …. It is a very valuable time … what do you say about times wasted on parties of dance and drunkenness and empty fun … what do you say of wasted life in gambling and a life of laziness separated from God …

Beloved … remember always … a little while longer the light is with you … and maybe a lot littler than you think or believe …

+ He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts … for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

This is the secret behind this idleness and not recognizing this fact of little time … the eyes are blinded … and the hearts are hardened … the prise of men have deceived them … many are the issues that blind the eyes and harden the hearts … which make one forget him or herself and waste the little time that left for one …

Love of money and greed blinds the eyes …

Achan son of Carmi forgot the Lord’s commandment and the war and forsaken his people seeking his love of (accursed) money which caused in the defeat of all the Israelites (Joshua 7) …

Arrogance and haughtiness and self-conceit cause hardened necks … causing one to degrade others and trample upon them forgetting that one is a mere dust like them …

The self-pride of Herod was the cause of his destruction … and he was consumed by worms alive (Acts 12:23) … (self-pride) is one of the most unforgiving issues that blinds the eyes indeed … envy … hatred … envy of others … the envious person is wearing a darken glasses … and cannot see through it any whiteness at all …

A hardened heart sealed with hatred cannot comprehend love in one’s heart … coveting to destroy others to satisfy one’s envy, anger and selfishness …

Hatred and envy made Cain kill his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8) … even, the bible tells us that the Jews delivered the Lord Jesus because of envy … for He has done all good and He is without sin … and you beloved, what makes you blind and stiffened neck and do not seek your own salvation … search examine within your inner-self the causes of this blindness and un-awareness …

Are you a lustful person following (only) your physical lusts???

Are you a selfish person, self-loving only and willing to trample on all others for the sake of yourself, even those of your house-hold …?

Are you an envious person who covets and hates and your heart is darkened and your thought are erupting against others … examine your-self fully … and haste to get rid of the causes of this blindness … remove it from your heart and life … then your eyes will be opened to see the truth … to see where you are … I fear that you find yourself at the edge of hades … one step left before falling in and destruction … + The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day

Remember my beloved, the judgement day … do not take lightly the words of God and His repeated warnings to you … do you know, you shall give an account for every bad word uttered from your mouth … the word fool alone is sufficient to deserve the hell )Matthew 5:22( …

Do you know that every commandment in the holy bible will judge you and be a witness against you.

Do you know that every minute you lived in sin and far away from God, will stand against you and judge you … do you know that the dust you trample upon and the stones around you almost screaming because of your silence in glorifying the name of God and praising Him … it will judge you and attest against you …

Do you want to stand petrified and say to the mountains to fall on you and the stones to cover you, from the sight of the One seated on the Throne …?

Don’t you know … you are … without an excuse o man …

Don’t you yearn to hear the words … Come, you blessed of My Father … inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34) …

Don’t you want to hear … “Enter into the joy of your lord” )Matthew 25:23(.

+ Holy Fifty Days:

These wonderful days of the fifty days after Resurrection are really joyful. The Lord has granted us to live in the true light and forsake the darkness and its entire works. The Lord is inviting us to live in light as long as we have the Light. We are only living here for a short time. Let us not waste these few days in the unfruitful works of darkness. The Lord has granted us the Light, why then we turn to darkness. The world today does not like the light for the light reveal their bad false deeds. The Light is a symbol of truth, honesty and confidence. In light, we feel safe and can see our aim for those who walk in light cannot stumble. In darkness there are dishonesty, deception and corruption. Beware of the nights of this world. Naïve people may think they are full of pleasure and fun but he cannot see what are behind that of despair and destruction. Be also careful of trying to mix light with darkness. They cannot mix. No share for the darkness in light. Doves cannot fly at night and also bats cannot wake up at day. Every one of them lead to a different life.

* “While ye have light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” In other words, ‘that you may become My sons’. Note that the Evangelist had reported from the beginning of his Gospel that those who believe ‘were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,’ (Jn1:13). Here the Lord said that He was the One who gave birth to them. He intended to make them realize that the deeds of the Father and the Son were one and the same1.

* St John the apostle reports that the Lord Jesus Christ ‘departed, and was hidden of them’. If you asked: “What was the Lord’s intention by being ‘hidden of them’? They neither carried stones nor blasphemed against Him as they had done before. So why did He disappear?” Our answer would be: “The Lord knew how much their hearts were filled with anger and rebellion. He did not wait for that anger to be vented into the sphere of action, but He disappeared to calm their evil.

St John Chrysostom