02-29-2012, 10:15 AM
Thirdwoe Wrote:Arkady,Chuck,
Do you know which of those things you listed did the thief on the Cross do to go with Christ into Paradise that day? And which ones of those things did the Ethiopian do, whom Apostle Philip preached the Good News about Jesus Christ to him. In the thief's case, he had only time to believe that Jesus was the Messiah of God and had faith that He could save Him...and he was. For the Ethiopian, he believed that Christ was the Messiah of God, come to forgive his sins... and he was baptised in water, when they happend to come upon some...with nothing else said to have been done in his case...Philip left him as soon as they got out of the water.
While pointing this out, I don't say that any of those things are not good to do, or should be neglected, but I say the very 1st step, is to believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that God sent Him to save us and to forgive us of our sins, by His sacrifice on the Cross, anf that after He was placed in the grave, He was resurrected after 3 days and asscended back to God...and we are told to hope and trust in Him for our salvation, He being the Mediator between God and mankind.
Shlama,
Chuck
let us not underestimate the importance of the holy mysteries.
Concerning the faith: This goes without saying. Now is it not what the Creed is good for. Is not that obvious that the person shall believe in what and Who he confesses.
The cases, the one of the ethiopian and the other of the thief are rather exceptional in nature. Why would anyone rely on them for the lack of a better excuse?
Concerning the eunuch: Unlike the thief the eunuch was not to die right after so I do not see how this contradicts with what I said:
And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. (Acts 8:38)
So he baptized him. That's it. Ethiopian could complete the act of his initiation later. He had enough time.
Concerning the thief: While martyrs were baptized in their blood shed for their Saviour, this cannot be so said of the thief because he was crusified for what he had done. At that point baptism in the New Testament as a sacrement had not been yet established. But it would after His resurrection:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matt 28:19)
Now the thief was crusified on the right side of the Saviour, not the way it is depicted in the Mel Gibson's movie "Passion of Christ" (in the Latin Church tradition).
But St. John Chrysostom confirms that the thief was baptized in the Blood of Chirst (my translation from the russian text):
"So, do not be of the doubtful mind: the Grace of God is perfect; so the place itself hinders it not. Were you baptized here, or on the ship, or when going somewhere. Philip baptized during his journey, Paul while he was locked in chains; Christ baptized the thief from his wound when hanging on the cross. In doing so He has straightaway enabled him [the thief] to open the gates of Paradise. So nothing saddens the joy and ravishment of mine in my returning to you."
(Volume 3, Book 2, 4. Word on the St. John Returning from Asia to Constantinople)
In the next homily St. Chrysostom expounds the mystery more deeply:
"Just is my God, worker of the salvation! As our forefather Adam has He driven out of the Paradise not for many transgressions but for one, even so on the scales of His truth it was weighed to be equal for the thief to enter into the Paradise not for many manifestations of his faith but for just one. I said, given that the transgression of Adam against the commandment consisted in touching the tree ; in what did the vindication of the thief? He entered into the Paradise through the touching the cross with faith. What followed after?
Salvation was promised to the thief of the Saviour; meanwhile time did not suffice him to realize his faith and to be enlightened [through the baptism], for it was said: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5). He neither had an opportunity nor time to be baptized since he was hung on the cross. Saviour however has found the solution out of the thief's pitiful plight.
Since the man stained by multiple sins has obtained faith in the Saviour and he needed to be washed of them, Christ organized everything in the manner that after He shall have suffered, one of the soldiers shall pierce His rib and out of it gushed blood and water, as the evangelist says, "and forthwith came there out blood and water." (John 19:34) in confirming the validity of His death and in the prefiguration of the sacraments.
And water and blood gushed out, - not just merely flowed out, but with noise. It splashed upon the body of the thief. Because when it comes out with much noise, it spatters, but when it oozes out, it flows out evenly and quietly. But from the rib the blood and the water came out with noise so that it splashed up upon the thief and with this sprinkling he was baptized, even as the apostle says: we are come "unto mount Sion... and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Heb 12:22,24)
So why the blood of Christ speaketh better than that of Abel? Then when as the blood of Abel dropped upon the head of his murderer, the blood of Christ altogether cleanses repented killers. So learn from this the zeal to stand in the truth and to love the confidence for the Christ's sake."
(St. John Chrysostom. On Zeal and Piety, and on the Born Blind)
St. Ephrem the Syrian (~300), St. Anastasius Sinaita (~700), Russian St. Dimitry of Rostov (~1700) all agree to this thought.
Moreover Christ gave him His blood to drink.
Arkady. Russia.