By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea
(Delivered on June 24/July 7, 1953)
(Delivered on June 24/July 7, 1953)
Many wondrous, glorious, and great things are written in the Gospel of Christ about His Prophet and Baptist John the Forerunner, whose Nativity we are now celebrating.
But there is one passage that can arouse bewilderment in us. I want to clarify this passage and dispel any confusion.
We read that when the great Forerunner was in Herod's dungeon and heard about the wondrous miracles performed by the Lord Jesus, he sent two of his disciples to Him to ask: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?"
This is where some confusion might arise. Did the Forerunner and Baptist of Christ hesitate in his opinion about Christ?!
How could he, having confessed before people that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, that He would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire - how could he ask such a question?!
The great John Chrysostom in his works speaks of this passage in the Gospel, which, of course, could not be that the Forerunner himself doubted, and if he sent two of his disciples with such a question to the Lord Jesus, he did it not for himself, but for the sake of his disciples so that they, who envied the glorification of Jesus, which more and more eclipsed the glorification of their teacher, the Baptist of Christ, by seeing and listening to the Lord Jesus, would themselves be convinced that He is higher than the Forerunner.
This explanation of John Chrysostom is accepted by all theologians.
True, there are some, and especially among the theologians of modern times, who believe that the Baptist of Christ himself was perplexed about the person of the Lord Jesus. I share this opinion and I want to explain to you that if you accept this opinion, it does not in the least humiliate the great John the Baptist, but exalts him even more.
During the baptism of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Forerunner heard the voice of God the Father, which came from heaven: “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased! Listen to Him,” and he saw the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, like a dove descending over the head of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the appearance of the Holy Trinity: God the Father testified of His Only Begotten Son, who was baptized in the Jordan, while the Holy Spirit descended on Him.
This TTheophany, these words of God the Father: “This is My Beloved Son”, of course, shook John to the depths of his soul, and he thought: O Lord, Lord! Who am I baptizing? I baptize Your Son!
And on the day after Baptism, when John saw Jesus going to the Jordan, he said: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me” (John 1:29-30).
Think about how John the Baptist, who said that he did not know Jesus, and only the Holy Spirit announced Him to him, how could it be that he, who also heard God’s words, now said such deeply amazing words: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world"?
Could the Forerunner really know that the Lord Jesus Christ, Whom he revealed to the world with these words, would take upon Himself the sins of the whole world and take them to the cross of Golgotha? Of course not.
From where, how did He know that this is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the whole world?
How could he say such amazing words: “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me'”?
Think of the deepest, marvelous words, "He was before me." We know that the Lord was born later than His Forerunner, and yet the Forerunner said that He was before him.
Doesn't this mean that this is evidence of the pre-eternal existence of the Son of God, as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, as the Pre-Eternal God, Who Existed before the creation of the world?
How could he say such amazing words? Of course, he spoke from the Holy Spirit, he was the trumpet of the Holy Spirit speaking through him.
So, the greatest of those born of women learned from the Holy Spirit, from God the Father Himself learned something extraordinarily great about the Lord Jesus Christ, learned that this is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, that this is the One who was before him, before all, before the foundation of the world – that this is the true Son of God, in whom the Heavenly Father is well pleased.
Does this not mean that he had the highest opinion of the Lord Jesus Christ, one that immeasurably surpassed the opinion of the people of Israel about the Messiah? Where did this belief in the coming of the Messiah come from? This faith is based on the words of the great prophet Moses: "A prophet from among you, from among your brothers, like me, the Lord your God will raise up for you - listen to Him" (Deut. 18:15).
And on the basis of these words, the people of Israel were waiting for the greatest prophet, whom they called the anointed of God, for the word Messiah means the same thing as the Russian - anointed one.
The people were waiting for the anointed of God, who would become the greatest leader and king of His people, would exalt this people, put them above all nations and glorify them.
The people were waiting for the anointed of God, like the prophet Moses, the greatest chosen one of God they were waiting for the Lord God to raise up like David, the great King and Psalmist, and the Jews did not await, they did not expect the True Son of God at all, they did not expect that He would be incarnate and come down to earth and ascend on the cross, the True Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity - they were waiting only for the great king.
Such an idea of the Messiah, such an expectation, was shared, of course, by the prophet John the Baptist himself.
And so, when, according to the voice of God the Father Himself, he spoke his wondrous words about the Lord Jesus as the True Son of God, about whom David prophesied, when he knew that this was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, when he knew that this was the eternally existing Son of God, then is it possible that in his soul, in his mind, there was no bewilderment, no question arose: “What is this? Is this the Messiah? This one, whom I baptized, is immeasurably higher than the Messiah, because this is the True Son of God - is this really the Messiah?"
And when this bewilderment arose in the soul of John the Baptist, he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come (i.e., the Messiah), or should we expect another?”
Well, is there really anything in this question that darkens the blessed memory of John the Baptist? Oh no! Not only did he not doubt the supreme purpose of the Lord Jesus, but he believed that He was destined to serve incomparably greater than the service of the Messiah. Who is this great pne, this holy one, this immeasurably, incomparably greater one than the Messiah? And he sent his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come?”
In His answer to the disciples of the Forerunner, the Lord pointed only to His great miracles and added: “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.” Then He continued His speech addressed to the people, and said: “What did you go to see in the wilderness? Was it a reed that is shaken by the wind?"
In these words, some see a reproach toward the Forerunner, that he allowed even the slightest doubt into his heart. But there can be no talk of any, even the weakest reproach, if these words of Christ are understood in their true sense: “What did you go to see in the wilderness? Was it a reed that is shaken by the wind?” No, of course not a reed shaken by the wind, for there was no hesitation in the holy soul of the Forerunner, but only quite understandable bewilderment.
Think, if John sent two of his disciples for the purpose that John Chrysostom speaks of, so that they would believe in Christ, seeing His miracles, hearing His preaching, then wouldn’t it be better for him, imprisoned in prison, to send all the disciples, for all had similar thoughts as those who were sent.
Will the most holy, the greatest perplexity, really diminish his glory, if we understand the mission of the disciples of John in this way? His glory will not be diminished, it will only be exalted from the fact that it was such a holy, such a supreme perplexity that he had about Christ, that he considered Him the highest Messiah, considered Him the True Son of God, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Let us also think as the Forerunner thought; let us firmly believe and unswervingly think that Jesus Christ was the True Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who takes away the sins of the world, and takes away the sins of all of us, who are sinful and indecent. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
During the baptism of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Forerunner heard the voice of God the Father, which came from heaven: “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased! Listen to Him,” and he saw the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, like a dove descending over the head of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the appearance of the Holy Trinity: God the Father testified of His Only Begotten Son, who was baptized in the Jordan, while the Holy Spirit descended on Him.
This TTheophany, these words of God the Father: “This is My Beloved Son”, of course, shook John to the depths of his soul, and he thought: O Lord, Lord! Who am I baptizing? I baptize Your Son!
And on the day after Baptism, when John saw Jesus going to the Jordan, he said: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me” (John 1:29-30).
Think about how John the Baptist, who said that he did not know Jesus, and only the Holy Spirit announced Him to him, how could it be that he, who also heard God’s words, now said such deeply amazing words: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world"?
Could the Forerunner really know that the Lord Jesus Christ, Whom he revealed to the world with these words, would take upon Himself the sins of the whole world and take them to the cross of Golgotha? Of course not.
From where, how did He know that this is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the whole world?
How could he say such amazing words: “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me'”?
Think of the deepest, marvelous words, "He was before me." We know that the Lord was born later than His Forerunner, and yet the Forerunner said that He was before him.
Doesn't this mean that this is evidence of the pre-eternal existence of the Son of God, as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, as the Pre-Eternal God, Who Existed before the creation of the world?
How could he say such amazing words? Of course, he spoke from the Holy Spirit, he was the trumpet of the Holy Spirit speaking through him.
So, the greatest of those born of women learned from the Holy Spirit, from God the Father Himself learned something extraordinarily great about the Lord Jesus Christ, learned that this is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, that this is the One who was before him, before all, before the foundation of the world – that this is the true Son of God, in whom the Heavenly Father is well pleased.
Does this not mean that he had the highest opinion of the Lord Jesus Christ, one that immeasurably surpassed the opinion of the people of Israel about the Messiah? Where did this belief in the coming of the Messiah come from? This faith is based on the words of the great prophet Moses: "A prophet from among you, from among your brothers, like me, the Lord your God will raise up for you - listen to Him" (Deut. 18:15).
And on the basis of these words, the people of Israel were waiting for the greatest prophet, whom they called the anointed of God, for the word Messiah means the same thing as the Russian - anointed one.
The people were waiting for the anointed of God, who would become the greatest leader and king of His people, would exalt this people, put them above all nations and glorify them.
The people were waiting for the anointed of God, like the prophet Moses, the greatest chosen one of God they were waiting for the Lord God to raise up like David, the great King and Psalmist, and the Jews did not await, they did not expect the True Son of God at all, they did not expect that He would be incarnate and come down to earth and ascend on the cross, the True Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity - they were waiting only for the great king.
Such an idea of the Messiah, such an expectation, was shared, of course, by the prophet John the Baptist himself.
And so, when, according to the voice of God the Father Himself, he spoke his wondrous words about the Lord Jesus as the True Son of God, about whom David prophesied, when he knew that this was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, when he knew that this was the eternally existing Son of God, then is it possible that in his soul, in his mind, there was no bewilderment, no question arose: “What is this? Is this the Messiah? This one, whom I baptized, is immeasurably higher than the Messiah, because this is the True Son of God - is this really the Messiah?"
And when this bewilderment arose in the soul of John the Baptist, he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come (i.e., the Messiah), or should we expect another?”
Well, is there really anything in this question that darkens the blessed memory of John the Baptist? Oh no! Not only did he not doubt the supreme purpose of the Lord Jesus, but he believed that He was destined to serve incomparably greater than the service of the Messiah. Who is this great pne, this holy one, this immeasurably, incomparably greater one than the Messiah? And he sent his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come?”
In His answer to the disciples of the Forerunner, the Lord pointed only to His great miracles and added: “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.” Then He continued His speech addressed to the people, and said: “What did you go to see in the wilderness? Was it a reed that is shaken by the wind?"
In these words, some see a reproach toward the Forerunner, that he allowed even the slightest doubt into his heart. But there can be no talk of any, even the weakest reproach, if these words of Christ are understood in their true sense: “What did you go to see in the wilderness? Was it a reed that is shaken by the wind?” No, of course not a reed shaken by the wind, for there was no hesitation in the holy soul of the Forerunner, but only quite understandable bewilderment.
Think, if John sent two of his disciples for the purpose that John Chrysostom speaks of, so that they would believe in Christ, seeing His miracles, hearing His preaching, then wouldn’t it be better for him, imprisoned in prison, to send all the disciples, for all had similar thoughts as those who were sent.
Will the most holy, the greatest perplexity, really diminish his glory, if we understand the mission of the disciples of John in this way? His glory will not be diminished, it will only be exalted from the fact that it was such a holy, such a supreme perplexity that he had about Christ, that he considered Him the highest Messiah, considered Him the True Son of God, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Let us also think as the Forerunner thought; let us firmly believe and unswervingly think that Jesus Christ was the True Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who takes away the sins of the world, and takes away the sins of all of us, who are sinful and indecent. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.