Homily One on the Tenth Sunday of Luke
(27th Sunday After Pentecost)
By St. John of Kronstadt
(27th Sunday After Pentecost)
By St. John of Kronstadt
“When Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God” (Luke 13:12–13).
Jesus Christ was teaching in one of the Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath. There was a woman there who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and was bent over, and could not stand upright. When Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her. And immediately she was made straight and began to glorify God (Luke 13:10–13).
Concerning this Gospel story about the Savior’s healing of the bent over woman, I want, for His glory and for the general edification, to speak now about faith in Jesus Christ as Creator and Savior, because there are probably some among you, though only a few, who are tossed about by the wind of doubt and unbelief of this age, who are troubled by the blasphemies against the Lord from people whose minds and hearts are darkened. Listen, beloved! The whole Gospel is the purest light of divine truth; in it the Divinity of the Savior shines everywhere brighter than the sun. Without referring you this time to countless other places, I will point out the Gospel story we just read about the healing of a bent woman by the Savior through a word and the laying on of hands. This affliction in the body of the sick woman was the work of Satan, who bound her, by God's permission, probably for her secret sins; the Savior specifically said that Satan had been binding her for eighteen years. How can one not glorify the omnipotence of the Lord! He only said: "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity," and laid His hands on her, when she, having been bent over for eighteen years and not having the slightest ability to stand upright, suddenly straightened up and began to glorify God from the miracle evident over her. You see, the word of the Savior suddenly became a deed; the laying on of hands became a healing. He spoke and it happened; He commanded and the infirm woman became well.
Who here does not see the Creator, to Whose word everything obeys, Whose word never fails? Who here does not see the Creator, Whose hands have made us and fashioned us? (Ps. 118:73). Who here does not see that we are with the Lord as the potter's vessels, which He can as easily remake as He can break? "As the potter's vessels," it is said, "You shall break them in pieces" (Ps. 2:9). Who here does not see the God of spirits, the God of Satan himself, who is bound by the sovereign word of the Savior with eternal bonds of darkness and is reserved for the judgment of the great day of judgment and only by the permission of the Lord can do mischief among people in their flesh, as well as in their soul, as punishment for their sins? Therefore, wise sons of this age, foolish ones, who say in your hearts and with your tongues, “Jesus Christ is not God” (Ps. 14:1), be warned; you speak lies to the wind; you listen to your father the devil, and want to do the desires of your father, but he is a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own, for "he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Beware, or he will kill you forever. Honor the Son of God, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way; for "His wrath will soon be kindled" (Psalm 2:12).
But, Lord Jesus Christ, God of spirits and of all flesh! I see Your countless miracles, like the miracle over the bent woman, over believing sinners. Who are we all, brethren, if not bent like this bent woman, of whom it was spoken in today's Gospel? Are not our souls so bent by countless sins that it is difficult and shameful for us to even look to heaven with the eyes of our hearts because of the multitude of our iniquities? Do we feel all the bitter truth of these words? Oh, one lawless king felt it strongly, who later brought heartfelt repentance to God for the sins of his life. I am speaking of Manasseh, the king of Judea. He said: "I am bent (twisted) with many iron bonds (by iron bonds meaning the tightness and weight of sin), so that I cannot lift up my head, and therefore I now bow the knees of my heart before You, begging You for mercy." So, we all, beloved brethren, are bent in soul by our sins; we are all, like four-legged animals, bowed to the earth and look only at the earth, we think about earthly things, we seek earthly things, we cling to earthly things with all our hearts and do not look to heaven - to God and Savior, the Source of our life, we do not look with faith and hope to our true fatherland, to the place of our eternal rest and blessedness, for which we must all live here "with fear, each working out his own salvation; for our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 2:12, 3:20). And so the Lord powerfully heals us, bent over by sins, and sets us straight - when we seek it through prayer and repentance - on the straight path of His commandments, on the path that leads to eternal life.
Who among you, brethren, has not experienced over yourself many times in your life, this great miracle of the goodness and mercy of the Savior? Who has not thrown off the burden of his sins before His holy icon in church during confession, and after receiving the Holy Mysteries, and has not left him lightened and calmed, straightened and cheerful? Who has not felt in himself then, as it were, a new life and this extraordinary lightness in the heart? Oh! like a deer, you are light and swift, when the Savior removes from you the heavy burden of sins; you feel then an abundance of life and self-satisfaction in yourself, but while it is - this burden of sin - on you, until the Savior touches your sinful heart to remove this burden from you, how hard it is, how inwardly you are bent; you have melancholy, despondency, darkness in your heart and mind - you are all tied up, as if chains were put on you, and indeed, sins are spiritual chains; everyone is tied up by the captivity of his sins, says the word of God. It is in these deeds of the power and goodness of Jesus Christ that we all, beloved brethren, can not recognize the Savior and God: "For who can forgive sins, but God alone" (Mark 2:7)? Who can quicken except the Giver of Life? Contrast this to all the crazy freethinkers you may happen to meet here or elsewhere; tell them: Jesus Christ always quickens us, He alone and no one else, it is clear that He is the Giver of Life; He always saves us from our sins, He alone and no one else, it is clear that He is the Savior; sincere, heartfelt faith in Him is the peace and sweetness of our heart; His yoke is always very, very good for our souls and His burden is very, very light (Matt. 11:30); – I would always bear such a yoke and such a burden; it is clear that He is our God, bearing us under His wings like chicks.
Let us all turn to the Savior as often as possible, and we will always find in Him the Physician of our souls and bodies, we will always find in Him life for our souls that are depleted of life, and we will always joyfully glorify our God the Savior. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
But, Lord Jesus Christ, God of spirits and of all flesh! I see Your countless miracles, like the miracle over the bent woman, over believing sinners. Who are we all, brethren, if not bent like this bent woman, of whom it was spoken in today's Gospel? Are not our souls so bent by countless sins that it is difficult and shameful for us to even look to heaven with the eyes of our hearts because of the multitude of our iniquities? Do we feel all the bitter truth of these words? Oh, one lawless king felt it strongly, who later brought heartfelt repentance to God for the sins of his life. I am speaking of Manasseh, the king of Judea. He said: "I am bent (twisted) with many iron bonds (by iron bonds meaning the tightness and weight of sin), so that I cannot lift up my head, and therefore I now bow the knees of my heart before You, begging You for mercy." So, we all, beloved brethren, are bent in soul by our sins; we are all, like four-legged animals, bowed to the earth and look only at the earth, we think about earthly things, we seek earthly things, we cling to earthly things with all our hearts and do not look to heaven - to God and Savior, the Source of our life, we do not look with faith and hope to our true fatherland, to the place of our eternal rest and blessedness, for which we must all live here "with fear, each working out his own salvation; for our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 2:12, 3:20). And so the Lord powerfully heals us, bent over by sins, and sets us straight - when we seek it through prayer and repentance - on the straight path of His commandments, on the path that leads to eternal life.
Who among you, brethren, has not experienced over yourself many times in your life, this great miracle of the goodness and mercy of the Savior? Who has not thrown off the burden of his sins before His holy icon in church during confession, and after receiving the Holy Mysteries, and has not left him lightened and calmed, straightened and cheerful? Who has not felt in himself then, as it were, a new life and this extraordinary lightness in the heart? Oh! like a deer, you are light and swift, when the Savior removes from you the heavy burden of sins; you feel then an abundance of life and self-satisfaction in yourself, but while it is - this burden of sin - on you, until the Savior touches your sinful heart to remove this burden from you, how hard it is, how inwardly you are bent; you have melancholy, despondency, darkness in your heart and mind - you are all tied up, as if chains were put on you, and indeed, sins are spiritual chains; everyone is tied up by the captivity of his sins, says the word of God. It is in these deeds of the power and goodness of Jesus Christ that we all, beloved brethren, can not recognize the Savior and God: "For who can forgive sins, but God alone" (Mark 2:7)? Who can quicken except the Giver of Life? Contrast this to all the crazy freethinkers you may happen to meet here or elsewhere; tell them: Jesus Christ always quickens us, He alone and no one else, it is clear that He is the Giver of Life; He always saves us from our sins, He alone and no one else, it is clear that He is the Savior; sincere, heartfelt faith in Him is the peace and sweetness of our heart; His yoke is always very, very good for our souls and His burden is very, very light (Matt. 11:30); – I would always bear such a yoke and such a burden; it is clear that He is our God, bearing us under His wings like chicks.
Let us all turn to the Savior as often as possible, and we will always find in Him the Physician of our souls and bodies, we will always find in Him life for our souls that are depleted of life, and we will always joyfully glorify our God the Savior. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
