As the Passion approaches, the Lord once again speaks to His disciples about what is most important in His teaching. Following, as Church tradition maintains, the preaching of the apostle Peter, the evangelist Mark gives an extremely concise statement of what the Lord Jesus said about...
As the Passion approaches, the Lord once again speaks to His disciples about what is most important in His teaching. Following, as Church tradition maintains, the preaching of the apostle Peter, the evangelist Mark gives an extremely concise statement of what the Lord Jesus said about the three fundamental dimensions of a person's spiritual life.
First He speaks of faith, assuring the disciples that it is faith which raises a person above the whole created world. In faith a person becomes not merely a grain of sand in an ocean of matter, but acquires the ability to “move mountains,” that is, to participate in the work of building the world which the Almighty Himself performs.
Then the Lord speaks of prayer, because our faith and trust in God are expressed first of all in our seeking communion with Him. As Bishop Cassian Bezobrazov said, faith in the biblical sense is the striving of the believer toward perfect union with the One in Whom he believes. Prayer is the principal path to this union. In speaking of the fruit of prayer, the Synodal translation uses the future tense: “believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours.” The original uses the past tense: “believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” This grammatical detail reflects an important nuance of meaning. The purpose of a believer's prayer lies not so much in receiving what is requested as in placing it under God's authority. Therefore, when we do this, the principal result of prayer has already been achieved. That is why the fundamental form of our requests to the Almighty is: “Your will be done.”
Finally, the Lord tells His disciples that faith and prayer, this vector along which the movement of the human heart is directed toward true life, have a projection in our earthly existence, and this is nothing other than forgiveness. Thus, according to the Gospel of Mark, Christ's instruction to His disciples can be expressed in three words: faith, prayer, and forgiveness.
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4:1 Arm yourselves with the same mind - Which will be armour of proof against all your enemies. For he that hath suffered in the flesh - That hath so suffered as to he thereby made inwardly and truly conformable to the sufferings of Christ.Hath ceased from sin - Is delivered from it.
4:2 That ye may no longer live in the flesh - Even in this mortal body. To the desires of men - Either your own or those of others. These are various; but the will of God is one.
4:3 Revellings, banquetings - Have these words any meaning now? They had, seventeen hundred years ago. Then the former meant, meetings to eat; meetings, the direct end of which was, to please the taste: the latter, meetings to drink: both of which Christians then ranked with abominable idolatries.
4:4 The same - As ye did once. Speaking evil of you - As proud, singular, silly, wicked and the like.
4:5 Who shall give account - Of this, as well as all their other ways. To him who is ready - So faith represents him now.
4:6 For to this end was the gospel preached - Ever since it was given to Adam. To them that are now dead - In their several generations. That they might be judged - That though they were judged. In the flesh according to the manner of men - With rash, unrighteous judgment. They might live according to the will and word of God, in the Spirit; the soul renewed after his image.
4:7 But the end of all things - And so of their wrongs, and your sufferings. Is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer - Temperance helps watchfulness, and both of them help prayer. Watch, that ye may pray; and pray, that ye may watch.
4:8 Love covereth a multitude of sins - Yea, "love covereth all things." He that loves another, covers his faults, how many soever they be. He turns away his own eyes from them; and, as far as is possible, hides them from others. And he continually prays that all the sinner's iniquities may be forgiven and his sins covered. Meantime the God of love measures to him with the same measure into his bosom.
4:9 One to another - Ye that are of different towns or countries. Without murmuring - With all cheerfulness. Pro 10:12.
4:10 As every one hath received a gift - Spiritual or temporal, ordinary or extraordinary, although the latter seems primarily intended. So minister it one to another - Employ it for the common good. As good stewards of the manifold grace of God - The talents wherewith his free love has intrusted you.
4:11 If any man speak, let him - In his whole conversation, public and private. Speak as the oracles of God - Let all his words be according to this pattern, both as to matter and manner, more especially in public. By this mark we may always know who are, so far, the true or false prophets. The oracles of God teach that men should repent, believe, obey.He that treats of faith and leaves out repentance, or does not enjoin practical holiness to believers, does not speak as the oracles of God: he does not preach Christ, let him think as highly of himself as he will. If any man minister - Serve his brother in love, whether in spintuals or temporals. Let him minister as of the ability which God giveth - That is, humbly and diligently, ascribing all his power to God, and using it with his might. Whose is the glory - of his wisdom, which teaches us to speak. And the might - Which enables us to act.