The day after the feast of Epiphany, believers gather again (hence the cathedral, from the word “meeting”) in the church to honor the memory of the man who went down in history as the Baptist.
The birth of John was associated with a miracle. His parents had no children until they reached old age. One day an angel appeared to Zechariah, already an elderly man, in the temple and promised that he would become a father. A clergyman and a deeply religious man, Zechariah acted like an ordinary Jew far from the Lord — he did not believe. For this he was punished. Zechariah was speechless for the entire period before the birth of his son. Only when the baby was brought to the temple did his voice return.
The relatives wanted to give the baby the same name as his father, but Zechariah named his son John. It means “gift of God, mercy.”
The New Testament begins with the ministry of John. He became the bridge between the Old Testament and the New, he, the last and greatest of the biblical prophets.
He was the first to talk about the forgiveness of sins through repentance, while the Pharisee reduced everything only to external rituals. John denounced the hypocrites, but immediately pointed to the solution to the problem: repentance.
In his sermon, the prophet called for mercy and compassion for one’s neighbor, demanded that tax collectors not take more than they were supposed to, called on soldiers “not to offend anyone.”
He prepared the world for the coming of the Messiah, gave them certain ethical norms
indicated what decisions needed to be made and what actions to take.
He was sent “to testify to the Light.” He not only predicts that the Kingdom of Heaven is already at the threshold, he points to the King himself.
All this was unusual and not understandable to everyone. In the Old Testament there is virtually no mention of the Kingdom of God, and repentance is viewed from a different point of view. John’s entire preaching was revolutionary and new. Such as to sow the first seeds in people’s minds and prepare them to accept the more important preaching — Christ’s.
John accepted martyrdom. By order of King Herod, his head was cut off. But his teaching was not lost; the seeds bore fruitful shoots. Many of the Baptist’s disciples followed Jesus and became the first Christians.
Celebration
January 20
Charity FondHoly Land
Investment in the Soul!
