March 13th, 2008
Chrysostom
“Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23
This past week has primarily been taken up with writing a final project for the classes I’m taking. We had to choose someone who lived in between AD 150-1300, select one of his writings, and then do an indepth study of what that guy was talking about. One man that caught my attention was John Chrysostom, a preacher in the fourth century. I would by no means call myself an expert on John at this point, but I can give you an 18 page description of what he thinks about Matthew 5!
This guy spoke on living what you believe. Life may be difficult (he was later lied about, banished and eventually killed), but our role as Christians is to forgive, seek righteousness instead of wealth, and boldly confront sin. As I read Luke 9:23 this morning in my devotions, I decided to put on here snatches of the “application” section of my paper rather than rewrite the thoughts swirling in my head. Before you begin, please realize that the foundation of all of these characteristics MUST be humility and love. The moment we begin acting out of pride and “piety” is the moment we shame our Lord.
What society lives more opulently than our current one in the United States? We own homes, drive cars, eat lavishly, and enjoy stuffed closets. However, we complain about needing to fix a leaking roof and about the crowded roadways. We cannot believe it takes 10 minutes to get to the nearest store where we can buy medicine for our heartburn, and we daily whine, “I have nothing to wear.” Is Chrysostom’s message relevant today? I believe it is. Most of us, preacher and laity alike, desire material gain, and we lack the self-discipline to live without. Perhaps Chrysostom, in his ascetic zeal, went a bit too far, but his message of material self-discipline should shame most Americans today.
Chrysostom’s emphasis on pride should also embarrass most Americans. We live in a society where, from an early age, we are taught our “rights.” We fight for the right to pray in school, for the right to homeschool, for the right to deduct a pastor’s home expenses on Federal income taxes. As an American, I believe I have those rights. As a Christian, I wonder if perhaps our religious freedom has actually hurt the name of God by allowing the explosion of name-only Christians. Perhaps Chrysostom was right when he exhorted his parishioners to walk humbly, meekly accepting persecution and calumny as a testimony to the truth that we live not for this world, but in hope of the next.
However, although Chrysostom spoke of humility and meekness, he also declared that Christians should be bold in their speech while exhorting others to a godly lifestyle. Unashamed of Jesus and his call to holy living, a Christian should seek to influence other’s spirituality by exposing sin and standing up to injustice. In our quest to “reach the lost” through inoffensive means, I believe the church has watered down its defining characteristic of holiness. Perhaps we should not care that we are labeled “politically incorrect” as we seek to protect the unborn or speak out against homosexuality. We may be branded as “backward” and “unrealistic” as we condemn pre-marital and extra-marital sex. However, as this fourth century preacher pointed out, our rewards come not from this world, but from the next. Because we love those around us and want them to escape the punishment of hell, we should not shirk our duty to declare boldly that their actions are corrupt. Striving for humanity’s best, we should guide people into the rewards of heaven.
So, there you have it. Some points to ponder. Taking up our cross and living humbly should affect our lives. Want to know a funny story that happened last night? As I was getting ready for bed, I was thinking about the outfit I planned to wear to class for today. I have to do an oral presentation to the class about my project. Well, my original plan was to wear black jeans with a bright pink shirt I have. Along with that outfit goes a thick silver necklace Tim got me for Christmas (on SALE). As I thought about that, I began laughing. I am going to stand up, tell the class that I was struck by Chrysostom’s emphasis on laying aside material wealth while wearing an outfit that looks fairly bright and flashy. I mean, perhaps I should wear something that looks coarse and homeless-like. We’ll see if anyone at class notices the discrepancy…