Jesus speaks here about temptations and about the way of fighting them. The major battlefield is our mind. The devil attacks our mind through temptations more than anything else. This fight is relentless and does not stop as long as we are alive. You cannot allow thoughts to cross your mind as they like. We are accountable to God for every thought that crosses our mind, so we need to stop it and carefully check if this thought is obedient to Christ. We learn from the Scripture as well as from the experience of the saints that whatever communication between human and demonic powers takes place in the human mind. Every demonic temptation which seduces man is targeted on the human mind. The enemy also exploits the human body in order to win man over to his side and to win his approval. Therefore, at every moment of his tempting the enemy develops a certain thought, e.g. he arouses envy, anger or hatred.

Original sin, which consists in revolt against God and His commandments, has deeply wounded all spheres of human life. In terms of carnality, this wounded nature becomes manifest in sinful lusts which affected Adam and Eve immediately after the fall (Gen 3:7). Therefore, God laid down the sixth and ninth commandments to prevent the infection of the sin of impurity.

In these words spoken in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points out the root of adultery. He says that one can commit adultery not only physically but in one’s heart too if one unites oneself to a lustful thought. In such case, the instrument of sin is an impure look and the place of sin is the human heart – a lustful, impure mind.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

A) You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not murder!’

The Fifth Commandment says: You shall not murder! Evil thought connected with deceit and manipulation and resulting in hatred is the root of murder. There is not only physical murder but also psychological and spiritual one. Behind all three forms of murder there is a spirit of lies and death. Man is easily manipulated by his own self-deceit or is deceived by others whom he believed or immediately by the devil’s suggestive thoughts. The Fifth Commandment also includes ruining one’s own health. Today you can read on every pack of cigarettes: “Smoking kills!” The same is the effect of drugs, alcohol, immoral life (AIDS, sexual murders, revenge out of jealousy…), or risking one’s own or someone else’s health. Abortion and euthanasia are sins of killing too.

Jesus speaks about two kinds of righteousness. About the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, and about the righteousness by faith. Unless our righteousness is by faith, we shall not enter the kingdom of God.

The word ‘righteousness’ means that everyone should be given his due. The Word of God says: “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) and “All have sinned” (Rom 3:23). Thus, all people justly deserve death for sin, and not only temporal death but also eternal one, i.e. separation from God – hell.

These words of Christ are the last eighth Beatitude. In His preceding words, too, Jesus speaks about persecution and also emphasizes the reward, which is the kingdom of heaven. Persecution pertains to the life of true faith. The early Christians were persecuted in Jerusalem. The first martyr was Stephen, a deacon. The first of the apostles to die a martyr was James, the brother of the apostle John. Both of the brothers agreed with the request of their mother that they be the first in the glory of heaven. When Jesus asked them if they were able to drink the cup of suffering which Jesus drinks, they said: “We are able.” John suffered bloodless martyrdom bravely and fully by the cross. St James suffered bloody martyrdom when he was beheaded with the sword in 42 A.D. Bloodless, psychological martyrdom is when we suffer revilement, persecution, lies and all kinds of evil for the sake of Christ.

The whole chapter 21, the last one in the Gospel of the Apostle John, describes the encounter of the risen Christ with the apostles. The event took place in Galilee, and it was the third time that the apostles encountered the risen Christ. There were seven of the apostles present, among them were Peter and John. Jesus spoke above all with Peter. He asked Peter three times if he loved Him. In Greek, the word “love” is expressed by terms “agape” and “philia”. Agape is selfless love, the love of God towards us and the love which He wants us to show towards Him. Philia is human love – between parents and children, or love for the nation… Love between a man and a woman is expressed in Greek by the term “eros”. Unfortunately, the Germanic and Slavonic languages have only one term “love” for all these meanings. At the present time, when the world is flooded by a wave of sexual impurity and perversion, one needs to discern true values and to call them by their proper names. The term denoting selfless and self-sacrificing love is “agape”. The contrary of love is self-love, egoism.

“Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was standing there;and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.”

Jesus feels physical thirst caused by the loss of blood during the scourging and crucifixion. However, He also experiences spiritual thirst. He thirsts for the accomplishment of the work of redemption and love: “God so loved the world (you) that He gave His only begotten Son…” Jesus fervently desires to finish the work of salvation. But He also thirsts in you – He thirsts for your love, He desires you to be spiritually transformed, to be in spiritual union with Him. This is the way of following and the way of the cross. It requires daily self-denial in small matters.

Reflection: Where and when did Jesus say those words? He said them when He was dying on the cross, in the last hour of His life. Who did He speak to? He spoke to the disciple standing by the cross whom Jesus loved (with divine love – agape). The disciple also loved Jesus, and so he overcame fear of death and stood by the cross. The other disciples were overcome by fear and so they did not stand by the cross.

Jesus wants us too to be disciples standing by the cross and united by love to Jesus crucified. A disciple forsakes everything for the sake of Christ, even his fear of death, because he knows that Jesus conquered death. In reward for faithfulness in the following of Christ, which is a demonstration of practical love, Jesus gives eternal life.

Jesus “saw the disciple”, “said to the disciple” and “the disciple received” the last will, or testament, of Jesus. He received the mother of Jesus. He is an example to us. Let us be Jesus’ disciples. Let us receive the mother of Jesus too.

Jesus baptizes us with fire too so that this fire will burn up all dirt of moral impurity in us. If there are some impure images in our mind, let the fire burn it up. Our eye, the inner eye, must be clear. Everything must be brought to light. We need to repent time and again. We must call a lie a lie, evil evil, just as it is. This is repentance. God will then work. Do not seek help from psychoanalysts but come to Him who is the Physician of both the body and soul – to Jesus. He heals us wholly. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And when should you come to Him? Immediately when a speck of dust – e.g. an impure image – gets into your eye: Stop! Get out! Lord, let Your fire burn it up! This is a lie!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt 6:24)

God gives us His Word. It is the lamp for our life paths. The light of God’s Word must be the norm for us. Here it says to us that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve God and mammon. What is mammon? We suppose it to be money but it is not just money. There are a lot of things which can become mammon. Mammon is all that we prefer to God whom we should love with all our heart. In other words, it is all that our heart clings to and we then serve it. We unite to it in our spirit, open ourselves to it and then we are no longer able to serve God.

Let us serve God. Yes, we are weak, but the Apostle Paul says: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Cor 12:10) I keep falling but I must repent. Do not say: “Only when I become better, I will be a true Christian.” Let us come to God as we are, wretched and miserable. Jesus is waiting for us to give Him our weakness, our sin, because He wants to give us His forgiveness and peace. He wants to teach us through situations, through repentance, so that we may change our way of thinking.

What is love? It is no sentimentality. Love for Christ means to keep His commandments. It means to have a personal relationship with Christ, i.e. to be personally aware of the following truths: “You died for me. You love me. You suffered for me, You sweated blood in Gethsemane, You were scourged, crowned with thorns, covered with spittle and humiliated, You carried a cross, fell down, humbled among criminals and murderers as if You were one of them, like a beggar – You who worked miracles allowed to be humiliated and ridiculed for my sake. Finally, You were crucified at Calvary. I am ready, too, to suffer or even to lay down my life for Your sake.

Jesus tells us to put all our trust in God. He tells us to look at birds and lilies to see how God cares for them. We cannot make one hair white or black by our endeavour. We cannot add a single day, hour or second to our life by worrying or keeping our nose to the grindstone. When we will be dying, we will see if we were wise or unwise, but it will be too late then and we will have no more time to change it. So let us be wise today! In other words, let us rely on God, let us be mindful of eternal life. Our life is in God’s hands. Why should we worry?

These words are the conclusion of Jesus’ prayer for the unity of the disciples with Him as well as for unity with the Father and for the knowledge of God’s love and Christ’s presence in us.

Jesus says that He revealed to the disciples, and to no one else, the mystery of the name of God the Father, which is also the name of Jesus. The Father loves the Son from eternity. He gave Him His name, and Jesus reveals this name to those who are His. This name is Yehoshua – Lord is salvation – Jesus.

Jesus says to the apostles several times: “Do not be afraid!” The Scripture says in many places: “Do not be afraid!” When we are afraid, let us face the truth. And where to get the courage and strength? In prayer. In God’s presence. When you pray, do not talk to yourself, for such prayer will not give you strength. First realize: Where is Jesus? He is here and He is waiting for you. He is waiting for you to come into contact with Him, to give Him your sin and your problems. These two things. Your sin first and then your problems. We fail to do so. It is a very simple thing, but we not only need to know about it, we need to put it into practice. Practice! Then we will experience that Jesus is with us in every problem, we only need to be aware of it. We will experience that He gives us the strength, relieves us from our fear and makes us see things in a completely different light.

God’s almighty power is connected with obedience to the Word of God, as we can see it in the case of the prophet Elijah: I have done all these things at Your word. God sent him to the Brook Cherith, so he did go there; when God sent him to Zarephath, he did go to Zarephath; when God told him what to do on Mount Carmel, he said: Let this people know that I have done all these things at Your word! So the essence of the prophetic spirit is the obedience of faith and obedience to the Word of God. God wants us all to be prophets. He wants to speak through every one of us. We should learn, too, the obedience to God’s Word so that we may unite to the almighty power of God in a prayer of faith.

What does every nation need most? It needs the Spirit of prophecy, the Spirit of truth. It needs prophets. And who is to be a prophet? In chapter 14 of the Epistle to the Corinthians, we read clearly that we should earnestly pray for the gift of prophecy. All of us. And who is behind the gift of prophecy? The Holy Spirit. We confess in The Creed that the Holy Spirit worked through the prophets – through the prophet Elisha who followed the prophet Elijah and through other prophets of those times, but He worked most through John the Baptist who came before the first coming of Christ in the power of Elijah.