Reflection on Jn 5:24
Jn 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Whenever Jesus meant to emphasize a certain important truth, he introduced it with the words: “Amen, amen, I say to you”, or “Truly, truly, I say to you”. It is similar to the words of a judge claiming authority when he delivers a verdict on behalf of the nation. What important truth concerning each of us is Jesus going to say? He speaks about eternal life, death and judgment. These are very serious things, existential and unavoidable. The first truth relates to the present time and eternal life. Jesus says: “has eternal life”. The second truth relates to the future: “shall not come into judgment”. And the third truth relates to the past: “has passed from death into life”. What do I need to do so that this joyful news may concern me personally? Jesus sets two conditions: to hear – which means no passive hearing but obedience to the word, or the doing of the word. The second condition is to believe in God who sent Jesus. “…he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me…” He who fulfils these two conditions, for him is a threefold promise: 1) he has eternal life already now, 2) concerning the future, he shall not come into judgment, 3) concerning the past, he has passed from death into life.
Besides this promise, chapter five of John’s Gospel captures a sharp dispute between Jesus and His adversaries – churchmen. The latter strictly observe the external norms of the Scripture but deny its essence. It was seen in the time of Christ and it is seen today. There are certain religious circles which artfully use pious phrases but have never been sincerely converted and the church structure just serves their career, and, what is more, they preach heresies which destroy the essence of the Gospel.
Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. His enemies took offence at Him, saying that He broke the Sabbath. Those enemies of Christ, in fact, refused to hear His word and refused to accept a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father which Jesus offered to them through repentance. They justified their unbelief by hypocritically and falsely citing God’s Word. This is the common practice of church pharisees and heretics of all times. They speak in the name of God but in reality they are against God. They shelter themselves behind the authority of Christ but they are against Christ.
An example in the fight against heresy and heretics was Saint Athanasius, Saint Basil or Saint Maximus the Confessor (whose feast we celebrate on 3 February). St Maximus fought against the heresy of Monotheletism in the 7th century. He warned the Pope, St Martin, of the heresy and the Pope bravely opposed it. The Pope was imprisoned and sent to Kherson, where he died in prison. St Clement, the third successor of the Apostle Peter, died a martyr in Kherson too. He had an anchor tied to his neck and was thrown into the Black Sea. May Popes St Clement and St Martin as well as St Maximus intercede for Ukraine these days. May modern heresies questioning the Divinity of Christ, the eternity of hell and the Virginity of the Mother of God be conquered. This spirit of heresy also promotes so-called euro values, homosexuality and child stealing in particular.
These heresies are upheld by the current church leaders in Ukraine who thus bring down a curse on this nation. Similarly, in the time of St Maximus the Confessor or St Basil the Great church representatives betrayed Christ and orthodox doctrine. They were anathematized acc. Gal 1:8-9. So were the current church leaders who are in unity with heresies.
The Bishops’ Synod of the UO GCC and the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate take a resolute stand against modern heresies which have dominated the Western Church and Ukraine. A contemporary of St Maximus the Confessor and Pope St Martin in the first half of the seventh century was Pope Honorius I. He approved the heresy of Monotheletism. After his death, the Council of Constantinople (680-681) condemned him as a heretic.
Our time very much resembles that time. The spirit of heresy today denies the supernatural, divine inspiration of the Scripture and has opened the door to paganism through the Assisi event. Every Christian believer must renounce these heresies, even if his bishop or priest has already accepted them. God’s Word says: “We must obey God rather than men” (who hold church offices and betrayed Christ and His Gospel).
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