Saint John the Baptist – Metropolitan of Strumica Nahum
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“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world upon Himself!”
Yes, a fallen man cannot save a fallen man, but the God-Man Christ saves the fallen man. And He saves him through the whole Dispensation of our salvation, from the incarnation, through death and resurrection, and all the way to His glorious ascension and sitting at the right hand of the Father. He saves all of Adam (humanity) through His Body, the Church, being made alive by the Holy Spirit, the Lord on the day of Pentecost. He saves all fallen humanity through the Holy Mysteries and the holy virtues of the Holy Spirit, in the Church. . And He saves those that are willing to be saved.
“This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'”
In other words: after me comes Man – the God-Man Christ, Who was before me, before I was made manifest, as the Word and Son of God, Who, before ages, is born from the Father; for Whom I have told you that I lead you to Him – not to myself, because I received you as a gift from Him, because He IS the true God and the true Man.
He IS the only One and therefore we can exist; and that is why we exist, because God created us out of love, out of love He keeps us in existence, out of love He saves us and out of love He gave us the Kingdom of Heaven – the uncreated Grace of the Holy Spirit God. God has given us both life form (being), and gracious–being, and eternal gracious-being, and we exist. And God is One.
“I did not know Him; I came baptising with water that He should be revealed to Israel.”
That is, you do not know Him, but everyone who in obedience cleanses his heart from the passions will know Him and will bear witness to Him in the New Israel, the Church.
And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptise with water [i.e. The One who first loved me and knew me, and the One who gave me extraordinary grace of transfiguration and contemplation], said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1: 29-34).
That is to say, I guide you on the path that I have passed, but the struggle of purification is yours personally; and the twofold gift of opening of the heart and ascetic prayer of the mind in the heart is His personally; the struggle in this prayer is yours personally, and the twofold gift of enlightenment of the mind and for spiritual coaching and education of others is His personally.
We have said that at the event of Epiphany, for the first time is manifest the Mystery of the New Testament Priesthood, Royal and Eschatological Priesthood through the persona and the act of Saint John the Baptist.
In essence, God perfects (performs) the Sacrament of the Dispensation of our Salvation in the Church only through those who made themselves worthy to be bearers of the Royal, New Testament, Inner, and Eschatological Priesthood, regardless of whether or not they have the gift of the official and formal Priesthood. Because of them, the world still exists. This New Priesthood can be acquired by any baptised person.
Saint John the Baptist is both an icon and the beginning of the Mystery of the New Testament, Eschatological Priesthood, and the beginning of the end of the Old Testament Priesthood: ” I need to be baptised by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matthew 3:14). Words that mean exactly this: “But make me, Your unworthy and sinful servant, worthy to offer these Gifts to You, [take heed!] For You are the One Who offers and is offered, the One Who is received and is distributed, Oh, Christ our God … ”
Reaching the second stage of spiritual development – the enlightenment of the mind with the gift of the prayer of the mind in the heart, is an inner spiritual mantle (capacity) for the Holy Sacrament of the Priesthood, but it is also a personal gift for us in the Church, a gift of the New Testament, Royal and Eschatological Priesthood i.e. a gift that will adorn us in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In both cases, when it comes to the official priesthood and when it comes to the inner, Royal and Eschatological Priesthood, it is obvious that, in essence, the God-Man Christ is the One who perfects (performs) every Mystery through us, the people.
Why did I say today that Saint John is the beginning of the end of the Old Testament Priesthood? Because whenever we do not have inner spiritual cover for the priestly rank we hold, that is, whenever we do not have the gift of an open heart, the prayer of the mind in the heart, and enlightenment of the mind, we, by the nature of things, will still be in a way continuators of both Old Testament Priesthood and scholastic theology.
The appearance of the Inner, Royal, and Eschatological Priesthood means that the time, the temple, the theology, and the type of the Old Testament Priesthood are fulfilled, surpassed, and replaced by everything new, and that all attempts to restore them distance the present priesthood from the One who fulfilled, surpassed and replaced them with Himself – the God-Man Jesus Christ.
For the one who bears the Inner, Royal and Eschatological Priesthood, each place becomes a place where the personal-catholic Holy Liturgy is served and becomes a temple of God and the Holy Table. And every place on God’s earth becomes an equally holy place – without any gradation. The only things that are unholy are the demonic and human free will, directed towards sin.
And only if we are bearers of this Inner, Royal and Eschatological Priesthood, our eyes can open to see clearly what is written above. And those who are bearers, they do not argue with those who are not, and whose eyes have not been opened.
Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us and have mercy on us!
Metropolitan of Strumica Nahum
(19.01.2022 16:45)
