Preface
I had a plan to slowly post Jacob (James) and Peter first, but I am giving you all a sampler of John since a Sunday school student asked me irl this past Sunday, and I thought it prudent to share this with them and you all.
Intro
The historic role of 1 John 1 in both the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church is as the introductory text for students learning how to read and write. In the EOTC, for centuries, up to the time of my parents (1950s and 1960s) the standard routine was for children with the means to be sent to learn the alphabet in simplified form, then original form, then 1 John 1. Only about 10% of the society was literate, but those who were would practice literacy by reading these texts aloud, alongside the Gospel of John and the Psalms of David.
1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
The mention of the beginning recalls Genesis, or berashyt (in the beginning). John calls upon three of our five senses. He hears, sees, and touches the word of life. koinōnia is fellowshipping, sharing, participating, and communing with the Father and the Son, the Apostles handselected by the Son and the communities they established thereof (in our case, especially in Alexandria and in Antioch). The end goal of this message is to fill all of time and space with joy.
1 John 1:5-7
his then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The sign that his blood is cleansing you is that you walk in the light. Literal walking has a thousand and one physical and mental health benefits that I love but will not rehash here. This text is not about literal walking, but functional walking. Functional walking is your behavior. There are visible signs of your obedience to the invisible God.
In his masterpiece Comparative Theology, the late great His Holiness Pope Shenouda of Alexandria speaks fondly of candles and their place in the Orthodox Church. When you look at a candle, you will notice that the stem has a shadow but the actual flame does not. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Walk in the light. Walk with God.
1 John 1:8-end
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Admit that you have sin, that you have missed the mark, that you have rebelled against the Most High, that you are not yet perfect. And do this in front of God with a priest as your witness. Psychiatry is a different field when pharmaceuticals for chemical imbalances are involved, but a large part of the therapy industry today is talk-therapy and that is exactly the same field as priests. ‘tis no accident that the state recognizes the confidentiality of priests and therapists.
1 John 2:1-2
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
John calls his students children. These are not his biological children, but his spiritual children. The average American christian (which is to say Protestant) finds it unthinkable as a grown man or woman to call another grown man father who is not their biological father. This is ego. Functionally, the Apostles are our fathers. And so are the people they put in charge to succeed them. I mean the bishops, priests, and deacons; especially those who rightly minister the word of life.
There has been a raging controversy in the EOTC over the past decade or two between pseudo-conservatives (or neo-conservatives if I may borrow a term from political science and international relations) and Protestants (or protestant-like). This might just be the ghosts of Emperor zera’yaiqob and Fr. Stephen haunting us. The controversy stems over what to do with the word parakletos, which is often translated as advocate in English and in the 1980s Amharic bible of His Holiness Patriarch aba tekle’haymanot as lawyer. The 2000s Amharic version, under the auspices of the disputed patriarch His Holiness aba Pawlos, tried to dodge to controversy by transliterating the Old Greek rather than courageously translating the text. For posterity, he (or the wily editors under his auspices) left the truth in the footnotes.
Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine. He is an advocate, through his labor of love for us on the cross, and he is a judge will come again to judge the living and the dead. He came not just for Ethiopians, not just for Oriental Orthodox Christians, not just for Christians, but to redeem and ransom and atone the whole world.
1 John 2:3-11
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Knowledge and wisdom are not the same. Knowledge is the attainment, collecting, and gathering of information. Wisdom, khmah in Hebrew and sofia in Greek, is applied knowledge. Knowledge without application is dead. If you want to be wise, you need to keep his commandments. And as Wheelchair Jimmy told you no new friends, John tells you no new commandments. The ten are listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. The rest of Deuteronomy expands on these in over 600 regulations. The Lord Jesus simplified these in a way we can remember every time we make the sign of the cross. As you make the sign vertically remember your relationship with God, and love him. As you make the sign horizontally remember your relationship with other human beings, and love them. Include the stranger and the enemy in addition to the neighbor. In doing so, you will wisely reflect a fraction of his shining light and love.
1 John 2:12-14
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
The name of the Lord contains his presence. This is why we lift up the names of our dearly departed ones, and of the saints who are triumphant in him. Through him, and not alone, we have overcome evil and wickedness, or the evil one, the wicked one. There are different versions of the Lord’s prayer that have evil as an abstraction or evil personified. The same goes in scripture with money and mammon. Whichever way helps you understand better is better for you. He trampled down death by death so that you could have no fear of death, rather hope in life.
1 John 2:15-17
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
The associate deacon reads aloud a portion of this particular passage after his reading every week, whether he reads from Jacob, Peter, or John. It is a powerful contradistinction, dichotomy, and binary between God/The Church and the world. The latter is like Abel in Genesis and the vanity of Ecclesiastes, behind both is the Hebrew root for that which is fleeting, passing away, vanishing. The former is forever. Matthew warns us not to treasure that which is susceptible to moth (clothes) and rust (so-called precious metals). What then can we trust? His word of life.
1 John 2:18-23
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Antichrists come in a couple of shapes and sizes. One will come as an oppressive ruler, and another will come as a false teacher. The oppressive ruler is not merely the one who says happy holidays to you, but the one who like Nero and Daesh puts Christians to death for carrying the name of Christ and refusing to let go. The false teacher will come to you casting doubt upon Jesus’ anointing from God the Father.
After the reading of the Acts of the Apostles, in our Ge’ez liturgical tradition, in unison we say that the Holy Ghost knows all things. Here John tells us that we know all things. How can this be? We have a spiritual discernment the more time we spend getting to know his word of life, and the closer we get to him as we continually walk toward him, keeping his commandments.
Since you know all things, it is good to remind you that Jesus is Joshua which is Yahweh saves. And Christ is Messiah which is the Anointed one. You are not anointed as he is, but you do have an anointing from the Holy One. Especially, those of you baptized in our communion, with the seal of the Holy Ghost the meron (holy olive oil).
1 John 2:24-27
Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
You have a promise of eternal life, and no one can deceive you if you are walking with God.
1 John 2:28-end
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
We speak of salvation in the Orthodox Church in terms of past, present, and future. The advocacy of Jesus Christ we spoke of earlier is in the past. Your future salvation is something that you have confidence in, but do not arrogantly threaten the Lord like the false teachers of this day saying that he must save all. If he so chooses, he will save all. If he so chooses, he will save none. If he so chooses, he will damn some and save others. Glory be to him whose decision it is, in whose hands are the scales of justice and mercy.
In our daily prayers, we have a prayer called sibhat (glory). After glorifying the all Holy Trinity and the Virgin Mary and the cross, we ask Christ to make us unashamed at his second coming, when he is to judge the living and the dead. And in the opening lines of Sunday liturgies, we say that all who do righteous deeds are righteous ones. This comes not from them, but from him and his throne of grace.