Do Not Fear, Only Believe: Christ, Suffering, and Resurrection
Daniel McInnes delivers a sermon written by Fr. Nicholas for the feast of the Archangels, reflecting on the dignity of humanity in Jesus Christ. Through the healing of the woman who suffered for twelve years and the raising of Jairus’s daughter, the Gospel reveals Christ’s compassion, authority over death, and call to faithful perseverance. We are reminded that God draws near in our suffering and leads us toward the glory of His eternal kingdom.
Transcript
In the name of the father, son, and holy spirit. Amen. Today, as we celebrate the synaxis of the archangels of the all of all the bodilless powers of heaven, the church directs our attention to the glory of God's heavenly kingdom and to the extraord extraordinary dignity of our own humanity in Jesus Christ. The epistle to the Hebrews speaks of the angels of humanity's calling to glory and of Christ who willingly descended into our human condition and tasted death for the salvation of all. The gospel reveals this same Lord entering into the suffering of two women or two people. A woman who has endured 12 years of illness and a young girl whose life appears to have come to an end. Together, these readings proclaim a profound truth. The God whom the angels worship is the God who draws near to us in our suffering, enters into our death, and calls us to share in his eternal life. The epistle begins by reminding us that God has spoken to humanity first through the ministry of angels and ultimately
through his son. The message declared by angels was reliable. But now something greater has been revealed. God's salvation has been made known through Jesus Christ himself, confirmed by his miracles and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. On this feast of the archangels, we remember that the angels are the servants and messengers of God. They stand continually in his presence, worship, worshiping him and carrying out his divine will. Yet the author of Hebrews draws our attention to something remarkable. The world to come has not been placed under the authority of the angels, but is destined for humanity. This does not refer to humanity in its present fallen condition, but to our fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the son of God, who became man. In him, our human nature is restored, glorified, and brought to share in the life and glory of God's kingdom. The epistle recalls the words of the psalmist, "What is man that you are mindful of him? Or the son of man that you care for him?" Humanity may appear insignificant when compared with the vastness of creation and the majesty of the heavenly powers. We are frail, mortal, and vulnerable to suffering. Yet God has not forgotten us. He created us for communion with himself and he's crowned humanity with glory and honor. We do not always see this glory in our present circumstances. We see sickness, sorrow, injustice, and death. We see people overwhelmed by burdens that seem too great to bear. As the epistle acknowledges, at present we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. The world remains wounded by sin and death, and our lives often seem far removed from the glory for which they were created. But the Christian faith does not ask us to deny this suffering. It directs us to Christ. The epistle continues, "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. The eternal son of God took our human nature upon himself. He who is worshiped by the angelic hosts, humbled himself, entered our world, and accepted even death. He did this not because he was subject to the powers of sin and death, but because he came to overcome them from within our own human condition. Christ's suffering was not the defeat of his glory. Through his cross and resurrection, he opened the way for humanity to be restored to the glory and communion with God for which we were created. This is the great hope of our faith. God has not abandoned his creation and death will not have the final word. We see this compassion of Christ made visible in today's gospel.
Gyrus, a ruler of the synagogue, comes to Jesus in desperation. His only daughter, about 12 years old, is dying. A man of responsibility and standing. Gyrus now finds himself powerless before the suffering of his child. He falls at the feet of Jesus and begs him to come to his house. As Jesus makes his way through the crowd, another person approaches him. A woman who has suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years. She has spent everything she possesses seeking a cure, but no one has been able to heal her. These are very two different people. Gyrus is a respected leader. The woman is unnamed. Gyrus approaches Jesus openly while the woman appro approaches him from behind. One fears the imminent death of his child. The other has endured years of illness and distress. Yet both have reached the limits of their own strength and both turn to Christ. The woman touches the fringe of his garment and immediately she is healed. Jesus then asks, "Who was it that touched me?" Peter points at the crowd that is pressing around him. Many people are physically touching Jesus, but this woman has reached out to him in faith. Christ does not allow her to disappear unnoticed into the crowd. She comes forward trembling and tells him what has happened. And Jesus says to her, "Daughter," "Your faith has made you well. Go in peace." Notice the tenderness of the encounter. Christ does not merely restore her bodily health. He addresses her as daughter. The woman who has suffered for 12 years is received personally by the Lord. She's not an anonymous sufferer or simply another person in need of healing. She is known, received, and restored to peace. The Lord's compassion reaches beyond the immediate affliction. He restores the person. This encounter also reminds us that our suffering does not place us beyond God's attention. Sometimes our afflictions are prolonged. We pray, seek help, and wait, and the relief we desire does not come when we expect it. Yet the gospel assures us that we are never merely faces in a crowd to Christ. He knows each of us and he calls us into communion with himself. While Christ is still is still speaking to the woman, a messenger comes from Gyrus's house with devastating news. Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher anymore. From a human perspective, the situation has changed completely. While the child was alive, there was still the possibility of healing. Now those who have come from the house
believe that all hope has ended. But Jesus turns to Gyrus and says,"Do not fear. Only believe and she will be well." Christ does not rebuke Gyrus for being afraid. Nor does he pretend that death is insignificant. He calls him to trust beyond what can presently be seen or understood. When they arrive at the house, the mourers laugh at Jesus when he says that the child is not dead, but sleeping. They know that the girl has died and the response reflects the limits of ordinary human expectation. For them, death has closed the door. But Christ enters the room, takes the girl by the hand, and calls her, "Child, arise." Her spirit returns, and she rises immediately. Here we encounter the authority of the one described in Hebrews. The one through whom all things exist who has entered into our human suffering and tasted death for everyone. His authority is not simply the power to perform a wonder. It is the authority of the Lord of life who comes to deliver humanity from the dominion of death. The raising of Gyrus's daughter anticipates the resurrection of Christ himself. It reveals that death though real and grievous cannot fully overcome the one who is life. The child is restored to her presence her parents and the command to give her something to eat reminds us that Christ's miracle restores her to the ordinary life of human human relationships and bodily needs. God's saving work embraces the whole person. On the feast of the archangels, this gospel invites us to contemplate the relationship between heaven and earth. The angelic powers stand in the presence of God and fulfill his will. Yet the son of God has come among us, entering the very depths of our weakness in order to raise us into the life of his kingdom. The angels rejoice in God's glory. Humanity is called to participate in that glory through union with Christ. The incarnation reveals not the insignificance of human life, but its immeasurable worth in the eyes of God. That calling has practical consequences for how we live. We are called to recognize the dignity of every person, particularly those who are suffering, forgotten, or regarded as having little importance. We are called to approach others with the same compassion that Christ shows to the woman and to Gyrus's daughter. And we are called to persevere in prayer even when the answers we seek appear delayed or when circumstances seem to have closed every door. Faith does not mean that we will never experience sorrow, illness or bereiement. It means that we do not face them alone and that we entrust ourselves to the Lord whose love is stronger than death. The feast of the archangels also reminds us that our earthly existence is not the whole of reality. We belong to a creation that extends beyond what our eyes can see. Our worship joins the praise of the heavenly powers and our lives are directed towards the kingdom in which Christ will be all in all. The world may not not yet display the fullness of God's victory. We may not yet see suffering healed or every sorrow consoled in this life. But we see Jesus Christ, the one who took our nature upon himself, who touched the suffering, who
raised the dead, and who went willingly to the cross for our salvation. Therefore, when fear arises, let us hear his words to Gyrus. Do not fear, only believe. When we feel forgotten, let us remember his words to the woman. Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. When we stand before the reality of death, let us hold firmly to the promise proclaimed by the church. Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. May the holy archangels and all the heavenly powers strengthen us in faith and direct us towards the worship of the Holy Trinity. And may Christ, the founder of our salvation, lead us through every trial towards the glory of his eternal kingdom. Through the prayers of the holy archangels and all the borderless powers of heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
