Commemoration of the Appearance of the Sign of the Precious Cross over Jerusalem at the Third Hour of the Day during the Reign of Constantine (351); the Holy Martyr Acacius (286-305)
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Acts 10:34-43; John 8:12-20
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
In today’s Epistle, the Chief of the Apostles authoritatively declares one of the most important realities of the New Covenant and the Christian faith: salvation is open to all.
This reality would have been horribly offensive to the Jews in the time of the early Church. After all, God’s covenant was with the Hebrew nation. God had given His Law to Moses for the children of Israel. God had shown his steadfast faithfulness to the Hebrews all throughout history—in the wandering in the desert, the conquering of the Canaanite land, the establishment of the David kingdom, and even in the periods of exile and captivity. God had chosen the Hebrew race to be His own, and the Messiah would establish a permanent Kingdom that would be ruled by the Law of God and where the chosen people of God can be free once and for all.
The Jewish people were correct, except that the Kingdom that the Messiah would establish would be ruled by the heart of the Law of God, not Mosaic law. As a reminder, the heart of the Law of God mentioned above refers to the great two commandments: 1) To love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength, and 2) to love your neighbour as yourself. Also, in this Kingdom, anyone at all can become a part of the chosen People of God. This is what the Apostle Peter is getting at when he says that ‘in any nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him’.
This Kingdom is ruled over by Jesus Christ Himself. All of the prophets speak of Him and we receive forgiveness of sins by His name. If your hope is in an earthly kingdom ruled by an earthly Prince, you will be disappointed. If your hope is an eternal Kingdom ruled by God Himself, your hope is now realized in the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. And citizenship in this Kingdom is open to all.