Commemoration of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. Octoechos Tone 4. Holy Martyrs Carpus, Papylas and Agathonicus (249-51).
Hebrews 13:7-16. John 17:1-13.
Read Hebrews 13:7-16
Commands to follow leaders don’t carry as much weight as they used to. Many leaders have not only failed, some have abused their authority. And, as societies progress in freedom and prosperity, followers have more independence and choice. But leadership is still important, so that also means that following is too. Today’s epistle reading points followers of Christ toward a healthy relationship with spiritual leaders.
Three verbs tell us what to do: “remember”, “consider”, and “imitate”.
We are called to remember a certain kind of leader: “those who spoke to you the word of God”. Knowing whether someone we remember has actually done that implies that we know the word of God ourselves. In Acts 17, the Bereans were considered “noble” for not only eagerly receiving the apostolic preaching but “examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so”.
We are not called to follow blindly. We are told to “consider the outcome of their life”. That means God honors our agency in observing and assessing leaders. The emphasis on “outcome” does not mean that leaders never sin; it means that we include consideration of lives of repentance, like St. Peter’s.
We are not called to a cult of personality. Each leader is different, as are we. We are not called to imitate the leader; we are called to “imitate their faith”. Faith is circumscribed by words, but it is what we live. Faith can be more understood when we see it practiced. With a growing knowledge of the word of God, we will recognize faith when we see it, and when we see it, we are called to follow it. Then, when others remember us and consider the outcome of our lives, they can be led in their faith by imitating us.