Holy Martyr Paramon (249-51), the Holy Martyr Philomenus (270-75); Our Father Acacius, of Whom Testimony is Found in the Ladder of Divine Ascent
Nativity Fast. Abstinence from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read
2 Thessalonians 3:6-18; Luke 13:31-35
We hear an interesting putdown regarding Herod, calling him a “fox,” seemingly denouncing his earthly power. Instead, Christ tells the Pharisees of the power he himself possesses: “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.”
The Pharisees are confused about power. They see it in Herod and hope to scare Jesus, the source of real power. In the second century, Irenaeus battles with the Valentinians about the nature of scriptures, who manipulated it in interpretation in hopes to spread their power out. He compares their interpretation in the following way:
“Their manner of acting is just as if one, when a beautiful image of a king has been constructed by some skilful artist out of precious jewels, should then take this likeness of the man all to pieces, should rearrange the gems, and so fit them together as to make them into the form of a dog or of a fox, and even that but poorly executed.”
In misrepresenting the Scriptures, the Valentinians seek to be the source of their own power, rather than faithfully interpreting Christ as manifest in the scripture. I think Irenaeus is aware of Christ calling Herod a fox. Herod’s power is a fiction, reconfigured power. Christ shows power properly arranged, as God has intended to manifest itself on earth in the person of Jesus.
In these days, we are often asked in the heat of troubling political discourse to make a choice between God and the government, between the image of the king and a fox. Let’s choose the better portion and leave the foxes to fight amongst themselves.