The Weekly Quizzes Are Open-Book. The Final Exam Is Not.Chapter 21 of Luke is the only Gospel to use the noun form of ὑπομονῇ, often translated “patience” or “steadfastness.”This term comes from a verb which literally means “to bear under.” Luke uses it another time in his Parable of the Sower to describe how those who hear the word keep it and bear fruit, “with patience” (8:15). This goes against our human inclination to “stay on top” of things. Throughout Luke 21, Jesus warns his hearers not to be led astray by things. Wars, tumults, and destruction will happen, but they are not your reference for the end, which only comes when it comes. And when it comes, you will have to stand before the Son of Man. And when you do, you will be judged according to what he has been saying the whole time. It’s like a teacher who all semester long keeps telling his students there will be a final. But here, you don’t know when the final will take place, and you still have to make sure you are prepared for it when it happens. Scripture is the content of the course material and the judgment scene in Matthew 25 is what the exam looks like. For the final, the book will be open, but only for God to judge our secrets through Jesus Christ by the Gospel preached by the Apostle Paul (Romans 2:16). Until that  day, don’t get distracted, and do not be led astray. You already know what is going to be on the test. Join me in a discussion of Luke 21 in light of Paul’s teaching in I Thessalonians 4:13-17.“Passing Clouds” performed by Roger Limb. “Koran” performed by Delirium. Photo by Danya  Gutan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-reading-burning-newspaper-3278364/

What is it like to be unaffected?How sad it must be to go to church, attend a class, interact with your neighbor, and be indifferent to what they say.What is it like to be unaffected?To be so confined to yourself that when you look at your natural reflection in the mirror, you see your flaws—you might even acknowledge them—but the moment you look away, you forget them. You carry on with your life. It’s a curiosity, an interest, a fleeting insight, perhaps. But it’s a compartment, a facet of your identity that you create that fits into something you control—a picture you paint that does not influence how you live.What is it like to be unaffected?To live in such a way that everything around you exists as an experience in service to you on your checklist—an item on your itinerary, your menu, your agenda.What happens when every member of society treats everything like a trophy wife? Their job, partner, children, friends, family, affiliations, and even the place they pray?Everything becomes a trophy wife.Even God—the god of their imagination—becomes a trophy wife.What happens when everything is the object of the reflection of their natural face?What is it like to be unaffected?To resolve the dissonance of your natural reflection with the comfort of forgetfulness.To return to what was left behind. To turn away from what lies ahead. To prefer a lie. To lie to yourself.What happens when you look away?This week, I discuss Luke 8:19–21.Show NotesRefer to Episode 548: Μαγδαληνή / ג-ד-ל (gimel-dalet-lamed) / ج-د-ل (jīm-dāl-lām)In Latin, creāre means “to create,” “to produce,” or “to elect.” In Rome’s political sphere, it referred to the act of appointing or electing officials, including Julius Caesar.Hearers Not Listeners“For if anyone is a listener of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” (James 1:23-24)“Γίνεσθε δὲ ποιηταὶ λόγου καὶ μὴ ἀκροαταὶ μόνον…”“But be doers of the word and not listeners only…”(James 1:22)“Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μήτηρ μου καὶ ἀδελφοί μου οὗτοι εἰσιν οἱ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκούοντες καὶ ποιοῦντες.” (Luke 8:21)In James 1:22, ποιηταὶ λόγου (“doers of the word”) and ἀκροαταὶ (“listeners") correspond to the participial forms found in Luke 8:21: ἀκούοντες (“hearing”) and ποιοῦντες (“doing”). Notably, ἀκροαταὶ and ἀκούοντες come from different roots. ἀκροαταὶ from the root: ἀκρο- (akro-), meaning at “the edge” or “the extremity,” implying passive reception, or “listening” vs. ἀκούοντες “to hear.”)Someone who sees their natural face (πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως, “the face of his birth”) in a mirror and then forgets what he saw is the one who hears Scripture and neglects to act. He chooses to forget his appearance in God’s eyes. His knowledge of Scripture (the mirror) is overtaken by willful self-deception. He is a listener, not a doer. ἀκροατής (“listener to”) occurs only four times in the New Testament, all with the negative connotation of inaction: Romans 2:13: γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ νόμου δίκαιοι“for it is not the listeners of the Law”James 1:22: καὶ μὴ ἀκροαταὶ μόνον παραλογιζόμενοι“and not mere listeners of the Law, who delude themselves” James 1:23: ὅτι εἴ τις ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν καὶ οὐ ποιητής“for if anyone is a listener of the word and not a doer"James 1:25: παραμείνας οὐκ ἀκροατὴς ἐπιλησμονῆς γενόμενος“not a forgetful listener, but a doer”παραλογίζομαι / ر-م-ي (rā-mīm-yāʼ) / ר-מ-ה (resh-mem-he)To deceive, defraud. To desert, abandon, or betray. To cast, throw, to cast (blame), or shoot (arrows). The Arabic رَمَى (ramā) and the Hebrew רמה (rāmā) carry the same function. “So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, ‘What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived (רִמִּיתָנִי, rimmītānī) me?’” (Genesis 29:25)“But whoever earns an offense or a sin and then blames it (يَرْمِ yarmī) on an innocent has taken upon himself a slander and manifest sin.” Surah An-Nisa (4:112)James 1:24: ἐπιλανθάνομαι (“to forget”)"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten (ἐπελάθετο) what kind of person he was." (James 1:23-24)"For God is not unjust so as to forget (ἐπιλαθέσθαι) your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." (Hebrews 6:10) "Do not neglect (ἐπιλανθάνεσθε) to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)"And do not neglect (ἐπιλανθάνεσθε) doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:16)"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting (ἐπιλανθανόμενος) what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." (Philippians 3:13)Philippians 3:13 refers to 3:8, which pertains to Paul’s station, family, tribe, religion, religious purity, heritage, personal achievements, religious accomplishments, national pedigree, and personal zeal—in his words—"ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν / ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα" (I consider everything a loss; I consider them dung):“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere dung, so that I may gain Christ.”"ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου μου, δι’ ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα, ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω."

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that a word does not carry meaning yet the words of Scripture make God’s instruction accessible. Likewise, it is the words of God to which we submit, not an abstract Torah in Deuteronomy, but the words of God, a point echoed in the letters of St. Paul. (Episode 333)

From A To Z.When we hear Scripture, we are always beyond the grace. This is point A. And we always have the peace - point Z - ahead of us. All of the epistles of Paul start with “grace and peace,” and they all end with “grace.” He gives you the starting point and the end point at the outset, but then after teaching for the duration of his letter, he leaves you a reminder of where you are, saying essentially, “Now go put into practice what I have told you.” In Scripture, the grace (point A) had nothing to do with you. It is a gift that God simply wanted to give you. Likewise point Z is not in your control. In fact you don’t get there, but rather it comes to you. And you don’t know when, so you have to be ready. Paul uses this mechanism in all of his letters, and in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents his “sermon on the plain” in similar terms. The teaching there is that one may be blessed or cursed on the road between A and Z; the blessing is in  waiting for Z.  Until it comes, we have the second grace of Scripture, written instruction to keep us from going astray. Join me in a discussion of Luke 6:13-23.Orthodox Audio Bible Commentary by Fr. Paul Tarazi.“Passing Clouds” performed by Roger Limb.“Koran” performed by Delirium. Photo by Brett Jordan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/letters-on-black-background-6475822/

We discuss why John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus, questioning if Jesus was the Messiah. Through that exchange, we come to realize how John can be called "the greatest born of women," yet least in the kingdom of heaven. We conclude by discussing why Jesus is talking about taking the kingdom by violence.