April 12, 2020
John 12:1-18
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was [a]who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for [b]three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; [c]she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
"Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”
14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.
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ЕВАНГЕЛИЕ: Јован 12, 1 - 18
1На шест дни пред Пасхата дојде Исус во Витанија, каде што беше умрениот Лазар, кого што го воскресна од мртвите.
2Таму Му приготвија вечера и Марта послужуваше, а Лазар беше еден од оние што седеа на трпезата.
3А Марија, откако зеде литар чисто скапоцено миро, ги помаза нозете Исусови, и ги избриша со косата своја нозете Негови; и куќата се исполни со мирис од мирото.
4Еден од учениците Негови, Јуда Симонов Искариот, којшто подоцна Го предаде, рече:
5– Зошто не се продаде ова миро за триста пенези, и да се раздадеа на сиромасите?
6Ова тој го рече не дека се грижеше за сиромасите, туку зашто беше крадец. Тој го чуваше ковчежето и крадеше од она, што пуштаа во него.
7А Исус рече: – Оставете ја! Таа го запазила тоа за денот на Моето погребение;
8оти сиромасите ги имате секогаш покрај себе, а Мене Ме немате секогаш.
9Мнозина од Јудејците разбраа дека Исус е таму, па дојдоа не само заради Исуса, туку да го видат и Лазара, кого што го воскресна од мртвите.
10А првосвештениците се договорија да го убијат и Лазара,
11оти мнозина од Јудеја заради него ги напуштаа и веруваа во Исуса.
12На другиот ден, мноштво народ, кој беше дошол на празникот, кога чуја дека Исус доаѓа во Ерусалим,
13зедоа палмови гранчиња и излегоа да Го пречекаат; и викаа, велејќи: – Осана! Благословен е, Оној Кој доаѓа во името Господово, Царот Израилев!
14А Исус, кога најде едно магаренце, седна на него, како што е напишано:
15„Не бој се, ќерко Сионова! Еве, Царот твој доаѓа, седејќи на магаренце“.
16Ама ова учениците Негови не го разбраа; но, кога се прослави Исус, тогаш се сетија, дека тоа беше напишано за Него, и тоа Му го направија.
17Народот, кој беше со Него кога го извика Лазара од гробот и го воскресна од мртвите, сведочеше.
18Затоа и Го пречека народот, оти беше чул, дека тоа чудо Он го направи.
HOMILY
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
Dear parishioners, brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate the glorious entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. At that time, thousands of men and women shouted with joy, “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!” They greeted Jesus as King. The news that He raised Lazarus from the dead had spread quickly. They cast their robes for Him to ride over. They sang. They waved palm branches.
This event from our Savior’s life was foreseen by the Prophet Zacharias through the dark glass of time, and described this way:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River000 to the ends of the earth (Zacharias 9, 9 - 10).
This is the description of an historical event that took place more than twenty centuries ago. But this event has more than just historical significance; it also has a spiritual meaning, and therefore a moral meaning for every modern-day Christian. Spiritually, Jerusalem signifies the human soul, and the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem signifies the entrance of God into the soul.
Dear parishioners,
Every year on this day, we too have been given palm branches to bring to our homes, where we put them in a place that helps remind us throughout the year of our commitment to the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus. This year, due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be given palm branches, but we can still allow Christ to make a triumphant entry into our hearts. As we begin the final leg of our journey towards Pascha, we must stay with Christ during this Holy and Passion week.
According to St. Paul, commitment to Christ, the King of our lives, is our response to the Lord for what He sacrificed for us on the cross: “He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15). And again St. Paul says: “For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13) “When Christ enters our life, we must abandon the throne of our will, our ego, our pride, and allow Him to step up to this royal chair. He will increase; we shall decrease. He will speak; we shall listen. He will commend; we shall obey”, wrote one church father.
“No one in this world is happy unless he has opened wide the gates of his spiritual Jerusalem—his soul—and received God into himself. A godless man feels lonely to despair. The society of others does not make his loneliness go away, but only increases it. However, he who has taken God into his soul will never feel lonely even in a desert. No one dies an eternal death other than one in whom God has died”, says St. Nikolaj (Velimirovich).
Dear brothers and sisters,
Let us be obedient to our King and place Christ first in our lives. It is only when we have done this that we will find true peace and happiness in such a tumultuous, uncertain, and ever-changing world. Amen. Prepared by Very Rev. Fr. Branko Postolovski
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