THEOSISIgnatij (Briantchaninow)
The suffering that humanity endures frequently stems from their violation of divine law, rooted in their own missteps. This was the case with the Jews, who, preoccupied with their temporary earthly significance and aspirations for exceptional worldly prosperity, rejected the Messiah. They exchanged the promise of divine fulfillment for the fleeting allure of a vain dream. Their belief in a transient importance and the ambition for broad civil advancement represented sheer delusion. What was to be grasped in a spiritual context, the Jews sought to realize materially, ultimately producing humiliation for God and emptiness for humanity. As God's chosen people, they were meant to be a beacon of guidance and reflection for nations that had descended into foolish and pitiful idolatry.
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God’s blessings, seen in the extraordinary triumphs of the Israelites — victories unmatched by any other nation and a prosperity they uniquely enjoyed — served as undeniable evidence to the world mired in sensuality, revealing that the God worshipped by the Jews was the one true God. Historical experience indicated that those nations which discerned the truth about the Jews were drawn to this impression. Indeed, the very designation of the Israelites as God's people coincided with the widespread turn of nations toward idolatry. Through the extraordinary providence and power of God evident in the life of His chosen people, all nations were thus prepared for the acceptance of the Redeemer — the God-Man born among them, destined to be their leader and sovereign, as well as the savior for all of humanity.
This God-Man, embodying omnipotence and omnipresence, introduced a universal blessing into a world fraught with suffering — a gift of immeasurable value befitting the infinite God. The outcome of this divine gift could no longer be confined to temporal riches that, once received, are inevitably relinquished through death or even through the misfortunes of life. Instead, the blessing brought to humanity through the God-Man was a reconciliation between mankind and God, the joining of God's divine nature with humanity (Luke 2:14; 2 Pet. 1:4). This reconciliation resulted in humanity's adoption into divine kinship: through His assumption of humanity, the Son of God became the Son of Man, making those of mankind His brethren, thus extending the right to be called children of God. The ultimate fruit of this blessing includes eternal joy for humanity that transcends all understanding, surpassing all desires. Though humans are conceived in sin, instead of descending into the depths of hell for eternal punishment, they ascend to heaven, joining the cherubim and seraphim around God's throne, where He, in His infinite love for humanity, chose to become one of them.
In light of these everlasting, heavenly gifts, what significance do transient, earthly possessions hold? They amount to nothing. Their worth is negative, and if humanity attributes to them any positive value, they risk losing sight of eternal treasures, facing the same fate as the Jews. The Jews were granted temporal blessings as mere shadows of true, eternal riches; they opted to remain in that shadow, dismissing the profound good that aimed to lift them toward Heaven. Consequently, the God-Man admonishes humanity to forsake worldly goods. Moreover, He urges mankind to recognize its fallen state, to see the earth as merely a temporary abode, a prelude to eternal torment and a place of exile. Humanity is called to seek God and eternal life while regarding earthly existence as a fleeting residence, urging them to persevere through the trials of this temporal life. Through such trials, they confess their need for a Redeemer, honor God's justice that disciplines them, and prepare to receive His mercy.
This message did not sit well with the Jews. To them, the message of the cross was a stumbling block, a challenge to their pursuit of material prosperity. They valued their earthly status as priceless, the only treasure worthy of sacrifice. In their defense of their actions towards the Divine Messenger, they invoked the necessity of maintaining this position (John 11:49-50). They lost sight of eternity and spiritual benefit. Driven by ambition for worldly success and dominion, which they interpreted as God's promise to Israel, the Jews rose in rebellion against the powerful Romans, the reigning authority of that era. The outcome of this rebellion was war, culminating in the defeat of the insurgents, the siege and devastation of Jerusalem, countless Jewish deaths, and the scattering of survivors throughout the earth.