Reflect on why, as recounted in Matthew's Gospel, the disciples were instructed not to reveal that He is the Messiah (Matthew 16:20), and note that they were similarly commanded to keep silent about His suffering and resurrection. All essential truths are encapsulated within the name of Christ. He is born of a virgin, performed miracles, suffered for our transgressions, and rose again. Removing any of these essential truths undermines salvation. Even heretics acknowledge the name of Christ; everyone concedes His identity. However, he who fails to confess the fullness of Christ denies Him. For many reasons, He asked His disciples to remain silent, aiming to outwit the ruler of this world, to reject boasting, and to impart lessons on humility, ensuring that the still untested and imperfect disciples were not burdened by the weight of proclaiming the greatest message too soon.
Now let us explore the rationale behind His command for silence among unclean spirits. Scripture has shed light on this, for the Lord questioned, "Why dost thou preach My statutes?" (Psalm 49:16). This serves as a warning to those who hear such preaching; for the devil is not a reliable teacher. He often misrepresents truth, masking falsehood with a veneer of authenticity.
Let us also examine whether this was the first instance in which He instructed His disciples not to identify Him as the Christ, or if such commands had been given prior when He sent out the twelve apostles, instructing them not to pursue the Gentiles or the cities of the Samaritans but to focus on the lost sheep of Israel. They were told to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons (Matthew 10:5-6, 8). It appears that they were not chastised for preaching Christ, the Son of God.
The progression of our reasoning aligns with the method of interpretation. When the Gentiles are called to the Church, we should present the commandments in a logical order, initially clarifying that there is one God, the Creator of all (as expounded by St. Ambrose based on Paul’s preaching at Athens, Acts 17:24-31). In Him, we live and move, and we are His offspring (Acts 17:28), guiding them to love Him not only for the gift of life but also for humanity as a whole. Next, it is crucial to dispel common misconceptions regarding idols, as substances like gold, silver, and wood lack divine power. Once it is established that God is one, then demonstrate that our salvation comes through Christ, beginning with His works in the flesh and revealing His divine attributes, which affirm His superiority to man. Clearly show that He alone defeated death and rose from the grave. Faith develops gradually, and as people grasp the greatness of Christ, they will come to believe in His divinity. If one cannot demonstrate that true divine power enabled His deeds, how can one assert His divine nature?
But perhaps our authority and credibility seem insufficient? In that case, consider the sermon delivered by the apostle Paul to the Athenians. If he had aimed to eradicate idolatry immediately, the Gentiles likely would have rejected his message. He began by proclaiming one God, the Creator of all (Acts 17:24). They could not contest the existence of a single Creator, one God, who made all things. Paul argued that it was inappropriate for the Lord of heaven and earth to reside in man-made structures, expressing the absurdity of constricting God’s divine power within lifeless materials such as gold or silver. He emphasized the need for repentance and eventually mentioned Christ, not primarily as God but rather as a man, stating that God assured all through Him by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:31). In dialogue, it is important to consider the listeners’ sensibilities; otherwise, they may dismiss the message outright. Would the Athenians have accepted the doctrine of the Word becoming flesh (John 1:14) and the virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-38) had they scoffed at the mention of resurrection? Yet, Dionysius the Areopagite, among others, believed in Christ as man (Acts 17:34) and subsequently came to accept Him as God. The sequence of belief is not as significant as the ultimate acceptance of the truth. Perfection is not demanded from the outset; one progresses toward completeness. This is the teaching that Paul delivered to the Athenians, and it should guide our approach with the Gentiles.
However, when addressing the Jews, the apostles proclaimed that He was the Christ foretold by the prophets. Initially, relying solely on their authority, they did not assert His identity as the Son of God but referred to Him as the Righteous Man, the One raised from the dead (Acts 2:32-36; Acts 3:15, 14; Acts 13:23-30). Confirm through Scripture the veracity of what is difficult to believe. Show that the prophets foretold His coming and that His resurrection was predicted long before, not as a reference to the general resurrection, but as irrefutable evidence of His eternal divinity. Highlight that while others experienced decay after death, of the One about whom it is written, "Thou shalt not let Thy Holy One see corruption" (Psalm 15:10), it is asserted that He is excluded from human frailty. This establishes His superiority over mere humanity and aligns Him more closely with the divine.
If one seeks edification, it becomes clear that He is unparalleled and the only one that can rightfully be compared with God instead of man. For those approaching the sacraments, it is important to acknowledge one God, from whom all things come, and one Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist (1 Corinthians 8:6). There are not two Lords. The Father is complete, and the Son is complete; both are of the same essence. The Son is the eternal Word of God, begotten of the Father, not spoken into existence by mere utterance. Thus, the apostles were initially prohibited from proclaiming Him as the Son of God so that later they could share the message of Him who was crucified. This is the highest affirmation of faith: to grasp the significance of the cross of Christ. I find no value in other crosses; only the cross of Christ holds genuine significance for me, through which the world is rendered dead to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14). If the world is crucified to me, I recognize its demise and do not cherish it; I understand that the world is transient and do not crave it; I see that decay will lead to the world's destruction and I avoid it as a foul odor; I treat it as a contagious affliction and shun it as a curse.
Not everyone instantly believes that salvation has been granted through the cross. By referencing Greek historical accounts, prepare them for the possibility of such a paradigm. The apostle sometimes engaged with skeptics, quoting excerpts from pagan authors (Acts 17:28), dismantling the myths of poets. Consider historical examples from Greece when lives were sacrificed for the salvation of armies and nations, such as the Athenian king Codrus, who gave his life for victory against the Dorians, as recorded in Valerius Maximus’ "Dostopamamematae Acts and Sayings" (5.6). Remember Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, who was sacrificed to permit the Greek army to cross to Troy. Furthermore, our own scriptures assert that "the blood of goats and oxen and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on the unclean sanctify for the purification of the flesh" (Hebrews 9:13). It is also stated that the death of one can atone for the pestilence wrought by the sins of many. Whether these occurrences have rational explanations or we accept them as acts of Providence, they serve to facilitate belief in the cross of Christ, assuring that listeners may relate more readily to our traditions, as they cannot dismiss their own histories.
No individual has the capacity to bear the sins of the entire world; neither Enoch nor Abraham qualifies. Even Isaac, who was almost sacrificed, did not face death (Genesis 22:11-13) as he could not expunge all sin. Which person could have the power to eradicate all sin? Therefore, it was not a man from the multitude, but the Son of God who was chosen by God the Father. He stands above all, hence He could offer Himself for the sake of all. It was meet for Him to die; in doing so, as one greater than death, He liberated others so that those bound among the dead might experience freedom (Psalm 87:5). Without the intervention of man or creature, He triumphed over death, achieving true freedom by casting off the shackles of sin and remaining untouched by the grips of death.
THEOSIS