Offered by Dcn. Michael Schlaack on 11/26/23 at St. Mary Magdalene
Whether we know it or not, our life consists of prisons, both physical and spiritual, that we allow to capture our thoughts and actions. These prisons of our own creation reflect the condition and focus of our souls and minds, demonstrating to us and the rest of the world where the treasure of our faith truly lies. As Jesus said, we can only serve one master (Matt. 6:24; Luke 6:13), and that decision will determine in whose prison we will live. But by holding tightly to our “first love” in Christ, it is possible for us to break the bonds of this world and live as children of God.
The Church in Ephesus was one of the earliest Christian communities established by St. Paul around AD 53-56, and the epistle was likely written by St. Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome around AD 61-63. The letter to the Ephesians was written at a time when they could be commended for their love in Christ and their devotion to carrying on the work of the faith (Eph. 1:15, 16). Ephesus was the provincial Roman capital in Asia Minor, being on a major international trade route. As a result of its cosmopolitan status, there were many different cults practicing within the city, including the cult of the Roman goddess Diana (Artemis in Greek), emperor worship, as well as various magicians and occultists as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 19).
It is interesting to notice that in just 35 years from the time of St. Paul’s letter to the writing of the Revelation of St. John the Theologian, the situation in Ephesus changed. The community went from being commended for their faith to being described as leaving their first love (Rev. 2:4), that is, the love of Christ that was praised at the early days of the community. The Church of Ephesus is called to hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, believed to be an early gnostic heresy founded by an apostate from Christianity named Nicolas, that tolerated the worship of idols among other evil practices. It is by beliefs and practices that are counter to the true faith that the members of the Ephesian Church imprisoned themselves within the walls of heresy, succumbing to the popular practices that were prevalent in the city.
Our lives today are not that much different from those Christians trying to live out their faith in Ephesus during the first century. Jesus’ prayer for the protection of His disciples draws the distinction between what it means to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:14-16). We, as the representatives of God’s Kingdom on earth, are expected to live amongst the sinners so that we can be the small amount of leavening that can have a great influence on the whole world (Matt. 13:33). We sanctify ourselves not by isolating from the world but by being the living examples of Christ within it. So regardless of the actual walls that enclose us, we can still live out the love of God in Christ and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We have that great cloud of witnesses in the Holy Saints as our guides and examples of enduring in a lost and dying world (Heb. 12:1-3).
But what does St. Paul mean that he is a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:1)? We can see that Paul is drawing on his experience of being imprisoned in Rome, where his freedom of movement has been restricted. Although St. Paul is physically captive, we see that his soul, and especially his commitment to the fledgling community in Ephesus, is still free. As the lives of the Saints have shown us throughout history, there is nothing that can stop us from loving God and our fellow man except our lack of faith in Jesus Christ. With our focus and love firmly fixed on Christ, we will not be prisoners to any jail in this world.
By being a prisoner for Christ, like St. Paul we are heirs of the riches that our Heavenly Father has for His children. We are literally captive to the love and grace that He has for those who are willing to live by His commandments. Just as we know the presence of the Holy Spirit by His fruits (Gal. 5:22-23), so too we can see when we live as prisoners of the Lord, by walking “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2, 3). Simply put, live as children of God. Regardless of what the world may say, there is no law that any man can enact that will prevent us from living out our lives as captives of Christ.
Living our lives as captives of the Lord requires that we show the same level of faith and perseverance that is found in the Apostles and Saints. It is by their examples that we find the way and strength to carry on in a world that opposes the Holy Gospel. A deep and abiding faith will carry us through the tough times making it possible to live in gentleness, humility, perseverance, love, and peace, as we are called to do. As Jesus taught, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). Being a prisoner of the Lord means that you no longer live for the earthly riches but rather for the that greatest treasure that is being stored up for us in heaven (Matt. 6:19, 20). Whichever is our captor—either Christ or the world—will determine how and why we live.
But do not think that a life as the Lord’s captive can be attained quickly and without hard work: It requires perseverance in the face of distractions and oppositions. As St. Isaac the Syrian wrote, “Without perseverance no discipline, whether prayer, fasting or vigil, ever bears fruit. The end of your labor will be just the same as its beginning.”[1] Perseverance is something that we should all be learning and strengthening during this Nativity Fast, cleaning out our souls to make our bodies a true temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19, 20).
Losing sight of our first love in Jesus Christ causes us to be swallowed up in the waves of despair that surround us every day. For our parish to thrive we must always keep in mind Who it is we serve and never allow the distractions of the world to imprison us. We need to remain passionate for the Gospel and our firm commitment to be living examples of Christ to those around us. We must never forget our calling as Christians to live out our faith, in one God the Father, in one Lord Jesus Christ and in one Spirit, demonstrating that we are prisoners of Christ and not prisoners of the world.
[1] Isaac the Syrian, in “The Four Books,” 1.3, Arabic Version, quoted in Matthew the Poor, Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way, (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003), 174.