Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with me where I am.
John 17:24
Part 1: Where Christ Is, We Shall Be
On the third day, He sovereignly rose from the dead. He showed Himself to His disciples, in the same body in which He had died. Those who saw Him recognised Him, as He fellowshipped with them, made known by the reality of His physical existence. He stayed with them forty days, instructing them in life’s precepts, teaching them what they should teach others. Then He was taken up into heaven, encircled with a cloud, so that as a Victor He might bring humanity to the Father – humanity whom He loved, with whose nature He clothed Himself, whom He saved from death.
He will soon come from heaven, to punish the devil and judge humanity, with the power of one who rights wrongs, and a Judge’s authority. Meanwhile the disciples, scattered through the world, have taught His precepts of salvation at their Lord and God’s command, guiding people out of shadowy wandering into the path of light, giving sight to the blind, and knowledge of truth to the ignorant.
So that the truth of faith might be all the more solid, and acknowledging Christ might not simply be some pleasant thing, believers are put to the proof by tortures, crucifixions, and many kinds of mistreatment. Pain, the acid test of truth, comes upon them. The outcome is that Christ – the Son of God, the Object of trust given to human beings for their life – is affirmed not merely by the mouth’s trumpeting, but by the witness of suffering.
Therefore, we walk with Christ – we go where He goes – we have Him as the Guide along our way, the Fountain of our illumination, the Source of our salvation! To those who seek and believe, He promises to give both the Father and heaven. What Christ is, we Christians will be, if we follow Christ.
Part 2: Let Us Run with a Joyful Security to Christ!
“We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
Romans 5:11
We who live in hope, have faith in God, trust that Christ suffered for us and rose again, abide in Christ, and rise again through Him and in Him – why are we unwilling to leave this life? Why do we lament and grieve for our Christian friends when they leave, as if they were lost, when Christ Himself, our Lord and God, cheers us with these words:
“I am the resurrection and the life: whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in Me shall not die eternally.”
John 11:25-26
If we have faith in Christ, let’s have faith in what He says and promises! Since we shan’t undergo eternal death, let us run with a joyful security to Christ, with whom we shall win the victory and reign forever!
When we die, we pass over to immortality by death; in fact, life everlasting can’t follow, unless we first leave this life. It isn’t the end, but a transition; our journey through time being completed, we step forward into eternity. Who wouldn’t make speed to better things? Who wouldn’t wish to be transformed, renewed into Christ’s likeness, and reach more rapidly the majesty of heaven’s glory?
Paul the apostle declares,
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we look for the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our lowly body, and conform it to His glorious body.”
Philippians 3:20
Christ the Lord promises that we will experience this. That we may be with Him, and live with Him in everlasting dwellings, and exult in a heavenly kingdom, He prays the Father for us:
“Father, I will that those whom You have given Me be with Me where I am, and see the glory You gave Me before the world was.”
John 17:24
This short homily is excerpted from St. Cyprian’s Epistle to Donatus, translated by © Nick Needham, Daily Readings from the Early Church Fathers, 2017, Christian Heritage, Scotland, UK.
Top image credit: Christ preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, etching by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, 1652. Image in the Public Domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
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Saint Cyprian of Carthage (200-258 AD) was born in Carthage, and was raised without any particular religion. As an adult, he was active in the social and public life of Carthage as a teacher and lawyer. He came to know an older priest, Caecilian, who inspired him to explore the Christian life. Under Caecilian’s care, Cyprian was baptized and reformed his life. His conversion to Christianity was so complete that he gave his considerable fortune away to the poor, and began to study theology. He was soon ordained a priest, and later was appointed bishop of Carthage against his will. He ended up becoming a charitable and courageous bishop who inspired respect and love.
When the emperor Decius began a systematic persecution of Christians in 249, Bishop Cyprian became a target as the authorities such to kill him. Cyprian felt that he was of more use to his people alive, so he found himself guiding his flock from a place of hiding through letters in which he encouraged them to persevere in their faith. Bishop Cyprian also made sure that the faithful who were martyred for their faith received proper Christian burials. When a pestilence broke out, he helped with the ministry to the dying.
When another Christian persecution broke out – there was a new law prohibiting the faithful from gathering and commanded bishops and priests to offer sacrifice to the imperial idols. The courageous Bishop Cyprian remained faithful to Christ and refused to sacrifice to idols. He was eventually arrested and condemned to death by beheading so as to be an example to others. When his sentence was read, Bishop Cyprian replied, “Thanks be to God.” He then suffered martyrdom. He remained faithful to Christ till the very end.
Cyprian protected the unity of the early Church and bore the ultimate witness to Christ by the shedding of his blood. He inspired many Christians and continues to inspire us to stand steadfast in their faith in the face of persecution. [bio source]