Bible Study on Romans Session 31
Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans;
A Bible Study Based upon the Homilies of St John Chrysostom (SJC)
Study Guide – May 12, 2020 – Romans 15.25-16.5 – Homily 30
Prayer before reading of the Holy Scriptures: Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of Your Gospel. Instill in us also reverence for Your blessed commandments so that, having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things which are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory, together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good and life giving Spirit, always now and forever and to the ages of ages.
Chapter 15, verses 25-33
- To avoid being seen as scolding the Romans, St Paul explains why he is delayed. SJC “he is urging the Romans to give alms and making them more eager to do so. For if Paul were not eager to effect this good work, it would have been enough for him to have said: “I am going to Jerusalem,” but now he states the reason for his journey.” (Pg 1, #2)
- Romans would accept the challenge easier if St Paul praised them. SJC “Surely, they would have thought that they were being insulted if Paul were to have brought before them the Corinthians and the Macedonians as an exhortation….For there is nothing so powerful as zeal and emulation. And, therefore, he uses such emulation in many places.” (Pg 1 #3,5)
- St Paul’s humility reveals his dignity. SJC “But if Paul is going to minister, consider how great a service is being done when the teacher of the whole world undertakes to carry alms and, when he was about to travel to Rome and was so desirous to see the people there, he chose Jerusalem over Rome.” (Pg 2, #6)
- Gentiles (and us) owe the Jews a great debt. SJC “And then he shows how the gentiles are in debt. “For if the gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they should also minister to them in material things.” What Paul is saying is this. Christ came on their account. All the promises were made to those Jews. Christ came for them. This is why Christ said: “Salvation is from the Jews.” From them came the apostles, from them came the prophets, from them came all blessings. The world shared in all these things. Therefore, Paul means, if you shared in the greater gifts and, when the banquet had been prepared for them, you came in and enjoyed the feasts which had been prepared for them, as the parable in the gospel tells us, you owe it to them to share and give to them a part of your material possessions.” (Pg 2, #8-9)
- Material possessions belong to everyone. SJC “For the spiritual blessings were theirs, but the material possessions do not belong only to those who own them but are common to all. For Paul commanded money to be held to belong to all and not only to those who possessed it.” (Pg 2, #10)
- St Paul keeps reminding the Romans how much he desires to visit. SJC “It is just as if he had said: “I know that when I come, I will see you with the approval and freshness of all good deeds and worthy of countless praises according to the gospel.” (Pg 3, #13)
- When St Paul only mentions part of the Holy Trinity, that doesn’t mean he is forgetting the entire Trinity. SJC “Here again Paul puts forward Christ and the Spirit but makes no mention of the Father. I say this so that when you see Paul mentioning the Father and the Son, or the Father alone, you may not disregard either the Son or the Spirit.” (Pg 3, #14)
- St Paul admits that struggle is coming. SJC “When Paul said this, he was showing that certain wolves, who were more wild beasts than they were human beings, were going to set upon him and attack him.” (Pg 3, #15)
- Those who are surrounded by nonbelievers need even more help. SJC “For those who were in the midst of so many enemies were also on the point of perishing from famine.” (Pg 3, #16)
- Intention matters when it comes to helping others. SJC “And from this Paul shows something else, namely, that it is not enough to have given alms so that they may be accepted. For when someone is forced to give alms, when he gives them from ill-gotten gains, when he gives from a motive of vainglory, the benefit of his giving is gone.” (Pg 3, #18)
- St Paul expresses his humility when he admits HE is the one who will benefit from the visit to Rome. SJC “See how again Paul shows that he is far removed from boasting. For he did not say: “That I may teach you and instruct you,” but, “That I may find refreshment in your company.” Yet he was the one involved in the contest and the boxing match. How is it, then, that he says: “That I may find refreshment in your company?” It is to gratify them and, in this way, to make them more eager by making them share in the crowns of victory, and to show that they, too, are struggling and laboring. Then, as he is constantly in the habit of doing, he adds a prayer to his exhortation when he says: “And may the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” (Pg 4, #19)
Chapter 16, verses 1-5
- Phoebe deserves extra honor. SJC “See how great an honor he grants to her! For he mentions her before all the others and calls her his sister. And it was no small thing to be called a sister of Paul. And he added to her dignity when he spoke of her as being in the ministry….For Phoebe has two reasons for you to show her special treatment: first, to welcome her for the Lord’s sake and second, to welcome her because she herself is a saint and a holy one.” (Pg 4, #20,21)
- To avoid burdening the Romans, St Paul expects them to help as Phoebe NEEDS. SJC “Not in whatever situation she may be, but in matters where she may need your help–if she needs your help in things where you can be of assistance.” (Pg 4, #22)
- St Paul mentions coworkers as a great honor. SJC “Here Paul is hinting at the couple’s hospitality and the service which came from their donations. He marvels at them because they poured forth their blood and had offered all the wealth and property which they held in common. Do you not see that these were noble women who were in no way hindered by the nature of their sex from rushing along the road to virtue? And this was just what might be expected. “For in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female.” …For they were held in such high esteem that they made their house into a church both by making believers of the whole household and by opening their home to all strangers.” (Pg 5, #27, 28)
Life Application – Virtue Brings Glory
- Virtue is brighter than the sun – Nonetheless, their virtue covered all this over and showed them forth as brighter than the sun. Neither the occupation in which they were skilled nor their union in marriage did them any harm since they displayed the love which Christ required of them. For Christ said: “Greater love than this no one has than that one lay down his life for his friends.” They showed that sign which is a mark of a disciple for they took up the cross and followed him. And those who did this for Paul’s sake would much rather have shown their fortitude on Christ’s behalf. (Pg 5, #30)
- Earthly prestige fades – For I ask you, what queen was so conspicuous or so celebrated as this wife of a tent-maker? Nor were her praises on the lips of all for ten or twenty years, but she will be lauded until Christ shall come again. And everyone will proclaim her for these deeds which adorn her beauty much more than an imperial crown could do. For what is greater, or what is so great as being the protectress of Paul, as saving the teacher of the whole world at her own peril? Consider how many are the empresses who receive no mention and are forgotten. But she, the wife of a tent-maker, together with her tent-maker husband, is celebrated everywhere. Consider the breadth of the earth which receives the light of the sun and how great is the world to which the glory of this woman reaches. The Persians, the Scythians, the Thracians, and those who dwell at the outmost limits of the world sing the praises of her Christian way of life and laud her blessedness. (Pg 6, #33-34)
- Gaining virtue requires work and commitment – Look at how this couple toiled in preaching the message, look at the crown they received in their martyrdom. Look at the generosity of their contributions, their love for Paul, their desire for Christ. Compare with these your own situation, your eagerness for your possessions, your envy of the rich garb worn by prostitutes, your striving to rival the beautiful clothes of the flowers and grass flourishing in the fields. Then you will see who they were and who you are. Rather, do not only make this comparison, but after you lay aside the burden of grass–for this is what your expensive garments are–take your raiment from heaven and learn how it was that Priscilla and her companions became the saints they were. (Pg 6-7, #37)
- Allow yourself to be inspired by the Saints – So, if your heart is willing to listen, you will have Paul and Peter and John and the whole choir of prophets, together with the apostles to associate and converse with you day in and day out. Take up the books of these blessed men and gain your purpose by constantly reading what they have written. In this way, you will be able to make yourself the kind of woman the wife of the tent-maker was. And why do I speak of Paul? For if you are willing, you will even have Paul’s Master himself. For he will speak to you by the tongue of Paul. And again, although in a different fashion, you will be able to receive this Master when you receive his holy ones, when you provide for and serve those who believe in him. (Pg 7, #38-39)
- Great people serve others – For you are not better than Sarah, nor of higher birth, nor more wealthy, even if you were to be an empress….Still, even though she was in so honorable and illustrious a position, she kneaded the flour, she fulfilled the other household services and, like a servant, she stood beside the table as the men sat at banquet….You are not of more noble birth than Abraham….he still performed the tasks of his servants. (Pg 7-8, #42-43)
- Stop worrying about wealth – Trample down the haughtiness of the present day, the adornment of robes, the costly jewelry, the anointing with unguents and perfumes. Put aside those wanton and delicate airs you assume in your actions and walk. Turn all this attention to your soul and kindle in your mind a desire for heaven. For if this love for the things above will take hold of you, you will see that the things of earth are only slime and mud, and you will laugh to scorn the things you now hold in admiration. For it is not possible for a woman adorned with spiritual achievements to seek after what deserves her ridicule. (Pg 8, #45-46)
Send Off – Seek Divine Prestige Rather than Earthly Prestige These are far better than gold-braided garments, more stately than precious stones and necklaces. These virtuous acts make you highly esteemed in the eyes of your fellow human beings and bring you a great reward from the hands of God. These are the adornments of the Church; those others are the garb of the theater. These are worthy of heaven; those are fit for horses and mules. Indeed, those are put on corpses, whereas these shine forth only on a good soul in which Christ has made his dwelling. Therefore, let us acquire this goodly garb, so that we may have everyone’s respect and be well-pleasing to Christ forever and ever. Amen. (Pg 8, #47-48)