I read this morning about a noteworthy pastor who lived from 349 – 407 A.D. He was raised in Antioch which was a leading intellectual center of late antiquity. He was raised by a widowed mother who was a pious Christian woman.
Originally known as John of Antioch, he eventually came to be known as John Chrysostom [meaning “golden mouth”], because of his eloquent and uncompromising preaching. He did not cater his messages to the listeners, but spoke the bold truth as he perceived it based on the Word of God.
A sample:
In the spring of 388, a rebellion erupted in Antioch over the announcement of increased taxes. Statues of the emperor and his family were desecrated. Officials responded by killing some city leaders! In the midst of this crisis, John preached:
“Improve yourselves
now truly, not as when during one of the numerous earthquakes or in famine or
in drought or in similar visitations you leave off your sinning for three or
four days and then begin the old life again.”
As a result of this kind of boldness, he was in great demand as a preacher! In his sermons, he denounced abortion, prostitution, gluttony, the theater, and swearing. About the love of horse racing, he complained,
“My sermons are
applauded merely from custom, then everyone runs off to [horse racing] again
and gives much more applause to the jockeys, showing indeed unrestrained
passion for them! There they put their heads together with great attention, and
say with mutual rivalry, ‘This horse did not run well, this one stumbled,’ and
one holds to this jockey and another to that. No one thinks any more of my
sermons, nor of the holy and awesome mysteries that are accomplished here.”
His sermons tended to run from thirty minutes to two hours and were well attended. He had a large, bald head, deeply set eyes, and sunken cheeks and brought images of Elisha the prophet to people’s minds. Once – when he was discouraged – he wrote:
“My work is like that
of a man who is trying to clean a piece of ground into which a muddy stream is
constantly flowing.”
In 398, he was kidnapped and carried to Constantinople where he was forcibly consecrated as archbishop of Constantinople. This was orchestrated by a government official who wanted to adorn the capital city with the best orator in Christianity. John accepted it as God’s providence.
Rather than soften his words for his new and prestigious audience – which now included many from the imperial household – John continued themes he preached in Antioch. He railed against abuses of wealth and power. Even his lifestyle itself was a scandal: he lived an ascetic life, used his considerable household budget to care for the poor, and built hospitals.
In a sermon against the theater he said,
“Long after the
theater is closed and everyone is gone away, those images [of “shameful women”
actresses] still float before your soul, their words, the conduct, their glances,
their walk, their positions, their excitation, their unchaste limbs…
are there within you, she
kindles the Babylonian furnace in which the peace of your home, the purity of
your heart, the happiness of your marriage will be burnt up!”
Eventually his lack of
skill and tact made him too many enemies – in the imperial family and among
fellow bishops. He was exiled back to the plains of Asia Minor where his health
immediately began to suffer. He received visits from loyal followers and wrote
many letters from this exile.
Before he died, he wrote:
“When you see the
church scattered, suffering the most terrible trials, her most illustrious
members persecuted and flogged, her leader carried away into exile, don’t only
consider these events, but also the things that have resulted: the rewards,
the recompense, the awards for the athlete who wins in the games and the prizes
won in the contest.”
Remarkably, 600 sermons and 200 letters survive this great early church father!
[Heavily drawn on material from 131 Christians Everyone Should Know pp.83-85]
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