Father Elisha's Blog
November 27, 2025
Incarnation Fast 3 (Eastern) First Sunday of Advent: Humanity’s Renewal
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: First Sunday of Advent — Humanity’s Renewal ~ November 30 – December 6, 2025 ~ As we walk the path of Jesus Christ through the Seasons of Salvation in the Divine Calendar, we begin to see the magnificent event of the Word becoming flesh rising on the horizon. Entering the first Sunday of Advent, we turn to the majestic mystery of how Jesus restored the Image of God in human nature at His coming—and how His wholeness becomes our restoration. These weeks will be an intriguing journey, so prepare for a deep dive into the mysteries of Advent.
This is the third week in the Season of the Incarnation Fast. In the first week, we began exploring The Nativity Fast and Its Mysteries, and last week we reflected on How to Prepare the Manger of the Heart for Jesus. These past two week laid the foundation for the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast, which began on November 15 and concludes on December 24 (November 28 to January 6 on the Old Calendar). The Incarnation is indeed too vast for our minds to fully comprehend, so in this third week we will approach this marvelous event from yet another angle.
If you attend an Eastern Old Calendar parish, this week would correspond to Week 1. The post The Nativity Fast and Its Mysteries aligns with your current place in the Divine Calendar, even though it follows the Gospel reading for the New Calendar.
The Word Became FleshThe mystery of the Incarnation is beautifully summarized in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
In John 1:1, we read that “the Word was God”—and yet He became flesh. Jesus revealed God through the example of His life. Wherever He went and whatever He did, He declared God to us, as John 1:18 affirms: “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Jesus, God in human form, was the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person (Heb. 1:3).
Why did God become man, a mystery we prepare to celebrate during this season of fasting? He became man so we could know Him as a fellow human being in Jesus Christ, see what we were created to be, and ultimately “be conformed to the image of [Jesus], that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29).
Jesus = The Image of God
In first week of the Nativity Fast, we saw how sin shattered the image of God in man (Gen. 3:3,10). Also, we talked about how the unshattered and original image of God was revealed in our world through Jesus Christ. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col 1:15).
This is God’s gift in the Incarnation Season, especially during the Feasts: The life of Jesus enters our soul as a divine seed, which grows and restores the image of God. The Holy Spirit completes this seed’s transformation of our soul into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Gal. 4:19), throughout the Seasons of Salvation, year after year.
Last week, we discovered how the key to enter this spiritual season is the emptying of our honor and prestige through hunger for true fulfillment. What more can we learn about this wholeness we are currently preparing to receive? Let us go deeper into this gift.
Fullness
The image of God reveals our fullness—the fullness of human existence and experience.
The Apostle Paul wrestled with words to express the fullness of God in Ephesians 3:16–19: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
We also read in Ephesians 4:13: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
In the Incarnation, God united Himself with humanity so that “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Cor. 6:17). Just as Jesus and the Father are one, so shall we be united with God. “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us …” (John 17:21).
When Mankind Reaches Fullness
We read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’” (Gen 1:26a). This twenty-sixth verse of the Bible is so revolutionary that we often fail to grasp its depth.
During these weeks of the Incarnation Fast, we seek to comprehend the gift we will receive in the Incarnation Feasts. Our hungering to receive the spiritual seed of Jesus’ divine-human nature serves as the greatest motivation throughout our preparation and fasting.
Let us now examine Genesis 1:26, phrase by phrase.
Photo by Dusan Milanovic on Unsplash
“Then God said …”The Hebrew word for God in “Then God said …” is Elohiym, the plural of eloahh, meaning “a deity” or “the deity.” It is significant that Elohiym is plural. The Bible later reveals this plurality as the Holy Trinity.
1 John 5:7 clearly affirms this mystery: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”
“… Let Us …”
The Holy Trinity is involved in the act of speaking that created man: “… Let Us …” (note the capitalization of “Us”).
We see God the Father speaking: “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9). God the Son is present with Him, as Proverbs 8:30–31 declares: “Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.” Finally, the Holy Spirit is inseparately involved in creation: “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth” (Ps. 104:30).
“… Make Man …”
The word “man” in “… make man …” is the Hebrew adam. This does not refer to a male, as the following verses clarifies, but to both a human being and humanity as a whole: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” When the Holy Trinity made man in God’s image, it refers both to an individual human being and to mankind as a race.
This is significant because, in creation, all of humanity is represented in a single human being. The text does not say “make mankind” as a multitude of individuals, nor “make a man” meaning a single male or female. “Make man” means the entirety of humanity in every human being.
This reflects the Holy Trinity: Three Persons in one Divine Essence. When Elohiym made man in God’s image, man was created to encompass a multitude of individuals sharing the same humanity. This fullness of a human being, carrying the whole of humanity in the heart, is theologically called a hypostasis.
The Hypostatic Principle
Hypostasis means “person”—but the fullness of a person. We lost the fullness of our personhood in the Fall in the Garden. Yet through the Incarnation, Jesus came to restore the full personhood in the human being—the hypostatic principle within us.
To illustrate this, Apostle Paul describes the Church—the redeemed mankind—as a body: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many […] And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Cor. 12: 13–14, 26–27).
The redeemed mankind—the Church—displays the hypostatic principle. If you cut your finger, every other member of your body reacts. In the same way, God created humanity as individuals sharing one human nature. If one of us suffers, all of us should feel it: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15).
In this age, we can experience this to a limited degree, but after our physical resurrection, this unity will be fully realized. Consider how far humanity has fallen from God’s original design. Sin shattered the reflection of the Holy Trinity in the human race.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Christ said the greatest commandments are: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 22:37–39). Perhaps we begin to see how “your neighbor as yourself” reflects the hypostatic principle in humanity.
Jesus prayed to the Father: “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). He taught us the revolutionary command: “Love your enemies” (Matt. 5:44), because even our enemies share in our common human nature.
Just as each Person of the Holy Trinity is fulfilled in the fellowship with the other two, so every human being will be fulfilled in the fellowship of the entire human race, saturated in the presence of God. This is the vision of humanity after Christ’s return and the resurrection of our glorified bodies. God will overflow within every person, and through Him we enter the fellowship of humanity, allowing us to know God in ways beyond comprehend. This is what the image of God looks like when humanity is redeemed.
The Grace of the Incarnation
This Christmas, we receive a tiny seed of the divine-human nature revealed in Jesus Christ—the grace of the Incarnation. When nutured throughout the Seasons of Salvation, this seed can help us love our neighbor and God more. Christ’s salvation gradually makes us more fully human in the truest sense of the word, year by year.
This does not mean we lose our individual personhood—each member remains unique—but our uniqueness will no longer crash with that of others. Instead, the bond of love among the redeemed will allow the fullness of God to fill us, like one shining city of gold, silver, and precious stones.
“In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21–22). “[The New Jerusalem] having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11).
A Sidenote About the End Times
In the end times, we will witness the spirit of the Antichrist working to replace the image of God with the image of the beast at an unprecedented rate.
Revelation 13:14–15 warns: “And he [the false prophet] deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”
This worship of the beast imprints its image on the human soul. Initially, it may not take the form of a physical idol, but those who succumb will embrace the antichristian spirit in all its manifestations. Eventually, the Antichrist will demand to be worshipped, and the image of the beast will have already prepared human souls to bow before Satan incarnate.
History and recent events reveal how easily humans can lose what it means to be human. Even in our so-called age of enlightenment, the beastly nature manifests itself. Therefore, let us seek to be “conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). Our very existence can become a continuous form of intercession, as the image of God shines ever brighter within us—like a mended mirror reflecting the glory of the Heavenly King.
“… in Our Image, According to Our Likeness.”
There are different views regarding these terms in Genesis 1:26. Still, we may say that:
The image of God is our unique spiritual nature that enables communion with God. While the animal kingdom is full of creatures with souls, humans alone have spirits. Our spiritual nature unites us to God, making us resemble Him. Every human being is made in the image of God. Our makeup reflects traits of God—morality, compassion, love, creativity, symbolism, and abstract concepts like beauty and purpose. These qualities are reflections of God’s image in every human being.The likeness of God is our process of growing in the attributes given in God’s image, even gaining additional ones. Our transformation into Christlikeness (Gal. 4:19) is the process of growing in the likeness of God.Therefore, the image of God is given by grace when God brings us into this world. The likeness of God is attained by grace through our cooperation with the Holy Spirit over a lifetime of faith, beginning with our coming to faith in Jesus Christ: “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). As we grow in spiritual virtues and the fruits of the Spirit, we attain the likeness of God. Journeying through the Seasons of Salvation can indeed be part of this transformative process.
You Are gods
With this foundation from Genesis 1:26, we can reflect on a controversial verse that some misinterpret. Psalm 82:6 says: “I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.’” Jesus echoes this in John 10:34: “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’”? When Jesus calls us gods (lowercase g), He affirms our partaking of the divine nature. We are being redeemed as a divine-human race, destined to become true children of God—gods in this sense.
Some confuse the essence of God with the nature of God. The essence of God is unreachable and incomprehensible; we will never become Gods (capital G), as some sects mistakenly claim—creating worlds of our own is unbiblical.
Instead, we will partake in God’s divine nature. We will become gods, meaning “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). We will never share in God’s essence—even in eternity—as Isaiah declares: “‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God” (Isa. 44:6b).
The biblical truth is that we partake in the divine nature—Christ incarnates in us, and we are gradually becoming more like Him. The Apostle Peter makes this clear: “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…” (2 Peter 1:4).
With the first weeks of the Season of the Incarnation behind us, we are now ready to enter a new phase of the Incarnation Fast—the four Sundays of Advent. May the Holy Spirit, by His grace, awaken in us a genuine hunger for the Word to become flesh (John 1:14).
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Entering the First Sunday of AdventWe have arrived at the first Sunday of Advent. While the exact word does not appear in the Bible, its meaning is rooted in Scripture. The first known use of advent dates to the 12th century, from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival,” “appearance,” or “to arrive.”
These four Sundays before Christmas cultivate an expectation for the arrival of the Logos, when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This eager anticipation of the Lord’s coming—the advent of Jesus—has three perspectives: the historical advent, the spiritual advent, and the second advent.
I. The Historical Advent
We read in Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). In the New Testament, we see its fulfillment: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:1–2).
This is the most familiar perspective of the Lord’s coming. At Christmas, we remember the historical event when the Virgin Mary “brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). Yet if our celebration ends here, we miss the deeper spiritual riches the early Church experienced.
Although decorations, deep cleaning, gifts, and Christmas carols are part of the celebration, they should never become the focus. Instead, they should help direct our minds and stir our spirits toward the second perspective of Advent.
II. The Spiritual Advent
Many Bible passages speak of the spiritual effects of the Lord’s first coming. From the Old Testament: “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me” (Jer. 31:34). From the New Testament: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).
The early Church focused on Christ’s spiritual advent into our inner man. This is also our aim in this series through the Seasons of Salvation. In the Spirit, the Holy Spirit allows us to witness the birth of Jesus. Though often not percieved by our mind or emotions, this reality is possible because every act in Jesus’ life is an eternal act.
The early Church Fathers believed that the Holy Spirit was the eyewitness of every event in Jesus’ life. They based this understanding on John 16:7: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” The Greek word parakletos, translated as “Helper,” means “intercessor,” “consoler,” “comforter,” and “advocate.” The Holy Spirit is our advocate, speaking on our behalf.
An advocate implies an eyewitness, and since the angel told the Virgin Mary that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35), the Holy Spirit was with Jesus from the moment of His miraculous conception (see also Luke 1:41).
Our Spiritual Eyewitness
With the Holy Spirit as the eyewitness to everything that happened to Jesus, the Spirit allows us to share in His witness. This grace is always available, but during a feast the spiritual heavens open in a unique way, allowing us to draw nearer to the event being celebrated.
We know this from personal experience. When we confess our sins and bow before the crucified Lord, we encounter real forgiveness. How can Jesus—crucified in Jerusalem two thousand years ago—clear our conscience here and now in a genuine experience of mercy?
It is the spiritual principle of Christ’s eternal acts of salvation. The Holy Spirit enables us to come into contact with every act Jesus performed, including those we celebrate in the Incarnation Feasts. The Spirit allows our spirit to interact with a historical event in Jesus’ life, even though it occurred millennia ago in the Middle East.
In the spiritual realm, time ceases to exist as we know it. In the Holy Spirit, past, present, and future are continually here and now. “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Pet. 1:20). “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8).
The clearing of our conscience from the guilt of sin is undeniable proof that Jesus is not only a historical figure but God in the flesh.
The more deeply we experience this second form of the advent of Jesus—His spiritual incarnation in our inner man—the more alert we become to the third perspective of Advent: The Second Advent.
III. The Second Advent
In 1 John we read: “But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2b–3). And the Apostle Paul writes: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11–12a).
Jesus Himself warns us: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:42–44).
The weeks of Advent stir our longing for the Second Coming of Jesus. The more we come to know Him—and the more the Holy Spirit forms Christ in our inner man (Gal. 4:19)—the deeper our longing grows for His second advent. As Revelation proclaims: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” (Rev. 22:17).
This four-week countdown to Christmas connects us with the eighth and final Season of Salvation: the Season of the Second Coming. Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 21:6). So, the First and Second Advent builds expectation to see Jesus face to face: “But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
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Sunday Gospel for First Sunday of Advent — Humanity’s Renewal: Luke 18:18–27 (NKJV)Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
First Sunday of Advent: Something’s Missing
As we approach the Feast of the Nativity, our expectation for the advent of Jesus grows ever deeper. On Christmas Day, at the manger in Bethlehem, the Holy Spirit creates an inner confidence that the Lord has come and that everything has changed. As we discussed earlier, we might feel nothing with the senses of our soul, yet it is just as real. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Notice that the words Jesus speaks are not mere emotions or thoughts—they are spirit and life.
The Sunday Gospel for the first week of Advent tells the familiar story of the Rich Young Ruler. He asked Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” His question reveals that he senses something is missing. He feels insecure about whether he has truly gained the promise of eternal life—otherwise, he would not ask.
Jesus tells him to keep the commandments to enter into life, listing five of them. The young man responds: “All these things I have kept from my youth.” Clearly, he is a righteous person, striving to follow God’s commandments. Yet he feels something is lacking. Despite his faithful living, he cannot be certain that it grants him eternal life.
First Sunday of Advent: Hindering Our Emptying
This is a significant revelation. We can strive to lead a good life and do all the right things, yet still feel incapable of attaining what we truly desire. Despite our best efforts to follow Christ’s commandments, we may find ourselves unable to recognize the fullness of God’s blessing. Somehow, something remains missing.
Luke 18:22–23 tells us: “So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.” Jesus showed the rich young ruler exactly what was lacking. His deep struggle lay in his attachment to wealth. Replacing the earthly treasure of his heart with a heavenly one seemed beyond his ability, so “he became very sorrowful.”
Jesus confirmed to His disciples that for someone clinging to wealth, entering the Kingdom of God would be harder than for a “camel to go through the eye of a needle” (Luke 18:25). The young man had been unaware that his love for wealth hindered him from fully keeping the commandments until Jesus revealed it.
During the Nativity Fast, the Holy Spirit may open our eyes to what we have yet to realize—what keeps us from truly emptying ourselves before God. We may sense that something is missing in our life with the Lord. Let us pray that the Spirit will guide us to uncover those hidden treasures we hesitate to surrender, so that we may fully receive the grace of Advent.
First Sunday of Advent: Impossible Possibilities
Jesus shocks His disciples with the comparison of the camel: “And those who heard it said, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But He said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God’” (Luke 18:26–27). But Jesus also comforts them: what is impossible for us in our own strength is possible with God. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6b).
This is exactly how we may feel when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the hidden treasures of our earthly attachments. The focus of the Incarnation Fast is the emptying of self to be filled with the Person of Jesus. The Spirit shines light into the treasure vaults we did not realize we were guarding. These hidden treasures give rise to the feeling that something is missing. We feel this emptiness because it is the essence of these attachments: only when we recognize them do we realize how tightly we have held onto them.
But “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” When we resist surrendering a particular treasure—our plans, convictions, false securities, social prestige, financial stability, or anything that inflates our ego—we are not to despair. By God’s grace, through the Incarnation, He will transform these earthly treasures into the truth and fullness found in Jesus Christ.
What Is My Impossibility?
As we enter this first week of Advent, we can ask ourselves: What is my impossibility? What feels impossible for me to face, change, believe, or surrender? Can we dare to trust Jesus’ words: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God”?
This Advent, we will find grace to let go. And when we do, we will be amazed at how completely Jesus makes us whole.
After all, God Himself became Man—the most impossible event conceivable. If He can do that, He can transform our impossibilities into possibilities.
Concluding First Sunday of Advent: Humanity’s RenewalThank you for taking the time to read about entering Advent with a spiritual perspective. It is my joy to share this journey with you. God bless you.
If you are participating in the Nativity (Advent) Fast from November 15 to December 24 (November 28 to January 6 on the Old Calendar), you may find it helpful to review what we talked about previously regarding What Is Fasting?
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Incarnation Fast 3 (Western) Advent I: The Image of God and Our Restoration
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: Advent I — The Image of God and Our Restoration ~ November 30 – December 6, 2025 ~ As we walk the path of Jesus Christ through the Seasons of Salvation in the Divine Calendar, we begin to see the magnificent event of the Word becoming flesh rising on the horizon. Entering the first Sunday of Advent, we turn to the majestic mystery of how Jesus restored the Image of God in human nature at His coming—and how His wholeness becomes our restoration. These weeks will be an intriguing journey, so prepare for a deep dive into the mysteries of Advent.
This is the third week in the Season of the Incarnation Fast. In the first week, we began exploring The Incarnation and Its Mysteries, and last week we reflected on How to Create Space for Christ’s Reign. These past two week laid the foundation for the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast, which began on November 15 and concludes on December 24. The Incarnation is indeed too vast for our minds to fully comprehend, so in this third week we will approach this marvelous event from yet another angle.
The Word Became FleshThe mystery of the Incarnation is beautifully summarized in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
In John 1:1, we read that “the Word was God”—and yet He became flesh. Jesus revealed God through the example of His life. Wherever He went and whatever He did, He declared God to us, as John 1:18 affirms: “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Jesus, God in human form, was the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person (Heb. 1:3).
Why did God become man, a mystery we prepare to celebrate during this season of fasting? He became man so we could know Him as a fellow human being in Jesus Christ, see what we were created to be, and ultimately “be conformed to the image of [Jesus], that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29).
Jesus = The Image of God
In first week of the Nativity Fast, we saw how sin shattered the image of God in man (Gen. 3:3,10). Also, we talked about how the unshattered and original image of God was revealed in our world through Jesus Christ. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col 1:15).
This is God’s gift in the Incarnation Season, especially during the Feasts: The life of Jesus enters our soul as a divine seed, which grows and restores the image of God. The Holy Spirit completes this seed’s transformation of our soul into the likeness of Jesus Christ (Gal. 4:19), throughout the Seasons of Salvation, year after year.
Last week, we discovered how the key to enter this spiritual season is the emptying of our honor and prestige through hunger for true fulfillment. What more can we learn about this wholeness we are currently preparing to receive? Let us go deeper into this gift.
Fullness
The image of God reveals our fullness—the fullness of human existence and experience.
The Apostle Paul wrestled with words to express the fullness of God in Ephesians 3:16–19: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
We also read in Ephesians 4:13: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
In the Incarnation, God united Himself with humanity so that “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Cor. 6:17). Just as Jesus and the Father are one, so shall we be united with God. “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us …” (John 17:21).
The Image of God: When Mankind Reaches Fullness
We read in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’” (Gen 1:26a). This twenty-sixth verse of the Bible is so revolutionary that we often fail to grasp its depth.
During these weeks of the Incarnation Fast, we seek to comprehend the gift we will receive in the Incarnation Feasts. Our hungering to receive the spiritual seed of Jesus’ divine-human nature serves as the greatest motivation throughout our preparation and fasting.
Let us now examine Genesis 1:26, phrase by phrase.
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“Then God said …”The Hebrew word for God in “Then God said …” is Elohiym, the plural of eloahh, meaning “a deity” or “the deity.” It is significant that Elohiym is plural. The Bible later reveals this plurality as the Holy Trinity.
1 John 5:7 clearly affirms this mystery: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”
“… Let Us …”
The Holy Trinity is involved in the act of speaking that created man: “… Let Us …” (note the capitalization of “Us”).
We see God the Father speaking: “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9). God the Son is present with Him, as Proverbs 8:30–31 declares: “Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.” Finally, the Holy Spirit is inseparately involved in creation: “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth” (Ps. 104:30).
“… Make Man …”
The word “man” in “… make man …” is the Hebrew adam. This does not refer to a male, as the following verses clarifies, but to both a human being and humanity as a whole: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” When the Holy Trinity made man in God’s image, it refers both to an individual human being and to mankind as a race.
This is significant because, in creation, all of humanity is represented in a single human being. The text does not say “make mankind” as a multitude of individuals, nor “make a man” meaning a single male or female. “Make man” means the entirety of humanity in every human being.
This reflects the Holy Trinity: Three Persons in one Divine Essence. When Elohiym made man in God’s image, man was created to encompass a multitude of individuals sharing the same humanity. This fullness of a human being, carrying the whole of humanity in the heart, is theologically called a hypostasis.
The Hypostatic Principle
Hypostasis means “person”—but the fullness of a person. We lost the fullness of our personhood in the Fall in the Garden. Yet through the Incarnation, Jesus came to restore the full personhood in the human being—the hypostatic principle within us.
To illustrate this, Apostle Paul describes the Church—the redeemed mankind—as a body: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many […] And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Cor. 12: 13–14, 26–27).
The redeemed mankind—the Church—displays the hypostatic principle. If you cut your finger, every other member of your body reacts. In the same way, God created humanity as individuals sharing one human nature. If one of us suffers, all of us should feel it: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15).
In this age, we can experience this to a limited degree, but after our physical resurrection, this unity will be fully realized. Consider how far humanity has fallen from God’s original design. Sin shattered the reflection of the Holy Trinity in the human race.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Christ said the greatest commandments are: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 22:37–39). Perhaps we begin to see how “your neighbor as yourself” reflects the hypostatic principle in humanity.
Jesus prayed to the Father: “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). He taught us the revolutionary command: “Love your enemies” (Matt. 5:44), because even our enemies share in our common human nature.
Just as each Person of the Holy Trinity is fulfilled in the fellowship with the other two, so every human being will be fulfilled in the fellowship of the entire human race, saturated in the presence of God. This is the vision of humanity after Christ’s return and the resurrection of our glorified bodies. God will overflow within every person, and through Him we enter the fellowship of humanity, allowing us to know God in ways beyond comprehend. This is what the image of God looks like when humanity is redeemed.
The Grace of the Incarnation
This Christmas, we receive a tiny seed of the divine-human nature revealed in Jesus Christ—the grace of the Incarnation. When nutured throughout the Seasons of Salvation, this seed can help us love our neighbor and God more. Christ’s salvation gradually makes us more fully human in the truest sense of the word, year by year.
This does not mean we lose our individual personhood—each member remains unique—but our uniqueness will no longer crash with that of others. Instead, the bond of love among the redeemed will allow the fullness of God to fill us, like one shining city of gold, silver, and precious stones.
“In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21–22). “[The New Jerusalem] having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11).
A Sidenote About the End Times
In the end times, we will witness the spirit of the Antichrist working to replace the image of God with the image of the beast at an unprecedented rate.
Revelation 13:14–15 warns: “And he [the false prophet] deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”
This worship of the beast imprints its image on the human soul. Initially, it may not take the form of a physical idol, but those who succumb will embrace the antichristian spirit in all its manifestations. Eventually, the Antichrist will demand to be worshipped, and the image of the beast will have already prepared human souls to bow before Satan incarnate.
History and recent events reveal how easily humans can lose what it means to be human. Even in our so-called age of enlightenment, the beastly nature manifests itself. Therefore, let us seek to be “conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). Our very existence can become a continuous form of intercession, as the image of God shines ever brighter within us—like a mended mirror reflecting the glory of the Heavenly King.
“… in Our Image, According to Our Likeness.”
There are different views regarding these terms in Genesis 1:26. Still, we may say that:
The image of God is our unique spiritual nature that enables communion with God. While the animal kingdom is full of creatures with souls, humans alone have spirits. Our spiritual nature unites us to God, making us resemble Him. Every human being is made in the image of God. Our makeup reflects traits of God—morality, compassion, love, creativity, symbolism, and abstract concepts like beauty and purpose. These qualities are reflections of God’s image in every human being.The likeness of God is our process of growing in the attributes given in God’s image, even gaining additional ones. Our transformation into Christlikeness (Gal. 4:19) is the process of growing in the likeness of God.Therefore, the image of God is given by grace when God brings us into this world. The likeness of God is attained by grace through our cooperation with the Holy Spirit over a lifetime of faith, beginning with our coming to faith in Jesus Christ: “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). As we grow in spiritual virtues and the fruits of the Spirit, we attain the likeness of God. Journeying through the Seasons of Salvation can indeed be part of this transformative process.
The Image of God: You Are gods
With this foundation from Genesis 1:26, we can reflect on a controversial verse that some misinterpret. Psalm 82:6 says: “I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.’” Jesus echoes this in John 10:34: “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’”? When Jesus calls us gods (lowercase g), He affirms our partaking of the divine nature. We are being redeemed as a divine-human race, destined to become true children of God—gods in this sense.
Some confuse the essence of God with the nature of God. The essence of God is unreachable and incomprehensible; we will never become Gods (capital G), as some sects mistakenly claim—creating worlds of our own is unbiblical.
Instead, we will partake in God’s divine nature. We will become gods, meaning “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). We will never share in God’s essence—even in eternity—as Isaiah declares: “‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God” (Isa. 44:6b).
The biblical truth is that we partake in the divine nature—Christ incarnates in us, and we are gradually becoming more like Him. The Apostle Peter makes this clear: “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…” (2 Peter 1:4).
With the first weeks of the Season of the Incarnation behind us, we are now ready to enter a new phase of the Incarnation Fast—the four Sundays of Advent. May the Holy Spirit, by His grace, awaken in us a genuine hunger for the Word to become flesh (John 1:14).
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Entering AdventWe have arrived at the first Sunday of Advent. While the exact word does not appear in the Bible, its meaning is rooted in Scripture. The first known use of advent dates to the 12th century, from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival,” “appearance,” or “to arrive.”
These four Sundays before Christmas cultivate an expectation for the arrival of the Logos, when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This eager anticipation of the Lord’s coming—the advent of Jesus—has three perspectives: the historical advent, the spiritual advent, and the second advent.
I. The Historical Advent
We read in Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). In the New Testament, we see its fulfillment: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:1–2).
This is the most familiar perspective of the Lord’s coming. At Christmas, we remember the historical event when the Virgin Mary “brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). Yet if our celebration ends here, we miss the deeper spiritual riches the early Church experienced.
Although decorations, deep cleaning, gifts, and Christmas carols are part of the celebration, they should never become the focus. Instead, they should help direct our minds and stir our spirits toward the second perspective of Advent.
II. The Spiritual Advent
Many Bible passages speak of the spiritual effects of the Lord’s first coming. From the Old Testament: “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me” (Jer. 31:34). From the New Testament: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).
The early Church focused on Christ’s spiritual advent into our inner man. This is also our aim in this series through the Seasons of Salvation. In the Spirit, the Holy Spirit allows us to witness the birth of Jesus. Though often not percieved by our mind or emotions, this reality is possible because every act in Jesus’ life is an eternal act.
The early Church Fathers believed that the Holy Spirit was the eyewitness of every event in Jesus’ life. They based this understanding on John 16:7: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” The Greek word parakletos, translated as “Helper,” means “intercessor,” “consoler,” “comforter,” and “advocate.” The Holy Spirit is our advocate, speaking on our behalf.
An advocate implies an eyewitness, and since the angel told the Virgin Mary that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35), the Holy Spirit was with Jesus from the moment of His miraculous conception (see also Luke 1:41).
Our Spiritual Eyewitness
With the Holy Spirit as the eyewitness to everything that happened to Jesus, the Spirit allows us to share in His witness. This grace is always available, but during a feast the spiritual heavens open in a unique way, allowing us to draw nearer to the event being celebrated.
We know this from personal experience. When we confess our sins and bow before the crucified Lord, we encounter real forgiveness. How can Jesus—crucified in Jerusalem two thousand years ago—clear our conscience here and now in a genuine experience of mercy?
It is the spiritual principle of Christ’s eternal acts of salvation. The Holy Spirit enables us to come into contact with every act Jesus performed, including those we celebrate in the Incarnation Feasts. The Spirit allows our spirit to interact with a historical event in Jesus’ life, even though it occurred millennia ago in the Middle East.
In the spiritual realm, time ceases to exist as we know it. In the Holy Spirit, past, present, and future are continually here and now. “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Pet. 1:20). “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8).
The clearing of our conscience from the guilt of sin is undeniable proof that Jesus is not only a historical figure but God in the flesh.
The more deeply we experience this second form of the advent of Jesus—His spiritual incarnation in our inner man—the more alert we become to the third perspective of Advent: The Second Advent.
III. The Second Advent
In 1 John we read: “But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2b–3). And the Apostle Paul writes: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11–12a).
Jesus Himself warns us: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:42–44).
The weeks of Advent stir our longing for the Second Coming of Jesus. The more we come to know Him—and the more the Holy Spirit forms Christ in our inner man (Gal. 4:19)—the deeper our longing grows for His second advent. As Revelation proclaims: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” (Rev. 22:17).
This four-week countdown to Christmas connects us with the eighth and final Season of Salvation: the Season of the Second Coming. Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 21:6). So, the First and Second Advent builds expectation to see Jesus face to face: “But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
Luke Chapter One & The Image of God
The Divine Calendar provides a special journey for the Advent Sunday Gospels through Luke chapter one. The purpose of these final four Sunday readings of the Incarnation Fast is to awaken in us a growing longing and childlike expectation for the coming of Jesus.
Jesus is coming—and He is coming soon! Let us clean our homes, prepare our souls, and celebrate with those we love, so that Christ may find a warm welcome when He arrives. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).
If a president or monarch were to visit our home, we would go the extra mile to prepare. How much more should we prepare when the King of kings has announced His coming on Christmas Day?
Let us therefore live these Advent days with simple, childlike faith and joyful expectation. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).
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Sunday Gospel for the Image of God and Our Restoration: Luke 1:1–25 (NKJV)Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
John’s Birth Announced to Zacharias5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Zacharias’ Prayer Has Been Heard13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
Elizabeth Conceives21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
What Was Zacharias’s Prayer?
In Luke 1:6 we read about Zacharias and Elizabeth: “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” The priest Zacharias and his wife were a God-fearing couple. They loved the God of Israel and strove to keep His commandments. But now they had reached old age and were still childless.
As the narrative continues, Zacharias enters the Temple in Jerusalem to burn incense. Most likely, he prayed his personal prayers as well. But what might he have prayed for?
Luke tells us: “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John’” (Luke 1:11–13).
At first glance, it may seem that Zacharias prayed for a son, and that God finally granted his request. But did he really?
We know Zacharias and Elizabeth “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” What prayers would such a couple carry on their hearts in old age? Were they still seeking an heir? Was their own legacy their greatest concern? Or could their deepest prayer have been for the salvation of Israel?
Their Deepest Prayer
Could it be that the prayers that welled up from this godly couple were for the people of Israel, that God would send His promised Messiah? After all, Zacharias was a priest, ordained to serve God on behalf of the people.
Rather than being concerned with Elizabeth’s barrenness, could the burden on Zacharias’s heart have been that God would “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (verse 16)? Or “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just” (verse 17)? Or that God would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (verse 17)? Don’t these sound more like the prayers of a man described as righteous and blameless before God?
The Unexpected Answer
We read in Luke 1:13: “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.’” If the salvation of Israel was Zacharias’ continuous prayer, how would he react to an angel announcing that God would give him a son? Surely he would be puzzled—this was not exactly what he had been praying for.
The angel revealed that this child would be his “joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:14–15).
His heir would be a mighty instrument in the Lord’s hand, going before the Messiah “in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).
Zacharias’ son would bring him joy and gladness because John the Baptist would fulfill many of his father’s deepest prayers. But the way God answered those prayers for Israel’s salvation clearly surprised the priest. He had not expected a child at his age. “And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years’” (Luke 1:18). He had prayed earnestly, yet when the answer came, it came in a way he never expected.
You Did Not Believe
Luke tells us: “And the angel answered and said to him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time’” (Luke 1:19–20).
If Zacharias was “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless,” and if he had long been praying for a son in his old age, then naturally we would expect him to respond with faith—especially knowing the stories of Abraham and Sarah so well.
But if God answered the prayer for the salvation of Israel by promising him a son, that would indeed be an unexpected answer—one that required time to absorb. Zacharias struggled with the way the Lord answered his prayer.
Silent Expectation
God silenced Zacharias, but not solely as a consequence of his disbelief. His muteness made him into a sign of the silence of the prophets of the Old Testament, who awaited the coming of the Promised Messiah.
The final words of the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi, may well have reflected the prayer on Zacharias’s heart—one that John the Baptist would ultimately embody: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Mal. 4:5–6).
After Malachi, the prophets remained silent until John the Baptist, the last prophet before Jesus. Zacharias’ muteness proclaims the silent waiting preceding the Messiah’s advent. “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matt. 11:13–14).
Luke 1:23–25 tell us: “So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, ‘Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.’” Even Elizabeth withdrew from public, quietly awaiting the miraculous child.
The Message: Stillness in Receiving the Image of God
What is the message and grace for us in this first week of Advent? It is the silent waiting of Zacharias and Elizabeth—deeply knowing, with peaceful confidence, that the Lord is about to fulfill His promise. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, we will see Zacharias declaring the name the angel announced: “His name is John” (Luke 1:63). In his silence, the assurance of the angel’s message—that God would answer his prayer through his son—took even deeper hold.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps. 46:10). “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength’” (Isa. 30:15).
God commanded Joshua, the priests, and his men of war to walk around Jericho’s walls without shouting or making any noise “with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’” (Josh. 6:10). This silence prevented words of disbelief from breaking the faith of others.
The Lord silenced Zacharias as a powerful sign that God would indeed answer this couple’s prayers for Israel through their son, the Forerunner of the Messiah.
Let us approach the Incarnation Feasts with peaceful confidence and silent assurance that the Holy Spirit will impart the divine seed of Christ into our inner man. The grace of this inner stillness helps us resist the loud chaos of the world’s materialistic celebration of Rudolph and Father Christmas. Our Heavenly Father’s greatest gift is His Son. Let us welcome our Savior with silent expectation.
Concluding Advent I — The Image of God and Our RestorationThank you for taking the time to read this long blog post. It is a true privilege to have you join this journey. May the Lord richly bless you on this first Sunday and throughout the weeks of Advent.
If you are participating in the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast from November 15 to December 24, you may find it helpful to review what we talked about previously regarding What Is Fasting?
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The post Incarnation Fast 3 (Western) Advent I: The Image of God and Our Restoration first appeared on Father Elisha: Let me take you on an intriguing journey..
November 21, 2025
Incarnation Fast 2 (Eastern): Advent — How to Prepare the Manger of the Heart for Jesus
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: Advent — How to Prepare the Manger of the Heart for Jesus ~ November 23–29, 2025 ~ The Nativity Fast—also called the Advent or Incarnation Fast—began on November 15, and the first Sunday of Advent is now only a week away. These weeks of Advent are counting down to the most revolutionary event in human history, the moment that reset our calendar.
In Jewish tradition, the calendar counts years from the calculated date of the creation of the world. But with the coming of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, we begin again from year 1—no longer from the creation of the world, but from the beginning of the re-creation of mankind, the making of the new man in Jesus Christ.
No other event in history has ever become the reference point for all that happens. Perhaps the only future event that could challenge AD (Anno Domini, “in the year of our Lord) and BC (Before Christ) is the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. Perhaps His return will introduce a new marker: SC—Second Coming?
Last week we entered the second Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar and began introducing The Nativity Fast and Its Mysteries. In Week 2 of the Season of the Incarnation, we continue to explore the spiritual mysteries woven into these weeks of Advent and how the Holy Spirit desires to help us prepare the manger of our heart for Jesus.
We also just celebrated The Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple, a feast that reveals the restoration of glory to mankind and other mysteries bound to this spiritual season.
Eastern Old CalendarIf you attend an Eastern Old Calendar parish, this week would correspond to Week 10 in the Season of the Kingdom of God. The post The Bleeding Woman — How Faith Touches the Heart of Jesus aligns with your current place in the Divine Calendar, even though it follows the Gospel reading for the New Calendar.
The Beginning of Our Salvation
The beginning of Christ’s Incarnation took place with the miraculous conception in the Virgin Mary, revealed nine months later on Christmas day. The Incarnation initiated God’s work to abolish “in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph. 2:15). The Evangelist John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14)—an event of infinite mysteries and profound implications.
The creation of the one new man in Jesus Christ was declared complete on the Cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). In Christ’s Resurrection, His body proved to be our victory over death—“and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4). This new human nature became ours through Jesus’s Ascension and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (we will explore these events in depth in the spring).
God taking on a human body is the beginning of our salvation. Without the Incarnation—without God the Son walking among us as a human being—there would be no Easter. As we studied last week, the Incarnation marks the beginning of Christ’s work of salvation.
Scripture ReferencesThe creation of the first man: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7).The creation of the new man: “He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).The first and the last Adam: “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. […] The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Cor. 15:44–45, 47–49).
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The Key to the Season of the Incarnation FastEach Season of Salvation can pass unnoticed if we do not enter the spiritual atmosphere of the season. How do we enter it? By turning the key.
The key to the first Season of Salvation, the Season of the Kingdom of God, was repentance. By seeking the Holy Spirit to search the depths of our souls, we sought to identify the absence of Christ’s Lordship and the reign of His Majesty, King Ego. We also glimpsed what God desires to establish as our new normal, while become aware of what hinders its fulfillment.
In the upcoming Feasts of the Incarnation, we will receive the very life of the new human nature in Jesus, directly into the area void of Christ’s Lordship. As we repented—the key to the first Season of Salvation—to the best of our ability, we entered the atmosphere of these two colliding kingdoms within our souls.
If that felt difficult, even to comprehend, continue pressing on. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).
Repentance is a battle, especially with ourselves. If we struggled to experience it in the previous Season, it means we fought—and laid the foundation for the six-week period we entered last week.
Now our repentance takes on a different focus. Previously, it was about identifying the absence of the Kingdom of God within. During the Nativity Fast, repentance is about emptying, as best we can, the lifestyle under the reign of His Majesty, King Ego.
Made Himself of No Reputation
The Apostle Paul writes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:5–7). This verse holds the key to the Fast of the Incarnation.
In Greek, “made Himself of no reputation” is kenoo, which means “to make empty.” From this comes the theological term kenosis. This reveals the unfathomable humility of the Son of God. When God became man, Jesus willingly set aside the divine attributes of His glory.
During the Incarnation, Jesus emptied Himself of His radiant splendor and appeared as a beautiful baby boy. Before the Resurrection, He unveiled His divine nature most profoundly in the Transfiguration, when “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt. 17:2). Just as Jesus emptied Himself of His divine radiance to enter our world, so the Holy Spirit calls us to prepare for the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) by emptying ourselves of personal glory and self-exaltation.
Emptying
The key to entering this season is emptying. What does it mean to empty ourselves of personal glory and self-exaltation? It likely needs little explanation: this is how the reign of His Majesty, King Ego, manifests in our lives. This is not the self-emptying of consciousness described in New Age spirituality or Eastern religions. Here, we are emptied so that we may be filled with Jesus Christ.
In Philippians 2:5, we read, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” The emptying of the Incarnation Fast is a voluntary humbling of ourselves, motivated by our longing to be filled with Jesus’s divine-human nature and to receive the glory that comes from God. As Jesus said in Luke 14:11, “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” and in John 5:44, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?”
It is crucial to understand that this is not about ridiculing ourselves before others, but about putting ourselves last and honoring God and others above ourselves. We do not seek attention through acts of self-emptying, “so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6:18).
If we cultivate this mind—the mind of Jesus Christ—emptying ourselves of our status, we turn the key and enter the mystical atmosphere of the Incarnation Fast.
Advent Preparations: How Can We Do This Practically?
Let us continue from where we left off last week regarding fasting. By voluntarily changing and simplifying our diet for forty days, we automatically turn the key to the Season of the Incarnation Fast.
Voluntary restriction of our desires strengthens both self-control and self-denial and helps us open ourselves to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. One practical way to empty ourselves is to follow the example of Christians who have fasted for centuries during the forty days leading to Christmas.
Why does the culture of the world push the exact opposite during this season? Why has the way the world celebrates Christmas become a materialistic, gluttonous feast? Well, now we understand: the enemy works hard before Christmas to fill mankind—physically and soulishly—drowning out the Holy Spirit’s call to empty ourselves and receive Christ, the King.
The Evangelist John writes, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). We remember that in the Garden of Eden, the serpent led Eve to see “the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” (Gen. 3:6).
But we know the truth, as Jesus said: “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:55–56).
Dethroning of the Self During Advent
Another practical way to enter this fast is through praying—asking God for opportunities to empty ourselves. This is a bold prayer, but if you pray it, God will answer. But He is unfathomably compassionate and, knowing us far better than we know ourselves, allows no temptation to overtake us “except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
God loves these prayers, and we never need to fear.
The practical ways we turn the key and enter the atmosphere of this Fast will vary from person to person. Yet for all of us, the emptying pertains to the area of our soul where His Majesty, King Ego, reigned—and where the grace of Christ will arrive during the Incarnation Feasts.
These six weeks of fasting sharpen our preparation for the dethroning of the self and the extension of Christ’s reign in the soul. In the previous Season of Salvation, we began identifying this area; now we zoom in to empty it, creating space for Christ to come.
The key for the weeks following the fast—the Incarnation Feasts—is the Empty Manger. Our soul is not merely an empty space; it is prepared to receive the divine seed of Jesus’s human nature, the new man.
The Upward Direction of Fasting During Advent
Another way to practice this fast is by slightly increasing our consistent devotion to Jesus. When we fast or perform acts of self-emptying, we restrict the activity of our fallen human nature. These are inward acts.
But there are also upward activities that stir and release our spirit. These become more prominent during these weeks as we read the Word of God, pray, meditate silently on Scriptures, worship, and engage in other spiritual exercises. This upward dimension of fasting balances the inward restrictions of the flesh, for the grace to maintain a healthy fast comes from our devotion to Jesus.
If we increase our efforts in restricting the flesh, we must equally increase our efforts in stirring the spirit. Practically speaking, if we skip breakfast every Wednesday and Friday during this fast, we should not spend that time on social media or homework. Rather, we fast from a meal so we can read, pray, or engage in other forms of worship. When these two directions of fasting work together, we quickly enter the atmosphere of the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast.
Photo by Igor Rodrigues on Unsplash
Sunday Gospel for Advent: Luke 12:16–21 (NKJV)Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’
20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Valuing God’s Treasure
In this week’s Sunday Gospel, just before Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and his barn, He says: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).
Our life does not consist in the things we possess.
“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19). This was the rich man’s plan once he had built a larger barn to store his plentiful harvest—which God had given him in the first place (Deut. 8:18; 1 Cor. 3:6). He moved out of God’s provision as a loving Father, allowing his material wealth to gain authority over him.
The rich man trusted in his earthly riches, and we are reminded: “how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 10:24b–25).
Jesus concludes, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). During the Nativity Fast, we seek to surrender and empty ourselves of any earthly treasure that has gained authority over us. The grace of this fast helps us see the limited value of earthly treasures compared with the eternal riches of God’s treasure.
What Are Earthly Treasures?
“For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). These can include material possessions, social status, relationships, professional prestige—anything that gains authority over our hearts.
These things are not inherently bad, but when they replace God’s role and we forget that He alone provides for our needs, they become earthly treasures.
What Is God’s Treasure?
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:6–7).
God’s treasure is the knowledge—spiritual light—of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. His face shines “like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16), and His grace will continue to unfold: “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). These riches are so vast they will continue to reveal themselves in eternity.
At the end of the Sunday Gospel, Jesus says in Luke 12:21: “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” To be rich toward God means to be filled with grace—the Holy Spirit.
During the Nativity Feasts, the Holy Spirit imparts the very life of Jesus Christ into us. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness …” (John 1:4–5a). This divine-human life of Jesus is our true treasure—the grace of the Incarnation. “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
Fixing Our Eyes During Advent
This is our most important focus during the weeks of the Nativity Fast: fixing our eyes, longing, and praying toward Jesus Christ so that He becomes our very life. “When Christ who is our life appears …” (Col. 3:4a).
Let us pray this week that the Holy Spirit gives us a holy craving for Christ’s life to become our own. Then, earthly treasures become mere blessings—good gifts with no strings attached.
Concluding Advent — How to Prepare the Manger of the Heart for JesusIt is a true honor for me that you are part of this journey. Thank you for taking the time to read. I pray this contribution may bless you as we travel another week into the Season of the Incarnation.
If you are taking part in the Nativity (Advent) Fast from November 15 – December 24 (November 28 – January 6 on the Old Calendar), you may find it helpful to review what we discussed last time in What Is Fasting?
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The post Incarnation Fast 2 (Eastern): Advent — How to Prepare the Manger of the Heart for Jesus first appeared on Father Elisha: Let me take you on an intriguing journey..
Incarnation Fast 2 (Western): The Weeks of Advent — How to Create Space for Christ’s Reign
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: The Weeks of Advent — How to Create Space for Christ’s Reign ~ November 23–29, 2025 ~ The Advent Fast—also called the Incarnation or Nativity Fast—began on November 15, and the first Sunday of Advent is now only a week away. These weeks of Advent are counting down to the most revolutionary event in human history, the moment that reset our calendar.
In Jewish tradition, the calendar counts years from the calculated date of the creation of the world. But with the coming of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, we begin again from year 1—no longer from the creation of the world, but from the beginning of the re-creation of mankind, the making of the new man in Jesus Christ.
No other event in history has ever become the reference point for all that happens. Perhaps the only future event that could challenge AD (Anno Domini, “in the year of our Lord) and BC (Before Christ) is the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. Perhaps His return will introduce a new marker: SC—Second Coming?
Last week we entered the second Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar and began introducing The Incarnation and Its Mysteries. In Week 2 of the Season of the Incarnation, we continue to explore the spiritual mysteries woven into these weeks of Advent and how the Holy Spirit desires to help us create space for Christ’s reign within our souls.
We also just celebrated The Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple, a feast that reveals the restoration of glory to mankind and other mysteries bound to this spiritual season.
Who Then Can Be Saved?The major mystery of the Nativity Fast can bring to light—or place in the spotlight—our hidden greatness. Most believers know there is nothing we can do to earn salvation, but how deeply have we allowed Jesus’s words to sink in? In this week’s Sunday Gospel, a disciple asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “With men it is impossible …” (Mark 10:26–27, NKJV).
Our dedication to spiritual practices helps us grow—not because of our own goodness or piety, but through the grace of the Holy Spirit working in us through the spiritual disciplines. We are simply opening ourselves to God so He can form the image of His Son in our inner man (Gal. 4:19). Yet how deeply do we realize that part from God’s grace, salvation is impossible?
Our Impressive Selves
Deep within our souls, we may uncover thoughts telling us that we are quite something—our achievements might even suggest that we impress God. We might find a throne within, bearing our name, ruling through our prestige, reputation, good deeds, self-discipline, ministry, work, and all the other marks of our impresive excellence—even as we consider ourselves humble and kind to others.
This fast invites us to follow the same journey Jesus undertook when He left the Father’s bosom to enter our creation. Part of this journey is realizing that “with men it is impossible [to be saved].” We must see ourselves as dying men, whose salvation depends entirely on the goodness and love of God. Our only hope is complete reliance on His love. We are helplessly helpless, and only Jesus can save us. Salvation is His act, His initiative.
At the same time, we are called to maintain diligence in working “out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12b–13). This diligence reflects a spiritual vision and longing for Christ’s Second Coming (see 1 John 3:2–3).
During the Nativity Fast, the Holy Spirit also seeks to help us let go of the hidden greatness of our ego. He calls us simply to surrender to God’s mercy and love—only He can save us. As John the Beloved writes, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Let us begin to unpack this profound mystery of trading the emptiness of the self for the true greatness found in the Image of God.
The Beginning of Our Salvation
The beginning of Christ’s Incarnation took place with the miraculous conception in the Virgin Mary, revealed nine months later on Christmas day. The Incarnation initiated God’s work to abolish “in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph. 2:15). The Evangelist John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14)—an event of infinite mysteries and profound implications.
The creation of the one new man in Jesus Christ was declared complete on the Cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). In Christ’s Resurrection, His body proved to be our victory over death—“and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4). This new human nature became ours through Jesus’s Ascension and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (we will explore these events in depth in the spring).
God taking on a human body is the beginning of our salvation. Without the Incarnation—without God the Son walking among us as a human being—there would be no Easter. As we studied last week, the Incarnation marks the beginning of Christ’s work of salvation.
Scripture ReferencesThe creation of the first man: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7).The creation of the new man: “He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).The first and the last Adam: “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. […] The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Cor. 15:44–45, 47–49).
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The Key to the Season of the Incarnation FastEach Season of Salvation can pass unnoticed if we do not enter the spiritual atmosphere of the season. How do we enter it? By turning the key.
The key to the first Season of Salvation, the Season of the Kingdom of God, was repentance. By seeking the Holy Spirit to search the depths of our souls, we sought to identify the absence of Christ’s Lordship and the reign of His Majesty, King Ego. We also glimpsed what God desires to establish as our new normal, while become aware of what hinders its fulfillment.
In the upcoming Feasts of the Incarnation, we will receive the very life of the new human nature in Jesus, directly into the area void of Christ’s Lordship. As we repented—the key to the first Season of Salvation—to the best of our ability, we entered the atmosphere of these two colliding kingdoms within our souls.
If that felt difficult, even to comprehend, continue pressing on. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).
Repentance is a battle, especially with ourselves. If we struggled to experience it in the previous Season, it means we fought—and laid the foundation for the six-week period we entered last week.
Now our repentance takes on a different focus. Previously, it was about identifying the absence of the Kingdom of God within. During the Nativity Fast, repentance is about emptying, as best we can, the lifestyle under the reign of His Majesty, King Ego.
Made Himself of No Reputation
The Apostle Paul writes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:5–7). This verse holds the key to the Fast of the Incarnation.
In Greek, “made Himself of no reputation” is kenoo, which means “to make empty.” From this comes the theological term kenosis. This reveals the unfathomable humility of the Son of God. When God became man, Jesus willingly set aside the divine attributes of His glory.
During the Incarnation, Jesus emptied Himself of His radiant splendor and appeared as a beautiful baby boy. Before the Resurrection, He unveiled His divine nature most profoundly in the Transfiguration, when “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt. 17:2). Just as Jesus emptied Himself of His divine radiance to enter our world, so the Holy Spirit calls us to prepare for the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) by emptying ourselves of personal glory and self-exaltation.
Emptying
The key to entering this season is emptying. What does it mean to empty ourselves of personal glory and self-exaltation? It likely needs little explanation: this is how the reign of His Majesty, King Ego, manifests in our lives. This is not the self-emptying of consciousness described in New Age spirituality or Eastern religions. Here, we are emptied so that we may be filled with Jesus Christ.
In Philippians 2:5, we read, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” The emptying of the Incarnation Fast is a voluntary humbling of ourselves, motivated by our longing to be filled with Jesus’s divine-human nature and to receive the glory that comes from God. As Jesus said in Luke 14:11, “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” and in John 5:44, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?”
It is crucial to understand that this is not about ridiculing ourselves before others, but about putting ourselves last and honoring God and others above ourselves. We do not seek attention through acts of self-emptying, “so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6:18).
If we cultivate this mind—the mind of Jesus Christ—emptying ourselves of our status, we turn the key and enter the mystical atmosphere of the Incarnation Fast.
The Weeks of Advent: How Can We Do This Practically?
Let us continue from where we left off last week regarding fasting. By voluntarily changing and simplifying our diet for forty days, we automatically turn the key to the Season of the Incarnation Fast.
Voluntary restriction of our desires strengthens both self-control and self-denial and helps us open ourselves to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. One practical way to empty ourselves is to follow the example of Christians who have fasted for centuries during the forty days leading to Christmas.
Why does the culture of the world push the exact opposite during this season? Why has the way the world celebrates Christmas become a materialistic, gluttonous feast? Well, now we understand: the enemy works hard before Christmas to fill mankind—physically and soulishly—drowning out the Holy Spirit’s call to empty ourselves and receive Christ, the King.
The Evangelist John writes, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). We remember that in the Garden of Eden, the serpent led Eve to see “the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” (Gen. 3:6).
But we know the truth, as Jesus said: “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:55–56).
Dethroning of the Self During the Weeks of Advent
Another practical way to enter this fast is through praying—asking God for opportunities to empty ourselves. This is a bold prayer, but if you pray it, God will answer. But He is unfathomably compassionate and, knowing us far better than we know ourselves, allows no temptation to overtake us “except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
God loves these prayers, and we never need to fear.
The practical ways we turn the key and enter the atmosphere of this Fast will vary from person to person. Yet for all of us, the emptying pertains to the area of our soul where His Majesty, King Ego, reigned—and where the grace of Christ will arrive during the Incarnation Feasts.
These six weeks of fasting sharpen our preparation for the dethroning of the self and the extension of Christ’s reign in the soul. In the previous Season of Salvation, we began identifying this area; now we zoom in to empty it, creating space for Christ to come.
The key for the weeks following the fast—the Incarnation Feasts—is the Empty Manger. Our soul is not merely an empty space; it is prepared to receive the divine seed of Jesus’s human nature, the new man.
The Upward Direction of Fasting During the Weeks of Advent
Another way to practice this fast is by slightly increasing our consistent devotion to Jesus. When we fast or perform acts of self-emptying, we restrict the activity of our fallen human nature. These are inward acts.
But there are also upward activities that stir and release our spirit. These become more prominent during these weeks as we read the Word of God, pray, meditate silently on Scriptures, worship, and engage in other spiritual exercises. This upward dimension of fasting balances the inward restrictions of the flesh, for the grace to maintain a healthy fast comes from our devotion to Jesus.
If we increase our efforts in restricting the flesh, we must equally increase our efforts in stirring the spirit. Practically speaking, if we skip breakfast every Wednesday and Friday during this fast, we should not spend that time on social media or homework. Rather, we fast from a meal so we can read, pray, or engage in other forms of worship. When these two directions of fasting work together, we quickly enter the atmosphere of the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast.
Inward and upward activities of fasting aside, we still need to focus on the most important aspect of these six weeks. Let us now turn to the Sunday Gospel.
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Sunday Gospel for the Weeks of Advent: Mark 10:17–31 (NKJV)Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” 21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” 22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
With God All Things Are Possible23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” 27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
28 Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” 29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
You Call Me Good
We read in Mark 10:17–18, “Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.’”
Jesus asked the young rich man why he called Him good, because only God is truly good. Of course, Jesus knows He is the Messiah, the Son of God—the only Good One. His question is deliberate and He is essentially saying: “If you call me good, then you are acknowledging My divinity. Do you believe I Am Who I Am?” (Ex. 3:14; John 8:58)
Jesus then directed the man to keep the commandments of God, reminding him of what Moses proclaimed: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law. For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life …” (Deut. 32:46–47a).
The young man replied, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth” (Mark 10:20).
In Mark 10:21–22, we read, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Trust in Riches
Why was the man sorrowful? Because he found this last commandment tremendously painful. Why was it so difficult—and why is it difficult for any of us in our own areas—to obey such a radical call to surrender? Jesus explains in verse 24: “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
The word trust in Greek is peitho, meaning “to rely on” or “to give assent to.” When earthly riches—whether material possessions, social standing, professional position, personal prestige, or anything belonging to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16)—gain authority over our hearts, we begin to trust in them. And these “riches” can take many forms.
Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). If we pay attention to what we speak about with the most enthusiasm, we often discover the very riches that exercise authority over our hearts. This does not mean everything that excites or energizes us is worldly riches—far from it. Christians are the most alive people on earth, for we have already “died, and [our] life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3), and we are called to “declare the works of the Lord” (Ps. 118:17).
Still, let us make mental notes that we can carry into prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the root behind any intense sense of ownership or attachment we feel toward a thing or topic.
The Treasure of Our Heart
Peter said to Jesus in Mark 10:28: “See, we have left all and followed You.”
Jesus replied in verses 29–31: “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Jesus teaches that if no earthly riches hold authority over our hearts, we have already “left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s.” And should the call ever come to leave them literally, our hearts would be free to obey. But why is that?
The issue is not earthly riches themselves—whether possessions, relationships, or professions. If these where fundamentally problematic, why would God promise “a hundredfold now in this time”? Jesus does not ask us to abandon such blessings merely for the sake of abandoning them. Rather, He wants to replace any earthly authority that might reign over our hearts with Himself.
Once Jesus becomes the true treasure of our hearts, He is able to pour a hundredfold of earthly riches upon us, because He knows these gifts will no longer rule us. They will serve us—and we will use them to serve His Kingdom.
Emptied to Be Fulfilled During the Weeks of Advent
Many Christians leave family, country, and work in obedience to their calling. And then, in their new place, they soon find themselves surrounded by father- and mother-figures, brothers and sisters, and homes a hundredfold. There is a tangible reality to this promise.
But those who are called to remain in the place of their upbringing will also experience this hundredfold blessing once Jesus replaces the authority of earthly riches in the heart.
In the Incarnation Fast, we seek to empty ourselves of earthly riches—not because they are bad, but because we seek, not only to be filled, but fulfilled. When our heart catches even a glimpse of the glory of Jesus Christ—when we behold His person, how fascinating, alive, and wholly satisfying He is—we forget earthly riches.
The most important focus during in this season of emptying is therefore fulfillment. Our fragile human frame aches and longs for wholeness, and only Jesus—as the River of Life—can flood our being and transfigure our delicate framework into His glorious image.
Our number-one goal is to stir up a desperate cry to be fulfilled by Jesus Christ during this Christmas season. Gifts, Christmas trees, and festive meals are all fine—we know Whom we celebrate. Let us long to be fulfilled by Him, the One the angels gather around and cry: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)
Concluding the Weeks of Advent — How to Create Space for Christ’s ReignThank you for joining this journey through the Season of the Incarnation for another week. It is a privilege that you have taken the time to read these simple insights. I pray the Lord will use them to bless and encourage you in the days ahead.
If you are taking part in the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast from November 15 to December 24, you may find it helpful to review what we discussed last time in What Is Fasting?
Please leave a comment below—we’d love to hear your thoughts. If you found this post helpful, feel free to share it using the buttons at the top of the page.
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The post Incarnation Fast 2 (Western): The Weeks of Advent — How to Create Space for Christ’s Reign first appeared on Father Elisha: Let me take you on an intriguing journey..
November 14, 2025
Incarnation Fast 1 (Western and Eastern): The Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: The Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple ~ November 21 / December 4 (Eastern Old Calendar), 2025 ~ In our weekly journey through the Seasons of Salvation in the Divine Calendar, we have arrived at the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. The mysteries surrounding this event may be unfamiliar to some, but the life of the Mother of the Lord remains profoundly relevant for us as believers—especially in these end times. Below, we will see how the Presentation of the Virgin Mary reveals divine love and restores our lost glory.
In September, we reflected on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, and later we will look at the Annunciation given to her by the Archangel Gabriel and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary when we come to those commemorations in the Divine Calendar.
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple falls at the beginning of the Season of the Incarnation Fast. You may wish to go deeper by exploring the posts on the Western Church or the Eastern Church, which introduce the second Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar and the mystery of the Incarnation and the Nativity (Advent) Fast.
Introducing the Presentation of the Virgin MaryThe key verse for the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast is Philippians 2:5–7: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (NKJV).
In Greek, “made Himself of no reputation” is kenoo, which means “to make empty.” From this comes the theological term kenosis. This reveals the unfathomable humility of the Son of God. When God became man, Jesus willingly set aside the divine attributes of His glory.
During the Incarnation, Jesus emptied Himself of His radient splendor and appeared as a beautiful baby boy. Before the Resurrection, He unveiled His divine nature most profoundly in the Transfiguration, when “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt. 17:2). Just as Jesus emptied Himself of His divine radiance to enter our world, so the Holy Spirit calls us to prepare for the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) by emptying ourselves of personal glory and self-exaltation.
The key to entering the mysteries of this Season of the Incarnation Fast is the emptying of the self—but not for the sake of emptiness. Our goal is to be emptied so that we may be truly filled, and fulfilled, by the very life of Jesus Christ: the grace of the Incarnation. He embodies the divine-human nature we lost in the Fall.
The Origin
Today’s feast—the feast of the Incarnation Fast—is also called the Entry of the Most-Holy Theotokos into the Temple.
According to Church tradition, the Virgin Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna, prayed for an end to their childlessness. They vowed if God granted them a child, they would dedicate that child to His service. After Anna gave birth to Mary and the girl reached three years of age, they brought her to the Temple in Jerusalem.
We may recall the prophetess Anna (not to be mistaken for Mary’s mother): “And this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke 2:37).
According to Scripture and the historian Flavius Josephus, the Temple had many living quarters where those dedicated to God resided. Only girls up to the age of twelve could live in the Temple, and Scripture hints at a community of young female worshippers. The little girl Mary joined the other virgins who had offered themselves to the Lord. We hear a prophetic echo of this in Psalm 45:
“Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him. And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; the rich among the people will seek your favor. The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her clothing is woven with gold. She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You. With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the King’s palace” (Ps. 45:10–15).
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The Example of the Virgin MaryWe know Mary was well-versed in the Scriptures from her prophetic praise, the Magnificat (Luke 1: 46–55), which parallels Hanna’s prayer, the mother of prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 2:1–10).
Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:46–48). These words reveal her deep life of devotion, her study of the Scriptures, and her profound understanding of the prophecies concerning the mother of the Messiah.
This feast centers on the Virgin Mary’s entrance into the Temple and the beginning of her preparation as a bridal soul—a consecrated virgin. She did not know that God would choose her, yet her humility made her ready. Her life of worship and meditation on the Scriptures prepared her for the Incarnation of the Messiah—precisely what we seek to do as well.
Virgin Mary became the vessel for Christ’s physical Incarnation. In the same way, our inner man—prepared as an empty manger—will receive the spiritual grace of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Let us read the Scriptures appointed for this feast (Luke 1:39–49, 56; 10:38–42; 11:27–28) and pray with them. Let us ask for a portion of the exceptional grace that rested upon the Virgin Mary, so we too may intensely seek the coming of the Messiah, Jesus.
Gospel Passages for the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple (NKJV)The Matins Gospel: Luke 1:39–49, 561:39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. […] 56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
The Liturgy Gospel: Luke 10:38–42; 11:27–2810:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
11:27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
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A Feast of Divine LoveWhen the three-year-old Mary entered the Temple, she stepped into her calling and a special relationship with God. Her preparation began for receiving the divine mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. But how could a little girl leave her parents and begin living in the Temple in Jerusalem? We might wonder, yet Scripture gives us a similar example in the life of the prophet Samuel.
We read about Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:24: “Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.” In the next chapter, we learn that “the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest” (1 Sam. 2:11).
This reveals the strength of the human spirit when given the opportunity to grow and mature from early childhood. The spirit within a person can compensate for the needs of the mind and emotions when fully supported by the grace of God. Even as a child, divine love filled Mary, leading and sustaining her after her parents entrusted her to God.
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary is a feast of love and true freedom, showing how a little girl, filled with divine love, entered the Temple in Jerusalem to begin her life as a worshipper—and remained there for nine years.
Restoring the Glory of God to Mankind
In Exodus 40:34–35, we read: “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
God chose the people of Israel to declare His glory among the nations: “‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Ex. 19:5–6).
God bound Himself to the people of Israel, led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. Throughout this journey, the Lord’s central purpose was to teach His people how to become a worshipping people—a nation of worshippers.
Restoring the Glory: The Tabernacle of Meeting
God commanded the Israelites to build the tabernacle of meeting so He could come down and dwell among them. Nearly half of the book of Exodus is devoted to the detailed instructions for this tabernacle. Why such emphasis? God was teaching His people, step by step, through the elaborate design of the tabernacle.
The Lord desired to meet with them. Because God is holy, approaching Him required reverence, preparation, and purification. Yet God’s desire to meet His people carried inherent danger: the sins of the people could destroy anyone in contact with His holiness.
The Israelites had to prepare for this encounter through washings and sacrifices. When all was ready, the glory of the Lord appeared as a cloud over the tabernacle, and later in the Temple in Jerusalem.
God revealed His glory because He had created man to partake in it. “For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5).
Through the Incarnation, God seeks to restore the glory Adam lost in the Fall. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). He accomplished our salvation so that we may once again share in His glory. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22).
Restoring the Glory: Living Temples
The Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple celebrates the restoration of God’s glory to mankind. We see how divine love sustained three-year-old Mary in the Temple—the new tabernacle of meeting—enabling her to worship God and encounter His glory until she was ready to receive the Son of God Himself.
“And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord” (1 King 8:10–11).
Virgin Mary became the first living temple—the first of many. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Cor. 3:16–17).
Have a blessed and joyful Feast!
Concluding the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the TempleThank you for taking the time to read and for joining us on this new journey through the Divine Calendar. Let us pray for the grace to grow as worshippers, proclaiming the glory of God to all the nations.
If helpful, you can also review what we previously discussed regarding How Do I Feast?
Please leave a comment below—we’d love to hear your thoughts. If you found this post helpful, feel free to share it using the buttons at the top of the page.
Join the Journey Through the Seasons of SalvationJoin us on this weekly journey through the Seasons of Salvation as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ through the key seasons of His life.
Sign up to receive this year’s Divine Calendar, which introduces the Seasons of Salvation and guides you through the journey ahead. As a welcome gift, you’ll also receive my young adult novel, The Legend of the Divine Calendar, delivered straight to your inbox.
Visit the Seasons of Salvation blog for insights into the coming week, posted every Saturday. We’d be honored to have you join us.
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Other Recommended Scriptures For MeditationAlongside to the designated Gospel passages for the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple, these Scriptures are great to read, meditate on, and pray with in order to receive the grace of the Feast:
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary: Exodus 40:1–5, 9–10, 33b–35 (NKJV)
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and light its lamps. 5 You shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the Testimony, and put up the screen for the door of the tabernacle.
9 “And you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it; and you shall hallow it and all its utensils, and it shall be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be most holy.
33b So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary: 1 King 7:51a; 8:1, 6–11 (NKJV)
So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished.
Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion.
6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary: Ezekiel 43:27–44:4 (NKJV)
When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord God.”
1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. 2 And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”
4 Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord; and I fell on my face.
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary: Hebrews 9:1–7 (NKJV)
Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance.
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Incarnation Fast 1 (Eastern): The Nativity Fast and Its Mysteries
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: The Nativity Fast and Its Mysteries ~ November 16–22, 2025 ~ We have completed the first Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar, and with the essential spiritual principle of How Faith Touches the Heart of Jesus—explored at the conclusion of the Season of the Kingdom of God—we now enter the second Season: the Season of the Incarnation. The first phase of this new Season is the Nativity Fast.
If you attend an Eastern Old Calendar parish, this week would correspond to Week 9 in the Season of the Kingdom of God. The post The Demon-Possessed Man — Restoration and Mission aligns with your current place in the Divine Calendar, even though it follows the Gospel reading for the New Calendar.
The Season of the Incarnation consists of two parts: the Fast (six weeks) and the Feasts (four to five weeks). November 15 / November 28 (Old Calendar) marks the beginning of the forty-day Nativity Fast (also called the Incarnation Fast or St. Phillip’s Fast) leading up to Christmas. We will speak more about the fast below, but first let us consider what we mean by Incarnation.
Why is the Incarnation a part of our salvation?
What is the Incarnation?God made man in “His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27, NKJV).
When humanity fell into sin (Gen. 3:6–7), the image of God in man shattered. The Spirit of God lifted—severing our continual communion with Him—and sin entered human nature. Not only did the Spirit lift from man, but the union that existed between Heaven and Earth in Eden was torn.
God had given man “the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15), yet through the Fall we lost the ability to fulfill this commission. That is why we read that, “in the dispensation of the fullness of the times [God will] gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him” (Eph. 1:10).
After Jesus’ Second Coming, God will create “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev. 21:1). God had called Adam and Eve to extend the union between Heaven and Earth from the Garden outward, until it encompassed the whole world. The Fall paused this plan—until Jesus, as the Son of Man and Son of God, resumed it at His First Coming through His Incarnation.
This is the broad sweep of God’s redemption of creation. But what about the crown of creation—mankind?
Restoring the Fallen Image
After the Fall of Man, the Spirit of God no longer filled our being or sustained our nature. Sin enslaved our mind, will, and emotions. In our brokenness, we turned to the physical creation in a futile attempt to satisfy ourselves and “fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another” (Gal. 5:16b–17a). The tragic culmination of this endless and vain pursuit is death, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23a).
Yet God, in His mercy and love, did not abandon His creation. But how could He save us from sin and death?
Atoning for our sin and clearing our guilt would only be the first step. The Fall shattered the very image of God within us, and that was the root of the problem. How would God restore the glorious image in man? For He had made us “a little lower than the angels, and [had] crowned [us] with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5).
God had to enter our creation as Adam before he fell. Jesus had to sever our fallen genealogy—where the poison of sin passes from generation to generation—and inaugurate a new lineage for humanity. A new creation. His mission was not only to atone for the sins of the world—majestic as that is—but also to recreate mankind and restore the fallen image.
The Image of God
Jesus entered creation as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15), “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Heb. 1:3).
But what is the image of God? It encompasses every part of the human being—our spirit, our consciousness, our nature, and our free existence—reflecting God’s own attributes. Yet we can go further and ask: Who is the image of God? The image of God is Jesus Christ. He is our Prototype. He is the mold in which God formed Adam. Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of what it means to be human.
With this understanding, we can approach Colossians 1:15–18 with fresh eyes:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
The Defeat of the Serpent
We read in 1 John 3:8: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Immediately after the Fall, God declared to Satan: “Because you have done this […] I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head” (Gen. 3:14–15). The “Seed” of the woman—Christ Himself—would crush the serpent’s head.
The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary is the heart of this entire Season of Salvation. The prophet Isaiah foretold it: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). And the prophet Micah echoes this mystery: “Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth” (Micah 5:3).
These six weeks of fasting prepares our soul for this divine event—the birth of Jesus Christ. The following weeks of feasting then help us unfold and experience the grace that enters our spirits through His Incarnation.
The New Creation
When Virgin Mary “brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7), God granted humanity a new beginning. Jesus bore the likeness of Adam before the Fall, yet—as One who is fully God and fully man, perfectly united without confusion or division—He would never sin in deed, word, or thought.
What is the difference between Adam and Jesus? God created Adam, while Jesus is the uncreated God who entered the world as a man—a human like you and me. Adam fell into sin, but Jesus never did.
You could knock on Jesus’ door, and the warm, joyful presence of a true human would welcome you—two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a smile. Heart to heart, you could speak with God Himself, the One who formed you. How astonishing …
Because Jesus was born of an earthly mother but had a heavenly Father, He severed the sin-carrying lineage passed down from Adam through every generation. Scripture calls Him “the last Adam,” or the second Adam—“a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). And through Him, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).
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Our Salvation: “It Is Finished!”Where does our salvation begin? At the empty tomb of Christ’s Resurrection? At the Cross, when Jesus declared, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)?
What, exactly, was finished?
Jesus “bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24). He completed the atonement for our sins and granted us peace, just as the prophet Isaiah foretold: “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Isa. 53:5). But this was not the only unimaginable work Jesus accomplished on our behalf.
The Apostle Paul writes about a second, profound mystery: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph. 2:14–15).
Creating the New Man
On the Cross, Jesus completed the work of bringing forth a new humanity in Himself. “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Rev. 21:5). Just as God finished the first creation on the sixth day—“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” (Gen. 2:1)—so Jesus declared on the Cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) on a Friday, the sixth day of the week.
The Apostle Paul writes: “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:16–17).
When Jesus was laid in the tomb, He was placed—figuratively and prophetically—into the earth. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40).
And just as “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen 2:7), so Christ rose from the tomb as “the last Adam.” But whereas “‘the first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45).
Partakers of the Divine Nature
So where does our salvation begin? It begins with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
His work of salvation is not limited to His death and resurrection. Every single day of His life, Jesus lived on our behalf.
He was born as a baby for us—to give us His innocence. He was presented in the Temple as a forty-day-old child for us—to dedicate us to God, His Father. Jesus lived as a boy for us—to give us His godly youth. The Messiah was baptized in the Jordan for us—to fully identify with sinners and bear our burdens. He fasted in the wilderness for us—to give us His victory over temptation.
And in this manner, Jesus lived His life. He encountered people and performed miracles—to impart the grace of the Prototype of humanity, the Second Adam, the Image of God, and to restore our lost inheritance of creation. Finally, He died and rose again for us—to atone for our sins and grant us His eternal life.
Everything Jesus did, every single day, was for our salvation, that we might receive His divine-human nature. As the Apostle Peter writes: “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature …” (2 Pet. 1:3–4).
God Took Flesh
Jesus entered our world through His Incarnation—God took flesh—to wear our human nature, cleanse it from the Fall, and return it back to us as the new man: the Image of God restored.
This is the essence of our salvation. The Divine Calendar is an annual journey that guides us to receive the grace of this new humanity from every day of Jesus’s life. The seasons of His life now become the spiritual Seasons of Salvation we traverse, allowing us to partake in His divine-human nature and grow to be more like Him.
The Incarnation is not limited to Jesus’ birth alone, but encompasses His entire life in flesh and blood among us. It began at the miraculous conception, was unveiled at His birth on Christmas, and was fulfilled in His Ascension when Jesus returned to His Heavenly Father.
Let us now turn to the Nativity Fast.
Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash
What Is Fasting?Let us begin with a practical introduction to fasting.
You do not have to fast to follow the journey through the Divine Calendar. However, if you have never tried fasting before, this may be a good opportunity to experience some of the spiritual mysteries behind the practice. When we reach Great Lent in February/March, we will go even deeper, as Lent is the principal fast in the Divine Calendar.
Before the three richest seasons of grace—the Seasons of Salvation drawn from the life of Jesus—the Church Fathers established periods of fasting to prepare our souls for the grace the Holy Spirit desires to give us during the major feasts, especially Nativity, Easter, and Pentecost.
I. Fasting the Nativity Fast
Jesus said, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites” (Matt. 6:16). Jesus didn’t say if you fast, but when. Fasting has a long tradition in all parts of Christianity.
Fasting does not earn us anything, nor does it prove our worthiness before God to receive His grace. As the Apostle Paul writes: “He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. […] Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:6, 8b).
Fasting will not impress God. Rather, it constricts our fallen human nature and frees our spirit to more readily receive the impressions and grace of the Holy Spirit. Fasting helps us focus and attune ourselves to His work, allowing the grace the Holy Spirit brings from Jesus’ life to enter our souls and “a noble and good heart” (Luke 8:15).
Traditional View of Fasting
Many people think of fasting simply as abstaining from food or drink for some days. However, the traditional approach to fasting is a fasting lifestyle—a deliberate period of abstaining from certain foods, such as meat and dairy.
Even a vegan diet three times a day can be a form of fasting. Although we still eat, we consciously restrain the instincts of our fallen human nature by not eating as we normally would. This voluntary restriction, even after just a few days, cultivates spiritual vigilance, as if we had gone without food entirely for a day or two.
If you already have experience with fasting, or maintain a fasting lifestyle, you may simply increase your practice slightly during these forty days. If you consider yourself a beginner, you might postpone your first meal until 10 a.m., depending on how God’s grace sustains you. Those who have been fasting regularly for over five years might extend the fast until noon or even 3 p.m. on some weekdays.
The fasting diet is maintained during the weekend, but meals are not postponed on Saturdays and Sundays. So, if you eat breakfast at 10 a.m. from Monday through Friday, you would eat at your usual time on the weekend.
The primary reason for reducing the fast on weekends is to celebrate the grace of the Resurrection on Sunday and to provide a pause in the fasting rhythm. Each Monday then becomes a fresh start—a renewed offering of sacrifice through fasting. This pattern prevents fasting from becoming habitual or stagnant.
The goal of fasting is not to impress God or ourselves, but to practice restriction, emptying, and repentance, thus welcoming the Holy Spirit: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said …” (Acts 13:2a)
Balanced Fasting
Fasting is like tightening a spiritual belt around our waist that contains new tools to remain spiritually alert.
Fasting allows us to receive the grace of the feast differently—not because God rewards our fasting, but because it prepares our souls to receive the grace that is already present during this Fast. God offers the same grace whether or not we fast, but our capacity to receive it increases through the discipline of fasting.
Does that mean we lose out if we do not fast? Not necessarily. God is God—He can overcome our fallen human nature regardless. Yet, as Scripture says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6) and “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
A word of caution for every eager soul: never fast beyond what grace allows. If we push ourselves—meaning, when fasting is driven by pride or a desire to impress ourselves—fasting can have the opposite effect.
Unbalanced fasting can block our spirit rather than free it, because the power of the flesh—our ego—takes over and drives exaggerated fasting, fueling pride instead of opening our soul to the Holy Spirit, who inspires humility and contrition.
II. Prayer During the Nativity Fast
Fasting frees up time for nourishing our inner man through prayer and the reading of Scripture. When we fast, it is beneficial to replace our meal with prayer, allowing that time to become spiritually fruitful. Using passages of Scripture as a starting point for prayer is especially helpful. This combination of prayer and the Word of God focuses our mind and spirit, awakens prophetic inspiration, and strengthens our inner man.
III. Bible Reading During the Nativity Fast
When fasting, it is beneficial to gently increase our daily Bible reading so we may fill ourselves with the Word of God—just as the Virgin Mary sings in her praise: “He has filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:53), and Jesus while He fasted in the Wilderness: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4).
During the Nativity Fast, it is traditional to read through the entire New Testament. If that feels daunting, consider creating a forty-day reading plan—and simply give it an honest try.
IV. Charity While the Nativity Fast
Isaiah 58 teaches us that the fasting that pleases the Lord is expressed outwardly through righteousness and love toward our neighbor. Selfless acts—giving our time, energy, abilities, and resources to help others—support our own battle against the old human nature within us. These works of mercy and love put to death our ego and allow the love of Christ to shine into the world.
V. The Nativity Fast and Silence
Silence is more than simply refraining from speech. Although we still need to communicate, we can choose to limit unnecessary conversations and reduce time spent on media so that our hearts become more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
If we have the time and opportunity, setting aside moments in a quiet, private space for literal silence can draw us into deep, interior, and wordless prayer.
VI. The Nativity Fast and Repentance
Last but not least, all the spiritual practices mentioned above stir the Holy Spirit to lead us into deep repentance—and repentance is actually more important than fasting. Repentance is our strongest weapon in the battle against our fallen human nature because it is an act of humility. Also, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
How can we do this? At the end of each day, we can draw inspiration from an old monastic practice to “settle accounts” (Matt. 25:19). Before going to sleep, we may spend a few minutes asking the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that occurred during the day that grieved “the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30). We do not need to painstakingly dissect every event, but simply be still and invite the Spirit to show any sins in deed, word, or thought.
If nothing immediately comes to mind—and often we can sense if something specific need attention even before we begin praying—we can reflect on the Two Great Commandments (Matt. 22:36–39). We examine how we may have failed to love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves. Often, beginning with these commandments brings to light other events we can confess before the Lord.
When we feel there is nothing more to confess, we thank Jesus for the forgiveness granted through His sacrifice. We then ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to fill us and help us avoid repeating the same sins. Finally, we try to find a Scripture that speaks to what we have confessed and pray it, declaring God’s truth over ourselves and the situations.
Fasting and Repentance Summary
To summarize this daily practice of settling accounts:
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything we did or neglected to do that grieved Him.Confess our sins before Jesus and receive His forgiveness.Ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to enable us to walk in righteousness and holiness.Seal the healing that accompanies confession by praying a relevant Scripture passage over our lives.VII. Conclusion
When we do our best to follow the principles of fasting described above, we quickly enter the blessing the prophet Isaiah speaks of: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones’” (Isa. 57:15).
These six pillars—fasting, prayer, Bible reading, charity, silence, and repentance—help us grow profoundly and prepare our souls to receive the blessing of the feasting season that follows.
Photo by Florian Giorgio on Unsplash
Sunday Gospel for the Nativity Fast and Its Mysteries: Luke 10:25–37 (NKJV)And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Realizing Our Incapability During the Nativity Fast
The first Sunday Gospel of the Season of the Incarnation Fast (the Nativity Fast) is Jesus’ well-known story of the Good Samaritan. A lawyer approached Jesus, asking what he must do to inherit eternal life.
Notice that the “lawyer stood up and tested Him,” seeking to see if he “might entangle Him in His talk” (Matt. 22:15), much like the Pharisees had tried repeatedly. Being a lawyer, he would have been familiar with Deuteronomy 30:20: “That you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.”
The lawyer demonstrated knowledge of the Scriptures, citing Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” He also referenced Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
Yet in Luke 10:28–29, we read: “And He [Jesus] said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” The lawyer recognized that he could not fully keep these commandments, so he sought to justify his incapability by asking the Teacher, Christ: “And who is my neighbor?”
The Symbolism
Jesus tells the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. The man attacked and robbed by thieves represents mankind, while the Good Samaritan symbolizes Jesus Himself.
We read in Luke 10:30: “Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”
Jerusalem symbolizes God’s dwelling, the human heart, and the Garden of Eden. The man’s journey down from Jerusalem represents the fall of humanity into sin. The thieves, representing Satan and his evil forces, stripped the man naked. Adam lost the Spirit of God that covered him, and with it, his dignity—left naked in shame. The wounds inflicted by the thieves symbolize the bleeding consequences of sin, which lead to death.
But the Good Samaritan—the Incarnate Jesus Christ—“went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:34). This illustrates Christ’s mission in our world. The Good Samaritan even paid for all the expenses necessary for the man’s recovery.
The Apostle Peter further explains how Jesus redeemed us: “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Pet. 1:18–19)
Him Who Showed Mercy
The Sunday Gospel concludes with Jesus asking the lawyer who fulfilled the great commandment of loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Was it the Samaritan, the priest, or the Levite? (Both the priest and Levite failed to help the wounded man.)
In Luke 10:37, we read: “And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” Jesus stops the story here.
How did the lawyer feel, hearing this? If he had tried to justify himself for not loving his neighbor, how could he respond when Jesus commanded him to do precisely that? He likely felt incapable—unable to summon the strength, courage, mercy, or love within himself to obey.
We now enter the Nativity Fast to prepare ourselves to receive the seed of Christ’s divine-human nature. These six weeks offer grace that gives the very strength, courage, mercy, and love that Jesus exemplified in the Good Samaritan. If we feel our own incapacity, this Season of Salvation is precisely the time to receive His grace.
In the previous Season of the Kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit revealed areas in our lives where Christ’s Lordship was absent. During the Nativity Fast, the Spirit continues this work, preparing a space within us for the divine seed of Christ’s humanity.
Let us be encouraged. If we feel, like the lawyer, unable to reflect Christ, this is the Season to receive the very grace of His humanity. In time, we too will grow to be more like Him who showed mercy.
Concluding the Nativity Fast and Its MysteriesThank you for journeying with me through the Seasons of Salvation. May these next six weeks make this Nativity season truly special for you as we seek to be more prepared for His coming.
Also, on November 21 (December 4 on the Old Calendar) we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. This feast is closely connected to this Season, and I trust you will be blessed if you take the time to explore it.
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The post Incarnation Fast 1 (Eastern): The Nativity Fast and Its Mysteries first appeared on Father Elisha: Let me take you on an intriguing journey..
Incarnation Fast 1 (Western): The Incarnation and Its Mysteries
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: The Incarnation and Its Mysteries ~ November 16–22, 2025 ~ We have completed the first Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar, and with the essential spiritual principle of constancy—explored at the conclusion of the Season of the Kingdom of God—we now enter the second Season: the Season of the Incarnation.
The Season of the Incarnation consists of two parts: the Fast (six weeks) and the Feasts (four to five weeks). November 15 marks the beginning of the forty-day Incarnation Fast (also called the Nativity Fast or St. Phillip’s Fast) leading up to Christmas. We will speak more about the fast below, but first let us consider what we mean by Incarnation.
Why is the Incarnation a part of our salvation?
What is the Incarnation?God made man in “His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27, NKJV).
When humanity fell into sin (Gen. 3:6–7), the image of God in man shattered. The Spirit of God lifted—severing our continual communion with Him—and sin entered human nature. Not only did the Spirit lift from man, but the union that existed between Heaven and Earth in Eden was torn.
God had given man “the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15), yet through the Fall we lost the ability to fulfill this commission. That is why we read that, “in the dispensation of the fullness of the times [God will] gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him” (Eph. 1:10).
After Jesus’ Second Coming, God will create “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev. 21:1). God had called Adam and Eve to extend the union between Heaven and Earth from the Garden outward, until it encompassed the whole world. The Fall paused this plan—until Jesus, as the Son of Man and Son of God, resumed it at His First Coming through His Incarnation.
This is the broad sweep of God’s redemption of creation. But what about the crown of creation—mankind?
The Incarnation: Restoring the Fallen Image
After the Fall of Man, the Spirit of God no longer filled our being or sustained our nature. Sin enslaved our mind, will, and emotions. In our brokenness, we turned to the physical creation in a futile attempt to satisfy ourselves and “fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another” (Gal. 5:16b–17a). The tragic culmination of this endless and vain pursuit is death, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23a).
Yet God, in His mercy and love, did not abandon His creation. But how could He save us from sin and death?
Atoning for our sin and clearing our guilt would only be the first step. The Fall shattered the very image of God within us, and that was the root of the problem. How would God restore the glorious image in man? For He had made us “a little lower than the angels, and [had] crowned [us] with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5).
God had to enter our creation as Adam before he fell. Jesus had to sever our fallen genealogy—where the poison of sin passes from generation to generation—and inaugurate a new lineage for humanity. A new creation. His mission was not only to atone for the sins of the world—majestic as that is—but also to recreate mankind and restore the fallen image.
The Incarnation and the Image of God
Jesus entered creation as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15), “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Heb. 1:3).
But what is the image of God? It encompasses every part of the human being—our spirit, our consciousness, our nature, and our free existence—reflecting God’s own attributes. Yet we can go further and ask: Who is the image of God? The image of God is Jesus Christ. He is our Prototype. He is the mold in which God formed Adam. Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of what it means to be human.
With this understanding, we can approach Colossians 1:15–18 with fresh eyes:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
The Incarnation: The Defeat of the Serpent
We read in 1 John 3:8: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Immediately after the Fall, God declared to Satan: “Because you have done this […] I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head” (Gen. 3:14–15). The “Seed” of the woman—Christ Himself—would crush the serpent’s head.
The miraculous birth of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary is the heart of this entire Season of Salvation. The prophet Isaiah foretold it: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). And the prophet Micah echoes this mystery: “Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth” (Micah 5:3).
These six weeks of fasting prepares our soul for this divine event—the birth of Jesus Christ. The following weeks of feasting then help us unfold and experience the grace that enters our spirits through His Incarnation.
The Incarnation and the New Creation
When Virgin Mary “brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7), God granted humanity a new beginning. Jesus bore the likeness of Adam before the Fall, yet—as One who is fully God and fully man, perfectly united without confusion or division—He would never sin in deed, word, or thought.
What is the difference between Adam and Jesus? God created Adam, while Jesus is the uncreated God who entered the world as a man—a human like you and me. Adam fell into sin, but Jesus never did.
You could knock on Jesus’ door, and the warm, joyful presence of a true human would welcome you—two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a smile. Heart to heart, you could speak with God Himself, the One who formed you. How astonishing …
Because Jesus was born of an earthly mother but had a heavenly Father, He severed the sin-carrying lineage passed down from Adam through every generation. Scripture calls Him “the last Adam,” or the second Adam—“a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). And through Him, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).
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Our Salvation: “It Is Finished!”Where does our salvation begin? At the empty tomb of Christ’s Resurrection? At the Cross, when Jesus declared, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)?
What, exactly, was finished?
Jesus “bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24). He completed the atonement for our sins and granted us peace, just as the prophet Isaiah foretold: “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Isa. 53:5). But this was not the only unimaginable work Jesus accomplished on our behalf.
The Apostle Paul writes about a second, profound mystery: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph. 2:14–15).
Creating the New Man
On the Cross, Jesus completed the work of bringing forth a new humanity in Himself. “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Rev. 21:5). Just as God finished the first creation on the sixth day—“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” (Gen. 2:1)—so Jesus declared on the Cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) on a Friday, the sixth day of the week.
The Apostle Paul writes: “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:16–17).
When Jesus was laid in the tomb, He was placed—figuratively and prophetically—into the earth. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40).
And just as “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen 2:7), so Christ rose from the tomb as “the last Adam.” But whereas “‘the first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45).
Partakers of the Divine Nature
So where does our salvation begin? It begins with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
His work of salvation is not limited to His death and resurrection. Every single day of His life, Jesus lived on our behalf.
He was born as a baby for us—to give us His innocence. He was presented in the Temple as a forty-day-old child for us—to dedicate us to God, His Father. Jesus lived as a boy for us—to give us His godly youth. The Messiah was baptized in the Jordan for us—to fully identify with sinners and bear our burdens. He fasted in the wilderness for us—to give us His victory over temptation.
And in this manner, Jesus lived His life. He encountered people and performed miracles—to impart the grace of the Prototype of humanity, the Second Adam, the Image of God, and to restore our lost inheritance of creation. Finally, He died and rose again for us—to atone for our sins and grant us His eternal life.
Everything Jesus did, every single day, was for our salvation, that we might receive His divine-human nature. As the Apostle Peter writes: “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature …” (2 Pet. 1:3–4).
God Took Flesh
Jesus entered our world through His Incarnation—God took flesh—to wear our human nature, cleanse it from the Fall, and return it back to us as the new man: the Image of God restored.
This is the essence of our salvation. The Divine Calendar is an annual journey that guides us to receive the grace of this new humanity from every day of Jesus’s life. The seasons of His life now become the spiritual Seasons of Salvation we traverse, allowing us to partake in His divine-human nature and grow to be more like Him.
The Incarnation is not limited to Jesus’ birth alone, but encompasses His entire life in flesh and blood among us. It began at the miraculous conception, was unveiled at His birth on Christmas, and was fulfilled in His Ascension when Jesus returned to His Heavenly Father.
Let us now turn to the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast.
Photo by Kamil Szumotalski on Unsplash
What Is Fasting?Let us begin with a practical introduction to fasting.
You do not have to fast to follow the journey through the Divine Calendar. However, if you have never tried fasting before, this may be a good opportunity to experience some of the spiritual mysteries behind the practice. When we reach Great Lent in February/March, we will go even deeper, as Lent is the principal fast in the Divine Calendar.
Before the three richest seasons of grace—the Seasons of Salvation drawn from the life of Jesus—the Church Fathers established periods of fasting to prepare our souls for the grace the Holy Spirit desires to give us during the major feasts, especially Nativity, Easter, and Pentecost.
I. Fasting
Jesus said, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites” (Matt. 6:16). Jesus didn’t say if you fast, but when. Fasting has a long tradition in all parts of Christianity.
Fasting does not earn us anything, nor does it prove our worthiness before God to receive His grace. As the Apostle Paul writes: “He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. […] Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:6, 8b).
Fasting will not impress God. Rather, it constricts our fallen human nature and frees our spirit to more readily receive the impressions and grace of the Holy Spirit. Fasting helps us focus and attune ourselves to His work, allowing the grace the Holy Spirit brings from Jesus’ life to enter our souls and “a noble and good heart” (Luke 8:15).
Traditional View of Fasting
Many people think of fasting simply as abstaining from food or drink for some days. However, the traditional approach to fasting is a fasting lifestyle—a deliberate period of abstaining from certain foods, such as meat and dairy.
Even a vegan diet three times a day can be a form of fasting. Although we still eat, we consciously restrain the instincts of our fallen human nature by not eating as we normally would. This voluntary restriction, even after just a few days, cultivates spiritual vigilance, as if we had gone without food entirely for a day or two.
If you already have experience with fasting, or maintain a fasting lifestyle, you may simply increase your practice slightly during these forty days. If you consider yourself a beginner, you might postpone your first meal until 10 a.m., depending on how God’s grace sustains you. Those who have been fasting regularly for over five years might extend the fast until noon or even 3 p.m. on some weekdays.
The fasting diet is maintained during the weekend, but meals are not postponed on Saturdays and Sundays. So, if you eat breakfast at 10 a.m. from Monday through Friday, you would eat at your usual time on the weekend.
The primary reason for reducing the fast on weekends is to celebrate the grace of the Resurrection on Sunday and to provide a pause in the fasting rhythm. Each Monday then becomes a fresh start—a renewed offering of sacrifice through fasting. This pattern prevents fasting from becoming habitual or stagnant.
The goal of fasting is not to impress God or ourselves, but to practice restriction, emptying, and repentance, thus welcoming the Holy Spirit: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said …” (Acts 13:2a)
Balanced Fasting
Fasting is like tightening a spiritual belt around our waist that contains new tools to remain spiritually alert.
Fasting allows us to receive the grace of the feast differently—not because God rewards our fasting, but because it prepares our souls to receive the grace that is already present during this Fast. God offers the same grace whether or not we fast, but our capacity to receive it increases through the discipline of fasting.
Does that mean we lose out if we do not fast? Not necessarily. God is God—He can overcome our fallen human nature regardless. Yet, as Scripture says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6) and “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
A word of caution for every eager soul: never fast beyond what grace allows. If we push ourselves—meaning, when fasting is driven by pride or a desire to impress ourselves—fasting can have the opposite effect.
Unbalanced fasting can block our spirit rather than free it, because the power of the flesh—our ego—takes over and drives exaggerated fasting, fueling pride instead of opening our soul to the Holy Spirit, who inspires humility and contrition.
II. Prayer During Fasting
Fasting frees up time for nourishing our inner man through prayer and the reading of Scripture. When we fast, it is beneficial to replace our meal with prayer, allowing that time to become spiritually fruitful. Using passages of Scripture as a starting point for prayer is especially helpful. This combination of prayer and the Word of God focuses our mind and spirit, awakens prophetic inspiration, and strengthens our inner man.
III. Bible Reading During Fasting
When fasting, it is beneficial to gently increase our daily Bible reading so we may fill ourselves with the Word of God—just as the Virgin Mary sings in her praise: “He has filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:53), and Jesus while He fasted in the Wilderness: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4).
During the Incarnation (Nativity) Fast, it is traditional to read through the entire New Testament. If that feels daunting, consider creating a forty-day reading plan—and simply give it an honest try.
IV. Charity While Fasting
Isaiah 58 teaches us that the fasting that pleases the Lord is expressed outwardly through righteousness and love toward our neighbor. Selfless acts—giving our time, energy, abilities, and resources to help others—support our own battle against the old human nature within us. These works of mercy and love put to death our ego and allow the love of Christ to shine into the world.
V. Fasting and Silence
Silence is more than simply refraining from speech. Although we still need to communicate, we can choose to limit unnecessary conversations and reduce time spent on media so that our hearts become more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
If we have the time and opportunity, setting aside moments in a quiet, private space for literal silence can draw us into deep, interior, and wordless prayer.
VI. Fasting and Repentance
Last but not least, all the spiritual practices mentioned above stir the Holy Spirit to lead us into deep repentance—and repentance is actually more important than fasting. Repentance is our strongest weapon in the battle against our fallen human nature because it is an act of humility. Also, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
How can we do this? At the end of each day, we can draw inspiration from an old monastic practice to “settle accounts” (Matt. 25:19). Before going to sleep, we may spend a few minutes asking the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that occurred during the day that grieved “the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30). We do not need to painstakingly dissect every event, but simply be still and invite the Spirit to show any sins in deed, word, or thought.
If nothing immediately comes to mind—and often we can sense if something specific need attention even before we begin praying—we can reflect on the Two Great Commandments (Matt. 22:36–39). We examine how we may have failed to love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves. Often, beginning with these commandments brings to light other events we can confess before the Lord.
When we feel there is nothing more to confess, we thank Jesus for the forgiveness granted through His sacrifice. We then ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to fill us and help us avoid repeating the same sins. Finally, we try to find a Scripture that speaks to what we have confessed and pray it, declaring God’s truth over ourselves and the situations.
Fasting and Repentance Summary
To summarize this daily practice of settling accounts:
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything we did or neglected to do that grieved Him.Confess our sins before Jesus and receive His forgiveness.Ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to enable us to walk in righteousness and holiness.Seal the healing that accompanies confession by praying a relevant Scripture passage over our lives.VII. Conclusion
When we do our best to follow the principles of fasting described above, we quickly enter the blessing the prophet Isaiah speaks of: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones’” (Isa. 57:15).
These six pillars—fasting, prayer, Bible reading, charity, silence, and repentance—help us grow profoundly and prepare our souls to receive the blessing of the feasting season that follows.
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Sunday Gospel for the Incarnation and Its Mysteries: Luke 14:25–35 (NKJV)Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
To Follow Jesus
In this week’s Sunday Gospel, a great multitude of people follows Jesus. The crowd is not just large—it is truly immense. Yet Jesus wants to ensure that everyone follows Him for the right reasons.
Some might only seek a miracle, not Him. Others come for entertainment, not for a relationship with Him. Some look for an offence to report to the religious authorities, but they do not seek Him. And some simply follow because they “did not know why they had come together” (Acts 19:32).
Jesus intends to sift through the crowd, leaving only those who follow Him out of love. He tells them that anyone who follows Him must love Him more than “father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also” (Luke 14:26)—so much that their love for Him makes even their closest relationships, and their own life, seem like hatred in comparison.
Where can we find such love? This is what it means to love “the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” In our fallen human state, we do not possess this kind of love. But this is about to change. As we enter the fast, we prepare to receive the very life of God. The grace of Christ’s human nature will increasingly form within us and enable us love God as Jesus loved Him (John 17:26).
To Count the Cost
The Apostle Paul writes: “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9). We are God’s building. The Holy Spirit has brought us through the Season of the Kingdom of God, which serves as the foundation for what comes next. The Seasons of Salvation are not isolated experiences; rather, they build upon one another, shaping us into a temple of the Lord.
“Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20–22).
In Luke 14:27–33, Jesus calls those who choose to follow Him to count the cost. He asks His disciples to prepare themselves, lest they turn away when following His footsteps becomes a costly choice.
The Taste of Salt
Finally, Jesus shares a parable to the multitude: “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Luke 14:34–35)
If salt is no longer salty, it can no longer fulfill its purpose. Saltless salt cannot season or preserve. This is the condition of fallen human nature—we are unable to fulfill the purpose of our existence, and we cannot extend the union between Heaven and Earth as we were meant to (as discussed earlier).
But when we receive Christ’s divine-human nature as a seed of grace, our saltiness is gradually restored. The grace of the Incarnation restores the true humanity we lost in the Fall. When “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20), others experience a distinct taste of divine life that cannot be found anywhere else.
This restored saltiness—this true humanity receives from Jesus in the Season of the Incarnation—propels us toward the vision of God’s Kingdom we glimpsed in the Season of the Kingdom of God.
Our saltiness prevents the world from rotting in sin. As people encounter us, they see and taste something of the restored human nature that we lost in the Fall: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Ps. 34:8)
Truly, our small acts of fasting are nothing compared to the immense riches of the Incarnation grace that follow.
Concluding the Incarnation and Its MysteriesThank you for taking the time to join this journey through the second Season of Salvation. It is truly a blessing to have you join us on this journey.
On November 21, we also celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. You may find this post inspiring, as it links to the Season of the Incarnation.
May Jesus be close to you and guide you into this new phase of our expedition.
Please leave a comment below—we’d love to hear your thoughts. If you found this post helpful, feel free to share it using the buttons at the top of the page.
Join the Journey Through the Seasons of SalvationJoin us on this weekly journey through the Seasons of Salvation as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ through the key seasons of His life.
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Visit the Seasons of Salvation blog for insights into the coming week, posted every Saturday. We’d be honored to have you join us.
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November 7, 2025
Kingdom of God 10 (Eastern): The Bleeding Woman — How Faith Touches the Heart of Jesus
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: The Bleeding Woman — How Faith Touches the Heart of Jesus ~ November 9–15, 2025 ~ As we enter the final week of the Season of the Kingdom of God, we may find that experiences from these past weeks have changed how we look at the new year. Over two months ago, the first Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar began by proclaiming that Jesus the Messiah had come. In the synagogue, He read from the prophet Isaiah and revealed that He Himself was the fulfillment of prophesy. Our hearts were filled with hope, for God is among us, and “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). Today, we conclude this first Season by reflecting on the story of Jairus’s daughter and the bleeding woman.
Receiving Grace from Christ’s LordshipDuring the Season of the Kingdom of God, we have sought to perceive the areas of our lives where Jesus may still be absent. Now, as this Season draws to a close, we may feel a deep longing or find ourselves repeating a specific prayer—because God is awakening within us a new vision of what life with Him cold be.
Each of the upcoming Seasons of Salvation will help us remove the hindrances that keep this vision from becoming a reality. They will release new life into our inner man so that, by the grace of God, not only our souls become more like Jesus, but those we encounter may be transformed as well.
As we leave this first Season in the Divine Calendar, the Holy Spirit desires to grant us one final insight into how we can receive grace from Christ’s Lordship, allowing the Kingdom of God to expand within us—“for indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). When Christ begins to reign in a new area of our soul, our lives are renewed, for we no longer live under our own limited rule, but under “Christ in you, the hope of glory” reigns (Col. 1:27).
The Apostle Paul writes of this divine power: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).
The Previous Weeks of the Season of the Kingdom of God
To review our journey so far, here are the previous weeks in the Season of the Kingdom of God:
Week 1: The Church New Year (Indiction)
Week 2: Repentance — A Turn Toward What?
Week 3: Moving Out of the Box in Our Spiritual Life
Week 4: Fruitless Nights Without Jesus
Week 5: Overflowing to Fulfill the Commandment of Love
Week 6: The Widow of Nain: How Life Overcomes Death
Week 7: Spiritual Battles — Lessons from Jesus
Week 8: The Rich Man and Lazarus — Unveiling Two Kingdoms
Week 9 (Last Week): The Demon-Possessed Man — Restoration and Mission
If you attend an Eastern Old Calendar parish, this week would correspond to Week 8. The post The Rich Man and Lazarus — Unveiling Two Kingdoms aligns with your current place in the Divine Calendar, even though it follows the Gospel reading for the New Calendar.
Let us now turn to the story of Jairus’s daughter and the bleeding woman.
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Sunday Gospel for the Bleeding Woman: Luke 8:41–56 (NKJV)And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
Raising Jairus’s Daughter (verses 49–56)49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”
50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.
54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
The Unnoticeable Touch
In Luke 8:41–42, we read: “And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.”
Jairus—whose name means “enlightener”—was a religious leader, yet his daughter was dying. He fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come and heal her.
Then we read in Luke 8:43–44: “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.”
While “the multitudes thronged Him,” a woman approached who had suffered for as long as Jairus’s daughter had lived—twelve long years. She had spent everything she owned seeking healing, yet found no cure. How could she still have hope left after all that disappointment?
And yet, despite her pain and weakness, she pressed through the multitude and reached for Jesus. She didn’t seize Him—she merely touched the border of His garment—but in that instant, she was finally healed.
But we read in Luke 8:45 that Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
Jesus could not possibly have felt this woman’s touch on “the border of His garment,” especially with all the noise around Him. She barely touched His garment. Even Peter and the others were puzzled by his question: “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” (Luke 8:45).
We will leave her story for now and return at the end.
Excluding Unbelief
In Luke 8:49–51, someone from Jairus’s house came and said there was no need to trouble Jesus any further—his daughter had already died. But because of this unbelief, Jesus “permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl” (Luke 8:51).
Those people “from the ruler of the synagogue’s house” excluded themselves from the miracle through their unbelief. They could not yet recognize Jesus as the Heavenly King who manifests the signs of the Kingdom of God.
We then read: “Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, ‘Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.’ And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead” (Luke 8:52–53). Even among those closest to Him—perhaps even Jairus and his wife—doubt crept in. They could not comprehend that Jesus held authority over death itself, calling the girl’s soul back to life as if she were merely asleep.
Then: “But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, ‘Little girl, arise.’ Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat” (Luke 8:54–55).
Jesus “put them all outside.” In the silence of the room, He called the girl back to life. The unbelieving were excluded from witnessing the miracle. Then, He instructed her parents to give her something to eat—proof that she was truly alive.
Finally, we read: “And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened” (Luke 8:56).
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The Woman’s TouchWhen Jairus returned to the synagogue after this miraculous event, he most likely brought his wife and daughter with him. Yet Jesus had commanded them to tell no one how their daughter—who had been declared dead—was now fully alive (Luke 8:56).
How, then, did the worshippers in the synagogue and the people of the town respond? The girl’s very presence must have stirred wonder and unspoken questions. But Jairus remained silent, as the Lord had instructed him. This silence draws our attention back to the bleeding woman—for while Jairus was told to speak nothing, her act of faith still speaks.
Let us see why.
In Luke 8:46, we read: “But Jesus said, ‘Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.’” Jesus felt someone touch Him—but not physically. It was the touch of a heart reaching out in faith and love. Her inner cry, not her hand, moved the Lord. That touch from within released the healing power of Christ.
If it were merely physical contact that drew power from Him, then the crowds who “thronged and pressed” around Jesus (Luke 8:45) would have received their requests as well. The multitude touched His garment; the woman touched His heart.
The Bleeding Woman Saw No One but Jesus
We read in Luke 8:47: “Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.”
This woman had suffered from her affliction for twelve long years. Trembling, she came forward and confessed before everyone why she had touched Jesus and how she was instantly healed. The entire crowd—including Jairus—heard her testimony. They all knew what had taken place: this woman’s touch had released a flow of divine power.
Yet, Jesus was not angry, as she might have feared. Instead, He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Luke 8:48). Her faith had reached the depths of Christ’s heart—deeper than any physical touch. Because “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
This was precisely what Jesus desired to teach Jairus—and those in his synagogue—when He commanded him to remain silent about how his daughter had risen from the dead. The woman “declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.”
Jesus exalted the power of persevering faith—faith that is not extinguished by twelve years of disappointment, but “who, contrary to hope, in hope believed” (Rom. 4:18).
The Bleeding Woman: Fixing Our Eyes
What was so special about this woman? Why did she touch Jesus so deeply? It is because she fell down before Him and declared to Him in the presence of all the people. She had only Jesus on her mind. She saw no one else. Though surrounded by a crowd, she confessed her healing before everyone without shame—because she no longer saw them. She saw only the One in their midst.
Jesus says to His Bride: “Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes behind your veil” (Song of Songs 4:1). “You have ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; you have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace” (Song of Songs 4:9).
The bleeding woman had dove’s eyes—eyes that looked only to Jesus in the midst of the crowd. Her gaze reached His heart and His compassion.
The conclusion of this Sunday Gospel leaves us with a powerful image: fixing our eyes on the King of the Heavenly Kingdom. He alone heals the painful absence of His lordship in the wounded places of our soul. Unbelief shuts us out, but faith—joined with undivided attention—touches the heart of Jesus and releases His healing power.
May we receive the grace this week of that same faith which touches the heart of Jesus. Let us fix our eyes on Him who is coming in the Season of the Incarnation, beginning only a week from now.
Concluding the Bleeding Woman — How Faith Touches the Heart of JesusIt is truly a joy to journey with you through these Seasons of Salvation. I pray that this last week in the first Season of the Divine Calendar may be revelatory for us all.
Please leave a comment below—we’d love to hear your thoughts. If you found this post helpful, feel free to share it using the buttons at the top of the page.
Join the Journey Through the Seasons of SalvationJoin us on this weekly journey through the Seasons of Salvation as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ through the key seasons of His life.
Sign up to receive this year’s Divine Calendar, which introduces the Seasons of Salvation and guides you through the journey ahead. As a welcome gift, you’ll also receive my young adult novel, The Legend of the Divine Calendar, delivered straight to your inbox.
Visit the Seasons of Salvation blog for insights into the coming week, posted every Saturday. We’d be honored to have you join us.
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Kingdom of God 10 (Western): The Sower of Our Lives
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: The Sower of Our Lives ~ November 9–15, 2025 ~ In this final week of the first Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar, we transition from comprehending a new vision of how the Kingdom of God can take shape in our lives to realizing it—living under the Lordship of Jesus both as individuals and as ambassadors. Last week, we began our deep dive into the Parable of the Sower. Today, we complete our exploration, unlocking more mysteries of this parable and what they practically mean for our spiritual growth.
From Vision to RealityThe first step toward the realization of God’s dream for our lives is the arrival of the King Himself into the new area of our soul we have sought to idenitfy during this first season of the Divine Calendar—the Season of the Kingdom of God. We can do nothing apart from the grace of God working within us; we cannot even love Him without His love first working in us. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
On November 15, the Nativity Fast (also called the Incarnation Fast) begins. If the first Season in the Divine Calendar focused on renewing our vision of God’s Kingdom and recognizing where the reign of King Jesus was lacking in our lives, then the second Season of Salvation is about the arrival of the King Himself into those very places that were lacking.
The arrival of the grace of Jesus’ own life within us comes through the astonishing event known as the Incarnation. We will become well acquainted with this profound mystery in the weeks ahead. But for now, on this final Sunday of the Kingdom of God, let us contemplate what happens when Jesus enters our lives and our renewed vision of His Kingdom becomes reality.
This is when the Parable of the Sower unveils its deepest mysteries about the nature of the spiritual life.
Our Journey Through the Divine Calendar
Below is an overview of the four stages of the Season of the Kingdom of God that we have passed through:
The Kingdom of God Declared in Power
Week 1: Building the Kingdom of God
Week 2: Recognizing Our Call to Repentance
The Absence of the Kingdom of God
Week 3: Zacchaeus and His Desire to See Jesus
Week 4: The Inner Vacuum and Mary’s Alabaster Flask
The Gradual Descent When We Lose the Vision of the Kingdom of God
Week 5: Healing the Paralytic and Our Inner Paralysis
Week 6: Jesus in the Boat and Fruitless Toil
Week 7: Repentance and Renewal — Moving from Despair to Hope
Week 8: The Kingdom of God and the Path to Overcome Death
The Ascent Toward Our Inheritance in the Kingdom of God
Week 9 (Last Week): The Parable of the Sower — The Secret to Spiritual Growth
Week 10: In the post below, we conclude the Season of the Kingdom of God.
Leaving the Season of the Kingdom
The journey through the Season of the Kingdom of God helps us discover the areas of our lives that God desires to transform through the upcoming Seasons of the Divine Calendar. Do not worry if you feel you cannot quite put your finger on it—that is perfectly normal. You may sense that something is stirring within you, a readiness or new alertness for whatever is to come. This subtle yet profound inner awakening stems from the key word to this season: repentance.
As we read in the Book of Acts: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). These times of refreshing can manifest as a renewed willingness. That is a strong beginning after completing this first Season of Salvation.
You may also have sensed the outlines of a new paradigm, a fresh mindset that the Lord desires to give you, and perhaps even felt the resistance of our fallen human nature against this newness. There is no need to worry—when we persevere in prayer and faith throughout these spiritual seasons, His Majesty King Ego will ultimately surrender his throne to Jesus Christ.
The Parable of the Sower: Constancy
Last week’s Sunday Gospel from Luke 8:4–15 concluded with the keyword: Constancy. Persistence in our spiritual life, especially during times of change and opposition, is the key to moving from receiving spiritual seeds in our soul to reaping a full harvest. Any farmer knows that for seeds to grow, consistent care is essential: watering, fertilizing, light exposure, watching the temperature, disease control, and weeding. If the farmer is inconsistent in any of these areas, the crop’s quality and yield will inevitably suffer.
This is the concluding message of the Season of the Kingdom of God: constancy in our spiritual lives gradually replaces any areas of our soul that may lack the presence of King Jesus with His Lordship in the Kingdom of God. “[F]or indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21b).
Our practical application can be as simple as dedicating time each day to the Lord through prayer, Bible reading, worship, and taking steps of faith toward the vision He has placed before us.
The Apostle Peter reminds us: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Also, I believe that building spiritual prayer altars—both individually and within our families—is one of the most effective ways to abide in Christ through the challenges we will face in the coming years.
The Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:4–15 is repeated this week in Matthew 13:1–9. When a passage is repeated in the Divine Calendar, the Holy Spirit highlights its importance. This week’s repetition offers another perspective on the outcome of a consistent spiritual life.
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Sunday Gospel for the Sower of Our Lives: Matthew 13:1–9 (NKJV)On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Four Types of Soil
It may be helpful to review last week’s post: The Parable of the Sower — The Secret to Spiritual Growth, since this week both highlights and continues that message.
The accounts of the Parable of the Sower over these two weeks illustrate different conditions of the soul—different types of soil—when we receive a word from God (whether a promise, inspiration, or conviction) through spiritual practices such as Scripture reading, meditation, prayer, worship, listening to teaching, or attending spiritual gatherings.
The three consecutive challenges this week mirror those we uncovered last week:
The first challenge is simply losing the seed, either because we did not truly listen or due to forgetfulness.The second challenge arises when we listen superficially, or when conflicting circumstances causes us to give up, letting the seed die.The third challenge comes after we have heard and endured: a sudden concern related to our earthly life steals our focus and priority, and our failure to seek the face of God chokes and kills the seed.Yet, in the end, we reach the good soil, and the seed of the Word finally “sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold” (Luke 8:8). The key to overcoming these three challenges and cultivate a noble, good heart is constancy.
The Living Word and the Parable of the Sower
This week’s Sunday Gospel reveals another mystery. While it maintains the familiar interpretation of the four types of soil, it adds a new dimension to the Parable of the Sower. As we read in the Book of Hebrews: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
When we remain consistent in reading the Word of God, we soon become amazed at how the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to things we have never seen before. Through the Word, the Holy Spirit leads us into a personal encounter with the living Person of Jesus Christ. Indeed, “the word of God is living and powerful.” As the Evangelist John writes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
What we will explore below does not contradict the traditional understanding of the Parable of the Sower; rather, it adds another layer of biblical truth communicated through this parable.
The Good Seeds
Last week, we learned that “the seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). Our entire study has been grounded in this truth.
However, this week’s passage does not initially specify what the seeds are. In Matthew 13:18–23, the explanation of the parable simply states: “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it …” Could there be a reason Matthew chose not to specify the seeds outright?
We find clues in the first two verses of this Sunday Gospel, but before examining those, let us consider the following Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13:24–30, along with its explanation in Matthew 13:36–43.
Matthew writes: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way” (Matt. 13:24–25).
In this parable, a man sows good seeds. The explanation reveals: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man” (Matt. 13:37), and further clarifies: “the field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:38).
Here, we discover that the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom—“the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart” (Luke 8:15).
The Sower and the Seeds
Our first hint toward a deeper understanding of this parable comes from viewing the seeds as representing the sons of the Kingdom.
In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, Matthew writes: “but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way” (Matt. 13:25).
Here, we see two sowers in this parable: Jesus and His enemy. The explanation clarifies: “the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil …” (Matt. 13:38b–39a). This highlights that the good seeds are indeed the sons of the Kingdom.
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Jesus in the BoatLet us return to the first two verses of this Sunday Gospel: “On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore” (Matt. 13:1–2).
From a prophetic perspective, “on the same day Jesus went out of the house” represents Jesus leaving the Father’s house to come into our world to save us. As He tells us: “In My Father’s house are many mansions …” (John 14:2).
The Parable of the Sower: The Sea, the Multitude, and Sitting in the Boat
We just read Matthew 13:1: “On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.” The sea is a prophetic symbol for the nations: “Then he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues’” (Rev. 17:15).
It also symbolizes Hades, the realm of the dead, as seen in Revelation: “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name” (Rev. 13:1). Later, John writes: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea” (Rev. 21:1).
In Matthew 13:2, we read: “And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat …” The boat symbolizes the Church—the body of believers—sailing toward eternity’s shore.
Even traditional church architecture reflects this symbolism. The main part of the church, where the congregation sits or stands, is called the nave, derived from the Latin navis, meaning “ship” or “boat.” Jesus also calls His disciples to be “fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19).
Furthermore, we read that Jesus “got into a boat and sat,” which signifies that the human “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19) and God’s resting place. By leaving the Father’s house, Jesus came to rescue the nations from death, drawing them into His boat through the wood of the cross.
His position in the boat also demonstrates that “One is your Teacher, the Christ” (Matt. 23:10).
The Sons of the Kingdom
With this prophetic perspective on the Parable of the Sower, and remembering that in the Gospel of Matthew the good seeds are “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:38), we begin to see what God may accomplish in us once we have “heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).
Jesus rests in the Church and teaches the nations by the Holy Spirit. He takes the good seed—those who have practiced constancy through challenges and developed noble, good hearts—and scatter them among different soils. Matthew writes: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt. 10:16).
We may be sent to hard places—along the waysides, into stony places, or among thorns. Yet once we help other souls undergo the same journey we have completed—and they too develop noble, good hearts—we find ourselves “on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matt. 13:8). Even so, when Jesus plants our lives in a new place, we may realize that this is also a time of new trials for us.
The Evangelist John records Jesus saying: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:24–25).
The Noble and Good Heart
As good seeds and sons of the Kingdom, we have been trained with a perspective that gives us strength day after day. The Evangelist John records: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (John 12:26).
“The field is the world” (Matt. 13:38), and God will sow us in different soils. He will use our lives and testimonies, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, to help other souls become sons of the Kingdom. We are no longer living under the absence of God’s Kingdom—the reign of His Majesty King Ego—but as “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Rom. 8:17).
Here we conclude the Season of the Kingdom of God—as sons of the Kingdom. The inner expansion of God’s reign in our souls cultivate a noble, good heart, and the Sower will scatter us among the nations, extending the Kingdom of God through our lives. Witness the marvelous ways of God: when His reign has grown within, only then can our lives truly extend His Kingdom without.
Let us pray this week for the grace to become consistent in our spiritual lives. The Divine Calendar repeated this Sunday Gospel so that we would not forget its importance as we journey through the upcoming Seasons of Salvation.
Concluding the Sower of Our LivesThank you for sharing this time with me. I hope and pray that your final week in this opening season of the Divine Calendar will be a blessing. It has been a privilege to journey through these weeks together.
The Season of the Incarnation is the second Season of Salvation in the Divine Calendar. As mentioned, the Nativity Fast (or Incarnation Fast, sometimes also called St. Phillip’s Fast) begins on November 15. We will explore this next time.
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The post Kingdom of God 10 (Western): The Sower of Our Lives first appeared on Father Elisha: Let me take you on an intriguing journey..
October 31, 2025
Kingdom of God 9 (Eastern): The Demon-Possessed Man — Restoration and Mission
The Spiritual Mysteries of the Divine Calendar: The Demon-Possessed Man — Restoration and Mission ~ November 2–8, 2025 ~ After Jesus healed the demon-possessed man of the Gadarenes, the man “begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:38–39). We might feel a certain sadness over why Jesus did not allow him to go with Him.
Why couldn’t this man accompany Jesus? His request seemed so sincere. We may also find ourselves in situations when our request to God is so wholehearted that we “begged Him.” Yet Jesus granted the man his request, though the fulfillment differed from his expectation.
The healed man wanted to join Jesus and His inner circle of disciples. Perhaps he did not realize that the disciples of Jesus followed Him in order to be sent as ambassadors for God’s Kingdom. Jesus’ purpose in calling the disciples was to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19).
When Jesus told the man, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you,” He commissioned him as a disciple and ambassador with a message. Jesus answers our sincerest requests, even if the outcome differs from what we expect. The man wanted to join Jesus and His disciples in their boat, but Jesus sent him to proclaim “throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”
The Previous Weeks of the Season of the Kingdom of GodTo review our journey through the Seasons of Salvation in the Divine Calendar, here are the previous weeks of the first Season—the Season of the Kingdom of God:
Week 1: The Church New Year (Indiction)
Week 2: Repentance — A Turn Toward What?
Week 3: Moving Out of the Box in Our Spiritual Life
Week 4: Fruitless Nights Without Jesus
Week 5: Overflowing to Fulfill the Commandment of Love
Week 6: The Widow of Nain: How Life Overcomes Death
Week 7: Spiritual Battles — Lessons from Jesus
Week 8 (Last Week): The Rich Man and Lazarus — Unveiling Two Kingdoms
If you attend an Eastern Old Calendar parish, this week would be Week 7. The post Spiritual Battles — Lessons from Jesus is especially evocative, even though it follows the Gospel reading for the New Calendar.
Let us now turn to this week’s Sunday Gospel.
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Sunday Gospel for the Demon-Possessed Man: Luke 8:26–39 (NKJV)Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.
30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.
32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. 33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.
The Demon-Possessed Man Healed (Verses 34–39)
34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.
38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
The Waves and the Wind
In Luke 8:26, we read, “Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.” Yet just two verses earlier, in Luke 8:24, we read, “And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.”
Just prior to this Sunday Gospel, Jesus rebukes the storm as they are heading to the country opposite Galilee. We immediately see the picture of opposing forces. The storm reveals the evil power attempting to hinder Jesus from coming to Gadarenes. The evil principality reigning over that region recognizes that the Son of God is approaching its territory—and that spells trouble for the demons.
In Mark 4:39, we read, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” Jesus speaks to the wind as if it has a personality. He is directly rebuking the evil powers governing the land they are sailing toward.
Demon-Possessed Man: The Absence of God’s Kingdom
We read in Luke 8:27–28: “And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!’”
Not surprisingly, the first person to “welcome” Jesus on the other side is a severely demon-possessed man.
Luke 8:32 tells us, “Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.” Swine were unclean animals for the Jews, yet the country of the Gadarenes clearly prospered through swine herding (Luke 8:33).
After Jesus delivered the demon-possessed man from the Legion, “then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear…” (Luke 8:37). Jesus became a threat to their swine business.
All this reveals the deep spiritual darkness in that region—a place long left outside the Kingdom of God.
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The Demon-Possessed ManLuke 8:27 tells us that the demon-possessed man “wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.” His nakedness reveals that he was robbed of his dignity. By no longer dwelling in a house, he had even lost his humanity, finding his rest among the tomb—living as one already dead.
This man represents the absence of God’s Kingdom in the human soul to the highest degree. A person who refuses to surrender to the redeeming lordship of Jesus Christ loses dignity, loses humanity, and becomes ruled by death.
Most people would have given up on such a soul, believing there was no hope. But not Jesus. The Son of God had a very specific plan for this man—an outcast in a region steeped in spiritual darkness.
What’s Your Name?
In Luke 8:30 we read: “Jesus asked him, saying, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Legion,’ because many demons had entered him.” Was Jesus asking for the name of the demon or the man? In a sense, both.
Jesus asked the demon to identify itself so He could set the man free and send the demons into the swine. But He also looked beyond the dark veil covering this man. Jesus saw a lost son of the Kingdom. He sought the man’s true identity, knowing that evil spirits had suppressed his God-given potential. He commanded the spirits to enter the swine, who rushed into the sea and drowned.
Luke 8:35 tells us, “Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.”
Jesus saw beyond the darkness that crippled this man and restored his dignity—he was clothed—and his humanity—he was in his right mind. The city’s inhabitants found the former demon-possessed man “sitting at the feet of Jesus.” He expressed his love for Jesus and listened to His teaching, which restored his wounded soul with words that “are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
We see a similar example in Scripture: “certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons” (Luke 8:2). She is believed to be the sinful woman who kissed Jesus’ “feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil” (Luke 7:38).
This former demon-possessed man, now loved by his Savior and sitting at His feet, was ready to do anything Jesus asked of him.
The Most Unlikely Person
We read in Luke 8:38: “Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.” There was nothing this man desired more than to become a close disciple of Jesus. He begged to follow Him. Jesus granted his request—but in a way he did not expect. Jesus knew the demons had hindered him from entering his true calling.
Luke 8:38–39 tells us: “But Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”
The inhabitants had once feared this man and kept him “under guard, bound with chains and shackles” (verse 29), before the demons drove him into the wilderness to live among the tombs. Now, he became God’s instrument to testify throughout the entire city about the Kingdom of God.
God takes the most unlikely person—the most unqualified and hopeless case—and turns the picture upside down through the power of His salvation, using that very person as an ambassador for His Kingdom.
The Unexpected Messengers
The Apostle Paul testifies, “although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 1:13–14).
As we approach the end of this first Season of Salvation, we see a powerful message: God takes our greatest weakness and turns it on its head, using it mightily for His Kingdom. The Apostle Paul also writes, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Our God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).
May the Holy Spirit give us faith and vision for how the Kingdom of God can extend and transform our lives, so that we too may become unlikely and unexpected messengers in places we never imagined we would set our feet.
Concluding the Demon-Possessed Man — Restoration and MissionI hope this message encourages us and builds faith for the future. May the Holy Spirit continue to open our minds to what He desires to do in and through us in the year ahead and in the years to come.
Thank you for taking the time to read. It is an honor to journey together with you. To our Lord be all the glory. Amen.
Please leave a comment below—we’d love to hear your thoughts. If you found this post helpful, feel free to share it using the buttons at the top of the page.
Join the Journey Through the Seasons of SalvationJoin us on this weekly journey through the Seasons of Salvation as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ through the key seasons of His life.
Sign up to receive this year’s Divine Calendar, which introduces the Seasons of Salvation and guides you through the journey ahead. As a welcome gift, you’ll also receive my young adult novel, The Legend of the Divine Calendar, delivered straight to your inbox.
Visit the Seasons of Salvation blog for insights into the coming week, posted every Saturday. We’d be honored to have you join us.
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The post Kingdom of God 9 (Eastern): The Demon-Possessed Man — Restoration and Mission first appeared on Father Elisha: Let me take you on an intriguing journey..
