May 6, 2019

OBEDIENCE

Hebrews 13:17

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Personal Challenge

Obedience, something that we all struggle with all of the days of our lives. It starts with having to obey our parents, then our teachers, then our employers. Somewhere in that constant shift of who we have to obey, we also realize that we have to obey those who are governing us, whether it be the police officer enforcing traffic laws or elected government officials. It is this last group that this verse is so often applied to. But what about our religious leaders. The Orthodox church is a hierarchical church. The priest presides over the local parish and has the final say so there. But he is submissive to the bishop who presides over the diocese and the local parishes that comprise it. Finally, the bishops, collectively form the synod who collectively guide the jurisdiction. And they, like all of us in the Church, are submissive to our ultimate Head, Jesus Christ. In our modern age of individualism, we have a tendency to pick and choose who we submit to and obey. We believe that we have the right to set the rules and expect others to abide by them. In respect to this verse, we are truly mistaken if we believe this. We are told to obey those who rule over us and to be submissive to them. We do that because they are being held accountable by God to be good shepherds and spiritual fathers to us. We should not make their jobs any harder than it already is. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!