John
Chrysostom (ca. 347-407) was a fourth- and early fifth-century pastor and
bishop who sought God with all of his heart for over forty years, and who
exercised great influence over the church for many centuries. He was born in
Syrian Antioch (modern-day Turkey) and raised by his mother, Anthusa, for his
father, Secundus, had died when he was a small child. Anthusa loved the Lord
and taught John to love him as well, but she longed for him to have a
successful career of one sort or other, and thus saw that he obtained a
classical education and formed connections with prominent people.
For a
time, John pursued a career in law, but at some point the Lord gripped his
heart and he devoted himself instead to the monastic life. This was
disappointing to his mother, but John felt that he had to obey the Lord, and
obey he did! Not one to be half-hearted, John spent two years living in a cave
where he denied himself all but the bare necessities of life. As Robert Payne
notes, he “denied himself sleep, read the Bible continually and spent two years
without lying down, apparently in the belief that a Christian must stand in
order to obey the injunction: ‘Be ye watchful’” (Fathers of the Eastern Church, page 197).
At the
end of two years, John was in ill health and unable to care for himself, and
thus he descended from his cave down into Antioch where he received medical
attention and also commenced his theological studies under the prominent
professor, Diodore. Although his health was permanently damaged by these years
of seclusion, he was ordained as a deacon in the church of Antioch in 381 and
then as a preaching elder in 386.
Over
the next eleven years John distinguished himself as an able preacher and
interpreter of the Bible, and later earned the nickname “Chrystostomos” which means “golden-mouth.” The nickname was
well-deserved for he was an unusual preacher, but he was not one to speak the
Word of God only, rather, he was also a zealous doer of the Word. He taught
that sound doctrine and sound living are inseparable, and that if one does
separate these things he obscures the gospel and diminishes the glory of
Christ.
John’s
time in Antioch came to an end in 398 when he was appointed Bishop of
Constantinople against his own protestations. While he was willing to do the
Lord’s will, his desire was to remain a preacher, and he knew that the
Bishopric was more of a political than a pastoral position. By the grace of
God, he served in that post for seven years, ably defending biblical orthodoxy
and doing all he could to keep the church on the right track, but he was
eventually exiled and spent his last three years in extreme and isolated
conditions in Cucusus of Armenia (modern-day Turkey).
John
was an extreme man but his life and work helped preserve the church, and for
this we should count him a hero and give thanks to God.
Comments
Post a Comment