Sermon on Sunday of the Forefathers
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters,
On the two Sundays before the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church commemorates God’s chosen ones of the Old Testament. The Three Youths of Babylon occupy a prominent place in this celebration.
The Three Youths, Jews by birth, were taken captives by King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of Babylon, which at that time was the capital of a vast empire. The King set up a golden idol and commanded all his subjects to worship this idol. The golden idol portrayed the king himself. Anyone who dared to disobey this order, would be thrown into the burning furnace. The Three Youths refused to bow down to the statue, and for this they were cast into a fiery furnace. But the Angel of God cooled the interior of the furnace, so that the Youths walked unharmed and blessed God.
The story of the Three Youths in Babylon is a prototype of the times of the Antichrist. The Antichrist, having attained dominion over the world, will also demand worship for himself as to God: “he will sit as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” (2 Thess. 2:4)
The Revelation also states that “all who do not worship the image of the beast (Antichrist) would be killed.” (Rev. 13:15)
Even the dimensions of the statue, established by Nebuchadnezzar, recall the book of Revelation. These dimensions were 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide. These dimensions remind us of the number of the beast (the Antichrist), indicated in the Revelation – 666. (Rev. 13:18)
In the early Christian Church, the story of the Three Youths had a special significance. The Ode of the Three Youths was used in daily prayers. Ancient images of the Three Youths in the furnace can be seen in the catacombs. The early Christians were a handful of people among the multitudes of the ungodly. St. Paul says in the Epistle to the Philippians: “that you may be blameless and pure, the children of God without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” (Philip 2:15).
The story of the Three Youths was close to their hearts, because these three young men stood up alone against a multitude of apostates. The Youths of Babylon were for the first Christians a model of unshakable faith and firm confession before tyrants. Their miraculous deliverance from the fire strengthened the faith in the first Christians, that the Lord was near and was able to save them from torment, if such was His will.
In our time, we are not in danger of death for confessing our faith. But we also live in the midst of unbelievers or non-Orthodox. Therefore, the holy Three Youths are dear to us also, and their example is precious. Many are disturbed by the thought: how is it possible that only we keep the true confession of faith, and so many others are in error?
Let us look at the example of the Youths in Babylon: they were not embarrassed by the fact that no one followed their example, but everyone else, including their kinsmen, bowed down to the idol. The Youths did not condemn others, but for themselves they made a choice: “Let it be known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not bow to the golden image you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18).
They did not think: “how is this possible that everyone, including important and respected people, are wrong, and we, young men, are the only ones who do the right thing. The Three Youths took heed only to God and His law. As for the others, they left them to God’s judgement.
Let’s learn from their example not to care about what others say about us. Let us turn all our attention only to our conscience, making God the only judge of our deeds and intentions.
Amen
Header: fresco from the Catacombs of Priscilla. 3rd century
