Quest for Holy Oil

[onnig]

Quest for Holy Oil

 

In this article at Asbarez.com, the Armenian Apostolic Church priests are said to have their trek to Etchmiadzin every 7 years to collect the muron, "a sweet-scented holy oil stirred with what is said to be the tip of the lance driven through Jesus' side -- and carry them back to their respective dioceses." What struck me about this article was the statement of Zaven Arzoumanian, a theologian with the Western Diocese:

 

"Armenians everywhere are bound by muron...It receives special powers from relics used in its preparation. The gifts of the Holy Spirit come from it in church ceremonies. That is why our people have always said, 'My child must be muronized.' "

 

The article continues to say, "St. Gregory, according to tradition, blended the first sample of muron there as a unifying religious symbol of forgiveness and peace, and as a medicine for healing. Over the centuries, church leaders say, muron helped sustain a people decimated and dispersed by war, conquest and genocide."

 

Well, how are we to accept this? Is this tradition a valid one? Are we obliged to practice it as is required by the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC)? If we don't, will "forgiveness and peace" not be applied to us. We, of course, must submit this to Scripture and see how we are to accept this tradition in light of God's Word. What does Scripture have to say to this tradition?

 

Let's begin by examining the whole concept of relics. In this case, the lance which supposedly pierced the side of Christ; does it truly have such power the AAC claims it has? How can this be substantiated? Is there evidence of this lance being at the crucifixion site itself or any evidence that the lance could have been used at the approximate time? Is there a biblical example of relics being used to apply efficacious grace?

 

Some biblical references are used as to the supposed power of relics:

2 Kin 13:21, “As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.”

Matt 9:20-22, “And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I will get well." But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well.”

Mark 15:43, “Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.”

Acts 5:14-16, “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.”

Acts 19:11-12, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.”

Before we get into the true context of these passages, let me also say that the lance at Etchmiadzin is not the only reported lance that pierced Christ’s side and there exists some controversy about this very lance. See this article for a further detail:

 

http://bibleprobe.com/holy_lance.htm

 

and from YouTube.com:

(watch all five parts)

 

Now, in 2 Kings 13:21. The passage indicates power in the bones of Elisha where marauders threw a dead man into Elisha’s tomb and when his body touched the bones of Elisha he was raised from death. Does this mean that we must always assume that the bones of dead saints, prophets, and apostles have inherent power in them? No. Why? Because if we look at the context of 2 Kings 13:21 we see that Elisha prophecied to Joash the King of Israel (v.17-19). Then immediately Elisha dies and was buried and then a time lapse to the spring of the year noting the time it took for Elisha’s body to decay, hence his bones in the tomb. Now we have the miracle of rising a dead man to life in direct relationship with touching Elisha’s bones, which can be properly associated as to provide validity to Elisha’s prophecy. This miraculous event is proof of the validity of Elisha’s prophecy to Joash king of Israel. Must we immediately jump to other conclusions that have no reference to the context of the passage? Can we make other applications from this passage that have no relationship to its context? No. This is what Matthew Henry says:

This miracle was a confirmation of his prophecies. And it may have reference to Christ, by whose death and burial, the grave is made a safe and happy passage to life to all believers.Jehoash was successful against the Syrians, just as often as he had struck the ground with the arrows, then a stop was put to his victories. Many have repented, when too late, of distrusts and the straitness of their desires.

The same goes for the Apostles, Peter and Paul in Acts 5 and 19 and for Christ in Matthew 9. The gift of healing the Apostles possessed from God was so powerful that even the items they touched or their own shadow caused the sick to heal. Christ’s cloak even emanated His power. Again, the point of the healings is missed if we do not study why God gave these powers to the Apostles and why Christ exercised His own power. It is strictly for the validation of the gospel message! Healings and casting out of evil spirits were to prove that the One from whom the healing comes has power over disease and evil spirits, and even over death! If one goes around claiming to have the remedy for sin and salvation for souls and yet does not have power over anything, how trustworthy would be his claims, his gospel? Not very much, it would be a blind faith and yet the Lord does not lead us blindly, He validates his message with His own power!

 

John 10:25, “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me.’ “

 

John 10:37-38, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

 

John 14:11, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

 

Does the dead body of Christ in Matthew 15 received by Joseph of Arimathea have any reference to veneration of relics? No, it was so that Scripture can be fulfilled, Isaiah 53:9, “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death” There really is nothing more to it than that, as if the fulfillment of prophecy is not amazing in and of itself.

 

Many relics have been claimed throughout Christian history, none of which can be proved, but only by a blind acceptance. For argument sake, if the relics were genuine, what power do we think they would possess? Is it not the source of the power God and Christ from them? Does God pass that power to an inanimate object to later be used to “strengthen the faithful”? No.

 

Matt 16:4, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.”

 

John 4:48, “So Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”

 

So how are we to take this veneration of relics? It is pure idolatry.

 

Rom 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

 

Rev 21:8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

 

In 1 John 5:21 we are told, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” Why does the Apostle John end his epistle with these words? What was he talking about? Well, read verses 9-11:

 

1 John 5:9-11, “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”

 

It is the testimony of God alone that strengthens us, not the testimony of men. And where is the testimony of God found? In relics? In idols of worship? No, in His Word! We actually make God a liar if we depend and trust in relics and other things besides His simple testimony in His Word. How sure is His Word?

 

2 Pet 1:19, “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

 

Peter is saying that the written Word is more sure than that of even the apostolic eye witness previously stated in verses 17-18 where God spoke "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”. Henricksen in his commentary writes:

 

Hence, other versions have an alternative translation: “And we have the word of the prophets ‘made’ more certain.” This wording does justice to the sequence of the apostolic message confirmed by the transfiguration and by the Old Testament Scripture. Although translators favor this rendering, they must admit that the Greek for “the word ‘made’ more certain” is not as accurate a translation as “we have a more reliable word.” Simply put the verb ‘made’ is not in the Greek text.

 

So you see there is no power in relics or the muron stated in this article. I have seen many times the muron being placed onto a baptized Armenian child and yet into adulthood the person is as far strayed from God as any person can be, with no desire to serve and glorify the God who made him but only self seeking, self-righteous and full of nationalistic pride. I was that person until he called me and I started reading His Word. The muron is of no affect. God is the one who calls, justifies, sanctifies and glorifies.

 

Rom 8:30, “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

 

1 Cor 6:11, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

 

His efficacious grace is applied by the hearing of the true gospel of Christ, that is salvation by grace through faith alone in the merits of Christ alone from His Word alone.

 

Rom 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

 

And this hearing is from the Scriptures:

 

James 1:21, "Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls."

 

2 Tim 3:15, "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

 

We hear the true gospel and by that hearing we are called into His kingdom. There are no special encantations or prayers or chants that are required by a special brew of oil. It is simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that saves the sinner.

 

Rom 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. "

 

I will say as the Apostle John has said, “guard yourselves from idols”.