The Saturday After Theophany (Eph. 6:10–17; Mt. 4:1–11)

The Apostle clothes Christians in the whole armor of God. This follows fittingly after the preceding lesson. For if someone, having heeded God’s call, has taken up the beginning of a new life—with the help of God’s grace, contributing on his own part ”all diligence” (2 Pet. 1:5)—what lies before him after this is not rest on his laurels but struggle. He has left the world—the world will now begin to press hard upon him; he has escaped the devil’s power—the devil will pursue him and lay traps for him to knock him off the good path and draw him back into his domain; he has denied himself and renounced self-will with all its host of passions—but that sin which dwells in us does not quickly part with its comfortable life of self-indulgence and will constantly attempt, under various pretexts, to restore within us those same ways of living that so richly fed and nourished it before. Three enemies, each with numberless multitudes—but the commander-in-chief is the devil, and his closest helpers are the demons. They direct everything in the sinful life that is opposed to the spiritual life. This is why the Apostle arms the Christian against them, as if the others did not exist at all. He says: ”Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). For were it not for them, there might perhaps be no battle at all. Equally, once they are repelled and defeated, repelling and defeating the others costs nothing. Let every person see, therefore, where the arrows ought to be directed—or at least from which side one must especially guard oneself. And guard yourself! The Apostle has listed several weapons, but they are all powerful only through the Lord. This is why experienced spiritual warriors have handed down to us: strike the enemy combatants with the name of the Lord Jesus.