From the Pastor's Study
From the Pastor’s Study Andrew and Ukraine March 2, 2022
The Bible, while it tells us about what happened to some of the disciples of Jesus, does not tell us what many of them did. For example, we know from Scripture that James, brother to John, was martyred. John himself served as a leader of the early church and was eventually exiled to the island of Patmos where, presumably, he died. We know from the book of Acts that Peter began his ministry in Jerusalem, but then his story is dropped. Tradition, which is quite reliable, says that he ended up in Rome where he was crucified. Thomas, tradition tells us, went to what is now India and established a Christian community there. And, Andrew, again according to tradition, travelled to what is now Ukraine and preached the gospel there. Thus, the church in Ukraine was established just a decade or so after Jesus ascended into heaven by Andrew, brother of Peter and one of the first disciples of Jesus.
The church in Ukraine had small beginnings and was almost destroyed several times when invading forces destroyed the lives of people living in that area. It wasn’t until the 10th century that the political leadership adopted Christianity as their religion (perhaps becoming Christians but more likely simply using Christianity as a means to their own political ends) that the church in Ukraine grew rapidly. Today, most Ukrainians identify themselves as being Christians. Many are Roman Catholics, but the majority of Ukrainians belong to the Orthodox Church. If the Roman Catholics place themselves under the authority of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope or, as he is often called, the “holy father”), Orthodox Christians place themselves under the authority of their bishop, called a Patriarch (also meaning, “father”). There are several patriarchates (places where the bishops reside) in the Orthodox Church. The patriarch of the Ukrainian church is the Bishop of Moscow, although his authority has been challenged in recent years. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when Ukraine gained its independence, a movement began to establish a patriarchate in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. Today the majority of Ukrainian Christians belong to the church which recognizes the Bishop of Kyiv as their patriarch, although the Kyiv patriarchate is not yet recognized by the larger Orthodox Church.
Although the Ukrainian churches are divided along several lines (there are also a number of small Protestant denominations, the CRC of Ukraine being one of them) they all recognize that their origins date back to Andrew, the disciple of Jesus. In fact, Ukrainians are rather pleased to note that Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus (John 1:36-40), and it was he who encouraged his brother Peter to join him in following Jesus. In Ukraine Andrew is called the protokletos, a word of Greek origin which means, “the first one called.” Not only is he recognized as the first one called by Jesus, but he is the first one to call another to follow Jesus Christ. Perhaps Andrew might be considered the first evangelist, leading his own brother to the Lord.
This is significant especially in the light of recent developments in Ukraine. Particularly concerning is the fact that many Ukrainians recognize the authority of the Bishop of Moscow. We know how the politicians in Moscow (Putin being the primary one) are treating Ukraine, and we are appalled by their haughty, self-centred, and terrible decision to invade Ukraine and place the Ukrainian people in danger. We might wonder if the political leadership is supported by the Bishop of Moscow. If that would be the case, the church in Ukraine would become more divided than it already is, and Christian brothers and sisters would become pitted against each other.
Listen, however, to the response of the Bishop of Moscow to Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. In a statement made to Russian President Putin on February 24 the Russian patriarch of a large part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said, “Defending the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, we appeal to the President of Russia and ask him to immediately stop the fratricidal [brother murdering brother] war. . . The war between these people is a repetition of the sin of Cain, who killed his own brother out of envy. Such a war has no justification either from God or from people.” These are strong words and give us insight into the response of Christians in Russia to the war in Ukraine. Russian Christians see Putin’s war as a disaster that must be stopped. The Russian Orthodox Church, thus, stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
George DeVuyst, a missionary to Ukraine for Resonate (formerly Christian Reformed World Missions), uses similarly strong words in a prayer in which he prays for Putin: “Lord, we pray for Vladimir Putin. We pray that you would change his heart and work your miracle of salvation in his life. If he continues in his wicked ways, we pray that you would restrain his evil and have mercy on those who suffer because of it.”
In both of these responses to the war in Ukraine we sense something of the influence of Andrew the disciple of Jesus. In complete contrast to Cain who killed his own brother, Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. Further, he sought the salvation of those who were alienated from God by bringing them the message of Jesus Christ.
As we stand on the sidelines, helpless to do much with the exception of providing aid to the people of Ukraine, we can remain confident that God is not absent from Ukraine. He sent Andrew to the ancestors of those who now live there, and he established the church there. While the church has struggled, God’s has prevailed, and today our brothers and sisters stand united against the forces of evil. We stand with them, confident that the brotherly love and evangelistic zeal modelled by Andrew will continue in Ukraine and that ultimately the peace of Christ will prevail. We pray for peace in the name of the one who came to give his life so that we may have life.
Pastor Gary
