Dominion through faith   Fr Michael Panachickal V C       Man who has dominion over creation  
"Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" (Gen 1:26). Man, who was created by God, had dominion over every living creature and the entire earth. That is, God gave man, who was created according to the image and likeness of the living God, and lived obedient to his will, a share in his dominion.
 
  Man who forfeited this dominion  
But man who should live in accordance with God's will, rebelled against it. Instead of being submissive to God, he became a slave to the power of Satan. With that he forfeited his control over material creation and all living creatures. The very equilibrium of the universe was disturbed. There was disorder. Man's path was strewn with thorns and brambles. What was created for man's benefit became useless to him, even became an obstacle.
 
The root cause for all the problems of modern man is this loss of power. The man who lives in accordance with God's will and in submission to it, will have dominion over all creation and the universe. The man who does not do so faces numerous problems and difficulties. Fear and anxiety render him weak. They are symptoms of the loss of power, of slavery.
 
We quarrel and suffer because we are unable to exert power over adverse circumstances; unable to overcome evil. Suppose someone cursed us. If we possess power, we can bless that person and rise above the evil. If we give away that power, we become wounded and begin to suffer.
 
  The created universe is subject to futility  
"For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God"(Rom. 8:20-21). If the man, who has lost his dominion over all creatures, returns to God and is subject to him, the lost authority will be given back to him. He becomes the son of God. The harmony in creation is re-established. The kingdom of God is reinstated.
 
  In subjection to God till his crucifixion  
Jesus is the perfect Man who lived in perfect subjection to God. That is why he called himself the Son of man, "...who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross.
 
"Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"(Phil 2:6-11).
 
That is, Jesus submitted himself to be crucified and so maintained a close relationship with God. Since he became obedient to God, he could make his own the authority of God. "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority"(Col 2:9-10). Those who are united with God through Jesus Christ, share in his authority, creative power and perfection; they can outlive the disorder that occurred when they got out of the control of God. They regain the authority over created things and the universe.
 
  The fruitless fig tree  
God does not wish that any created thing in this universe should be an obstacle to man. The man who has power over himself can remove this obstacle before him and overcome it. The reference to the fruitless fig tree in St Mark's Gospel ( 11:12-14 and 20-26) is an example of this fact. It is when Jesus returned from Bethany to Jerusalem that he saw the flourishing fig tree. Jesus was hungry. It was not the fruit-bearing season. But the fresh sprouting leaves gave the idea that the tree was bearing fruit. The fig tree usually puts forth leaves and bears fruit simultaneously. But now there was no fruit. "May no one ever eat fruit from you again," said Jesus. The next morning while passing by the same tree, the disciples saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered," Peter said to him. As a matter of fact Jesus did not curse the fig tree. Did he not prove on the cross that from God we get only love and blessing? It was Peter's human viewpoint that caused his remark. This is clear from Jesus' reply. "Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you'"(22-24). In other words, he was destroying the very existence of a tree that was useless to men. He was demonstrating that if we speak authoritatively with faith, this and more than this will happen. What he says is that the power that comes from faith can remove even mountains. It means that when we are united with Jesus and partake of his authority, we can remove any obstacle that is before us.
 
  The authority of the saints  
The saints in the Church are those who have become, through faith, participators in Christ's authority. "And these signs will accompany those who believe: 'By using my name, they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover'"(Mk 61:17-18). Thus he who shares the authority of Jesus Christ and uses that authority, becomes another Christ. That is why St Paul says, "You have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority"(Col 2:10).
 
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