Saint Demetrius was an officer in the Roman army during the reign of Diocletian. He was stationed in Thessaloniki. As a Christian, he discreetly endeavored to lead the pagan soldiers to Christ. It is said that every day he brought one soldier to Christ. This became known, and Galerius, the governor of Thessaloniki and the representative of Diocletian, imprisoned him. Even from prison, Demetrius gave his blessing to his disciple Nestor to defeat and kill the pagan wrestler Lyaeus, and Nestor killed him.
However, as a Christian, Demetrius should have prevented Nestor from killing Lyaeus rather than giving him his blessing. Our question will be answered when we consider David’s victory over Goliath.
The Philistines were enemies of the Israelites and had encamped opposite them. The former believed in idols, in false gods, while the latter believed in the one true God.
The Philistine Goliath wore a helmet on his head and armor made of bronze and iron over his chest. He was invulnerable and invincible. Moreover, he was a giant, standing approximately three (!) meters tall! (1 Kingdoms 17:3 to 5). Morning and evening, for forty days, he challenged the Israelites to fight him (1 Kingdoms 17:16), in order to prove to them that his own gods were the true gods. Yet no Israelite dared to confront him. As soon as they saw him, they fled.
God, in order to expose the falsity of Goliath’s faith and strengthen the faith of the Israelites, chose David, who was small in stature and physically weak, to confront Goliath.
David put on the special attire of a warrior, but the boots made it difficult for him to walk, so he took them off along the way. He had already received divine assurance from God that, through His power, he would defeat Goliath. As he approached Goliath, he declared: “All nations will know that the true God is among the people of Israel.”
He took a stone from his shepherd’s bag and hurled it at Goliath with all his strength. The stone pierced (!) Goliath’s helmet, and Goliath fell unconscious to the ground. So easily did David defeat Goliath! (1 Kingdoms 17:39 to 51).
From a human perspective, it was impossible for David to defeat him. Yet with the power of God, all things were possible. And David defeated Goliath. It was a victory of the power of the true God over the false gods in whom Goliath believed.
Something similar happened with Nestor. At that time, in either AD 303 or AD 306, a contest of single combat was taking place in Thessaloniki. The victor was considered to be the one who killed his opponent. Among the participants was Lyaeus, a pagan wrestler who had remained undefeated until then.
Standing in the arena, he challenged the Christians, declaring: “I will show you who the true God is.”
Someone among the Christians had to confront him and defeat him. But who?
God inspired a young Christian, Nestor, a disciple of Saint Demetrius, who knew nothing about wrestling (but this was no obstacle for God…), to confront Lyaeus.
Nestor went to the prison, received the blessing of Saint Demetrius, entered the arena, and defeated and killed Lyaeus, just as David had killed Goliath. It was the death of idolatry. A victory of the power of God.
Then, by order of Galerius, the soldiers killed Demetrius with a spear. The Christians took his body, which began to exude fragrant myrrh. (His soul had first exuded spiritual fragrance.) By order of Galerius, Nestor was also put to death.
Light drives away darkness. Galerius saw the Light, but the darkness of his soul was so profound that the true Light proved “unable” to overcome it: “And the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:5).
O Saints of God, Demetrius and Nestor, intercede for us before the Lord, that He may drive away the darkness from our souls, so that we may see the truth everywhere and at all times.
Leave a Reply