My dear parishioners, the Jesus of John's gospel repeats adamantly: "I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me." [Jn 5:30] "He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood." [Jn 7:18]
Jesus' mission, as the Christ, is to lead a faithful people to his father’s household. Therefore, Jesus sent his disciples forth with a mission. They were to bring souls to him. That men could receive such a share of God's holy authority caused the crowds to be "afraid and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” [Mat 9:8]
Christ sent his disciples on a specific, limited mission to the children of Israel. In time, Jesus would grant the Church the authority to dispense the fullness of repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to the whole world.
Of very great importance is the nature of proclamation. Jesus told his disciples: Just go and do it. He didn’t tell them how, for he entrusted his missionaries entirely to his Holy Spirit. What concerned Jesus, however, is that the Gospel is heard and received. Nevertheless, if the Gospel is not received in a household or locality, Jesus says, "shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.”
In other words, how to respond to rejection is not the point, for people who reject the apostles’ prophetic voices are, in actuality, rejecting the voice of the Holy Spirit. In point of fact, whoever denies the power of the Holy Spirit will deny the authority of anyone sent in its name.
Jesus' apostolic missionaries must not force themselves or the gospel upon anyone. The Holy Spirit will tell them what to say and what lodging to accept. This is because the Spirit seeks a free response and obedience from the hearts of all who hear.
Having freely chosen for Christ, the leaders of the Church must be totally dependent upon the gospel truth and the goodwill of the people. Certainly, Jesus did not want leaders to stray. Nor did he want them to leap from one place to another in discontent.
Although the Church is motion, that is to say, in a pilgrim procession through time, she is absolutely grounded on the rock of Peter. The Church is a unified, dignified and anchored presence in the life of the believing community. She is a sign of stability without parallel in human history, an immovable tower of strength.
Our Lord is not so naive as to think that his disciples would be welcomed everywhere. There would be instances when they faced refusal or were thrown out of the house in which they hoped to stay and preach for a while. There were times when they chose to leave a place prematurely of their own accord. The Spirit speaks the will of God.
At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus walked in sorrow among the shadows of the olive trees on a hillside overlooking his beloved Jerusalem. Suspended on a precipice between heaven and earth, the mouth of the dark valley gaped before him. The spiritual road, on which Jesus had traveled the whole of his life, no longer was visible to him. The wide highway of human possibilities, so attractive at the start of his promising ministry, evaporated like a desert mirage. In many ways, the Twelve were a disappointment.
They accomplished little in preparing the way of the Lord. They had built no straight highways in the wilderness, leveled no mountains, filled in no valleys. Few things beckoned them like food and sleep. Alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pleads his case eloquently before God: "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me.” [Lk 22:42]
And herein emerged the defining moment of his messiahship. Jesus lifted his eyes from the ground, looked upward, and gazed into heaven. Renouncing human self-will and power, he chose to be the ultimate witness of God's authority. He prepared to traverse a realm of darkness "without form and void.” [Gen 1:2] When, therefore, Jesus uttered the words "nevertheless not my will, but Thine, be done" [Lk 22:42], his act of kneeling in prayer in the Garden achieved the incomparable. Our Lord chose but not for success. He chose the way of faithfulness to the end. Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker.
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