Faith

The end of the world; when will it happen? – 33rd Sunday in ordinary time– Luke 21:5-19

Jesus is talking to his disciples in the temple which is where he has been teaching since the beginning of chapter twenty. He is seated opposite the treasury from where he observed the widow who threw her whole life into the temple treasury. Overhearing someone speak of the grandeur of the temple and their fascination for the things seen, he predicts its destruction. The disciples like us are piqued in their curiosity. They want a time line, perhaps a chart or a time table to read these predictions down to the last second. It is in this scenario that Jesus speaks of the end times.

Our text of today forms part of a larger narrative which begins in verse five and ends at verse thirty-eight. Jerusalem has not only rejected the heeding of God’s prophets but also the teachings of Jesus; it will now will face the consequences. By the time Luke puts the finishing touches on these verses, the temple had already been a smouldering ruin which had been razed to the ground by Romans. The disaster that is forecast has already taken place in 70 AD. Looking back at the destruction of the temple, this larger text also stands as a vindication of the rejected Son of Man and also as a means to strengthen the disciples who followed him and who will face a similar rejection because of their allegiance to him.

Essentially Jesus is warning us about what is to come but most importantly he wants us to realise what it will take to prepare for what is to come. Jesus moves from discussing a specific catastrophic event to more general statements about the coming of false prophets, wars, and other calamities (21:7-12). Luke employs language and imagery that is conventional in apocalyptic literature from this period. Apocalyptic literature uses unsettling language and imagery as a means to assure the faithful that they should keep their trust in God even when facing the most challenging of circumstances.

Every generation since the cross has thought that theirs was the last generation and none of them were right. Worry and doubt distract us from the important job of spreading the gospel message. This is the sum and substance of what Jesus wants to teach us today
Sure enough, while describing the terrible events, Jesus tells his listeners not to be afraid (Luke 21:9).

The disciples were to be brought before kings and rulers who would question them about their faith in Jesus. In the immediate context, the Jews would disown and betray them to the Romans. The actual word here, “hand over” (verse 12) is the same Greek word used to describe Judas’ betrayal of Jesus as well as the handing over of Jesus to Pilate. This act on the part of the Jews was in fact a betrayal of a fellow Israelite to a foreigner, something that was forbidden in Jewish law.

Yet the disciple was to bear witness, a witness that would bring about tension and separation from parents and family, friends and relations, and some of them would even be put to death. So Jesus gave them practical advice to deal with adversity for this adversity was to be an opportunity to share the Good News and to testify to Jesus (21:13). Just as God gave Moses and other prophets the capacity to speak to and confront their doubters and opponents ( Exodus 6:28-7:13; Jeremiah 1:6-10), Jesus himself will provide strength and wisdom for such testimony (Luke 21:15). Using a proverb that signifies divine protection, Jesus tells them that not a hair on their head will perish.

Despite its language and imagery of destruction, Luke 21:5-19 is ultimately a passage grounded in hope; in the hope that God remains present in the world and in one’s life even when things have gotten so bad that it feels like the world is closing in on us.

Spread the love ♥
12      
12
Shares
Continue Reading
Faith

Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” – Luke 10:23-24

Nope, Jesus is not talking about your eyes being blessed because you set your eyes on iPhone 14 plus nor are your ears blessed because you sound tested the most expensive head phones in the world, the Focal Utopia Tournaire priced at a whopping $132,732 USD and customized and hand-crafted by jeweler’s. So why are my eyes and ears blessed this Advent?

In the Gospel, Jesus delights in the return of the 70 disciples. They have come back joyful after having shared in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus is no solo artist though he could have chosen to been one! Think about it, he did not need Peter’s boat or Andrew’s help to feed the five thousand. Yet he steps into Peter’s boat to preach rather than walk on water and dazzle the crowd and he first asks Andrew what he had to give to the crowds rather than magically wave his hand and become the magician people would have loved him to be. Jesus shares his ministry with us and then rejoices in our partnership with him in bringing down Satan.

In today’s text, Jesus says that he has given us “great authority.” Think about how amazing that statement is. We have been given by Jesus, great authority! This is not some earthly power give to us but spiritual power to combat “all the power of the enemy.” Yet our true glory is not so much in the fact that we partner with Jesus to bring down satan as much as it is that we are acknowledged in heaven. That is our blessing for sharing in his blessedness. The servants of God should always remember that their greatest cause for praise is not what they have done for God, but what God has done for them (Luke 10:17-20).

Ironically, we take our faith so lightly. The great power and knowledge that was given to us at Baptism is either rejected or watered down. We don’t acknowledge the blessedness of our faith; the privilege to see and touch him in Holy Communion and to hear him speak to us in the Gospel. We demand to “see” more evidence before believing in Him and this diminishes our blessedness. One of our great weaknesses as Christians is not appreciating the spiritual blessings that we have been given by God. This is the chief reason for our restlessness and dissatisfaction. Advent is the time to rejoice in the blessedness we have just sharing in his calling.

The apostles, like us, were common people who were given an incredible blessing. They were blessed to be able to see God’s ultimate promise fulfilled and embodied in Jesus and in the time that God had chosen for them to be blessed with his presence. The reason so many people miss out on their blessing is because they decide to settle for a microwave dinner instead of waiting on the feast God has for them. This advent do not rush your blessing rather participate in it and even more, be a blessing.

Spread the love ♥
12      
12
Shares
Continue Reading
Faith

Let sorrow speak – Monday, First week of Advent – Isaiah 4:2-6/ Matthew 8:5-11

I want to encourage you to jump right into this spiritual season of Advent. I fully get the excitement of Christmas which surely must have got hold of you by now; I understand that completely as I too am a ‘Christmas junkie.’ But there is something beautiful that this season of Advent offers us; a meditation on the need to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord.

We begin our reflection this advent season with a rank outsider whom Jesus praises as a model of faith. Why, we wonder is a rank outsider chosen as a model of faith? Do we not have a better example from ‘among us’ to be presented as a model of faith?

Here is a centurion, a gentile, a pagan, an oppressor of the Jewish nation, an enemy; the list could go on. Yet the season of advent kickstarts with a Roman centurion. Ironically, it was he who took the initiative to reach out to Jesus. He came to Jesus! Think about it; right now, you may feel like a rank outsider with regard to your faith. You may be a lapsed Catholic or a person whose sinful life has taken you to places you rather not mention. Think about it, a Roman centurion with men under his command took the first step to seek Christ; how difficult could it be for you and me?

Scripture tells us that the centurion came “appealing;” he was desperate, perhaps out of oxygen, his life being sucked out as he was gasping for breath, not knowing what to do, where to go. Yet the Gospel tells us that he knew whom to go to. He had heard of Jesus. But here lies the twist, he did not come for something he needed, he came for someone he loved. His servant, we are told was paralyzed and was distressed. He could not bear to see the one he loved suffer and so he let his sorrow speak to the Lord.

Spread the love ♥
12      
12
Shares
Continue Reading
Faith

 

Let’s Trap Jesus ? 32nd Sunday in ordinary time – Luke 20:27-38

Placing the text in its immediate context; we know that Jesus has triumphantly entered Jerusalem to robust calls of “Hosanna.” This rabbinical Hebrew word when translated must have surely caught the ears of both the Roman occupiers as well as the Chief Priests for Hosanna simply meant “save, we pray thee.” Clearly Jesus was hailed on that first Palm Sunday by the crowds as the Messiah. Sadly, the true meaning of that word was not clearly understood by them for why else would their cries turn to, “crucify him?”

We are now in the ‘Holy Week’. The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus enters the temple (19:45) and drives those who were selling things. Since this is a religious matter the defenders of the faith within the temple take umbrage and we are told in 20:1 that the chief priest and the scribes came with the elders to question the authority of Jesus. Jesus not only refuses to answer their question he tells them a parable in which they are the villains (20:19).

Being humiliated in their very own temple, before their own congregants was too much for them to bear. So, they watch him and send spies who pretended to be honest in order to trap him (20:20). The spies having failed (20:26), the big guns are brought out; the Sadducees.

Clearly, this time they did not have a question for Jesus, as much as they had a religious riddle; the foundations of which they themselves did not believe. This was a question designed to humiliate and ridicule Jesus. In order to understand this convoluted narrative, we need to understand that the Sadducees belonged to that sect of Judaism that rejected the resurrection and angels and only accepted the first five books of Moses as authentic, among other things.

Spread the love ♥
12      
12
Shares
Continue Reading