The man and His mission – Saturday, 15^th Week in ordinary time – Mt 12:14-21

Chapters 11 and 12 of the Gospel of Matthew see the unfolding hatred for Jesus. Verse 14 makes their intention abundantly clear; “the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.” Interestingly Jesus is least bothered about being on the popularity charts of the Pharisees. He is literally a man for the masses, a man on a mission and that’s what he does in the face of constant opposition.

Human tendency, by and large, responds negatively to criticism often causing one to withdraw. For Jesus that was a luxury he could not afford. He had a mission and doing the will of the father was paramount for him. Scripture tells us that, “When Jesus realized this (the plot of the Pharisees), he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all.”

Perhaps there is something for us to ponder about. It is essential to reflect both on the message and the man, for Jesus’ words were backed by his actions. Jesus is fully human and fully divine and hence Jesus surely experienced the rejection, hate and animosity. He was not protected by a divine shield that sanitized him from human emotions of pain and suffering, yet he chose to focus on the positive, he chose to move on and do not merely good work but God’s work.