The people Jesus chose & chooses!

Matthew 10:1-8

The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. This is the list of the twelve he sent:

Simon (they called him Peter, or “Rock”),

Andrew, his brother,

James, Zebedee’s son,

John, his brother,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

Thomas,

Matthew, the tax man,

James, son of Alphaeus,

Thaddaeus,

Simon, the Canaanite,

Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him).

Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:

“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

Food for the soul!

This passage is special because when we look at the kind of men Jesus chose and used in those days it gives us hope in these days. If Jesus can use men like these in the manner that he did, then surely he can use you and me in these days. With the Twelve, Jesus set a precedent, that we all have a place in his service.

There are two facts about these men which are bound to strike us at once.

(i) They were very ordinary men. They had no wealth; they had no academic background; they had no social position. They were chosen from the common people, men who did the ordinary things, men who had no special education, men who had no social advantages.

With these men, Jesus set a precedent, of looking, not so much for extraordinary people, as for ordinary people who can do ordinary things extraordinarily well. Jesus sees in everybody, not only what that man or woman is, but also what he can make him or her. Jesus chose these men, not only for what they were, but also for what they were capable of becoming under his influence and in his power. Yes, under Jesus you and I can become different and can make a difference in the world.

(ii) They were the most extraordinary mixture. There was, for instance, Matthew, the tax-gatherer. All men would regard Matthew as a traitor that had sold himself into the hands of his country's masters for gain, the very reverse of a patriot and a lover of his country. And with Matthew there was Simon the Cananaean. Luke (Lk.6:16) calls him Simon Zealot. Zealots were the opposite of Matthew; zealots were fanatic, comparable to today's suicide bombers. If Simon the Zealot had met Matthew the tax-gatherer anywhere else than in the company of Jesus, he would have thrown a bomb at him. Here is the tremendous truth that people who hate each other can learn to live in peace and love each other when they both love Jesus. Jesus not only brings us together, he also keeps us together.

The fact that Jesus was able to use these men with all their weaknesses and failures lets me know that he can use us too. These men lacked spiritual understanding. They lacked humility. They lacked faith. They lacked commitment. They lacked power. These men were always getting into trouble; missing the point or Christ’s teachings; they were always saying the wrong thing; walking away from their commitment to Jesus; among other failures and problems. Despite their weaknesses, the Lord used these men to turn the world upside down for His glory. If he can use them, surely he can use us too! That ought to give us hope today!

Be Compassionate!

Matthew 9:32-38

As the men were leaving, some people brought to Jesus a man who could not talk because he had a demon. But as soon as the demon was driven out, the man started talking, and everyone was amazed. “We have never seen anything like this in Israel!” they exclaimed. But the Pharisees said, “It is the chief of the demons who gives Jesus the power to drive out demons.” Jesus went around visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness. As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with compassion for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. So he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”

Food for thought!

There are few passages which show better than this the impossibility of an attitude of neutrality towards Jesus. No one can stay neutral before Jesus; or we love him or we hate; or we take him serious or we ignore him. In today's Gospel we have the picture of two reactions to him. The attitude of the crowds was amazed wonder: “We have never seen anything like this in Israel!” The attitude of the Pharisees was virulent hatred: “It is the chief of the demons who gives Jesus the power to drive out demons.” They said.

It must always remain true that what the eye sees depends upon what the heart feels. If you like someone you will like what that person does; if you hate someone you will deslike everything that person does, even the good. You will be like the Pharisees. 

We cannot stay indifferent before Jesus, but Jesus too cannot stay indifferent when he sees us. The gospel says, When He saw the throngs, He was moved with compassion. Compassion! When that word is used, most of us don’t have any idea at all what it means. Some people think of weakness when they think of compassionate people. You see, we live in a compassion-less world. This is what makes the harvest plentiful, and the labourers few. Most people don't care what happens to others! They do not possess compassion. 

In fact, I would venture to say that most people don’t even know what it means to have compassion!  The word compassion, as it is used in the Bible means, “To be moved inwardly; to yearn with tender mercy, affection, pity and empathy.” It refers to the deepest possible feelings. The phrase, “moved with compassion” means to be moved in the “inner organs”. It has the same idea as our modern expression, “From the bottom of my heart.”

Someone has defined compassion as “Sympathy coupled with a desire to help.” Sympathy means “The capacity to share feelings, to enter into the same feelings, to feel the same thing”. So, compassion is “sharing the feelings of others and possessing a desire to help them in their trouble.” This is what Christ did to so many people; this is what Christians do: be compassionate, by seeing people through the eyes of Jesus.

Stephen Covey tells of an unusual experience on the New York subway. While people were sitting quietly in the car, a man entered with his noisy and rambunctious children. The man sat down and closed his eyes as though he was oblivious to his rowdy children. The once quiet subway car was now a disturbing place of chaos. The children's inappropriate behaviour was obvious to everyone except their father. Finally, Covey confronted the man about his children. The man opened his eyes and evaluated the situation as if he were unaware of all that had transpired: "Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital, where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either." Compassion starts when we begin to understand the hurts of others.

Just come to Jesus!

Mat 9:18-26

18 As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, "My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live." 19 Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along. 20 Just then a woman who had haemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. 21 She was thinking to herself, "If I can just put a finger on his robe, I'll get well." Jesus turned-- caught her at it. Then he reassured her: "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well." 22 The woman was well from then on 23 By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbours bringing in casseroles. 24 Jesus was abrupt: "Clear out! This girl isn't dead. She's sleeping." They told him he didn't know what he was talking about. 25 But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl's hand, and pulled her to her feet-- alive. 26 The news was soon out, and travelled throughout the region.

Food for the soul!

What strikes us in this story is Jesus' readiness to help those who need him.

The man and the woman came to Jesus in their earnest. As official, the man must have come to Jesus forced by the circumstances of his dead daughter. And when he came, Jesus did not ask questions, but immediately started off. The same with the woman. Unclean as she was, she came and touched Jesus. Jesus did not rebuke her, but kindly said, "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well."

There is a double lesson here. It means that we do not have to wait until we are clean to come to Jesus; we may come to him exactly as we are. And it means that we have no right to criticize others whose motives we suspect, whose faith we question, and whose theology we believe to be mistaken. It is not how we come to Christ that matters; it is that we should come at all, for he is willing to accept us as we are, and able to make us what we ought to be.

It means that it does not matter how we come to Christ, if only we come. No matter how inadequately and how imperfectly we come, his love and his arms are open to receive us all, men and women. And when we do come, all come to a standstill; all stop, only we matter for Jesus. This is what Jesus did when the man came in need; Jesus left what he was doing and went immediately to help. The same happened with the woman, when she came and touched Jesus. All at once Jesus halted; and for the moment it seemed that for him no one but that woman and nothing but her need mattered. 

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Isaiah 55:1-3

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Are you written in heaven?

Luke 10:1-12.17-20

10 After this the Lord chose seventy-two others and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He said to them, “There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest. 3 Go! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 4 Don't take a purse or a beggar's bag or shoes; don't stop to greet anyone on the road. 5 Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace be with this house.’ 6 If someone who is peace-loving lives there, let your greeting of peace remain on that person; if not, take back your greeting of peace. 7 Stay in that same house, eating and drinking whatever they offer you, for workers should be given their pay. Don't move around from one house to another. 8 Whenever you go into a town and are made welcome, eat what is set before you, 9 heal the sick in that town, and say to the people there, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near you.’ 10 But whenever you go into a town and are not welcomed, go out in the streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. But remember that the Kingdom of God has come near you!’ 12 I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to that town!

17 The seventy-two men came back in great joy. “Lord,” they said, “even the demons obeyed us when we gave them a command in your name!”

18 Jesus answered them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Listen! I have given you authority, so that you can walk on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the Enemy, and nothing will hurt you. 20 But don't be glad because the evil spirits obey you; rather be glad because your names are written in heaven.”

Food for thought!

Technically speaking, the successors to the twelve apostles are the bishops. This means that in effect all of us, you and I, are the OTHERS Jesus sends out in his name. The gospel says, the Lord chose and appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to come (visit). Let's look at this phrase in detail.

Seventy-two others: Jesus had, besides the 12 apostles, many followers. When we say apostles we are generally talking of the 12, and when we say disciples, we mean all the followers of Jesus, including the 12. On this occasion Jesus appointed 72 others, that is, besides the 12. The word disciple means learner or follower, while the word apostle mean sent out, envoy, ambassador.

Jesus sent and sends these others to all the places he intends to go. This is particularly interesting because it means that Jesus reproduces himself in people like you and me, so much that wherever we go, he goes there. Jesus went to 36 places in those 36 pairs of men he formed that day. Interesting to note is also to know that he sends us to where he intends to be and go. This is why you and me are where we are; it is because Jesus wants us to be here, and represent him, and make him present, and stand in for him. Tomorrow he may choose to be and go to other places, and we will go. Interesting, isn't it?

When the Seventy-two disciples returned on their first weekend, they were radiant with the gains ant triumphs which they had wrought in the name of Jesus; they had achieved a lot. They were happy for their results, just as we are at the end of the month or at weekend. It is good to celebrate our victories, our successes. It is good to tell Jesus, not only our problems, but also our successes. Some of us talk to the Lord only when we are afflicted, never when we are celebrating our milestones. Jesus must know about both your pains and your gains.

However, many times our joy is misplaced; many times we celebrate the wrong victories. After telling Jesus about their victories, Jesus immediately said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven." That is a difficult phrase to understand. It may have two meanings.

(i) It may mean, "I saw the forces of darkness and evil defeated; the citadel of Satan is stormed and the kingdom of God is on the way." It may mean that Jesus knew that the deathblow to Satan and all his powers had been struck, long before his final conquest on the Easter Sunday.

(ii) Equally well it may be a warning against pride. The legend was that it was for pride towards God that Satan was cast out of heaven and glory. It may be that Jesus was saying to the rejoicing disciples, "You have had your triumphs; keep yourselves from pride, for once the chief of all the angels fell to pride and was cast from heaven."

Certainly Jesus went on to warn his disciples against pride and over-confidence. It was true that they were given all power, but their greatest glory was that their names were written in heaven. It will always remain true that our greatest glory is not what we have done but what God has done for us.

We should rejoice not because we made so much money this week, or that we brokered so many deals, or that we have had so much success this year; we should rejoice rather because the Lord has used us to serve his people. In other words, we rejoice for being known by heaven, and for having our names written in heaven. This is the true cause for joy and glory.

Be Innovative!

Luke 5:33-38

33 Then they said to Jesus, The disciples of John practice fasting often and offer up prayers of [special] petition, and so do [the disciples] of the Pharisees also, but Yours eat and drink. 34 And Jesus said to them, Can you make the wedding guests fast as long as the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; and then they will fast in those days. 36 He told them a proverb also: No one puts a patch from a new garment on an old garment; if he does, he will both tear the new one, and the patch from the new [one] will not match the old [garment]. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the fresh wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled and the skins will be ruined (destroyed). 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

Food for thought!

There is in religious people a kind of passion for the old. Nothing moves more slowly than a church. The trouble with the Pharisees of Jesus' time was that the whole religious outlook of Jesus was so startlingly new they simply could not adjust to it. For them, Jesus was just too much, too worldly, too liberal. And as if not enough, for them, Jesus was turning others into liberals.

In response, Jesus used two illustrations. "You cannot put a new patch on an old garment," he said, "The strong new cloth will only rip the rent in the old cloth wider." To understand what Jesus says, we do well to know that bottles in Palestine were made of skin. When new wine was put into them it fermented and gave off gas. If the bottle was new, there was a certain elasticity in the skin and it gave with the pressure; but if it was old, the skin was dry and hard and it would burst. "Don't," says Jesus, "let your mind become like an old wineskin that has lost all elasticity.

The whole passage is Jesus' condemnation of the shut mind and a plea that men should not reject new ideas. We should never be afraid of adventurous thought. If there is such a person as the Holy Spirit, God must ever be leading us into new truth. Just look at the many inventions in technology, in computers, in cellphones, in medicine, etc. How would medicine fare if doctors were restricted to drugs and methods and techniques three hundred years old?

History is littered with people killed or persecuted for having new ideas. Galileo was branded a heretic when he held that the earth moved round the sun. Lister had to fight for antiseptic technique in surgical operations. Simpson had to battle against opposition in the merciful use of chloroform. Let us have a care that when we resent new ideas we are not simply demonstrating that our minds are grown old and inelastic; and let us never shirk the adventure of thought.

Many people are afraid of new methods. That a thing has always been done in a certain way may very well be the best reason for stopping doing it. That a thing has never been done may very well be the best reason for trying it. No business could exist on outworn methods; a business allergic to innovations is doomed to die. The same with many of us; either we change or we perish.

Have you ever heard this saying? “Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind.”

Keep Walking & Working!

Matthew 9:9-13

Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him. Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?” Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”

Food for thought!

As Jesus walked along the shores of Galilee, He passed a man named Matthew who was working at the tax office. Matthew was a tax collector. He worked for the Roman government, collecting taxes for the empire. The Romans came up with a tax quota for each province in the empire. They allowed their private people to bid on the contracts for collecting the taxes in each area. As long as these tax collectors met their quota, Rome didn’t care how much more they collected. As a result, the tax collectors became very rich, (you remember Zacchaeus, in Luke 19:2) as they overcharged the people, paid Rome and kept the difference for themselves. Tax collectors were known as public sinners. Matthew was one of them.

Because Matthew was a tax collector for Rome, he was among the most despised people around. He was viewed as a traitor to his people and to his nation. He must have been also a disappointment to his parents. He was from the tribe of Levi (and you remember that in the Old Testament all priests came from the tribe of Levi).  Instead of serving as a priest, Levi was working in the tax collection business. I am sure that Levi’s parents had great expectations for their son. They hoped he would serve in the Temple as a priest. Instead, Levi became something else, turning his back against everybody's expectations.

As Jesus passed by, He saw this man, sitting by the tax office. Why would Jesus have any use for a man like this? Despite his occupation; his lifestyle; his failures; and his sins; Jesus loved and called him to a new life. The gospel says that JESUS SAW A MAN. This week Jesus has taught us that he sees beyond the surface. He saw Matthew not as everybody saw him but as God sees him. The good religious people of the city despised him. They said: “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?" For these people, Matthew was a crook! For Jesus he was a potential.

Jesus sees the hidden potential in us – Jesus saw Matthew's potential. He saw that Matthew would be a faithful follower of Jesus; he would one day write a Gospel, The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew.

Never give up! Keep praying, keep walking and working. Keep believing! One day you too will write good news of your own; You may not know it but Jesus knows your potential and value, that is why he died for you! To him be praise and honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus knows all about all!

Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus got into the boat and went back across the lake to his own town, where some people brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a bed. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralyzed man, “Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”

Then some teachers of the Law said to themselves, “This man is speaking blasphemy!”

Jesus perceived what they were thinking, and so he said, “Why are you thinking such evil things? Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your bed, and go home!”

The man got up and went home. When the people saw it, they were afraid, and praised God for giving such authority to people.

Food for thought!

During this week, Jesus has taught us what we know: Out of sight does not  mean out of mind. Jesus has shown us that sometimes he is present but acts as if he is not present (Tuesday); other times he seems to be absent when he is in fact present (Wednesday); today, the gospel says that when Jesus told the paralyzed man, "Courage, my son. Your sins are forgiven," some teachers of the Law said to themselves, that is, they spoke in their mind, "This man is speaking blasphemy."

Even without opening their mouths, "Jesus perceived what they were thinking, and so he said, 'Why are you thinking such evil things?'" It means that Jesus perceives our thoughts; and he can perceive if we are thinking good or evil. He told them, Why are you thinking such evil things?

Jesus sees us not only on the outside but also on the inside; he sees us in and out. This is why he told the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven" because he saw the man's sinful past. And this is what makes Jesus special: he knows all about all of us, and yet he loves us. For many of us, the more we know someone, the less we love them. We even say, "I know you too well." For Jesus the more he knows us, the more he loves us.

John 2:24-25

But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

John 16:30

Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”

John 6:64

But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

Luke 9:46-47

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side.

Psalm 139:2

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar

Sometimes Jesus is as if he is not present!

John 20:24-27

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!”

Food for thought!

A closer look at this Gospel tells us what Jesus told us yesterday. You remember, in yesterday's gospel reading, "Jesus was sound asleep" in a boat that was being tossed up and down. He was as if he was not present.

Today, it is the same thing Jesus telling Thomas, and us all, that sometimes he is as if he is not present; sometimes he is like MIA. Notice that when he came the first time, Thomas was not around, and when his friends told him, "We have seen the Lord", Thomas said in reply, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

One week after, all the disciples were there, including Thomas. When Jesus showed up, he turned to Thomas and told him exactly the words Thomas said to his friends: “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side."

The question: who told Jesus what Thomas said? The answer? No one. How did Jesus come to know about Thomas' words? The answer is that Jesus himself was there when Thomas was saying what he said; Jesus was not only seeing Thomas, he was listening to him as well. In other words, Jesus was as if he was not there. That Thomas could not see him does not mean that He could not see Thomas. Do you remember the plaque that used to be in our parents' home that reads, “Christ is the head of this house, the Unseen Guest at every meal, the Silent Listener to every conversation”? As we celebrate today Thomas' feast, we pray for the awareness of Jesus in our lives 24 hours / 7 days.

The Bible says:

Hebrews 4:13

There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Luke 12:7

He knows everything about you. (Luke 12:7).

Psalm 33:13-15

The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.

Job 34:21

For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.

John 2:24

But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people.

Psalm 90:8

You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

And he was sound asleep!

Matthew 8:23-27

23-25 Then he got in the boat, his disciples with him. The next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm. Waves were crashing into the boat—and he was sound asleep! They roused him, pleading, “Master, save us! We’re going down!”

26 Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: “Silence!” The sea became smooth as glass.

27 The men rubbed their eyes, astonished. “What’s going on here? Wind and sea come to heel at his command!”

Food for thought!

From today's gospel we learn a number of things. We learn that staying close to Jesus does not mean freedom from problems and struggles and storms of life. In the gospel Jesus was with his disciples, and the disciples were with Jesus; they were in his company. And yet happened the unexpected: "The next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm. Waves were crashing into the boat."

Jesus is teaching us here that being a Christian, or a devout Christian, going to Church every day, praying all the time, being in his company is no guarantee of a life without problems. Even followers of Jesus, even Jesus' companions have to struggle with life.

In the Old Testament we find this text: "Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you—never. Look, I've written your names on the backs of my hands.

The walls you're rebuilding are never out of my sight. Your builders are faster than your wreckers." (Is. 49:15-17)

That said, when we are struggling Jesus helps. He does not make things easy for us. He lets us fight our own battles. Like a parent watching his son put up a splendid effort in some athletic contest, he does not substitute him but rather feels proud of him.

Jesus does not remove challenges from our life; he empowers us to face them. Life was not meant to be a smooth ride; life is rough! Remember this as you too struggle with storms in your life. Remember that life is lived with the loving eye of Jesus upon us.

This said, Jesus is not a sadist; he does not enjoy seeing us struggle and fight; he does not stay indifferent when we are drowning; he comes to our rescue. When the disciples of Jesus saw themselves drowning, they cried: “Master, save us! We’re going down!” And Jesus stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: “Silence!” The sea became smooth as glass.

Another lesson is that sometimes life is such that we don't feel the presence of Jesus. Sometimes it is like Jesus is asleep; absent, MIA (missing in action). Jesus is like the sun: because the day is gloomy and cloudy does not mean that the sun is not there, somewhere. The sun is never ever not there, even during the night. Jesus is never ever not present, even when we are going through the dark valley.

"Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me." (Psalm 23:4).

Sieze the moment but don't let the moment seize you!

Mat 8:18-21

18 When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake. 19 As they left, a religion scholar asked if he could go along. "I'll go with you, wherever," he said. 20 Jesus was curt: "Are you ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know." 21 Another follower said, "Master, excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have my father's funeral to take care of."

Food for thought

Today's gospel reading is Matthew's version of yesterday's version from Luke. They all remind us of the importance of the moment. We have heard the expression, Seize the moment! It means that when opportunity comes your way, don't hesitate, grab it. This is what happened in today's gospel reading.

Two men, one was seized by the moment, the other didn't seize the moment. The first man was undoubtedly seized by the moment; the man was impressed by Jesus and decided to follow Jesus wherever Jesus would go. This is not how Jesus recruits his followers.

What does it mean to be seized by the moment?

It means not being able to look beyond, not seeing any further, not seeing the future, not counting the cost. It means being a prisoner of the present moment. It means to stagnate with what is happening to you right now. It means not knowing that the present moment is just now, it is not forever. What you're undergoing today, will end, will pass away. Be it good or bad, be it suffering or joy or prosperity, it will come to an end. So, don't get stuck with the present moment; don't be over excited with the NOW that you forget the AFTER NOW. This is what Jesus is telling the first man: "Are you ready to rough it?" Are you ready for the challenges ahead? Have you counted the cost?

The second man was the opposite. He had the rare opportunity of following Jesus, and then he remembered his father. It is most likely that his father was not yet dead, nor was near death. The man was saying in other words, I can only follow you after my father's death, after fulfilling my family obligations. Before that, I am not available. The man was saying, in other words, you're important but not more important than my father. As long as he lives I cannot follow you. Wait until he dies.

In life there're opportunities that come once, there're things that happen once. Or you seize them or you lose them. That's how Jesus is. Don't let old plans get in the way of new opportunities or luck. Open yourself to chance and don't let the past hold you. Let the dead, the past pass, embrace the opportunity. There are extraordinary opportunities out there; look for them, and try to take them. Everything in life is a possibility; it's just a matter of what you seize on.

Once you seize the new opportunities, don't let them seize you. Don't let the opportunities you have seized seize you, and prevent you from further opportunities. Every opportunity should prepare you for new opportunities; don't get stuck with your success.

See what Jesus did in the gospel reading of today. When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake. At the very moment that everybody was hailing him, at the very moment that he was making gains and success, Jesus left the scene and went across the lake, away from everybody, away from old success and for new opportunities. 

The good moment to change course, is when all is good. The good moment to start a new life is not when things are going badly but when all is going well with you.

"When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake."