Wednesday, September 5, 2018

5 September 2018 - God gives the growth



But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

An immature knowledge of the Christ can be worse than none at all. It can cause us to completely miss the point of who he is and why he came. The immediate threat was that people would want him to be the earthly king for whom they had hoped. But there are other dangers. Rivalry within the Church is another possible result when we have an immature understanding of Jesus.

While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking 
according to the manner of man?

When there is jealous and rivalry it means we are putting ourselves first. It means we don't really understand Jesus in a mature way. He is then just a reason that we feel pride and self-satisfaction. The immature understanding is that Jesus is just one among many. Either he is a great king among earthly kinds or a great spiritual path among possible paths. But neither of these is correct. Jesus himself is the King of kings. He himself is the path itself, the way, the only means by which we may be saved. It is only this absolute understanding of Jesus that is sufficient for us to orient our lives completely toward him. Earthly kings and spiritual paths of our choosing our insufficient to fill our entire lives.

Jealousy and discord is a symptom of an immature understanding of Jesus. So what is a symptom of a mature understanding? Let us suggest two. The first is prayer.

Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.

Knowing who Jesus means we know that he holds all creation in his hands. It means knowing this even when the wind and the waves are fierce and trusting anyway.

The second sign of a mature understanding is evangelization.

But he said to them, "To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent."

When we know who Jesus is we know that there is no other name under heaven given by which we can be saved. We see that Jesus himself comes to communicate himself to the world precisely as the way which we travel to the Father. His mission becomes ours as we see how only he can fulfill what the world most deeply needs.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.



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