Arulvakku

30.09.10 DISCIPLES

Posted under Reflections on September 29th, 2010 by

  After this the Lord appointed seventy (-two) others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you… (Lk 10:1-12)

 

 

Jesus sent seventy (+two) ahead of him. They were sent to prepare for his visit. It is only a preparatory work. Hence they had no need to stay longer there and they did not have the need to take extra money and extra cloths etc. Their mission was urgent and hence they did not have the need to build up relationship with anyone greeting them etc. Their mission was only to announce the coming of Jesus and prepare for his visit. It had nothing to do with themselves.

 

Were there seventy or seventy two? There has been much discussion on this. It should have had some symbolic meaning. If Luke was seeing Jesus in the light of Moses then the symbolic meaning had an interesting result. Moses chose 70 elders to assist him and thy were given a share in God’s spirit (Numbers 11.16,25). The 70 were to assist Moses in leading the people (exodus). Here Jesus has begun a journey of New Exodus and hence the 70 were appointed to assist in this mission.

 

The message of the 70 was, 'Peace to this household’.  But the Jews of the time of Jesus were for all out war against the Romans and Samaritans etc. They wanted justice to be done which would only mean destroying the enemy. But the kingdom that Jesus was ushering in was to reveal the love of God and that too a healing love of God. This healing love of God was seen in peace, peace with everyone. So the new exodus was leading people forward to the kingdom with peace and not looking backward (to Egypt for the people of Israel at the time of Moses) with violence and hatred towards enemies.

  

29.09.10 ANGELS ASCENDING AND DESCENDING

Posted under Reflections on September 28th, 2010 by

  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (Jn 1:47-51)

 

 

Nathanael believed in Jesus and exclaimed him to be the Son of God because Jesus recognized him even before he came to meet Jesus. That was, Jesus had played the role of a prophet (prophet in the sense of prediction). But the very same Nathanael did not believe when Philip told him about Jesus. In stead he questioned Philip saying ‘what good can come from Nazareth?’

 

Philip was assured that he would see greater things. He would see many miracles wrought by Jesus.  The greater things that Jesus assured him would make him realize that Jesus was more than a prophet. Here Jesus bore witness to himself.

 

The greatest thing is that the sky would be opened. Heaven that was closed to man so far would now be opened in Jesus. The angels ascending and descending would mean that a link would be established between heaven and earth (The same idea is found in Gen 28:12, 17). Jesus would become the gateway to heaven, in a sense, Jesus would become the new Bethel (abode of God). 

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