Bible
Study: Numbers 24, 2 to 7 and 15 to 17. Matthew 21, 23 to 27.
The chief
priests and elders of the people approached Jesus demanding to know who gave
him the authority to carry out the work he was doing. They obviously did not
recognize him as anything other than an ordinary human being trying to make
some noise. So they wanted to know who sent him, who gave him the power to work
miracles, who taught him how to preach and touch people’s hearts, and for his
part, Jesus does not respond directly to their question. He simply throws back
a question to them instead. Where did John the Baptist get his baptism from?
From man or from God? And to this, they could not answer meaning they didn’t
deserve to know where Jesus got his own authority from.
Dear
friends, we tend to judge people based on who they are associated with, that
is, we judge authenticity based on certain big names rather than actual worth.
If a man comes in to your office for instance and introduces himself as the son
of Dangote, I am sure he will get things done faster than when he comes on his
own without such an introduction. Jesus already gave us a formula of judging
authenticity when he said: “By their fruits, you shall know them.” One who is
truly called by God will be empowered to do certain things that others may find
impossible to do and only a jealous Pharisee or Scribe or Chief priest would be
bothered about whose authority such a person is acting. But if such a person is
not called, the truth will surface someday.
Can you imagine
that as far back as the book of Number, Balaam had already prophesied about
Jesus Christ? And the proof of his prophecy came to pass only thousands of
years later. We live in an age where there are so many prophets and not all of
them are genuine. They may prophesy certain things just to make certain people
feel good but their word never come to pass. However it is not for us to judge
or start asking questions about this or that so-called Man of God, what is
important is that we ourselves do not get into such insincere acts of
prophesying or ministry without actually hearing anything from God.
Today we
celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Guadalupe is a town in Mexico
where our Blessed Virgin Mary appeared about four times to a man named Juan
Diego. In the words which have become the most famous phrase of the Guadalupe
event and are inscribed over the main entrance to the Basilica of Guadalupe,
Mary asked: "No estoy yo aqui que soy tu madre?" (Am I not here, I
who am your mother?). Each time we celebrate this feast, we are reminded again
and again that we have a dear Mother in heaven who never ceases to intercede on
our behalf as she did with the couple at the wedding Feast at Cana.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, as we prepare for your Son’s birth, may our lives be transformed
and renewed in you. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. Happy new week
Fr. Abu.
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