The Great Irony
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Matthew 10:1(NIV), 17-22, 40-42 (MSG)
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. . . Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. Don’t be naïve. Some people will impugn your motives; others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when the haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes the feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! . . . We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.
This sounds pretty hard! Jesus tells us that being a true Christian is never easy, so don’t expect that once you become a Christian, your life is going to be a bed of roses! In fact, just the opposite is true—you’re going to feel like you’re “swimming upstream.” People will think you’re nuts! They’ll think you’ve lost touch with reality! They’ll think . . . well, who knows what they’ll think! But Jesus says it doesn’t matter what they think! It only matters what God thinks!
So what’s the “payoff” for us? “We are intimately linked in this harvest work.” Wow! Intimately linked with Christ! Of course, we know he was crucified! But he also rose from the dead! So to be one with him, I guess we’re expected to go through a similar process. We will be rejected and scorned by some, but that is not to deter us from proclaiming the good news! He’s saying it’s okay if we don’t stand on the street corner, or erect altars in our cubicles at work. He’s saying all of us don’t have to go on television and preach to the masses.
Jesus wants us to reach out to those in need – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – and offer any aid we can. It may be a meal prepared and served at CARITAS; it may be sitting quietly with a friend, listening to them unburden themselves; it may be sharing scripture with someone who is torn between living their current lifestyle and turning their lives over to Christ. No act of love is too small or insignificant.
“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate”
I hope today you choose Christ over “some idol that makes you feel good.” And that you proclaim Jesus to everyone you meet by the small acts of kindness you do.
Mary
