Secure In Jesus

𝐅𝐄𝐁. 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝟏 𝐊𝐠𝐬 𝟑:𝟒-𝟏𝟑

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟏𝟗:𝟗-𝟏𝟒 “𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐊 𝟔:𝟑𝟎-𝟑𝟒

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “..𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝.” (𝐯.𝟑𝟒) 

          Today’s Gospel reading shows us the human side of Jesus. When we go through this kind of narrative you will note the similarities between the way we go through our life with that of our Lord who was almost always never alone.

          Like us who enjoy the company of our friends and close relatives, Jesus also moves and travels with his friends who are his disciples or those who are referred to in those times as students of the Master. As there was no other means of transportation in those days, Jesus and his disciples will certainly look for a peaceful place to rest especially on days they were busy spreading the gospel of love.

          But Jesus was never alone as there are many others who follow our Lord particularly those who have heard of the healing miracles he has performed. While thee may be some days that Jesus and his disciples are free and relaxed, these days are probably rare.

          In life, I am sure many of you have also spent a day when there is nothing happening except the things that you have been doing day in and day out seven days a week? How many times have we heard our friends mumbling they want a career change because they either aren’t moving up or there’s no more challenged in what they are currently doing.

         The gospel scenario today may seem to be an ordinary day in the life of Jesus and the disciples traveling with him. What else is new? Jesus and his followers move from one town to another, and the landscape remains the same with hordes of people who want to touch or be touched by Jesus.

         However, there are two ways by which today’s gospel passage can be appreciated. One is by drawing on its meaning literally and, two by using your sheer imagination and try to create pictures in your mind of what it was like then. In fact, this is one method that can help Bible readers understand in a deeper way the words of the Scriptures and that is to transport yourself to where the action was.  

         Besides Jesus, there are at least two groups of people who were there at the time. They were the Apostles and the disciples (𝐯.𝟑𝟎) who normally travel with Jesus wherever he went and of course the people who were coming and going in great numbers (𝐯.𝟑𝟏).

         It may appear that Jesus was tired following a series of teachings in different cities around and across Galilee. He went home to Nazareth where he suffered rejection from his own kin and town mates who could not accept that the son of an ordinary carpenter could speak with authority and command the evil spirits to get out of those possessed by demons.

         This was probably the reason why he told his disciples to “𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭” (𝐯.𝟑𝟏). Understandably because if the ministry of Jesus were to be likened to a political campaign, this can be likened to what we call a campaign blitz which is a strategy to achieve the best possible result over a limited period.

         This was what Jesus did as he moved from town to town with neither the luxury of taking a leave of absence or a breather as we normally do when we feel pressure in the corporate world. The only break Jesus had that we know of was when he goes to a quiet place to pray.

         And prayer was the one thing that Jesus never removed from his routine because it is during this time of prayer that he gets connected to God the Father and we could only surmise that it is during this moment of communion when Jesus either seeks the affirmation of the Father and or God’s counsel on how to proceed with his ministry.

         In the same way, we can also draw inspiration from this kind of discipline that Jesus with regards to spending regular time in prayer to commune with God as this will help us develop our endurance over the long haul.

         Thus, it follows that if Jesus our Lord was a prayerful person who derives his strength and inspiration from the Father through prayer then we too must develop the habit of getting connected with God through prayer because this is the lifeline that could spell the difference between our salvation and or eternal damnation.

         The fact that Jesus told his Apostles to “come with me by yourselves” could only mean that he was as concerned with the human limitations of his disciples as well as the need to spend some time with them.

         Israelites are known to value the Sabbath as their time of rest. In fact, the Jews celebrate several feasts in which rest was mandatory such as the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, Feast of Harvest, Feast of Tabernacles and the Day of Atonement and several other feasts in addition to the weekly Sabbath.

         Prescribing a rest period for ourselves is necessary because we cannot work without rest and we cannot live an authentic Christian life unless we spend some time to be in the presence of God. In essence, these quiet moments with God especially in the solitude of the Adoration Chapel are what provide us strength and motivation for the work ahead.

         But Jesus forgot all about the rest he wanted when he saw a multitude waiting for him as he got off the boat. Etched on the faces of the people was the desperation and hopelessness of a nation that had been waiting for a Messiah.

        And Jesus felt pity for them for they were “𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝, 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬” (𝐯.𝟑𝟒). Jesus knew whereof he speaks because this was precisely the reason why he was sent to become the incarnate Son of God. He knew that his primary responsibility was to be the shepherd of both the Jews and the Gentiles alike so that no one would be lost.

         As Christ’s under-shepherds therefore, our calling is to evangelize and bring the Good News to others by becoming the good news and one of the ways by which we can be the good news is to be a shepherd to our brothers and sisters whose only hope is in Christ.

         There are three things that we are called upon to do as under-shepherds. We are to guide others by “𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬” (𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟎:𝟏𝟏). We are to lead others to graze by “𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞; 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞” (𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟓:𝟐). And we are to guard the flock especially when they are exposed to danger and harm (𝟏 𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝟏𝟕:𝟑𝟒-𝟑𝟓).

         We need to know that a sheep without a shepherd cannot find their  way in this world filled with deceit and misrepresentations and they are incapable of defending themselves from the temptations and trials that are before them and only in Jesus can we find the hope of glory we are looking for he is the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟐:𝟐𝟓). And when the Chief Shepherd appears, we will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟓:𝟒). (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘍𝘦𝘣. 7, 2026)