The Challenge For Christians

𝐀𝐔𝐆. 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑: 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐉𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟖:𝟒-𝟔, 𝟖-𝟏𝟎

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟎:𝟐-𝟒, 𝟏𝟖 “𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐢𝐝.”

𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐇𝐞𝐛 𝟏𝟐:𝟏-𝟒

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟏𝟐:𝟒𝟗-𝟓𝟑

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉,” (𝒗.49) 

         There are several forms of approaches in Bible study and in the Basic Bible Seminar that some communities such as what the Bukas Loob sa Diyos Catholic Charismatic Community are offering, its members are introduced to the so-called “contextual” and “thematic” approaches. These two types of study, however, are merely introductory as it simply provides readers with extracting the contexts and themes pertaining to the Scripture passages they are reading.

         There are other comprehensive ways, and these include the “𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦” type which is the most common and the “𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦” method which moves the reader to interpret and applies them but this should not depart from the meaning of the text.

         For a truly meaningful and satisfying Bible study experience, many students of Scriptures use the exegetical analysis method which is to break down phrases, verses, words and analyze them through a systematic research and putting them all together for better illumination. In exegesis, both the deductive and inductive approaches come into play as these methods enhances the exegesis or critical examination and interpretation of the text.

         This analytical study of Scriptures as what is being applied when using the Joy of Discovery program can be useful in examining and interpreting the Scripture such as the Gospel passage that we have for today which can be interpreted in two ways. It could either refer to the coming of Jesus when he was born of a woman or to his second coming.

         If we are to regard this passage as an aftermath of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ when Jesus talks of his second coming, then this Gospel appears to be directed specifically to those who belong to a Parish or to a Renewal Community as it speaks of his coming as a day of judgment when Jesus will scrutinize all our works and how we used our gifts, how we invested the talents entrusted to us, how well we loved our neighbor, and whether our lives bore fruit.

         On the other hand, if we are to look at this passage in terms of a pre-crucifixion scenario, then we see Jesus giving his disciples the reason and the purpose for why he was sent into the world: “𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉…” (𝒗.49)  Again, this passage is like a double-edged sword in that Jesus came not only to cast judgment on the people which was probably how the Jews associated it since fire in the olden times was regarded as a symbol of judgment. But it could also mean to be a future event that would happen on the day of Pentecost.

         Prior to the advent of the New Testament, God has been sending prophets to bring the people closer to God. But the people’s faith in those days wasn’t what God had expected and this was what Jesus pointed out when he said: “𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒅.” (𝒗.49)        

         The fact that Jesus talked of “𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒐, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅!” (𝒗.50) meant that this passage was a pre-crucifixion scenario in which he was talking of his passion, death and resurrection which to him was a baptism that he had to undergo in obedience to the Will of the Father.

         A deeper reflection of 𝒗𝒗.49-50  will reveal the pain and frustration that Jesus feels and the following verses will show in the strongest possible terms what his coming would create – a division not only within the family but also among the people.

        He felt the waves and billows of God’s judgement in His baptism on the cross. So we also ask ourselves – are we in experiencing the furnace of affliction because Jesus felt that before we did. Are we experiencing conflicts in our family, friends and workplace because of our faith in Christ? He knew what was it like also (𝐋𝐤 𝟖:𝟏𝟗-𝟐𝟏; 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐡 𝟕:𝟔; 𝐉𝐧 𝟕:𝟏-𝟓).        

         His word in this Gospel is an advisory for us that we should be prepared to make a decision that will have a bearing on our future in the Heavenly kingdom. Indeed, Jesus is not only giving us a preview of what His coming meant but He is demanding a response from us now to draw the line between the world and eternal salvation.

         I’m sure many of those who have committed their lives to serve God through their respective parishes or in spiritual communities may not have noticed it but our commitment has separated us from the previous circle we used to socialize.

         In my case, even my choice of music has shifted from standards to praise songs. I have also stopped going out with my friends from the past, albeit unintentionally, as I am now preoccupied with assignments to teach in the community and in parishes and before as a witness in the Marriage Encounter Weekend and or in the Life in the Spirit Seminar together when my spouse was still here on earth.

         But Christianity should not be viewed as divisive which was probably the reason why the Roman government hated Christianity because it divided families. But Christianity should be looked into as a unifying force because its true intention is to bring everyone to believe, to have faith and to love God.

         And Jesus also warns us to be wary of those who teach false doctrines which was what Paul told Timothy: “𝑰𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒚, 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌, 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.” (1 𝑻𝒊𝒎 6:3-5)        

         Most often people think of false doctrines along doctrinal lines, but this isn’t always the case. We could be espousing a false doctrine when we promote our own agenda on top of the established programs of the church and or community and or worst when we lead others astray and distract their focus on God. A very simple example of such is when leaders themselves become the cause of division in the church.

What Jesus was trying to picture in this Gospel was that loyalty to Him must be the priority over anything else. For those who have accepted Christ as his Savior, we must do what Paul says in 𝑷𝒉𝒊 3:8 “𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅.”

          Because at the end of the day, neither our good works, titles or positions we occupy and, or material possessions can compensate for that which Our Lord deems as the most important which he will look for in each one of us when he finally comes – our loyalty to Our God who created us in His image and likeness.

         And to those who will confess their loyalty to Christ, he will give them the power of the Holy Spirit: “𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒎, 𝑱𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉” (𝑨𝒄 1:8). The great prophet Isaiah also reminds us: “𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔, 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏, 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒉𝒆. 𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅, 𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆.” (𝑰𝒔𝒂 43:10)        

        To witness for Christ is our primary responsibility and this must be rooted in our loyalty to him who chose us and loved us, and a true disciple is one who will forsake everything to love God with all their minds, hearts and soul and, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

         These two commandments are the fire that will kindle and turn our hearts as our burnt offering when he comes in glory. And that is the big challenge for us Christians and our choice will determine our future.  (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘈𝘶𝘨. 17, 2025)