Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

 St. Mathew – The Apostle Day

Mark 9: 9-13
“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”

 
We live in a world where people are given labels by society. Labels can be given depending on your background, ethnicity, career, looks, etc. Some labels can have a positive or negative impact on a person. However, Jesus came to earth and didn’t look at anyone’s labels given to them by society. He wanted to save all of us. We see that in the Gospels when he interacted with the sick, the poor, and the sinners. As we see in the Bible verse above, He came to save all. 
Mathew was one of the 12 apostles who was called by Jesus to follow him and his ministry. He was also a tax collector which was a group of individuals who were typically reviled by the Jews because of their work and were considered sinners. Jesus looked beyond his occupation and the social stigma that was placed on him by society and invited him to follow him. Are we as Christians able to do that? 

In the Bible portion from Mark, we see Jesus take his 3 disciples up a high mountain.  Peter, John and James were the chosen ones from the twelve. The transfiguration of Jesus is a major milestone in Jesus’s life here on earth. We see Jesus acting as the connection or bridge between us and God and heaven which renews and reinforces that Jesus is the way to God. The disciples see Jesus interacting with Moses and Elijah and seeing this phenomenon taking place surely would have frightened the disciples as evidenced by Peter’s question. God also claims and confirms that Jesus is his Son in front of the 3 disciples which undoubtedly helps reaffirm and strengthen the disciple’s belief and faith in Christ. Jesus asks the disciples not to disclose anything they had witnessed till the right time which was after His resurrection. 

Jesus has promised all of us an opportunity to come to the Father through Him. No matter what label has been given to us or transgressions we have done in the past, Jesus came for us. We see Mathew a despised tax collector and some of His other apostles who were fishermen join Jesus’s ranks. His disciples were able to witness some of the greatest miracles and teachings ever performed in history. Jesus continues to provide for us and perform miracles in our day to day lives even though we may not appreciate them.

John 14:1- “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me”. This is one of my favorite lines and he told this to his disciples in a time when they were troubled. This line applies to all of us even today. We live in unusual times with a political turmoil, international unrest and a pandemic complicating life for ourselves, our children and friends. Let us remember there is always one constant and that is Jesus. 
God Bless!

 
Prayer
Dear Father, help us during these testing times, help those who are suffering due to international unrest. Help us experience your peace. Amen.

Robin V Koshy

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum