Over the next three years, Jesus, accompanied and supported by his friends and followers, travelled the length and the breadth of the country, from Galilee to Judea, preaching and teaching; bringing healing and comfort to very many people but also, admonishing them at times, like his cousin, John, but in his own unique way, gentle but firm when appropriate, or commanding, fearless and authoritative where he deemed it necessary,
Alongside his preaching to the crowds, Jesus took every opportunity to instruct his chosen twelve, whom he called his ‘apostles,’ knowing that one day, the future of his mission would be in their hands when he was no longer with them in person. So this disparate group of men, four fishermen, one tax collector and seven others of unknown background and education were to be his constant companions. Who were they then, these men?
There was Peter, strong as a rock, but impulsive, jumping in where angels fear to tread, and his brother, Andrew, plus the brothers, James and John, nicknamed by Jesus, the ‘sons of thunder,’ strong-minded and hot-headed. Thomas, whose name means ‘the twin’, was always a ‘seeing is believing’ type of person, and James and his half-brother, Matthew, had been estranged and had hardly spoken to each other for years.
Simon, known as ‘the zealot’, had been involved in a group which was trying to overthrow the Roman occupation - and then there was Judas, who became the treasurer of the group, but was known to help himself from the funds occasionally and, even despite three years of extreme closeness to Jesus, would eventually betray the man who had shown him nothing but love. Jude was also known as Thaddeus but, apart from that, nothing else is known about him or any of these men.
They were to witness the highs and lows, the ups and downs of life on the road, at times, accompanied by adulation, and at others, by doors being shut in their faces when Jesus sent them out in pairs to visit the towns and villages and practise their own preaching and healing, sometimes with success, sometimes with failure. Jesus, of course, took rejection in his stride, telling his followers to walk away from any place which didn’t welcome them and to shake the dust off their feet as they left.
When people welcomed them with open arms, they were to stay there and accept whatever hospitality was offered to them and spread the message of repentance, hope and joy that he had shared with them. Jesus taught them and everyone who came to hear him not to worry and fret about so many little things but to put their trust in God who would always love and help them, come what may.
Jesus, himself, made friends wherever he went. He treated everyone with respect, men and women, young and old, from the richest to the poorest, whatever their nationality; always taking great delight in the children, who loved to run up to him so that he could pick them up and laugh and play with them. When his followers tried to stop them, Jesus would say, “Let the children come to me,” and tell them that they should become like children themselves, close to God, trusting and innocent.
He made one more attempt to visit and reach out to the people of Nazareth but was met with disbelief and even hostility from some. “Why aren’t you performing miracles here for us, your own people, as you have in Capernaum?” they said tauntingly. Able only to help very few people, he left, taking his mother with him to settle her by the lakeside with her relations, where she would be supported by the many friends he had made amongst the women of Galilee.
A strange incident occurred shortly afterwards. Jesus was preaching to a large crowd one day when his mother arrived with some of their relatives. People in the crowd called out to tell him, fully expecting that he would go to greet his family and spend some time with them. On the contrary, Jesus said to them, “You are my family, you are my mother, my sisters and my brothers.” and continued with his stories and teachings.
It was of the utmost importance to Jesus that people should recognise that whoever needed him, whoever came to hear and learn from him was a member of his family and of equal value to his earthly family. He also knew, of course, that his mother would completely understand this. There was to be no preferential treatment for anyone. This was an important lesson for everyone but especially for the twelve apostles and all his closest followers, his disciples.
When they came to ask him how they should pray, he taught them to speak to God simply, as his and their loving Father in heaven, to honour and respect God’s name and to seek and follow his will in their lives. They were to ask God to provide for their everyday needs and to forgive their wrongful ways and deeds as they forgave others who wronged them; to help them to avoid the temptations of life and to set them free from everything that was evil.
He taught them that the only way to find fulfilment and happiness in this life was to love and honour God above all things. They were to love and care about other people in the same way that they wished to be loved and cared for themselves, and not to judge others if they didn’t wish to be judged themselves, but rather, always to show mercy so as to be treated mercifully in return. He even taught them that they should love their enemies, a hard lesson indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment