If You Understand This, Blessed Are You If You Do It!

Acts 13:13-25
John 13:16-20

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles reveals the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in the disciples’ lives.  Paul and his companions arrived in Antioch and were invited to speak in the synagogue.  Paul stood up and set the whole ablaze with the fire of the Word of God through the action of the Holy Spirit.

Paul in a historical way explains to his audience( in the synagogue; which carried a mixture of Jews and the pagan believers), that Jesus the Son of David. He is the Messiah that all scriptures talks about. He has already been foretold of forever.He has always existed. He is the uncreated One who became one of us, as an infant-His creation.

Paul then continues saying, that all books of the laws and the prophets is about Jesus. You take a look at Genesis, He is the Creator. In Exodus, He is deliverer and the great provider, In Judges, He is champion of Israel and the eternal judge. In the book of kings, He is the king of kings and the Lord of lords. All the gospels speaks of Jesus. In the Epistles, He is the love of the Father, the image of the invisible God. The high priest. He is the fulfillment of the revelation of the Father.

Christ Himself when He had washed the feet of His disciples in the Upper room invites them to follow His example, to believe in Him and share that belief with others in both word and deed.  No doubt, a challenge – but also a gift, as Jesus states: “…Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Do we join Jesus in washing feet – mending the “fences” of distrust and division, and thus reaching out to needy hearts with a good dose of a disciple’s love? Do we understand that by his stripes we were healing and that he died and rose for our salvation? Are you upset when God blesses someone? Do you remove yourself from the equation just because a special role that you desire was given to another person? Perhaps we need a disciple’s healthy dose of “Spirit” this Pentecost and right now in order to be a true witness of the joy of the Gospel; blazing everywhere with the fire of God’s love.

Fr Joseph Osho