By Example

“Rouse one another to love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24

How do we do this? I believe we can rouse one another to love and good works by being a good example. If we want to be a good example, we really cannot do it on our own but have to go to the source of love and good works first. We have to get water from the well. We should not bring around an empty pail in the hopes we can fill it up along the way. 

Many of us run on empty. We do not take the time to stop and linger with the water bearer, the keeper of the well. He is waiting for us patiently. He will teach us how to love, how to encourage, how to stop and be mindful of what others are going through. If someone needs encouragement, He will give us the words, or He will show us a hug is enough. If we make a mistake, He will give us the courage to admit it and ask forgiveness. If someone is sick, He has given us promises of healing we can claim for one another. Truly the well will never run dry. 

There’s a song that goes, “Come to the water, stand by my side, I know you are thirsty, you won't be denied, I felt every tear drop, when in darkness you cried And I strove to remind you, It's for those tears I died" Indeed He died so we will have fullness of life which we can share with others. 

The Sower and the Seeds

“Listen to this! Behold the sower went out to sow...” Mark 4:3

In Jesus’ parable, when the sower went out to sow, the seeds fell on all sorts of soil. Some fell on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some fell on rich soil.

Sometimes when we’ve made a mistake, or even a multitude of mistakes, our hearts can be very rich soil which the Lord can use to plant seeds. But only if we realize it and move on. Humility is good fertilizer. Sometimes we are too full of ourselves, too busy to listen to the Lord, too full of anxiety, and trying to solve all our problems, that the seeds God plants are tossed here and there in the wind, finding no place in our hearts. 

Sometimes the seeds are strangled by thorns, when the world conspires to bring about confusion or deception. The good news is God has an abundance of good seed. Even if He has planted many that did not find rich soil in our hearts, every day that we come to Him, sit at His feet, He generously sows more. There is no condemnation in God. We will only find love and generosity. 

God’s Family

“For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:35

This is interesting because I thought we were all part of God’s family. Did He not die for each one of us, that we might be saved, and one day enter His Kingdom? Apparently, we have a choice to reject the invitation to be a part of God’s family by deliberately going against the will of God. What is God’s will for each of us? 

God only wants His best for us, the absolute best. And we have to believe, that in whatever circumstance we find ourself in, God is working towards that goal. This life on earth is just a journey to our eternal destination. It is but a short while compared to the time we will spend with our Father in eternity. So if we find life is hard, full of heartaches, questions and perplexities, we just have to be patient. We need to spend a lot of time with Him who knows everything, past, present and future. He may not answer all our questions, but He can give us peace beyond understanding. 

The Prize

“The Lord has made His salvation known.” 

Psalm 98:2

Do we know we are saved and what ‘saved’ means? Or are we like those people who won 25 million dollars, 46 million dollars, in the lotto, and did not claim it. Amazingly, this happens quite often! We have a prize worth much more than 190 million dollars, much more than anything this world can afford. Most of the time, this priceless treasure is unclaimed, unwanted, not appreciated, rejected, and sometimes unknown. 

Only God can save us, and He made the impossible possible for us. To me, salvation is like water found in the desert by a thirsty man. He drinks to refresh himself and to take a bath. We are each that thirsty, broken man. Oh how good it is, to feel clean again, to be able to drink as much as we need! The Lord says to us, “Drink deep! Drink as much as you can! There is more than you will ever need in your lifetime. But do not keep it for yourself. Tell others, bring them to the water. Pour the water over the parched land and bring healing and restoration. Little by little you will see sprouts growing. Do not worry if you are broken yourself, bring healing to others and you yourself will be healed.” 

Let us not be afraid to pray for others, to speak the good news, to be a mouthpiece for God, to be a light that pierces the darkness. 

The Joy of the Lord

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” 

Nehemiah 8:10

Sometimes we are the ones who put the pressure on ourselves to be “perfect”, when all God wants from us is that we draw close to Him. All God wants is that we love Him for who He is, and not for what we can get from Him. Every day can be an adventure with the Lord if we just stay in step with Him, in sync. Today it seemed as if the Lord was telling me that I put too much stress on myself, when there was only one thing needed. That was the same “one thing” that Mary in Luke 10:42 chose, the better part, which was to sit down in front of Jesus and just enjoy listening to Him. Indeed the joy of the Lord shall be our strength if we do this. 

The Gift of God

“Stir into flame the gift of God that you have...” 

2 Timothy 1:6

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Saints Titus and Timothy. Saint Paul wrote letters to both of them as they were his companions on his missionary journeys. The second epistle to Timothy was written with great affection sometime in 67 C.E. while Paul was imprisoned in Rome, towards the end of his life. 

He writes, “I am grateful to God...as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. I yearn to see you again...as I recall your sincere faith

that first lived in your grandmother Lois

and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you.

“For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice

but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

It is good to read this as a letter to ourselves as well. Indeed we all have received gifts from God, and if we do not find out what gifts these are and use them, we will be like birds in a forest, silent, with songs inside us that no one can hear. 

Bondage

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 

Acts 9:4

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. Prior to his conversion he was dedicated to persecuting Christians, the followers of Jesus and sending them to prison. After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus none was more zealous in planting churches in Asia Minor and Europe. 

Harriet Tubman was a black American born into slavery. She escaped and was able to rescue several slaves using what was known as the “Underground Railroad”. She said, “I freed thousands of slaves. I could have freed thousands more, if they had known they were slaves.” 

Many of us do not know we are enslaved. We can be in bondage to things, like me! I cannot throw things away because I am always thinking I can make something out of old clothes, books, even toilet paper rolls! There are some who like to go shopping even if they have so much already. Then we can be in bondage to our appearance, addictions, hobbies, indulgences, work, the list goes on. When something controls how we act, how we feel, then these things boss us around. Freedom from slavery begins with recognising what are our masters. 

Saint Paul recognized his Master, Jesus Christ. That’s why he spent his life preaching so others could be set free. In John 8:32, Jesus says, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Let us not only know the truth, but like Harriet Tubman, who was a staunch Christian, help others find the truth. 

Practice Obedience

“To do Your will O Lord is my delight.” 

Psalm 40:8

With obedience comes blessing. “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; just as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full" (John 15:9-11)

Abide means to obey, follow, accept or act in accordance with a rule or recommendation. I think abiding, and obeying also takes constant practice. It gets easier with discipline. For instance, people think that a writer is born a writer, or an artist is born an artist. But many artists and writers will tell you they have to practice their craft, and put in the hours of routine and discipline to hone their craft. The same is true with our faith. We cannot expect robust spiritual growth if we do not put in the time to read scripture and pray and serve others. 

But the reward, as Jesus promises, is fullness of joy. It’s just like the words in one of the figurines we used to make, “Work for the Lord. The pay isn’t much but the retirement plan is out of this world! 

WOYWW: St. Marianne Cope

What’s on my work desk today? 
I am working on something that needs to be ready by June! 

But it’s been a long time since I made any store display! More than 40 years! 
So I am starting early in case I can’t come up with a nice display. 

“Stretch out your hand.” Mark 3:5

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Marianne Cope, who entered the Sisters of Saint Francis at the age of 24. Like Jesus, she helped many of the outcasts of society as a hospital administrator. In 1883, Marianne received a plea from King Kalakua and Queen Kapi’olani of the Kingdom of Hawai’i to help the lepers in Moloka’i, Hawaii. They had already written to more than 50 other religious congregations and had been declined by all. 

Marianne wrote him back, “I am hungry for the work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen Ones... I am not afraid of any disease, hence it would be my greatest delight even to minister to the abandoned lepers.” 

Marianne left for Hawaii with six companions. Two years after she arrived, the King awarded her with the Cross of a Companion of the Royal Order of Kapiolani for setting up hospitals and homes for children of lepers. In November 1888, Marianne cared for St. Damien of Molokai in his final years, and she and her companions began to take over his work in the leper colony.

For fifty-six of the eighty years of her life she lavished love and care on men, women and children with withered hands, bodies, and hearts. At night, she would stay at a patient’s bedside after the lights went out. Miraculously, Marianne never caught the disease and she died of natural causes at the age of 80. 

She said in confidence, “God gives us life; He will take it away in His own good time. Meanwhile it is our duty to make life as pleasant and comfortable as possible for those of our fellow-creatures whom He has chosen to afflict.”

We may not know any lepers, but I am certain we know many who are sick in the body or in their hearts. Do we see it as our duty to make life pleasant and comfortable for them in any way we can? 

For my growing collection of prompts, 

inspirations, creative pursuits,

courageous artists and their art, join me here!

or on Facebook and Instagram

Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 

peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration

visiting my friends here:

Mondays @ Soul Survival, A Round Tuit
One More Time, Dream Together
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday,  Titus 2 Tuesdays, 
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, 

 Unite,  Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Word Filled Wednesdays
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays
Christian Blogger Link Up, Word Filled Wednesdays

Thoughtful Thursday,  Hearts4Home Thursdays, Thought Provoking Thursday
Tune In Thursday Homemaking Party, Purposeful Faith

Thriving Thursdays with Serving Joyfully

Thursday Favorites, Desire to Inspire Legacy Leaver Thursday
Beloved Brews Thursdays, Sincerely, Paula

Creative Things, Bloom! Soul Survival, Inspiration Gallery
Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday, Lyli Dunbar, Fresh Market Link up
Grace & Truth Link Up, Dance with Jesus
Glimpses of His Beauty

Blessings!

Patsy  

Do Not Grow Lazy

“Do not grow lazy...” Hebrews 6:12

It’s easy to be lazy and wake up late because the nights are cold and it’s delicious to snuggle inside the bed clothes and sleep for another hour. That is exactly what I did this morning. I indulged myself. 

In the letter to the Hebrews, the writer reminds us to always be eager to do our best, that we will not become spiritually dull, sluggish and indifferent. Instead, the writer encourages, we should “follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and patience”. We should “be strongly encouraged to seize the hope which is placed before us”. 

Recently a friend told me that she was not praying so diligently, because, “What’s the use? Nothing is happening anyway.” It is true that sometimes God does not answer our prayers in the way we ask. He sometimes takes an inordinately long time to change things for us the way we want. Sometimes our trials are too heavy to bear. I always remember the cute story of a little boy following his father around in the supermarket. The boy was carrying a wire basket, and the father was putting groceries into it. A little old lady watching them asked the boy, “Isn’t that too heavy for you?” 

The little boy answered confidently, “My father always knows how much I can carry.” The same is true for our Father in heaven. He knows. He will not give us more than we can bear. But we have to do our part, and carry the load. We must not give up. We must not grow lazy and leave the basket 🧺 or we will not grow in faith, in trusting God, in learning all the lessons our Father wants us to learn. 

We may not see what God is doing in us, but we can be sure that every single day, He walks with us, and uses the events in our life, the people we meet, to bring us closer to Him, if we allow Him. The heavier the burden, the closer our God is to us. 

Father, one day we shall see Your face. And all will become clear, how You loved us through every little and big thing that happened in our life. 

New Wine

"No man pours new wine into old wine skins." Mark 2:22

When I wake up in the morning, I am eager to read God’s Word, and see what God has in store for me. It was not always so. I would have to force myself to read the Bible. Five minutes of reading stretched into eternity! What changed? I attended what was called the “Life in the Spirit” seminar and I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. I remember that after that, I felt I had to highlight all the words in the Bible! They all jumped out at me! 

I just started the book about the life of Smith Wigglesworth, the 19th century evangelist. He was a simple man whose wife Polly had been an effective preacher for twenty years before Smith was baptized in the Spirit. Polly demanded concrete proof of Smith’s baptism and said, “Next Sunday you go on to the platform by yourself- and I’ll see if there is anything in it.” 

Smith, who had never before preached, went up and spoke. Talking about it in a sermon twenty-two years later, he preached: “I don’t know what I said- but my wife got up- she sat down- she got up- she sat down- she said, ‘That is not my husband.’ No man can be filled with the Holy Ghost and be the same man. He is turned into another man.”

Indeed, we can trust Jesus to do new things in our life. Our old ways will be like old wine skins, dry and brittle. Jesus’ words will be exciting, new, original. Reading it will be exhilarating and like going on a new adventure every day. Lord, we pray for a fresh outpouring of Your Spirit. Come Lord, and fill us with new wine! 

They Have No Wine

“Do whatever He tells you.” John 2:5

There is so much to ponder about the story of the wedding at Cana in the Gospel of John, chapter 2. I am sure Jesus’ mother kept these things in her heart as she usually did, to meditate on, to ask God about, to savor for the time her Son would be taken from her side too soon. It’s funny that when she said to Jesus, “They have no wine,” Jesus had a ready answer: “Dear woman, what is that to you and to Me?” His answer reminds me of the many times my son has given excuses when I have asked him to do something. Did that bother Mary? 

She calmly instructed the servants: “Do whatever He tells you.” She knows wine is necessary for a wedding banquet, and after pondering many amazing things in her heart, she knew with a mother’s intuition, it was time for Jesus to reveal Himself. Pope Francis said in one of his General Audiences that, “By transforming into wine the water of the jars used for the Jewish rites of purification (Jn 2:6), Jesus performs an eloquent sign: He transforms the Law of Moses into the Gospel, bearer of joy.” 

“Do whatever He tells you,” are Mary’s last words written down as her legacy to us in the Gospels. Today, we need to do exactly that. If we follow Jesus, we will be able to taste the best wine, the new wine of our Covenant with Him. I like what Pope Francis said, “We are all invited to the wedding feast, because the new wine, will never run short!” 

Like a Sword

“The Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword...” Hebrews 4:12

How can words on a page be alive and full of power? That is exactly what the author of the letter to the Hebrews says. He tells us that it is powerful, from the Greek word, ‘dunamis’, which is all about a force that affects everything in its path, it has a transforming potential. 

I quote Proverbs 4:20-22 a lot. Here we learn that it is important to attend to God’s words; incline our ear to His sayings. “Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” I can testify to how true that is, that God’s Word is medicine to me, and to many other people. My doctor said I would have to take Warfarin for the rest of my life, and I would have to wear compression stockings for my Deep Vein Thrombosis. After confessing God’s healing verses for a couple of years, taking God’s Word as my medicine, my toes turned blue from the compression stockings, and I had to stop wearing them! 

Hebrews 4:12 also says that God’s Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, it can pierce and penetrate “even to dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Sounds painful. I can understand why many people do not like to read the Bible! When we read God’s Word thoroughly and earnestly, it exposes the deepest parts of our nature, it shows us the thoughts and purposes of our heart. We see how empty our hands are before God and how much we need Him. 

By nature, man wants to be self-sufficient, in control of his destiny. We want to do things our way, in our time. When we read God’s Word, we are stripped naked of our pretenses, and we see ourselves as we really are before a compassionate, gracious, and generous God. To me, that is authentic freedom, knowing the truth of who I am, and who God is, and what He wants to do through me. 

The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Is not My word like fire, declares the LORD,  and like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29) 

Lord, may the words I speak line up with Your Word. May I use Your Word like a tool to break down barriers, to make the impossible possible. Yes Lord, refresh me every day with Your Word! 

Seeing Beneath the Surface

“Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?” Mark 2:8

Who is this man who sees beneath the surface and knows what’s in our hearts? We cannot hide anything from Him. Even if we are impeccably dressed in Lagerfeld and smoothly made up, He can see our insecurities and pains. In the 2nd chapter of Mark, we read the amazing story of the paralytic with some faithful friends who carry him through the streets. There were too many people inside and around the house where Jesus was, so the four friends huffed and puffed their way to the roof, made a hole, and let down the mat. 

When Jesus SAW their faith, He did a miracle, forgave the man of his sins. Immediately, Jesus KNEW in His mind what the scribes were thinking, they accused Him of blasphemy. He said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” and he turned to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” 

What we see here is love, mercy and compassion, in action. The exact opposite of what the scribes were watching out for. They were on the lookout for ways to catch Jesus, accuse Him, to find any excuse to haul Him to court. What Jesus teaches us is to see people with eyes of love and compassion so that we can bring change into the world. 

I read a story once of a man who had so many scars that he hid his face behind a mask in shame. After a long time of wooing, he wins the heart of a woman because he was loving and kind. They live happily for several years, until she requests him to remove his mask for she wants to know him fully. When he stands before a mirror, and slowly peels off his mask, they find that the scars have disappeared. He was healed by the unconditional love of his wife. We too can bring healing to a wounded world, if we choose to SEE others with love and compassion, instead of finding fault. We cannot see into hearts like Jesus can, but we can be sure that people around us are more in need of understanding than blame.

Make Me Clean

“If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 

Mark 1:40

When my mouth was full of sores several years ago, and I was so thin because I could not eat, I was always begging Jesus for relief. I would confess healing verses from the Bible because as it says in Proverbs 4:20-22: “...attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” In Hebrew, the Word “health”, is actually the word for “medicine”. And so I would “take” my medicine every day, reciting it or listening to YouTube videos of healing verses. What an amazing relief when God healed me of my Pemphigus Vulgaris! 

We can certainly understand the leper who came to Jesus, beseeching Him and kneeling down before Him, begging for relief, healing and restoration. “If You are willing, You can make me clean!” Jesus took pity on this wretched man, stretched out his hand and touched him, “I am willing. Be cleansed.”

Of course Jesus is willing. That’s why He came in the first place, came as a vulnerable baby, dependent on His mother for His first food, drink and caring. Of course He is willing. That’s why He trudged on to Calvary, knowing what was in store for Him who knew no sin. He was and is, the eternal, the willing sacrifice who took the place of you and me. We are as wretched as that man, full of sores, and oozing wounds, and Jesus is willing to set us free of our wretchedness. We need only come to Him like the leper and He will touch us, touch our lives, and make us whole. If we just let Him touch us, we will fittingly start on a journey to rediscover God’s eternal love for each one of us.

Crowds

“Everyone is asking for You.” Mark 1:37

Sometimes we may feel like we are pulled on every side. If we have children, there is always something each one needs, even the one who is not asking for anything. Perhaps it is she or he who needs us the most. Sometimes the only place to be alone is the toilet, and even there our concerns follow us. It may be a sick husband, mom or dad we need to take care of. At the office, the work piles up and we cannot decide what to do first. In our church or prayer community, there are people to pray for, to comfort, to visit, to help. There are always crowds of people or tasks that need our attention. 

There were crowds around Jesus as well, clamoring insistently that He touch them. Many sick and demon-possessed people from all over Capernaum went to Him and he healed them of their different ailments. No wonder people followed Him around. But He always rose long before daybreak to go to the wilderness alone to pray. 

If Jesus needed time alone with His Father, to talk to Him, to listen to Him, to just be with Him, how much more do we? I am sure Jesus felt tired. His immortality was encased in an unwieldy mortal frame. If He pleaded with His Father once, “Take this cup away from me!”, I am sure He asked for more strength, more energy, more time, to do all He wanted to do. He can understand us so much now because of what He went through when He was trudging the earth in His dusty feet. He understands our frustration, our weariness, our need for grace. 

In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, he wrote, “Because He Himself was tested through what He suffered, He is able to help those who are being tested.” (Hebrews 2:18) He sees us with compassionate eyes, He listens to us when we go into our own wilderness to pray, He intercedes for us constantly with His Father (Hebrews 7:25). 

Thank You, Jesus, I too am one of the crowd around You, but You see me. 

Fullness of Joy

“Why are you bothering us, Jesus of Nazareth?” Mark 1:24

In Deuteronomy 18:16, the Jews had just petitioned God for a prophet to speak to them. They did not want to hear God’s audible voice nor did they want to see the fire engulfing the mountains, the clouds and the thunder and the thick darkness. I suppose it terrified them as it would terrify us. So God granted their request and sent prophets. He did not speak to them audibly as a nation again. He instructed them about these prophets in Dt 18:19, “But against anyone who is not willing to listen to his words, which he will speak in My name, I will stand forth as the avenger.” In another version, it reads, “I will make him answer for it.” How terribly important it is for us to read Jesus’ words, understand and obey! Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father! But unlike the awesome voice speaking in and through the fire, He is not terrifying!

And that may be the reason why so many of us ignore Him, and like the man with the unclean spirit in Mark 1, we want Him not to mind us so we can do what we please. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Go away and leave us to our own devices!” 

We do not realize how wretched and pitiful we are without God to guide us in our life. We reject His Words not knowing rejection of His Words means rejection of His gift of joy. 

“These things I have spoken to you,” Jesus said in John 15:11, “that your joy may be full.” And in John 17:13, Jesus said, “I am speaking these things in the world, so that they may have the fullness of my joy within themselves.”

Lord, I want that fullness of joy in my life. Teach me Your ways! 

Time of Fulfillment

“This is the time of fulfilment.” Mark 1:15

After Jesus was baptized by John, He went out into the desert wilderness for forty days. There He was with wild beasts and tempted by Satan. The angels ministered to Him. When He was ready, He went to Galilee and preached the Gospel. 

What did Jesus look like? There is nothing of His physical appearance in any of the four gospels or other books in the New Testament. But there is a letter said to be written by the governor of Judea, Publius Lentulus to Tiberius Caesar, in the year 32 AD. 

"There lives at this time in Judea a man of singular virtue, whose name is Jesus Christ, whom the barbarians esteem as a prophet, but his followers love and adore him as the offspring of the immortal God. He calls back the dead from the graves and heals all sorts of diseases with a word or touch. He is a tall man, well shaped, and of amenable and reverent aspect; He has hair of a color that can hardly be matched, falling into graceful curls, waving about and very agreeably couching about his shoulders, parted on the crown of his head, running as a stream to the front after the fashion of the Nazarites. His forehead is high, large and imposing; his cheeks without spot or wrinkle, beautiful with a lovely red; his nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry; His beard of a color suitable to his hair, reaching below his chin and parted in the middle like a fork; His eyes, bright blue, clear and serene, look innocent, dignified, manly and mature.

"In proportion of body most perfect and captivating; his arms and hands delectable to behold. He rebukes with majesty, counsels with mildness; His whole address, whether in word or deed, being eloquent and grave. No man has seen Him laugh, yet his manners are modest and wise, a man for his extraordinary beauty and divine perfection, surpassing the children of men in every sense."

Imagine this man appearing out of nowhere, and proclaiming, “This is the time of fulfilment.” Dr. Mary Healy explained that this means, “that now, in Jesus, God is breaking into history to fulfill His promises and to bring His whole plan to completion.” 

God became man in Jesus. Isn’t that inconceivable? We can spend our whole life trying to make sense of it!

Always Take Sides

“You are my beloved Son. On You my favor rests.” Luke 3:22

Why do we believe the stories in the Gospels about Jesus? In the 3rd chapter of Luke, something unbelievable happens. Jesus went to John to be baptized along with the crowds. As He was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. Then a voice from heaven declared, “You are my beloved Son. On You my favor rests.” In other Bible versions, we may read, “With You I am well pleased” or “I am fully pleased with You.” 

In a time when our faith is being belittled by the President of the Philippines no less, it is good to examine why we believe in such amazing things. The historicity of Jesus is well documented. Applying the standard criteria of historical study, most scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed. The two events in His life subject to “almost universal assent” are that He was baptised, and that He was crucified. 

Jesus claimed to be God many times, saying “I AM” over and over again in the Gospel of John. “I AM” is the covenant God of Israel, and Jesus was tried and crucified because of blasphemy. If Jesus claimed to be God, we have to believe Him, or we reject and ignore Him as a con man or an insane person. 

Obviously, all His disciples (except Judas) believed Him. All of them, except John, were martyred for their faith in Jesus. Hundreds of thousands of followers were stoned, beheaded, tortured and fed to the lions. Why would all these men and women give their lives for a lie? Even if almost all the early leaders were killed for their faith, Christianity flourished. 

Today in our country, we Christians are being persecuted for our faith. President Rodrigo Duterte urged “tambays” or bystanders last Wednesday to kill or steal from “rich” bishops. He said our God is stupid, and continuously lambasts the Church for speaking against his ordered extrajudicial killings. We should not remain silent against all these attacks. Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who lived through the unimaginable gives this advice: “Always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor never the tormented.”  

Let us take Jesus’ side, He who sided with the oppressed, the victims, the tormented, the voiceless.