Season of
Denha
Eighth Sunday: MATTHEW 9:35-10:4
HE SENDS THE APOSTLES
AMONG THE SHEEP THAT HAVE NO SHEPHERD
INTRODUCTION
“Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and
curing every disease and illness” (Mt 9:35). Then people rushed to
Jesus, seeking his help for cure and eager to listen to him. Jesus
noticed they were craving for God’s mercy and salvation. Since the
Jewish leaders of the time had forsaken the people and became
self-centered, Jesus felt pity for them and said they were like sheep
without a shepherd. So, he asked his disciples to pray for plentiful
shepherds who would cater to the needs of the people. Since the Jewish
leaders were non-cooperative to the Messiah, Jesus reconstituted Israel
by establishing the church. He shared the 12 apostles his mission to
preach, the power to cast out demons, and to heal the sick.
Jesus used two comparisons of the then pastoral
situation: (1) The people were sheep without a shepherd; (2) The harvest
was plenty, and the laborers were few. By the sacraments of initiation,
all of us are called to be shepherds in our own situation. Let us fill
the shortage of shepherds by ministering to the pastoral needs of our
family members, our Christian community, and the non-Christians around
us. The crops will be wasted if there are fewer laborers. Let us do our
part in Christian witnessing, promote vocations to priesthood, religious
life, and lay ministry, and support the missionaries.
BIBLE TEXT (MATTHEW 9:35-10:4 )
The Compassion of Jesus
(Mt 9:35) Jesus went around to all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the
kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. (36) At the sight of the
crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were
troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (37) Then he said
to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
(38) so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his
harvest.”
The Mission of the
Twelve
(Mt 10:1) Then he summoned his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to
cure every disease and every illness. (2) The names of the twelve
apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; (3) Philip and
Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of
Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; (4) Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who
betrayed him.
INTERPRETATION
In Matthew’s gospel, after the sermon on the mount
(chapters 5-7), many people approached Jesus for healing and other
favors from him. In chapter eight, he healed a leper (v. 1-4), a
centurion’s servant (v. 5-13), Peter’s mother-in-law (v 14-15), drove
out demons from many demoniacs and cured all the sick who came to him
(v. 16-17), and healed two demoniacs at Gadarenes (v. 28-34). In chapter
nine, Jesus healed a paralytic for which the scribes accused him of
blasphemy (v. 1-8). When Jesus dined at the house of Levi, the Pharisees
alleged him for eating with tax collectors and sinners (v. 9-13). The
disciples of John asked Jesus why his disciples were not fasting while
they and the Pharisees were fasting (v. 14-17). Jesus raised an
official’s daughter from death (v. 18-26), he healed a woman suffering
hemorrhages for 12 years by her touching the tassel of his cloak (v.
20-22), and he haled two blind men who addressed him as son of David (v.
27-31). Then he cured a demoniac who was mute. Mathew then summarizes,
“Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every
disease and illness” (Mt 9:35). After several teachings and miracles of
mercy, Jesus felt compassion on the helpless flock and selected apostles
to broaden and continue his pastoral ministry because the then religious
leaders like the Pharisees and scribes were self-centered and abandoned
their flock.
The Greek word “Synagogue” means people’s
gathering or assembly room. The exact reason for the derivation of
synagogues is unknown. According to some Jewish tradition, there were
assemblies of Jews for prayer (1 Samuel 1:9-19) and study of Torah even
during the period of Solomon’s Temple. Some believe that the Jews
started synagogues in Babylonia during their exile. After the
destruction of the first Temple in 586 BC, the sacrifices were halted
for a long time. So, the Jews used private homes and later built
synagogues for public worship and religious studies. Another view is
that the Jewish communities started the synagogues outside Jerusalem to
pray together when the priests were busy for two weeks each in the
Temple of Jerusalem during the major feasts. All of the above can be
true. The synagogues served also as community centers with provisions
for gatherings, education, courtroom, charity works, and prayer halls.
Even after construction of the second Temple,
the synagogues continued in Jewish settlements all over the world,
including Rome, Greece, Egypt, Babylonia, and Asia Minor. The synagogues
helped to keep the Jewish communities organized on a local level. After
the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., the synagogues became more
significant to keep the dispersed Jewish communities intact. The
synagogues had morning, afternoon, and evening services. Special
liturgies were held on the sabbath and on religious festivals. Since
synagogues had no sacrifices, priests were unnecessary, instead rabbis
took care of the services.
The essential components of the synagogue are
an ark where Torah Scrolls are kept, an “eternal light” burning in front
of the ark as a symbol of God’s presence, two candlesticks, pews, and a
biemah (a raised platform for reading the Scriptures and for services).
The “eternal light” also represents the pillar of fire that guided the
Israelites during their journey from Egypt to Canaan. An honorable seat
called “Moses’ Seat” was placed for Torah readers because they were
reading Moses' words (Matthew 23:2). A ritual bath (mikvah) was
available on the outside premises of the synagogue, where the believers
symbolically cleansed their hearts before they entered the synagogue.
Besides scripture reading and public worship,
a rabbi or a scholar exhorted the people on the scripture. Jesus also
got opportunities to preach in the synagogues throughout Galilee (Mt
4:23; Mk 1:9).
Jesus came proclaiming the gospel, which
means “good news.” That news was the forthcoming establishment of the
“the kingdom of God” through Messiah that God had promised throughout
the Old Testament. “After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee
proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The
kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mk
1:14-15). Based on this, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of
God would happen. The reply was, “The coming of the kingdom of God
cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or,
‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you” (Lk
17:20-21). “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink,
but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
It is a rebirth from above (Jn 1:3) in water and Spirit (Jn 3:5). The
kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36), but a reign of Christ in the
hearts of his followers that starts with the reception of the sacrament
of baptism.
Repentance and belief in the gospel (Mk 1:15)
are the methods to become part of the Kingdom of God. Jesus instructed
his apostles, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every
creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does
not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:15-16). Rejection of the gospel
will have grave consequence. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Whoever believes in
him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been
condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of
God” (Jn 3:18). “Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has
something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on
the last day” (Jn 12:48). It is an individual’s choice to accept or
reject the Kingdom of God and receive its outcome.
Besides being a teacher, Jesus put into
practice what he taught. He made use of his divine power to help the
helpless. When people noticed his initiative to assist them, ever more
people came to get his care. Because of his divinity, Jesus could cure
all types of sickness. His actions were also part of his teaching.
Besides his personal prayer at night in solitude, he healed the sick,
cast out demons, fed the hungry, and eased sufferings of the people even
by raising the dead. He showed that religion consists of action-based
love. That was in contrast to the religious leaders of the time who
disregarded the poor and the suffering.
Based on Jesus’ travel experience all around
the villages in Galilee proclaiming the gospel, he had three initiatives
different from the Jewish elites of the time.
(1) Jesus observed the “troubled and
abandoned” situation of the people.
(2) “His heart was moved with pity for them.”
(3) He did what he could to alleviate their
sufferings and acted for the expansion and continuation of his ministry
through his disciples.
There are several occasions when Jesus noticed the
sufferings of the people and felt pity on them. “When he disembarked and
saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured
their sick” (Mt 14:14). Before feeding the 4,000, “Jesus summoned his
disciples and said, ‘My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they
have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not
want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way’”
(Mt 15:33).
Out of sympathy, Jesus took initiative to help the
helpless without their request for any favor.
(1) Jesus healed a man with a withered hand in a
synagogue on a Sabbath (Mt12:9-14; Mk 3:1-6; Lk 6:6-11).
(2) He was “moved with pity” on a widow whose son
died, and he raised him during the funeral procession (Lk 7:11-17).
(3) He healed a person lying at the pool of
Bethsaida who was sick for 38 years (Jn 5:1-15).
(4) Jesus took initiative to feed 5,000 who came to
listen to him (Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:30-44; Lk 9:10-17; Jn 6:1-15).
(5) He fed 4,000 by stating, “My heart is moved
with pity for the crowd” (Mt 15:32-29; Mk 8:1-13).
(6) Jesus healed on a sabbath a woman who was
crippled by a spirit for 18 years (Lk 13:10-17).
(7) He healed a man with dropsy on the Sabbath
while dining at the house of a Pharisee (Lk 14:1-6).
(8) Jesus healed the high priest’s servant at
Gethsemane when Peter cut off his right ear (Lk 22:50-51).
During some of these and other occasions, the
Pharisees and scribes were looking with contempt at Jesus because he did
those on a Sabbath or because he forgave the sins of the sick, which
according to the opponents was blasphemy. They even plotted to
assassinate Jesus for these reasons.
Our service must come from our heart, the seat of
love and compassion. Jesus had invited those who were meek and humble to
find relief in his heart. Instead of a ritualistic religion, he chose a
heart-centered faith. He substituted Jewish religion with Christianity
to offer service from the heart.
While traveling through the settlements of
Galilee, Jesus found that the religious leaders of the time had misled
the ordinary people with their false teachings and deserted the less
fortunate. People were ignorant of the benevolence of God and the right
way to practice religion.
Though wild sheep are adapted to take care of
themselves, domesticated sheep depend on the shepherd for their survival
and protection. The shepherd must lead the sheep to good pastures daily
because they need daily food. If the pastureland is wide and unfenced
land, the sheep might get lost, fall off a cliff, or can be victims of
predators, wild animals, or thieves.
God’s chosen people need divine guidance and
protection. So, He chose human representatives to guide them in keeping
their covenantal relationship with God, to safeguard them from their
tendency to sin, and to protect them from the snares of Satan. The
relationship between God and Israel was compared to a shepherd who took
excellent care of His sheep. “The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing
I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads
me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of
his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff
comfort me” (Psalm 23:1-4).
The leaders of Israel who were God’s
representatives to shepherd His sheep often failed in their
responsibility. The LORD addressed the awful shepherds of Israel through
Ezekiel, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing
themselves! Should not shepherds pasture the flock? You consumed milk,
wore wool, and slaughtered fatlings, but the flock you did not pasture.
You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the
injured. You did not bring back the stray or seek the lost but ruled
them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered for lack of a
shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts. They were scattered
and wandered over all the mountains and high hills; over the entire
surface of the earth my sheep were scattered. No one looked after them
or searched for them” (Ezekiel 34:2-6). “Lost sheep were my people,
their shepherds misled them, leading them astray on the mountains; From
mountain to hill they wandered, forgetting their fold” (Jeremiah 50:6).
Almost similar was the situation of the
shepherds and sheep in Israel when Jesus did his public ministry. The
Jewish leaders did not show any commitment to the people of God.
Instead, they ignored or mistreated their sheep. Jeremiah presented
Israel as a “lost sheep” misled by their shepherds (Jeremiah 50:6).
Ezekiel spoke of the selfish shepherds of Israel and God’s promise that
He himself would rescue his sheep. “I will search for my sheep myself,
and I will look after them” (Ezekiel 34:11). Jesus, the Son of God, came
as a shepherd to his sheep, Israel (John 10:11-16). He considered the
house of Israel as a lost sheep (Mt 10:6; 15:24). He exemplified himself
as a good shepherd by laying down his life for the sheep (Jn 10:11) and
authorized his apostles and their successors to continue shepherding the
faithful on his behalf.
Jesus applied examples from the experience of
ordinary people like farmers, shepherds, and fishermen to illustrate
difficult to understand or memorable truth about the kingdom of God.
Here, Jesus uses the experience of farm owners when the harvest time
arrives. They will desperately search for harvesters to do the job.
Though the corps are plenty, the shortage of reapers would waste the
corps.
After Jesus’ discussion with the Samaritan
woman, possibly looking at the nearby villages, Jesus told his
disciples, “I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest”
(Jn 4:35). Out of his pity for the enormous number of people whom the
God-assigned leaders had abandoned, Jesus chose to save them by
selecting dedicated laborers, training them, and assigning them for
faithful service. They would replace the irresponsible and unfaithful
leaders of Israel.
John the Baptist and Jesus had been preaching
and baptizing many people to prepare for the Kingdom of God that Jesus
Christ was about to establish on the day of Pentecost. They had sowed
the seed for the harvest. A huge number of people were ready for it when
the church was set up for them. Jesus wanted his Father’s support to get
enough pastors for the sheep that must be brought into his sheepfold
from all nations of the world.
Jesus did everything only in accord with this
Father (Jn 5:19). The Father sent him as the Sower of the divine Word.
He wanted more laborers to work in God’s field to sow and to harvest.
That also was a motivation for his disciples to promote vocations for
full time or part-time ministry of the Word of God.
Jesus had already selected his 12 apostles
before (Lk 6:13). They left everything they had and accompanied him full
time. So, they already knew what Jesus taught, how compassionate he was
for the suffering people, and how he was helping them to use his divine
power. So far, the apostles were learners. Since the crops were plenty,
it was time for them to get hands-on experience to broaden the mission
of Jesus. Hence, Jesus gathered the 12 to assign them responsibility and
to give them authority to extend his mission by preaching, healing, and
casting out demons. Unlike the priests, scribes, and Pharisees, these 12
were ordinary people with less education, reputation, and social status.
Jesus chose the weak to manifest God’s power through them.
The number 12 shows that their ministry was
for the whole of Israel, that comprised 12 tribes dispersed all over the
world because of the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles. As apostles, they
were his ambassadors throughout the world. Just as Father sent the Son
with a mission, the Son directed his representatives sharing his
authority to reach out to more places at the same time.
The demons were called unclean spirits
because they were wicked and misguiding people to turn away from God.
They were unclean in contrast to God, who is Holy. The apostles could
drive them out like Jesus did. Those freed from Satan’s bondage could
receive Jesus and reach heaven after the earthly life. The
apostles were casting our demons in Jesus’ name using the authority he
had given them.
Jesus shared his power with the apostles to
cure all types of diseases and illnesses. That was to supplement their
preaching of the Kingdom of God and to prove to the public that God sent
them. Like Jesus, the apostles also could alleviate the suffering of
many, save their souls, and gain public attention.
The apostles could practice during the public
ministry of Jesus so they could learn by doing and clarify their doubts
with Jesus. According to Mark 6:7, Jesus sent them out two by two, so
they could mutually support and gain confidence in an inexperienced
field.
Jesus had many followers called disciples who
admired his teachings and learned from him. Jesus selected 12 among them
as his full-time companions. They left everything for Jesus and his
kingdom and continued Jesus’ ministry even after the ascension of Jesus
into heaven. Because of their prominence in the new Kingdom Jesus
established, the evangelists specified their names.
The term apostle originates from Apostolos, a
Greek word meaning “person sent.” It means a person sent as a delegate
to another in a distant place or country. Jesus specially selected,
trained, and sent the apostles as his ambassadors to extend and continue
his mission. The early church later applied the term apostle to other
prominent leaders of the church, like St. Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:14;
Gal 1:1).
There were some common features among the 12
apostles whom Jesus picked from his disciples. The apostles were
ordinary Jews, not experts in the law, open minded, and holding secular
professions to support their families. Jesus avoided scribes who were
experts in the Scripture, Pharisees who were conservatives and detached
from the public, and Sadducees who were predominantly priests. Jesus did
not select anyone from the Sanhedrin to the college of apostles. He
chose sinners like Matthew and zealots like Simon. All the 12, except
Judas Iscariot, were Galileans. All the apostles, including Matthew, the
richest among them, left everything they had to follow Jesus, and
considered the Kingdom of God as their priceless treasure. They left
their loved ones and formed a family with Jesus.
The apostles were unaware of what kind of
kingdom Jesus was going to establish. Because of their misunderstanding
of it, they were fighting for positions. The common belief of the time
was that the Messiah would establish an earthly Kingdom of God. Within
three years, Jesus reformatted the mind of the apostles according to his
vision of the Kingdom. They were open-minded to receive it. All of them,
except Judas Iscariot, received the Holy Spirit on the feast of
Pentecost and continued the mission of Jesus. They faced persecution for
promulgating the church. All of them, except John the Evangelist, ended
up as martyrs.
The following are the common features of some
apostles:
1. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were
fishermen and Jesus called them while they were fishing in the Sea of
Galilee (Mt 4:18-22).
2. Thomas, Nathaniel, and Philip were also
engaged in fishing (John 21:2-8).
3. Peter, James, and John were the innermost
circle of Jesus. They were with Jesus when he healed
Jairus’ daughter (Mk 5:37), at the of Transfiguration (Mt 17:1), and
during Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane (Mt 26:37).
4. There were two James (James son of Zebedee
and James the son of Alphaeus), two Judas (Judas Thaddeus and Judas
Iscariot), and two Simons (Simon Peter and Simon the Cananean).
5. Peter, Nathaniel (Bartholomew), and Thomas
professed their faith in Jesus.
6. Mathew and John wrote the gospels. Mark
and Luke were not among the 12 apostles.
7. There were three sets of brothers. (1)
Peter and Andrew, (2) James and John who were sons of Zebedee, and (3)
James the son of Alphaeus, Judas Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite who
were also cousins of Jesus.
8. Peter, John, James, and Jude wrote
epistles.
9. Andrew and Philip were disciples of John
the Baptist before they followed Jesus.
10. Peter and John accompanied Jesus to the
high priest's residence during the trial of Jesus.
11. Jesus nicknamed James and John, the sons
of Zebedee as Boanerges (sons of thunder).
The Bible gives the list of apostles in four
places (Mt 10:2-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:13-16; Acts 1:13). In all these,
Peter’s name is first because of his prominence among the college of the
apostles. He had the privilege of hosting Jesus at his house while Jesus
centered his ministry in Capernaum. Peter made the profession of faith
in Jesus at Caesarea Philippi, “You are the Messiah, the
Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Pleased with this, Jesus changed his
name, saying, “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”
(Mt 16:18). Jesus entrusted the keys of heaven to Peter (Mt 16:19).
Probably, he might have been a leader among the fishermen and had
natural leadership qualities. So, Jesus made him head of the college of
Apostles. His name and activities are recorded in the New Testament more
than any other apostle. Though he denied Jesus three times during the
trial of Jesus, he compensated it by expressing his love of Jesus three
times at the post-resurrection appearance (Jn 21:15-17). In each of
these, Jesus asked him to feed his sheep.
Matthew lists Andrew immediately after Peter
because he was the brother of Simon Peter and the first disciple to
follow Jesus. Andrew was the son of Jonas and a disciple of John the
Baptist. He was one among the two who heard John the Baptist introducing
Jesus, saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:35-37). He
enthusiastically introduced Jesus to his brother Simon Peter (John
1:40-42). Compare to his brother Simon, Andrew was a reserved person.
However, he was passionate about preaching the gospel in the early
church. He was with Peter, James, and John when they had a private
discussion with Jesus at the Mount Olives on the destruction of
Jerusalem (Mk 13:3).
Matthew specifies James as the son of Zebedee to
distinguish him from James, the son of Alphaeus. Jesus called him along
with his brother John while they were on their boat with their father
Zebedee mending their nets (Mt 4:21). He was one among the inner circle
of Jesus, along with Peter and John. Because King Herod Agrippa beheaded
him in Jerusalem in 42 A.D., he became the first martyr among the
apostles. His is the only martyrdom of an apostle recorded in the Bible
(Acts 12:1-3). He is commonly known as James the Great.
Since John was the younger brother of James,
the evangelists give his name immediately after James. Jesus had asked
Peter and John to prepare Passover for Jesus and the apostles (Lk 22:8).
John was “the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side” (Mk
13:23) at the Last Supper. He was the only apostle who witnessed the
crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus entrusted Mother Mary to John, and John to
Mary (Jn 19:26-27). So, he took care of Mother Mary until her dormition.
Peter and John were the first among the apostles to visit the tomb after
the resurrection of Jesus (Jn 20:3-8). Besides his gospel and epistles,
John also authored the book of Revelation based on his vision of heaven
while in exile at the Island of Patmos. He had a natural death at
Ephesus in 100 A.D. and was the only apostle who died of natural causes.
James and John had some common
characteristics. Jesus called both while fishing at the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus nicknamed them as Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder” (Mk 3:17)
which reflects their character. While Jesus and the apostles were going
through Samaria to Jerusalem, the Samaritans declined to welcome Jesus.
Then James and John asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from
heaven to consume them?” (Lk 9:54). During the public ministry of
Jesus, both were desirous of sitting at the right and left of Jesus in
his kingdom (Mk 10:35-45). However, Jesus selected them, along with
Peter, as his innermost circle and hence they got prominence among the
list of apostles. After the Pentecost, their zeal was turned to
proclaiming the gospel of Jesus, and they dedicated their lives for it.
Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew
and Peter (Jn 1:44) and could be a fisherman. He was formerly a disciple
of John the Baptist. After John introduced Jesus to his disciples, Jesus
found and called Philip to follow him (Jn 1:43). Philip immediately
recognized Jesus as the Messiah. He enthusiastically introduced Jesus to
Nathanael by telling him: “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote
in the law, and also the prophets” (Jn 1:45). So, from the very
beginning of his discipleship, Philip was sharing the good news of
Jesus’ ministry with others. Scholars assume Philip as the overseer of
supplies and food for Jesus and his apostles. Before Jesus fed the 5,000
listeners by the multiplication of five loaves and two fish, it was to
Philip that Jesus asked, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
Bartholomew, known as Nathanael in John, was
from Cana in Galilee (Jn 21:2). Philip introduced Jesus to Nathanael.
When Jesus saw Nathanael, he said of him: “Here is a true Israelite.
There is no duplicity in him” (Jn 1:47). Response of Nathanael to Jesus
was a profession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the
King of Israel” (Jn 1:49). Jesus promised Nathanael: “Amen, amen, I say
to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and
descending on the Son of Man” (Jn 1:51).
The original name of Thomas, according to
tradition, is Judas Thomas or Judas the Twin. He expressed his boldness
to die for Jesus when the other disciples discouraged Jesus from going
back to Judea to see the sick Lazarus asking, “Rabbi, the Jews were just
trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” (Jn 11:8). Thomas
encouraged them, saying, “Let us also go to die with him” (Jn 11:16).
However, Thomas was not present at the crucifixion of Jesus. He doubted
the resurrection of Jesus when the other disciples said that they had
seen the Risen Lord. So, Thomas is nicknamed as “Doubting Thomas."
However, he expressed his fervent faith in the Lord by declaring to
Jesus, “My Lord and My God” (Jn 20:28) when Jesus appeared to him the
next Sunday.
Matthew, also known as Levi, was the son of
Alpheus, and lived in Capernaum. Levi was the Hebrew name and Matthew
his Greek name. Before following Jesus, Matthew was a tax collector. The
Jews considered him as a public sinner because he collected tax for
Romans who were their pagan oppressors. The Jews hated tax collectors as
exploiters because they demanded unjust amount from them than was
necessary to pay to the government. Hence, John the Baptist told the tax
collectors, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed” (Lk 3:13).
Jesus selected such a hated “criminal” and made him his apostle. When
Jesus called Levi, he left his profession and enormous wealth to follow
Jesus. He used his skills to write the first gospel that was envisioned
for the Jews, establishing that the prophesies of the Old Testament
about the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
James, the son of Alphaeus (Lk 6:15) and Mary (Mk
15:40), was known as James the Lesser or James the Younger to
distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee, who followed Jesus
before him. According to some, he wrote the Epistle of James. Some
uphold that he was the brother of Matthew and Judas Thaddeus, whose
father was Alphaeus.
Judas was named Thaddeus, that means “big
hearted” to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. He
was also known as Judas the Zealot because of his enthusiasm to see
Jesus ruling the world. At the last supper, he asked Jesus: “Master,
then what happened that you would reveal yourself to us and not to the
world?” (Jn 14:22). He wanted to publicize Jesus as a ruling king.
Simon the Cananean is also known as Simon the
Zealot in Luke 6:15. Cananean did not mean that he was from the original
inhabitants of Canaan or from Cana, where Jesus did his first miracle.
Cananean is the Hebrew word for zealot in Greek. He must be a member of
the zealot group before joining the band of Jesus. The zealots were
revolutionaries battling against the Roman rule. Their revolt against
Rome ended up in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Unlike Matthew,
who was pro-Roman, Simon was anti-Roman. Jesus selected both with
opposing views in his group and made them people of true faith.
Judas was from Judea near Jericho, whereas the
other apostles were from Galilee. Jesus entrusted him with the little
money Jesus and his disciples received for their sustenance from the
well-wishers. St. John reports that “he was a thief and held the money
bag and used to steal the contributions” (12:6). Jesus was aware of what
Judas was doing. During the public ministry, Jesus said to the Apostles:
“‘Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?’ He was
referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would
betray him, one of the Twelve” (Jn 6:70-71). Even after walking with
Jesus, listening to his discourses, and witnessing the miracles he
performed for over three years, Judas could not fully commit himself to
Jesus. Unfortunately, his interest shifted from Jesus to money.
Some people believe Judas was a zealot. He believed
that Jesus the Messiah would overthrow the Romans and establish his
earthly kingdom. Judas eventually lost his hope in Jesus and sold his
master for 30 pieces of silver to his enemies. When he realized the Jews
condemned Jesus, he regretted deeply on what he had done (Mt 27:3). He
might have assumed that since Jesus had escaped from previous
assassination attempts, he might do the same when Judas would betray
Jesus. However, Jesus’s time had arrived. Judas’ attempt to return the
money to the chief priests and elders did not help to release Jesus.
Even the temple authorities found it was unlawful to deposit the money
in the temple treasury. So, they bought a potter’s field as a burial
place for foreigners. When his attempts failed, he got
depressed and hanged himself (Mt 27:3-5). The Satan that controlled
Judas did not allow him to turn towards his master for forgiveness.
Because of Judas’ negative characteristics, he is named last in the list
of the apostles.
MESSAGE
1. Jesus felt pity on the people who were
suffering and abandoned. How do we feel about the sick, suffering,
disabled, and those who lost their Christian faith? Are we helping them
from our heart? God said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6).
2. Jesus helped the helpless in the community
and shared the responsibility with others. What initiatives do we take
according to the spirit of Jesus to help those who need our care?
3. The Christians must “witness to the
Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds” (CCC-1316). Are we
accomplishing this in our situation?
4. Without reapers, the harvest will be lost.
Every Christian needs to be a reaper for Christ, such as parents in the
family, teachers in school, health workers in the hospitals, and so on.
5. Jesus asked his disciples to pray for
abundant shepherds to cater to the needs of the people. Let us also pray
for an increase in vocations and promote vocations to priesthood and
religious life.
6. There are full-time pastors and
missionaries who were selected from among us to serve the church. Are we
supporting or discouraging them with our words and actions? When we
financially support the missions, we are also partaking in the
missionary work.
7. The ongoing faith formation is part of
missionary work that the families and parishes must do. Let us evaluate
how we do it and boost it if necessary.