Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) [Mt 10:26-33]

25.06.2023

Confessing and Denying Christ

Readings: (1) Jer 20:10-13 (2) Rom 5:12-15

1.  Theme in brief

Confessing Christ or denying him out of fear

2.  Focus Statement 

We should not be afraid of professing our faith in Christ before the people who oppose him or his values, and be convinced of God’s care and protection even in persecution.

3.  Explanation of the text

Today’s Gospel text is about the instructions given by Jesus to his disciples as he sends them on his mission.  He tells them to be prepared to face opposition, rejection and persecution as they preach and teach. In such situations, his message to his disciples – repeated three times in today’s gospel – is, not to fear or panic (10:26, 28, 31).

First reason not to be afraid is found in his assurance that their opponents will not succeed in their evil designs since God will expose their hidden motives or designs and bring to light all their evil deeds (10:26). Or it could mean, their persecutors will not be ale to hide their evil designs and deeds on the Judgement Day. Or it could also mean, in their missionary preaching and witness they will uncover all the hidden values of the Kingdom of God that are not made known openly till now (10:26). He asks them to proclaim in the light and from housetops what he has told them privately till now (10:27). Their only fear should be to lose courage to confess Jesus before the world.

Second reason for not fearing is the consideration that the power of world’s rulers is limited to killing only the body and not the soul (10:28). Here Jesus hints at the highest type of fear they may have to face, namely, the danger or threat of death for proclaiming the gospel or for living the gospel-values. Though he admits that the world’s authorities do have such powers, they need not fear them as if they were gods. They should rather fear God alone who has the power to kill both the body and the soul (10:28).  

Third reason for not fearing the world’s authorities is God’s providential care and protection even in persecution. Jesus reassures his disciples that God is not like the world’s rulers. If he cares for sparrows that that are sold two for a penny, how is that he will not care for them who are “of more value than many sparrows” (10:20-31). He has so intimate knowledge of them that even the hairs of their head are counted (10:30). If so, they should put their total trust is such a caring God and use it as an antidote for natural fears.

Finally, Jesus calls for total loyalty to him and his gospel from his disciples. Acknowledging and confessing him before the people of the world will lead to his acknowledgement of them before the Father, and denying him before people will have the consequence of denying them before the Father on the Judgement Day (10:32-33).

4.  Application to life

Fear is so much inherent in human nature from the time of birth. There are so many fears in us – both real and imaginary. The following fear often haunt the conscious and subconscious mind of many of us – fear of being robbed, of being attacked by an enemy, of remaining unemployed, of losing a job, of being killed in a bomb blast or accident, of ridicule/ criticism/ negative remarks by others, of public speaking, of dreadful sicknesses like cancer and heart attack, of being left alone in old age, of losing one’s dignity and reputation, of breakage of relationships, of our children getting into deviant or criminal behaviour, of natural or man-made calamities (like accidents, floods, earthquakes, cyclones), of untimely or unprepared death, etc. Besides these natural fears, today’s gospel speaks about the fear of opposition, rejection and persecution that we may have to face when we preach and teach the message of Christ, or when we try to uphold and live by his values. We have also fears of what others may think of us or say to us, especially when we try to behave a little different from the general trends in our society.

The imaginary or unrealistic (baseless) fears are our worst masters who control or drive us to wrong directions such as depression, disappointment, meaninglessness, emptiness, etc. Fears are the driving force behind all blunders, wrong decisions, misrule. misdeeds, injustice or even dictatorships of our opponents in the family, neighbourhood, political and administrative circles or the business world. Just as Jesus warned his disciples about the inevitability of threats to their life, persecution and opposition in their mission, today he reminds us also about this reality when we stand firm on his gospel-values. Witnessing to Christ and confessing him before others may result in persecution, opposition, mockery and intimidation for us. Living Christian values in a radical manner in a world that promotes contrary values may bring a lot of troubles and discomfort to us.  

Even today, the message of the gospel brings to light all the evil designs and crooked motives of the powerful, especially when they make use of their power to exploit the poor and the defenceless. If the Church is really a witnessing Church, it may become a suffering Church. Our Christian life is either a witness to Christ or a counter-witness, and a confession or a denial of Christ. Whenever we live a life different from the general trend of the world and do not conform to its standards, people ask the reasons for behaving differently. They do so in our workplaces, neighbourhood and social events. That is an opportunity for us to confess Christ directly or indirectly. Do we become cowards or shy about confessing Christ at those moments?

Though sometimes we may keep our Christian identity a secret where there is life-threatening situation, it is not a secret to be hidden at all times. We are called to confess Christ both with our lips and deeds. Sometimes our actions speak louder than our words. We need to question today whether our actions are Christlike. Jesus tells us bluntly, if we deny him before others he will also deny us before the Father on the Judgement Day. The way we live our Christian life, will either witness to Christ or deny him. Sometimes by keeping silence at injustice, dishonesty and immorality around us, we deny Christ. We also deny him by living a life quite contrary to what we profess. Today’s text asks us the question whether we are willing to suffer for our faith. Out of fear sometimes we may hide our faith rather than bring it to light and proclaim it from the housetop, as Jesus tells us in today’s gospel.

William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible says that we can deny Christ in three ways: with our words, by our silence and by our actions. Sometimes we need to show in our words that as Christians we cannot conform to all the values of the world and are called to live a life different from the world. Sometimes we are afraid to speak anything against evil and fail to take a stand for Christ’s standards. To be safe, we just keep silence in the face of evil. For instance, our vocation is to uphold the sanctity or sacredness of life in a world where is denied due to countless misdeeds against human life. When human life is threatened from womb to tomb we are not to remain silent spectators. Or, take for example, the value of equality of all humans. When this is denied by racial or caste prejudices, discrimination, inhuman treatments, hatred, etc., we are not to remain silent. Jesus tells us not fear those who have power only to kill the body, but rather fear God who has power to destroy both the body and soul. The question today’s gospel places before us is: whom do we fear: God, or worldly powers?

Robin Sharma rightly says: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when an adult is afraid of the light.” Jesus says in today’s gospel that we should not be afraid to speak in the light, or proclaim the truth from housetops what we hear from him in the secret of our hearts, in prayer and reflection on his Word. Quite often we are afraid of saying and doing what is right. The light of the Risen Lord can free us from the chains of fears (especially, imaginary or baseless ones), if we really believe in the power of his resurrection. If the Risen Lord is with us and for us, who or what can be against us (Rom 8:31-39)? When our fears (whether real or imaginary) take control of us and rule over our minds, they keep us chained and locked within the narrow space of our own souls. Instead of the Lord directing our lives, these fears become an independent force driving us where we may not like to go. Just as Jesus advised his disciples not to let their fears rule over them or win a mastery over them, he tells us the same. When we allow our fears to be our masters, we stop professing our faith in Christ before the people who oppose his values. Then they will enslave us and hinder our witnessing role or doing our mission.

In today’s gospel, Jesus assures us of God’s providential care and protection even in times of threats, opposition and persecution. Jesus reassures us that God is not like the world’s rulers. First of all, if he takes care of sparrows and other creatures of the earth so wonderfully, why will he not take care of us? Are we not of more value than these creatures? Whenever we are dismayed by fears, let us tune in the popular song in our minds: “Be not dismayed whatever betide, God will take care of you. Beneath his wings of love abide, God will take care of you.” Jesus invites us to put our total trust in a caring God and entrust our fears into his hands. Armed with a firm faith, we need to admit our powerlessness to change the things we cannot, and surrender our lives into the hands of the living Lord. After all, as Jesus says, the powers of the world can destroy only the body and not the soul. Since God has power over both, our reverential fear or total devotion should be rendered to God alone. Our outer security may come from walled compounds, grill-gates, locks, bodyguards, bullet-proof vests, masks, protective parents and companions; but our inner security comes from the power of the Risen Lord and his gift of peace – inner harmony. With his power we can overcome fear of hardship, distress, danger, persecution, peril and death. Let us place the bundle of fears before the living Lord and ask him to liberate us from all imaginary fears and give us the grace to face realistic fears with courage.

5.  Response to God's Word

What are the real and imaginary fears that prevent us from confessing Christ before the world? What are ways we deny Christ in words, by silence and by our actions? Do we allow our fears to be our masters and drive us? Do we trust in God’s care and protection when we face opposition, rejection and persecution for the sake of the gospel?

6.  A Prayer

Lord Jesus, whenever we take a firm stand on your values, the world may oppose, reject, persecute or intimidate us. Give us the courage to remain firm in our proclamation of your values and not to look always for approval of the world. Amen.