IF JESUS WAS BAD, CAN YOU FOLLOW HIM?

 *Sunday, October 22, 2023* 

29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

 *MISSION SUNDAY* 

First Reading. Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6

PSALM 96: 1, 3-5, 7-10 (R. 7b)

Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

Gospel. Matthew 22: 15-21

TOPIC FOR REFLECTION

 *IF JESUS WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE, WILL YOU FOLLOW HIM?* 

Today is mission Sunday, and for anyone to live a fulfilled missionary life, such ought to be a responsible person.

No one can survive on a mission land if he lacks good character.

I hope you know that Jesus' good character attracted us to follow Him in His mission. So will anyone with good character on a mission influence or attract people to God?

Good character attracts, while bad character repels.

Jesus is a good man because his ways of life are good.

Christianity is a good religion because it is Jesus' way of life.

Therefore, Christianity is a way of life.

So, since Christianity is a way of life, it teaches how to live a good responsible life filled with a high sense of responsibility. 

A Christian is a follower of Christ, and a follower of Christ should have a sole intention, which is to imitate Him and His ways of life. 

Jesus was like us in everything except sin. Cf. Hebrews 4:15

He was born like every one of us, he grew up as a child to adulthood and he mingled with people of different calibre such as the scribes, Pharisees, tax collectors, and sinners alike; He never discriminated, and He welcomed everybody as friends.

He had feelings of mercy, compassion, love, kindness, and pity; and all these made Him heal the sick, raise the dead, comfort the sorrowful, feed the poor, enlighten the confused, and so many other responsible activities expected of a responsible man.

He was hungry and thirsty like us, He ate and wine with tax collectors and sinners alike, he wept, he sweated, he made friends, he visited people, he moved and chatted with people in the street, he prayed, he fasted, he expresses anger and dissatisfaction; in short, he never lacks in His normal routine activities expected as a man.

Now, a man(Jesus) who lives His life like every other person like us, how will he not be ready to carry out His civic responsibility of paying taxes? Certainly, He will. 

On the contrary, the Pharisees wanted to test Him, and they asked to whom should they pay tax.

But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the money for the tax.” And they brought him a coin. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.

My dear, Jesus as a human lived a full responsible life and no one can deny it. So, anyone who decides to follow Him must be ready to live like Him.

It is hypocritical to say one is a Christian and will use the Church to cover up to perpetrate evil among men, live a pretend life, will not be a responsible father, mother, or child at home, will fail to perform his or her civic duty, etc.

Jesus made it clear to give God what belongs to God, and Ceaser what belongs to him.

This does not mean to be a saint in the church, and a devil outside church, but to perform our civic duty without hindrance to our faith.

Remember, we all are the same human being in the image and likeness of God, but individuals choose to relate with Him through different means (different religious beliefs), therefore our civic responsibility cuts across tribe, religion, ethnicity, race, etc and this is what binds us together as one family of God

So, as Christians, our character should be like that of Jesus, and to carry out our civic responsibility accordingly.

 *Peace ✌️ be with you.* 

 *Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS.*