THE MESSIAH FULFILS THE WILL OF THE FATHER


MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Isa 42:1-7; Ps 27:1-3,13-14; Jn 12:1-11

The Source of Authenticity of the Messiah

We dwell on a point we touched on in passing yesterday; that is, the fact that the Son of Man did everything according to the scriptures. The truth may seem minor or irrelevant, but it is the core of his messianic mission and role. The Messiah is the Saviour of the people of God; his power to save the people of God lies in his conformity to the will of the Father, the ultimate source of our salvation. Since every perfect gift comes from the Father and Creator of all things, his will is the source of our good and eternal life. Thus, what proves the authenticity of the Son of Man as the Saviour, is his realisation of the Father’s will in all things. Because the Father’s will is prophesied or laid out in the scriptures, the life and activities of the Saviour must follow the scriptures. His triumphant entry into Jerusalem amidst the peoples’ praise and adulation was scriptural. The Pharisees understood the Messianic import because of its scriptural basis. His fulfilment of the scriptures at every turn presents him to us for approval and acceptance.

The reading from Isaiah contains this truth and lays out the basis for our authentication of the Messiah for us. Speaking through the prophet, the Father says: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have endowed him with my spirit that he may bring true justice to the nations. He does not cry out or shout aloud, or make his voice heard in the streets. He does not break the crushed reed, nor quench the wavering flame.” The authority of the Messiah is not from himself or what he does of himself but from the Father who sent him. His power to save originates from the fact that he is the Father’s emissary. The presence of the Holy Spirit in him indicates or stands for this delegated authority from the Father. With the power and authority of God the Father, the Messiah needs not to exert too much force of his own, for his thoughts, words, actions, and life exert authority from the Father’s eternal and immutable will. He will bring salvation to God’s people by faithfulness to the Father’s will and not by any other means. The power and authority of the Messiah is God’s presence; thus, he is called ‘Immanuel’, God-with-us. “I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right; I have taken you by the hand and formed you; I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.”

The same source of the Messiah’s power and authority is supposed to be the source of our strength and life as Christians. The whole of Christian perfection lies in conformity with the will of the Father and not in anything else. Christian power and authority do not consist in shouting, external demonstrations, or anything of the sort, but in understanding and doing the will of the Father. Thus, we pray with the Psalmist: “The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?” We see a demonstration of the power of acting always in conformity with the will of the Father in the gospel. At Bethany, in the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Mary expresses her gratitude to the Lord for salvation and graces received expensively. Some people did not receive this well. “Then Judas Iscariot—one of the disciples, the man who was to betray him—said, ‘Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?” But the Lord defended her action based on the conformity of her action with the will of the Father. “So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’” Mary understood the singular privilege she had to be with the Messiah and receive the fullness of forgiveness and salvation from him. The expression of gratitude matched the divine gift she received. Do we understand the gift God has given to us in Jesus Christ?

Let us pray: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, though in our weakness we fail, we may be revived through the Passion of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.    

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