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Disciples
or Imposters
Fr.
George Smiga
February
9/10, 2008
Matthew
4: 1 - 11
There
is an ancient legend that on the day of Jesus' resurrection
the devil, who is a master of disguise, attempted to get into
heaven by pretending to be the risen Christ. The devil brought
with him minions of demons all disguised as angels of light.
As the group approached the heavenly gates, the demons began
to cry out the opening verses of the great hymn which welcomes
the Messiah. They cried out, “Lift up your heads, oh gates
of heaven. Open wide your doors, and let the King of Glory
come in!” The real angels in heaven looked down upon the group
and saw the one whom they thought was their risen Lord. So
they joyously added their voices to the next part of the hymn
by crying out, “Who is the King of Glory?” Here the devil
made a fatal mistake. In answer to that question he lifted
up his arms and said, “I am!” In that instant the angels shut
the doors of heaven to keep out the imposter. Because the
minute the devil lifted up his hands, the angels could see
that his palms did not bear the nail marks of the passion.
And without the wounds of the passion, the angels knew that
this was an imposter. He could not be the risen Lord.
Now
Jesus is our savior but he is also the way to salvation. He
is the model we are called to follow. Therefore, so it is
not by chance that he bears the wounds of his passion in every
gospel scene in which we see the risen Lord. These marks of
the passion are not some stain or some flaw which the resurrection
was unable to erase. They are an indelible reminder to us
that our way to salvation will include struggle, pain, and
death. Now this is not to say that struggle, pain, and death
are somehow good gifts. It is to remind us that trouble and
pain are part of the human condition, and the way that Jesus
shows us to salvation is not around the human condition but
through it. Jesus' way must be our way as well.
Now
this is certainly clear in today's Gospel. Because immediately
after Jesus' baptism the first thing he does is not preach,
but face evil. The first thing he does is not heal the sick,
but grapple with the devil. The first thing he does is not
to proclaim God's Kingdom but confront the fragility of his
human nature. Jesus confronts the devil, and in that action
shows his weakness. Jesus struggles with human weakness. The
gospel stories present this struggle in a very formal way,
placing Jesus in complete control. But we can be sure that
the historical Jesus did not find things quite as easy. He
was like us in all things but sin. He experienced real doubt,
real turmoil, real temptation, real pain. Such struggle with
human weakness is part of our way to salvation. In his confrontation
with human weakness, Jesus shows us our way to glory.
Now
there is no doubt that we would prefer another way. We would
all prefer to come closer to God without doubt, without struggle,
without pain. But this is not the model which is presented
to us. If we intend to be Disciples of Christ, we must prepare
ourselves to deal with the human condition which causes us
to struggle and to doubt. As difficult as that model is, the
minute we accept it, there is good news. When we accept it,
it leads to hope.
If
we find ourselves doubting our faith, questioning what we
have been taught, wondering whether the promises of eternal
life are true, if we find ourselves struggling with sin, trying
over and over again to improve but failing, the last question
we should ask ourselves, “What is wrong with me? Why do I
doubt? Why do I sin?” Those weaknesses are part of the human
condition. But it is by fighting against doubt and sin that
we trust that God will use our efforts to lead us deeper and
closer to life. If we find ourselves lost with grief over
the death of someone that we loved, over the end of a marriage,
if we find ourselves paralyzed because the pain of a sickness
or the fear of growing old or death, the last thing we should
ask ourselves is “What have I done to deserve this? Why is
this happening to me?” It happens to us because we are human.
We face the same struggles which every human person must face.
But we trust and hope that if we face them in union with Christ,
if we fight the good fight, God will use our struggle for
our growth.
Jesus
is our model. He shows us the way. His way is not around our
human condition but through it. His way includes the doubts,
the struggles, the pains of life. In light of his example,
we believe that God allows our worst trials, our greatest
troubles, to be a part of our salvation. Those who wish to
share in Christ's glory, but cannot show the marks of the
wounds in their hands, are not disciples. They are merely
imposters at the gates of paradise.
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