Mark 3:13 Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones
he
wanted to go with him.
Let us for a moment examine the venue where Christ appointed the twelve.
"Jesus went up on a mountain"
-----------------------------
When it was time for Jesus to select the bishops for his Holy Church, where did
he go? He went up on a mountain. He went away from the city. He went away from
the thick of things.
Jesus's work is filled with symbolisms if we pause to observe. Being the Most
Holy High Priest of His Church to be, why did Jesus not go into Jerusalem,
David's grand city to choose the High priests for His church? Why did he not do
it in the Temple where the sacrifices were being performed? Why not in the
synagogues where He taught? Why did he not choose to do it in the Palace of the
High Priest Caiaphas? Why not in King Herod's palace?
Instead the Lord goes up on a mountain and calls out the ones whom he wanted.
The Lord's choice of the venue for the appointment of the Original Twelve who
were to be the Patriarchs-Catholicoses of the Lord's Church throws light on the
kind of people he expected to lead His Church. The new Covenant was to include
the Jews as well as the Gentiles, it was built with Christ Himself as the
cornerstone,His own Body is the Temple, the sacrifice to be instituted was by
his own blood, so the bloody sacrifice in the Temple was to be ended.
The pretentious and vain aura that usually surrounded the palaces of the rich
and powerful of the day was not where the Lord intended his most important
appointments to the new Israel to be made. The people frequenting these places
were not the ones the Lord wanted to work for His Church.
Instead the Lord went up on a mountain. Only a select few would have followed
him to the mountain. The rich would have had to come out of their comfort zone
to travel with him to the mountain in the heat, such people would have stayed
back. Those more attracted to the splendor of the city would have gone into the
city. Many driven only by curiosity would have moved on to find other
interesting activities in the city rather than walk to the mountain. Those
comfortable with their way of life, without any immediate apparent need for a
savior would have moved away back to their lives.
Only those who really wanted to be close to Christ, maybe people with ailments,
those who wanted to be healed, those depressed, simple folk who would rather be
with Christ that day - would have made the walk with Christ to the top of the
mountain.
Simple, unsophisticated, ordinary, those feeling the need for a savior,
preferring the closeness to Christ than anything else - these are some of the
profiles we can glean out as potential characteristics of those who followed
Christ up the mountain that day.
It was from this group that the Apostles were selected. It was to this group
that Thomas the Apostle of India belonged. Rugged, tough, not alien to the
mountains,sons of the soil are some character qualities we can attribute to
Thomas and the others.
These qualities would have stood Thomas in good stead as he travelled to the far
east with the Gospel. He did not give up because of the length of the journey.
He was not over whelmed by the solitude of the seas. He was not disheartened by
the stubbornness of the people in India to whom he preached the Gospel.For he
knew that his Lord who called him from the top of the mountain was with him
every inch of the way, even in the distant lands of India. The Lord's eternal
presence in Thomas's life ever since his call from the top of the mountain egged
him on, all through his life.
Christ is Risen!
Mathew Samuel,
Albany, NY
Part 2: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/23242
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/23255
wanted to go with him.
Let us for a moment examine the venue where Christ appointed the twelve.
"Jesus went up on a mountain"
-----------------------------
When it was time for Jesus to select the bishops for his Holy Church, where did
he go? He went up on a mountain. He went away from the city. He went away from
the thick of things.
Jesus's work is filled with symbolisms if we pause to observe. Being the Most
Holy High Priest of His Church to be, why did Jesus not go into Jerusalem,
David's grand city to choose the High priests for His church? Why did he not do
it in the Temple where the sacrifices were being performed? Why not in the
synagogues where He taught? Why did he not choose to do it in the Palace of the
High Priest Caiaphas? Why not in King Herod's palace?
Instead the Lord goes up on a mountain and calls out the ones whom he wanted.
The Lord's choice of the venue for the appointment of the Original Twelve who
were to be the Patriarchs-Catholicoses of the Lord's Church throws light on the
kind of people he expected to lead His Church. The new Covenant was to include
the Jews as well as the Gentiles, it was built with Christ Himself as the
cornerstone,His own Body is the Temple, the sacrifice to be instituted was by
his own blood, so the bloody sacrifice in the Temple was to be ended.
The pretentious and vain aura that usually surrounded the palaces of the rich
and powerful of the day was not where the Lord intended his most important
appointments to the new Israel to be made. The people frequenting these places
were not the ones the Lord wanted to work for His Church.
Instead the Lord went up on a mountain. Only a select few would have followed
him to the mountain. The rich would have had to come out of their comfort zone
to travel with him to the mountain in the heat, such people would have stayed
back. Those more attracted to the splendor of the city would have gone into the
city. Many driven only by curiosity would have moved on to find other
interesting activities in the city rather than walk to the mountain. Those
comfortable with their way of life, without any immediate apparent need for a
savior would have moved away back to their lives.
Only those who really wanted to be close to Christ, maybe people with ailments,
those who wanted to be healed, those depressed, simple folk who would rather be
with Christ that day - would have made the walk with Christ to the top of the
mountain.
Simple, unsophisticated, ordinary, those feeling the need for a savior,
preferring the closeness to Christ than anything else - these are some of the
profiles we can glean out as potential characteristics of those who followed
Christ up the mountain that day.
It was from this group that the Apostles were selected. It was to this group
that Thomas the Apostle of India belonged. Rugged, tough, not alien to the
mountains,sons of the soil are some character qualities we can attribute to
Thomas and the others.
These qualities would have stood Thomas in good stead as he travelled to the far
east with the Gospel. He did not give up because of the length of the journey.
He was not over whelmed by the solitude of the seas. He was not disheartened by
the stubbornness of the people in India to whom he preached the Gospel.For he
knew that his Lord who called him from the top of the mountain was with him
every inch of the way, even in the distant lands of India. The Lord's eternal
presence in Thomas's life ever since his call from the top of the mountain egged
him on, all through his life.
Christ is Risen!
Mathew Samuel,
Albany, NY
Part 2: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/23242
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianOrthodox/message/23255
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