Discipleship: Kenosis
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In this post we will be reviewing Jesus' ministry and how he trained the Apostles and Disciples.
We will start with Our Lord and Savior’s last discourse with his Apostles. In John 14, 24; He who does not love me does not keep my words. Yet the Word you hear is not mine; it comes from the Father who sent me.
In John 14, 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places; otherwise how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you?
In John 14, 6-7 “… I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father also. From this point on you know Him; you have seen him.
In John 14, 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places; otherwise how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you?
The balance of this discourse goes on to outline management of the vine and branches (the Church), a Disciples love, the need to serants first, the world’s hate and its impact on believers, the coming of the Paraclete and Jesus’ departure.
This discourse outlines how the Apostles and Disciples of Christ need to preach to the the Baptismal obligation I mentioned in my first post yesterday.
Throughout the entire history of Judean/Christian belief as outlined in the Torah and the Bible, the command has always been; Keep My Word.
In the Old Testament and the Torah, such Words were accounted the status of Law with its judgement owned by God our Father. As we know, God also loved his creation and his people and even though sin was introduced, He displayed generous mercy to us. As such punishment of his people was delayed until God could not stand the failure to follow him anymore and such judgment was cataclysmic. However, with each judgement event, he saved a remnant through Noah and saved a remnant with Babylon. We also recognize that after Babylon he communicated a change in the law to introduce individual accountability in place of entire peoples and nations. Thus, every person would be accountable to God for their actions.
Jesus then began to develop his plans to replace the Covenant of Moses with the new Covenant of the Lamb which was sealed by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ dying in shame on the cross and being resurrected in body and spirit three days later, ascending into Heaven to sit at the right of the Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit to Apostles. This ‘Good News’, The Word, the Gospel, the Forgiveness of Sins was then preached worldwide by the disciples and covered the earth.
However, sin still raged in the world and will be present until the second coming of Jesus our Lord, Savior and Redeemer and his triumph over sin and death, at which point all will enter judgement before the Father and be assigned to the nether world or to God’s place in Heaven.
So what is our baptismal obligation to ‘Keep My Word’.
The answer is in my next article.
A devoted Catholic from birth. Currently serving as lector at St John the Baptist parish in Philadelphia archdiocese. Just finished participation in phase 2 of Next Generation Parish and waiting on decision for assisting in phase 3. Am married to my beautiful wife for 37 years and we have been blessed with a son aged 33, who is afflicted with ASD and Intellectual disability and lives with us. His afflictions have helped my wife and I to more firmly understand catholic dogma, become better catholics, lead prayer filled lives and great each new challenge we received with faith in our lord Jesus Christ.
