The people of Israel, under the leadership of Moses, left Egypt, the land of bondage, and traveled towards the land of God’s promise. Three months into the journey, they reached Mount Sinai and encamped there at its base. By this time, they have experienced God’s favor in events such as the parting of the Red Sea, the drawing of Egyptian forces into the Red Sea, the provision of manna and quail for food, the provision of water from a rock, and victory over the tribe of Amalek. These events certainly taught them about God and about themselves as people chosen by God. But in this reading, for the first time they come to know what their vocation is. As a prelude to the covenant to be ratified later, God tells them through Moses that they are to obey Him and become a priestly and holy nation, offering worship that pleases Him. His plan of having a priestly nation came to be fulfilled only in the church redeemed and sanctified in the Holy Spirit by the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and nurtured through the mission of the apostles.

To understand the second reading, one should first know the difference between reconciliation (justification) and salvation. Reconciliation is something that takes place between two persons who are enemies to each other. Salvation means that those who participate share in one another’s life. The salvation of Christians will be complete when they live eternal life with bodily resurrection. Now, Christians before their baptism are sinners and enemies of God. In baptism, God makes and declares the sinners as reconciled to Him because of Jesus’ faithful atonement on the cross. Paul tells the Christians at Rome that if God has reconciled Himself with us even while we were sinners and His enemies, how much more we should be sure that He will share His life with us who are already reconciled. If God has volunteered to reconcile His enemies with Himself, He will volunteer in giving His life to us at the time of resurrection. Reconciliation is the merit due to the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross, while salvation, sharing God’s life in the body and soul, is the result of Christ’s life with the Father. That is the reason the church praises Jesus: “Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life.”

Commentators question the historicity of this passage, whether Jesus actually sent His disciples on missions during His earthly ministry. They often suggest that the mission of the apostles after Pentecost is being read into the earthly ministry of Jesus to validate the post-Easter mission motives of the apostles. Such an opinion is completely erroneous. The message they preached, that “The Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near” (10:7) and the command to preach only “to the lost sheep of Israel” (10:6) indicate that it took place during His earthly ministry.

Jesus actually sent His apostles on a mission to collect the remnant, the faithful who were waiting for the Kingdom of God—like Joseph of Arimathea—(Mk.15:43) so that He lays down His life for His sheep (Jn.10:17), the remnant inclusive of the apostles, who actually believe in Him. Therefore, there should be no doubt about the historicity of this passage. First, this passage is important, since it shows definitely Jesus’ intention of instituting apostolic ministry during His earthly ministry, as well as after His resurrection. Second, the apostles receive authority to cure diseases and to proclaim. The authority to teach will be given after His resurrection—it is after receiving the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost that they acquired the knowledge to teach. Third, Jesus’ command to pray to God for the harvesters indicates that the gospel (the message and availability of eternal life in Christ in His church) is a gift from God, and therefore, prayer to God is necessary; and the message must be preached by those who needed it most and received it.

Tertullian

“It is not believable that the apostles were either ignorant of the whole scope of the message which they had to declare, or failed to make known to all men the entire rule of faith.”

In Christ,

Fr. Devaraju Gangolu

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