Contents
Introduction
Having successfully concluded his retreat, Jesus officially begins his mission. As soon as he came down from the mountain, Jesus returned to Galilee still in the same power of the Spirit which descended on him after his baptism. Jesus taught in the Synagogues and everyone praised him. On this process of teaching, Jesus went to Nazareth where he had been brought up. On one of the Shabbaths, he went into the Synagogue as is his custom. When he stood up to read, the Scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he read his mission manifesto to the people (cf. Luke 4:16–21). According to Matthew, when Jesus came down from the wilderness, and with the withdrawal of John the Baptist, Jesus transferred to Capernaum, by the lake in the region of Zebulum and Nephtali, where he began his mission with the following words “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt 4:17). “In the Gospel according to Mark (1:15), we also read that as soon as John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and there proclaimed the Gospel saying.…
Moses and Elijah
Immediately after Jesus’ appearance changed, Moses and Elijah appeared on the scene. But why these two? The most likely explanation is that Moses the lawgiver appears as the representative of the old covenant and the promise of salvation, which was to be fulfilled in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. On the other hand, Elijah appears as the prophet of the eschaton – the end times (cf. Mal 4:5–6; Mark 9:11–13). Luke goes further and explains that both Moses and Elijah discussed the death of Jesus (cf. Luke 9:31). That is, both Luke, Matthew and Mark report that Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. But only Luke gave the content of this conversation. According to Luke, they appeared in glory and were speaking of Jesus’ departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Conclusion
Jesus has taken over from Moses and Elijah. He is now in-charge of every law, prophets and prophecy, and even of every life. Definitely, he did and he is still doing all things well. He is not like many politicians and religious leaders especially here in Nigeria, who buy their way to the offices just to work only for their selfish interests. In Jesus’ tenure, there was no iota of corruption. Do not ask me about many of our politicians and religious leaders. Because I am sure you know them better than I do. As indicated above, Luke underlines that Jesus went to the mountain to pray. And that his transformation took place while he was praying. Do not forget the importance of prayer in your life. But remember, God answers only the prayer of a just person (cf. Ps 15). Do not pray when you should work, and do not work when you should pray. The principles of time and season for everything (cf. Eccl 3:1) should be respected.
FOR DETAILS, GET YOUR OWN COPIES OF THE BOOK “THE WORD OF LIFE: SUNDAY REFLECTIONS” (vols. I‑II-III)!! The reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent © is found in vol. III pages 162–167. See also vol. I, pages 132–149. Happy reading!
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