Restoration and Mission: The Call of Discipleship
December 7, 2024 - Saturday, Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Matt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
In today's first reading, the prophet Isaiah offers a message of hope and restoration, reminding us that God hears our cries and will guide us, providing sustenance and healing. The phrase "This is the road; follow it" (Is 30:21) emphasizes the importance of following God’s direction in a world filled with competing voices, each offering different paths to happiness and fulfillment. For us, however, Jesus is the Way! We are called to "follow Christ," for only in Him do we find the true path to abundant life and genuine happiness.
This theme of restoration continues in Psalm 147, where the psalmist praises God for rebuilding Jerusalem and gathering the exiles. This rebuilding is not only physical but also spiritual. The God who creates and sustains the universe is the same God who cares for His people, healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds. This divine care reflects God’s constant work of redemption and renewal. Just as He brought the exiles back to Jerusalem, God is continually working to bring us back to Him, offering healing and restoration for our brokenness.
In the Gospel, Jesus sees the people as "harassed and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt 9:36). If you read The Jewish War by Josephus, written around 80 AD, you would understand what Jesus meant by that phrase. The book narrates the circumstances that led to the war between the Jews and the Romans from 66 to 74 AD. It describes the leadership of Herod the Great, his sons, and the Roman procurators as filled with bloodshed, violence, injustice, and deception. One wonders how ordinary people could survive under such circumstances. And so, when the sheep are oppressed by their shepherds, God Himself comes to rescue them.
"The harvest is great" means that the people were ready for God's reign. They had enough of Herod's and Rome’s reign. But the problem is that there was no one to announce the coming of God's reign to them. That "the workers are few" is an understatement. So far, there were only two—first John the Baptist, and then Jesus. Now, it is time to gather more workers for the harvest. The apostles were chosen in response to the prayer addressed to the Lord of the harvest for more workers (Mt 9:38; Lk 6:12). Up until that moment, they had been spectators, watching Jesus perform great works. From then on, they were to become participants in Jesus' mission.
The initial scope of that mission was limited to the lost sheep of Israel. The mission to the Gentiles would come after Jesus' resurrection. Their message was the same as that of John the Baptist and Jesus: "The kingdom of heaven is near." It was to be an itinerant mission, and to fulfill it, they were equipped with Jesus' miraculous powers: to heal, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. This mission to restore and bring healing mirrors Isaiah’s vision of God’s restoration of His people.
As Christians, we are called to participate in this mission. Like the apostles, we are tasked with spreading the message of the Kingdom of God, bringing healing to those in need, and offering hope to the lost. The mission field is vast, and many people today, like the harassed sheep of Jesus' time, are in desperate need of the Gospel. Saint Francis Xavier’s words still ring true—many are waiting to hear the message of Christ’s love and redemption, but there are too few workers to bring it to them. Let us be among those workers who go and proclaim God's Kingdom to those who are lost and in need of His love.