Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 6, 2022 - Wednesday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 and Matt 10:1-7]Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. [Matthew]
Each of the four gospels was composed after Jesus' death and resurrection. They present us with four different portraits of Jesus, although Matthew and Luke seem to have had Mark's portrait as a resource in addition to the resources provided by witnesses in their own communities. The last of the four - the Gospel According to John - reflects considerable development in the understanding of Jesus' identity and mission. In short, the story of Jesus in each of the gospels was composed in the light of the current situation of the author and the community for which he wrote. In today's gospel passage from Matthew, a simple example is provided in the mention of the Twelve!
We know from the Acts of the Apostles [2:15-26] that the community was anxious to replace Judas so that the number of the apostles would remain at twelve! This shows some post-resurrection understanding of the identity of the Church as a "new Israel." The original Israel was composed of twelve tribes. In the list of names, Peter appears "first." This reflects his later designation [16:17-19] as the "rock" on which Jesus would "build" the Church. The mission of the Twelve in this passage is limited to healing and exorcism until the last chapter of the gospel when Jesus, after his resurrection, confers on them the mission to preach and teach. It is also limited to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," which may reflect the importance of the Twelve as a "new Israel."
The passage shows the humble and challenging beginnings of a reality of which we are all a part - members of the Body of Christ, founded on the apostles' witness as reported in the gospels and Acts of the Apostles and expanded in the letters of witnesses like St. Paul, St. John and their disciples. We continue their mission as baptized Christians. AMEN