Bible reading: Romans 4:13, 16-18; Psalm 105; Luke 12:8-12
As Jesus gained more and more followers, one would have expected Him to talk about the benefits of following Him. Contrary to expectation, He focused on the challenges involved.
Jesus doesn’t want anyone to follow Him with a false presumption. Many are those who follow Jesus today with a false presumption. Then, when circumstances burst their illusion, they get angry with God.
Today, Jesus hints to us that we need to declare for Him in the presence of people and that this declaration may cause opposition.
To begin with, let us look at what it means to declare to Jesus. It is not just talking about Him: it is to live for Him. It is to live according to His example and to witness to Him by living as He did. It is to witness to Him through a life of love, joy, forgiveness, peace, kindness to others and if necessary, with words. This is only possible by the working of the Holy Spirit.
When our attitudes contradict our faith, we are denying the Lord. Denial is not just our unwillingness to confess Jesus publicly with words, but our refusal to live Christ-like lives.
Again, Jesus warns us against blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is not saying something against the Holy Spirit per se, but a rejection of Jesus and the life, forgiveness and hope He promises. When we reject salvation in Jesus, we reject the Holy Spirit who convicts us and seeks to teach us the truth. Those who obstinately reject Jesus, by that very fact, reject salvation. It is a decision that bears on the eternal destiny of the soul.
Finally, Jesus tells us about the advocate. Often our worry is what to say in a particular circumstance. Jesus tells us not to worry about what to say – we have an advocate. He will teach us what to say. The Holy Spirit is our advocate; let us think about that. He does for us what a counselor/advocate does for his client. He teaches us what to say and He speaks in us, to us and for us. He is the wisdom of God; He is the Spirit of truth. However, we also need to have an intimacy with the Holy Spirit so that we can identify His voice, hear when He speaks and discern His voice from our confused thoughts.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on October 16, 2021