“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.”
2 Corinthians 4:5
We persevere in the Apostles’ teaching.
Jesus chose and called His Apostles—it was not the disciples who offered their services. They were no better than anyone else—their election remains a mystery. Before His resurrection, Jesus sent them to proclaim to Israel that the kingdom of God was near: through Him, God was present among His people. He gave the Apostles the authority to perform miracles to attest to God’s presence on earth (Mt 10:1-8). After His resurrection, He entrusted another mission to His Apostles. It was no longer a question of miracles—Jesus’s resurrection is the definitive proof of His divine sonship. Now, the Apostle’s task is to forgive sins (Jn 20:23), baptize and teach believers to follow what He has commanded them (Mt 28:19-20).
This is the same task that the Apostle Paul had and that the Apostles of today are fulfilling.
The Apostles proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Lord, that is to say, God. It is through the words and work of Jesus Christ that God reveals Himself to us. Everything the Bible says must be interpreted by Him.
The Apostles proclaim Christ’s teaching to us. Let us mention some important aspects of this:
- Jesus teaches us that salvation is eternal life. The Son of God did not come to earth to eradicate evil—Jesus Christ did not make disease, injustice, poverty, violence and corruption disappear in Israel. He did not protect His people from misfortune. He tells us how to behave in this world so that He can lead us into His kingdom;
- He teaches us that we must please God, not people. Our good deeds, offering and prayers are for God, not to impress humankind (Mt 6:1-6). What matters is the faith and love of the believers, not the size and splendor of their church;
- To please God, we must do His will. Jesus explained to the Jews that they could not be saved by following the Law of Moses. Simply because no one, except Him, is capable of perfect obedience to God. We can only be saved by grace. To find grace, we must believe in Jesus Christ, repent and forgive others;
- To believe in Jesus Christ is to believe in His divine sonship and His resurrection. But it is also about following Him. It is not simply a matter of remaining close to Him to get His help, it is a matter of following His example. We must act like Him and become like Him! We must learn to trust and love God as Jesus Christ did;
- Jesus teaches us that our love for God is measured by our love for our neighbor.
The Apostles carry this treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor 4:7). Their calling does not protect them from afflictions, as Paul’s example shows (2 Cor 12:7). They remain imperfect people. Paul criticized Peter for not behaving as he should (Gal 2:11-14). But he did not question his apostolate. The Apostle’s imperfection does not alter the value of the teaching of Jesus that they preach.
The Apostles do not preach themselves: they do not have the calling to force their ideas on the faithful, nor promote themselves. Peter was a very pious Jew who diligently attended the temple. But he agreed to proclaim that Gentiles did not have to obey the Law of Moses to be saved. Paul had a great deal of knowledge, acquired from the teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). But he left it aside to proclaim the gospel (Phil 3:8).
The Apostles serve the faithful: they are sent to communicate salvation to them. But the faithful are not the masters of the Apostles. The Apostles have only one Master, Jesus Christ. It is He who tells them what to do. He also sets the limits of their authority. In His encounter with the adulterous woman, Jesus Christ made it clear that no sinner is entitled to judge their neighbor. And in the parable of the wheat and tares (Mt 13:24-30), He forbade His servants to choose between the faithful. He and He alone will judge His own, and He will do so when He returns.
The Apostles teach us how to attain eternal life. We must believe in Christ and become like Him. The servant’s imperfection does not call into question the validity of Christ’s teaching. No one can take the place of Christ in judging others.