A Meditation for the Second Sunday of Easter: the Apostles, Representatives of Christ

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Categorised as Featured and published Saturday, April 18th, 2009
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A Meditation for Easter Day: This is the Day which brought us salvation
Meditation for the Third Sunday of Easter: if you love me, keep my commandments Right Arrow

Now, in the first place, as we all know, Christ chose twelve out of His disciples, whom He called Apostles, to be His representatives even during His own ministry. And He gave them the power of doing the wonderful works which He did Himself. Of course I do not say He gave them equal power (God forbid!); but He gave them a certain sufficient portion of His power. “He gave them power,” says St. Luke, “and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases; and He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” [Luke 9: 1, 2] And He expressly made them His substitutes to the world at large; so that to receive them was to receive Himself. “He that receiveth you, receiveth Me.” [Matthew 10: 40] Such was their principal power before His passion, similar to that which He principally exercised, viz. the commission to preach and to perform bodily cures. But when He had wrought out the Atonement for human sin upon the Cross, and purchased for man the gift of the Holy Ghost, then He gave them a higher commission; and still, be it observed, parallel to that which He Himself then assumed. “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” [John 20: 21-23] Here, then, the Apostles became Christ’s representatives in the power of His Spirit, for the remission of sins, as before they were His representatives as regards miraculous cures, and preaching His Kingdom.

From the sermon ‘The Christian Ministry’ (1834) Click here for the full text (leaves site)

(Picture: Ceiling mosaic of the Baptism of Christ with Apostles, Baptistery of Neon, Ravenna, Italy, 5th century AD. Credits: Hay Kranen. Copyright Licence)