Have you ever thought of Jesus as rich? We usually see him depicted in the poverty of his first century carpenter garb. Sometimes he gets a sash where the disciples apparently did without. He gives hints of it sometimes. He tells Peter to fetch a coin from a fish’s mouth to pay their temple tax. One could take that to mean he did not have a lot of money or it could mean that he could get as much as he wanted.
I am struck by the first reading this week. Peter seeks a replacement for Judas but sets up incredibly high criteria. This person really has to be a witness of all that Jesus did, from the Baptism to the resurrection. Who can measure up. They not only come up with someone, they have two! Does Jesus have resources at his disposal of which I am oblivious? I think so.
I wonder how many times in my ministry I have not acted and planned as if my resources were the most important. Did I look around and forget that Jesus, the one who has everything, is standing right beside me. I had no idea that Joseph and Matthias even existed. Here are two men who apparently walked the shores of Galilee with Jesus. They were there when he opened the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf and made the lame to walk. Joseph and Matthias saw Jesus feed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish, raise the dead, and drive out demons. And we did not not know they even existed.
God continues to amaze and surprise us. This week as we conclude this years Easter season, Jesus who has risen from the dead has risen to bless you.
