18 April | Youth
«If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me.» John 10:37
Gone are the days when people were proud to represent institutions. Nowadays, many people prefer to pursue their personal interests, is it not so? The worst thing is that they assume this attitude even if it means raising contradictory flags or transforming whims into life ideals. Jesus would not adapt to a world like this. In the time he walked the Earth, He chose to represent Heaven, not Nazareth, the city where he g, nor the small village of Bethlehem, where he was born, or the Egyptian empire, which welcomed him as a baby. Jesus did not advocate his own cause, as Mathias was forced to do in the 1960s in Brazil, during the so-called “years of lead”.
At the time, a colonel sympathetic to the government made Mathias a personal enemy and shot him with the intention of killing him. This happened after persecuting and publicly insulting him for his political beliefs and for being the son of a Jew and a Black woman. Two people died in the shooting, including the colonel. Mathias escaped alive but would soon be charged with murder for acting in self-defense. The experts hid the colonel’s gun in order to distort the facts and incriminate Mathias.
On the day of the trial, in front of a popular jury, without a lawyer, Mathias defended himself. Few expect-ed him to be acquitted, but he managed to prove his innocence. How? Some of those who had witnessed the shooting had taken photos that helped clarify what happened in the small town of Bagé, on the border between Brazil and Uruguay.
In Judea, almost two thousand years ago, Someone was the target of many unjust accusations, from which no one defended Him. He did not do it either, because His only motivation was the sincere desire to honor Heaven, which He came to represent and present to a sinful humanity. In the times we live in, even if we have to defend ourselves, we need, like Jesus, to go further and take a different attitude when we are attacked and persecuted. We must cling to God, who is our Judge and Deliverer. He will never have any problems representing you in court.
And you? Would you have any difficulties or fears if you needed to represent Him due to unfair accusations? Or would you choose to protect yourself to ensure your own safety? It is something to think about.