Everybody wants to live an authentic life. This is certainly the desire of the current age, and anything that stands in the way of this is seen as bad. In fact, for many people, anything that stands in the way of living a self-directed and authentic life is evil!
Into such a world steps Jesus, and he brings with him an invitation to live a life that is truly authentic and fulfilling. But it isn’t found in seeking self-fulfilment. Instead, the invitation of Jesus is an invitation to come to him to find true fulfilment. Then he invites us all to ‘take up our cross and follow him’, to leave behind the false promises of his age – and ours – and so to save our souls.
The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of the journey of Jesus, but it also tells our story too. Today, we begin to see how this story has such an impact on us as we seek to be authentic.