Forgiveness

This past week I watched 'The Railway Man', a movie, based on a true story, depicting the traumatic experience and aftermath of a British soldier in a Japanese POW camp during World War II. The highlight of the movie was how the British prisoner - Eric Lomax - endured severe brutality at the hands of Japanese interrogators and still found courage, years after the war, to forgive one of his tormentors.

This made me think of an incident in the gospel when Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should we forgive those who sin against us?" Forgiving someone, especially one who has caused us harm that is not easy to forget, is very hard. Yet forgiveness is one of Christ's most radical messages to humanity, one that will effectively transform our world if embraced by all.

Consider how Christ was beaten, scourged and crucified to death by the people of his day. A doctor describes the crucifixion below:

The patibulum was put on the ground and the victim laid upon it. Nails, about 7 inches long and with a diameter of 1 cm ( roughly 3/8 of an inch) were driven in the wrists. The points would go into the vicinity of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain to radiate through the arms. It was possible to place the nails between the bones so that no fractures (or broken bones) occurred. Studies have shown that nails were probably driven through the small bones of the wrist, since nails in the palms of the hand would not support the weight of a body. In ancient terminology, the wrist was considered to be part of the hand. (Davis) Standing at the crucifixion sites would be upright posts, called stipes, standing about 7 feet high.(Edwards) In the center of the stipes was a crude seat, called a sedile or sedulum, which served a support for the victim. The patibulum was then lifted on to the stipes. The feet were then nailed to the stipes. To allow for this, the knees had to be bent and rotated laterally, being left in a very uncomfortable position. The titulus was hung above the victim's head. (Complete article here)

Even though Christ suffered some of the most severest agonies every devised by man, he still uttered these unforgettable words on the cross:

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34 NIV)

Peter asked, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?”
Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven." (Matt. 18:21-22 MSG)

Forgiveness is essential in our quest to be Christ-like. Henri Nouwen said: Forgiveness is the well at the center of God’s Village. It is the antidote to the world's bacterial miseries. It sets apart God's kingdom from man's kingdom. It is the one thing that defined Christ's message to an unforgiving creation.

A tale of two traitors

When Jesus was arrested two of his disciples - Peter and Judas Iscariot - were guilty of denying and betraying their Master. Judas' betrayal is obvious, he is incredibly dissatisfied with his Master when a woman lovingly anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. Judas argued that the perfume could have been spent on the poor (as if Judas was concerned about the poor) only for Jesus to rebuke him and praise the woman. (Matt. 26)

Peter, on the other hand, was found making bold statements, for example he said he would rather 'die' than betray his Savior. At the hour of reckoning both Peter and Judas abandoned Jesus in every way possible. Judas betrayed his Lord to the religious authority for thirty pieces of silver. Peter denied the Lord in front of a crowd gathered at the trial. Both had sinned and both cried bitterly over it.

The reactions of these two disciples in relation to their sins are something for a Christian to take note of in his/her life following Jesus. At times we end up committing a grave sin against our fellow man or God, and we think that the Lord is unforgiving and vengeful towards us for it. A look at this episode of Peter and Judas tells us something different from what our carnal mind so often conceives about God.

Judas was disgusted with himself, 'I betrayed innocent blood' he said. He tries to return the 'blood money' to the Pharisees and runs away. Here, he is tormented with guilt by Satan and is eventually driven towards suicide. Judas' fate reminds us why we are wrong to judge God's forgiveness as limited in its reach and select to only a few. In the end it was Judas himself who was unforgiving rather than God.

Peter was equally upset over his denial but he still hung out with the other apostles. He waited and waited, and when he heard of Jesus' resurrection he literally ran into the empty tomb. The ever impulsive Peter still had a glimmer of hope inside him that Christ was ready to forgive. And how right he was! Peter jumped from his boat and into the water, he swam to the shore to reach where his friend - the Lord Jesus - stood. (John 21:7)

God, as revealed by his Son Jesus, is ever patient in his forgiveness. When Jesus and Simon Peter were reconciled the two had this interesting conversation with each other.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17 NIV)

Pasolini's 'Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo'

"I may be an unbeliever, but I am an unbeliever who has a nostalgia for a belief." - Pier Paolo Pasolini

Recently I watched both the new movie 'Son of God' and the 1964 Italian movie "Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo" - The Gospel According to St. Matthew - directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. After watching both movies, I have to say that Pasolini's is by far the most compelling of the two. In it I saw perhaps the most realistic reenactment of the story of Jesus Christ. The movie itself is considered by many to be a cinematic masterpiece. Shot entirely in black and white, the movie is void of romanticism or melodrama. Simply put, Pasolini puts the gospel account of Matthew as it is and in the style of Italian neorealism. He chose non-professional actors to work in his film, he cast his own mother as Mary, and his Jesus was an unknown economics student named Enrique Irazoqui. The Jesus depicted by Irazoqui is perhaps the best on-screen portrayal of Christ I have ever seen.

Enrique Irazoqui as Jesus

Pasolini's movie, when it came out, was intensely criticized by both the religious right and the secular left. The director was a Marxist and a homosexual. Why would someone like him direct a film on Christ's story? Once Pasolini read through the entire gospel story while waiting for the Pope before a meeting. After that he decided to film the story of Jesus. Pasolini depicted Christ as the greatest revolutionary to have walked the Earth.

When someone has read the story of Christ it is hard for him/her to not feel drawn to that one personality that forever changed the course of history. Pier Paolo Pasolini was a homosexual, but that did not stop him from being drawn to the brilliance of Christ's character. Perhaps we, as Christians, need to learn that Christ's message refuses to be locked into the boxes of either conservatism or liberalism.

I highly recommend 'The Gospel according to St. Matthew' by Pier Paolo Pasolini to those who are looking for both a scriptural portrayal of Christ and a masterpiece.

THAT'S MY KING!

The following sermon was preached by S. M. Lockridge:

The Bible says my King is a seven-way king
He's the King of the Jews
He's the King of Israel
He's the King of Righteousness
He's the King of the Ages
He's the King of Heaven
He's the King of Glory
He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King.
Well....I wonder, do you know Him?

David said, "The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork."
My King is a sovereign King.
No means of measure can define His limitless love.
No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply.
No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings.
He's enduringly strong.
He's entirely sincere.
He's eternally steadfast.
He's immortally graceful.
He's imperially powerful.
He's impartially merciful.
Do you know Him?

He's the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world.
He's God's Son.
He's the sinner's Savior.
He's the centerpiece of civilization.
He stands in the solitude of Himself.
He's august and He's unique.
He's unparalleled.
He's unprecedented.
He is the loftiest idea in literature.
He's the highest personality in philosophy.
He is the supreme problem in higher criticism.
He's the fundamental doctrine of true theology.
He is the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion.
He's the miracle of the age.
He's -- yes He is -- He is the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him.

He's the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Savior.
I wonder if you know Him today?
He supplies strength for the weak.
He's available for the tempted and the tried.
He sympathizes and He saves.
He strengthens and sustains.
He guards and He guides.
He heals the sick.
He cleansed the lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captives.
He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young.
He serves the unfortunate.
He regards the aged.
He rewards the diligent....and He beautifies the meek.
I wonder if you know Him?

Well, my King....He is the King!
He's the key to knowledge.
He's the wellspring of wisdom.
He's the doorway of deliverance.
He's the pathway of peace.
He's the roadway of righteousness.
He's the highway of holiness.
He's the gateway of glory.
Do you know Him?

Well, His office is manifold.
His promise is sure....and His light is matchless.
His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting.
His love never changes.
His word is enough.
His grace is sufficient.
His reign is righteous.
And His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.
I wish I could describe Him to you, but He's indescribable -- Yes He is!? He is God!
He's incomprehensible.
He's invincible.
He's irresistible.
Well, you can't get Him out of your mind.
You can't get Him off of your hand.
You can't out live Him, and you can't live without Him.

The Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him.
Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree.
Herod couldn't kill Him.
Death couldn't handle Him, and the grave couldn't hold Him.
Yea!!!, that's my King, that's my King.

Yes, and Thine is the Kingdom....and the Power....and the Glory....Forever....and ever, and ever, and ever -- How long is that? And ever, and ever.

And when you get through with all of the forevers, then. AMEN!

Transcipt courtesy of Sermon Index.

Was Jesus just a prophet and a great moral teacher?

“Jesus was a great moral teacher.” - Richard Dawkins

"Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or He was Divine." - C.S. Lewis

One of the most commonly held beliefs about Jesus Christ among people is the perception that Jesus was just a prophet or a good moral teacher. If this is true then Jesus, it seems, was just one one among thousands of prophets and teachers. In other words, Jesus was nothing special.

However, the Bible says otherwise. In this post I will present six points from scriptures that say Jesus was anything but just another good teacher.

- - -

1. Exclusivity

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)

No moral teacher claims that his ways are the only ways. Christ said it was either his way or the highway which by his own words led to 'destruction' (Matt. 7:13). He claimed that he has the key to salvation and he holds it alone. He also claimed that, not only does he have possession of the truth, but he is the truth.

2. Demanding Love

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37 NIV)

No moral teacher would ever teach his disciples to love him more than his parent or loved ones. Confucius taught 'filial piety' - which is living life centered on obedience towards one's parents. Christ said that such should be our love for him that our love for our loved ones would pale in comparison. He wants us to live for him alone.

3. Comparing himself to God

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9 NIV)

Any moral teacher would teach us to obey God. Some religions, like Islam, wouldn't dare allow any type of comparison with God. But Christ... he...uh... compared himself with God and he did it routinely! He claimed to be God's Son (John 3:16). Once Philip said, "Show us the Father, Jesus." Jesus replied, "You've seen me, haven't you?"

4. Authority

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. (Mark 2:10 NIV)

No moral teacher ever claimed to have authority to forgive sins. Buddha said, 'you must meditate', Muhammad: 'you must pray', and Krishna: 'you must devote'. But Christ forgave sins, he said,"I will meditate, I will pray, and I will devote." (1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 4:15)

Christ also claimed authority to give his own life and take it up again (John 10:18). No moral teacher has ever claimed that sort of authority.

5. Promises

Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24 NIV)

No moral teacher ever claimed to give promises he couldn't keep. They say, "do this and that and you may have salvation." Jesus said, "You believe in me and you will have salvation." He said, "I am going to prepare mansions for you in heaven." (John 14:2-3)

6. Sacrifice

No moral teacher ever laid down his life for others. No moral teacher would hand himself over to death so that others might come to life. The cross of crucifixion is the ultimate distinction between Jesus and other teachers/prophets. It is the cross which makes Jesus complete as the redeemer, and others incomplete.

- - -

These things are those that make Jesus who he is. Do you still believe he was just another moral teacher? Read his story and judge for yourself.

(For more about the man who was more than just a prophet, read 'The Man from Galilee'.)

The day God tore the veil

I have always been a little next to reluctant on whether I want to celebrate Christmas or not. This year, however, I have decided I want to celebrate Christmas not as many people would but quietly in my heart. I would remember the significance of the day on which Christ was born into our world (whether that day falls on 25th December or not). Upon remembering this day, I think of God's awesome ways in dealing with his creation of humanity. With this post let me tell you about the things of Christmas that strike me the most.

God's ways are not compatible with the way of the world. Whereas the world roots for the strong, God favors the weak. This is best summed up by Mary's magnificat:

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53 NIV)

The world's idea of royalty is elevation above the common, God's idea is very different - in fact it is the complete opposite of man's. Even though Mary and Joseph belonged to the lineages of Abraham and king David they were poor and handicapped by their social status as commoners. Sure they did have kings and queens as their ancestors, but they also had Rahab (a prostitute), Bathsheba (an adulteress who sinned with David) and Ruth (a Moabite whose race was born from incest by Lot and his daughter). Still they were chosen to be parents of the Son of God.

Mary was a virgin and the virgin birth of Christ symbolized the concept of 'Last Adam'. Just as the 'birth' of Adam was not of natural means so was the birth of Jesus. Even more striking is this - the first Adam was God creating life, the last Adam was God entering life. The prophet Isaiah said,

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)

Immanuel means 'God with us'. The idea of God penetrating the veil of space and time and actually dwelling among us is mind boggling. Mary, Joseph, the wise men and all who were present at the time of Christ's birth knew this and this was their reason for bowing down to the child.

Before Christ, a vast gulf existed between humanity and God. Man's efforts to bridge that gap comprised of religion, and like most of man's efforts it failed. God, however, chose to bridge that gap himself and this was done through the person of Jesus Christ - the Son of God.

In the temple of Solomon, there was a veil that existed between man and the inner sanctuary - The Holy of Holies. The veil is a symbol of a wall that existed between creation and the Creator. It was torn apart on the day of the crucifixion of Christ, thus completing the bridge between God and man. In order to connect with humanity God became a human being. He emptied himself of all the glories of the divine and became humble - a nobody.

...he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:7 NIV)

And through the likeness of a servant he became our brother. As the Hebrew writer says,

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:11 NLT)

What must have Mary felt as she held the infant Christ in the palm of her hands? Here was the creator of all things - fragile in the hands of creation. I made you and yet I am here in your hands. Today, can we be bold enough to do good things to our friends and neighbors and yet lay humble before them?

True humility cannot come unless we like Christ have emptied ourselves. True humility, which is to think of everyone better than ourselves, cannot come until we allow Christ to take the reins as he himself says,

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29 NIV)

For more about my thoughts on Jesus Christ read my book 'The Man from Galilee'.

Christ or religion?

"No...No... I don't need religion. Religion has often been the source of the world's troubles. That's the last thing I'd need!"

I often hear these words when someone shares the gospel with an atheist or agnostic. Do we Christians preach a 'religion' when we share the gospel? I for one would certainly not preach a religion to any person. I came out of a religious system, and It would not be right to burden someone with what I myself was not able to bear. However the most important question for a Christian in this issue remains: "Did Christ preach a religion?"

Religion often consist of rituals and traditions. When we look back on Christ's earthly life do we see him teaching his disciples to adhere to any sort of ritual? We know for sure that Christ was heavily opposed to the traditions and superstitions of his day. On many instances, Christ was furious at those teaching traditions as God's commandments. One such incident was when Jesus and his disciples ate with unwashed hands in the presence of the Pharisees.

"Why do you break our tradition of washing the hands before eating?" The self-righteous Pharisees questioned Jesus. Jesus' reply wasn't exactly polite (see Matt. 15:3-9). Later he explained to Peter,

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” (Matthew 15:17-20 NIV)

What we can know for sure is that Christ wasn't interested in bringing a new religion for the masses. He wasn't interested in styling himself as some sort of rule-maker or anything like that. He was interested in the transformation of human lives. He was interested in the changing of human hearts, and bringing about a new creation not born of corrupt human ideals but of God.

Jesus also said,

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3 NIV)

What does a child know about religion? When I was a child all I knew was that my dad was my hero and I wanted to be like him. It was when I started growing up that I found out about religion. And with religion came walls of enmity between me, a Hindu, and my friends, Muslims and other non-Hindus. It took a loving and compassionate Christ to tear down these walls built by religion.

So what did Christ preach if he didn't preach religion? Quite simple, he preached the love and compassion of God - the good news. He urged all to enter into an undying relationship of love with God. "Remain in me," said Christ, "and I will remain in you." He demonstrated his own love for us on the cross, by dying for us.