" Inviting the poor from Gates of poverty into the wealth " by Jaya Jesudas Pudi, Gurukul

Text: Luke 16: 19 -31

            In August 08, 2006 a small story was printed in ‘India Today’ magazine. Once there was a rich man, who was living a luxurious life with all kinds of bliss and rich accommodations. He became rich without any experience of pains and strivings and struggling. He had only one son about 10 yrs of age, whom he loved so much. Once he took his son to his native village and showed him the poverty of the villagers. After the trip got over and returned back to his city, that rich man asked his son about the poverty. His son replied, “Dad, we have only one dog, they have four. We have a small swimming pool, they have a Long River. We have lights, they have stars. We have small piece of land, they have large fields. We have servants to serve us, they serve others. We buy food, they grow theirs. The boy’s father was speechless. Then boy said, “Thanks dad, for showing me how poor we are”. Later his father realized what was lacking in his life, even though he was blessed with so many riches. He gets to realize the pains of the poor who were really struggling for their livelihood.

            Friends, we are gifted with so many riches of life with what we are enjoying the pleasure of it ourselves, but not bothering about the needs of others especially poor, who are not able to meet their daily needs. Being selfish, we are neglecting and despising them. We are keeping them outside the gate and not inviting them to share our riches with them. They always remain in poverty. The following passage gives us a good example to the so called people who are lovers of money and not caring the poor.

In this passage, preceding verses and chapters, The Lord Jesus has been speaking to the crowds, among who are money-loving Pharisees. They are not at all pleased with what they have seen and heard from Jesus. They grumbled against Jesus for receiving sinners and even eating with them (Luke 15:2). In response to this, Jesus told three parables, all of which dealt with the finding of something lost in chapter 15. In chapter 16, we can see the grumbling of the Pharisees turned sour—to scoffing.

Jesus’ teaching in verses 14-18 is in response to the scoffing of the money-loving Pharisees. The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of righteousness (Deut 28: 11-13). The savior himself and most of his followers are poor, and rich men are very apt to despise what they consider the cheap Quixotism of the views of pious human concerning, the best use of riches, when those men are themselves are poor. Jesus startled them with this story in which a diseased beggar is rewarded and the Dives (rich man) is punished. He taught them to act in spirit and have the quality of neighborliness, and need to help others with their money and things.

“Having Neighborliness” as a Barometer of soul (19-26)

            Jesus Christ introduced the rich man without any details respecting his age, place of residence and nameless too. He lived a life of royal magnificence and boundless luxury. His apparel seems to be purple and fine linen a royal precious thing scarcely used by princes and nobles of very high degree. Everything with him that could make life splendid and joyous was in profusion. In striking contrast to the life of dives paints the life of a beggar Lazarus, derived from Hebrew word “El-ezer” (meaning= god help) (should not be confused with the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from dead in john 11. This giving of name to person in this parable nowhere else recorded in any gospel records of parable teachings of Jesus. He is represented as utterly unable to win his bread. He was a constant sufferer, covered with sores, wasting under the dominion of incurable disease. The crumbs of bread from dives he ate signify the broken fragments which the servants of the dives toss to the poor beggar man as he lay by the gate (greek ‘pulon’). These dogs adds additional color to the picture of the utter helplessness of the diseased sufferer, there he lay, and as he lay, the rough homeless dogs would lick his un bandaged wounds as they passed on the forage.

            At last kind death came and relieved Lazarus of his sufferings. His dismissal, as might have been expected because of deadly disease. He was carried by the angels by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. Some scholars interpret the words that body as well as soul was carried by angels into paradise. The term “Abraham’s bosom” (Gk- kolpos) was used by Jews indifferently with ‘Garden of Eden’ or ‘under the throne of glory’ for the home of happy. The idea of suffering does not live in those first words regarding Lazarus but, in ‘being in torments’. The very fact of the man’s being unhappy is gently represented. The home of the, loving, where Abraham was, would be no home for that selfish man who had never really loved or cared or considered as his neighbor. He saw for himself. Torments might or might not be the material flame. It is rather the burning never to be satisfied. In the case of dives, his delight on earth seems to have been society, pleasant jovial company, the being surrounded by a crowd of admiring friends, the daily banquet, the gorgoreous apparels and the stately house. But in the other world his soul seems to have been quite alone. Lazarus had sweet companion ship of Abraham. Some see this in relationship of child to parent (john 1: 18). 

            The rich man’s attitude to the great patriarch (Abraham) is deferential, for he addresses him as ‘father’ and words his request humbly enough. Unconscious arrogance in his attitude to Lazarus can be seen in asking to send a drop of water with finger of Lazarus. He assumes that he can have the poor man(Lazarus) sent across to him a service (unless his words mean no more than that he was ready to accept the alienation. He has not realized that earth’s values no longer apply. Abraham gives a reasonable refusal to the request his addressing dives as ‘child’ is tender. In life the rich man had had his good things. He could have spent time with the things of God and delighted in the word of God. He could have engaged in alms giving (Lazarus had been close enough). For him good things had been purple linen, daily merriment and feastings. Here the balance is redressed. Justice is done.

Friends, what’s the point here is….

Jesus is saying that riches don't count for anything after we die and our souls depart, but that isn't the thrust of this parable. According to me, he is making two points.

   1. Wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness.

   2. If we close our eyes to the truth we are given, then we are doomed.

In the context, Jesus is condemning the Pharisees not only for their love of money but lack of mercy for the poor and not having the sense of neighborliness. Once he has already commented about their scrupulous tithing? "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rues and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone" (Luke 11:42). It isn't their piety that he is condemning, but what they aren’t doing i.e., showing mercy to the poor, seeking justice for the downtrodden. It is ironic that the Pharisees who prided themselves on being such Bible scholars largely missed the spirit of the Old Testament i.e., mercy and justice. As the teachers of the scriptures they need to have neighborliness towards poor. Thus, they can be called as spiritual preceptors but not so. We are also in the same situations. As bible toting Christians we need to recognize the lord and his love in the poor

“Recognizing the lord in poor” as the scriptural perception (27-31)

For the first time in the story the rich man (Dives) shows some interest in others (though still not of the poor, he sticks to his own). He asks that his 5 brothers may be warned. In his deep seated sense of superiority remains. In contrast is Lazarus impressive silence throughout the parable. He does not speak at all. He neither complains of his hard lot on earth, nor grudges over the dives after death, nor is expresses resentment at the latter endeavors to have to have him sent on errands. Throughout he accepts what god sends him. Abraham points to the scriptures Moses (writers of law) and prophets (16v). The scriptures give the brothers all they need. There is an implication that the rich man’s unpleasant situation was due not to his riches, but to his neglect of scripture and its teaching. But the rich man does not agree. He knows how he had reacted to the possession of the bible. So he says that if someone goes to them from the dead things will be different. That will bring them to repentance. Such is the fallacy of the natural man.

The parable concludes with Abraham’s solemn affirmation that the appearance of one risen from the dead will bring no conviction to those who refuse to accept scripture. If a man (Jesus) cannot be humane with the Old Testament in his hand and Lazarus on his doorstep, nothing or neither a visitant from the other world nor the revelation of the horrors of hell will teach him otherwise.

At the end of the gospel, we are told of two, whose hearts were “strangely warned” when the scriptures were interpreted to them. They were walking on the road to Emmaus. A stranger joined them and began to explain the law and prophets. When evening came, the two insisted that the weary stranger share their table with them. Then, as they shared their bread with the stranger, they recognized their lord in the stranger. Perhaps if the rich man had tended Lazarus needs and invited from the gates into his home and share a meal with him, he too would have recognized lord in the poor Lazarus who had always been a stranger to him.

Did the 5 brothers ever get the message? We are not told; for that is the question the parable leaves us to answer. Each of us needs to write our own ending to the story.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats teaches similar lessons.

    "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

    They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

    He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:41-46)

Friends.... Wealth is not bad. After all, Abraham was wealthy. But wealth brings with it certain responsibilities, a certain stewardship. We will give an accounting for how we handle the wealth God has given us. We have relative wealth. Perhaps not relative to our own culture, but relative to the global village that we can affect with our giving. We will give an accounting.

We are Scripture-toting Christians who have the benefit of the scriptures. If we don’t notice and minister to the poor, what excuse will we have? In the final analysis, the rich man's punishment is not for riches, but for neglect of the scriptures and what they teach. That doesn't mean we should give out of guilt or give unwisely or give to whoever cries the loudest. Instead, we are to give out of the love of God within us. Not selfishly to assuage our guilt, but selflessly to care for someone else's needed.

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is about Money, wealth and self-centeredness. At the same instance, it is especially a parable about mercy -- mercy now!

I go back to the story what I told in my introduction. The son of the rich man who made his father speechless, become the inheritor of his father’s property after his death. Immediately, he spent half of his income for the upliftment of his native village. Just imagine if each and every one of us have the same motto.

Friends............... What are we doing for the Poor?

As disciples we are asking: What should we learn from this? Jesus, what are you saying to us today?

In a sense, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus teaches a similar lesson to that of the Unjust Steward (16:1-9). We can use our money in a way that secures for us secure eternal damnation, or in a way that secures us friends in eternal habitations who will welcome us. But there's more. William Barclay titles this passage, "The Punishment of the Man Who Never Noticed."  Lazarus was at his door and the rich man didn't notice or invite.

Who is at our door that we as a Christians and as a church don't invite?

    * Needy illegal aliens who avoid the social welfare system for fear of being deported?

    * Divorced moms with kids who are living below the poverty level but are too proud to ask for help?

    * Families where the breadwinner is sick or shiftless or missing?

    * The poor in third world countries who are out of sight and out of mind?

Don’t forget that we are living in an unexplained world, where the poor walks miles and miles to gain food. And the rich walks miles and miles to digest the food. Let us act and invite poor from the gates of poverty to wealth. Let the doors be shut with no one remaining outside. Amen   

[Jaya Jesudas Pudi, the preacher of this sermon, is a final year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Instiute, Chennai, India.]

Open Door - by Rev.Fr.Zerah Paul, Gurukul

Text: Rev. 3: 7-13

The Author of the book introduces himself in the opening sentence of the book as “God’s servant John”. He frequently refers to himself in the work most commonly as a prophet, but never as an apostle. In this respect he differs markedly from Paul.

In the book of Revelation written by John, the second and third chapters deal with the letter to seven churches. The portion assigned for today’s meditation is Ch: 3.7-13. This text deals with the letter to the church at Philadelphia. Philadelphia was located 28 miles southeast of Sardis. Both Sardis and Philadelphia suffered extensive damage in a great earthquake in AD 17. The message to the church at Philadelphia is most probably an assurance of the entrance into a new age. Philadelphia gained a position of certain commercial importance in the politico-economic context of the Roman Empire. Yet it had many contradictions as some of the typical Greco-Roman cities. The actual town had few inhabitants but the majority lived as farmers in the countryside. Because of the rich volcanic soil available, the farmers of the place heavily depended on viticulture. Their lives were in fact a life of great endurance, for which they are highly commented in the letter. The whole letter is dominated by the sure and certain prospect of life in the Kingdom of God.

In this passage I focus only on one verse i.e. verse 8 “I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut”. This statement which describes how the exalted Christ has used his power of opening and shutting on behalf of the Philadelphian community may be an allusion to the introduction to the oracle about Cyrus in Isa: 45.1, signifying God’s ultimate dominance over the course of history in creating hopes for the broken and repressed people. This reflection is going to be focused on the question of the meaning of this “open door” metaphor?

 There are essentially 2 possible meanings.

1. Opportunities for effective evangelization, especially the conversion of Jews
2. Guaranteed access to eschatological salvation i.e. entrance into the messianic kingdom.

The metaphor of the open door is found twice in the undisputed letters of Paul (1 cor. 16:9, 2 cor.2:12) and also occurs in col.4:3 and Acts.14:27.In all these contexts it means that opportunities to proclaim the gospel have been made possible. It is therefore probable that the metaphor has a fixed meaning among the Christians and refers to opportunities for evangelization. However, the fact that missionary activity is never mentioned elsewhere in revelation and hence such an emphasis does not allow us to take this meaning as granted.

It is an open door that will introduce a new dimension of John’s vision. That privilege afforded John to enter, to see, and to enjoy the glory of God is now accorded to the least promising of the churches. It is a promise from Christ to a church which is weak. Christ is an open door to all people mainly for the weak, oppressed and marginalized. As disciples of Jesus we should imitate him in being an open door to help people have entry into God’s glory. When we examine the history of our communities we can see several men and women of God who have acted as open doors inviting people to come and share in the glory of God. Francis Assisi, Ambedkar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mother Teresa etc...Etc…They helped the poor people by uplifting them from the marginal existence to a life with restored human dignity. Because of their willingness to offer themselves as a medium, revealing God’s will through their lives the poor could break all sorts of bondages. They in turn became open doors for others to reveal messianic kingdom experiences in our world today.

Let me conclude with an incident that happened in the life of the renowned saint by name Francis Assisi. One day he went to visit some leprosy patients. There he could see people who could not sleep, walk or even eat because of the severity of their diseases and rotting ulcers on their body. So he started going there every day and helped these patients by giving them food and cleansing their wounds. After some days of his visit many of the patients were getting cured. One cured person came to him and asked “Are you really the risen Christ”? Because he felt God’s healing and comforting presence in St.Francis Assissi. Do anyone, ever ask us a similar question? If the answer is no, why is it so?

So this passage challenges us to become open doors to other people who are weak oppressed and marginalised. We had such a person in our midst, who lived out his life as an open door showing people way to God’s liberating glory. It was none other than our former Director emeritus Dr. K. Rajaratnam, who as we all know was a champion of Dalit liberation. Let us all decide to follow Jesus as being open doors to guide people to realization of God’s kingdom in our midst.

 [Rev.Fr. Zerah Paul, the leader of this meditation, is a third year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

An ecological reading of John 4: 3-15 by Fourth Year Students of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute

Withering lands to Renovated Earth

The word Ecology is derived from two Greek terms oikos (house) and logos (knowledge). The term ‘house’ is one of the most powerful analogies used in the Bible to depict the relationship between God and creation. Ecology defines the experiential approach of relating the whole cosmos as our house. Ecology, economics, ecumenics are all derived from this common root oikos. This symbolism of the earth as our common home evokes the communal and inter-relational nature of life on earth, touching into felt experiences of safety and shelter, house or habitat, justice and security.

The passage John 4:3-15, talks about the meeting of Jesus and a woman in Sychar, a Samaritan town. The time of this conversation, on the sixth hour, still arises a question whether it happened at noon (according to Jewish time calculations) or in the evening (according to Roman time calculations).

 A story parallel to Jesus and Samaritan woman can be seen in Buddhist traditions also, where Aananda, Buddha’s favorite disciple ask a girl of chandala caste who is drawing water from the well for a drink.

The meeting of Jesus and the woman near a well in Samaria can be viewed and understood in various perspectives. In this paper we are trying to interpret this text in an ecological perspective.

Reaffirming the inherent worth of land

Samaria was a region of Palestine comprising the northern kingdom of Israel created when north and south split after the death of Solomon. The region was named after its capital city, Samaria.

Samaria was a country beautifully diversified with mountain and hill, valley and plain.  The extremely fertile soil had resulted in the growth of vines, olives, fruit trees, barley, wheat (v.4:35) etc.  Josephus speaks about excellent grass, by reason of which the cows yield more milk than those in any other place. This city was built during the reign of King Omri and later became the capital of Northern Israel. The name "Samaritans" clearly applies to the Israelite inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom.

But as results of the colonisation and continuous invasions by the empires (e.g Babylon and Assyrians), many people are deported to other lands and replaced with foreigners. As a result, a mixed tribe gradually began to develop in that area. Moreover the influence of foreign cultures has led the land to adopt idol worship. Because of this, Jews regarded this place as the ‘land of heathens’ and the people as a "mixed race" contaminated by foreign blood and false worship. As a result many Jews avoided the journey through Samaria and chose a long route across the Jordan and up through Perea to travel between Judea and Galilee. In other words, for jews Jerusalem is the holy place and Samaria is a cursed place. Similarly there was theological opposition for jews to worship in the land of Jerusalem.

From this passage it is clear that Jesus deliberately chose his way to Galilee through Samaria not only to deconstruct the notions of purity and pollution, but also to reaffirm the intrinsic worth of the land of Samaria. Here, Jesus rejects the very concept of division of land based on ‘purity’ of blood.

 Every land has its own worth. The value of a land exists within the natural order.  The worth of a land is determined neither by its residing people nor by its utilitarian value for human beings. In v. 21 Jesus tries to say that no piece of land is a perfect entity or more holy than others and hence the true worship should not be confined to a particular area or place.

The term used to signify a territory in earlier times in Kerala was Amsham (which means a portion). Now this term is considered as an apt word that used to indicate that the particular land was not an entity but only a part of the whole cosmos.

The Earth was so good when God created it. But later due to the dualistic Cartesian concept, nature was considered as a resource for human utility. This dualism in turn resulted in the subjugation of nature by man and gave rise to a new world view in which nature is inert and passive; uniform and mechanistic; separable and fragmented within itself; separate from man and inferior to be dominated and exploited by human. 

In Indian cosmology, the nature as prakriti is an expression of shakthi, the powerful creative principle of the cosmology, in conjunction with the masculine principle Purusha.  Prakriti is considered as sacred and is worshipped as Adi Shakti. In contrast to the Cartesian system, Indian cosmology considers person and nature (Purusha-Prakriti) as a duality in unity which are inseparable complements.

  Resources as God given Gifts

The woman is the central character of this passage. Jesus found her as she came to fetch water from Jacob’s well. In Palestine, water is commonly drawn out of the wells or cisterns by females, and carried, upon the shoulder or head; in large leathern or earthen vessels. Moreover, Deep wells (probably about 100 feet deep) are not uncommon there as the shallow wells will become dry in summer.

 During the conversations with Jesus, the problems posed by the women reflect her concerns about the deep well, v.11, (may indicate the scarcity of water) and her difficulty to come up to the well continually, v.15 (may because of the long distance).

The drying up of India is a man made rather than a natural calamity. This water seeking Samaritan woman in this passage can be compared to one among hundreds of the women in our country who walk kilometres daily to fetch water for their family due to mega dams and other developmental projects. The availability, accessibility, affordability and quality of the water are still a question before them. Thus the scarcity of water is a complex theological, socio-economic and political issue. Women and water are the most vulnerable elements in the nature that are easily exploited by the dominant powers.   Violence to the water cycle is probably the worst and most invisible form of violence. Due to technology assisted pollutions on water, it has now becoming a non-‘renewable’ resource.

Water and well were considered as a symbol of pride and prosperity in Old Testament times. To give a name to a well denoted a right of property, and was also a mark of conquest, or an encroachment on territorial right claimed or existing in its neighbourhood.

The present day context is not too different. Due to Globalization and privatization, Earth and its natural resources are considered as mere commodities. Rivers, sea shores that are acquired and encroached as private property, Bottled water labelled as ‘mineral enriched pure’ are excellent examples of packaging of God given resources.  Human violence towards nature is still continuing since it is not considered to be violence.

Every religion gives prominence to water. Every civilisation formed beside the water. Both the creation accounts in the book of Genesis simply assume the existence of water. God does not have to create water; it was presented fundamentally as a part of divine reality. Water was used in bible as a means for personal, social and planetary transformation. In this passage, Jesus uses water and its symbolism as a means to deconstruct the inferior attitude of the women and to lead her to a complete transformation.

Human beings as Earth bound Creatures

The whole conversation between Jesus and this woman happens near the well. V 11 mentions that this well was a source of living for human and animals for generations. In other words this well was a site for interdependence between human and animals. Earth is a community of interconnected living things that are mutually dependent on each other for life and survival. The Tamil term ‘Mannin manam’ signifies all creations essentially carry the inherent smell of nature. This invisible link makes us all, nexus of a circle of inter-belongingness.

 As the mode of relationship changes, the concept of custodianship is more relevant than the stewardship. Custodianship is a mutual partnership between earth and earth community. Earth has provided food shelter, beauty and other riches to sustain the life of the human beings. In return, the human beings have to assume that    these riches as the contribution of their partners to the earth community. Even on a humanly dominated planet, we do not save the planet, rather the planet saves us day by day, in every cell of our body, in every breath we take and every morsel we eat.

Cries of the creation as voice of the Earth

The hostility between Jews and the Samaritans prohibited them even drinking from the same vessels. In v. 7, Jesus requests the women to give him something to drink. Can’t we hear the cry of Jesus for water from hundreds of poor who are denied to access the wells due to caste problems and environmental issues?  Millions of people in this world suffer because of water shortages or supplies that are contaminated by toxic chemicals.

Jesus’ cry can also be considered as a bold attempt to break the traditional boundaries that segregated Jews and Samaritans. The symbolism that Jesus used is the living water that is flowing and bubbling continuously (Amplified Version Bible), which can be considered as an ever moving life force that overrides all boundaries. Living water, then, is free to move and to follow its God given mysterious nature. It is unnatural for water to remain still. Its essential nature is that it is always moving, creating, purifying, healing, energizing, and nourishing life. It must override the traditional barriers of caste, state and so on. The provision for the thirst of the poor is a fundamental measure of one’s faithfulness to God.

Discerning the resistance of Earth

The ecological crisis is one of the major problems which we face in the present context. It destroys the entire happiness and joy of the world and species on the earth. According to Ban Ki Moon, the UN secretary general, “Evermore people are denied food because prices are stubbornly high, because purchasing power has fallen due to economic crisis, it is because rains have failed”. It reminds us the ecological crisis definitely creates problems of the survival of human life.

A new order of life is the will of God and the need of the hour. In this given passage, Jesus identifies himself with the natural element of water. He apparently expresses his ecological concern saying “Living water is the gift of God”, in other words water is life and nature is the gift of God (John 4:10). If we deny it, we are thwarting the very purpose of God i.e. the redemption of all creation.

As Amos 4:1 says the land of the Samaria happened to be the victim in the hands of the prevailing system who oppressed the poor and crushed the needy. But we can explicitly discern the resistance of earth against the injustice of the dominant system in Amos 4: 7-13 where the rain fall became uneven, scarcity of water raises, locusts destroyed the fig trees and so on.

In Indian philosophy earth is portrayed as “Mother Earth or Bhoomatha” who is said to have long lasting endurance. But she loses her endurance on account of human’s greed for more and more. As a result our mother earth resists and protests herself to the injustice of human through natural calamities in the form of droughts, earth quakes, floods, cyclones and tsunami etc.

India is one of the most vulnerable countries when it comes to the effect of Global warming. Two islands have already vanished and 10,000 people have already been displaced in the sundarbans, an area which India shares with Bangladesh. Orissa is another state which is already being hit hard by global warming. The village after village in Orissa’s coastal kendrapara district vanishes into the Bay of Bengal because of rising sea level. Ironically these people hardly contribute to global warming and green house gases. The virulent effect of Tsunami costs 11,000 lives, and about  3,80,000 people were displaced in India alone.

Earth is sensitive to the injustices to which earth is subjected. Though the earth has an inherent ability to revive and regenerate, this ecological healing is limited. Does the groaning of creation (Rom 8) and the vomiting of land (Lev 18:24-30) reflects the struggle of earth against the injustices? Hence the need of this hour is the promotion of a cosmic centred spirituality that is sensitive to the injustices that threaten the total ecosystem of earth.

 [Prepared by Abraham Sudeep Oommen, Anandraj Paul Jacob V.,  Jaya Jesudas Pudi, John Haide Manukonda, Lijo Johnson, Philipose John, Fourth Year BD students of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India]

Characteristics of presenting the gospel- by G. Vasthi Charisma, BD IV

Text: Acts 22 :22 – 23:11

Once there was a Brahmin poojari, who heard about Jesus, and respected Jesus so much that he went in search of Jesus to a church. He took a flower basket, a bell and camphor with him. He reverently entered the church, and came to the altar, kept the flower basket near the altar, and started worshiping by lighting the camphor and ringing the bell, as he used to do in the temple. On hearing this, the pastor came and he was shocked on seeing this. He shouted to stop the pooja and said this is not the Christian way of worshiping. On hearing the pastor’s rebuke, the poojari was very much offended and he told the Pastor that he was honouring Jesus in the way which he knew. But the pastor did not listen to him and said, he’s profaning the holy place. On this the poojari went away silently thinking that ‘My Jesus is not here in this Church.’

This may be an imaginative story but this is what would happen in reality if at all. The background of this passage also reflects the same thing. Here we see Paul coming to Jerusalem temple to take over purification rites and when it was over, the problem started.  Already the Jews were angry on Paul, on hearing that he was preaching a different doctrine from theirs. So when the Jews saw him in the temple, they caught hold of him and plotted to kill him. On seeing this, the Roman soldiers rescued Paul from the Mob and brought him bound up into the fortress to know what crime he had done. When he was taken in, Paul asks permission to the tribune to speak to the people and thus began addressing the crowd in Hebrew. So the people who were shouting became very quiet when they heard him speak in Hebrew. So they all became quiet listening to him and he was explaining to them about his Apostolic call. When he mentioned as in vs.21 that the Lord has sent him to the Gentiles as well, the crowd could no longer bear it and was asked for his head.

And this passage explains that, the tribune ordered Paul to be taken in and enquired by flogging. This is a Roman practice of punishing a criminal, tying him up to the poles and beating with a leather thong to which pieces of dry bones and metal pieces are attached. Many died during it and mostly crippled for life. This is a brutal way of punishing people. But here Paul defended himself by saying that he is a Roman citizen. And again when he was taken before the Sanhedrin, where Sadducees and Pharisees were present, he introduced himself to be a Pharisee and won the support of Pharisees thereby instigating conflict between the two groups. Again he was taken safely by the soldiers.

From these incidents I could not restrict myself in bringing two things that this passage as a whole would reflect. First is that,

In the beginning of this passage in vs .22 ff, explains clearly that the crowd were outrageous, pent up with anger on Paul, that they tore their clothes and threw dust into the air, and shouted that Paul should not live anymore. What was the reason for their sudden change and anger?

Its nothing but the mention of ‘Gentiles.’ They listened to him quietly till his mention of the Gentiles. They burst out into anger when they heard him say that he was sent by the Lord to the Gentiles as well. It was hard for them to accept the unclean Gentiles into their fold as they are. They could no longer bear that God would save both Jews and the Gentiles in the same way. They insisted that the Gentiles should accept circumcision and the law. If Paul would’ve preached the restricting demands of Judaism to the Gentiles, all would’ve been well. But it was because he preached the grace of Christianity they were enraged. But Paul broke out their traditional inbuilt ideas and boldly proclaimed even after being caught up them, that he was an Apostle to the Gentiles as well.

Paul in all his manner of proclaiming the Gospel, presented the Gospel to the people in their own culture and language. There are many examples to quote this attitude of Paul. In Athens he introduced Jesus as the ‘UNKNOWN GOD,’ here he claims his Roman citizenship, in the second part of this passage that is 23:1-11, he introduces himself as a Pharisee and so on. His stand is very clear from his first letter to the Corinthians 9: 20 -23, where he says for the sake of Gospel, he became a Jew, weak, to those under the law as under the law  and became all things to all people, so as to save them. This is how Paul Presented the Gospel. He did not impose a so called ‘Christian culture’, but presented Jesus to the people in their own way.

This is what is probing us to ask a question to ourselves, How are we going to present the Gospel, the Good news of Jesus Christ to the people around us? Are we going to impose our culture, our values and in-built ideas? Or are we going to present Jesus as the one whom they knew?  How about taking Paul as an example?

Secondly, here in these two incidents when Paul was caught up before the authorities, he wisely escapes punishment by defending himself as a Roman citizen in one place where it would be appropriate and as a Pharisee before the Sanhedrin. For it is against the law to punish or bind a Roman citizen during those times. When he said that he is a Roman citizen by birth, the tribune was afraid and they stopped enquiring him.            In the Sanhedrin, Paul saw Sadducees and Pharisees being present and he successfully divided the assembly by claiming the doctrine of the Pharisees in believing in the resurrection. A tumult broke out and again he has to be taken in safely by the soldiers.

This attitude of Paul reminds me of Jesus’ saying in the Gospel according to St. Matthew 10:16, ‘Be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves.’  Jesus when sending out the disciples advised them that they are being sent as sheep into the wolves and so they ought to communicate His message wisely but without hurting people who heard it, as harmless as dove.

Defending the truth requires the wisdom of a serpent so as to discern the situation and act accordingly. Jesus Himself in Luke 4: 29 -30, when the people led him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him off headlong, he passed through the midst of them and went his way. There was Christ’s wisdom in not giving himself into the hands of his enemy, as he had to preach the Gospel in other cities too. In the same way, Paul also many times has proven himself willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, but at the same time, he do not want to do the same needlessly as here in this passage. So he claimed his right as a Roman citizen, thereby obeying Jesus’ word of being wise as serpent, so that the gospel will be proclaimed elsewhere through him.

Therefore the second question that this passage puts before us is, taking this example of Paul, How is our conduct today in defending the truth? Are we being as wise as serpents?

As we close lets ponder upon these two questions.. Is it hard for us to embrace the truth to include the excluded and grant access to God’s liberating grace via a different route than the one we’ve already taken?  And are we being as wise as serpents? How about Paul’s example in these two aspects? 

Let us examine ourselves and may the Lord speak to us through his word.   Amen.

[This meditation is led by G.Vasthi Charisma, final year BD student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

 

Habakkuk 3:1-16 By Prince John, BD IV

Text: Habakkuk 3:1-16

As we go through this Bible verses we can see that, prophet Habakkuk is offering a prayer here. A similar prayer can be found in psalms 77. By acknowledging God’s supreme power, Habakkuk is praising God’s personality, strength, and motive. Through out this passage we can find the subjugation of creation into the creator. None of the creation can domain over the creator. The end of the second chapter is concluding with the saying “let all the earth keep silence before Him”. So according to the prophet he was praising a God who is unimaginable and unbeaten. Habakkuk's memory of Yahweh's "deeds" (v. 2) reverts to the events surrounding the Exodus, in keeping with the Lord's repeated injunction to Israel (e.g., Exodus 13:3).

Our God is a God of wrath and consumable fire, although He/She is gentle and mercy to His/Her own people and anointed, it is very clear in Exodus. There we can see the wrath, kindness and mercy of God. Through illustrating these characters of God the prophet is declaring his prayer. When God extend His/Her care and concern to his people in Exodus, at the same time God punish the wicked and sinners, God cast them into the sea. So that here the prophet also praying “In wrath may you remember mercy” (2b) Because he knows that God will keep safe and sound those who loves, even in the midst of His/Her wrath . He believes that “God looked and made the nations tremble” (3:16) the psalmist also says in 7:8 “The lord judges the people according to their righteous. The opening parallel lines of v. 8 refer to the "rivers" and "streams" both as witnessing the anger of the Lord. 

The waters of the Jordan may be envisaged but more likely the word "rivers" normally plural, as here is equivalent to "sea”. The Lord's dramatic conflict with the "sea" echoes his dominion over the waters of Creation and the Flood a complex of events that pervades Israel's literature as a pattern of future salvation and judgment, Exodus and Sinai alike are the incarnation of events with universal significance.

 In Gen 11 when people gathered to build a city and a tower for themselves and try to challenge God, but God confused their language and scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth. Because human plans was against the will of God. Neither can act nor can any creation work against the will of God.

Even the mountains, river, seas can’t impede the plan of God. That’s why the prophet says in (3:13) “You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed”. Like a pillar of cloud and by the pillar of fire God will be with them. vv9, 11 he gives the assurance that the battle is the Lords, the same faith we can also finds in David’s life. During his teenage he went to the philistines with courage and bold and he challenged by the words “(1sam 17:47) the Lord doesn’t save by sword and spear, for the battle is the Lords”. He keeps this assurance until his end, not only in David’s but lives of Abraham and Moses also. We should also submit ourselves in front of our forefathers God who will not leave us nor forsake us and His word is true. “He make us tread upon the heights” as prophet believes.

Till today God’s love continues towards us through His only begotten son Jesus Christ. God who reveals through His son is not a God of rage but a God of patience, mercy and eternal love. Because his love and mercy is everlasting and will never end. Behold our sin and unworthiness, still for us he chooses to die. He celebrates victory over the chain and bondage of wicked through the tools of patience and obedience. So let us find comfort and refuge under the shadow of that Gods rock. Amen 

[Prince John, the leader of this meditation, is a Fourth year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India]