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FOCUS April 2020 Vol. 8 No: 2

In the Beginning God Created, Prof. Dr. John P.

Abraham, South Texas – Page 16
Cover Photo: Who Do You Say I Am?
A Publication of Diaspora FOCUS

Who was Jesus? And who is Jesus for us

today? Dr. Zac Varghese, London – Page 21

Editorial, The Identity of Jesus, as the

Messiah (Christ) - Page 3

Who was Jesus? Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas

– Page 23
Are you the One Who is to Come? Or Are We
to Wait for Another? Mrs. Denis Mordell, London – Page 5

Christianity and the Ascetic Ideal, Revd Dr.

Are You the Messiah? Mr. David Brand, Valson Thampu, Trivandrum - Page 27
London – Page 7

Maranatha or Manna?
Seeking the True Jesus, Mr. V. Georgekutty, Chhotebhai, Kanpur, India - Page 30
Karunagappally, Kerala – Page 10

The Holy Books - Part 5, Dr. Ian Fry, Honorary

“I am” Sayings, Revd Dr. Abraham Philip,
Postdoctoral Associate, University of Divinity, Melbourne – Page
Kottayam, – Page 14
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EDITORIAL
The Identity of Jesus, as the Messiah (Christ)
After Jesus’ baptism–Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother who
was a disciple of John the Baptist overheard John’s
testimony: “Look, the lamb of God”, as Jesus was passing
by. Following this, Andrew and the ‘other disciple of John’
spent a day with Jesus at Jesus’ invitation and after that
Andrew went to his brother, Peter, and said to him, “We
have found the Messiah” (Jn 1: 35ff). This is how the very
first disciple of Jesus recognised Jesus as the long
awaited Messiah of the Jews. A day spent with Jesus was
more than enough for Andrew to recognise Jesus as the
Messiah; this person to person interaction is the key to
understanding Jesus and his identity. The word ‘Messiah’
and its Greek equivalent ‘Christ’ means the promised
deliverer of Jewish nation as prophesied in the Hebrew
Bible and believed by the Jewish people.
Another way to get an accurate picture, identity and the
life a person is to read an autobiographical sketch, but
Jesus did not write anything expect scribbling something
on the ‘ground’ when he was questioned by the teachers
of the law and the Pharisees about how to punish a
woman who was caught in adultery according to the law of
Moses (Jn 8:3ff). However, Jesus quiet clearly identified
himself through his life on this earth, his ministry of
healing, miracles, preaching and living with people on the
margins of society by expressing the unconditional love of
God. In addition, his seven ‘I am statements’ in St. John’s
Gospel (Jn 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1,5) are
also lucid self-revelations of who Jesus is, why he came to
earth to heal a fractured-world and re-establish the
relationship between the creator and the created-world to
inaugurate the kingdom of God.
The story of Jesus has a God-centred beginning and has
a heaven-bound ending in eternity. We see this
‘beginning’ in Genesis chapter one and in the prologue of
John’s gospel. “In the beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God, the Word was God. He was with
God in the beginning.” The main story line of Jesus’
earthly mission can be found in Mt. 11:25-30: “I praise
you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and the learned, and
revealed them to little children, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and to those to whom the Son
chooses to reveal him. . . . Come to me, all of you who are
weary, and burdened I will give you rest . . . and you will
find rest for your souls. . . .”
There were many speculations about Jesus’ identity.
During Jesus’ ministry they asked, ‘is Jesus the Messiah?’
The Jewish expectation for a Messiah was for a warrior
king from David’s line to liberate them from foreign
occupation. Instead, what they observed was a servant
king. It is in this context, while in Caesarea Philippi; Jesus
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asked his disciple, “Who do people say the son of man
is?” Then Jesus particularly wanted to know what his
disciples thought about his identity and asked pointedly:
“Who do you say I am?” Peter’s confession about the
identity of Jesus was a divine revelation, from the ‘Father
in heaven’, and Peter said: “You are the Christ, the son
of the living God” (Mt 16:13ff). However, Jesus warned
his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
There are all sort of fanciful speculations why Jesus
wanted to keep his identity to a very small brand of people
who followed him and ‘tasted and saw’ who Jesus was. In
the end, they also realised that the final revelation of
Jesus’ identity led him to his crucifixion and an everlasting
an unquantifiable victory in the resurrection of Jesus.
It does not matter how others, including: theologians,
scholars, historians, agnostics or atheists, think and
propagate their ideas about Jesus; what matters is what
we think who Jesus is in our lives. The early Christians
had difficulty in making others to appreciate and accept
the salvation story in and through Jesus. This was
because Jews expected a king who would conquer, not a
Messiah who would ride on a donkey, cleanse the temple
and so forth, and certainly not a Messiah who would be
crucified. The apostles and the church fathers could layout
their reasons and arguments from their lived out
experience of an indwelling Jesus and through the
mediation of the Holy Spirit and explain how Jesus fit the
criteria for the expected Messiah of the Old Testament
prophecies. This was not so when dealing with Gentiles
because they had no knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Therefore, they had to begin at the beginning as St. John
did in his prologue.
Another example of this is Paul’s address at the
Areopagus (Acts 17:16ff). Paul begins his address by
proclaiming that the God he is talking about is the ‘God
who made the world and everything in it,’ and who ‘is the
Lord of heaven and earth.’ He goes on to say this God
‘does not live in temples made by human hands. From this
starting point he builds up his rhetoric and instead of
quoting the Hebrew Scripture, Paul quotes Greek poets:
“for in him we live and move and have our being.’ As
some your poets said, ‘We are his offspring.” Here Paul is
laying the foundational knowledge of who God is, who we
are as the children of God, and our relationship to this
God, which is revealed through Jesus, his crucifixion and
resurrection for the salvation of mankind and in the
process establishing God’s kingdom on the earth.
In talking to people of other faiths, Christians should be
able to find God’s revelation to them in their lingo and
rhythm of life, and then build an understanding about
Jesus for them as St. Paul did. Then they may realise that
the Bible is not fairy tale, it is an account of reality and
God’s concern for the world that he created. The God
himself is the story teller; it begins with him; it is he who
created everything out of its ‘formlessness and
emptiness’; it is the same God who came down, who
became flesh, who entered history as a baby born in a
manger. Jesus is the one person who died for us on the
cross between two thieves and resurrected on the third
day. He is the one person who is fully human, a perfect
human being, yet fully divine. This was necessary to
bridge the gap that human beings created between them
and the creator-God. God himself took the initiative to
bring the reconciliation and bridge the gap. John Stot
wrote: “For giving His son, He gave himself.” The Christian
experience of a God is not of a God who is far off, in the
heaven, over there and out of reach, but He is a God who
is always with us, Immanuel, a God who came down (Phil
2:5-8).
The question about Jesus’ identity hovered around during
his ministry and even today after two millennia. The
questions are: is he the Messiah, a great warrior king long
awaited, or just a rabbi or a prophet along a long line of
Israeli prophets? Jesus refused to acknowledge the title in
public as the Messiah or as the Son of God. However, he
did many things that fitted the title of a Messiah. At the
trial, he was asked, ‘Are you the Son of God?’ Jesus
replied, ‘You say I am.’ Therefore, they had to realise it
themselves, willingly or otherwise.
Therefore, all along, throughout the ages, Jesus’ identity is
a one to one experiential understanding. Archbishop
Desmond Tutu had this to say about Jesus: “I pray each
day. I talk to Jesus, I walk with Jesus, and I want to be
like Jesus I want to learn from Jesus, Jesus and me
are always together.” What an amazing testimony! This
is indeed the way to understand the identity of Jesus. The
invitation that Jesus extended to Andrew and his friend,
‘Come, you will see’, is open to everyone. We see the
same invitation in the last book of the NT as well. “Here, I
am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my
voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with
him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). Jesus only knocks at
the door gently and waits patiently for our response;
Holman Hunt’s famous painting placed at St. Pauls’
Cathedral in London, based on this theme, ‘The Light of
the World’, has no handle on the outside of the door; the
door has to be opened from inside to invite Jesus in to
have an indwelling experience with him. The way to know
Jesus and his identity is to invite him to have an intimate
table-fellowship with him. It is indeed ‘in Christ we live and
move and have our being’.
I want to thank all the contributors of this issue. Thank you
for being partners of this dialogue. May these articles help
you in some way in your journey with Christ for carrying
out God’s mission. May God’s blessings be with you all at
all times. Hope and pray that contents of the articles in this
issue may help you to be more close to our Lord Jesus
Christ during this lent season. FOCUS WISHES YOU
AND YOUR FAMILY A HAPPY EASTER
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CONGRATULATIONS TO RT. REV. DR.
GEEVARGHESE MAR THEODOSIUS EPISCOPA
OF MAR THOMA CHURCH
We, the editorial board of the FOCUS, rejoice at the news
of the elevation of The Rt. Revd Dr. Geevarghese Mar
Theodosius Episcopa as the Suffragan Metropolitan of the
Mar Thoma Church. We thank God for his servant ministry
and his concerns for the under privileged people in
society. His help for the HIV/AID sufferers, gender equality
and for the transgender people has highlighted the needs
of many victims and increased the awareness of their
issues and problems. Let us pray for the Suffragan
Metropolitan’s health and wellbeing for continuing God’s
mission for establishing a longing for justice, relationship,
truth and spirituality.
Dr. Zac Varghese, London
Member, FOCUS Editorial Board
http://www.issuu.com/diasporafocus
http://www.scribd.com/diasporafocus
Disclaimer: Diaspora FOCUS is a non-profit organization
registered in United States, originally formed in late Nineties in
London for the Diaspora Marthomites. Now it is an independent
lay-movement of the Diaspora laity of the Syrian Christians; and
as such FOCUS is not an official publication of any
denominations. It is an ecumenical journal to focus attention
more sharply on issues to help churches and other faith
communities to examine their own commitment to loving their
neighbors and God, justice, and peace. Opinions expressed in
any article or statements are of the individuals and are not to be
deemed as an endorsement of the view expressed therein by
Diaspora FOCUS. Thanks.
Web Site: www.facebook.com/groups/mtfocus
E-Mail: mtfousgroup@gmail.com
FOCUS EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Dr. Zac Varghese, London
Dr. Titus Mathews, Calgary
Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam
Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas
Dr. Jesudas M. Athyal, Thiruvalla
Revd Dr. Valson Thampu, Trivandrum
“ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, OR ARE WE TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER?”
Mrs. Denise Mordell, London
[The following article is based on a sermon delivered on
the third Sunday in Advent, “Gaudete” Sunday, in 2019
at All Saints’ Harrow Weald, Anglican Church. It is this
sermon, which encouraged us to select the theme for the
April issue of the FOCUS. We are grateful to Mrs. Mordell
for her ministry.]
This is the question John the Baptist has been
considering, thinking about, it must have been causing
him concern and he needed his question to be
answered? But why we might ask ourselves? Why would
John need to ask this question? Have you ever had an
expectation where you are positive, absolutely certain
you think know without doubt, 100% of the outcome,
exactly what is going to happen? An expectation that
you would receive the birthday gift you wanted, pass an
important exam, and get the job you desired? But, it
didn’t happen. Your expectation was squashed, deflated
and doubt crept in? I am sure we can all relate to this
scenario. Let us keep the idea of expectation in our
minds as we consider the context around which this
question John was considering had arisen.
“ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, OR ARE WE
TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER”
Jesus was in Galilee with his disciples teaching and
preaching, in stark contrast John the Baptist had been
imprisoned by King Herod Antipas for publicly speaking
of Herod’s adultery with his brother Philip’s wife
Herodias. No longer able to continue his ministry
proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, by making
straight the path by preaching and baptizing with water
for the repentance of sins. We might ask ourselves; did
John doubt that Jesus was the Messiah? From his
restrained environment, did John need clarification
directly from Jesus? Perhaps if we were isolated, afraid
we might doubt our belief, our trust and our expectation
in our Lord. raised. All signs that human life would be transformed,
Had John not been chosen and sent by God as a
witness to the light, to testify to the light, so the true light
would enlighten everyone. Had John not leapt for joy in
his mother Elizabeth’s womb, when Mary visited her
cousin Elizabeth with her joyful news? Had John not
been chosen and sent by God to preach and baptize
with water for the repentance of sins. Did John not
baptize Jesus in the Jordan and testify, “I myself have
seen and testify that this is the Son of God” Why then
was John questioning whether Jesus was the Messiah? God? There is more than physical hearing, and seeing.
Let us pause here and reflect on the belief system of the
Jewish people and their awaited Messiah. Israel’s
people were chosen by God and they expected “their”
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God to send “their’ nation a powerful, all conquering
king, to free their nation from the Roman oppression,
reigning and bringing prosperity to Israel. Their Messiah
would be an anointed king, a warrior king, suggestive of
King David who would be expected to restore Israel to
its former glory. John’s question was asking if Jesus was
the long awaited redeemer and restorer of Israel or not?
John was a man of his time so could this have been
John’s shared expectation. Did Jesus’ ministry, his
words, and his actions measure up to the Jewish
concept of their awaited Messiah? John sends two of his
disciples to ask Jesus,“ Are you the one who is to come,
or are we to wait for another?”
So, how does Jesus choose to answer John’s question?
Jesus would know John had come directly to him to
have his concerns or doubt’s or expectations answered.
John’s ministry had now come to an end, whilst
imprisoned John’s doubts may have begun to grow, was
Jesus the true messiah? John may have needed
reassurance that his ministry stood on the truth. John
also knew Jesus could only speak the truth. Jesus
chooses to share the truth with John, through his works,
actions and teaching, quoting the prophet Isaiah and in
doing so confirming that, “yes” He is the one who is to
come, the “Messiah”.
Jesus is truly the prophesied Messiah who has come not
as a “warrior king” bringing violence and killing to
achieve freedom for His people, but as a very different
king, a servant king, ushering in the kingdom of God by
preaching and healing and feeding the people, bringing
the good news (the gospel) of hope to the poor. A
nonviolent, pastoral kingdom where the power of love of
would be the absolute message, where there is no
hierarchy and equality is shared by all. Jesus’ actions
clearly demonstrate Isaiah’s prophecy that the blind will
see, the lame will walk, the deaf will hear, the dead are
the barren land would bloom and become fertile with
streams of living water. These are all signs of the
kingdom of God, pointing to God’s rule being restored
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus is
fulfilling Isaiah’s prophesy, not with fire and brimstone, or
violence or loss of life, but with care, love, equality and
healing, bringing social justice for all God’s people.
Perhaps our expectations have the power to limit our
ability to hear, see and accept openly the kingdom of
Our own expectations or self-belief may limit and reduce
our openness to the possibility of the Holy Spirit filling us
with joy, love, hope and spiritual awareness of being in
and part of the kingdom of God Do we recognise, or can
we identify where we see the kingdom of God reflected
in the way we live our lives, and in our society . . .
Something to think about? the body of Christ, by sharing the love, joy and hope we
Jesus sends Johns’ disciples to share what they have
heard and seen with John. Jesus would have known that
John might still have doubts on hearing what his
disciples had to say on their return. However, Jesus also
knew that John would recognise the prophecy of Isaiah
and hearing this spoken from Jesus’ lips he would
accept this as the truth and be able to let go of his doubt
and meet his death in peace knowing Jesus was truly the
Messiah. everyday of our lives, we who are not prophets, should
Jesus then turns to the crowd and asks what they
expected to see in the desert? A shaken reed, a person
wearing soft robes? Was this what they expected? A
shaken reed can be found on Herod’s coins, soft robes
in a palace? These may have been a comparison of the
symbolism of Herods’ sinful kingship, whereas John had
stood firm in the strength of his calling to serve God, in
camel hair and leather, preaching of the Messiah who
was to come, baptizing with water for the repentance of
sin with no finery no soft robes or palaces. Jesus
confirms John’s status as a prophet, which is the
fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi by saying “See, I
am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way before you.” wreath to symbolise our joy and our love and our hope in
John was indeed a prophet sent by God to prepare the
people for the coming of Jesus. He was as great a
prophet as Elijah and the last of the prophets. Jesus
from his own lips states “he was the greatest of men”!
Yet, in the kingdom of God he is the least, what a
paradox? How can you be such an amazing prophet,
chosen by God, the forerunner for Jesus and yet be the
very least? How does this work? The word equality, is
so, so important and key in understanding being great
and being the least in the kingdom of God, the poor, the
sick, the lame, the deaf, the marginalised are far greater; stranger’s through Jesus Christ, the personification of
equality is the measure of God’s love for all. God loves
all of us equally and not in relation to the deeds we have
done. celebrate the symbolisation of this Gaudete Advent
May I ask this question, “How is the kingdom of God
reflected, now, as we approach Christmas in our
society? As we move through this advent season
preparing for and waiting for our Messiah? How do we
reflect the joy, love and hope of the kingdom? We have
choices we can make? We could indulge ourselves in the
spirit of Christmas, “Materially”, ignoring the pastoral
wellbeing of our neighbours and local community by
being self-focusi and not seeing or hearing the needs of
others.
Conversely, we could open wide our hearts and minds
and embrace the needs of others by “seeing” and
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“hearing”, by being the eyes, ears, hands of our lord
Jesus Christ as we are called to continue his work within
have in our Lord expressed in his words, works and
actions. May we all during this advent rejoice in the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as we patiently wait,
expectantly, as we all physically and spiritually share our
joy and love with our neighbours.
To all who need healing, wholeness and holiness may we
remember that if our Lord considered John the Baptist
was the greatest of men, then during Advent and
recall we are all called by our Lord, the Messiah, as was
John, to do His bidding joyfully, that the least in God’s
kingdom is to be celebrated. Take time from the
business of the “materialism” of Christmas to reflect on
the doubts that John experienced through his own
expectations whilst imprisoned, take time to reflect? And
know when Jesus spoke the truth through Isaiah, John
knew who Jesus was as he could only speak the truth.
May we all take our worries and doubts to our Lord in
prayer.
“Rejoice, rejoice the lord is near” is the resounding cry of
this the third Sunday in Advent, “Gaudete” Sunday
where we light a pink or rose candle in the Advent
God through our Messiah our Lord Jesus Christ, as we
expectantly open our hearts and minds, nourishing
ourselves as we patiently wait casting aside our doubts
or demands on our faith by taking our time to prepare
through prayer, fasting and reflection that we may be
ready to embrace our servant king through our words
and in our works, reflected in our daily lives.
As we are spiritually renewed and refilled by the Holy
Spirit the joy, love and hope we feel within us we may
share with our friends, families and with those who are
God our Father who being both human and divine
showed us the true character of our God. Let us
Sunday praising God through our Lord Jesus Christ for his
Messianic gifts of joy, love and hope for all humanity,
embracing his coming and being alert, ready and able to
hear our Advent calling, “REJOICE, REJOICE THE LORD
IS NEAR”.
Mrs. Denise Mordell is a
qualified physiotherapist, who
has given up her practice and
undergoing training to become
a pastoral assistant in the
Church of England, she is also
a trained preacher and a
member of the church choir.
ARE YOU THE MESSIAH?
David Brand, London
Having just read the title you would naturally respond
with “What a daft question? Of course not!” However,
please read on because on completing this short article,
hopefully you may have something to seriously think about
or if you prefer, dismiss it out of hand.
The Jews considered their Messiah to be a future Jewish
king from the Davidic line who is expected to be anointed
with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during
the Messianic age and the world to come. They do not
consider the Messiah to be God or a pre-existent divine
Son of God. The Messianic age is defined as a future
period of time on earth in which the Messiah will reign and
bring universal peace and brotherhood and evil will cease
to exist.
In both Mathew and Luke (Mt.11: 2-19; Lk. 7: 19-28) we
have two virtually identical recorded incidents, John has
been thrown into prison having criticised King Herod for
marrying his brother’s wife. He hears of Jesus’ activities
and sends two of his disciples to make enquiries. They
say to Jesus “Are you he, who is to come, or shall we look
for another?” He replies “Go and tell John what you have
seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame
walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up, the poor have good news preached to them and
blessed is he who takes no offense at me.”
This raises two very interesting questions and the first is:
Why did John have to ask this question in the first place?
After all he was Jesus’ cousin and we also know of the
reaction of John in Elizabeth’s womb on her hearing the
news of Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus. We have also been
made aware of the unusual events surrounding John’s
baptism of Jesus and his acknowledgement of Jesus’
divinity.
In John 3:22-36, we have further proof that John knew that
Jesus was no ordinary human, but a being of heavenly
origin. And they came to John, and said to him, “Rabbi, he
who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore
witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him.”
John answered, “No one can receive anything except
what is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me
witness that I said; I am not the Christ, but I have been
sent before him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice; therefore this
joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must
decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who
is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he
speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. He bears
witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one
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receives his testimony; he who receives his testimony sets
his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has
sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that
he gives the Spirit; the Father loves the son, and has
given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son
has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not
see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.”
In John 1: 32, we read about John’s testimony: “I saw the
Spirit descend as a dove from heaven and remain on him.
I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize
with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit
descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is
the Son of God”. Surely from these statements there can
be no doubt about John’s realisation of who Jesus really
was so why was it necessary to ask the question in the
first place?
Also the second question is why John not received a
direct answer to a clear simple question in Matthew’s
Gospel “Are you he, who is to come (the long awaited
Messiah) or shall we look for another?” Jesus replies; “Go
and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive
their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the
deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have
good news preached to them. And blessed is he who
takes no offence at me.”
You might like to think that the question and answer was
deliberately vague for our benefit in order to challenge us;
so that every Christian from now to eternity, would, like
John, have to ask this question of themselves and make
their own independent decision about who Jesus was. On
the other hand if by prematurely and publicly admitting
that he was the Messiah, it would probably have resulted
in Jesus keeping his cousin company in Herods’ jail and
then be executed, completing the attempted assassination
by the previous King Herod (Matthew 2:16) by “Killing all
the male children in Bethlehem and in all in that region
who were two years old or under, according to the time
which he had ascertained from the Wise Men.”
My answer to John’s question used to be a categorical
Yes, but when you really examine the definition of a
Messiah and search a bit deeper into the Bible then you
understand the reason for Jesus’ reply, it could be
interpreted as implying that you must judge for yourself
from his works or put another way, is this the kind of work
a warrior and ruler Messiah would do?
A similar question is asked by the woman of Samaria at
Jacob’s well in John’s Gospel; “I know that the Messiah is
coming, he who is called Christ; when he comes, he will
show us all things.” Jesus said to her. “I who speak to you
am he.” Was Jesus acknowledging his name or the
Messiah label? Or did he feel safe in revealing himself to
the Samaritans due to their complete isolation and
contempt by the Jews.
Before his crucifixion he told the Jews, “If I do not live in a
Godly way, then do not believe that I am the son of God.
If, however I do live in a Godly way, and then believe,
based on my life, that I am from the Father and then you
will understand that the father is within me and I am within
him”. My teaching is an awakening of life. Whoever
believes in my teaching, although he may die in the flesh,
will remain living and everyone who lives and believes in
me will not die”. There is no mention of being a Messiah.
At his trial before the Council as described in Mark’s
Gospel (14:56-64), For many bore false witness against
him and their witness did not agree. And some stood up
and bore false witness against him, saying “We heard him
say,’ I will destroy this temple that is made with our hands,
and in three days I will build another, not made with
hands.’” Yet not even so did their testimony agree. And
the High priest stood up in their midst and asked Jesus,
“Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men
testify against you?” But he was silent and made no
answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the
Christ, the son of the Blessed?”
This is the dramatic climax that would decide on the future
of Christianity and on this question Jesus must have
understood that this was the pivotal moment and despite
his natural human fear as demonstrated in the Garden of
Gethsemane, he knew he had to give an answer that
would reveal himself to the world and guarantee his
execution in order to fulfil his acceptance of carrying out
the Father’s will and he therefore replies, “I am, and you
will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power,
and coming with the clouds of heaven”. Pease note no
mention of being a Messiah even in this, his final
statement that causes the High Priest to tear his clothes in
anger and condemn him to death with the agreement all
the other priests.
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God’s plan is now put into motion with all its brutal
demonstrations of the worst in human behaviour, a price
Jesus has to pay in order for us to have a new way of life
and acknowledge a loving and caring God far removed
from those of the past and create a new future based on a
law of love, respect, tolerance, forgiveness and
generosity.
We also learn the reason for our existence and also a
glimpse into the future that awaits us. Also at a time
before the Transfiguration he asks his disciples, “And what
do you understand of my teaching?” Simon Peter replied
“In my opinion, your teaching is that you are the Chosen
Son of the God of Life. You teach that God is the life that
exists within man.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you Simon
that you have understood. A person could not have
revealed that to you, but you understand it because the
God inside you has revealed it to you. It was not mortal
reasoning and it was not me with my words that revealed
it to you, but God my father revealed it to you directly. On
that rests the foundation for the gathering of chosen
people, for whom there is no death”.
Tolstoy in his superb book, ‘The Gospel In Brief’,
writes the following;
“And again, for the third time, Jesus taught the people. He
said, “People are devoting themselves to my teaching and
not because I prove it myself, it is impossible to prove the
truth. Truth proves everything else. But people devote
themselves to my teaching because it is unified and is
familiar to people, and it promises life. For the people, my
teaching is like the familiar voice of the shepherd is for the
sheep, when he comes in at the gate and gathers them in
order to take them to pasture. No one believes your
teaching because it is foreign to people, and people notice
within it your lusts. For the people, your teaching is the
same as the appearance of a stranger who does not enter
at the gate, but climbs over the fence for the sheep. The
sheep do not know him and can sense that he is an
outlaw.”
“My teaching is the one truth, like the one gate for the
sheep. All of your teaching from the Law of Moses is a lie.
It is all like thieves and outlaws for the sheep. Whoever
devotes themselves to my teaching will find true life, just
as the sheep go out and find food if they follow the
shepherd. Because a thief only comes intending to steal,
plunder and destroy, but the shepherd comes to give life.
And only my teaching promises and gives true life.
There are those shepherds for whom the sheep are their
entire lives and who would give those lives for the sheep.
These are true shepherds. But there are also hired
workers, those that are not too troubled about the sheep,
because they are just hired workers and the sheep do not
belong to them, those who, if a wolf comes near drop
everything and run, allowing the wolf to destroy the sheep.
These are not true shepherds.”
“Likewise, there are false shepherds, those that have no
stake in the lives of the people and there are true ones,
those that give their souls for the lives of the people. I am
such a teacher. My teaching is to give my life for the
people. No one can take it from me; I myself am freely
giving it for the people, in order to receive true life. I
received this commandment from my father. And just as
the father knows me, I know the father, and therefore I lay
down my life for the people. And for that, the father loves
me, because I am keeping his commandments. And all
people, not only those here and now, but all people will
understand my voice and they will all gather together as
one; all people will be unified and their teaching will be
one.”
The Jews surrounded him and said, “Do not torment us,
just tell us, simply and directly are you that Messiah who is
supposed to come into the world according to the
scripture?” Jesus answered them, “I already told you who I
am, but you do not believe me. If you do not believe my
words, then believe my actions. Through them, you will
understand who I am and for what purpose I have come.
But you do not believe, because you do not follow me.
Whoever follows after me and does what I say will
understand me. And whoever understands my teaching
and fulfils it will receive actual life. . . My father has united
them with me and no one can divide us. The father and I
are one.”
In his own words Jesus was telling the Jews he was not
the Messiah that they wanted, he was no straightforward
conquering hero on a white horse who would clear out the
Romans and rule Israel in order to prove some ancient
scripture. This was a different, a very difficult and complex
relationship between God and a specially chosen
individual that through the spirit combined love, duty and
sacrifice, something the Jews were never going to
understand from their perspective and their beliefs. This
was something the world desperately needed but never
appreciated until all the events ran their course
culminating in the resurrection. Realisation is still dawning
on the population thanks to the efforts and sacrifice of
many dedicated and gifted people still working to this very
day!
In my humble opinion, the job description of a Messiah is
totally inappropriate for Jesus Christ; he is no mere
Messiah he was and still is the perfect human and spiritual
interface between God and ourselves; the ideal human
being and the spiritual son of God that has set the
standard for our behaviour and faith. The idea of being
destined to rule Israel, solve the Palestinian problem and
also to maintain cordial Arab relationships is just plain
ludicrous, even just containing his sphere of influence to
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our little blue planet in the vastness of space puts
unacceptable constraints to his limitless potential, no
wonder he gave no affirmative and definitive answer; his
silence on the matter of a Messiah speaks volumes.
Simon Peter got it exactly right, but only because God
revealed it to him as Jesus so aptly points out. Maybe in
not accepting being a Messiah Jesus is challenging us to
be his chosen people to continue his mission by
example, thought, word and deed. All of us are the present
day result of his teaching, healing, supreme sacrifice and
resurrection. I sincerely hope and pray that we and all
those who follow us will never disappoint. We are the
present having the awesome responsibility to ensure that
there will be a future for his teaching, his sacrifice and for
the Christian religion; taking it for granted is not an option,
only we, in this physical world can create God’s Kingdom
on earth by living Jesus’ five commandments as an
example to all people on earth to bring peace and respect
to mankind.
My human role model Leo Tolstoy wrote: “The fulfilment of
Christ’s five commandments will make the lives of men
such as each human heart seeks and longs for. All men
will be brethren; each will be at peace with the other, and
each will be free to enjoy the blessings of this world during
the term of life allotted to him by God. ‘Men will turn their
swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning
hooks.’ And on earth will be established the kingdom of
God; the kingdom of peace that was promised by the
prophets, which drew nearer with John the Baptist, and
which Christ announced in the words of Isiah: ‘The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to
preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal
the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at
liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable
year of the Lord.’ The simple and clear commandments of
peace, given by Christ, by which all causes of dissension
are foreseen and turned aside, reveal the kingdom of God
on earth to men.” Thus Christ is truly the Messiah.
We will conclude with Jesus having the last word with the
very challenging statement he made in John 14: 12-14.
“Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in me will also
do the works that I do; and greater works than that will he
do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my
name, I will do it; that the Father may be glorified in the
Son, if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”
What an incredible promise and challenge to make to all
humankind stretching to eternity, how you could turn down
an invitation like that, However it comes with an ego
warning “THE LEADER OF ALL MUST BE THE
SERVANT OF ALL.” Any potential Messiah’s need not
apply.
Seeking the True Jesus
V. Georgekutty, Karunagapplly, Kerala
“Jesus Christ belonged to the true race of prophets. He saw with open eye the mystery of the soul” (Ralph Waldo
Emerson).
st
The 1 century works of Jewish historian Flavius
Josephus refer to at least twenty different people with the
name Jesus in his works. In the context of the New
Testament, the etymology of the term Jesus is generally
as "Yahweh is salvation". Jesus has been generally
referred to as "Jesus Christ", almost from the beginning of
Christianity. The title ‘Christ’ is derived from the Greek
word ‘Christos’, a translation of the Hebrew ‘mashiakh’
1
meaning the "anointed". It is usually transliterated into
English as "Messiah". Christians of the time designated
Jesus as "the Christ" because they believed him to be the
Messiah, whose arrival was foretold in the Hebrew Bible.
Modern scholars of antiquity mostly agree that Jesus
existed historically, although the quest for the historical
Jesus has produced little agreement on the reliability of
the Gospels and on how closely the Jesus portrayed in the
Bible reflects the historical Jesus. The "Jesus" of history is
not a complete mystery to Biblical scholars, who often
make a distinction between the man and the religious
figure depicted in the scriptures. We do know some things
about the historical Jesus - less than some Christians
think, but more than some skeptics think. Although there
are scholarly works that argue Jesus never existed, a vast
majority of Christian and non-Christian scholars believe
that there are sufficient evidence to accept that Jesus did
exist.
Jesus was born sometime just before 4 BCE since
historians estimate that King Herod had died around this
time. He grew up in Nazareth, a small village in Galilee.
His father was a carpenter. Jesus too might have pursued
the same career, although we cannot be certain
considering the absence of recorded information. Jesus
was raised Jewish and he remained deeply Jewish all
through his life. His mission was not to create a new
religious faith. He apparently saw himself as doing
something within Judaism – a Jewish Reformation. He left
Nazareth as an adult. He was baptized by John the
Baptist. During his baptism, Jesus apparently
experienced some sort of divine vision.
Shortly afterwards, Jesus began his public preaching with
the message that the world could be transformed into a
"Kingdom of God.” Jesus was often being referred to as
"Rabbi", a Hebrew word representing a spiritual teacher.
Jesus debated with fellow Jews on how best to follow
God. He gathered many followers. He became a noted
healer. The Jewish leadership was offended because
Jesus questioned their hypocrisy. Consequent to a
Jewish conspiracy to eliminate him, Jesus was arrested
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and tried by the Jewish law enforcers. He was executed
under the orders of Pontius Pilate, the then Roman
administrator of Judea. His followers believed that he
rose from the dead on the third day. They claimed to have
visions of Jesus. Only after his death did his followers
declare Jesus to be "Lord" or "the Son of God.” The
community of his followers eventually became the early
Church.
Christian doctrines include the beliefs that Jesus was
conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of a virgin named
Mary, preached the Gospel, performed miracles, died by
crucifixion as a sacrifice to achieve atonement, rose from
the dead, and ascended into Heaven, from where he will
return. The fundamental doctrine of Christian faith
captured in the ‘Nicene Creed’ asserts that Jesus will
judge the living and the dead, an event tied to the Second
Coming of Jesus in Christian eschatology. Most
Christians believe Jesus enables people who are sinners
by default to be reconciled to God.
In between the above points, the historical details are hard
to verify, says Marcus Borg, American New Testament
2
scholar. Borg believes that the importance of the less
"plausible" stories found in the Bible lies not in whether
they actually happened but in what they meant to the
followers of Jesus. Borg says, "If we understand these
stories as parables about Jesus — as metaphorical
narratives about him — then the question of their factuality
vanishes as an important question. With this approach, it
does not matter whether Jesus was born of virgin or
changed water into wine or walked on water. To those
who insist on their factuality, I would say, 'Fine — let's not
argue about that. Now, let's talk about what they mean.”
In Islam, Jesus (commonly transliterated as Isa) is
considered one of God's important prophets. Muslims
believe Jesus was a bearer of scripture but was not the
Son of God. The Qur’an states that Jesus himself never
claimed divinity. Most Muslims believe that he was not
crucified, but was physically raised into Heaven by Allah
the God of Abraham. In contrast, Rabbinic Judaism
rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah,
arguing that he did not fulfil Messianic prophecies. They
do not believe that he was divine or he had risen.
During his lifetime, the disciples of Jesus might have
begun to think of him as the Messiah (“Christ”), the
anointed one who would restore the fortunes of Israel.
After his death and resurrection, his followers regularly
referred to him as the Messiah (Acts 2:36). At some point,
his adherents also began to refer to him as “Son of God.”
Apostle Paul employed both “Christ” and “Son of God”
freely. He is also responsible for the widespread use of
the term “Christ” as if it were the name of Jesus rather
than his title.
“Son of God” is a term in the Hebrew Bible used
metaphorically (God is the father, human beings are his
children), and this usage continued in post-biblical Jewish
literature. The Jewish people in general could be called
“sons of God”. The singular form, “son of God”, could be
applied to individuals who were especially close to God.
What Apostle Paul had meant by “Christ” and “Son of
God” cannot be known with certainty. In Philippians 2:6–
11 Apostle Paul states that Jesus Christ was pre-existent
and came to earth: he “emptied himself, taking the form of
a slave, being born in human likeness.” This sounds as if
Jesus was a heavenly being, who had only appeared to
be human. In Romans 1:1–6, however, Paul writes that
God declared Jesus to be “Son of God” by raising him
from the dead. It seems to indicate that Jesus was a
human being whom God ‘adopted’ as His Son. After
centuries of debate, the Church decided that Jesus was
both wholly divine and wholly human. But it only makes
things more confusing to thinking people.
Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God? If Jesus
is not God, his death would not have been sufficient to pay
the penalty for the sins of humanity (1 John 2:2). Only
God could pay such an infinite penalty (Romans 5:8; 2
Corinthians 5:21). The issue was vexatious for the
Church. Jesus had to be God so that he could pay
humanity’s debt. And Jesus had to be man so that
Pontius Pilate could hang him on a cross. Jesus could be
the way of salvation only if he is God. So Jesus makes
the proclamation, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me” (John
14:6). Jesus had also made claims to be the bread of life
(John 6:35), the good shepherd (John 10:11), the true vine
(John 15:1), the giver of living water (John 4:10), the light
of the world (John 8:12), the future judge (John 5:22-23),
the lamb of God (John 1:36), the door of salvation (John
10:9), the Saviour (John 3:14-16), the Messiah (John
4:26), and the healer (Luke 18:42).
The New Testament says that Jesus had vanished into
the clouds that had hovered over Mount of Olive, some
two thousand years ago. He did not leave any written
records of his life or teachings. We are not certain that he
was literate, although some of the events recorded in the
Gospels indicate that he could read and write. Whatever
we know about Jesus comes solely from what have been
written subsequently. But, all the writings that became
known had not been accepted by the organized Church.
The Church Fathers picked and chose only those writings
that would conform with the kind of faith they had
3
envisioned for the members of the organized Church. The
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rest were branded as ‘heresies’ and were mostly burnt to
ashes in order to save later generations of Christians from
deviating from the ‘true path’. Thus, what we know about
Jesus is what the early Church had decided in its wisdom
to be appropriate for the faithful. Consequently, our
knowledge of Jesus is anchored primarily on the four
Canonical Gospels included in the ‘New Testament’ part of
the Bible.
The Gospels are not eyewitness accounts. They were
written some 35 to 65 years after the crucifixion of Jesus.
It arose out of separate oral traditions that had taken
shape in the dispersed Christian communities. Jesus died
in about the year 30 CE. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew
and Luke date to about 65 to 85 CE, and have sources
and themes in common. The Gospel of John, which is
distinct from the rest, was composed sometime between
90 and 95 CE. So when we read about Jesus in these
Gospels, what we are getting is not history but memory -
memory shaped by time, by shades of emphasis and by
efforts to make distinctive theological points. And, as we
can see from a comparison of the content of the various
Gospels, that memory was already blurred even in that
early period of its writing.
The objective of the Gospel writers was not to present an
accurate biography of Jesus or to narrate the incidents
connected with his life like journalists reporting events.
The Gospels were written at a time of increasing
persecutions against Christians. It apparently sought to
focus on strengthening the resolve of the faithful to stand
steadfast in their faith in the face of the challenges they
encountered. Gospels carry ‘Good News’ appropriate to
the communities it sought to address. Thus, the Jesus of
the Gospels is more an ‘interpreted Jesus’ than the real
Jesus. So, one time or the other, we are constrained to
ask ourselves, ‘Who is the real Jesus behind the carefully
chosen scripture narratives?’
Very few historians of the times of Jesus, mention Jesus
in their works. As far as we know, the first author outside
the church to mention Jesus is the Jewish historian
Flavius Josephus (37-101 CE), who wrote a history of
Judaism around 93 CE. Another writer who mentions
Christ in his writings is Tacitus (Publius (or Gaius)
Cornelius Tacitus, circa 56 – circa 120 CE). He was a
senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. From
Tacitus we learn that Jesus was executed while Pontius
Pilate was the Roman administrator in charge of Judaea
(26-36 CE) and Tiberius was emperor (14-37 CE) –
reports that fit with the timeframe of the Gospels. Another
important source of evidence about Jesus and early
Christianity is found in the letters of Pliny the Younger to
Emperor Trajan. But these references are mostly passing
and indirect.
So, the obvious question is: Why did ancient historians
ignore Jesus in their works? The likely reason was that
Jesus was not someone considered worthy of occupying
the precious pages of history books. Jewish historian
Josephus tells us about a number of prophets who
appeared and gathered followers. They promised to part
the waters of the Jordan or make the walls of Jerusalem
fall down and so on. They were all wiped out by the
Roman Governors. Their followers were scattered. We
can find a mention of this in the Book of Acts (Acts 5:36-
37). All those ‘Messiahs’ simply died and exited from
history once for all. It is quite likely that contemporary
historians did not consider Jesus as any more authentic
than the rest of the lot that had perished forever.
Jesus taught people mostly through parables. He had
lived and worked among the poor and ordinary people and
used examples from their daily lives. So his parables had
lambs, sheep and shepherds, rich and poor, landlords and
serfs, slaves and masters, sowers and harvesters and
those threshing wheat and pressing grapes. His
knowledge and insight into the lives of the common folk
perhaps came from his own life of penury. So he says,
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old
garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment
and a worse tear will result” (Matthew 9:16).
We are not sure whether Apostle Paul had ever met
Jesus, although both were in Jerusalem more or less
during the same period. But Paul had a picture of Jesus in
his mind. Perhaps, he had at least two of them. One of
them turned him to an aggressive persecutor of Christians
in Jerusalem. But on the road to Damascus, he received
a vision that knocked him down. It also knocked down the
image of Jesus he had carried in his mind until then. A
new image took its place. Other Apostles had different
images of Jesus. Those who came into the Christian fold
had their own ideas about Jesus. The process of the
portraying of Jesus in various images, according the
understanding of people, continues even today.
The general perception that Christianity had started as a
single faith to split later into various factions because of
disagreements over the interpretations of the content of
the Scripture or because of ideological or other differences
is apparently misplaced. The disunity arising out of the
theology and rituals remained a reality from the very
beginning. Even the Apostles Peter and Paul had serious
disagreements. People had conflicting ideas and
imaginations about Jesus and his mission. This deepens
the mystery of Jesus.
Each individual on the mission to understand Jesus tends
to create his or her own interpretations and images of
Jesus. Consequently, people have understood Jesus as
someone standing alone on the periphery of the society,
or as a friend and liberator of the proletariat, or a rebel
12 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
who had challenged the belief systems of orthodox
Judaism, or a revolutionary who had tried to assail the
corrupt Jewish leadership and ruthless Roman hegemony,
or the Son of God, or the sacrificial lamb for the atonement
of the sins of the world…
Incidentally, the question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ was raised
during the lifetime of Jesus. Even in his hometown where
he had grown up, people did not really understand who
Jesus was (Matthew 13:54-56). The situation was no
better outside his hometown (Matthew 16:13-14). And
Jerusalem too was no different (Matthew 21:10-11; John
7:25-27). Finally, Jesus decided to put an end to all the
confusions and speculations about his identity. So, when
Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter
answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living
God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,
but by my Father in heaven…” (Matthew 16:15-17). But,
even this answer failed to settle the matter. For in
Judaism, there are apparently two Messiahs – one is
Priest and the other is King.
Today, the Church remains fragmented into 30,000 –
40,000 denominations. Each faction invariably swears by
the Gospels and preaches the Jesus of the New
Testament. Yet these factions cannot come to a common
understanding on the identity of Jesus or the meaning of
his teachings. Thus, two thousand years after Jesus had
finished his mission, we are still searching for an answer
acceptable to all to the question, ‘Who is Jesus?’
However, there is no reason to be upset about the
situation, because spirituality is an individual experience
and not the blind acceptance of dead dogmas. Each
individual is unique. The upbringing, education, thoughts
and experiences are unique with regard to each individual.
And that uniqueness is constantly changing because of
the ever-running chemical processes in human physical
system. So, the same input generates different thoughts
and experiences in different people. And none can
transfer his/her experience to another person. The reality
is beautifully articulated by Kahlil Gibran as follows: “No
man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies
half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge. The
teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his
followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith
and his lovingness. If he is indeed wise, he does not bid
you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to
the threshold of your own mind. The astronomer may
speak to you of his understanding of space, but he cannot
give you his understanding... For the vision of one man
lends not its wings to another man. And even as each
one of you stands alone in God's knowledge, so must
each one of you be alone in his knowledge of God and in
his understanding of the earth” (‘The Prophet’).
True spirituality is a personal and unique experience. It is (Poetic Meditations)
foolish to expect everyone to accept a common image of
Jesus created by another – patriarch, priest, preacher,
pastor, committee or council. The Jesus of my
The Last Days of Jesus on Earth
understanding or experience is not the Jesus of the Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam
understanding of another person. I am unique as an
individual. My Jesus is unique to me alone. It is difficult to 1. HE FALLS
find fault with such variety in unity. What is important is
integrity with regard to faith. The tragedy of You are strong
institutionalized faith is that the institution decides what the Yet you fell.
faithful should or should not believe. True spirituality has There were tears in your eyes
nothing to do with uniformity or conformity. Jesus said Yet you wiped out other's tears.
“…the truth will set you free”. The question is: would You were stripped
another person’s truth set me free? But you were clothed by an eclipse.
You committed your soul to the divine care
Notes: But the Almighty clothed it with a body.
1. In biblical Judaism, sacred oil was used to anoint
certain exceptionally holy people and objects as part of Lord, the weak will fall
their religious investiture (see Leviticus 8:10–12 and But you will raise him up.
Exodus 30:29). He may shed tears
But you will wipe them out.
2. Marcus J. Borg (March 11, 1942 – January 21, 2015)
He may go without clothes
was an American theologian and a former professor of
But you will clothe him with celestial attire.
religion and culture at Oregon State University, who was
among the most widely known and influential voices in
He may fall in the pit
‘Progressive Christianity’, which is a "post-liberal But you will lift him up.
movement" within Christianity "that seeks to reform the
faith via the insights of post-modernism and a reclaiming 2. HE DIES
of the truth beyond the verifiable historicity and factuality
of the passages in the Bible by affirming the truths within You tasted death
the stories that may not have actually happened.” But you tasted life first.
One praised God for your death
3. The term ‘Church Fathers’ refers to any of about 70 The other lamented over your fate
theologians in the period from the 2nd to the 7th century The third saw sparks of love in your eyes.
whose writing established and confirmed official church
doctrine. In the Roman Catholic Church, some of these Lord, I see your agony not on the cross
people were later declared saints; some became ‘Doctor But on the streets today.
of the Church’. The best-known Latin Church Fathers are I praise your sacrifice
Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Jerome. But I hesitate to go with you.
Those who wrote in Greek include Athanasius, Basil, I lament over your death
Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom.
But I don't shed tears.
*Mr. Georgekutty is a former Central
I see your glittering eye
government officer and But I don't train myself to behold your face.
academician. He is a gold medallist Forgive me, Lord.
of the Institute of Cost Accounts of
India (ICA) and its Fellow Member 3. THEY TOUCH HIS BODY
(FCMA). He holds postgraduate
degrees in Business Management,
Computer Application, Commerce, An unknown person held your head
Journalism, English, History, The other held your hands
Philosophy, Politics, Public They were united in love.
Administration, Sociology and Their names are not known
Gandhian Thoughts. He is They are not remembered in prayers.
passionate in studying Philosophy and Religions. After quitting
Surely, they are in the records of heaven
his post retirement job as director of a business school, he has
been devoting his entire time on reading, writing and public
For they brought heaven to the earth.
speaking. He has also written a number of books. He is settled in
Karunagappally, Kerala. (Contd. on Page 13)
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“I am” Sayings
Revd Dr. Abraham Philip, Kottayam, Kerala
The theme of this issue of FOCUS is focused on Jesus
Christ. In other words to be more focused, it is on the
Christological titles of Jesus. As I have been asked to
write on the “I am” Sayings of Jesus we focus ourselves
on the Fourth Gospel. In the Gospel according to St John,
we have the author of the Gospel using a number of titles
to denote who Jesus is such as Word (1:1-18), God (1:1,
18; 20:28), Light (1:4, 5, 9), Life (1:4, 5, 9; 3:16; 10:10;
20:31), the Only Son (1:14, 18). At the same time there
are a host of confessions about Jesus Christ in the Fourth
Gospel through various people such as the Lamb of God
(1:29, 36), the one from the beginning (1:31), the one in
whom the Spirit dwells (1:32-34), Son of God (1:34, 39),
God’s elect (1:34), Messiah (1:41, 45), the King of Israel
(1:49), Son of Man (1:51), the Rabbi from God (3:2),
prophet (4:19; 6:14; 7:40), the saviour of the world (4:42),
Lord (6:68; 9:38), the holy one of God (6:69), the one to
i ii
come into the world (11:27), and Lord and God (20:28) .
Moreover, we have Jesus speaking of himself using the
title Son of Man (1:51; 4:13-14; 5:27; 6:27ff, 53; 8:28;
9:35; 12:23, 34; 13:31). According to the Gospels, Son of
Man is the only title that Jesus applied to himself. We
have also Jesus’ Claim of close relationship with the
Father. The healing at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath
is followed by a dispute over Sabbath between Jesus and
the Jews (5:10ff). Jesus’ defense rests on his claim of
intimate relationship with the Father (5:17-18). Jesus’
expression “My Father” implied a claim which the Jews did
not miss. Because of Jesus’ close relationship to the
Father, Jesus works in the same way as the Father. Jesus
claims not only his oneness with the Father, but also the
identity of purpose by carrying out the work of the Father.
Jesus speaks of his unity with the Father in 10:29-30 (cf.
17:22). The unity expressed in 10:30 is a unity of power
and operation. This points to Jesus’ deity and affirm his
oneness of will, action and purpose (This was an
affirmation that led the church during the fourth century to
the doctrine of the one divine nature in the Trinity). Jesus
is ever in agreement with the Father (cf. 5:30; 8:16, 18),
and acts in agreement with the will and direction of the
Father (6:38; 8:26, 28; 10:18). “I and my Father are one”
(10:30) is comparable with “the Word was God” (1:1). In
the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is the unique Son. Others are
children of God. Jesus further points out the identity
between Jesus and the Father in his words to Philip (14:9-
11). Jesus tells Philip that to see Jesus is to see the
Father. That is, Jesus is the revelation of the Father. The
words that Jesus speaks are the words of the Father, and
the deeds of Jesus are the works of the Father. The
exalted Johannine Christology does not permit the Fourth
14 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
Gospel to see the activity of Jesus without reference to the
transcendent God.
In the Fourth Gospel there is an apparent contradiction
between 10:30 (“I and my Father are one”) and 14:28 (“for
the Father is greater than I”) – these verses have been
subject of much Christological and Trinitarian debate
especially during the period of Christological
controversies. While on earth Jesus becomes less than
the Father. The Fourth evangelist makes clear that God in
his revelation is truly God (10:30) and that Jesus does not
reveal a secondary deity. Yet he is Deus revelatus, God to
the extent that he can be made known, not the whole
mystery of God.
In the Fourth Gospel there is a greater frequency of “I am”
than in the Synoptic Gospels (“I am” is used 134 times in
the Fourth Gospel as against 28 times in Matthew, 17
times in Mark and 29 times in Luke) . Three different kinds
of usages of “I am” can be distinguished in this Gospel: (i)
the absolute use with no predicate; (ii) the use where a
predicate may be implied though not expressed; (iii) the
use with a predicate nominative. The absolute use with no
predicate refers to the messianic identity of Jesus. All the
passages where this use occurs are linked by Jesus’ claim
to a totally unique mode of being, which transcends
human categories. It seems to suggest Jesus as one who
bears the divine name “I am” as used in the Hebrew Bible.
This is made more explicit in the Fourth Gospel by the
second usage of the formula, where the predicate is
understood. Here the formula has a revelatory
significance, which goes beyond a mere messianic
identification of Jesus.
In the miracle of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee
(6:16-21) John emphasizes a divine epiphany centred on
the expression “I am” (v. 20). The majesty of Jesus gets
prominence and it is that of the one who bears the divine
name. In 18:5-9, the soldiers come to arrest Jesus. When
Jesus reveals who he is through “I am”, they step back
and fall on the ground. The confusion is not just that of
astonishment, but a reaction to divine revelation. The
above two incidents show that “I am” in the Fourth Gospel
has associations with its usage in the Hebrew Bible. Jesus
speaks emphatically as Yahweh speaks in the Jewish
Scriptures (especially Exodus 3:14).
“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will
realize that I am he” (8:28). This is used as an emphatic
self-identification (cf. 8:24; 13:19). They also point to the
divinity of Jesus, which will be manifested through his
glorification. These usages cannot be explained by the
parallels in the Synoptic Gospels (Mark 6:50; Matt 14:27),
where the phrase “I am” is used as a simple affirmative.
The glorified Jesus is confirmed as Lord and God (John the “I am” Sayings point to his divinity as we see it in the
20:28). The implication of divinity in the use of “I am” is background of the whole Bible.
confirmed by the fact that the Jews tried to stone him
when he said, “Before Abraham was born, I am” (8:58). End Notes:
1
Abraham Philip, The History and Theology of the Gospel According to
St. John (Tiruvalla: CSS, 1918), 58
In the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is the eschatological revealer 2
J. H. Bernard, Bernard, J. H., John, A Critical and Exegetical
of God’s name. What Jesus had done on earth was to Commentary on John (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1928), cxvii.
reveal God to people. It is to make the name of God
known (17:6). The name of God, which Jesus revealed is (Poetic Meditations) (Continued from Page 11)
“I am”. In the Fourth Gospel there are seven instances Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam
where Jesus presents himself as “I am” with a predicate 4. HE IS BURIED
nominative. These predicates are symbols familiar to
Palestinians and they have theological significance in You did not ask for a burial
Buria1 is our need
Judaism. In the predicate nominative, the emphasis on the
For we want one more rite!
predicate which tells something of the role of Jesus. It is a You did not ask us to embalm you
description of Jesus in relation to humanity. Jesus is the But we want to smell our good deeds.
source of eternal life to humanity (vine, life, resurrection), You preferred to be buried naked
he is the means through which humanity finds life (way, But it is our pride to be honoured in graves.
gate); he leads people to life (shepherd); he is God’s self- Lord, the pride of hypocrisy haunts me,
revelation (truth), and he is the one who nourishes the Sins of self-congratulation torment me
human life (bread). In each case, “I am” illustrates some Forgive me, Lord!
function of Jesus – to sustain, to illuminate, to admit, to
5. HE HUMBLES HIMSELF
take care for, to give life, to guide and help bear fruit.
Through these “I am” sayings Jesus makes himself known Your weakness is my strength
in personal terms. These sayings are strong signs that Your weakness makes me humble.
point to Jesus as revealer. Your silence is my voice
Your voice makes me silent.
If the absolute “I am” in the Fourth Gospel are expressions You want me to reach out
of God’s redemptive self-revelation in Jesus Christ, the “I Your beyond is my destiny.
am” with predicate nominative are explanations of different Lord your humility is not recorded with ink
aspects of this self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The It is engraved in my heart.
“I am” sayings point out that Jesus is the revealer in whom
6. HE IS LIFTED ON THE CROSS
God utters himself. They show Jesus’ oneness with the
Father. They are Christological affirmations from Jesus You were nailed
himself. And lifted on the cross.
You were lifted by your foes
All these reveal a wide spectrum of the person and work But you were lowered by your friends.
of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ repeated teachings about his Did you move your head?
relationship to the Father and the “I am” statements as Did you speak to the thieves on your sides?
well as the signs lead up to the confession of Jesus as Yes, I moved my head to breathe my last
But my last breath is the power of life.
Lord and God. The list of Christological confessions are
Lord, in your pain, I saw a ray of hope
presented in such a manner that a climax is built in the In your death, you came down to my side.
confession of Thomas when Jesus’ deity is affirmed
(20:28). It seems that the Christological confessions are 7. NEARER TO THE CROSS
deliberate creations of the fourth evangelist to serve his
theological purpose, namely that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord I want to be nearer to your cross
Son of God and that by believing in him they may have life But I am afraid.
in his name (20:31). No single Christological confession is I admire my brother, Joseph of Arimathea
sufficient to comprehend the mystery of God revealed in But I don't want to be known in his company.
I want Joseph to bury you
Jesus Christ. The diverse confessions that point to the
I don't want to be a partner.
pre-existence, earthly ministry and the eschatological work The powerful will hate me
of Jesus cumulatively portray Christ. Some of the titles are The ordinary will gossip about me
derived from the Hebrew Bible or inter-testamental Lord, what a fall in my Iife,
literature or expectations. Some titles do not express his Forgive me.
divinity, but some others involve an appreciation of Jesus
that moves into the sphere of divinity, as expressed in the (Courtesy: ‘Beyond the Seen and the Unseen’ by Rev. Dr. M. J.
more exalted use of the title “Lord” and “God”. Of course Joseph, ISPCK (Delhi) and ECC, Bangalore, 2003)

15 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2

In the Beginning God Created
Prof. Dr. John P. Abraham, South Texas
[It is the culture of most universities to look down on
people of faith. Vocal atheistic scientists hold that God is
not useful to the educated, and God only fills gaps that
science has not yet explained. Yet, there is a silent
majority of scientists and professors who believe in God
and the creation account. Christianity is forbidden on
many campuses, but atheism is not. Students begin to
doubt some of the core beliefs of Christianity such as the
existence of God, the creation account, age of the
universe, Noah’s flood, Tower of Babel, Jonah, Angels,
Miracles, Virgin Birth, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ,
and many other scriptural references. It may be that
Christian students do not get a thorough enough
understanding of the Bible and are easily persuaded to
reject their Christian beliefs. As a professor of computer
science, the author can easily spot errors in logic and has
an in-depth education in cell biology and hematology with
a sufficient background in chemistry and genetics to
follow scientific arguments regarding evolution and
creation. The author’s impending retirement after over 45
years of teaching prompted him to write this article.]
The Holy Bible is not a historical or scientific book, but it
has abundant historical and scientific facts that can be
tested. The purpose of the Holy Bible is to reveal the
person of God to human beings. The Holy Bible is written
for every generation and the vocabulary used in the Bible
is non-scientific and that vocabulary existed before
science emerged as a discipline, and readers should not
expect latest precise scientific vocabulary. Among all His
creation, humans are the only ones who can develop a
meager understanding of the Creator. And nature itself
reveals God the Creator, “the heavens declare the glory
of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Ps
19:1). God revealed Himself to us through the person of
Jesus Christ. His birth, crucifixion and resurrection are a
matter of biblical and extra-biblical history.
Scientific research is based on repeated observations
and experiments of how things happen. By that definition
scientists can only perform research on repeatable
events. Much of the events described in the Bible only
happened once. Scientists create a hypothesis or null
hypothesis and accept or reject it based on statistical
significance. The most scientists can do is to produce a
theory based on proving or disproving a hypothesis after
repeated observations or experiments (theories are
predictive of future observations or experiments). A
theory can change as new evidence becomes available.
Scientists asserting theories as facts are violating
scientific principles. Scientists say that they follow
ethical principles such that they do not falsify data to
obtain statistical significance. An interesting question to
ask here is, if there is no standard moral giver what would
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be the ethics they follow? For Christians God is the
lawgiver and He sets moral standards and laws for the
universe.
Research papers dealing with origin of life and self-
generating cells are mostly wishful thinking and not
founded on facts. Readers, particularly students, should
question every statement that does not make sense
according to accepted laws and principles of chemistry
and physics. As the author reads articles about origin of
life based on evolutionary principles, much of it does not
make logical sense, and there are many gaps not
explained. Computer generated graphics do not explain
scientific facts. Why certain steps happened are not
explained. Some scientists state that science cannot
answer why something happens, only how. But if one
has children and grandchildren as the author has, that is
what they mostly ask, ‘why, why, why?’ Many atheistic
scientists say that ‘why’ is not relevant and therefore
should not be asked. What is the purpose of this
universe? What is the purpose of one’s life? Is death of a
person the end? These are the questions science cannot
answer.
One of the well accepted fields of research is historical
research. When an event cannot be repeated, one must
rely on history or forensics. Charles Darwin used
observations or forensics to reconstruct his version of the
past. While his observations were accurate, his reasoning
and explanations were false. Historical research uses
primary, secondary and tertiary sources as evidence with
the former having greater significance. Primary evidences
are personal remarks, oral traditions, eye-witness
remarks, and archeological findings. Apostle John gave
eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ existence, miracles,
crucifixion and resurrection. There are biblical historians
such as physician Luke and extra-biblical historians such
as Lucian, Suetonius, Flavius Josephus, and Cornelius
Tacitus who connected Jesus to that period. Dr. Luke
explains that he used eyewitness accounts, just as
historical researchers use even today. Yet, people
question existence of historical Jesus while they do not
question any of the other historical figures, for example,
Socrates. There are much more contemporary writings
about Jesus Christ than Socrates.
If no portions of the Bible can be disproven, all of it
should be accepted, including Jonah in a large fish. More
and more archeological discoveries are authenticating
facts mentioned in the bible. Physicists now uniformly
accept that there was a beginning of time and of the
universe. How did the writer of Genesis know that 5000
years ago? Or how did writer of the Book of Job know
darkness is not the absence of light and it occupies
space? That book is older than Genesis. Now scientists
say that 95% of the universe is dark matter (27%) and
dark energy (68%). Book of Job says that the earth is
hung in an empty space, “He stretches out the north over
the void and hangs the earth on nothing.” It also
describes some land and water creatures that are no
longer around. In 700 BC Isaiah wrote “It is he who sits
above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like
grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a
curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in.” At the
time of this writing no one had gone high enough to see
human beings like grasshoppers and no one knew that
the earth was round. Nor did anyone know about the
space and that the universe was expanding. Isaiah
explained these scientific facts with the limited
vocabulary that existed at the time. It was only in late
1920s Hubble postulated the expanding universe. Only in
the 1980s John Corliss discovered existence of
hydrothermal vents, but the book of Job mentioned it
over 5000 years ago, “Have you entered into the springs
of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?”
In the beginning
The Holy Bible begins with the phrase “In the beginning”
which refers to the beginning of time or as far back as
time can be traced. Before the beginning of time only
God existed; He is the agent that brought time into
existence, see Gen 1:1, John 1:1 and Jude 1:25.
Scientists say time cannot exist without space, energy,
gravity, and motion. Thus, an event that brought space,
matter and energy into existence started the time. Those
who believe in the authority and veracity of the Holy Bible
call that event the creation. They also believe that at the
time of creation God also established the laws of nature.
The laws of Physics and time are fixed, and established
by the Lord says Jeremiah 33:25, “This is what the LORD
says: If I have not made my covenant with day and night
and established the laws of heaven and earth”.
Through repeated observations, physics has developed
several mathematical formulas that govern physical laws.
One can deduce that this fine-tuned laws of nature
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established by the Creator allow the universe to operate
within its boundaries and create conditions for life to exist
on this earth. These laws of nature are responsible for
day and night, summer and winter, drought and flood,
mountains and valleys, wellness and sickness, birth and
death, and all that the universe provides. Many ignorantly
blame God for the natural calamities.
Time and space are so integrated, one cannot exist
without the other. Einstein added other dimensions to it
and called it space-time. In space, one can move from
place to place at will; but one cannot move in time at will.
Since God is outside of time (as He created it), He can
see the entire span of time and He knows one’s future
along with the past and present. Predestination theology
should be carefully studied considering God’s
foreknowledge. One chooses to love or avoid individuals
based on their past actions. What if one was able to
travel to the future and see actions of individuals and
comeback to present, one could form opinions on those
observed. The author is particularly referring to the
biblical reference of God loved Jacob and hated Esau
(Malachi 1:3). Atheists accuse God of being vengeful and
partial and thus He cannot be God.
Time is the most difficult concept to comprehend. Time
can be measured but cannot be described. Only the
present is real, future can be predicted, and past can be
reconstructed using laws of physics. One can make a
choice about the future, but nothing can be done about
the past. There are recordings of the past in writings or
records kept by the universe itself. Earth has fossil
records, and trees keeps time by growth circles. These
recordings should be interpreted carefully, as fossils can
be deposited in a short span of time but will appear as
long periods of time. And there are inherent errors
associated with carbon dating. However, when different
readings yield similar results, chances are those readings
are correct. The time can vary depending on velocity and
gravity. So, time at the beginning of creation could have
been much faster than it is now as the galaxies have
moved a great deal.
The scripture did not intent for us to know the age of the
universe, just that it had a beginning. Moses who wrote
Genesis also wrote Psalms 90. About time Moses says,
“A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just
gone by, or like a watch in the night.” Thousand is the
largest digit used by Mosses in all his writings. So, it may
mean a big number. After denying a beginning of the
universe for centuries (scientists of old believed in a
perpetual universe), now scientists uniformly accept that
it had a beginning. Scientists can predict the beginning of
time by measuring by how long light took to reach the
telescopes and by measuring other electromagnetic
radiation from the earliest event that they refer to as Big
Bang. Age of the universe has nothing to do with
salvation of human race, and thus, the author is not going
to make a stand on the age of the universe.
These words ‘In the beginning’ is used twice in the Bible,
in Genesis 1 and in Gospel of John 1; the former to
introduce creation of the universe and later to affirm that
God and Christ existed before creation (John 17:5,24).
Other scripture references to creation exist in Job,
Romans, Psalms, proverbs, Isiah, Ecclesiastes and other
books.
God
Genesis 1:1 does not attempt to clarify existence of God;
it merely asserts the eternal authority and power of God.
GOD is eternal, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.
Two uniqueness revealed about God are that He is Holy,
Holy, Holy (either indicating Trinity or highest form of
Holiness) and He is merciful. God expresses emotions
just as human beings, but His love supersedes all other
emotions and therefore God is love. Creation itself is an
act of love. Genesis 1 uses Elohim to refer to God who is
the God of all creation, and Genesis 2 uses Elohim-
YHWH, the revealed name of God to Israel. The personal
name of God, YHWH, is forbidden to be pronounced, and
Jewish people refer to the name using the term Hashem
(The Name). The word ‘LORD” is commonly used, to
show the relationship between man and YHWH. There
are many other names used to refer to God.
God revealed himself to humanity in the person of Christ,
see John 1:1 and John 17:5, 24. One notable fact about
Jesus Christ is that the chance (probability) for all the
prophecies to be fulfilled by one man is about 1 in
octillion; only God can do that. Christ gave us a new
commandment, which is to love one another. Christianity
is the only religion in which by birth a person does not
become a Christian; each person must accept Christ as
the personal savior. Christians believe that God is a
person and gets involved personally in the affairs of those
who seek His help. Book of Jonah is a testament to
God’s love to all humanity. Christianity views every
human being as a person created in God’s image and
loved by God, including atheists and agnostics and
people belonging to all religions. Every person created in
the image of God can naturally behave morally regardless
of religion or beliefs, unless one specifically chooses
otherwise. Many religions attempt to comprehend God
through observing and worshiping the creation rather
than the creator. God’s nature is explained fully by the
combined teachings of Moses and Jesus Christ. When
one earnestly seeks the person of God through the
scriptures or prayers, ultimately one will find Jesus
Christ. A very good place to start reading is the Gospel
According to John.
The creation cannot comprehend or explain the Creator.
A computer can’t explain man who created it, but the
man who created the computer can explain the
computer. Man cannot fully comprehend God, other than
what He has revealed to us. Science cannot analyze God
any more than they can analyze love, mind, or
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consciousness. Many Christians including the author
have experienced God in a very personal way and may
very well know someone else who had a personal
experience with God. Science does not leave any room
for such experiences. Fulfilled prophecies such as
historical prophecies of Daniel affirm God’s interaction
with man.
Atheists do not accept the existence of God nor see any
reason to acknowledge God, but they go out of their way
to convince others that there is no God. If they truly
believe that there is no God, why make such a fuss about
Him? Atheists only explain created works of God and
laws of nature. Atheists often use science and evolution
to argue against God. Theory of evolution is now taught
to students as a fact, which is a total hoax. Charles
Darwin wrote down the observations and similarities
between species. Bible uses ‘kind’ to differentiate
families. That word existed long before the word
‘species’ was coined. Atheists often iterate that ‘kind’
should not be used.
Atheism has undergone the most elaborate human
experimentation under communism in Russia and the
results are in. It is a total failure. Russia was under the
70-year atheistic communist rule when it totally
collapsed. Two thirds of the population did not believe in
the existence of God. During the author’s 1998 visit to
Russia, he personally witnessed the results of atheism.
Once a mighty empire was reduced to hopelessness and
poverty. A religious revival is happening in Russia today.
The author warns young students not to fall under the
authority and control of atheistic professors. Atheism is
an easy way out of moral living, not that atheists can’t live
a decent life, but without a moral law giver there is no
morality.
Atheists consider miracles as violations of laws of the
universe and thus cannot occur. Christians refute this
argument as God is not limited to this realm. The very
reason Christians recognize a miracle is because it is out
of the ordinary. Examples are the Immaculate
Conception and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Christ’s
life on this earth was filled with miracles. There are many
who receive miraculous healing, immediate relief from
drug addiction, and other unexplainable miracles.
Created
Creation is the work of bringing something into existence.
Two different words are used in Genesis, created (bara)
and made (asah), and some bible scholars try to explain
bara means to bring something into existence from
nothing and asah means to make something out of
existing substance. According to this interpretation, God
created the heavens and earth, sea creatures and birds,
and man; everything else was made. Man was both
made and created: Adam was first made out of dust and
then created when soul was placed into him.
A creator will have some ultimate goal and the creator
goes through a series of steps to achieve that goal. The
creation explained in Genesis had an ultimate goal:
creation of man in His own image. All creation leading up
to the creation of man were the steps needed to achieve
this ultimate goal. Each step is joined with the previous
one, “And God said.” Similarities in creation only
emphasizes one creator, rather than one creation
becoming another in time. God did not create everything
in one instant, the creation was in stages. Anyone who
built a simple structure like a house knows that the
sequence of steps needs to be followed and relatively
small time gaps are given to stabilize and integrate each
step. Long period of time is an enemy for creation, not a
friend as atheists assert. The author has seen houses not
completed in a reasonable time had to be rebuilt as
deterioration had taken place. The author’s experience in
his organic chemistry classes where he had to synthesize
some chemicals was that time, temperature, and orders
of steps were absolutely important. He could not have
produced an intermediate chemical and come back after
a few years and expect to continue the experiment. This
is the ridiculous theory Evolutionists propose.
The creation occurred in six stages (scripture calls it 6
days) and then God rested and did no more creation.
When the creation was completed (ultimately man was
created in His image), He saw that it was very good.
Until then He saw it as good. There is a sudden
appearance of major animal phyla without evidence of
any precursors; science calls it the Cambrian Explosion.
The author simply accepts that all those creatures were
created by God at the same time. Archeology can show
lots of genus and families (‘kind’) until Man arrived on this
earth. Then, no new families show up, confirming Biblical
sequence of creation. If evolution is happening there
should be new genera of animals (not species) evolved
since the appearance of man.
Evolution is what is taught in schools as a scientific fact, it
is no longer taught as an alternative to creation. Those
scientists who question evolution are alienated by their
colleagues, peer review teams, journals, and news media.
Theistic evolutionists only embolden the atheistic
evolutionists. Genes can rearrange, or genes can be
deleted, in order to adapt and make a new species of the
same genus. Micro-evolution is possible in laboratories.
However, there is absolutely no evidence for evolution
creating a new family (‘kind’) of animals. Evolutionists will
point to similarities in morphology of animals and
commonality of 2 percent of genes between animals and
human. The author can speak authoritatively about
computer science. Creation of a computer program
takes considerable sequences of steps. The author has
written many lengthy programs, one with around 60,000
lines of code. Certain portions of programs are used
repeatedly to reduce the total number of lines of code.
Each segment of code had dependency on previously
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written code. As someone in the future examine different
programs that the author wrote and notice repeated code
segments in all those programs, should that person then
conclude one program morphed into another program by
chance or a common programmer wrote all those
programs? If portions of the program are deleted, the
remaining program may work until that portion of the
code is required, say data validation. If random changes
are made to the program, the original program becomes
totally unusable. Mutation happening in a male and
female during one lifespan and within a geographic
proximity to produce offspring of the new mutated animal
is highly improbable. It is time to study evolution as a
theory and teach alternatives to our students.
In the early 1970s the author cultured blood lymphocytes
and during the metaphase stage added colchicine to
arrest mitosis, and burst the cell using alcohol which
splattered the chromosomes on a slide. Then the
specimen was stained to take pictures of the
chromosomes, and the pictures were used for
karyotyping. The main purpose was to identify the XY
chromosomes to identify true genetic gender of the
newborn. The author did this as contract work for some
doctors who were working with pediatricians. The author
even had own darkroom and printed all the photographs.
Thus, he developed a special interest in genomics. It
was just few years after Watson and Crick received Nobel
Prize in 1962 for discovering the double helix structure of
DNA. DNA is found in the nucleus and small amount of
circular DNA in the mitochondria of a cell. Mitochondrial
DNA is passed exclusively by the mother and genes in Y
chromosomes are passed by the father. Geneticists can
now trace all men to a single male (Adam) and single
female (Eve). Atheists would say there were other males
and females lived at that time but only genetic Adam and
Eve were fortunate to pass on their genes. Nevertheless,
the book of Genesis says there was a single man and a
single woman created by God. There are 23 pairs of
chromosomes, 23 inherited from father and the other 23
from the mother. When gene from one chromosome from
the father is not expressed, the gene from the mother will
take over. This is why men are more prone to have
certain genetic disorders as men only have one X
chromosome. The other X chromosome is not there to
cover for recessive genes. There are some 3 billion base
pairs in the chromosomes that make up human genome,
holding enormous amount of information, much more
than all the encyclopedias combined. Only 2% (around
20,000) of the human base pairs found on the
chromosomes are protein coding genes, and that number
keeps changing. These protein coding genes are same in
many animals that need to produce protein for survival
and procreation. Production of protein from the
instructions found in DNA in itself is highly sophisticated
and interdependent with RNA, ribosomes, nucleic acids
and so on. The control mechanisms reside elsewhere in
the DNA. This, in a very small way, is similar to the
control unit in a CPU within a computer that fetches,
decodes, executes and pipelines instructions. If the
readers are not convinced that computers came into
existence by accident, there is no way anyone can
believe that the DNA with all the information it carries
contained within a 5 to 10 microns (7 cells can fit on a
human hair tip) came into existence randomly. Mutation
is detrimental for a cell rather than beneficial as
evolutionists believe. Scientists do not know the purpose
for the rest 98% base pairs in DNA and they call it junk
DNA. Someday the purpose will be discovered just as
the dark matter and energy discussed above. These 98%
perhaps gives human the uniqueness of God’s creation.
The Heavens and earth
‘Heavens and earth’ is used to mean this earth and
everything above it, meaning the universe. Experts in
Hebrew say that the vocabulary in Hebrew is very limited,
about one-hundredth of English words. In English more
precise words can be used, whereas in Hebrew the
meaning of a word depends on the whole sentence and
sometimes sentences leading up to the current sentence
or the following sentences. An example is the word ‘day’
(yom) that could mean few hours, full day, or a period of
time (long time). Since the creation account continues
to talk about creation of plants, fish and birds, land
animals and human, it can be assumed that Gen 1:1 is
referring to all material things (atoms, elements, and
compounds) that make up earth and water.
God created all the naturally occurring 90 elements on
day one. Atoms that make up these elements are awe-
inspiring. Science has gone through several versions of
the model of atoms, most popular being the Bohr model,
where each atom appears like a mini solar system with
nucleus in the center and electrons in orbits. This model
was modified to make the orbits elliptical. It was further
modified to show electrons enclosed in envelops. The
positively charged protons should repel each other and a
force greater than their repulsion keeps them together in
the nucleus, only made possible by the Creator. Chain
reactions of nuclear fission or fusion can release
enormous amount of energy, so much energy compacted
into these atoms. God has placed order and beauty in all
His creation from an atom to a giant star. The order
found in the elements allows us to create a periodic table.
Every element is used by human being for one purpose or
the other. Atheism teaches that radiation from the Big
Bang created quarks and baryons that combined to make
nuclei (nucleosynthesis) and helium lithium and beryllium
were produced after 300,000 years when cooling took
place. All other atoms were derived from these by fusion.
It is incomprehensible how reasonable humans can
accept this theory. Every element that scientists created
in the lab is highly unstable that they can only exist for
very short time.
20 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
Summary
Apostle John states that Jesus Christ has always been
with God the Father, and that all things were made
through Him, and without Him nothing was made that
was made. Over twelve hundred years ago Moses wrote
that the universe and the time had a beginning; science
only now confirms that the universe had a beginning. The
writer of the book of Job gave some insight into creation,
water cycles, and many living creatures that are extinct.
The Holly Bible alludes that universe is expanding, and
the earth is round and is hung in the space, and even
gave a hint of the dark matter. All material things were
created first along with the physical laws to sustain the
creation. Then all living things, plants and animals, were
created, and finally the LORD God formed man of the dust
of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man (Adam) became a living soul. Eve was
formed out of the man. Genomic research now traces
human ancestry to a single male and female, Adam and
Eve.
According to the scripture all men have sinned and fell
short of glory of God. As explained in the foregoing text,
God is merciful and full of love, and He loved His creation
so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. This article argued for the creation
account of in the Bible giving scientific rationale as
needed and argued against macro evolution. This article
pointed out the strong evidence for creation and against
evolution is the Cambrian explosion. The evolutionists
adhere to the false narrative that anything can happen
given enough time, and the author strongly argued that
time and mutation work against evolution. The article
further argued against atheists about whom the scripture
says that the fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
The author is a tenured full professor of 45 years at a major
university in South Texas with an
enrollment of 28,000 students
where he held various teaching
and administrative positions. He
encounters many students from
Christian background leaving
their faith as they matriculate.
Atheists use science as a tool to
argue against belief in God.
Atheists consider themselves
sophisticated, and label theists as
superstitious and unsophisticated. As college students want to
be sophisticated and non-superstitious, many turn away from
God during their college years. It is sad that some scientists
feel that God is incompatible with science. Bible encourages
people to study the works of the Lord, “Great are the works of
the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.” Humans are
encouraged to study animals, birds, plants and the fish, as it is
written, “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of
the heavens, they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, they
will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.”
Who was Jesus? And who is Jesus for us Today?
Dr. Zac Varghese, London
Human beings have been occupied with the question of the
nature of the being of Jesus Christ for over two thousand years.
Questions about Jesus' identity and his role as ‘The Jewish
Messiah’ had created much confusion and arguments for
the second temple Jewish community and also for many
biblical scholars of the 'historical Jesus' research including:
Reimarus, Strauss, Schweitzer, Barth, Bultmann, Tom Wright
and many others over the last three hundred years. Messiah,
Christ, anointed king, warrior king, servant king, Immanuel, the
kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, eschatology,
Parousia and all such words carry different meanings and
expectations for different people; in postmodern thinking words
have no reference point, meanings continually shift.
In the New Testament, we are given such key information as
what the name of Messiah would be and why (Matt. 1:21),
where He would be born in fulfilment of various OT prophecies
(Mic 5:2; Mt 2:6), and how both His birth-mother and His
adopted-father are part of God’s plan for healing the fractured
world (Mt 1:16). A few words are clearly not enough to describe
Jesus’ miraculous birth and its implications. His birth narratives
and genealogies are only found in the Gospels of Matthew and
Luke. In Micah, we were told that He would be born in
Bethlehem (5:2). In Isaiah, we read that His mother would be a
virgin (7:14), and that He is coming to save people from their
sins (ch.53). Messianic age was a God-given hope for the
people of the second temple Judaism because of the
subjugation of the Jewish people by foreign powers, and as
indicated by Isiah’s prophecies and in Isaiah’s songs (Is 42:1-9;
49;1-13; 50: 4-11; 52:13-53-12). As early as on the eighth day
when Jesus’ parents took baby Jesus to the temple for the
circumcision, Simeon and Anna recognised the prophetic
fulfilment in Jesus (Lk 2: 21ff).
John the Baptist, Mary – the mother of Jesus – and Joseph
were well-placed than anyone else of that age to realise the
identity of Jesus and the importance of his God-given mission;
yet, John, from his prison, sent two of his disciples and
enquired: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we
expect someone else?” This question is recoded both in the
Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Mt 11:2-9; Lk 7:19-28). John
was imprisoned by Herod for his adulterous liaison with
Herodias – his brother, Philip’s, wife – whom he had married (Mk
6:17ff).
John even knew the identity of Jesus when he was in his
mother’s womb and much more clearly and dramatically when
he baptised Jesus at the river Jordan (Mt 3:3ff). Therefore, it is
not easy to discern John’s doubt and read his mind two
thousand years after the incidence. It is just possible that Jesus
did not fulfil John’s expectations regarding a Messiah, a warrior
king, which John and the Jewish people entertained. John had
gone through much suffering under Herod, his faith and
aspirations were being deeply tested in Herod’s dungeon.
Therefore, it was just possible for John to ponder: “Why I am I
imprisoned for standing up for morality and a just cause?”
“Where is the judgement that Christ promised to render upon
evil men?” (cf. Mt 3:10). John’s enquiry was sincere; having
doubt is not a sign of weakness; it could even be a positive
factor for growth. We read of the exclamation of the father of a
21 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
boy with the evil spirit: “I do believe; help me to overcome my
unbelief!” (Mk 9:24). It is also possible that John may be
reminding Jesus that he completed his destiny, had prepared
the path for Jesus, he had done his bit, and it is now up to
Jesus to carry it on and establish the kingdom of God, if he
were to be the Messiah. Jesus had very high regard for John’s
work, his lifestyle and said, “Among those born of women there
has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” Jesus
considered John’s work as the launching pad for his own
ministry. In response to John’s enquiry Jesus sent a coded
message to John, asking John to compare his work with what
the scriptures had prophesied (Mt 11:4-6; Is 35:5-6; Is 61; Lk 4:
8-19; Dan 7:13, 14).
We see three dimensions of Jesus’ identity in St. John’s Gospel.
His prologue is an amazing piece of writing with deeper insight
to the identity of Jesus. John’s Christology touches three areas
of great importance: 1 The pre-existence of Christ before his
becoming man and his integral role in the creation of the
cosmos; 2) The incarnation of Christ as Jesus of Nazareth, as
Mary and Joseph’s son, and his preaching and healing on earth
until his death; 3) Resurrection, ascension and the continued
working of Christ until now and beyond, the ages to come. The
divinity and humanity of Jesus to reveal the human face of God
is one of the purposes of his incarnation, which is clearly stated
in the final verse of the prologue: “No-one has ever seen God,
but God the One and only One, who is at the Father’s side, has
made him known” (Jn 1:18). This verse serves both as the
conclusion to the Prologue and as an introduction to Jesus’
ministry. John juxtaposes the eternal, supra-temporal realm of
God, with the historical realm that encompasses the everyday
affairs of human beings, mere creatures of flesh and blood. In
so doing, John lays the foundation for the development of the
"realized eschatology."
Jesus was also keen to know how others thought about him and
his ministry and therefore, he asked his disciples, “Who do
people say the son of man is?”(Mt 16:13ff). He then asked more
directly to his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” To this Peter
enthusiastically replied: “You are Christ, the son of the living
God.” This question is also directed to us today and every day
in our lives. In our agonising and unavoidable struggles, it is
important to realise who Jesus Christ is in our personal
existence. Although archaeological search and findings are
1
helpful in refuting the claims of some modern theologians, their
studies on the historical Jesus and their negative arguments;
some of them vehemently argue that Gospel had got it all
wrong; Jesus was not after all what he had been made out to be
by the Church. According to the Jesus Seminar Group, a
controversial scholarly forum established in the United States in
the Eighties, Jesus was a mortal man born of two human
parents, who did not perform nature miracles nor die as a
substitute for sinners nor rise bodily from the dead. But Dominic
1https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/12/jesus-
tomb-archaeology/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-
email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=History_20191223&rid=51A
E5DF110CF3BA61043F7710D654053
Crossman , the co-chairman of the group, admits that the
2
Epistle to the Hebrews is comforting in these troubled times:
radical sceptics go too far: “. . . Granted stories of Christ’s “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”
miraculous deeds— healing the sick with his words, feeding a (Heb13:8).
multitude with a few morsels of bread and fish, even restoring
life to a corpse four days dead—are hard for modern minds to
embrace. But that’s no reason to conclude that Jesus of
Nazareth was a religious fable.”

Tom wright in his chapter on ‘The stone the builders rejected’

3

had the following to say about Jesus’s identity and mission

based on what Jesus said (Mt 11:25ff). “Whether or not that is
correct, the chapter [Ch11] reverts to the larger question of
Jesus’ identity and mission. Jesus prays with thanks that the
Father ‘has hidden these things’ from the wise and
understanding and has been revealed them to babies; and he
declares that within the new world that he is launching there is
a new mode of knowing, in which the Father himself enables

FOCUS
people to ‘know the son’, and the son himself enables people
to know the Father. Jesus’ answer to John, then, is about
discerning the dawn, recognising the new creation in the midst
of the old: about the way in which people are now enable to
look at the events in the present world, the world of space,
time and matter, and to see in them the light of the dawning
day.”

Jesus identity is very clearly described by Jesus himself in the

seven “I am” statements recorded in St. John’s Gospel. They
are metaphors, hidden with deep spiritual meaning, which Jesus
uses to draw out imagery that describes the implications of His
identity. Jesus’ beloved disciple, John, describes Jesus’s
description of himself in the following way: “I am the bread of
life” (6:35); “the light of the world” (8:12); “the gate” (10:9); “the
good shepherd” (10:11); “the resurrection and the life” (11:25,
26); “the way and the truth and the life” (14: 6); and “the vine”
(15:5). These are encouraging signposts for our pilgrimage with
Jesus Christ.
Finally, writings about Jesus, in these troubled times, must
exercise restraint lest enthusiasm for Jesus and his preaching
permeates all that one should hold sacred should lead to what
critical scholars may deem extravagant statements and claims.
However, one should be able, without irritation or hesitance, to
assess hostile appraisal on Jesus’ life and ministry. We must not
forget that the test of our faith in Jesus is to be found in our own
experience of Jesus in our lives and our pilgrimage with him.
This is very clearly brought out in the experience of both the
Samaritan woman at the well (Jn 4:25-26) and Martha when
Jesus comforted her at the death of Lazarus (Jn 11:27). It is not
the High Priest, Rabbis, scribes, teachers of the Law or
Pharisees who realised who Jesus was, but it was simple
women in their encounter with Jesus at the sharp end of their
lives. Therefore, each one of us needs to have an experiential
understanding of Jesus. More than the archaeology, other
artefacts and historical research we need to know who Jesus
Christ is for us today in our lives and in our situation, and
furthermore, what God requires of us here and now. Whatever is
our understanding of Jesus, the assertion of the writer of the
2 Crossan, John Dominic (2001). 'Excavating Jesus: Beneath
the Stones, Behind the Texts', with Jonathan L. Reed. Harper
Collins. ISBN 0-06-061634-2.
3 N. T. Wright, ‘History and Eschatology’, Baylor University,
Press, Waco, Texas, 2019, p180. www.scribd.com/diasporafocus
22 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
The Editorial Board of the FOCUS has decided to
introduce a new initiative of ‘Ask FOCUS' to enable its
readers and well wishers to interact with issues-
specificity with FOCUS about the biblical and theological
themes addressed in this journal. We request your active
participation in this new interactive feature focused
especially, though not exclusively, on the youth.
You could begin with sending us your thoughts and
queries about the themes and insights offered through
the FOCUS issues. It would help if you would be brief and
limit your queries to, ideally, about 50 to 100 words. We
are, however, somewhat flexible about the word limit.
Even so, brevity is the envisaged golden rule. You may
send your thoughts by e-mail to Rev. Valson Thampu (you
could address him as Valson) at his e-mail address
vthampu@gmail.com The editorial board reserves the
freedom to edit the submissions and also to reject any
which is contrary to the editorial policies and mission of
FOCUS. You may access all the previous issues of
FOCUS online magazine by visiting any of the two web
sites below and reading the thematic articles in each
issue.
We guarantee that your privacy will be protected and
that your name will be published only with your prior
permission; otherwise, your views/statement will be
published under the caption: A Reader’s View. We
hope that our readers and well-wishers would make
use of this new initiative and take part actively in the
mission and purpose of FOCUS.
www.issuu.com/diasporafocus
Who Is Jesus?
Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas
It is relevant to ask oneself and the world around us this very
sensitive question, who is Jesus? It is especially important in
an age where the existence of God and the truth of the Bible
are being questioned more than ever. People who do not
believe in the Bible are often claiming that the Bible is filled
with errors, especially regarding the historical Jesus. Atheists
have faith issues with the birth, the life, the death and the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians are persecuted in
many countries and churches are burned, while Christians
find it difficult to defend their faith. While faithful believers are
building and rebuilding churches and institutions founded in
the name of Jesus Christ, but their actions or deeds do not
reflect their faith or belief in Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us
look at why Jesus asked the question: “Who do you say I
am?" as recorded in Matthew 11:15.
Jesus lived between c. 4 BC – c. AD 30/33, also referred to
as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ. He was a first-
century Jewish preacher. He is the central figure
of Christianity, which was formed after his death and
resurrection. Most Christians believe he is
the incarnation of God, the Son of God and the
awaited Messiah (the Christ), as prophesied in the Old
Testament. Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree
that Jesus existed historically, although the quest for the
historical Jesus has produced little agreement on
the historical reliability of the Gospels and on how closely
the Jesus portrayed in the Bible reflects the historical Jesus.
Jesus was a Galilean Jew who was baptized by John the
Baptist and began his ministry. He preached and was often
referred to as a "rabbi". Jesus debated with fellow Jews on
how best to follow the one and only God; He engaged in
healings, taught in parables and gathered followers. He was
arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities, turned over to
the Roman government, and crucified on the order
of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect. After His death, His
followers believed He rose from the dead, and the
community they formed eventually became the early Church
and known as Christianity.
"The famous historian H. G. Wells, who was not a Christian
believer, remarked, "I must confess as a historian that this
penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very
center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant
figure in all history." Wells’ observation about Jesus has
general acceptance of many; the debate starts when Jesus'
real identity is the subject: Who was He really? Was He a
mere man? Was He a notable prophet? Was He an
outstanding teacher? Was He a healer? Or was He much
more than that? Was He divine? Was He "the only begotten
Son of God?" And what meaning should His life have to
anyone? Does He truly matter today?
The proposed question, "Who is Jesus?" strongly suggests
that He is still living, that He exists now in our own lifetimes,
that His life still influences millions of people around the
23 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
world. Is that possible? Or is this proposal merely the hope
of unintelligent, under-educated religionists? Does this
question, "Who is Jesus?" have any relevance in today's
society? If so to what extent?
Let us begin the inquiry ‘Who was Jesus?’ based on the
gospel of St. Luke. Angel Gabriel predicted to Mary the birth
of Jesus in a town in Galilee called Nazareth; Mary was a
virgin, a village girl, who was betrothed to Joseph, a
carpenter. Mary replied to Gabriel: ‘I am the Lord’s servant.
May it be done to me as you have said” (Lk 1:38). This is
how the birth of Jesus is recorded in the Gospels. The baby
was born; the Messiah himself came forth from heaven
through his mother’s womb. That night, an angel appeared
to some shepherds and declared, “Fear not, for behold, I
bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the
people.” (Lk 2: 10). Rejoice! The King has come, and with
this baby, fullness of joy was born for all who would believe.
Jesus’s message remained the same, “Rejoice.” “Blessed
are you when people hate you and when they exclude you
and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of
the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for
behold, your reward is great in heaven.” (Lk 6: 22-23.
Jesus had good part of his ministry in Capernaum and
walked by the Sea of Galilee. He asked two fishermen,
Simon Peter and his brother Andrew: “Come, follow me . . .
and I will send you out to fish for people”, which they did
without any hesitation. Jesus called James and his brother
John while they were in a boat with their father Zebedee and
they immediately left the boat and their father and followed
him. During the 40 days in the wilderness, when Jesus was
tempted by the devil, he replied: ‘Man must not live on bread
alone . . . and worship your Lord your God and serve him
only.’
He healed a man with leprosy and another one who was
paralyzed. He told the man cleansed from leprosy to offer
himself as a testimony to the Lord. He told the paralytic man
that he has forgiven his sins. The scribes and Pharisees were
skeptical about his reply to the paralytic man and questioned
his authority to forgive sins. He told them that the son of
man has authority to forgive sins; he declares for the first
time as Son of God, being born as son of man has the
authority from his Father to forgive the sins.
When Jesus asked Levi, a tax collector, to follow him, he
hosted a dinner for Jesus and invited other tax collectors
and other guests; the Pharisees again questioned him about
eating with tax collectors and sinners. He told them, it is not
the healthy who needs a doctor, but the sick and He came to
redeem the sinners and not to call the righteous. Again,
when the Pharisees complained that his disciples do not fast
and pray, but only eat and drink, Jesus replied to them, there
is a time come when you need to fast and pray but not when
the bridegroom is with them. He also told them that no-one
tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one,
since new garment will not match the old one. Similarly new
wine is not put into old wineskins because old wine will burst
the skins, it will spill and ruin the skins also.
When his disciples picked up the heads of grains while
walking through the grain filed, the Pharisees again
questioned him that his disciples are doing something
prohibited on the Sabbath. He replied to them that ‘Son of
man is the Lord of Sabbath.’ When at the Synagogue, he
saw the man with shriveled hand; he asked him to stretch
out his hand and healed. Pharisees again questioned him for
healing on a Sabbath day, but he told them ‘Is it lawful to do
good on Sabbath or do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’
Jesus selected twelve Apostles, went on with his mission of
healing and preaching in towns and villages. He preached
and taught people to love their enemies, do not judge others,
like a tree is known by its fruit, a good person produces
good out of the good stored up in his heart while an evil
person speaks evil from the evil things stored up in his heart.
When Jesus healed the daughter of the Centurion, he told
Jesus that he is not even worthy for Jesus to come to his
house and also he is not even worthy to come to Jesus. The
Centurion requested Jesus to say only a word so that his
daughter will be healed. Jesus told the crowd: ‘I have not
seen this much faith even in Israel.’ When Jesus went to the
town of Nain, he saw a dead man being carried in a coffin,
who was the only son of a widow. He told the widow ‘do not
weep’ and touched the coffin and asked the young man ‘to
get up.’ The dead man sat up and began to speak and the
crowd that followed him was amazed and said: ‘a great
prophet has risen among us and God has visited us.’
When John the Baptist’s disciples told John about what they
heard and seen what Jesus was doing, John sent two of his
disciples to Jesus to ask him ‘are you the Messiah who is to
come?’(Lk7:18ff). Jesus asked John’s disciples to go back
and report what Jesus was doing for the blind and others
with various kinds of needs. Jesus praised John what he is
doing and proclaimed the he is the one who was sent ahead
to prepare the way for the Son of Man. Jesus compared the
generation of his time like those people sitting in the market-
place and calling to each other. When he commissioned the
twelve instructed them not to take staff, bag, money, bread
or extra shirt. He told them to stay whatever house they
enter and stay until they leave. If anyone does not welcome
them, shake off the dust from the feet as a testimony against
them.
At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples: ‘Who do you
say that I am?’ (Lk 16:15). Then Peter replied, “You are the
Christ, the son of the living God.” He warned that the Son of
Man would suffer many things, will be rejected, killed and
raised on the third day. He told them to deny oneself and
take up his cross and follow him and whoever wants to save
his life will lose it and whoever loses his life because of him
will save it.
He said, those are the people who are blessed who hear his
words and keep it. He said, this generation asks for sign
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since they are an evil generation. ‘As Jonah was a sign to the
Ninevites, so also will be the Son of Man to this generation.’
He said lamp is the light of the body and when it is put on
lamp stand, it will shine the whole room. He scolded the
Pharisees by saying that they like cups cleaned outside but
inside with full of greed and evil. He compared them to
unmarked graves over which people walk without knowing
the existence of the grave.
He warned about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and warned
that nothing covered won’t be uncovered; nothing hidden
won’t be made known. He wanted them to fear the one who
has authority to throw them in to hell. He asked the people
to acknowledge the Son of man who will acknowledge them
before the God. He promised that whenever you are brought
before synagogues, rulers and authorities, no need to worry
about what to say, but the Holy Spirit will teach you what to
say.
He criticized those who stores treasures for themselves and
not rich toward God. He preached that there is no space for
anxiety in our lives. If we seek his kingdom, everything will
be provided to us. He warned to be ready for the master’s
return with lamps lit. Everyone who has been given much,
much will be required of them. He also warned that He came
not for peace but division. He told the hypocrites that they
know how to interpret the appearance of the earth, and
asked them, ‘how is that they do not know to interpret the
present time?’
He wanted people to settle with their opponents and warned
that unless they repent, they will perish. He told the example
of the fig tree which does not bear fruits, but allowed to grow
for one more year to see if it bears fruit and expected
everyone to bear fruits. While at the synagogue, He healed
the woman, who was disabled by a spirit for 18 years. He
replied to the leader of the synagogue, who was indignant
for Jesus curing her on Sabbath day, that there is noting
wrong in freeing the women from the bondage of the Satan
on the Sabbath day.
When His mother and brothers were looking for Him, Jesus
told them: “Here are my mother and my brothers. For
whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother
and sister and mother.” He preached using parables, the
parable of the mustard tree and of the heaven. He warned
that it would be difficult for the rich man to enter the
kingdom of God. He wanted people to enter through the
narrow way and those who are last will be first and those
who are first will be last.
Jesus was angry with Herod Antipas and called him a fox,
who wanted to kill him and told that it is not possible for a
prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem (Lk 13: 33). Jesus
lamented over Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones
who are sent to her and said ‘blessed is who come in the
name of the Lord.’
Jesus taught us the lessons of humility and said when you
are invited for a wedding, do not recline at the best place,
but proceed to the lowest place. When we are hosting a
lunch or dinner do not invite your friends, relatives, brothers
or sisters or rich neighbors, since they may invite you back
and hence repay; but invite the poor, the maimed, the lame
or the blind, since they cannot repay you; but you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
Jesus told us the cost of discipleship and ‘whoever does not
bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my
disciple.’ Through the parables of lost coin, lost sheep and
lost son, Jesus said: ‘there will be much joy in heaven when
one sinner repents than the righteous people.’Through the
parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus told that we
couldn’t serve two masters and also serve both God and
money. Jesus taught the kingdom values and said, ‘the law
and prophets were until John, since then good news of the
kingdom has been proclaimed and everyone is invited to
enter it.’
By the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus taught us
that whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, but
whoever loses his life will preserve it. Through the parable of
the persistent widow, Jesus taught that God would swiftly
grant justice to those who cry out to him continuously.
Through the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector
went for praying, Jesus taught that: ‘whoever exalts himself
will be humbled, but one who humbles himself will be
exalted.’ Jesus told the rich young ruler that no one is good,
except God alone and reminded him of the commandments:
‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not
bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’ He also
told the rich young man to sell all he has and distribute to
the poor and then to follow him so that he can have treasure
in heaven.’
He warned the scribes of their practices: they enjoyed to go
in long robes, love greetings in the market place and best
place in the synagogues and the best seats in the banquets,
but they devoured widows’ houses and said long prayers for
show: He warned that they will receive harsher judgment.
Jesus predicted the signs of the end of the age and
destruction of Jerusalem. He said, everyone would hate
those who believe in Him, but by your endurance you will
gain your lives. He said, at the end the Son of Man will come
with great power and glory. He said heaven and earth will
pass away, but His words will never pass away.
Jesus told the need for being watchful since the day of end
will come unexpectedly and be in prayer so that we may
have strength to escape all these things and to stand before
the Son of Man. Jesus warned about the plot to kill him and
during the first Lord’s Supper, he took bread, broke it and
gave to the disciples by saying: ‘This is my body, which is
given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same
way he took the cup and said: ‘this cup is the new covenant
in my blood, which is poured out for you.’Jesus said woe to
the man who is going to betray him and also predicted
Peter’s denial. Jesus asked his disciples to pray while at the
Mount of Olives so that they may not fall into temptation. He
knelt and prayed to the Father: “My Father, if it is possible,
may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you
will.”
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As predicted by Jesus, Judas betrayed Him and had gone
through a fake trial before Pilate. When Jesus was brought
before the governor, he asked him, "Are you the king of the
Jews?" "You have said so," Jesus replied. Pilate wrote a
title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was: ‘JESUS
OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.’ Finally He was
crucified between two thieves, but he did not forget the one
who requested him to remember him when he is in paradise
by promising that ‘you will be in paradise with me.’
Jesus revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene and to His
disciples and also to the two Emmaus run-away disciples.
The reality of risen Jesus is that everything written about Him
in the law of Mosses, prophets and Psalms have been
fulfilled in the birth, life, death and resurrection. He reminded
them about what is written about Him: ‘the Messiah would
suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and
repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed to all
nations in His name and told them that He is sending them
as father has promised.’
He led them to Bethany and blessed them and while
blessing them, He left them and was carried into heaven.
After worshipping Him, the disciples returned to Jerusalem
with great joy. This is the same joy Gabriel proclaimed that
the birth of Jesus would be a joy to the world. The story of
the world meeting Jesus in the flesh is a story of the world
finding their full joy in God. We share the same joy as faithful
witnesses, as shared by the disciples during the ascension
of Jesus. The final exhortation of Jesus to His disciples was:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)
The accounts of the ministry of Jesus by the gospel writers
include: his teachings, the parables and miracles, which
reveal the identity of Jesus. He is not only a Messiah, the
people of His time was waiting for, but one who died for us
on the cross for our sins and promised to return to gather
the faithful for an eternal life with Him in heaven. Those who
rejoice at Jesus’s coming may suffer in this life, but their
weakness, pain, and misery here are nothing compared with
the glories they already have in Jesus, the Christ. Let us
declare to the world that Jesus is the Son of God, who came
down to save us from our sins so that we can to be with the
Triune God in heaven for enjoying an eternal life.
The one who born in Bethlehem was born to die in our place.
He embraced the cross and received the wrath, which we
deserved for our sin. He died to purchase the joy the angels
announced at His birth. He rules the world in truth and
grace, and makes nations prove the glories of His
righteousness, and wonders of His love. The Jesus, who
died, never surrendered to death, but rose and reigns in
glory and return to gather the faithful to be with Him for an
eternal life in heaven. ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let
earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room.’
This was and is Jesus; it is based on the texts in the gospels,
which describe the birth, genealogy, life, ministry, miracles,
death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
CHRISTIANITY AND THE ASCETIC IDEAL
Revd Dr. Valson Thampu, Trivandrum
Life demands discipline. The essence of discipline,
understood in the genius of biblical spirituality, is
‘positive’, not ‘negative’. In being disciplined, the
significant thing is not that one says ‘no’ to certain things;
like meat, fish or milk, say, during the season of Lent. It is
saying ‘yes’ to life and, as Jesus said, ‘life in all its
fullness’. Merely giving up something, because it is
mandated by a system, is a dissembling substitute for
discipline. It is mere compliance. Compliance is, in the
very nature of it, apt to be superficial.
Asceticism is common to philosophy and spirituality. The
realization that a life of sensual indulgence undermines
the discipline of doing philosophy existed from the early
days of that discipline. Plato remained unmarried. So also
did Spinoza, Leibnitz, Descartes, Kant and
Schopenhauer. (Philosophy died, historically, in the wake
of sex liberation.) Socrates seems an exception to this
pattern. But the story has it that he married Xantippe,
known for her ill-temper, to perfect his fortitude,
meekness and self-control! His married life was a sort of
camouflaged celibacy and poverty.
Now, over to spirituality: Gautama Buddha, though
married, left his home, wife and son when the call of the
eternal resounded in his soul. Even before that fateful
day, when the news of the birth of his son was conveyed
to him, Gautama is reported to have said, “Rahula is born
to me, a fetter is forged for me.” Like Tolstoy centuries
later, he found freedom in leaving his home, except that
Tolstoy embraced the freedom of homelessness at the
close of his life. Jesus said about himself, “The foxes
have their holes, the birds in the air have their nests; but
the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”
There is a difference between philosophical asceticism
and spiritual asceticism. The former serves humanity by
generating insights and deeper understanding. The latter,
by promoting and facilitating life abundant. They have to
be judged accordingly. While the merit of philosophical
asceticism can be ascertained in terms of the profundity
of the insights it helps to generate, spiritual asceticism
must justify itself by its impact on the quality and dignity
of life it promotes. A tree, Jesus said, shall be known by
its fruits.
In general, asceticism has three basic ingredients:
poverty, chastity and humility. They are more pronounced
in spiritual asceticism than in its philosophical
counterpart. What needs to be noted is that this ascetic
formula has been modified under the auspices of church
discipline. It is no longer poverty, chastity and humility;
but ‘poverty, celibacy and obedience’. There is a logic to
26 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
this change. It points to a change in the scope and
purpose of this asceticism.
The philosopher and the priest are envisaged to live and
work on an exalted platform. Transcending the shackles
of earthly enmeshment is deemed a precondition for it.
Sensual indulgence is a soul-and-mind-deadening thing.
It needs to be avoided so that the priest and the
philosopher may serve the highest interests of
humankind. If this purpose is sidelined, the spirituality of
asceticism becomes an ornament or a facade. It gets
infected with personal vanity. So, we have religious men
and women who take ‘pride’ in adhering to ascetic
practices! This mocks the spirit of asceticism.
Poverty is not an end in itself. Not owning anything is the
shell of poverty, not its kernel. The essence of poverty is
freedom from dictates of personal will, or self-denial. One
may own nothing, but if one is a control-freak –say, in
administration- it is anything but poverty! Or, if it is
poverty, it is other people’s poverty! A complete
renunciation of profit motive is basic to poverty. Profit
militates against poverty.
Further, poverty needs to be not only physical but also
spiritual. The willingness to suffer for righteousness’ sake
is the essence of spiritual poverty. “Blessed are you when
men revile you, persecute you and say all manner of evil
falsely against you for my sake; rejoice, for great is your
reward in heaven.” Poverty of this kind rules out
vindictiveness and revenge. The willingness to suffer for
the sake of justice is the best antidote to cruelty and
spite.
But, whether it is physical or spiritual poverty, it does not
amount to spiritual asceticism if it is not meant to enrich
others. If others do not become richer because I am poor,
mine is no spiritual poverty. It was because Jesus
embraced true asceticism that he could say, “Come to
me, all who labour and are heavy-laden; I will give you
rest.” Even if you live in a mud hovel, but have no space
for others in your life, you are not poor in the ascetic
sense of the term. Diogenes of Sinope lived in poverty,
we are richer for it to this day!
Now consider chastity. Chastity is not celibacy! Married
people can be, and need to be, chaste. The arbitrary
identification of chastity with celibacy is an unfortunate
mistake, even if it is not accidental. It is hard to believe
that the imposition of mandatory celibacy on priests and
nuns is guided purely by spiritual considerations. This
needs to be faced and interrogated. Chastity is spiritually
natural and healthy. Celibacy, except as a special
covenant between individuals and God, is not. What is
unnatural cannot endure wholesomely. What cannot so
endure has to be preserved by force. What needs the use
of force to survive, runs counter to the grain of spirituality.
Involuntary celibacy is vulnerable to abuse and
aberration. It degrades a natural instinct into a site of
avoidable deception and perversion.
Celibacy, if it is to endure at all, needs to be erected
firmly on the foundation of chastity. Chastity entails
commitment to an absolute cause, which is the essence
of spiritual poverty as well. Spiritual poverty seems
‘poverty’ (understood as deprivation) only to the eye of
the world. To a spiritually chaste person it is, as Jesus
said, the treasure that the world cannot corrupt. Whatever
does not yield ‘love, peace, joy…” is not spiritual; for the
fruit of the Spirit includes joy. Spiritually valid poverty has
nothing to do with coercion and misery.
Now consider humility. Humility is humane; whereas
obedience lends itself to a hierarchical re-configuration.
Priests, for instance, are required to be obedient to
bishops. Priests, in turn, exact obedience from the laity.
This is hardly humility! All –prelates, priests, laity- are
required to be humble before God. The problem with
humility is that it seems harmful to the cohesion of the
establishment, which seems to need the glue of
authoritarian authority. So, we reach the contradiction
that in order to be efficaciously humble in an institutional
sense, one has to be authoritarian!
True humility, Soren Kierkegaard said, is not humility
before men, but humility before God, which could seem
arrogance in the sight of others. The problem is that the
‘establishment’ has no means to know if the person
concerned, who seems ‘disobedient’, is indeed humble
before God and if her seeming rebelliousness stems from
meekness. It is a wise thing, in that case, to err on the
side of abundant caution and to walk an extra-mile in
tolerance.
There are serious issues pertaining to the ascetic ideal
when it is institutionalized. They need to be faced, not
swept under the carpet. A hammer-and-tong approach
will prove counter-productive. Time will separate the chaff
from the grain, inexorably. It is deaf to alibis and
arguments. The ascetic ideal is basic to biblical
spirituality; but it needs to be understood and nurtured
aright with special reference to the principle that whatever
requires the use of force for its efficacy is dubious in its
spiritual mettle.
i
Abraham Philip, The History and Theology of the Gospel
According to St. John (Tiruvalla: CSS, 1918), 58
ii
J. H. Bernard, Bernard, J. H., John, A Critical and Exegetical
Commentary on John (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1928),
cxvii.
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Ask FOCUS
[The following question arose out of a discussion
with one of our regular contributors and a Bible
study group in London.]
John the Baptist, from the prison, sent two of his
disciples with the question: "Are you the
coming one, or do we look for another? (Mt.
11: 2-19; Lk. 7: 19-28) According to the
gospels, John knew from his mother's womb,
who Jesus was, he witnessed what had
happened at the baptism of Jesus. He pointed
out Jesus to others. Then why did he ask this
question? Was it for the benefit of the two
disciples? Was Jesus hesitant in any way to
declare his Messianic title?
RESPONSE:
Revd Dr. Valson Thampu, Trivandrum
1. While John the Baptist was the first to recognize the
extraordinary significance and mission of Jesus Christ, he
was, in comparison to Jesus, limited in his understanding
and the full scope of spirituality. It is important to note that
it was while he was in prison that the Baptist developed
this uncertainty or perplexity. It shows the human side of
the Baptist and, hence, the question he raised. It is quite
common that our convictions are shaken by what
overtakes us. No one should presume on his or her ability
to stand steadfastly by what is known or believed. This is
evident, even more dramatically, from the experience of
Peter, who denies his Master, despite being forewarned.
He did not lack conviction or determination. But everything
melts away in the heat of adversity. It is a warning valid for
all times to come. It highlights the need for humility and
the need to depend on the grace of God.
2. There is an even more profound purpose behind
including this in the gospel narrative. To understand this,
we must read Jesus’ response to the Baptist’s question.
To the emissaries Jesus responds, “Go and tell John that
lepers are cleansed, the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised….” Then we have the shocker.
“But blessed are those who are not offended at me.”
The main purpose of this text, I believe, is to spotlight the
idea of “offence”. In the sphere of religion, there is offence,
which is unavoidable. But offence is of two kinds. There is
superfluous offence and there is necessary offence.
Superfluous offence is created by others irrespective of
who you are. It has no bearing on the truth about you,
which God alone knows for sure. Much of the media
controversy is of this kind. Necessary offence pertains not
to what you do, but who you are. Jesus is the Son of God.
The offence that people feel about him cannot be
understood by what he does. He offends even when he
does what is supremely beneficial to all, like healing and
restoring lives to health and wholeness. The offence felt
about Jesus is offence about who he is.
This was a problem even for Peter. Peter was confused
about what theologians would, later, call the hypostatic
nature of Jesus; that is, that Jesus is at once man and
God. It is far easier to accept Jesus either as man or as
God. But, it is so very difficult, as Kierkegaard pointed out,
to understand and accept this idea of the “God-Man”.
Human beings no way to comprehend this hybrid
category.
Now the question, “For whose benefit is this insight
provided?” Well, for the benefit of humanity at large. That
is because, the insight it encapsulates is universal in its
scope and application. This applies to each one of us;
especially to those who endeavour to be faithful to their
God-given inner core of spiritual light. It is necessary that
this is understood aright. Hence the following words.
There are, broadly speaking, two categories of people.
The first category comprises what may be called the
“compromising” (or, less flatteringly, “chameleon”) type.
They are the vast majority in our species. They adjust to
the given context and turn a deaf ear to their own
conscience. In the language of St. Paul (ref. Rom.12:2),
they ‘conform’ to the pattern of the world and get along
smoothly. In them the problem of offence is minimized.
They stand for nothing in particular. They have no opinion
of their own. No, clear sense of purpose. They cause no
ripples. They cause no disturbance, no disturbance, to
anyone. (But they live inwardly troubled all the way!) Also,
they have no inner core. No one knows what they stand
for. They drift through life. They are defined by the context.
They remain alien to themselves. In the words of Oscar
Wilde, they are “other people”. Their opinions, convictions,
and even passions are borrowed from others.
The second category comprises those who think and
choose for themselves. In the religious context (as against
the philosophical or secular) they do so in relation to the
will of God for them. In the words of Immanuel Kant, they
are headed towards intellectual and spiritual “maturity”;
whereas those in the former category stay stuck, and die,
in immaturity. Immaturity denotes a state in which one
lives as dictated by others. Its hallmark is ‘conformity’,
which is a serious problem, which demands much spiritual
vigilance, in the sphere of religions.
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In every age, every society, every institution, including the
church, those who claim for themselves the right and
freedom to think and choose, to formulate their own
understanding and responses, are felt as sources of
disturbance. They are apt to be mistaken for rebels and
enemies. That is why, as Jesus said, Prophets will never
be welcome among their own people. They will be stoned
to death or cast out.
Now consider the irony that it is a “prophet” – one
acknowledged as the greatest among men born of women
by Jesus himself – who raises the question we are trying
to come to terms with! And this prophet is in prison. There
is no place for him within the establishment. It has been a
critical issue, from the dawn of civilization as to how much
truth human beings can tolerate. The case of Socrates is
illustrative of it. Truth-seekers, as against those who
merely conform to the status quo, are apt to be seen as
enemies of the society (Hendrik Ibsen has a play by that
title); or, in the term now current in India, “anti-national”
elements. This is not merely a political problem. It is even
more acute in the religious sphere.
Jesus knew this to be case! He also knew, therefore, the
importance of this phenomenon for the spiritual health of
religious communities. The question that this, otherwise
enigmatic, event, illustrates is this: To what extent can
church be conducive to the stature, integrity and
authenticity of human personality? Is insistence on abject
conformity, in the name of ‘loyalty to the church’ (which
avoids offence altogether), conducive to the spiritual
freedom and robustness of its members? Should
authenticity of being human be sacrificed to the
requirements implied in belonging to an organized group?
These are harsh questions; but they are, clearly,
immanent in this episode. Jesus “offends” simply by
being true to himself (not because he wants to offend),
his spiritual mission and his obedience to his Father in
Heaven. This faces him with a choice. Should he
dilute/compromise his commitment to God in order to
avoid turbulence to the system? Or, should he stay
faithful and face the consequences that include
crucifixion?
This dilemma is at the heart of being a follower of
Christ; even it may seem superfluous to nominal
Christians for whom the perks of church membership
and the patronage of church hierarchy are more
important than membership in the Kingdom of God.
Every person of faith, every ‘disciple’, has to sort this
out one way or other. That is why, I believe, it is
recorded with such prominence in the gospel narrative.

MARANATHA OR MANNA?
Chhotebhai, Kanpur, India
Christmas is a time when devout Christians use the
invocation “Maranatha”. It is the concluding line in the
Bible that means “Come Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20). It is
most appropriate for Advent. This phrase is earlier used
by St Paul in his benediction to the Corinthians (cf 1 Cor
16:22), where the expression means “Our lord has come”.
Has Jesus already come, or is he yet to come? That is
precisely the meaning of Christmas. He comes, ever
comes.
This Aramaic phrase was apparently in common usage,
which is why St Paul used it to bless the Hellenists (Greek
speaking) believers in Corinth. In the title I have also used
the Hebrew word Manna. Devout Christians believe this to
be the miraculous heavenly bread with which God
sustained the chosen people during their 40-year sojourn
in the desert (cf Ex 16:12ff).
But Manna does not mean bread. It was an exclamation
“What is it?” as it was an inexplicable phenomenon.
Exegetes tell us that it was actually a sweet resin exuded
by a desert tree tamarix mannifera, when its bark was
burrowed by the insect gossyparia manniparia.
Coincidentally, the lime tree in my garden is displaying the
same phenomenon at the time of writing. The Bedouin
tribe in the Sinai peninsular (Arabs) called it Mann, and
the correct Hebrew word is Manhu.
Devout Christians maybe shocked at this demythologising
of a miraculous (divine intervention) event. Rather than
weakening my faith it actually strengthens it. If both faith
and science are seeking after truth then they must be
pointed in the same direction. They are two sides of the
same coin. Faith seeks to tell us WHY things happen,
while science tells us HOW things happen. They are
complementary, not contradictory.
The problem arises when one encroaches on the
competence of another, as with Darwin or Galileo. Science
teaches us that for 20 billion years creation has been
evolving, and still is. The Genesis account of creation is
divided into seven days. That may be interpreted as seven
stages of creation that are actually compatible with
science – heat, light, gas, liquid, solid etc.
Unfortunately many learned people sometimes encroach
on another’s territory and use clever arguments to arrive at
erroneous conclusions. Two such instances are Dan
Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Stephen Hawking’s A Brief
History of Time. I have deconstructed both their
hypotheses earlier, but will briefly touch on them here.
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Brown at least admits that he is writing fiction, though his
not so hidden target was to demythologise Jesus and
more particularly the Catholic Church. I give two
examples. He compares the apple in the Garden of Eden
to Newton’s theory of gravity. He uses da Vinci’s painting
of the Last Supper to “prove” that Jesus’ “wife” Mary
Magdalene was seated next to him.
Tough luck for Brown; because there is no reference to an
apple in Eden, nor elsewhere in the Bible, as it is not a
Mediterranean fruit. This common misconception may
have crept in after St Jerome, the first exegete, translated
th
the Bible into Latin, in the 4 century. The Latin word for
evil, as in Genesis, is malum, as in malafide or
malnutrition. The Latin botanical name for apple is malus
pumila. Malum may have got corrupted to Malus in the
course of time.
Da Vinci, who was born 1600 years after the Last Supper,
did a painting of it with a blue sky, golden locks and a
dining table. How could there have been a blue sky at
night? Semitics like Jesus sat on the ground to eat, unlike
the Romans at table. Jesus, the Asian, did not have
blonde hair!
On the other hand Hawking claimed that there was no
beginning and end of time, therefore any creation or
Creator, because the universe was circular, not linear, and
the sum total of all matter was zero. My counter argument
was that a sphere has both linear and circular dimensions.
A book of accounts may have both credit and debit
entries, and yet have a zero balance. Hawking was using
a thermometer to measure length and a tape to measure
temperature. Having used the wrong tools he, but
naturally, arrived at the wrong conclusions!
This brings me back to the two words – Maranatha and
Manna. I have been party to some correspondence
between a former priest/ editor, a leading Catholic
theologian and a reformist Hindu swami. Some of the
averments that they made were – that Jesus did not found
a church, religion or priestly class, and that he was a
prophet who rebelled against social injustice and the
religious hypocrisy of his time. When I questioned one of
them he sarcastically labeled me a “know all”. Another
qualified his statement to say that the church and
priesthood as they exist today are not what Jesus
intended or instituted. To Maranatha they seemed to be
saying, Manna (what is this?) or questioning some of the
basic tenets of Christianity.
Rather than entering into a futile intellectual debate I
thought of this riposte. Most of their contentions are based
on renewed research in sacred scripture. I am a college
dropout who has never studied scripture or theology,
hence cannot counter their clever arguments.
I am an ordinary worker like Jesus the carpenter. He knew
his profession and that of others like shepherds, farmers
and fishermen. Hence he spoke their idiom, to which his
listeners responded by saying “He taught them as one
who had authority and not as their scribes” (Mat 7:29). A
scribe is a writer, just as a cleric is; one who can read and
write. Jesus reportedly wrote just once, that too in the dust
(cf Jn 8:5). I too am not a scribe/cleric under a roof, but
more like a scribbler on the roof! So I shall adopt Jesus’
approach.
During one of my first gospel journeys in 1976 (with just a
small cloth shoulder bag and no money) I had constantly
experienced the power of God’s word. When I landed up
in Allahabad, Fr Dhiranand Bhatt, of revered memory,
asked me to share my experiences with the seminarians. I
was speaking of the power of the Word of God in my life.
A young man in the last row kept asking me what I meant
by that. On enquiry, Fr Bhatt later told me that he was the
Professor of Sacred Scripture, freshly returned from
Rome. It reminds me of what George Menezes wrote in
the introduction to one of my books, that there is a
difference between studying about the good shepherd,
and actually knowing him.
Let me give another allegory. Though approaching 70, I
am a “normal” man who is attracted to women, including
their physical attributes. However, had I been a professor
of anatomy, constantly dissecting women’s cadavers, I
may have developed a repulsion or insensitivity to the
human body. Is this what happens to scripture scholars
dissecting scripture?
Psychologists study the sub-conscious being. There are
levels of consciousness and resultant actions. It is
sometimes compared to peeling an onion. There is always
another layer below, finally leaving one with nothing. It
would then be a fatal error to deny the very existence of
the onion. Some existentialists, who are always looking for
proof, end up with nothing, as with Jeanne Paul Sartre,
who eventually committed suicide.
It reminds me of the warning of the former Superior
General of the Jesuits, Fr Pedro Arrupe. He had famously
said that in the spiritual life there is no such thing as
mathematical assurance. He came from a solid scientific
background, besides experiencing the horrors of
Hiroshima in World War II, so knew what he was talking
about.
I revert to Jesus, the non-scribe/ non-cleric. He compared
the kingdom of heaven to a small mustard seed that grew
into a mighty tree (cf Lk 4:31 ff). Had he been born in India
he would have given the illustration of the pipal tree. Its
seed is tiny. Yet it grows without nutrients in the tiniest
crack in a rock, and eventually splits it wide open. The
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seed and the tree are in inverse proportion, having no
physical semblance to each other. The same may be said
of the life and growth of the church, as an organised body.
It may have little or no resemblance to the tiny seed
planted in apostolic times. That doesn’t disprove its DNA.
Another analogy. A human embryo has little or no
resemblance to a grown up human being. Yet it has all
those qualities, though not discernible to the naked eye.
The same may again be said of the church. After 2000
years of its existence it would be an exercise in futility to
turn the clock back to its embryonic stage. Nicodemus
said as much to Jesus, “How can a grown man be born
again? He certainly cannot enter his mother’s womb and
be born a second time” (Jn 3:4).
But Jesus talks of another rebirth, a spiritual one (cf Jn
3:6). As a married man I understand this. When I got
married 35 years ago I was certain that I loved my wife.
Now I cannot say this with the same certitude. It is not that
I do not love her. Rather it is because our love has grown,
evolved and mutated. Love can never be static. It must
keep evolving.
So too for faith. It cannot and should not remain static.
John the Baptist warned the status quoists against taking
pride in the faith of their ancient father Abraham (cf Mat
3:9). Even today there are many traditionalist/
conservative Catholics who cannot digest the changes
wrought by Vatican II. More recently they are up in arms
against the just concluded Amazonian Synod that, among
others, recommended a married clergy.
Faith, like love, must change, evolve, mutate. There is
always the risk of going off on a tangent. That should not
deter us from seeking constant research, reform and
renewal, while also holding fast to the roots of our faith in
Jesus and his eternal Word. In all humility, be we scribes
or scribblers, we could learn from St Ephraem, one of the
early church fathers. He said that the Word of God was
like a deep well. Every time one visited it one found
something new.
May that unquenchable thirst for truth, faith and love be
our guiding light. As enlightened Christians we can
approach this Christmas by saying with faith Maranatha,
and with reason Manna.
* This writer has developed these thoughts in greater detail
in his books “The Trinity & Me”, “Beyond 2000 – The Other
Side” and “An Unfinished Symphony”. Chhotebhai is the
assumed pen name of Mr. Alan de Noronha from Kanpur,
India. He was a Former National President of All India
Catholic Union, former Director International Council of
Catholic Men, President Kanpur Catholic Association.
 Pearls of Wisdom Series: No.13
A reading from the Sermons of St. Leo the Great*
(The law was given by Moses:
Grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.)
In the presence of chosen witnesses the Lord unveils his
glory, investing with such splendour that bodily
appearance which he shares with the rest of men that his
face shines like the sun and his clothes becomes white as
snow.
The primary purpose of this transfiguration was to remove
the scandal of the cross from the hearts of Christ’s
disciples; the greatness of his hidden glory was revealed
to them to prevent their faith being shaken by the self-
abasement of the suffering he voluntarily to undergo. No
less was the foresight that laid the foundations of the
Church’s hope, teaching the whole body of Christ, the
nature of change it is to receive, and schooling his
members to look forward to share in the glory which had
already shone forth in their head.
The Lord had told them of this when he spoke of his
coming in majesty: Then shall the just shine like the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. The blessed apostle Paul
bears witness to the same thing: I consider the sufferings
of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory
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that is to be revealed in us. And again: You have died,
your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is
your life appears, then you will also appear with him in
glory.
Still further instruction was to come from the
transfiguration to fortify the apostles and perfect their
understanding. Moses and Elijah, representing the law
and the prophets, appeared in conversation with the Lord.
Thus through the presence of these five men the saying
was fulfilled: On the evidence of two or three witnesses
every word shall stand. What could be more firmly
established than that the Word in whose proclamation the
trumpets of Old and New Testament sound in unison, and
the writings of the ancient witnesses are in perfect accord
with the teachings of the gospel? The pages of both
covenants agree with one another. He who had been
promised beforehand by mysteriously veiled signs was
now revealed clearly and distinctly in radiance of his glory,
since, as St. John says, the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth have come from Jesus Christ. In Christ
what was promised by prophetic figures and what was
signified by legal precepts are alike fulfilled, for by his
presence he teaches the truth of the prophecies, and by
grace he makes it possible for us to obey his
commandments.
May we all, therefore, be confirmed in our faith through the
preaching of the holy gospel, and let no one be ashamed
of the cross by which Christ has redeemed the world.
None of us must be afraid to suffer for the sake of justice
or doubt the fulfilment of the promises, for it is through toil
that we come to rest and through death that we pass to
life. If we continue in the acknowledgement and love of
Christ who took upon himself all the weakness of our lowly
nature, what he conquered we shall conquer, and the
promise that he gave us we shall receive. So then,
whether it is to encourage us to obey his commands or to
endure hardships, let the Father’s voice always be ringing
in our ears and telling us: This is my beloved son, in whom
I am well pleased; listen to him.
Pope Leo I (c. 400 – 10 November 461), also known
as St. Leo the Great, was Bishop of Rome from 29
September 440 and died in 461. He was
a Roman aristocrat, and was the first Pope to have been
called "the Great". He is most remembered theologically
for issuing the document, which was a major thesis to the
debates of the fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon.
This Council dealt primarily with Christology, and
elucidated the orthodox definition of Christ's being as
the hypostatic union of two natures, divine and
human. This important sermon is taken from a collection
edited by Henry Ashworth O.S.B, ‘A Word in Season’, The
Talbot Press, Dublin, 1974. Collected by Dr. Zac
Varghese

THE HOLY BOOKS - Part 5
Dr. Ian Fry, Honorary Postdoctoral Associate, University of
Divinity, Melbourne
[This article is written for the 8th Holy Book Conference held a t
Kuala Lumpur in April 2019 under the auspices of the United
Religious Initiative (URI). Part-2 of this paper appeared in the
July issue of the FOCUS, 2019, Vol. 7 (3), page 26-28. Part-3 of
this paper appeared in the October issue of the FOCUS, Vol.7
(4) page 30-32. Part-4 can be found in the January Issue of the
FOCUS, Vol 8 (1) pages 31-34. This is the final part. ]
The Home Run? Or Time for Reformation?
Romanus Pontifex effectively marked the completion of
the development of the world’s five great religions, and the
events and humanity’s conduct during the five centuries
since then must be considered through the prism of that
event. However, that in no way belittles or distracts from
the significance of subsequent religious and philosophical
developments which help us understand the interaction of
the great five and the turmoil in global affairs that we have
a responsibility to help unravel so that humanity can
progress instead of blundering into abysmal destruction.
When the Protestant Reformation burst in 1517, its early
emphasis was on the concepts of redemption, purgatory,
grace, priestly intercession, indulgences and penance,
and corruption, and during thirty years of civil war the
Western church was torn to shreds with arguments over
Christology, communion, transubstantiation, baptism,
predestination, resurrection, justification, and relations
between Christians, Jews and Muslims. Numerous
denominations were soon exporting Europe’s religious
conflicts, taking their separate scriptures and liturgies with
them as they competed for converts in colonies in Africa,
Asia, the Americas and Australasia either on the basis of
national church affiliation or theological disputation.
Supersessionism and Islam’s rejection of incarnation and
Trinitarian theology became distractions from euro-
centrism. The coincidence of that reformation in
Christianity and the early stages of the European Colonial
Era were unfortunate. Christians were coming into contact
with the Axial Age religions and philosophies for the first
time, and persuading themselves that Islam didn’t really
count, just as humanity was entering the foothills phase of
accelerated population expansion. It would soon have to
cope with critical discoveries in biology, astronomy,
physics, chemistry and medicine, the industrial revolution,
and new approaches to law and governance of the
Enlightenment were being introduced at a frenetic pace.
Little thought was being given to the challenge of the cliff
face of exponential population growth that was coming
into view. It was assumed that any population pressures
and the need for additional resources would be offset by
voluntary emigration and the export of undesirables to
lands that were being discovered, claimed, explored and
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exploited. The world was indeed entering a new age, and
a series of factors challenged the belief and authority
systems, the self-understandings and practices of the
Western faith communities. In sequence, they might have
appeared to be disconnected or related essentially to
political or scientific developments, but they each required
the Abrahamic leaderships to re-examine the nature of
creation, the concept of original sin, resurrection, the basis
of the covenants under which they lived, their fundamental
obligations, the relationships between them, and their role
in civil governance. However, the Christian churches were
more challenged than their Abrahamic partners because
of the systems and creeds they had established. They
therefore had somewhat more changes to consider, but
they ‘put the shutters up.’ Other faiths, the Axial Age and
New Age religions that were not tied down to such rigid
systems of belief and canon law, might also have found it
advisable to reflect on matters of cultural and social
conduct as they arose, if they felt constrained by
traditional cultural practices. Significant challenges to the
church’s theology, teaching and self-understanding
occurred in relatively quick succession as follows. 1609:
the development of the telescope enabled Nicholas
Copernicus and Galileo Galilei to determine that the Earth
revolved around the sun. Galileo went further, discovered
the rings of Saturn, sunspots and Jupiter’s moons, and
confirmed the Heliocentric model. The Church
disapproved because Holy Scripture states that the Earth
is at the centre, not the Sun. The Bible was to be taken
literally so he was tried by the Inquisition and placed under
house arrest by the Catholic Inquisition until his death in
1642.
1644: two years after Galileo’s death, Lightfoot and Usher
dated creation by biblical calculation as having occurred in
4004 BCE, 246 years earlier than previously proposed by
Jewish scholars. The church was satisfied. 1686: the
Enlightenment was triggered by Newton, Locke and others
and introduced a wave of pressure for civil liberties,
educational development through scientific academies,
toleration, fraternity, constitutional government and
separation of church and state. 1700: archaeological
studies began in earnest. Discoveries were soon
challenging historical understanding and the Society of
Antiquaries was established in 1707-1780: as the
industrial revolution began the pressure for social change
increased with major changes in community relations and
social organization in line with the Enlightenment. 1807:
the establishment of a Great Sanhedrin in France by
Napoleon stimulated the life of the Jewish community and
sent shock waves through the Christian Church which
could not understand such a change of attitude towards
Judaism and made no effort to modify its teaching or
welcome such a change in attitude. 1830: Joseph Smith
Jr. retrieved, deciphered or translated messages from a
set of plates said to have been revealed to him by an
angel and published them as The Book of Mormon.
Regarded as a work of blasphemy by a religious imposter,
it contradicted much main stream Christian teaching.
Highly Christocentric but anti-Trinitarian and pro-Jewish, it
is emphatic on the concept of covenant and affirms
Israel’s covenant while maintaining that Jesus Christ is the
manifestation of God to all the nations, and anticipates the
building of Zion through interaction between religious
communities. It proposes that Gentiles will learn the Will of
God through the preaching of Jews, Salvation will come
circumstantially when Gentiles witness and acknowledge
the fulfilment of the Covenant, and there is no call for
conversion of the Jewish community to Christianity. 1859:
the biggest challenge to date came from Charles Darwin’s
‘On the Origin of Species.’ Darwin did not challenge the
concept of a Divine Creator: only the notion of a fixed and
final form creation, but because so much Christian
theology was based on that notion, his challenge was
effectively to the basis of the self-understanding and
developed theology of all three streams: Roman Catholic,
Orthodox and Reformed. If humans evolved progressively,
then there was no single first couple, Adam and Eve;
therefore there was no “Original Sin”, and the Biblical
stories of the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood must
have been myths. If there was no original sin the whole
field of Reformation covenant theology had to be re-
examined – on the basis of the mature Hebrew
understanding of covenant. 1864: the Vatican reacted
with determination and some vitriol. It issued the Syllabus
of Errors, condemning Darwin’s work and everything
published contradictory to church teaching. 1867: Karl
Marx publication of Das Kapital, was a remarkable assault
on the social and economic structures that were propped
up by the church as being consistent with Gospel
teaching. 1870: the Vatican acted again with
determination to protect its status by convening the First
Vatican Council. A few years short of eight centuries after
Dictatus Papae it issued the Dogmatic Constitution of the
Church linked to a Declaration of Papal Infallibility. It did
not make the extravagant claims of Dictatus Papae,
basing claims of Primacy on succession to the Apostle
Saint Peter instead, but it implied succession to Israel as
the People of God fulfilling a particular function when the
Dogmatic Constitution was amended by the Second
Vatican Council, and Lumen Gentium was promulgated in
November 1964, when the notion of Supersessionism was
already being questioned.
1872: after 25 years of increasing tension between the
German Government and the Vatican over the role of the
Catholic Church in politics and government, and in
response to the declaration of papal infallibility, German
leaders Bismarck and Falk agreed to legislation, the
Kulturkampf, to strip the church of much of its authority,
especially in education, marriage and law. 1878: after
years researching and teaching in all three Abrahamic
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faiths, Julius Wellhausen published Prolegomena zur
Geschichte Israels and a Documentary Hypothesis
establishing that the Hebrew Bible had not been written in
the historical sequence implied by its structure; that it was
composed from many sources, gathered in several
identifiable periods; and subsequently edited, (redacted),
into its current form in several stages. This meant that
teaching across the three Abrahamic faiths relating to
early history, and especially the series of creation myths,
had to be revised. It validated Galileo and Darwin and
assisted studies in religious history and theology. 1882:
the new Russian Pale of Settlement undermined the
improved relations between Christians and Jews that had
followed Napoleon’s program of emancipation. The policy
of herding Jews into ghettos had ended but towards the
end of the century social unrest throughout Europe
increased, the level of Anti-Semitism progressively
worsened and nationalism increased. The Jewish
communities were subjected to greater isolation and
violence and what proved to be the last fifty years of the
fourth epoch were traumatic indeed. Anti-Semitism
plumbed new depths and France’s Dreyfus Affair
prompted the establishment of the World Zionist
Organization. It lobbied governments and the Vatican for
help to establish a Jewish homeland, preferably in
Palestine In spite of the WZO’s vigorous campaigning
there was very little support for the notion of Zionism until,
during World War One, Britain found itself facing the
prospect of defeat. The WZO offered its support, the
British Government accepted it and announced in the
Balfour declaration that it supported the proposal and
ii
would use its best endeavours to help bring it about. But
while support from WZO and the British dominions and
colonies helped Britain through that crisis it was still in a
weakened position and needed US support to survive and
to have any hope of clinging onto its empire. However,
because President Wilson would not support Zionism and
did not want to get involved in Europe’s war, the British
government turned to manoeuvring his Christian affiliation
while the WZO applied pressure through the Jewish
leadership in the US. The US thereupon entered the war
on Wilson’s terms and subject to his aim of dismantling
Europe’s monarchies and replacing them with republics on
ii
the US model. That was no easy task and it was only
achieved in part after the war had been extended with
bombardment on a massive scale, involving the mass use
of gas against German entrenched-troops that left many
partially blinded. Among them was Adolf Hitler who
experienced messianic visions of a future leadership role,
entered politics, rose to the Chancellorship, and
determined to restore his nation’s position at the expense
of the Western Powers and the Jewish communities that
ii
had collaborated with them. Britain was not in a position
to act on its Balfour Declaration; no Western nations would
ii
agree to accept large scale Jewish immigration, so
Europe bumbled its way into another world war. Hitler’s
subjection to religion-based Anti-Semitism drove him on to
look for other means than enforced emigration to eliminate
Jewish influence, and his ‘final solution’ was mass
extermination through the gas chambers of the Holocaust.
In due course, when the second world war ended,
Western Christian populations were horrified to find the
church’s involvement in all of these issues and pressure
mounted for Zionist authorities to be granted Palestine for
the home they believed they were entitled to. Britain had
no choice but to renege on its mandatory obligations; the
United States was eager to gain control of the revised
territorial arrangement so it sponsored the partition of
Palestine in order to gain a privileged position from which
ii
to control and exploit the resources of the Middle East. It
succeeded and as a consequence of complex global
interaction the world reached the Central Fact of the
Common Era in 1948 with the establishment of the State
of Israel. It is the Central Fact of the Common Era
because the conduct and interaction between of the
people of the three Abrahamic faiths, and the
circumstances since the close of the second epoch, (by
which time all of the recognized five “great religions” had
been established), have confirmed the reality of the
principal components of each divine covenant. In
particular the reality of the relationship between the Divine
and humanity is also being demonstrated. When that
reality is understood by world leaders the world will be at
the dawn of a sixth epoch. The fact is that: the reactions of
communities that have been disadvantaged (the WMP)
by the actions of covenanted religious communities (the
WWCB plus Israel) have become the mechanism of
punishment for serious breaches of covenantal obligations
by those who manipulated circumstances to gain the
advantages that they are now in the process of
relinquishing as we enter a new age (the WWCB plus
Israel). Since the occurrence of that Central Fact of the
Common Era, global conflicts have become progressively
more devastating, and the regional conflicts that are linked
directly to parties in alliances between the State of Israel,
its supporters, and its neighbours can only continue to
worsen until world leaders acknowledge that the religious
self-understanding of the countries involved is basic to the
crisis. They must then recognize that the theological
concepts involved and the nature of divine covenants are
vital considerations if moves towards peace and stability
through negotiated reconciliation that provides for security
for all peoples through economic and social rationalization
are to succeed. As all of those things have come
together, people of every continent have experienced
intolerance, misunderstanding, friction and conflict that
has resulted from the self-understanding of one party or
another, territorial encroachment to proselytize, or the
introduction of undesirable cultural practices by foreign
industrial, commercial, military, evangelical and tourism
operations, or even aid organizations that have the best
intentions. These are often complicated by fear of ethnic
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difference, especially if isolation is a consideration, and if
new or unfamiliar technology and practices are involved
that may require additional education or training. That
brings us back to our starting point and the situation that
we face. Major changes to policies resulting from religious
self-understanding are required and they cannot be
achieved solely through current dialogue programs. The
need is for a comprehensive reformation: not by one
religion doing another rethink, but by scholars of all world
faiths working together to reassess the fundamental
concepts around which our communities divide.
According to George Lindbeck, religious understandings
shape the entirety of life, and cause conflict because
ii
believers find it impossible to surrender exclusivist claims.
“Interreligious dialogue and cooperation (are) urgently
ii
needed in a divided yet shrinking world.” If our
descendants are to enjoy a harmonious and stable human
future we, and especially our political and religious
leaders, must have a better understanding of these
issues. Traditionally people have waited to be told by their
religious leaders what to believe and how to behave
towards others. That is a critical point and shows another
observation by Lindbeck to be inconsistent with his
statement that religious understandings cause conflict
because believers find it impossible to surrender
exclusivist claims. He noted that a ground for interreligious
dialogue should not involve “what for many believers is the
ii
impossible condition of surrendering exclusivist claims,”
that there is no common foundation for religions to come
together, that formulation of a single ground for dialogue
applicable to any and every religious encounter is not
ii
possible , and that because covenant is a divisive and
polarizing consideration it must be avoided in interfaith
discussion. That view ignores the fact that the three
community-specific divine covenants that were imposed
on the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities in a
three-way partnership each have different emphases and
their leaders each focus on a particular aspect of the BOOK REVIEW:
covenant that they see as applying to them and they
cannot focus on other aspects of covenant. If that is so, a
Karthanvinete Naamathil (All In The
knowledge of the circumstances in which each partner Name of Christ)
faith came into existence and how they are now being DC Books, Kottayam
called together as a team in a time of critical conflict
should enable them to respond to the task that is common
SR. LUCY BRAKS THE SEAL OF SILENCE
to each of them either as a condition of their community-
specific covenants or as the basis of the universal Revd Dr. Valson Thampu, Trivandrum
covenant: to enable all humanity to understand and to
respond to their relationship with the Divine – with God –
and therefore with each other. The details of those
circumstances are beyond the scope of this paper, so it is
sufficient to note here that the process of reformation
through collaborative reassessment of beliefs and
attitudes must begin with the Holy Books, not with
subsequent literature, and that the concept of covenant is
the fundamental starting point. It is clear that this will
require a great deal of research and discussion so that we
can, together, reassess the fundamental concepts around
which our faiths and philosophies divide and then act to
offset them. It is also clear that both discussion and action
will be necessary at several levels, and the task will not be
easy because the hierarchy of the major faiths find the
notion of reassessment quite threatening. Thus:
reformation must be a bottom upwards and not a trickle-
down process while dialogue and review programs
continue at three levels, local, regional and peak of faith,
together with a major research effort. Teams of scholars
of all world faiths and philosophies must be found who can
work together in intimate collaboration to examine the
origins, meaning and consequences of conflict arising
from differing interpretations of fundamental concepts,
creeds, doctrinal statements and the neglect or rejection
of obligations under divine covenant. The role of the
religious hierarchies will be to observe that process, to
recognize changes to their systems that may be
appropriate, and to model them and steer them into their
communities teaching and practice.

Strong and committed support for the research process is

vital. That requires money. The demands of pastoral care
for adherents whose belief and confidence in their current
clergy, lay leaders and structures will be shaken may
exceed the capacity currently available so this will also
require new approaches and resources that will challenge
the capacities of their professional and lay officers at all
levels: especially of universities and training institutions.
The task is daunting, but if we are serious about enabling
humanity to achieve harmony and stability with justice for
all in the context of an appreciation of the relationship
between humanity and the Divine, it is a task that cannot
be avoided or deferred.
A major sign of religious decay is the equation of solitude
with secrecy, silence with enforced un-heard-ness. ‘Un-
heard-ness’ is the iron curtain that tyrannical systems
erect to disempower its victims by banishing them into
invisibility. It is part of a comprehensive strategy to deny
its victims hope and escape routes, coercing them into
resistance-less subjection to exploitative systems laden
with overpowering religious or secular meta-narratives of
legitimization. Resistance, or ‘disobedience’, in such
contexts is discredited as crime or sin, depending on the
context.

35 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2

This thought was uppermost in my mind while reading Sr.
Lucy Kalappura’s autobiography –as told to Ramadas,
who has recorded it for us with sensitivity and
competence. The book is titled appropriately as
Karthanvinete Naamathil (Or, All In The Name of Christ,
DC Books, Kottayam). The narrative is spread over 36
very readable chapters, rich in events and gripping in
significance. The account is scanty and selective. It
doesn’t pretend to be a comprehensive chronology of the
life of an allegedly ‘contumacious’ nun. The protagonist in
this story is not Sr. Lucy. It is the human spirit
encountering a scheme of things in which thousands of
nuns languish in conditions of near-slavery and
vulnerability. Karthanvinete Naamathil is, in that sense,
not just the memoir of a ‘misfit’ nun, but a case study on
the plight of nuns. The title of the book makes excellence
sense in this light. It enlarges the canvas of the book’s
relevance and deepens its resonance.
Breaching the Berlin Wall of silence is a pattern basic to
all reform agendas. The metaphoric legitimacy of
institutionalized ‘silence’ is rooted in the soil of the status
quo. As a rule, custodians of the status quo impose ‘un-
heard-ness’ upon its hapless victims. This creates the
hypocrisy we are inured to; namely, it is all right to
perpetrate outrages but it is improper to expose them. It
is this that made Arthur Schopenhauer and Nietzsche say
that hypocrisy is inherent in priesthood. In saying so, they
weren’t making an original discovery, but only re-stating
the stand of Jesus of Nazareth, who condemned the
priests of his times as ‘whited sepulchres’.
In Christianity God manifested himself as the Word. So,
speaking the truth is basic to biblical spirituality. Jesus
claimed to be “the Truth”. Yet, a priestly class arrogated
to itself the right to speak and to be heard and to deny
the same to all else. This also meant that they could
monopolize all ‘doings’ in the name of God. Historically,
‘speaking’ and ‘doing’ can never be separated. The
priestly monopoly over speaking and acting ‘in the name
of Christ’ consigned the Christian community to passivity
and paralysis. Jesus has dealt in detail with this religious
aberration.
This reality flickers right through Sr. Lucy’s narrative. She
emerges as a paradoxical rebel-victim who dares, in
awareness of the consequences, to encounter and
interrogate this scheme of things, which, she believes,
needs to change. All In The Name of Christ is also a case
study on how Christ is defamed and frustrated by those
who license themselves to function “in his name”.
In encountering this reality, Sr. Lucy is not alone. She
stands in a distinct tradition in which men and women in
the past paid with their lives for staying true to their
convictions. The victims of the Inquisition, which
36 | P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 2 0 V o l . 8 , N o : 2
exterminated thousands of truth-seekers, are Sr. Lucy’s
spiritual ancestors and kinsmen. It is about individuals like
her that Bertrand Russell said that true faith is found only
among ‘heretics’. She can take heart also from the insight
of Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy that with the ascension of
the church hierarchy, Jesus became an alien and a
stranger to the Church. Unlike Dostoevsky, Tolstoy
distanced himself from the church to be closer to Jesus
Christ. This insight too takes us back to the book of
Revelation, where Jesus is portrayed as an outcast from
the church of Laodicea. While reading Karthanvinete
Naamathil (All in the Name of Christ) it is impossible to
resist the awareness that Kerala churches carry the
Laodicean DNA, not the spirit of Jesus Christ.
I have always had a sneaking suspicion that Jesus
entered the religious history of humankind as the ‘Word’ –
which, ipso facto, contravenes establishment mandated
‘un-head-ness’ of the rank and file- as a de-stabilizing
force vis-à-vis the institutionalization of religion. In his
teachings, Jesus took pains to emphasize that spirituality
is a movement and it is impossible to freeze it into stony
establishments, which had made Judaism murderously
oppressive. As a rule, the establishment is inhospitable to
freedom. There is no system or structure in the world
geared to human liberation.
All systems work on ‘discipline’, necessarily
misunderstood as institutionalized infringement of human
freedom. Once its logic is internalized –as Christians are
indoctrinated to do from birth onwards- any expression of
individual freedom –freedom even to express God-given
gifts, as in Sr. Lucy’s case- is readily and convincingly
misrepresented as ‘disobedience’ and ‘rebelliousness’
that jeopardizes the church. Sadly, its priestly hierarchy
fails to understand that this was what brought about the
Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. So, in hounding and
persecuting those who thirst for freedom as basic to
personal integrity and dignity, they re-enact the
Crucifixion of Jesus in diverse metaphoric adaptations.
This process is already anticipated in the Acts of the
Apostles, which records the history of the early church.
Sr. Lucy’s account of the happenings in her life as a nun
illumines some of the issues I have been grappling with
over the years, which is illustrative of its contextual
relevance. This book deserves, therefore, serious
attention from all who believe that the church must stay
true to Jesus Christ, who is its putative foundation. To
them I commend it without any hesitation. I am grateful to
Sr. Lucy for letting us, as readers, into the sanctuary of
what most readers would not, otherwise, have glimpsed
even from a distance. Ignorance is not a virtue either in
law or in spirituality. Suppression of truth is an act of
darkness. Agents of enlightenment must undo the harm,
even at extreme costs to oneself.