TRIPLE STREAM

NEED FOR INTER-FAITH UNDERSTANDING – JESUS CHRIST

I. V. Chalapati Rao

It is spirituality that the Indian mind seeks, not dogma or creed. In a true spirit of hospitality we open our minds to the teachings of all the prophets and sages.

Most of what Jesus Christ preached and what Indian scriptures had stated four thousand years ago are not mutually exclusive. Christ preached love and went about the villages of Palestine just as Socrates went about the streets of Athens preaching logic 400 years before him. The former’s name has adorned one of the major religions of the world for his service and sacrifice.

The Sermon on the Mount deserves to be specially noted for do’s and don’ts in life. It expounds the ethical and spiritual ideas which are universal.

· You cannot serve both God and Mammon (money)

· ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit because their’s is the kingdom of heaven’

· Do not throw your pearls before the swine. They will only trample them underfoot

· Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

· Do for others what you want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets.

· Go in through the narrow gate because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it easy and there are many who travel it.

· The miracle of five loaves and two fish. I assure you that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill “Go from here to there” and it will go.

· Advice to the rich man who wanted to know what good things must be done to get eternal life is:

“If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor and follow him. You will have riches in heaven”. Disappointed, the wealthy questioner went away “because he had great possessions”.

· Whoever makes himself great will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

· ‘Put up again the sword in its place; for all things that take the sword, shall perish with the sword’. (To Peter who cut off the ear of the soldier who arrested Jesus).

· ‘Man does not live on bread alone’.

· ‘We should not judge the quality of a tree by its rotten fruit’

· ‘Be ye, therefore perfect even as thy Father which is in Heaven’

· ‘Come unto me all ye, that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’

· I call them my people who were not my people – ROMANS – 9.25 (All men are brothers)

· Render unto Caesar the things that belong to him and to God the things that belong to him (Balance between materialism and spiritualism).

· It is easier for the camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for the rich man to pass through the gates of heaven’,

Miracles are common in most religions. Referring to Christ’s first miracle in CANA, a town in Galileo, where he changed water into wine, Byron (as a student) wrote “The water looked at the lord and blushed”.

Christ’s words “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” are interpreted to mean that rebirth is spiritual rebirth or complete transformation. He has already said “Behold the Kingdom of God is within you, not without”. Realisation is in this very life, here and now.

Angelus Sislesius, a German mystic said: “Christ may be born a thousand times in Bethleham but if he be not born anew within your heart, you remain eternally forlorn”.

· ‘He that feeds the raven will not spare the sparrow’. God will certainly look after the good people.

Jesus tells us to relax to let tomorrow to take care of itself and not to worry. He wants us to leave everything to “the hidden power that makes the lilies grow”. In another parable of the talents he praises the busy, duty- bound, responsible, hard-working citizens. “Don’t hide your talents under a bushel”

He knew how ungrateful people would be, yet he did not stop serving them. He healed 10 lepers. When he turned back, nine of them went away. Only one of them remained to say “Thank You”.

When he cured the blindness of a man, he found him following a prostitute. What for God gave us sight?

‘For who so ever save his life shall lose it, and who so ever lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?’. He offered a life of principles, adventure and renunciation but not a primrose path of dalliance.

To his 12 disciples Christ spoke in parables so that they can understand the implied message or moral easily. The technique is something like that of ‘Panchatantra’, ‘Kathasaritsagar’ and ‘Shukasaptati’. The parables ‘The Good Samaritan’ and ‘The Prodigal Son’ are a message of love, service, compassion and forgiveness.

‘If any one slaps you on the cheek, turn the other cheek to him’ is, indeed a message of non-violence and forgiveness.

‘The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak’ (To Peter who was asleep without watching)

‘If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. I am come a light into the world’ – Thus spake Jesus Christ:

Christ has not approved the superstitious idea that tragedy befalls those who deserve it. He asked “Are those eighteen people on whom the Tower of Siloam fell thereby killing them, the greater debtors (sinners) than all other men inhabiting Jerusalem?” He has suggested that the tragedy was the result of time and an unforeseen occurrence for which no one is responsible. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Book of Ecclesiastes)

He always held a high opinion about the innocence and intelligence of the children. ‘Wisdom comes out of the mouths of babes”. He said: ‘I publicly praise you, Father, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones, and revealed them to babes’.

We find in Christ’s messages the technique of effective questioning, simplicity of language (almost mono-syllabic words), sound and logical approach, apt examples, fitting illustrations and choice of words which appeal to the common man of his time, any time.

The following is condemnation of man’s destruction of nature and pollution of the pure atmosphere on earth.

‘And I brought you into a plentiful country to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness there- of. But when ye entered, ye defiled my land and made mine heritage an abomination” (GERMIAH – Old Testament).

A woman of socially disapproved character was about to be stoned in public. Having seen the cruel scene, Christ went and said: “Any one of you who is free from sin should throw the first stone at her”. They were ashamed and stopped stoning her. “Judge not, lest ye be judged”. “Cast off the beam in your own eye before you try to remove the mote in the other’s eye’.

“He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust”. (Sermon on the Mount – MATTHEW – 5-45). He is impartial.

The fitting finale to his words of love and forgiveness to his tormenters and killers are: “FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO (LUKE – 23-24). The curtain falls.

This message of forgiveness and sacrifice is the secularized essence of all religions and the hall-mark of humanism.

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