Crowd Encouragement

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Heb 12:1, NLT).

I am always inspired to go after a challenge when I realize others have gone before me. It need not be high-risk adventures like walking through a long, dark, narrow tunnel, bungee jumping in a remote location, or paragliding over a deep gorge. It could be any mundane aspects of life, where bold, confident action is involved.

Christian life is an adventure. It is a journey to the invisible, eternity or our life with God that we never been to through unfamiliar territories. In this journey every step is stimulated by faith in Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

But still, when tempted to give up hope and confidence comes from the realization that we are not alone but there are others who have already completed this race successfully. This verse is the climax of the long list of heroes of faith that begins in the previous chapter (Chapter 11). These superheroes of faith crossed the finish line, and they await our arrival as we are still on our way. This crowd of witnesses motivates us in our Christian race. If they could do it, then we can do it too.

“O, Lord, give me the same strength that you gave to those who went ahead of me to complete their race despite discouragement, weakness, and doubt. Let me run this race with the strength you give me."

It rains differently everywhere

Rain is a universal phenomenon. All over it rains, except maybe in deserts. The phenomenon of rain is a process of recycling water. Rain fills the waterbodies. Then, water in rivers, lakes, and oceans evaporates and it rains down again, repeating the cycle.  Despite how heavily it rains the total amount of water on earth remains always constant. 

However, it rains differently in different places and seasons.

It is almost time for monsoon in southern parts of India. During this season dark rain clouds travel from the southern tip of the country diagonally across past Myanmar. On its way it refreshes the land except the north-western fringes of the country.

The down pour is heavy at the center of its path and lighter on the edges. Though an exaggeration, the people in the south-western tip of India (Kerala) where the monsoon begins its cross-country travel say each drop is one bucketful. It is so heavy and loaded. It lashes the ground so harsh sometimes uprooting small plants. It cleans the ground as it washes the trash, twigs, and dry leaves down the hill.

I love the monsoon rain. It brings relief from the summer heat. The earth turns cool.

However, it rains differently in every place. The sound it makes in the city is different from the country. The sound of rain on concrete and tin sheets in the city and the sound of rain on the trees and the grass in the countryside are vastly different. The wind on the trees in the countryside and on the windowpanes in the urban skyscrapers are different. The urbanites hear the thunder but do not see the lightning since their vision of the horizon through the windows is limited.

It rains differently in each place. It is the same rain but where it falls makes the difference. Grace is something like that. It is the same grace, but who receive it what they do with it makes the difference. Apostle Paul was keen that all the grace that God lavished on him was used well. So, he proclaims: “But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results” (1 Cor 15:10, NLT).

The ground may reject rain drops falling on it. The raindrops may splash, and scatter. But the good ground absorbs it, holds it for the dry season. It flourishes new life. The difference the rain makes depends on how it is received. So is the favour of God.

(Photo courtesy: Sid Ali on Pexels.com)

Amaranth Wisdom

 

Buddha discovered the mysteries of human suffering while meditating under a banyan tree. The falling apple triggered thoughts of gravity in Isaac Newton’s head. I got some trace of wisdom when I bought a packet of rajgira (seeds of Amaranth).

Rajgira is the seed of the Amaranth plants. These tiny seeds are used for food as raw seeds or flour. It is also called the Indian Quinoa. The leaves and stem are also used as vegetables. They could be pink or green.

My experience of the rajgira seeds in my porridge was horrible. It seems that the packet of seeds that I bought from Amazon had fine grains of sand. At every spoon, I bit something hard making me throw the whole bowl of porridge away.

I was angry that I was duped. I had no idea about what I can do with two large packets of it that I was left with.

Like Buddha, and Newton I started thinking deep. I took the packet of seeds and threw it on the wet ground. It rained the following two days as well. Then lo and behold on the third day, the seeds have sprouted. The little plants rose up from the grains of sand it was mixed with.

The seeds had life packed in each of them which the sand lacked. The particles of rock turned to the soil from which it came–dust to dust. The patch of land where the seeds fell are decked with little pink rajgira plants. They will grow, bloom and produce seeds. I can harvest them fresh and make porridge that won’t hurt my teeth any more.

This is an allegory. Only what has life force in them will grow. The chickens lay eggs. Usually farm chicken lay unfertilized eggs that cannot be hatched. They can be boiled, fried and eaten raw. But free-ranger country chicken lay fertilized eggs that can be hatched to adorable chicks. Anyone who want to raise a chicken farm has to choose fertilized eggs for the incubator.

All are not fit to be the citizens of the kingdom of God. Jesus told that kingdom of God is like the net that catches all sort of fish. But all fish are not good for food. So, the fisherman discards the bad catch and keep only the good ones in his basket (Matt 13:47–50). The Kingdom of God is also like sown field where the weeds grow with grain. But when the plants are big enough to tell the weed from the wheat, the farmer picks the weeds and burns it (Matt 13:24–30). Otherwise it will choke the good plants.

Sow and nourish. That is how to have a good harvest. Seeds may be adulterated, but good seeds will certainly grow while the lifeless grains of sand sink into the mud they belong to. That is secret of the confidence and joy of the sower.

Good soil and wild mushrooms

 Last week I spoke at the 100^th death anniversary of Volbrecht Nagel, a German missionary to the South Indian state of Kerala. Though he was in Kerala only for two decades, the songs he composed are still sung in the churches. They also have made into cinematic music. Some are translated into 21 plus Indian languages. He is still remembered, and his contributions are extolled by Muslim, Hindu, and Christian Orthodox academics though he was a Christian Brethren missionary.

Also last week was the first anniversary of the death of a famous apologist of our time. During his lifetime, he faced many allegations against his character. A few months after his death, an investigation by his own organization revealed serious character flaws and sex scandals in his life. The organization that he founded published apologies to the victims of his un-Christian behavior on their website. Now, the organization that he founded has removed all references about him from their website, his books are withdrawn from the market. The reputation that he built by making himself a brand and his ministry a commodity is now being trampled underfoot. All this within an year of his death.

The reputation of the Nagel, the man who wanted to be more like Jesus continues to inspire us. There must be something to learn from the stories of these two people. These are two allegories of two types of Christian lives. The right and wrong beginnings which naturally led to wrong courses and then the wrong end.

Christian discipleship could be imagined using the metaphor of the seed sown, grows, fruits and is harvested.

To live a Christian life, our hearts must be sown with the gospel of God's kingdom.

In Luke 8, Jesus illustrates this with a parable. The story is about a farmer who went out to sow. While many seeds perished and did not yield anything, he was able to harvest a good harvest. Some seeds fell on the rocks, and they dried up. Some fell on the path and were trampled. What fell among thorns were choked. Several of them were eaten by birds before sprouting.

The soil was the problem, not the seed. All seeds came from the same basket, by the same person, but the place where they landed made all the difference. As with the soils, not all hearts were ready to receive the Word. Some denied it right then without allowing to take roots. A few were choked by hearts preoccupied with worry and anxiety. A word could not grow there because they did not have enough space.

Christian life begins as the Word of God is planted in our hearts. James refers to the seed that begins the Christian's life as "the implanted Word". “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

When James speaks of "salvation," he refers to the judgment of God. The Word implanted in us will grow to save us on the day of judgment. The Christian life is successful when one has planted a seed in his heart and nurtures it so that it grows and bears fruit. In Hebrews, the writer makes a similar observation about the generation of Israelites who perished along the way. “For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they did not share the faith of those who listened to God” (Heb 4:2, NLT). The hearing of the Word did not profit them for their salvation.

It is sad that many people follow Christ without their hearts being sown by the word. Their journey begins with some miracles in their life, or some needs met in answer to prayer. Their hearts are devoid of the Word and then the wither away when miracles do not happen again when they expect.

People who begin their Christian life without the Word implanted in their hearts are like wild mushrooms. The wild mushrooms are aplenty in the farms though they are seasonal. The people in the countryside gather them on the morning after a night of thunderstorm. They believe that it is the lightning the previous night that caused them to sprout. They are usually found on decaying vegetation. You must pick them immediately before another torrent wash them away, or before the worms begins to feast on them. Not all mushrooms are edible, and some are poisonous. Many Christian journey begins with the splashing display of miracles, answered prayers, or the compelling oratory skills of celebrity preachers. Their hearts are barren, but their appearances are alluring. Though they are beautiful in shape and colour they do not have deep roots. Most of them cannot stand the heat of the sun or the hunger of the worms.

For the sown seed to grow, the soil symbolizing our hearts should be pure. James urges us to remove all filthiness, wickedness and all that turns the soil sterile. We must accept the Word in meekness. Meekness is that quality of our character that makes us low down under the weight of the Word of God. Unless we are humble, we cannot carry the Word in our hearts, and keep it until it sprouts to become a plant yields fruit. Word of God sown in the hearts that are unclean and arrogant cannot grow into plants that productive. They may grow on decaying vegetation, instead of the living Word of God and perish as wild mushroom when the show is over.

(Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels)

Israel-Palestine conflict: Where is Christ in this?

The developments of this week in the centuries-old Israel-Palestine conflict have created a lot of clashes of opinions. Christians have taken sides, mostly on the Israeli side. The media is divided but mostly on the side of Israel.

The reasons for the support for Israel are many. First sympathies. Historically, they had been a persecuted minority except in India and probably in the United States. Who can ignore the six million Jews who died in Hitler’s gas chambers? The sorrowful part of their history, along with the propaganda in favour of them, has created a lot of sympathy for them.

In addition to the popular sympathy for Israel, some Christians also find that what happens in Israel is the fulfilment of Biblical prophecies. These Christians think that all Palestinians are Muslims, though a significant number of them are Christians. Many Christian Holy places are in Palestinian territory (including Bethlehem, Jericho, Hebron, etc.).

Many Christians think that the Jewish nation is a friend of Christianity. But there is a lot of intolerance in Israel. Attacks on Christian churches are a regular event that fanatic Jews stage. There are restrictions on building churches and Christian institutions in Israel. Even a person who is Jew by birth but converted to another religion is not eligible for immigration to Israel. This includes Messianic Jews born outside Israel. They are denied citizenship, though they have Jewish blood running in their veins, but they are different by faith.

All these are facts of history.

Jews have a right to live in their land, and Palestinians also have the same right. Historically, they have lived in that land for centuries. The Jews are Palestinians who were in exile and Diaspora for centuries and returned in different waves over centuries. They, too, have the right to live in their ancestral land. They needed a home to come back to. The best home is certainly the land where their ancestors lived.

We should recognize that the present conflict is not religious but purely political. It is the result of the Arabs hating the Jewish nation called Israel, their denial of Israel’s right to exist, and Israel’s arrogant claim that the whole land belongs to them. The whole of it never belonged to them in history. For most of their history, foreigners ruled over them, and the rest of the time, they had to live with people who did not share their faith and were from different ethnic stocks.

But modern Israel has the power to stand up to any threat to their existence. They have military power and international rapport to add to their might. Hamas, the violent face of the Palestinians, inflict pain upon the majority of neutral Palestinians by inciting the Israeli Defense Force to retaliate. I recall one Friday evening six years ago witnessing a conflict between Palestinian young men and Israeli soldiers in Bethlehem. The young men were pelting stones at the Israeli watchtower, and Israeli soldiers were firing at the unarmed youth. It was an unequal exchange.

One of the characters in a book by Israeli writer Amos Oz said that non-Jews must be treated as “drawers of water and cutters wood” (Joshua 9:23). Many people (but not all) in Israel share this view—treating non-Jews with contempt. At the same time, decades of subjugation is the propellent that powered the rockets from Gaza towards Israel. The arrogance fueled by the spirit of revenge is the reason why Gaza is being razed to the ground by Israeli counterattacks. Those who died in Gaza or lost their homes have never seen a rocket!

As a student of the Bible, I do not see any support in the Hebrew Bible (that I share with my Jewish friends) and the New Testament to justify this conflict between Israel and Palestine. There is no biblical prophecy to support the present situation. All the biblical prophecies are fulfilled except those related to the return of Christ, the rapture, the resurrection of the saints and their eternity with Christ. We are in the end times right now, waiting for the end of the end times. That may happen at any time.

Christians in Palestine and in Israel may have the right to take sides in this conflict. Because it is a matter of their nationality and existence. But this does not apply to Christians in other places.

Since there are no historical or biblical reasons to support either Israel or Palestine, where should Christ-followers stand in this conflict? The Christians should seek God’s will in this matter. They should ask what side Christ would take in this conflict where both sides suffer the loss of life, property, and their life of dignity? I think the heart of Christ is weeping as he wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35).

I am sure that the Christ whom I know does not support violence. He does not support either the hatred that Hamas fosters or the arrogance of the State of Israel. He mourns that his command to love each other has gone unheeded by the Palestinians and the Jews. If all Jews lived according to the Royal Law of Love (James 2:8), there would be no conflict. Jesus taught his disciples that violence is futile and destructive. His group of disciples included some former members of the Jewish terrorist movement called Zealots (Simon the Zealot). If Hamas heeded Jesus words, that “all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52), they would have reimagined the situation differently. Any Christian who thinks that it is right to justify violence for whatever reason is not a true follower of Christ.

The sculpture at the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial is eloquent! I stood before it, deeply contemplating the mind of my Lord!  In 1995, domestic terrorists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols exploded the Federal building in Oklahoma City, where 168 people, including children, died. The explosion injured more than 600 people. At the far end of the memorial stands the sculpture titled “Jesus Wept.” It depicts Jesus with his face covered in his palm, turned away from the site. It tells it all, the one who embraced death on the Calvary cross to raze down the wall of enmity and hatred is weeping and calls us to weep over the violence that is in the DNA of the unredeemed humankind.

Pandemic, panic and boredom

 Aside from claiming many lives, the Covid-19 pandemic also affects the mind. People panic and dive deep into boredom.

Cambridge dictionary defines panic as "a sudden, strong feeling of anxiety or fear that prevents reasonable thought and action and may spread to influence many people."

Anxiety can be caused by real or imaginary perceptions of threat and harm. Panic is also a type of fear triggered by our perceptions. Perceptions that trigger panic may be present or absent.

In addition, panic is especially undesirable because it prevents people from thinking or acting rationally. Panic impairs their ability to rationally think and act.

Panic drives many people to explore tips about healthy living, avoiding, or managing Covid that are available all over the internet out of panic.

There are many factors that cause panic during the pandemic. First, we are isolated by lockdowns, social distancing, fear of death, the loss of friends, etc. Suddenly, our support systems have disappeared, and we are forced to live in our own cocoons.

Related to this is the lack of access to whatever gave us meaning, enjoyment, and purpose in life. Imagine driving down to the favorite coffee place after a busy day only to be greeted by the closed sign. Or the seats are limited. You return dejected. Coffee made at home is never good as the one at the coffee house, moreover, we miss the crowd and the ambience of the place as well.

As the Cambridge Dictionary states, panic "may spread to influence many people". You might have guessed the reason people who panic turn to social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. They cannot control their fear without spreading it to others.

Initially, work from home (WFH) was welcomed with enthusiasm. But boredom developed due to WFH's social isolation. The result of boredom is to engage in useless activities that only provide us with wrong pleasure. We often use social media as a way of escaping boredom by forwarding things even before we open them. This is fun for people. Some people beat boredom by posting or sharing on social media like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Watching the growing number of likes and shares gives an adrenaline rush much greater than that of a large Cappuccino.

There is a flipside as well. Everyone is so busy posting (like you do) that they don't have time to read or like your post. The lack of likes and shares may also cause you to dip into depression. The dwindling number of likes and shares may be perceived as rejection, so you give the world a reason to remind you that you are not as popular as you thought. It hurts when ego is deflated as a punctured balloon.

How can we avoid panic and boredom? We must first recognize that we are not in control of our own lives. In fact, we cannot prevent many things from happening. For instance, the Corona Virus. There is no point panicking over things beyond our control. It is not to accept it as fate that we will suffer. Instead, it is to realize that God is in charge.

Second, we must recognize the reason for our existence. We do not exist for mere pleasure. Heaven is our goal, and we don't seek earthly pleasure to sustain our lives. "Joy of the Lord" means we draw pleasure from God's presence in our lives and looking forward to what is waiting for us in heaven. A worldview such as this provides an immunity to boredom caused by an absence of earthly pleasures.

Additionally, the advice is to stay calm, don't panic! Make sure you are not spreading your panic to others through your social media accounts. That would be a great service to humanity. Give yourself some time to make rational decisions before reacting.

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(Photo courtesy: Glyn Nelson licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Staying hopeful in hopeless situations

That was the most irrational suggestion; to buy a land in a country which at war when the enemy has advanced to the citadels of its capital. But that suggestion was from God.

Prophet Jeremiah had been prophesying that his beloved country, Judah, is to fall at the hands of the Babylonians. His prophecy has come true. The Babylonian army has besieged Jerusalem. It has been a year now; the Babylonians had been waiting for the surrender of the people in Jerusalem. Other prominent cities are already fallen. Judah is already under the control of the Babylon for ten years now.

But God told Jeremiah to buy a land in his village of Anathoth from his relative (Jeremiah 32). The whole country, including the village of Anathoth (just 5-6 km from Jerusalem) is about to be occupied by the Babylonians in a matter of days. Though Jeremiah protested, he had to surrender to the divine command, and he bought it. That was a risky deal—buying a land in a war-torn country, which is sure to fall to the enemy. But Jeremiah did it, or God convinced him to do that.

What was God's argument? God told Jeremiah, that it is a symbolic act. The Babylonian army is to have a sure victory and they will overrun the land in a matter of days. The king, nobles and many people will be exiled out of their country, if they are fortunate enough to survive the sword. However, God is going to bring them back in the future, to occupy their land to build their houses and dwell. Though it will take about seven decades, God will make it happen. Jeremiah had a double message. One of judgment—God is going to punish the people for their sins as he allows the Babylonians to rampage the land and people. At the same time, God's act is not only judgment. He also promised them hope. After seven decades of exile is over, they will return to their land. 

The message of judgment is proclaimed, and it is now taking place as the Babylonians army is positioned at the gates of Jerusalem. But in this situation of fear and hopelessness God want to assure them of the future hope of return to the land.

That hope must be demonstrated, and God asked Jeremiah to help. By buying a land, in a country threatened with war and imminent defeat, Jeremiah had to buy this piece of land to proclaim by his action that: "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’ Jeremiah 32:15). It was an act of trust in God's promises.

God judged his people as Jerusalem and its temple was destroyed and the people were taken to exile. But God did not forget his promise. Seventy years after this event, he brought his people back, as he promised to buy houses, fields, and vineyards in that land.

However, Jeremiah never claimed his property. A few years after the destruction of Jerusalem, he was dragged to Egypt and died there never to see the land he purchased during the wartime. That is the life of the prophet, they live out the word of God in absolute surrender without any questions asked. They are loser in some sense, but they made the point clear that God is not just a God of wrath but also hope and compassion. Purchasing the land, he lost money, so he was a loser in one sense. However, he inspired many to hope in God. 

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Photo courtesy: ("Netherlands-4257 - Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem" by archer10 (Dennis) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)