# chhotebhai –
The question seems inconceivable and the answer should be a resounding “No”. But wait a minute. First listen to what Jesus himself has to say. “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have more than enough, but everyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has” (Mat 25:29). If this isn’t capitalistic jargon, what is?
Bearing in mind that this was part of Jesus’ last discourses after his final entry into Jerusalem, it merits our serious attention. This statement of Jesus got me thinking. So I delved into Mathew’s gospel and unearthed some gems (or rocks) that go against the grain of the popular perception of Jesus who advocates being meek and humble of heart (cf Mat 11:29).
Going through Mathew’s gospel in a chronological manner I found many statements or acts of Jesus that paint him in a different light: as a clever Tactician, a cause of Division, an Insensitive person, who was Impractical, Demanding, Elitist, Unfair, Selective, Wasteful, Afraid and in Despair! Before anyone starts cursing me as an “unbeliever going to hell”, please read these passages:
- CAPITALIST: As already quoted above
- TACTICIAN: “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the rooftops” (Mat 10:27)
- CAUSE OF DIVISION: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace on earth; it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter in law against mother in law, a person’s enemies will be the members of his own household” (Mat 10:34-36)
- INSENSITIVITY: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to little dogs” (Mat 15:27) – this was in response to a Canaanite woman pleading for her daughter’s healing
- IMPRACTICAL: “I tell you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain – Move from here to there, it will move, nothing will be impossible for you” (Mat 17-20)
- DEMANDING: “If your eye should be your downfall, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the hell of fire” (Mat 18:9). Again, It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 19:24). To this the disciples had murmured “Who can be saved then?” (v 25).
- ELITIST/ SELECTIVE: “It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only for those to whom it is granted” (Mat 19:11). Further “When the king came to look at the guests he noticed one who was not wearing a wedding garment … the king said to his attendants, Bind him hand and foot and throw him in the darkness outside where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are invited but not all are chosen” (Mat 22;10-14)
- UNFAIR: “Take your earnings and go, I choose to pay the latecomer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own?” (Mat 20:14-15)
- WASTEFUL: “When they saw this the disciples said indignantly – why this waste? This could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor. But Jesus noticed and said – Why are you upsetting the woman? What she has done for me is indeed a good work. You have the poor with you always, but you will not always have me” (Mat 26:8-11)
- AFRAID: “my soul is sorrowful to the point of death … My father if it is possible let this cup pass by me” (Mat 26:38-39)
- DESPAIR: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mat 27:46). He was repeating a prayer (Ps 22:1)
Seen collectively, these words and acts of Jesus would paint him in poor light, far from the Messiah and Son of God that we believe him to be. These quotes are not meant to shake our faith, but to strengthen it through an enlightened understanding of Jesus.
The short response to these quotations is that we are seeing them as “Stand Alone” and out of context. This is exactly how the radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik (now banned from India, in which I too had a role to play) seeks to denigrate Christianity. We therefore need to recall this gem of wisdom: “A text without a context is a pretext).
Hence we need to see these acts in the broader context of Jesus’ life and mission and not isolate them. Let’s take the first quote as an example. This was about the talents that the Master had given. It was meant to be a reward for good work and an admonition for laziness, seen in the context of the coming of the Kingdom. Almost all Jesus’ acts should be seen in that light. Hence they could at times seem incongruous with modern worldly standards.
May of us falter, and possibly give up, when we are unable to follow Jesus’ teachings or take them too literally. This is described as scriptural fundamentalism, which naturally leads to despair. However, there is one man in history who literally followed Jesus, to the extent of experiencing his five wounds (stigmata) in his own body – Francis of Assisi. When I went to live in Jyotiniketan Ashram, Bareilly, with the saintly Capuchin priest Fr Deenabandhu, I was in awe of the il Poverello of Assisi.
Hence I too embarked on some “gospel journeys” taking nothing with me for the way (no money whatsoever). I travelled thousands of kilometres in hot summer on the dusty tracks of U.P. But Fr Deenabandhu wasn’t impressed. He recognized my false idealism and advised me to study the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) that contextualised the gospels in today’s idiom. I am sharing these experiences for the benefit of fellow pilgrims who may be struggling with Christian discipleship.
About that time I went to attend a seminar at Pune. There were many, especially the Jesuits, who were critical of the institutionalized Catholic Church. When I queried Spanish Jesuit Peter Ribes, his reply astounded me. “Because we love the Church” he said; words that I have cherished in my heart. I owe Ribes a debt of gratitude for his lucid explanation of Vatican II ecclesiology. To understand that we first need to look at pre-Vatican II ecclesiology. Only then does the stark contrast stare us in the face. I share some points in the table below:
| Sl. no | PRE-VATICAN II | POST VATICAN II |
| 1 | There is no salvation outside the Catholic Church; “Extra ecclesiam nulla salus” – St Cyprian of Carthage, 3rd century | All can be saved by God’s grace, even agnostics and atheists (cf LG 16) |
| 2 | Rome has spoken, the chapter is closed; “Roma locuta est causa finite est” – St Augustine, 5th century | The Church should avail of the laity’s prudent advice (LG 37) |
| 3 | It is a holy church, a holy people | It embraces sinners in her bosom (LG 8) |
| 4 | On obedience: “Anyone who disobeys an authority is rebelling against God” (Rom 13:2); “Slaves be obedient to your masters” (Eph 6:5) | You have the right to form labour unions and even to go on strike (GS 69) |
| 5 | On marriage/ family; “It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Cor 7:1 ff) | The family is the Domestic Church (LG 11) |
Suffice it to say that had Vatican II not happened we would have been back to the dark ages of Crusades and Inquisitions!
I must here acknowledge the impact of another Jesuit on my evolutionary faith. It is from the book “The Conspiracy of God – The Holy Spirit in Us” by Rev John C. Haughey. The essence of this book is summed up in “From following Jesus of Nazareth to being led by the Spirit of Christ”.
The first is rooted in time, space and circumstance/ context. This was the literal path followed by Francis of Assisi. But Haughey’s approach is to get under the skin of Jesus, to truly understand him. In that process St Peter’s experience of an evolutionary faith was exemplary. He addressed Jesus as Sir (a form of respect), Teacher (with words of wisdom), Master (to be followed and obeyed) and finally as the Christ, the Son of the Living God (to believe in, live and die for).
Today if we attempt to follow Jesus of Nazareth it would be akin to walking on a sandy beach tracing the footprints there. But with time and tide these footprints get obliterated and we are lost and clueless. However, when we are led by the Spirit of Christ we are in constant communication with the Father, as Jesus himself was, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This wonderful journey in the Spirit happens through our prayer life, sacred scripture, Vatican II and subsequent church teachings, and being rooted in reality. Then we too will hear Jesus saying “Come follow me” (Mat 4:19) and capitalise on this beautiful relationship.
The writer has a mix of Franciscan, Ignatian, Indian and Charismatic spirituality