The Treasury of Solomon : Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Reference Passage:
Proverbs 17:8 (NIV)
A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; 
   they think success will come at every turn.

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Gifts open doors. The truth value of the statement is attested by recent events that have dispelled the aura of credibility and integrity long projected by current players in Indian politics. First, it was the gross anomalies in the management of finances for the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010. Close on its heels, came media reports of a massive scam in the allocation of resources for mobile network operators, played by bribes of the order of trillions. The awestruck commoner cannot get carried away with criticism either – the very same modus operandi is at play day to day, everywhere from the railway platform for an illegal seat, to the police station for the verification of bogus records. Most of us are opportunistic, and cannot resist the temptation to jump the queue, given the chance.

 Moreover, these are the days when exceptions of yesteryear, have subtly taken the place of the norm. Thus, we’ve progressed to the 'No gift, no opening' stage in which even justified ends, that are perfectly within the bounds of law, are faced with insurmountable obstacles which subside only at the sight of goodies under the table. Occassionally, the concept morphs into 'Bigger gift, bigger opening' that eventually shuts the door in the face of the needy, who have not the clout to buy their access to opportunity.

Things take an interesting turn, when the world of religion and faith attempt to play games by the same rules. The search for salvation and hope being a nearly global phenomenon, the possibilities of profit are vast, and the enterprising human mind has already stationed itself at Heaven’s door, expecting to way-lay those who come knocking there.

It was in 2008 that our layman vocabulary was enriched by the appearance of the term 'god-man', following the arrest of the notorious Santosh Madhavan a.k.a. Swami Amritananda Chaithanya in the Indian state of Kerala, on a cocktail charge sheet including rape, paedophilia, fraud and possession of illegal arms. Since then, several other high-profile personalities, ranging from different shades of the religious spectrum, have been apprehended and forced to practise their arts within the confines of prison, from time to time. This, by no means, imply that our law-and-order mechanism has successfully aborted the evil child before its birth. In reality, we’ve merely scraped the toe nails of a fully-grown Goliath.

In due recognition of the spiritual poverty of mankind, and God‘s gracious downpour through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, 'freely received, freely give' was among the founding principles of Christian mission work, visibly preached by pioneers who were stirred by a sacrificial spirit. Church history commences with consistent examples of the apostolic founding fathers in the first century, following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, it did not take long for attitudes to change and economics to overtake Cross training. The thought that man could avail the fortunes of the Divine by a scheme of skin-deep 'buy-and-sell', was a possible seed for this deviation. True to human nature, the real struggle was to avoid the total surrender that the Cross implies, and comfort oneself with the  knowledge that material sacrifices and certain ‘good deeds‘ would guarantee safe passage to Heaven. Thus motivated, some big pockets pushed their way into the fray, with scant regard for the deeper life that the Gospel calls for. Gradually and gladly, the evangelist would remind of sin or surrender no more, but find his way to drain pockets with assurances of impending showers of blessing. The infamous era of indulgences-for-sale was only a logical conclusion.

Gifts open doors. Bigger gift, bigger opening. No gift, no opening. Along came Martin Luther & Co. to turn the clock back to the first century.

Post reformation, we haven’t done too well either. All the way to the present, the wrestle continues with every revival marking a return to the revelations of the crucified Saviour. We’re stuck again in an age when crowds flock to posters of evangelistic crusades advertising the featured speaker’s success as 'richest in the world' – which raises the question as to how the Gospel message depended on one’s personal wealth, or what such traits had to add to the impact. Aren't we all equally lost, ignorant of the realm of the Eternal, sweating and bargaining in the world of the temporary material?  There may be valid reasons for all things under the Sun, but when lines and boundaries dim, self-examination must assume top priority.

Nobody gets to buy his way in, for the door is manned by the One who fully demonstrated the power of giving His all for love’s sake, despite the horrors of the Cross. He is the tender shoot rooted in dry ground, bringing verdure to our souls that had nothing to offer in return. How then, could our gifts of a lesser quality or intention, not be an insult?   

The Messianic plea continues unchanged, unabated: "Repent for the Kingdom of God has come near." (Mathew 4:17)

Welcome the Groom!

Reference Passage:

Mathew 25:1 (NIV)

At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

(Read the entire parable here)  

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The parable takes us to the excited-and-tense settings of an impending Jewish marriage. Ten girls were chosen to form the welcoming party, with the primary aim of greeting the Groom upon his arrival. Those were the days when society still moved on words and promises, and not necessarily on clockwork. The Groom's promise was the backbone of the arrangement, and no precise data was available as to when he would actually make an appearance.

As darkness fell, they gathered their lamps, and the vigil began. However, only five of them carried sufficient oil to last them through the night. Christian life is essentially a vigil for the fulfilment of the Heavenly Groom's promise, and the major distinction between wise and foolish Christians is the persistence of their oil supply through the night of mortal life, or until His arrival. There are at least two possibilities for the ill-preparedness of the foolish virgins. Firstly, its easy to think that the Groom would appear in time for dinner, but those who prepared thus, will soon discover their folly. Our humanist approach to religion makes us think that God's plan can be flexed to fit our time-tables since our welfare and convenience are apparently of paramount priority. On the contrary, life will demonstrate that God never limits Himself to our plans, and the only way out is to stretch ourselves to satisfy His designs.

There's another hidden assumption, on the part of those who may have discovered their deficiencies in good time. Surely the friend next door would chip in, in case of emergency - didn't she always pack a little extra? So runs our perceptions of spirituality, wherein we find strength and comfort within the budgets of others, and not our own. Here again, there are unpleasant surprises that'll spring up to meet us along life's way, as we will shortly see.

As the night dragged on with no sign of the Groom, the welcoming party snoozed off until suddenly at midnight, the air rang with the awaited announcement. The darkness was pierced by the awakening lamps of the girls in haste. In those vital moments, when short-changed by time, the foolish announced, "Our lamps are going out!" Life has so often checkmated us using time as its masterpiece, that we'll no longer find the plight of the foolish virgins a comedy. Priorities take the backseat when we're caught up in our own fancies, while something inside says that we're running out of time. Its only when the situation has spun out of control, that we finally pause and regret.

For long, our exploration of God and His ways has been dormant, and a subtle breeze is sweeping our person, effectively snuffing out the passion that once burned for the Almighty. At the end of each day, we excuse ourselves from the burden of prayer. There is now little time for private worship and meditation, even though we could have easily made space on our schedule. Talk of the Second Coming incites hope or joy no more, but indifference. The lamp is dimming out, little by little, but are we paying attention?

For their part, the foolish sincerely believe that spirituality can be outsourced, and that the easy way out is to catch hold of an 'intermediary', as an eleventh-hour remedy for oil shortages. There are husbands who think that their faith life can progress only if their praying wives are nearby. Some youth feel that the strictness of their parents will keep them in the way of right. Many count themselves secure in the prayers of a devout family at home. Sadly, the logical conclusion of a third-party Christianity, is to make the perceived sources, the scapegoats, if nothing goes according to plan. Now, we understand why believers give up faith, citing the shortcomings of others.

Remarkably, the wise virgins did not jump to help their friends in distress. Having known the necessity of good preparation, they would not part with their oil and risk meeting the Groom with a half-hearted flame. Five well-prepared Christians far excel ten spluttering, confused, reluctant believers, even though human mathematics suggest that five full lamps and ten half-full lamps are one and the same. Moreover, the wise knew that they could not assume the role of source, just because someone was appealing for help. This is precisely the reason why few ministers manage to sustain the authenticity of their ministry all their lives. They've grasped the fundamental truth that their job is to point to the Source of Life, and not to get in the way, directing seekers (and their money!) to themselves.

Come to think of it, every Sunday, in its purest sense, would have been a dress rehearsal of that bright and cloudless morning when the angelic herald would proclaim the wedding of the Lamb of God. Although there are a lot of ideas and theories that we associate with the first day of the week, preparation of the heart is rarely one among them. The Groom who promised to be present where two or three gathered in His name, is greeted by a host of flickering lamps, and the worshipers desperate to generate instant excitement that can, in some way, endure till the final 'Amen' – history repeats itself.

When its all said and done, the door is shut in our faces and a Voice, with a coldness that matches the state of our hearts, declares with finality, “Begone! I never knew you.”

The Treasury of Solomon : The Identity Crisis

Reference Passage:

Proverbs 16:32 (Amplified Bible)

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

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Our failure to voice a question, cannot always mean that the answer is insignificant. One such question is the mystery of our inner identity – Who am I? Our lifestyle and evaluations of one another as humans, remain hinged on matters of external appearance and occupation. The subtle advances of this doctrine, has even transformed the way we work and earn. Performance measurements in certain quarters of the corporate realm, now evidently abide by the 'what-looks-good-must-be-good' principle alone and thus was born the appraisal techniques that annually fill the stomach of the manager, and the eyes of the subordinate. This is because, one builds his reputation on the toil of the other, and makes it easily appear otherwise. Hence, we end up telling ourselves that there is little esteem anymore for character, and today, personal success takes priority over personal morality.  

'Be yourself' is a battle-cry for the youth, commonly heard when confronting rules that stand in our way. We're told that we need not conform to the ideas of the authority – be it parents at home or teachers in class or elders in society. Think of clothes, food or religious beliefs and you'll easily understand what I mean. Though a commendable idea, is preserving the self our true concern when we say it? A more realistic explanation is that we're merely eager to get rid of whatever we classify as inconvenient, in line with our limited experience and narrow-mindedness. However, some of these 'disposables', actually hold the key to the very self-improvement that we implicitly seek. Obviously we miss these because we fail to sense the gravity of the identity crisis.  

In King Solomon's day, capturing a city involved military action or political intrigue, or a combination of both. Strong-arm tactics such as plugging the fresh water supply, proved useful to break down stubborn resistance, at times. Once there, the conqueror would place the local population under an annual tribute if he desired. There were also other options such as carrying away the inhabitants as valuable manpower resource, or as labour force to construction projects elsewhere. For the man at the helm of the action, all of this was a matter of immense pride, wealth and fame.

Nevertheless, amidst the applause and showers of praise surrounding the conqueror, the wise king had a word of caution to leave with us. One's calibre is best judged by how well the greater challenge of comprehending and conquering the inner self is met. Cities might fall to the genius of human intellect, or the sheer determination of the will, but not so the self. The image that the world has of us, may be one of control and determination, assessed by the cities we have conquered, or the wealth we have amassed for ourselves. Yet, it is perfectly possible to make a mess of life if our very own Ministry of Internal Affairs is in mayhem.

Let's think along Solomon's line of thought. Anger is relevant to most of us as the perfect example for the weakness of self. It takes very little to blow our fuse, especially when we are in 'multi-tasking deadline-approaching' mode. However, the damage generated by those moments of rage, could lead to drastic consequences.

Once, an engineer got into an argument with a driver. The heat rose, until the matter boiled over as physical violence. Corporation rules forbid mortal combat between employees, and offenders are slapped with termination notices. When the matter reached the HR, an officer called the two for an internal investigation. After talking to the driver, he gave the engineer a chance to defend his case. As you might expect, the engineer maintained his right and demanded a judgement in his favour. In fact, many judges today would hastily rule in favour of the mighty. However the officer's subsequent questions thoroughly fixed the self-righteous engineer.

"As engineer with the company, how many people work under you?"

"Fifty."

"And under the driver?"

"None."

"Do you realise that the driver gets a salary about a fifth of yours?"

"Yes."

"In terms of self-respect, in terms of career prospects, in terms of pay, who suffers a greater loss?"

The engineer did not have to admit the obvious.

The identity crisis is not just about anger. Think of the opportunities we have wasted through laziness. Reflect on the relationships we have soured by our lack of commitment. Give a thought to the many blessings we have taken for granted, without any afterthought of gratitude. For instance, have we ever reckoned how much our parents have put into bringing us up? Consequentially, we won't value being exemplary guides to our kids either, which is why parents now think that remaining attached to each other, is not a necessity, in nurturing children. All this, is merely the tip of the iceberg when we consider the missing pieces of the identity puzzle.

Our inner organism has decayed to the state where we are no more able to recognize our Creator, even though we were created in His own image and likeness. He intricately expressed His greatness in the needlework of nature, yet we believed it's simply physics. He beckoned man to Himself, through the establishment of human relationships, yet we were convinced it's simply psychology. He punished our follies with timely rebukes, yet we thought it's simply history. Although we bask in the glory of our scientific progress and technological advancements, we still have no answer to the question He posed before centuries: "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" (Mathew 16:26) 

Ultimately, He stepped down and walked among us, laying aside His awesome glory for a while. He healed the sick and comforted the weary, but also made it clear that we urgently needed an inward look. In return, mankind gifted the Cross with a sarcastic wisecrack: "Why don't You save Yourself and prove Your identity?"  (Mathew 27:39-40)

Ironically, as we celebrate 'simply Easter' each year, we silently agree with His premise. We are the ones who urgently need saving, not Him. Its our identity that requires proving and pruning, not His.

The Vine and the Hedge

Reference Passage:

Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; 
               make Your face shine upon us,
                                  that we may be saved. (Psalm 80:19)

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A certain man planted a vineyard. The speciality of his plantation was the fact that he possessed a mysterious power to keep his estate agelessly fruitful. This also meant that usually, there was no need for cutting down or burning of any sort, anywhere on His property.

The vine flourished under his care and grew in stature and maturity. Its fruit was greatly in demand as word spread like wild fire, that it could bring healing from maladies of all sorts. People flocked to the gates, as the gracious owner handed out the fruit, free of cost. Even then, as is customary of private property, the man had placed a protective hedge around the fruitful vine, away from the control of every undesired influence.

Sadly for the vine, its ego blossomed in proportion to its frame, and soon the hedge was looked upon as a hindrance, than a blessing. The vine greedily eyed the boundless freedom beyond. Surely, I wasn't meant to limit myself to the whims of this man, it thought to itself, there appears to be a greater market outside, and I'll have greater demand, if I were there. Day after day, the vine grew increasingly uncomfortable at the vine dresser's presence, and the fruit became half-hearted. The wise man soon noticed the change of attitude, and tried talking the vine out of its folly. However, when he saw that he couldn't prevail, he agreed to the wishes of the vine and removed the hedge, albeit with great sorrow of heart, for he knew what was coming.

The sulking vine, having achieved its freedom, put on its best and greenest smile once again. As passersby gathered at the spot, hands were soon shoved in, twisting and turning the branches, hoping to grab a handful of the miracle fruit. The vine grimaced with pain, but told itself that it would eventually get used to the attention and everything would be all right. How wrong it was!

One night, there was a strange sound heard from the base of the plant. The vine was shocked to see a boar dig furiously, in search of some elusive worm. As the ground gave way to the frenzied activity, tremors seized the vine like never before. Oblivious to the vine's anguish, the boar continued its attack, until it finally snapped up the little wiggler and walked away with a slurp. The vine was now a pitiable sight indeed, for all that remained was a mangled mess, sans glory, sans fruit – a burden to its place and fit only to be burned.

In those dying moments, the vine lifted its eyes to the hedge that stood guarding the rest of the owner's property, and beheld the ultimate surprise. In the moonlight, the outer side of the hedge was visible and bore all the marks of the very reality, that the vine was now trapped in. Life's irony made its final move – in the dusk of death, the dawn of truth made a fleeting appearance. Being within the confines of the hedge had kept the vine away from the pain that the hedge had taken upon itself, each time the boar paid a visit. The past suddenly made so much sense, but was it not too late for regret?

Great are the provisions of the Cross of Christ whereby God has planted us within His Plan. Love and sorrow mingled there because our salvation and sanctification never really was free. Fruitful by His power, we became channels of blessing in His hands. Yet, our gifts assumed greater priority than God's project, which is why we find ourselves outside the hedge singing "Its my life." Our talents are used and abused, for the world's entertainment and our pride. There is something fundamentally wrong in the 'no-rules' approach to Christian life, in claiming freedom to do anything and everything, without the discernment to see the safety lines that God has drawn.

Soon, when every drop of spirituality and truth has been squeezed out, we'll be quickly forgotten and fit to be 'burnt'.

Do we look to the Cross today and find instructions for life, or would we rather turn a blind eye, until its too late?

The Treasury of Solomon : Naked and left in the cold

Reference Passage: 

Proverbs 25:20 (NIV)
Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day... is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

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As we return to Solomon's treasury, our concern this time is the growing attempt worldwide, to deny the realities of sorrow with the belief that a positive attitude is all that really matters in life. The wise man tells us that trying to laugh away the burdens of our heart is like taking off our clothes on a wintry day. Let me explain.

In the marketplace of ideas, the concept of Commercial laughter has become a major player. The gift of mirth is now peddled in a variety of shapes and sizes, tailored to fit all kinds of taste. In Eastern mysticism lingo, there exists a form of exercise called Hasyayoga – laughter yoga, in English. The argument goes that since the body is unable to distinguish between real and fake laughter, the positive effects thereof may be harnessed to trigger good health and mental tranquility. With the world increasingly looking East for spiritual therapy in recent times, the joke has spread far and wide, like many other good jokes. Its no longer strange to find groups of usually sane adults, laughing their way to wellness, seated in parks in the early hours of the morning. 

Comedy is similarly being pressed into service all over the world. A daring race of stand-up comedians are grabbing attention, poking fun at just about anything from politics to religion to popular culture. It now appears that keeping the paying audience in splits of laughter, presumes prime importance, irrespective of the content of the punch line. Hence, time and again, there is a subtle foray into hitherto restricted territory, armed with nothing more than a simplistic view of life's deeper questions. And why not, given the fact that it helps to ease tension, and help us feel better?

Laugh we may, but human kind does not appear to be a very happy lot. Aren't we assuring ourselves that we're the descendants of evolved monkeys and happiness is the result of chemical processes and neural responses, within the brain? No wonder, our attempts at happiness remain peripheral, because we continue to deny the realities of our inner selves. 

Let me take you to the airline check-in counter at the airport, for a quick illustration. With all the talk of “global quality standards” and “customer satisfaction”, you find the counter occupied by a smiling attendant, ever willing to meet any need. The greeting, the polite questions and quick windup of routines, leave you charmed. However, these are also the days of tight budgets and last-minute flight cancellations. Lo and behold! The counter is soon mobbed by an impatient crowd and questions are volleyed across by the dozen. Soon the smile dissolves away with the makeup, as the rising heat induces a bout of perspiration. The helpless passenger is left wondering if the smile earlier, had depth to match the length. Besides, why did it disappear when it was most needed?

I wonder if in similar fashion, our joy and peace of mind lasts only as long as we are immersed in the comforts of the expected. Remember life has an uncanny tendency to present the unexpected, catching us unawares.

Oppressive cold weather always means refuge in warmer clothes, at least for us human beings. Exposing oneself to the elements, without the strength to match, is definitely not an act of courage. Acting as if the chill doesn't exist, does not lighten the onslaught or the suffering. Yet, why is it that we attempt to live in a state of denial and complacency as the world around us continues to hurt?  

Believe it or not, the sadness and frustration has penetrated our inner selves too. Merely consider the human hunger for entertainment, for evidence of our desperation. The audience demand for lust, mirth and other forms of self-indulgence have only grown over the years as the performers remain sensitive to the lure of money. I was taught in my school days that humans needed recreation or entertainment, to overcome the mental tension of everyday life. In that case, does not the craving for more entertainment reveal the reality that more distress infiltrates our hearts everyday? 

To me, it appears as if our efforts have only served to further aggravate the internal crisis, which is alarming – the pill that draws appetite to itself, is never really medicine, it is only an addictive drug. Mankind does not ask what we are truly doing to ourselves, and we'll pay the price someday.

Worse yet, those of us who have absolutely no idea how biting the cold can be, attempt to convince others that it takes only a smile for the darkness to dissipate. You wish!

The Bible tells us this of God's Presence:
“In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

The need of the hour is a solution that brings man into day-by-day personal experience of God's Presence, even as he confronts the challenges of pain and sorrow. Almost 2 millennia ago, was born the One called “Immanuel” - literally translated “God with us.” His biographies do not tell us anything about His laughter or whether He made people laugh. His messages eventually stung His enemies to retaliate with the death penalty because He made it plain that man could not taste happiness on his own terms. Unlike so many other heroes of history, He chose to suffer on a Roman Cross, silently, and for no fault of His. 

Having risen again on the third day, His Name is still called upon for salvation, all over the globe, irrespective of caste, colour or religion. Those who have tasted the sweetness of His friendship, declare the peace and joy that refuses to evaporate in times of trouble. They do not drown their sorrows with empty songs or nervous giggles, they'd rather share their sorrows with Him, Who has tasted suffering for them first-hand. He continues to be their Rock, where they stay anchored even when the world threatens to tear up their faith.

An old hymn cries out these words of challenge:
“Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?”

Remarkably, Jesus Christ, our Immanuel, never was, is or ever will be, the result of man digging out the secret recipe of true happiness, but God offering it at His own expense, to anyone ready to take Him at His Word. 

Beggarly Past, Sacrificial Future

Reference Passage:

Acts 3:9-10 (NIV):

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

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Those were the days, when existed such a time as 'the hour of prayer'. The Jewish convention for time was different from our system today. For them, the first hour began at about 6 am, which goes on to mean that the ninth hour was actually 3 in the afternoon. For most people moving in the vicinity of the Jerusalem temple, the hour of prayer probably meant nothing much, as it is to most of us today. Praise and worship, miracle crusades, concerts and conferences are all exciting events which we cannot afford to miss. But prayer? Its been weeks, months and years since we opened up our deepest secrets and longings before the Lord in prayer. We have ignored the power of prayer too long, that we no longer expect our prayer to yield any solid result. Prayer is soon becoming a forgotten secret, lost to the vultures of complacency. The sad state of affairs is appropriately summed up in a certain character, upon whom we now fix our attention.

He's seated at the temple gate, and the hour of prayer to him, means business as usual. He's a beggar as his physical handicap makes him unfit for manual labour. Coins laden with pity or piety drop from time to time, which only ensures, at best, that he returns the next day to repeat the routine for there is no healing in sight. I call this Commercial Chrisitianity, and this has the following characteristics.
Firstly, our friend had to be carried each day to his place, by well-meaning people. At the gates of Heavenly worship, you often will find people who are pushed, pulled and forced into following Christ. Its the classic 'You-can-take-the-horse-to-the-water-but-not-make-it-drink' kind of situation. Such people are content with sitting in a spot of convenience at the gate, where their business continues unhindered. With the invasion of technology, its easy to find these 'businessmen' right beside us, during a prayer meeting, frequently jumping up at the ring of their cell phones. The epidemic is so widespread that I once found a notice outside a prayer hall bearing the following inscription: “Please switch off your mobile phone, or else we'll baptise it in water.”
Secondly, our friend's life at the gate is defined by a single activity: asking. The Lord taught us to ask, seek and knock, but we have missed the point completely. Have you noticed how much the subjects of the Lord's Prayer, as taught to the disciples, differ from our own prayer? With prime importance to worship and doing God's Will, His prayer also dealt with the issues of mutual forgiveness, victory over sin and our daily needs. We've taken the 'daily needs' section alone and translated it into hours of prayer time. Subjects like forgiveness have no place, while health, wealth, job and family hog the prayer prime time. It doesn't end with this. “What am I going to get out of this?” is the foremost question on our minds whenever we involve ourselves with the things of God, as if He doesn't deserve our sincere service, free-of-charge. Its no wonder that we have successfully played the role of our beggar friend in the 21st century – we have become Christian beggars.

Along came Peter and John for the hour of prayer, their attitude vastly different from the man at the gate. Out came the upturned hand with the perpetual request for alms. As the Christian walks the roads of this hurting world, hands are thrust at him from very direction, pleading for help. Although this cry might be placed before every other human, its his response to the problem that truly places the Christian apart.
Peter's response bears 2 significant pointers for the believer preparing himself for ministry.
Firstly, Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have.” The man of God is clear about what he does not have and cannot do. Had it been me, maybe I'd have tried and raised a collection for “our needy brother”. However, Peter knows that a few more coins is not going to make any lasting difference in the beggar's life.

Many seem to believe that the world's problem is poverty. Pointing to the seemingly endless troubles such as corruption in the Third World countries, they opine that it is only an economic solution coupled with healthy education, made available to all citizens, that can raise a nation to its feet. Although this idea sounds revolutionary and liberating, it is yet to conquer the challenges of reality. From the outside, the so-called developed countries appear to be Paradise, where the sun never sets. Live there, and you will know all that glitters is not gold. The courts are still filled with bickering citizens and jails overflow with criminals convicted for shoplifting and murder, and everything else in between. Its not easy to forget that some of the worst high school shootings have taken place in the United States, and some of the world's worst terrorists are known to hold respectable educational qualifications.

Clearly, mankind's problem is not of an economic nature at all.

More importantly, Peter says, “...what I do have, I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Though he had no money to provide, he had Jesus to offer and this paved the way to a permanent solution. As Christians, it is strange that we are still so uncomfortable discussing Christ with non-believers, and we often reserve this task for the pastors. We have no difficulty in talking about politics or sports or even fashion. However, as soon as the opportunity comes to share the Good News, the well is dry and we are tongue-tied. Those of us who have managed to courageously begin such a conversation, soon find our enthusiasm wilt away in the face of very uncomfortable questions. Sadly, for Christian salespersons like ourselves, the act of offering a fake substitute in lieu of Christ has only zapped the buyer's trust, because a substitute cannot solve the problem.

Offering the power of Jesus' name did immediately, what every other effort had failed to do. Behold the three-fold changes!
The power of God manifested firstly as healing in those feeble knees. As the man discovered for the first time what it meant to stand on one's own feet, the well-spring of praise and thankgiving burst forth in worship of God. God's saving grace applies as much relevantly to the needs of our physical existence, as to those of our inner man.

The man who had to be carried all his life to the temple, had now left the business of the gate and stepped into the courts of God. His worship had acquired a fresh personal dimension because he had tasted the goodness of the Lord first-hand. He could no longer remain at the gates. Of course, there are some beggars who would still choose to remain in the same seat and identify themselves as handicapped beggars because its a profitable business. However, those who have experienced God's touch, know that the Christian's past cannot match the glorious future that awaits the children of God. The disciple of Christ reminds himself, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philipians 3:7)

Thirdly, the beggar is transformed into a giver and the first offering is his testimony. The bold witness pulls in the crowd, for Peter's follow-up Gospel message. Recall the blessing Abraham received in the book of Genesis - “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) Do you know how easy it is occupy ourselves with receiving the blessing, and forget the fact that we are also called to be a blessing? Being a blessing is not what beggars do at the temple gate, but the act of true worshippers who receive from the Presence of God.

The question remains - Christian, have you anything to offer a dying world or do you sit around and beg just like the rest? If its Jesus we are offering, we are bound to see the said three-fold changes in people around us. Maybe, we're so used to demanding and taking, that giving is usually not on our minds. Mary E. Maxwell penned the following words in the hymn “Channels Only”, that supply food for thought, expanding upon the Christian's role in receiving from God and giving to the world:

Just a channel, full of blessing
To the thirsty hearts around
To tell out Thy full salvation
All Thy loving message sound.

Channels only, blessed Master
But with all Thy wondrous power
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Everyday and every hour.

Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit
Hearts that full surrender know
That the streams of living water
From our inner self may flow.

Our Lord's love bears the distinction that He defined love with a weighted emphasis on giving, and not taking. This is why the theme of sacrifice is widely used in Scripture, ultimately culminating in the Great Sacrifice on Calvary. Let's therefore gather at the foot of the Cross and learn what God's love is really all about, before we step out by faith, and offer Christ to the nations.

The Stranger on Emmaus Road

Reference Passage:

Luke 24:13-14 & 28-32 (NIV)

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if He were going farther.
But they urged Him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So He went in to stay with them.
When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight.
They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

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Two of Jesus’ disciples set out from Jerusalem for Emmaus. Though leaving Jerusalem behind, they decided to take the raging debate of the day with them. The previous weekend had just witnessed the gruesome murder of the One, they lovingly called Teacher. Since that morning, strange news was pouring in that Jesus’ body was now missing from the tomb. Surely, this was one battered body that bore little hope of resurrection. Marred beyond recognition, the body had been kept under guard, in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea. Then again, wasn’t this the very Jesus who healed the blind and raised dead Lazarus? If He couldn’t save Himself, were they mistaken in expecting Jesus to be the Messiah?

The wounds, the guards, dashed hopes – the talk went on and on as they trudged the road to Emmaus. They thought they were alone. How wrong they were!
Time and again, we’ve walked this road too, haven’t we? Tough situations in life and the feeling that things are spiraling out of control, often push us to the depths of disappointment and even to the point of questioning the faithfulness of God.

Then something wonderful happened – the Lord decided to join them. As He walked with them, He wanted to know the reason for their sorrow. Probably, they hadn’t noticed it themselves – their banter was dragging them deeper into sorrow, and it soon reflected on their countenance. It’s not unusual now that even Christians move around with dark clouds hanging overhead. Colleagues and friends notice this and wonder what’s wrong. We blame the day and say, “Its just one of those bad days.”
The real problem lies elsewhere and that’s the truth. Having patiently lent an ear to their talk, Jesus wanted to know what had befallen their faith. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” He exclaimed.
Did you know that our clouds and moodiness evolve from our own deep-seated disbelief? Besides, have you observed that each time you are in hot water, your mind somehow occupies itself with the worst possible scenarios, replaying the images repeatedly in the head, till you are mentally worn out at last? Even though the Lord has never failed us, we are yet to learn the habit of exploring the possibilities of faith when facing the Problem Mountain.

Walking and talking with Jesus had an immense impact on the two. The Lord began to unravel the threads of Old Testament prophecy and weave God’s eternal plan before their eyes. For the very first time, they actually saw that such a resurrection was possible. Now that the Word of God was at work, they could feel the darkness melt away as the Light of the world shone into their souls. Christians, as individuals or fellowships, who find themselves stuck in the dark, should examine if the Word is still at work in their lives. Probably, we’ve given too much time and space to technology. On Sundays, PowerPoint now comes to our rescue; however, having left the Good Book behind, we live with a power-cut the rest of the week.

The effect is obvious: as the journey drew to a close, the disciples invited the Stranger to spend the night with them. I haven’t ever asked a fellow traveler home after discussing the economic crisis on a bus journey. I’m sure that you wouldn’t either.
However the Man who kindles the celestial fire in our mean hearts, as sang Charles Wesley, is different from any other. “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" the two later asked, each the other. If the only Christianity visible to our eyes is the scandal-filled, money-guzzling, politically correct mish-mash of the day, and that drains away our own enthusiasm towards Christian living, what a blessing that this Stranger walks with us to show that He still sees opportunities very differently indeed!

The climax arises at supper: as bread is broken, the disciples finally catch a glimpse of God’s glorious Son and suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The ancient prophecies, the Mosaic Law, the precious promises of the coming Holy Spirit and finally, the One who’d said it all – standing right before them, even though they perceived Him dead – the message was finally clear: whatever He promised, He was also able to perform. May we also learn with them the practice of looking at new possibilities by faith in the light of God’s Word, even when challenged by the ‘fiery darts’ of the evil one.

The journey that began bitterly, ended in revival – all because this Stranger chose to walk with doubting mortals on life’s lonely road. What a different ending to the episode, had the journey commenced and ended with the two taking their burden all the way! It was the added perspective of the Third Man that made all the difference and caused the burden to evaporate. This is extremely significant – certain religions teach their adherents that our lives are the sum total of our actions, popularized as ‘karma’. Simply put, this means that what we’ve done in the past decides what we are presently, and what we do now decides what we will become in the future. Philosophically and scientifically, this is otherwise known as ‘cause-and-effect’.
When I look back at my own life, and realize the gravity of what I’ve done to myself as I live in sin, I discover the bondage that my actions bring me into – a vicious circle of punishment, pain, guilt and misery. I drag this along, all my life crying, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
Along comes the Third Man to intervene and pin the ‘effects’ of sin, onto Himself at the Cross; suddenly, with the disciples, I find out that I am burden-free. Thankfully, this uninvited Stranger is not the God of cause-and-effect, but the Lord of amazing grace!
No wonder that I sing with Henry Lyte[1] and echo the sentiments of the Emmaus-goers, “In life, in death, oh Lord, abide with me.”

In the prophetic Psalm 16, that foresaw the resurrection centuries before it happened, David sang:
“You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)
Mankind knows the way to Emmaus and failure and sorrow, but He, and only He, can show us the path of life, the road that leads back ultimately into the Presence of God.

Notes:
[1] Lyte was in­spired to write hymn “Abide with Me” as he was dy­ing of tu­ber­cu­lo­sis; he fin­ished it the Sun­day he gave his fare­well ser­mon in the par­ish he served so ma­ny years. The next day, he left for Ita­ly to re­gain his health. He didn’t make it, though—he died in Nice, France, three weeks af­ter writ­ing these words. Here is an ex­cerpt from his fare­well ser­mon: “O breth­ren, I stand here among you to­day, as alive from the dead, if I may hope to im­press it upon you, and in­duce you to pre­pare for that sol­emn hour which must come to all, by a time­ly ac­quaint­ance with the death of Christ.”
For over a cen­tu­ry, the bells of his church at All Saints in Low­er Brix­ham, De­von­shire, have rung out “Abide with Me” daily. The hymn was sung at the wed­ding of King George VI, at the wed­ding of his daugh­ter, the fu­ture Queen Eliz­a­beth II, and at the funeral of Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa of Calcutta in1997. (Source:cyberhymnal.org)

The Treasury of Solomon: A rebuke or a hundred lashes? (Part 1)

Reference Passage:

Proverbs 17:10 (NIV)

A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.

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King Solomon, son of David, and the third king of Israel, is believed to have largely authored the book of Proverbs. Solomon was reputedly the wisest man of his day and this unique book is testimony to the same. His father, David, had a treasury of his own – in the book of Psalms.

However, for those who are familiar with history, Solomon's end was not the kind befitting the glories of a wise man, that he himself wrote about. The seeds of Israel's latter breakup into two kingdoms, were sown during his reign and came to fruition at the time of Rehoboam, his son. Probably he little knew that his words, “The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Proverbs 10:24) would eventually turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. One of the men he hated and hunted, Jeroboam, came to power after his death, and tore away the kingdom from the grip of his family.

Lets move into an examination of this gem of wisdom, keeping in mind that even Solomon's own medicine could not keep him in good spiritual health – how much more careful ought we be in our endeavours!

The first observation that surfaces is this: wise men are easily corrected. You are not likely to find one of these attempting to conjure lame excuses or reasons, over a mistake. This guy knows that he is just another human being and his attitude paves the way forward, for himself and for others around him. Better yet, he is willing to accept that there exists someone more knowledgeable than himself, whom he must rely upon as a point of reference.

Our second observation takes us to the other dressing-room: the one belonging to fools. Even a sound thrashing at the hands of the opposition, would still barely spark the realisation that something's wrong somewhere. These guys believe in the mantra “You win some, you lose some” a little too seriously that they focus more on the second part, just to live up to the saying! If you ever happen to meet one of these 'dudes' at work or in class, you'll find that his attitude is a major obstacle to his own progress and that of others around him. Since he doesn't trust anybody's advise, he believes he needs no one's help to live life. Hence, he's stuck at the same square one, even after a hundred lashes.

Let me apply these thoughts to the greater question of man's morality. In the midst of the “Does God exist?” chorus, I find it relevant to raise another question: “Can man live without God?” History has only proved to us time and again that the human race urgently needs objective moral values that transcend the barriers of time and space. Our attempts to define life on our own terms have left us without any reference to help us know where we're headed. Its not surprising that our “notions” have led us to embrace the very issues we once despised. Judging by the way things are going in certain parts of the world, its difficult to rule out the possibility of an Orwellian future[1] where might alone is right. As one thinker put it, maybe we'll one day come to sympathising with the criminal, rather than the victim, merely because our definitions suggest that the criminal is right.

One of the recent headline-makers comes to mind: Tiger Woods. Being the face of golf worldwide, he was someone that a lot of people around the world would look upto for inspiration, particularly children. However, in spite of this unique responsibility, he let himself into the arms of strange women, even at the time that his wife struggled with the anguishes of childbirth. Now that these women have squealed for money and the reader realises what they were really made up of, the question remains as to what Tiger saw in them all along. What really bothers me is the fact that several commentators, in response to the scandal, said that Tiger was just another human being and all that mattered was his ability to play golf. In that case, it must have been Elin, his wife, who was less than human, to have expected honest support from her husband. Besides, if we ultimately decide that talent is everything, what value does character carry? Have we gone so far as to diminish the value of a human being to the currency of "doing", rather than "being"? It must then be alarming news to people who cannot "do" as well as Tiger, that what they "are" is of no significance.

These are merely the early symptoms of cancerous thinking, that draw inspiration from a 'God-less' understanding of life. I doubt that the sleaze would end with Tiger's emotional confession; I believe we, or our children, are bound to grapple with the same tough questions someday. In other words, in seeking to distance ourselves from God, I wonder if even after a hundred lashes, we are still asking for more.

(To be continued...)

Foot Notes:

1. George Orwell, in his novel '1984', envisioned a society where life in the Oceanian province of Airstrip One is a world of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, public mind control, and the voiding of citizens' rights.