Negative Elements in Discipleship
These elements are both external and internal to us. By their nature they are disruptive and unless we watch out and attack them, they will get the better of us and destroy our lives.
Temptation or Vehement Test: Jesus asks us to watch and pray so that we may not enter into temptation or vehement test. There are many occasions for temptations and sins in our daily lives which cannot be avoided. God's graces and our efforts of co-operation with them are enough to ward them off or to fight them. However, here we are to watch and pray so that we may not enter into the vehement test launched by evil forces personified by Satan. We have no chance to come out of it with any degree of success and that is why we may not be allowed to enter such a vehement test. This will happen in eschatological times at the end of the world and at the end of our own life, that is, our death. In small measures it happens in our daily lives resisting which will fortify us against the final assault by the evil forces. Jesus wants us to watch and pray for escaping from such an assault which will be better than fighting it head on with our meager resources. What are the temptations in our lives that add up to a reservoir of negative energy leading us to final vehement test? In general we may say that whatever persuades us to conform ourselves to the spirit of this world serves as a drag on our nature making us incapable of fighting temptations. We are weakened day by day to the extent that the things of the Spirit become unpalatable to us. If we are governed by the Spirit of God, our nature becomes transformed and we are able to discern the Will of God (See Romans, 12: 2).
The Sprint of the World: Power is the one word that captures the worldly spirit in a nutshell. Money power, domination over others, knowledge-power, power from fame, physical power etc., are various forms of the worldly spirit which can corrupt and dehumanize not only the beneficiaries of such power, but also those who improperly exercise them. The saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is applicable to everyone using power whether it is civil or religious. Authority is different from power by the fact that authority is always service like the authority of a mother over her children.While power tends to enslave the subordinates and in the process enslaves the power-wielder too, authority always liberates the holder of authority as well as the beneficiary of the service rendered by the authority.
The world cannot hate its own product and it hates anyone who does not conform to its spirit. How is it possible for a truly religious person to feel at home in the ways of the world? How can he or she take honor from those who are shaped by the spirit of the world? Interaction with the rich and mighty of this world by religious people should be to influence them and make them see God's ways. They should not be allowed to dictate terms in the spiritual realm which is usually alien to them. Jesus accepted the pharisee's invitation to dinner as he was ready to take him head on by exposing his hypocrisy (See Luke, 11: 37-51). When we keep quiet where we have to speak, we are guilty of complicity with the worldly, the cunning and the exploiter. Our standard attitude is not to alienate people by our reactions. In the process, we who are supposed to lead the people are being led by the crooks, the crafty and the worldly people to the detriment of our mission.
The Weakness of the Disciples: "Then the disciples all deserted him and ran away" (Matthew, 26: 56). All the Gospels describe how the disciples of Jesus, and especially the Apostles, were weak human beings like any of us. In spite of their direct interaction with Jesus for a period of 2 or 3 years, all of them were found wanting at the crucial time, i.e., the hour fixed by the Father to hand over the Son to the sinners. And yet, except for Judas Iscariot, who was a son of perdition, everyone else returned to the soothing and salvific love of Jesus, ready to offer their very lives to the mission of Jesus. This experience was specially relevant to the first century Christians who had to face daily persecutions on account of their faith in Jesus. The message here was that even those who had fallen away from faith could return to the fold where they would be received like prodigal sons. Weaknesses and failures should not lead us into desperation and self-destruction, but rather they should be turned into occasions of grace. Such experiences teach us a lot about ourselves and how presumptuous we are by nature. The grace of God is waiting to transform us by working on our nature if only we co-operate with Him. Little by little we learn to be fools for Christ's sake and weak for love of God and the humans. At this stage we are ready to proclaim the Gospel which cannot be done unless we become foolish and weak in the manner of God Himself ( See 1 Corinthians, 1: 18-25).
What is the root cause of this weakness? In one word we may say that it resides in the flesh as against the Spirit. Flesh stands for not merely our body, but our nature composed of body and soul which is vitiated because of the original sin committed by Adam. Our own sins add up to the weakness of our nature forcing us to live in accordance with the spirit of the world. The only antidote to this situation is supplied by the Holy Spirit who was sent to help us after and because of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. One may legitimately ask a question here about the fall of angels led by Lucifer immediately after their creation, if flesh is the root cause of weakness and evil. Being angels they have no body , but are pure spirits and therefore were able to foresee all the consequences of their action in a flash. They were to enjoy heavenly bliss for all eternity, but as they were creatures, they had no choice but to serve God, the Creator. However, Lucifer and his followers were unwilling to serve anyone and as a result they fell like thunder into hell. Although angels are incorporeal, they have their own selves which they didn't want to submit to God, and in that sense their weakness was in their own selves. Self-denial and service to others are most repellent to all creatures and yet the Creator Himself decided to empty Himself, becoming a servant unto death. Therefore, anyone on the side of God has to deny himself or herself and be willing to serve which alone redeems us. We are not alone in this, but are prompted and assisted by the Spirit of God Himself. (Next few Posts will discuss 'Types of Discipleship')
These elements are both external and internal to us. By their nature they are disruptive and unless we watch out and attack them, they will get the better of us and destroy our lives.
Temptation or Vehement Test: Jesus asks us to watch and pray so that we may not enter into temptation or vehement test. There are many occasions for temptations and sins in our daily lives which cannot be avoided. God's graces and our efforts of co-operation with them are enough to ward them off or to fight them. However, here we are to watch and pray so that we may not enter into the vehement test launched by evil forces personified by Satan. We have no chance to come out of it with any degree of success and that is why we may not be allowed to enter such a vehement test. This will happen in eschatological times at the end of the world and at the end of our own life, that is, our death. In small measures it happens in our daily lives resisting which will fortify us against the final assault by the evil forces. Jesus wants us to watch and pray for escaping from such an assault which will be better than fighting it head on with our meager resources. What are the temptations in our lives that add up to a reservoir of negative energy leading us to final vehement test? In general we may say that whatever persuades us to conform ourselves to the spirit of this world serves as a drag on our nature making us incapable of fighting temptations. We are weakened day by day to the extent that the things of the Spirit become unpalatable to us. If we are governed by the Spirit of God, our nature becomes transformed and we are able to discern the Will of God (See Romans, 12: 2).
The Sprint of the World: Power is the one word that captures the worldly spirit in a nutshell. Money power, domination over others, knowledge-power, power from fame, physical power etc., are various forms of the worldly spirit which can corrupt and dehumanize not only the beneficiaries of such power, but also those who improperly exercise them. The saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is applicable to everyone using power whether it is civil or religious. Authority is different from power by the fact that authority is always service like the authority of a mother over her children.While power tends to enslave the subordinates and in the process enslaves the power-wielder too, authority always liberates the holder of authority as well as the beneficiary of the service rendered by the authority.
The world cannot hate its own product and it hates anyone who does not conform to its spirit. How is it possible for a truly religious person to feel at home in the ways of the world? How can he or she take honor from those who are shaped by the spirit of the world? Interaction with the rich and mighty of this world by religious people should be to influence them and make them see God's ways. They should not be allowed to dictate terms in the spiritual realm which is usually alien to them. Jesus accepted the pharisee's invitation to dinner as he was ready to take him head on by exposing his hypocrisy (See Luke, 11: 37-51). When we keep quiet where we have to speak, we are guilty of complicity with the worldly, the cunning and the exploiter. Our standard attitude is not to alienate people by our reactions. In the process, we who are supposed to lead the people are being led by the crooks, the crafty and the worldly people to the detriment of our mission.
The Weakness of the Disciples: "Then the disciples all deserted him and ran away" (Matthew, 26: 56). All the Gospels describe how the disciples of Jesus, and especially the Apostles, were weak human beings like any of us. In spite of their direct interaction with Jesus for a period of 2 or 3 years, all of them were found wanting at the crucial time, i.e., the hour fixed by the Father to hand over the Son to the sinners. And yet, except for Judas Iscariot, who was a son of perdition, everyone else returned to the soothing and salvific love of Jesus, ready to offer their very lives to the mission of Jesus. This experience was specially relevant to the first century Christians who had to face daily persecutions on account of their faith in Jesus. The message here was that even those who had fallen away from faith could return to the fold where they would be received like prodigal sons. Weaknesses and failures should not lead us into desperation and self-destruction, but rather they should be turned into occasions of grace. Such experiences teach us a lot about ourselves and how presumptuous we are by nature. The grace of God is waiting to transform us by working on our nature if only we co-operate with Him. Little by little we learn to be fools for Christ's sake and weak for love of God and the humans. At this stage we are ready to proclaim the Gospel which cannot be done unless we become foolish and weak in the manner of God Himself ( See 1 Corinthians, 1: 18-25).
What is the root cause of this weakness? In one word we may say that it resides in the flesh as against the Spirit. Flesh stands for not merely our body, but our nature composed of body and soul which is vitiated because of the original sin committed by Adam. Our own sins add up to the weakness of our nature forcing us to live in accordance with the spirit of the world. The only antidote to this situation is supplied by the Holy Spirit who was sent to help us after and because of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. One may legitimately ask a question here about the fall of angels led by Lucifer immediately after their creation, if flesh is the root cause of weakness and evil. Being angels they have no body , but are pure spirits and therefore were able to foresee all the consequences of their action in a flash. They were to enjoy heavenly bliss for all eternity, but as they were creatures, they had no choice but to serve God, the Creator. However, Lucifer and his followers were unwilling to serve anyone and as a result they fell like thunder into hell. Although angels are incorporeal, they have their own selves which they didn't want to submit to God, and in that sense their weakness was in their own selves. Self-denial and service to others are most repellent to all creatures and yet the Creator Himself decided to empty Himself, becoming a servant unto death. Therefore, anyone on the side of God has to deny himself or herself and be willing to serve which alone redeems us. We are not alone in this, but are prompted and assisted by the Spirit of God Himself. (Next few Posts will discuss 'Types of Discipleship')
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