Living in the Power of the Spirit (Contd).
Living in the Freedom of the Children of God (The Way of Knowledge - Jnana Marg).: Who is a child of God? Every human being is a child of God as everyone is created by God in His own image and likeness (See Genesis, 1: 26-27). Paul certifies that even some Greek poets said the same thing by announcing that we are his offspring (See Acts, 17: 28) in whom we live and move and exist. But, the first man, Adam, failed in keeping God's image in him intact by exercising his freedom of choice wrongly and committing sin against God. Though a child of God, Adam and his descendants, i. e., all members of the human race, came under the bondage of sin and became slaves of Satan. A slave is not free and should follow the dictates of his or her master. Unless this master himself is chained by someone stronger, we have no chance of being free by being truly human in our life. This is what is achieved by Jesus Christ by his death and resurrection through which God made him judge over the whole world. From our part, we must repent and renew our lives in order to partake of the freedom of the children of God freely granted to all who believe in the one true God (See Acts, 17: 30-31).
Real Freedom: Dwelling in the Word of God is the way to know truth and the truth will set us free. It is not enough just to hear the Word of God but we have to keep it in the manner of dwelling in a house. There we are constantly present even when we are on a journey and the protection and warmth of our home cannot be replicated anywhere else. In a similar manner, we should give ourselves over to the Word of God for protection, safety, growth and love whereby God, who is Truth itself, will set us free. We are freed from the shackles of sin and are free to live for God to whom alone we are obliged. This is what Jesus told the Jews who believed in him as we read in John 8: 31-36. Those who believed in Jesus would become his disciples if they continued to dwell in his words that will reveal the truth to them, which will set them free from the slavery of sin. Slaves are in the house not forever and have no permanent standing there. But, the son belongs forever to the household and whoever is set free by the son will indeed be free.
Be Like Children before God: How can the grown-ups become children? A similar question was put forth by Nicodemus to Jesus when he was told about the need of being born again in order to see the Kingdom of God (See John, 3: 3). In order to become children of God we need a radical transformation of our lives that may be called a re-birth. The reason is that the flesh can give birth only to flesh, whereas the spirit gives birth to the spirit (See John, 3: 6). A spiritual regeneration is required for being like children before God. We are already children of God by being created in His image and likeness and are called to be in truth what we really are . Being in the flesh, our spirit becomes weak.That is why we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit of God Himself to strengthen our spirit to overcome our flesh. Holy Spirit being a gift of God cannot be earned, merited or bought by us. It is freely given without any restriction of religion, race, caste, creed to every human being that we need only to receive humbly like children.
The Need of being Childlike: We have two instances in the Gospels where Jesus spells out what it takes to become like children. The one persistent problem uppermost in the minds of the Apostles was the question of greatness. It used to agitate their minds so much that they used to argue about it very often. James and John even wanted to ensure the best places at the right and left of Jesus when he comes into his Kingdom! This desire and request made to Jesus caused a sort of rift among the Apostles. Therefore, the question put to Jesus was a golden opportunity to teach the Apostles and disciples what it takes to be the first and greatest in Jesus' Kingdom and his scheme of things. "He called a child, set him in front of them, and said, ' I tell you this: unless you turn round and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Let a person humble oneself till he or she is like this child, and he or she will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven' " (Matthew, 18: 2-4).
A child is set before us as a great model to imitate and become like one whereas usually we prefer to imitate great saints and humbly acknowledge that we are unable to follow their way if life. Therefore, we venerate them in great awe and stand back asking for favors through them! It is always good to honor great people and venerate those who have been declared saints by the Church. However, that kind of attitude and attention should not detract from the necessity to turn our life around and become like little children in order to go to heaven. Jesus demands two things from us if we really want to become like children. First, we should declare a moratorium in our lifestyle up to now that is according to the flesh and turn around. Second, we should humble ourselves till we become like a little child in order to be truly holy and saintly in our own lives. .
Qualities of a Child: What are the qualities of a child that are recommended by Jesus for us to follow in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven? First and foremost, it is the complete faith and trust a child has for its father and mother. God being our Father and Mother, we should have complete trust in Him / Her and we shall not be unduly perturbed whatever happens in our life. We shall totally depend on God for everything just like a child who depends on his or her parents for everything. Secondly, we should be immune to the praises showered or insults heaped on us as we are dead to the world and its attractions. A child is so innocent that it does not react to whatever happens to it in these levels as against a grown-up person in similar situations. Jesus wants us to have a pure heart similar to the one that a child has so much so it does not even know the meaning of the word 'humiliation'!.
The second instance when Jesus gave preference to children over everyone and everything else was when the disciples rebuked the parents for bringing children to Jesus for his blessing. The reason given by Jesus for not stopping children coming to him was, "...for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew, 19: 14). As we parents, teachers, elders and guides try to educate the children, let us not forget that they have a lot to teach and educate us too. In order to take advantage of this God-given teacher , we should open our minds and hearts to the ways of children by observing their natural qualities and adopting them in our lives. Here we have the basics of our spiritual life. All other exercises and rituals we perform should be in conformity with these natural qualities learnt from the children. We should vehemently oppose and abandon anything that contradicts the principles learnt by us from the children. Thus would our relationship with God be truly meaningful and enriching. Let us remember that all works of the flesh in Galatians 5: 20-21 and the like are foreign to the spirit of children and the harvest of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5: 22-23 is appropriate to the new man who is child-like.
Servanthood: A natural tendency among us should be noted in this connection. It is to think that what Jesus meant by our becoming like children is only a metaphoric way of expression. For, after all, how can a grown-up person really become like a child? The doubt of Nicodemus about being born again is persistent in this case too. So, we easily brush aside the requirement of becoming like children as a way of speaking, and try to get along with the practical business of living in the world. As an added piece of consolation justifying our conduct, we say that, after all, we are living in this world!.
As if having foreseen this human tendency of trivializing, under one pretext or the other, the essential requirements of eternal life, Jesus made clear unambiguously what it takes for a grown-up person to become like a child. It was in the context of his disciples arguing on the way to Capernaum about who was the greatest. Jesus kept quiet till they were inside the house in Capernaum and asked them what they were discussing on the way. They were silent as they sensed that something was amiss from the way Jesus questioned them. The gravity of the situation may be gauged from the fact that all the way through Galilee to Capernaum Jesus was trying to teach his disciples about the need of his suffering , death and resurrection. Not only did they not understand what he said but also were afraid to ask him fr explanations. Their total attention was diverted by the worldly consideration of becoming the greatest of all. We read in Mark 9: 35 thus: "He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all' ". this Jesus said after setting a child before them and identifying himself with the child as well as with his Father in heaven (See Mark, 9: 36-37).
Human ingenuity in resisting the Will and plan of God is so notorious that Jesus must have already foreseen how the very concept of 'servanthood' would be polished and made innocuous to suit our own life styles. For, it is clear that for a grown-up person to become like a child, the easiest way is to become the servant of all. As earlier the figure of speech was sought to be applied to the idea of becoming like children, now the idea of becoming a servant could not be done away with by any figure of speech. Here it is not a question of becoming like a servant, but just becoming a real servant. No symbolic interpretation would do, for here what Jesus talks about is not about symbolic servants but about real servants. In order to scuttle the human plans of squeezing out the real content of 'servanthood', Jesus explained it by comparing our servanthood with the functions of a servant we might have (See Luke, 17: 7-10) Will anyone dare now to explain away the concept of 'servanthood' as merely symbolic or as beyond our capacity? A servant is one who listens to his or her master and carries out his orders to his entire satisfaction. Here the master has identified himself with the people for whom he died on the cross. We cannot serve the one neglecting or substituting the other! To say that one did not understand what was meant or it was understood differently is not acceptable at all. Specifically, therefore, we have to be slaves in listening with rapt attention to the Word of God and servants in understanding the people whom we are called to serve and do accordingly. Thus we become children of God. (To be Contd).
Living in the Freedom of the Children of God (The Way of Knowledge - Jnana Marg).: Who is a child of God? Every human being is a child of God as everyone is created by God in His own image and likeness (See Genesis, 1: 26-27). Paul certifies that even some Greek poets said the same thing by announcing that we are his offspring (See Acts, 17: 28) in whom we live and move and exist. But, the first man, Adam, failed in keeping God's image in him intact by exercising his freedom of choice wrongly and committing sin against God. Though a child of God, Adam and his descendants, i. e., all members of the human race, came under the bondage of sin and became slaves of Satan. A slave is not free and should follow the dictates of his or her master. Unless this master himself is chained by someone stronger, we have no chance of being free by being truly human in our life. This is what is achieved by Jesus Christ by his death and resurrection through which God made him judge over the whole world. From our part, we must repent and renew our lives in order to partake of the freedom of the children of God freely granted to all who believe in the one true God (See Acts, 17: 30-31).
Real Freedom: Dwelling in the Word of God is the way to know truth and the truth will set us free. It is not enough just to hear the Word of God but we have to keep it in the manner of dwelling in a house. There we are constantly present even when we are on a journey and the protection and warmth of our home cannot be replicated anywhere else. In a similar manner, we should give ourselves over to the Word of God for protection, safety, growth and love whereby God, who is Truth itself, will set us free. We are freed from the shackles of sin and are free to live for God to whom alone we are obliged. This is what Jesus told the Jews who believed in him as we read in John 8: 31-36. Those who believed in Jesus would become his disciples if they continued to dwell in his words that will reveal the truth to them, which will set them free from the slavery of sin. Slaves are in the house not forever and have no permanent standing there. But, the son belongs forever to the household and whoever is set free by the son will indeed be free.
Be Like Children before God: How can the grown-ups become children? A similar question was put forth by Nicodemus to Jesus when he was told about the need of being born again in order to see the Kingdom of God (See John, 3: 3). In order to become children of God we need a radical transformation of our lives that may be called a re-birth. The reason is that the flesh can give birth only to flesh, whereas the spirit gives birth to the spirit (See John, 3: 6). A spiritual regeneration is required for being like children before God. We are already children of God by being created in His image and likeness and are called to be in truth what we really are . Being in the flesh, our spirit becomes weak.That is why we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit of God Himself to strengthen our spirit to overcome our flesh. Holy Spirit being a gift of God cannot be earned, merited or bought by us. It is freely given without any restriction of religion, race, caste, creed to every human being that we need only to receive humbly like children.
The Need of being Childlike: We have two instances in the Gospels where Jesus spells out what it takes to become like children. The one persistent problem uppermost in the minds of the Apostles was the question of greatness. It used to agitate their minds so much that they used to argue about it very often. James and John even wanted to ensure the best places at the right and left of Jesus when he comes into his Kingdom! This desire and request made to Jesus caused a sort of rift among the Apostles. Therefore, the question put to Jesus was a golden opportunity to teach the Apostles and disciples what it takes to be the first and greatest in Jesus' Kingdom and his scheme of things. "He called a child, set him in front of them, and said, ' I tell you this: unless you turn round and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Let a person humble oneself till he or she is like this child, and he or she will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven' " (Matthew, 18: 2-4).
A child is set before us as a great model to imitate and become like one whereas usually we prefer to imitate great saints and humbly acknowledge that we are unable to follow their way if life. Therefore, we venerate them in great awe and stand back asking for favors through them! It is always good to honor great people and venerate those who have been declared saints by the Church. However, that kind of attitude and attention should not detract from the necessity to turn our life around and become like little children in order to go to heaven. Jesus demands two things from us if we really want to become like children. First, we should declare a moratorium in our lifestyle up to now that is according to the flesh and turn around. Second, we should humble ourselves till we become like a little child in order to be truly holy and saintly in our own lives. .
Qualities of a Child: What are the qualities of a child that are recommended by Jesus for us to follow in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven? First and foremost, it is the complete faith and trust a child has for its father and mother. God being our Father and Mother, we should have complete trust in Him / Her and we shall not be unduly perturbed whatever happens in our life. We shall totally depend on God for everything just like a child who depends on his or her parents for everything. Secondly, we should be immune to the praises showered or insults heaped on us as we are dead to the world and its attractions. A child is so innocent that it does not react to whatever happens to it in these levels as against a grown-up person in similar situations. Jesus wants us to have a pure heart similar to the one that a child has so much so it does not even know the meaning of the word 'humiliation'!.
The second instance when Jesus gave preference to children over everyone and everything else was when the disciples rebuked the parents for bringing children to Jesus for his blessing. The reason given by Jesus for not stopping children coming to him was, "...for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew, 19: 14). As we parents, teachers, elders and guides try to educate the children, let us not forget that they have a lot to teach and educate us too. In order to take advantage of this God-given teacher , we should open our minds and hearts to the ways of children by observing their natural qualities and adopting them in our lives. Here we have the basics of our spiritual life. All other exercises and rituals we perform should be in conformity with these natural qualities learnt from the children. We should vehemently oppose and abandon anything that contradicts the principles learnt by us from the children. Thus would our relationship with God be truly meaningful and enriching. Let us remember that all works of the flesh in Galatians 5: 20-21 and the like are foreign to the spirit of children and the harvest of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5: 22-23 is appropriate to the new man who is child-like.
Servanthood: A natural tendency among us should be noted in this connection. It is to think that what Jesus meant by our becoming like children is only a metaphoric way of expression. For, after all, how can a grown-up person really become like a child? The doubt of Nicodemus about being born again is persistent in this case too. So, we easily brush aside the requirement of becoming like children as a way of speaking, and try to get along with the practical business of living in the world. As an added piece of consolation justifying our conduct, we say that, after all, we are living in this world!.
As if having foreseen this human tendency of trivializing, under one pretext or the other, the essential requirements of eternal life, Jesus made clear unambiguously what it takes for a grown-up person to become like a child. It was in the context of his disciples arguing on the way to Capernaum about who was the greatest. Jesus kept quiet till they were inside the house in Capernaum and asked them what they were discussing on the way. They were silent as they sensed that something was amiss from the way Jesus questioned them. The gravity of the situation may be gauged from the fact that all the way through Galilee to Capernaum Jesus was trying to teach his disciples about the need of his suffering , death and resurrection. Not only did they not understand what he said but also were afraid to ask him fr explanations. Their total attention was diverted by the worldly consideration of becoming the greatest of all. We read in Mark 9: 35 thus: "He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all' ". this Jesus said after setting a child before them and identifying himself with the child as well as with his Father in heaven (See Mark, 9: 36-37).
Human ingenuity in resisting the Will and plan of God is so notorious that Jesus must have already foreseen how the very concept of 'servanthood' would be polished and made innocuous to suit our own life styles. For, it is clear that for a grown-up person to become like a child, the easiest way is to become the servant of all. As earlier the figure of speech was sought to be applied to the idea of becoming like children, now the idea of becoming a servant could not be done away with by any figure of speech. Here it is not a question of becoming like a servant, but just becoming a real servant. No symbolic interpretation would do, for here what Jesus talks about is not about symbolic servants but about real servants. In order to scuttle the human plans of squeezing out the real content of 'servanthood', Jesus explained it by comparing our servanthood with the functions of a servant we might have (See Luke, 17: 7-10) Will anyone dare now to explain away the concept of 'servanthood' as merely symbolic or as beyond our capacity? A servant is one who listens to his or her master and carries out his orders to his entire satisfaction. Here the master has identified himself with the people for whom he died on the cross. We cannot serve the one neglecting or substituting the other! To say that one did not understand what was meant or it was understood differently is not acceptable at all. Specifically, therefore, we have to be slaves in listening with rapt attention to the Word of God and servants in understanding the people whom we are called to serve and do accordingly. Thus we become children of God. (To be Contd).
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