Uniqueness of Christian priesthood: If the priesthood of Christ is connected with the priesthood of all religions, what is special in the priesthood in the Church founded by Jesus Christ himself? It is indisputable from the Gospels that Jesus formed a community of disciples out of whom twelve Apostles were selected making them the foundation of the Church, himself remaining the cornerstone (See Ephesians, 2: 20). Peter was explicitly named the Rock on which Jesus was going to build his Church. Even the keys of the kingdom were given to Peter whose decision on earth will be respected in heaven (See Matthew, 16: 18-19). After his resurrection from the dead, Peter was specifically made the shepherd of the flock whose chief shepherd is the risen Lord himself. This took place when the beloved disciple of Jesus stood by and the commission was given to Peter without any reference to the former (See John, 21: 15-22). The special responsibility given to Peter was in addition to the power to forgive sins given to all the Apostles by breathing on them and imparting the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit and power were conferred upon Thomas , who was absent at the time of Jesus' appearance to the other Apostles, by letting him feel the risen body of Jesus with the marks of crucifixion (See John, 20: 20-29). All the Apostles were commanded by Jesus to remain in Jerusalem till they received power from above before dispersing to bear witness to him throughout the world (See Luke, 24: 49).
From all the above and from the Acts of the Apostles and Letters of Paul, we learn a lot about the Church and its mission. Where is the question of equiparating the Church with the other religions of the world? The crucial answer to this very valid question is this: Did the Church succeed in being faithful to the plan of its founder , Jesus Christ, or did it lower its standard by its acts of commission and omission to the level of any other religion? If it succeeded, the question of equiparation of religions would not have arisen as the Church by its very nature is above all forms of religion in spite of having certain rituals and forms of worship for the sake of a social structure. If it failed by lowering its own expected standard, what is wrong in comparing the Church with any other religion? Let us be fair in judging the issue, as there is no partiality in God as far as salvation of the humans is concerned.
Faithfulness of the Church: In order to evaluate whether the Church has succeeded in being faithful to the plan of Jesus Christ for it, we must first see clearly what this plan was in his mind. Along with it we must also compare the present image of the Church projected to the world with both positive and negative notes flowing from it. These interludes justify our earlier remark about the interlinked character of Christology and Ecclesiology (See the previous Post). Can we ever think of the Church without Jesus Christ and vice-versa?
Authority as Service: Jesus Christ conferred on the Church not only powers but also obligations and in fact the two aspects were admirably combined in the concept of authority as service. Theoretically everyone would readily agree to this concept and pay lip service, but the real test is in its practice. That a person with authority in the Church of Jesus Christ is a real servant and not only a mere symbolic one has been very clearly taught by Jesus by his own example (See an earlier Post on 'Servanthood', not 'Servility'). However, the tendency of the hierarchical Church is to use authority as power in the manner of kings and masters of the world. This model of authority is derived from the world and yet sometimes it is sought to be theologically justified by reference to the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a poor understanding of the glorified Jesus Christ to think that one needs worldly pops-up to represent him. The power of the Spirit is what is required to represent the risen Lord for which Jesus Christ has shown us the way of the Cross. The way of the cross is available daily to everyone and is not restricted to those who commit their lives to the service of the Lord and his people for life. Even such dedicated people will have to beware of the unintended consequences and attendant evils of their state of life that might derail their lives from reaching the goal. Empowerment of our own selves by the Holy Spirit will lead to the empowerment of others by our actions. This kind of true empowerment of people we come in contact with presupposes our own self-emptying and self-sacrifice, a true way of the cross.Service is empowerment of people we come in contact with.
The Divine Way: The temptation to assert oneself and to promote one's own way of thinking is best exemplified in the case of Peter immediately after confessing Jesus to be the Son of God. Peter was able to make that confession as it was revealed to him by God the Father. In spite of this special treatment of Peter by God Himself, Jesus rebuked him as Satan since by his human way of thinking Peter stood as stumbling-block to Jesus, a role peculiar to Satan. "You think as men think, not as God thinks" (Matthew, 16:23). What was the offense of Peter to deserve this stern warning? Peter could not stomach the notion of suffering and death Jesus said he had to undergo before entering into his glory by rising from the dead. As per normal human reaction to any misfortune, Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from taking such a drastic step. Peter had an inkling that Jesus could decide his own destiny the way it was presented to the disciples and therefore he could as well change it if only he wanted! However, for Jesus, the Will of his heavenly Father was always the overriding factor that governed his life and it was like food and drink for him (See John, 4: 34). It was the way to think like God and unlike the humans. Thinking like humans as against God's thinking is to be with Satan and thus Peter deserved to be reminded of the same. Today's Church also needs to be reminded of this fundamental truth in order to put on the mentality of Jesus Christ.
The Human Way: The human way of thinking is most pronounced in the Church in the way of exercising authority, in amassing wealth as a guarantee for the future and in manipulating people instead of loving them as Jesus loved us. How authority in the Church should be used is clearly spelt out in the context of Apostles James and John seeking a place of honor at the right and left of Jesus in his kingdom. "Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that in the world the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and their great men make them feel the weight of authority. That is not the way with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the willing slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give up his life as a ransom for many' " (Mark, 10: 42-45). Therefore, it is the clear duty of those who hold authority in the Church to behave in such a manner that people under their authority do not feel the weight of authority exercised on them. It is the minimum requirement of service in the Church. Thus the community of the Church is totally different from any other community in this world not by any arbitrary sign of demarcation by worldly standards, but by the completely new outlook and self-understanding derived from the Gospel values which are the values of the Kingdom of God. The concept of authority in the Church as genuine service is one of them. (To be Contd).
From all the above and from the Acts of the Apostles and Letters of Paul, we learn a lot about the Church and its mission. Where is the question of equiparating the Church with the other religions of the world? The crucial answer to this very valid question is this: Did the Church succeed in being faithful to the plan of its founder , Jesus Christ, or did it lower its standard by its acts of commission and omission to the level of any other religion? If it succeeded, the question of equiparation of religions would not have arisen as the Church by its very nature is above all forms of religion in spite of having certain rituals and forms of worship for the sake of a social structure. If it failed by lowering its own expected standard, what is wrong in comparing the Church with any other religion? Let us be fair in judging the issue, as there is no partiality in God as far as salvation of the humans is concerned.
Faithfulness of the Church: In order to evaluate whether the Church has succeeded in being faithful to the plan of Jesus Christ for it, we must first see clearly what this plan was in his mind. Along with it we must also compare the present image of the Church projected to the world with both positive and negative notes flowing from it. These interludes justify our earlier remark about the interlinked character of Christology and Ecclesiology (See the previous Post). Can we ever think of the Church without Jesus Christ and vice-versa?
Authority as Service: Jesus Christ conferred on the Church not only powers but also obligations and in fact the two aspects were admirably combined in the concept of authority as service. Theoretically everyone would readily agree to this concept and pay lip service, but the real test is in its practice. That a person with authority in the Church of Jesus Christ is a real servant and not only a mere symbolic one has been very clearly taught by Jesus by his own example (See an earlier Post on 'Servanthood', not 'Servility'). However, the tendency of the hierarchical Church is to use authority as power in the manner of kings and masters of the world. This model of authority is derived from the world and yet sometimes it is sought to be theologically justified by reference to the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a poor understanding of the glorified Jesus Christ to think that one needs worldly pops-up to represent him. The power of the Spirit is what is required to represent the risen Lord for which Jesus Christ has shown us the way of the Cross. The way of the cross is available daily to everyone and is not restricted to those who commit their lives to the service of the Lord and his people for life. Even such dedicated people will have to beware of the unintended consequences and attendant evils of their state of life that might derail their lives from reaching the goal. Empowerment of our own selves by the Holy Spirit will lead to the empowerment of others by our actions. This kind of true empowerment of people we come in contact with presupposes our own self-emptying and self-sacrifice, a true way of the cross.Service is empowerment of people we come in contact with.
The Divine Way: The temptation to assert oneself and to promote one's own way of thinking is best exemplified in the case of Peter immediately after confessing Jesus to be the Son of God. Peter was able to make that confession as it was revealed to him by God the Father. In spite of this special treatment of Peter by God Himself, Jesus rebuked him as Satan since by his human way of thinking Peter stood as stumbling-block to Jesus, a role peculiar to Satan. "You think as men think, not as God thinks" (Matthew, 16:23). What was the offense of Peter to deserve this stern warning? Peter could not stomach the notion of suffering and death Jesus said he had to undergo before entering into his glory by rising from the dead. As per normal human reaction to any misfortune, Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from taking such a drastic step. Peter had an inkling that Jesus could decide his own destiny the way it was presented to the disciples and therefore he could as well change it if only he wanted! However, for Jesus, the Will of his heavenly Father was always the overriding factor that governed his life and it was like food and drink for him (See John, 4: 34). It was the way to think like God and unlike the humans. Thinking like humans as against God's thinking is to be with Satan and thus Peter deserved to be reminded of the same. Today's Church also needs to be reminded of this fundamental truth in order to put on the mentality of Jesus Christ.
The Human Way: The human way of thinking is most pronounced in the Church in the way of exercising authority, in amassing wealth as a guarantee for the future and in manipulating people instead of loving them as Jesus loved us. How authority in the Church should be used is clearly spelt out in the context of Apostles James and John seeking a place of honor at the right and left of Jesus in his kingdom. "Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that in the world the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and their great men make them feel the weight of authority. That is not the way with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the willing slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give up his life as a ransom for many' " (Mark, 10: 42-45). Therefore, it is the clear duty of those who hold authority in the Church to behave in such a manner that people under their authority do not feel the weight of authority exercised on them. It is the minimum requirement of service in the Church. Thus the community of the Church is totally different from any other community in this world not by any arbitrary sign of demarcation by worldly standards, but by the completely new outlook and self-understanding derived from the Gospel values which are the values of the Kingdom of God. The concept of authority in the Church as genuine service is one of them. (To be Contd).
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