You have learnt but Jesus says...!

Matthew 5:20-26



*Jesus said to his disciples, If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, "You fool!" shall be liable to the hell of fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’*

Food for thought!

"You have learnt … But I say to you."

In these few words, Jesus shows us that he knows that we have other teachers, other instructors, besides him. He says, "You have learnt!" This means that indeed, there are other teachers in this world, besides Jesus. He knows it. This is not the point, however. The point is that notwithstanding what we have learnt from whoever has taught us, Jesus wants us to drop that teaching and adopt his teaching. That is why he says:
"You gave learnt... But I say to you."

This saying means that regardles of what we have learnt, regardles of what the world says…Jesus teaches us something else. Yes, Jesus sometimes contradicts us in what we know, in what we do. For instance, Jesus is saying that it is not enough not to commit murder, not to still, not to speak evil of others; it is equally important not to think of murder, not to think of stealing, not to think evil of others. It may be that we have never struck another person; but who can say that he never wished to strike another person? It was Jesus' teaching that thoughts are just as important as deeds, and that it is not enough not to commit a sin; the only thing that is enough is not to wish to commit sin in the first place.

It is Jesus' teaching that we are not judged only by our deeds; we are judged even more by our thoughts which never translate into deeds. By the world's standards a man is a good man, if he never does a forbidden thing. By Jesus' standards, goodness and evil start not with our deeds but with our thoughts. **Jesus is intensely concerned with our thoughts, with what goes on in our mind. **

Pause to examine your thought patterns from time to time. As Henry H. Buckley said, “Keep your thoughts right—for as you think, so you are. Thoughts are things, therefore, think only the things that will make the world better and you unashamed.” The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). And a proverb from the Buddhist Tripitaka reminds us, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and is made up of our thoughts.”

Almost everything that we use and come in contact with each day was originally a thought. For example, the pens, chewing gum, magazines, textbooks, candy, ice cream, telephones, television, radios and computers, houses and schools, churches, and so much more, were once thoughts, ideas, theories, and dreams; they all came into being as thoughts in someone’s mind.

Philippians (4:8), *“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”*

Remember by Telling!

Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’ Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, tell it to others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.
 

In the Old Testament, we find this reading from Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9

Moses said to the people: Now listen, Israel, listen carefully to the rules and regulations that I am teaching you to follow so that you may live and enter and take possession of the land that God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, is giving to you. 5-6 Pay attention: I'm teaching you the rules and regulations that God commanded me, so that you may live by them in the land you are entering to take up ownership. Keep them. Practice them. You'll become wise and understanding. When people hear and see what's going on, they'll say, "What a great nation! So wise, so understanding! We've never seen anything like it."

9 Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don't forget anything of what you've seen. Don't let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.

Food for thought!

I am sure many people are like me: they forget the readings moments after listening to them; research shows that most people do forget the reading of the day shortly after listening, and by noon many people do forget the things they even asked the Lord in the morning. If you are like me, the readings of toady are about not forgeting the things the Lord does for us or tells us.

And the best way is by telling others what the Lord has done for us or has told us. As the gospel put it, it is by telling that we remember: «But take it seriously, tell it to others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.»

«Don't forget anything of what you've seen. Don't let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.»

In other words, the best way to remember the things the Lord tells us is by sharing them with the others. Or better, REMEMBER BY TELLING!

You're salt & light!

Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus told his disciples,  "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Food for thought!

In the Bible Jesus calls himself various names like, I am the Goodshepherd, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, I am the Vine, I am the Gate, and many others. But other times Jesus calls us names, like today he is referring to us as "salt" and "light". What is Jesus telling us about us?

Jesus calls us salt because of our preserving ability; we preserve society from going rotten; from going bad; from getting destroyed. Do you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19? Those people could have been saved if there had been just 10 righteous men or Christians in Sodom and Gomorrah; but there were nobody, and the whole city was destroyed. So please don't go bad if and when everybody around you goes or does evil. If at your workplace you see everybody cutting the corners, please, don't follow suit; the presence and the prayers of "salty" Christians preserves and saves the rest from catastrophe.

Do you remember the message of Genesis 50: 20 and the heart of Joseph’s story? Joseph told his brother,   "As for you , you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." His brothers hated him and could not speak peaceably to him . . . they hated him even more . . . they hated him . . . his brothers envied him” (37: 4– 5, 8, 11). "They stripped Joseph of his tunic . . . they took him and cast him into a pit” (vv. 23– 24).

To cut a long story short, Joseph never gave up. Bitterness never staked its claim. Anger never metastasized into hatred. His heart never hardened; his resolve never vanished. He not only survived; he thrived. He ascended like a helium balloon. An Egyptian official promoted him to chief servant. The prison warden placed him over the inmates. And Pharaoh, the highest ruler on the planet, shoulder-tapped Joseph to serve as his prime minister. By the end of his life, Joseph was the second most powerful man of his generation. It is not hyperbole to state that he saved the world from starvation.

This is what means being salt of the earth; it means being the Joseph of today, the Joseph in your place of living; the Joseph that saves the world from starvation and death.

Happiness according to Jesus!

Matthew 5:1-12


One day as the crowds were gathering, Jesus went up the hillside with his disciples and sat down and taught them there. “Humble men are very fortunate!” he told them, “for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them. Those who mourn are fortunate! for they shall be comforted. The meek and lowly are fortunate! for the whole wide world belongs to them. “Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they shall be completely satisfied. Happy are the kind and merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God. Happy are those who strive for peace—they shall be called the sons of God. Happy are those who are persecuted because they are good, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. “When you are reviled and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers—wonderful! Be happy about it! Be very glad! for a tremendous reward awaits you up in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted too.


Food for thought


The gospel reading begins by saying, "One day as the crowds were gathering, Jesus went up the hillside with his disciples and sat down and taught them there." It all started by seeing the crowds gathering up around Jesus.  When we come to Jesus, Jesus comes to us; he is not indifferent to those who come to him. What did Jesus tell those people who gathered around Him? 

Many people think that those who go to Jesus or to the church to pray are the poor, the cursed or the sick. Jesus thinks the opposite. What Jesus sees is a blessing, a happiness, a joy that is beyond all suffering and poverty. Jesus sees happiness even in the suffering, in the poor. In us there is something special; yes, in all of us there is a happiness buried under problems and worry and suffering. We need to learn to see through the eyes of Jesus in order to see happiness.

We normally judge people according to what they have and own. For us, the happy people are the rich; the rich people are the happy. But this is not always true; happiness is not tangible, it is not material, it is not visible. Happiness is spiritual because it is in the spirit. And since God created us in his own image and likeness, so the likeness of man is in his being spiritual. That is why it is possible to be happy and poor, to be happy despite suffering, to be happy in gentleness, to be happy in the hardships of life.

Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be happy no matter what is taking place in their lives? There is a buoyancy to their spirit and a sparkle to their personalities. A kind of glowing field of energy seems to radiate from their faces, their words, and from their works. There are others who seem to be predisposed to gloomy, negative thoughts. They seem to live in a perpetual shower of unhappiness.

The happiest people are those who are working to give happiness to others. Happiness is not found by seeking it; it is a by-product of trying to help others. "Happiness is by-product of an effort to make someone else happy." (Getter Palmer).

Jesus knows how you feel!

(In some parts of the world, today is Corpus Christi feast. If so, use last Thursday's food for thought)

Mark 3:20-35


When Jesus returned to the house where he was staying, the crowds began to gather again, and soon it was so full of visitors that he couldn’t even find time to eat. When his friends heard what was happening, they came to try to take him home with them. “He’s out of his mind,” they said. But the Jewish teachers of religion who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “His trouble is that he’s possessed by Satan, king of demons. That’s why demons obey him.” Jesus summoned these men and asked them (using proverbs they all understood), “How can Satan cast out Satan? A kingdom divided against itself will collapse. A home filled with strife and division destroys itself. And if Satan is fighting against himself, how can he accomplish anything? He would never survive. Satan must be bound before his demons are cast out, just as a strong man must be tied up before his house can be ransacked and his property robbed. “I solemnly declare that any sin of man can be forgiven, even blasphemy against me; but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven. It is an eternal sin.” He told them this because they were saying he did his miracles by Satan’s power instead of acknowledging it was by the Holy Spirit’s power. Now his mother and brothers arrived at the crowded house where he was teaching, and they sent word for him to come out and talk with them. “Your mother and brothers are outside and want to see you,” he was told. He replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Looking at those around him he said, “These are my mother and brothers! Anyone who does God’s will is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.”

Food for thought!

There is a day in the life of Jesus that you and me need to know about. Aside from the Crucifixion, it is probably the most difficult day of his life. It was a day of roaring sequence of bad events. It all started as soon as he came home for a long deserved rest. But instead of rest, the crowds pressed. The people demanded. The enemies accused. The relatives doubted. All in one day.

Life can go from calm to chaos in a matter of moments. No warnings. No announcements. No preparation. The gospel says, "When he returned to the house where he was staying, the crowds began to gather again, and soon it was so full of visitors that he couldn’t even find time to eat. When his friends heard what was happening, they came to try to take him home with them. “He’s out of his mind,” they said. But the Jewish teachers of religion who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “His trouble is that he’s possessed by Satan, king of demons. That’s why demons obey him.” Then his mother and brothers arrived at the crowded house where he was teaching, and they sent word for him to come out and talk with them.

The demands of the crowds, the friends consider him out of his mind, the Jewish teachers of religion take him to be possessed by Satan, and his own mother and brothers want him to stop whatever he is doing and go home. Whatever you call it, call it real. Call it a day in which Jesus experiences more stress than he will any other day of his life — aside from his crucifixion.

If you’ve ever had a day in which you’ve been suffocating from your workplace's demands, a day you have been misunderstood by the people you try your best to help, a day you have been misunderstood even by your family, relatives and friends, a day you wonder if God in heaven can relate to you on earth, then read and reread today's gospel about this pressure-packed day in the life of Christ. And take heart. Jesus knows how you feel. He was labeled to be out mind, to be an agent of Satan, to be crazy. And probably you too have been labeled many things. Take courage.

Today's food for thought is that Jesus knows how you feel, when you're accused, when you're misunderstood, when your world goes from calm to chaos. So whenever your life seem to fall apart, go to him and let him comfort you. (Hebrews 4:16) "So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need."

She has given more than any of them!

Mark 12:41-44

41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. 43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Food for thought!

The story has many lessons, for both the rich and the poor, for both men and women, for both giving and getting. First, the gospel says "Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money." This means what, if not that Jesus cares about our giving? This is evident from the fact that Jesus was observing the people casting their money into the treasury. He was watching them as they gave. How many believe that Jesus still watches the people as they give? That he watches us as we pray? That he watches us as we give and get? The first lesson is, therefore, that JESUS WATCHES!

The second lesson is that no one is too poor to give, just as no one is too rich to get. No one should say that I am too poor to give. No, you are not. You may not have money, like the widow, but you have the time, the health and may be the wealth. Someone once said, “Those who think they have nothing to give should remember that they can always give themselves, and that they can always render some kind of service even if it be nothing more than a few words of cheer.” The gift of ourself, our time, and energy may often be one of the most important and wonderful things we can give.

The third lesson is that the best gift is not your money or your dollars; the best gift you can give is YOU! The Lord prefers you to your gift. And I am sure your spouse, your friend, your children prefer you to your other gifts. The best gift you can ever give to your spouse is not money, is not material things; it is YOU, your heart, not your wealth. Many of us want love and companionship and forgiveness and understanding, but it is a law of life that we must first be loving and friendly and forgiving and understandind; if the approach is good, the response is good; if it is bad, the response is bad. If you shout at people, people will shout at you; if you're rude to others, they'll be rude to you. So the third lesson is that YOU'RE TREATED THE WAY YOU TREAT OTHERS.

The fourth lesson is that real giving must be sacrificial. The amount of the gift never matters so much as its cost to the giver, not the size of the gift, but the size of the giver; the attitude of the giver is more important than the gift itself. The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.

Real giving has a certain recklessness in it. The woman might have kept one coin. It would not have been much but it would have been something, yet she gave everything she had. There is a great symbolic truth here. It is our tragedy that there is so often some part of our lives, some part of our activities, some part of ourselves which we do not give to Christ. Somehow there is nearly always something we hold back. We rarely make the final sacrifice and the final surrender.

It is a strange and lovely thing that the person whom the New Testament and Jesus hand down to history as a pattern and example of generosity was a person who gave a gift of, not a million dollars, but half a penny. We may feel that we have not much in the way of material gifts or personal gifts to give to Christ, but, if we put all that we have and are at his disposal, he can do things with it and with us that are beyond our imaginings.

The law of giving and receiving also asks us to be good receivers. As we give of ourselves, our time and resources, our positive attitudes and loving thoughts and actions, it is also important to be able to receive the gifts of others in a graceful way. Everyone truly loves to give, and there are times when we are being of service by graciously receiving what another would give us—when we find a way to say, “Thank you, I accept your thoughtful gift.”

President John F. Kennedy advised Americans, ”Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” And Viktor Frankl nored, "Ask not what you can expect from life; ask what life expects from you."

The crowd listened to Jesus with great interest!

Mark 12:35-37


Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple area, he asked them this question: “Why do your religious teachers claim that the Messiah must be a descendant of King David? For David himself said—and the Holy Spirit was speaking through him when he said it—‘God said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Since David called him his Lord, how can he be his son?” This sort of reasoning delighted the crowd and they listened to him with great interest.

Food for Thought!

Today's words of Jesus were spoken on the Tuesday of the Holy Week. Jesus is making his way to the cross to die. As he approaches the end, his enemies intensify their attack on his person.  These people (the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees) are busy looking for a way to discredit Jesus in the eyes of the people. Now they're discrediting Jesus by saying that he's just a son of David,  thus negating his divinity. Jesus is just a man, they argue. Their effort is designed to trap Jesus and cause him to lose his influence with the people. Unfortunately, the more they try to discredit Jesus the more fame he gets from the people. The gospel says that Jesus delighted the crowd and they listened to him with great interest.

Did you know that the more you hate someone the more you turn him into your hero, thinking of him all the time? The more you try to discredit your enemy the more sympathisers you make for him. This is what Jesus' enemies are doing: the more they want to destroy Jesus the more people they make who admire him.

Jesus had countered every attack his enemies had used against him. He answered their question about paying tribute money to Caesar, 12:13-17. He answered their question about the resurrection and the nature of life in Heaven, 12:18-27. He answered their question about which commandment in the Law was the greatest of all, 12:28-34. Each time Jesus was asked questions that were designed to make him look foolish in the eyes of the people. Every question they asked was an attempt to prove his ignorance of the Word of God. They were trying everything in their power to unmask Jesus and prove that he was an imposter. But the opposite happened: Jesus is accepted even more by the people. 

Most people in our world are like the scribes and the Pharisees. They will believe the Bible stories about Jesus. They love the image of that baby in his manger. They enjoy reading about him feeding multitudes, healing the sick, preaching sermons, raising the dead and walking on water. They even like the story of the cross and the resurrection.

But, most people in our culture cannot grasp the truth that Jesus Christ is more than a baby in a manger, or a man who got Himself crucified on a cross. They cannot seem to grasp the truth that He is God in human flesh! They cannot get their minds around the truth that He is the only way to God; that He is the only hope of salvation. Manh people will go so far, but they often will not go far enough! Don't be one of them. Believe in Jesus!

A man carrying an earthen pitcher of water!

(In some parts of the world, today is the Feast of Corpus Christi.  In other parts, this feast is transferred to next Sunday) 

Mark 14:12-16.22-26


On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they were sacrificing the Passover Lamb, Jesus' disciples said to him, "Where do you wish us to go and make the necessary preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He despatched two of his disciples, and said to them. "Go into the city, and there will meet you a man carrying an earthen pitcher of water. Follow him, and wherever he enters in, say to the householder, `The teacher says, "Where is my room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' He will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared. There get things ready for us." So the disciples went away, and they came into the city, and found everything just as he had told them. And they got everything ready for the Passover Feast.

As they were eating, Jesus took bread and asked God’s blessing on it and broke it in pieces and gave it to them and said, “Eat it—this is my body.” Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it and gave it to them; and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, poured out for many, sealing the new agreement between God and man. I solemnly declare that I shall never again taste wine until the day I drink a different kind in the Kingdom of God.” Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Food for thought!


It may seem an unusual word to use in connection with Jesus, but, as we read today's gospel, we cannot help being struck with his efficiency of arrangement. Again and again we see that he did not leave things until the last moment. Long before, we saw on Palm Sunday that Jesus had arranged that the colt should be ready for his ride into Jerusalem; and here again we see that all his arrangements for the first Eucharist had been made long beforehand. Every Eucharistic should remind us the Lord of Preparedness.

His disciples wished to know where they would eat the Passover. Jesus sent them into Jerusalem with instructions to look for a man carrying an earthen pitcher of water. That was a prearranged signal or password. As in many parts of the world,  carrying a water-pot was a woman's duty. It was a thing that no man ever did. A man with a water-pot on his shoulder would stand out in any crowd as much as, say, a man on a wet day with a lady's umbrella, or to find a man on high heels shoes wearing a skirt and blouse. Jesus did not leave things until the last minute. Long before, he had arranged a last meeting-place for himself and for his disciples, and had arranged just how it was to be found.

It has been expressed that “order is Heaven’s first law.” Jesus acknowledged this when he said, “The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (Mark 4:28). If we are to succeed in life, it becomes necessary to bring our methods of operation into an orderly process. And preparedness can often be considered the first step in the order of success. Another adage is that “chance favors the prepared.” Opportunity knocks at the door many more times than people may realize. If the moment of opportunity is not seized, it may be because people don’t recognize it or are unprepared to seize it. Preparedness is the first step to success.

"Victory awaits him who has everything in order — people call this luck. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.” — Roald Amundsen, The South Pole.

We note one thing more. In the last paragraph we see again the two things we have so often seen. Jesus was sure of two things. He knew he was to die, and he knew his Kingdom would come. He was certain of the Cross, but just as certain of the glory. And the reason was that he was just as certain of the love of God as he was of the sin of man; and he knew that in the end that love would conquer that sin.

Do you believe in the resurrection or life after death?

Mark 12:18-27

Some Sadducees – who deny that there is a resurrection – came to Jesus and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children. The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.’


Food for thought!


Do you believe in the resurrection? Do you believe in the continuity of life after Death? This is the issue at hand in the gospel story of today.  And, thus is the issue behind the Uganda martyrs. Do you believe that those Uganda believers who died in defence of their faith live? The question of life beyond death is not new. In today's gospel a set of people came to Jesus with a test question designed to make the belief in resurrection look ridiculous. The question of the Sadducees was simply this, if there is at all any resurrection of the dead, whose wife will be a woman who in life got married to seven men? They thought that by asking that question they rendered the idea of resurrection completely ridiculous.

Jesus' answer really falls into two parts. First, he deals with the manner of the resurrection. He lays it down that when a person rises again, the old laws of physical life no longer apply. The risen people are like angels and physical things like marrying and being married no longer enter play. In other words, Jesus is saying that marrying and get married is for this life alone. And this is because this life ends. And so, in order to prolong themselves, people marry and get married to get offspring, which is another way of living on after death. The dead continue to live on in their children. However, this is not all.

It means that the reason why there is marriage is death; where there's death there is marriage; where there's no death (like in heaven) there's no marriage. In the life to come, there's no more death, and by extension, there cannot be marriage. No death, no marriage. Why would people marry and get married if they live on forever? This is the reason angels never marry; but humans do. God made marriage for this life, and this life alone.

Second, Jesus deals with the fact of the resurrection. He uses the Bible to prove the resurrection. From Exodus 3:6, God calls himself the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. If God is the God of these dead men, it means that they must still be alive somewhere, for the living God must be the God of living people, and not of those who are dead. And if Abraham, Isaac and Jacob do live then the resurrection is proved.

Jesus comforts us that the relationship between God and good people is everlasting; it survives death; it goes beyond death. God was the friend of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when they lived. That friendship could not cease with death. As the Psalmist said, «But I am always with you. You hold me by my right hand. You give me wise advice to guide me. And when I die, you will take me away into the glory of heaven. (Ps.73:23-24.)

Before we go, many of us are many times wrong just because we are many times wrong with the Scriptures (the Bible) and that is because we under estimate the power of God. Ignorance of the Bible and of the power of God is at the origin of our mistakes and errors and blunders. Many people believe the Bible from cover to cover, but very few people have read the Bible from cover to cover! We too have made a big mistake.

By believing in Jesus and his good news, the Uganda martyrs didn't die when they died,  for Jesus assured us that, "Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." ( John 11:26).

Citizen & Christian!

Mark 12:13-17


But they sent other religious and political leaders to talk with him and try to trap him into saying something he could be arrested for. “Teacher,” these spies said, “we know you tell the truth no matter what! You aren’t influenced by the opinions and desires of men, but sincerely teach the ways of God. Now tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Rome, or not?” Jesus saw their trick and said, “Show me a coin and I’ll tell you.” When they handed it to him he asked, “Whose picture and title is this on the coin?” They replied, “The emperor’s.” “All right,” he said, “if it is his, give it to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God!” And they scratched their heads in bafflement at his reply.

Food for thought!

Jesus never laid down rules and regulations, but principles; that is why his teaching is timeless and never grows old; rules and regulations and laws are born, live for some time and then die. Principles are neither born nor die. Here he lays down a very great and very important principle.

Every Christian man has a double citizenship. He is a citizen of the country in which he happens to live. To it he owes many things. He owes the safety against lawless men which only settled government can give; he owes all public services. To take a simple example, few men are wealthy enough to have a lighting system of their own or a cleansing system or a water system of their own. These are public services, belonging to all. In a welfare state the citizen owes still more to the state--education, medical services, provision for unemployment and old age. This places him under a debt of obligation. Because the Christian is a man of honour, he must be a responsible citizen; failure in good citizenship is also failure in Christian duty. A bad Christian is always a bad citizen, and a bad citizen is first a bad Christian. 

That is not all. The coin had Caesar's image upon it, and therefore belonged to Caesar. Man has God's image upon him, because God created man in his own image (Gen.1:26-27), and therefore man belongs to God and owes allegiance and obedience to God. In other words, it is our duty and our salvation to adore and praise and thank and glorify the Lord. It means that when we pray, when we go to church, when we obey God's commandments, we simply fulfill our obligation to the Lord.

A real Christian--and this is the permanent truth which Jesus here lays down--is at one and the same time a good citizen of his country and a good citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. He will fail in his duty neither to God nor to man. He will, as Peter said, "Fear God. Honour the emperor" (1Pet.2:17).