ദൗത്യവും സുവിശേഷീകരണവും പൊതുസാക്ഷ്യത്തിലേക്ക് (Mission and Evangelism: Towards a Common Witness)

ദൗത്യവും സുവിശേഷീകരണവും പൊതുസാക്ഷ്യത്തിലേക്ക് 

(Mission and Evangelism: Towards a Common Witness)1. 

1. ആമുഖം 

മിഷൻ , ഇവാഞ്ചലിസം, സാക്ഷ്യം എന്നീ പദങ്ങൾ ക്രൈസ്തവ സഭയുടെ ദൗത്യദർശനത്തിന് സമഗ്രത നല്കുന്ന പരികല്‌പനകളാണ്. അവ പരസ്പരപൂരകങ്ങളായ കാഴ്ചപാടുകൾ  നല്കുന്നതോടൊപം ദൗത്യ സംബന്ധിയായ ദൈവശാസ്ത്ര ചിന്തകളിൽ അഭേദ്യമായ ഒരുമയായി  നിഴലിക്കുന്നു. സഭകൾ പരസ്പരം ഇഴകുന്ന എക്യുമെനിക്കൽ വേദികളിൽ ഇവയെ സംബന്ധിക്കുന്ന പൊതുസമ്മത തത്വങ്ങൾ ഉരുത്തിരികയും അത് ദൗത്യ സരണിയിൽ പുതിയ ദിശാബോധങ്ങൾ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഈ ലേഖനം മാർത്തോമ്മാ സഭയിൽ കഴിഞ്ഞ നൂറ്റാണ്ടിൽ സംഭവിച്ച് മിഷൻ ദർശനത്തിൻറെ വികാസത്തെ സഭകളുടെ എക്യുമെനിക്കൽ കൂട്ടായ്മകളിൽ  നടന്നിട്ടുള്ള മിഷൻ  സംവാദങ്ങളുമായി ബന്ധിപ്പിച്ച് രേഖപ്പെടുത്താനുള്ള ശ്രമമാണ്.

2. മിഷൻ , ഇവാഞ്ചലിസം: പദാവലികളും അർത്ഥോക്തികളും 

കഴിഞ്ഞ നൂറ്റാണ്ടിന്റെ പൂർവ്വാർത്ഥം  വരെ  "മിഷൻ " എന്ന പദം  അർത്ഥമാക്കിയത് സഭയുടെ ഭൂമിശാസ്ത്രപരമായ അതിരുകൾ മുറിച്ച്  സഭയ്ക്ക് ഇതരമായ  ഇടങ്ങളിലേക്ക്  അതിനെ വ്യാപിപ്പിക്കുന്ന അനുഭവമായാണ്.  Johannes Verkuyl ഭൂമിശാസ്ത്രപരമായ  പരിഗണനകൾ  കണക്കിലെടുത്ത് "ഇവാഞ്ചലിസം " എന്നത് നാമമാത്രരായ ക്രൈസ്തവരെ ക്രിസ്തീയ അനുഭവങ്ങളുടെ  കാതലിലേക്ക് വീണ്ടെടുക്കുന്ന, ക്രൈസ്തവ ലോകത്തിന്റെ അതിരുകൾക്കുള്ളിൽ നടക്കുന്ന, പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളായും; മിഷൻ  എന്നത് ക്രിസ്തീയ വിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ പ്രചുരതാർത്ഥം അതിരുകൾക്ക് പുറത്തുള്ള ക്രൈസ്തവേതര ലോകത്തേക്ക്  എത്തിപ്പെടാനുള്ള ശ്രമങ്ങളായും വിവേചിച്ച് മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്നതിനെപ്പറ്റി പറയുന്നുണ്ട്. 1960-കളിൽ വിമോചന ദൈവശാസ്ത്രത്തിന്റെ ചുവട് പിടിച്ച് "മിഷൻ" സഭയുടെ സാമൂഹികവും രാഷ്ട്രീയവുമായ പ്രതിബദ്ധതകളെ പ്രതിഫലിപ്പിക്കുന്ന വിശാലമായ ദൗത്യദർശനമാണെന്നും ; ഇവാഞ്ചലിസം അതിനുള്ളിലെ അനിവാര്യമായ ഒരു ഘടകമായതിനാൽ അത് മിഷൻ  എന്നാ വിഭാവനയ്ക്കുള്ളിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുന്ന താരതമ്യേന ഇടുങ്ങിയ സങ്കൽപ്പമാണെന്നും ഒരു വിഭാഗം വാദിച്ചു. 1968-ല ഉണ്ടായ Church  Growth Movement 'മിഷൻ' സമൂഹിക സേവനത്തിന് അമിതമായ ഊന്നൽ കൊടുക്കുന്ന വ്യതിചലനമാണെന്നും, എന്നാൽ ഇവാഞ്ചലിസം അതിനെ അതിന്റെ നിർമ്മലമായ  ഉദ്ദേശ്യങ്ങളിലേക്ക്  തിരികെ കൊണ്ടുവരുന്ന സമഗ്രമായ ചിന്തയാണെന്നും വിവക്ഷിച്ചു. ഇവിടെ ഇവാഞ്ചലിസം ഒരു വിശാലമായ പരികൽപ്പനയും "മിഷൻ  താരതമ്യേന ഇടുങ്ങിയ സങ്കൽപ്പവുമായി മാറി . എന്നാൽ 1980- കളായപ്പോഴേക്കും; മിഷനും ഇവാഞ്ചലിസവും ക്രിസ്തീയ ദൗത്യത്തിന് സമഗ്രത നല്കുന്ന പരസ്പരപൂരകങ്ങളായ രണ്ട് മാനങ്ങളാണെന്ന് ഏറെക്കുറെ തർക്കങ്ങളില്ലാതെ അംഗീകരിക്കപ്പെട്ടു. മിഷനും ഇവാഞ്ചലിസവും സഭയുടെ ദൗത്യത്തെ വിശദീകരിക്കുന്ന ചരിത്രപരവും പരസ്പര പൂരകങ്ങളുമായ രണ്ട് കൽപ്പനകളാണ്.  നിന്ന് വേറിട്ട്  മറ്റൊന്നിന് നിൽനിൽപ്പില്ലെന്ന്  ബോഷ് വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നുണ്ട് (Bosch 1991, 416). ജിർമ  ബെക്കെലെ എന്നാ ആഫ്രിക്കൻ മിസ്സിയോളജിസ്റ്റ് ഈ പരസ്പരപൂരകതയെപ്പറ്റി എഴുതിയിരിക്കുന്നത് ശ്രദ്ദേയമാണ്:

Mission originates with God, and it refers to the total task of the church-sent in its very being into the world, where evangelism is the heart of that task... just as human body cannot exist without heart, mission has no life without evangelism (Girma Bekele 2011, 96)

  1982 - ൽ  ഉണ്ടായ Mission and  Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation എന്ന പൊതുധാരണാ പത്രിക ഇവ രണ്ടും ക്രിസ്തീയ ദൗത്യത്തിന്റെ  അവിഭാക്തമായ മാനങ്ങളാണെന്ന് തറപ്പിച്ച് പറഞ്ഞു. തുടര്ന്നു നടന്ന കത്തോലിക്ക, എക്യുമെനിക്കൽ, ഇവാഞ്ചലിക്കൽ, കരിസ്മാറ്റിക്ക് കൂടിവരവുകൾ എല്ലാം തന്നെ മിഷനും ഇവാഞ്ചലിസവും  പരസ്പര പൂരകങ്ങളായ മാനങ്ങളാകുന്ന ക്രിസ്തീയ ദൌത്യത്തിന്റെ സമഗ്രമായ ദർശനത്തെ അടിവരയിട്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്.

3. ദൗത്യത്തെക്കുറിക്കുന്ന ദൈവശാസ്ത്രപരമായ ചിന്താപദ്ധതികളുടെ വികാസം: ഒരു നിരീക്ഷണം 

എഡിൻബറോയിൽ 1910-ൽ സംഘടിപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ട അഖില ലോക മിഷനറി സമ്മേളനത്തിൽ ദൗത്യം (mission) സഭയ്ക്ക് ബാഹ്യമായ "അപരിഷ്കൃത", "അക്രൈസ്തവ" ലോകത്തേക്കുള്ള അജയ്യമായ (triumphal) ഒരു മുന്നേറ്റമായാണ് ചിത്രീകരിക്കപ്പെട്ടത്. 19-ആം നൂറ്റാണ്ടിൽ ഏറെക്കുറെ പൂർണ്ണമായും സുവിശെഷീകരണത്തിന്റെ ലക്‌ഷ്യം വ്യക്തിയുടെ അഥവാ ആത്മാവിന്റെ രക്ഷയും സഭയുടെ സംഖ്യാപരമായ വളര്ച്ചയും ഊന്നിയുള്ളതായിരുന്നു. 1928-ല സമ്മേളിച്ച അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര മിഷനറി കൗൺസിലിന്റെ (IMC) ആദ്യ കൂടിവരവിൽ ക്രിസ്തീയ സാക്ഷ്യം (evangelism) പ്രദേശികമായ ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ ചുറ്റുപാടുകളെ പരിഗണിക്കയും ഇതര മത വിശ്വാസങ്ങളോട് സൃഷ്ടിപരമായി ഇടപെടുകയും ചെയ്യണമെന്ന് സമർത്ഥിച്ചു (Hedlund 1993, 68). 1950 കളോടെ സാക്ഷ്യം എന്നത് സഭാകേന്ദ്രിതമായ വളര്ച്ച എന്നതിൽ  നിന്നും ലോകം കേന്ദ്രമാകുന്ന നന്മയുടെ വളർച്ച  എന്ന തിരിച്ചറിവി ലേക്ക്   വഴി മാറി. 1965-ൽ രണ്ടാം വത്തിക്കാൻ കൗൺസിൽ സഭ ദൈവം ലോകത്തിനായൊരുക്കുന്ന രക്ഷയുടെ കൗദാശിക അടയാളമാണെന്ന് സമർത്ഥിച്ചു. സഭയുടെ ദൗത്യം രക്ഷയുടെ ലോകത്തിലേക്കുള്ള അനുസ്യൂതമായ നീക്കത്തിന്റെ സാക്ഷ്യമാണെന്നും പറഞ്ഞു വച്ചു. 1968-ൽ Uppsala Assembly മിഷൻ  മനുഷ്യ ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ സമസ്ത അനുഭവങ്ങളുടെയും ആധികാരികമായ ആവിഷ്കാരത്തിലേക്ക് നയിക്കുന്ന ശുശ്രൂഷകളും സേവനങ്ങളുമാണെന്ന് പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു. 1980 കളിൽ ദൗത്യത്തിന്റെ ലാക്ക് മനുഷ്യർ  മാത്രമല്ല, സർവ്വ  സൃഷ്ടിയും  കൂടി ഉൾപ്പെടുന്നതാണെന്നുള്ള ഊന്നൽ കൂടി ഉണ്ടായി. 2000-ന്  ശേഷമുള്ള ശക്തീകരണം സർവ്വ  സൃഷ്ടികളുടെയും നീതിയും, സമാധാനവും,   സമഗ്രതയും  എന്നുള്ളതായിരുന്നു.

4. സാക്ഷ്യത്തെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള വേദപുസ്തക ദർശനം 

മനുഷ്യന്  നല്കപ്പെടുന്ന കാര്യവിചാരകത്വം ദൈവത്തിന് സൃഷ്ടിയുമായുള്ള  ബന്ധത്തിലുള്ള കർതൃത്വത്തെയും  കരുതലിനെയും തന്റെ ഇടപെടലുകളിലൂടെ പ്രതിഫലിപ്പിക്കാനുള്ള വിളിയാണ് (ഉൽപ്പ. 1:28, 2:15). പഴയ നിയമത്തിൽ ദൈവവിളികളുടെയെല്ലാം അകക്കാമ്പായി ലോകത്തിന് വെളിച്ചമാകുക എന്നാ ലക്‌ഷ്യം ഉള്ളടങ്ങിയിട്ടുണ്ട് (ഉൽപ്പ. 12: 1-2). യിസ്രായേൽ മക്കളുടെ ജൂബിലി ആചരണത്തെപ്പറ്റിയുള്ള ദർശനം ദൈവജനം എന്ന നിലയിൽ, പൊതു ഇടങ്ങളിൽ ദൈവനീതിയുടെ സാക്ഷികളാകാനുള്ള ദൈവവിളിയെയാണ് ഓർമ്മിപ്പിക്കുന്നത് (ലേവ്യ. 25). പ്രവാചക പാരമ്പര്യത്തിൽ, സാക്ഷ്യം സാമൂഹിക ബന്ധങ്ങളിൽ ദൈവനീതി സ്ഥാപിക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള ദൈവത്തിങ്കലേക്കുള്ള തിരിയലായും, സാമൂഹിക വ്യവസ്ഥിതികളിലുള്ള  ഇടപെടലുകളായുമാണ് വിഭാവന ചെയ്യുന്നത് (ആമോ. 5: 15). പുതിയ നിയമത്തിൽ സൂചിപ്പിച്ചിട്ടുള്ള, 200 തവണയിലധികം ആവർത്തിക്കുന്ന, martus, marturia, marturein (Greek) എന്നീ പദങ്ങളെല്ലാം തന്നെ ക്രിസ്തുവിലുള്ള വിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ പരസ്യമായ പ്രഘോഷണമാണ് അർത്ഥമാക്കുന്നത് (Durrwell 1980:121). സൃഷ്ടിമേലുള്ള ക്രിസ്തുവിന്റെ കർത്തൃത്വത്തിന്റെയും ക്രിസ്തുവിലൂടെ സാധ്യമാകുന്ന രക്ഷയുടെയും പൊതുവായ പങ്കിടലാണ് പുതിയ നിയമ രചനകളുടെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ 'സാക്ഷ്യം' (marturein) കൊണ്ടർത്ഥമാക്കുന്നത്. 
ബിഷപ്പ് Newbigin ക്രിസ്തീയ സാക്ഷ്യത്തെ കേവലമായ മതപരിവര്ത്തന ശ്രമങ്ങളിൽ (proselytism) നിന്നും വേർതിരിച്ച് കാണുന്നതിന് ശ്രമിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. കേവലമായ മതപരിവര്ത്ത്തനം മനുഷ്യരുടെ മുൻകൈ പ്രവർത്തനവും  പദ്ധതികളുമാകുമ്പോൾ സാക്ഷ്യത്തിന്റെ പ്രേരകനും നായകനും ദൈവത്തിന്റെ പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവാണ് എന്നദ്ദേഹം സമർത്ഥിക്കുന്നു (Newbigin  1980, 158). കേവലമായ മതപരിവർത്തന ശ്രമങ്ങളിൽ 'അകം'-'പുറം' എന്നീ വ്യതിരേകങ്ങൾ സൃഷ്ടിക്കപ്പെടുകയും അവയുടെ അനന്തര ഫലമായി പുറത്തുള്ളവർ ബഹിഷ്കൃതരായി എണ്ണപ്പെടുന്ന സവിശേഷ കൂട്ടായ്മകൾ (Exclusive  Communities)  സംഘടിതമാകുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നുണ്ട്. എന്നാൽ സാക്ഷ്യം ഇതിൽ നിന്നും വിഭിന്നമായി വിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ പങ്കിടലിലൂടെ പൊതു സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ ജീവിത നിലവാരവും അന്യോന്യ ബന്ധങ്ങളുടെ ഊഷ്മളതയും വർദ്ധിപ്പിക്കുകയാണ് ചെയ്യുന്നത്. സാക്ഷ്യത്തിന്റെ അടിത്തറ മാനവരാശി ഉൾപ്പെടുന്ന ആകമാന സൃഷ്ടിയുടെ വീണ്ടെടുപ്പാകയാൽ യുഗാന്ത്യപരവും നിത്യവും വരുവനുള്ളതിന്റെയുമായ മാനങ്ങൾ അതിനുണ്ട്. സഭ സദാ കർതൃസ്ഥാനത്തും (subjective position) ബാഹ്യലോകം ലക്ഷ്യസ്ഥാനത്തുമായി (objective  position) നിർണ്ണയിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ള ഇടപാടുകളായിട്ടല്ല  വേദപുസ്തകം സാക്ഷ്യത്തെ കാണുന്നത് (Durrwell 1980, 123). കൊർന്നല്യോസിന്റെ മാനസാന്തരം സഭയുടെ കർതൃത്വനിലയുടെയും (subjective position)  അത് പുലര്ത്തിയിരുന്ന കാഴ്ച്ചപ്പാടുകളുടെയും രൂപാന്തരമായിരുന്നുവെന്ന്  അപ്പോസ്തോലന്മാരുടെ പ്രവർത്തികൾ രേഖപ്പെടുത്തുന്നുണ്ട് (അപ്പോ. പ്രവ. 10: 9). ഈ ആശയമാണ് രൂപാന്തരപ്പെടുന്ന സാക്ഷ്യം (transforming  mission) എന്ന ആശയത്തിലൂടെ Bosch  മുന്നോട്ട് വയ്ക്കുന്നത്. സാക്ഷ്യം അതിന്റെ നിർവ്വഹണ നടപടികളിൽ നിന്നും ആര്ജ്ജിക്കുന്ന അറിവുകളുടെ വെളിച്ചത്തിൽ നിരന്തരം രൂപപ്പെട്ടു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കണം. 

Refrence:
Bekele, Girma. The in-between People: A Reading of David Bosch through the Lens of Mission History and Contemporary Challenges in Ethiopia. Eugene: Pickwick, 2011.

Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. New York: Orbis, 1991.

Durrwell, F. "Christian Witness: A Theological Study." International Review of Mission 69, no. 274 (April, 1980): 121-34.

Hedlund, Roger E. Roots of the Great Debate in Mission: Mission in Historical and Theological Perspectives. Bangalore: Theological Book Trust, 1993.

Newbigin, Lesslie. "Common Witness and Unity." International Review of Mission 69, no. 24 (1980): 158-60. 8

Verkuyl, Johannes. Contemporary Missiology: An Introduction. Translated by Dale Cooper. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1978.

WCC. "Mission and Evangelism-an Ecumenical Affirmation." International Review of Mission 71, no. 284 (October, 1982): 427-51.

Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. Constitution. Tiruvalla: The Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, 2014.

Mar Aprem. “Mar Thoma Church: Tradition and Modernity.” In The Mar Thoma church: Tradition and Modernity: A Festschrift in Honour of The Most Rev Dr Joseph Mar Irenaeus Suffragan Metropolitan, 59-70. Tiruvalla: The Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, 2000.

Mar Theodosius. “Heritage and Development in the Mission of the Mar Thoma Church.” In Heritage and development in the Mission of the Church: A Festschrift in Honor of His Grace the Most Rev Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropoitan. Edited by M. J. Joseph et.al. Thiruvalla: The Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, 2011.

MTEA, Mar Thoma Suvisesha Sanghaththinte Charithraththilekku Oru Ethinottam (Malayalam), Special Volume on the occasion of MTEA’s 75th anniversary, 1963.

Thomas, Alex. A History of First Cross-Cultural Mission of the Mar Thoma Chruch 1910-2000. Delhi: ISPCK, 2007.

Luke 18: 31-34

നന്മയുടെ ശുശ്രൂഷയിലേക്കുള്ള ദൈവവിളി 

ലൂക്കോ. 18: 31-34 

"ഇതാ നാം യെരുശലേമിലേക്ക്  പോകുന്നു; മനുഷ്യപുത്രനെക്കുറിച്ച് പ്രവാചകന്മാർ എഴുതിയിരിക്കുന്നതെല്ലാം നിവൃത്തിയാകും ." (വാ. 31)

ലൂക്കോസിന്റെ സുവിശേഷത്തിൽ യേശു തന്റെ പീഢാനുഭവത്തെയും കുരിശുമരണത്തെയുംപ്പറ്റി  നടത്തുന്ന മൂന്നാമത്തെ ദീർഘദർശനമാണ് ഈ ഭാഗത്ത് പ്രതിപാദിക്കുന്നത്. യെരുശലേമിലേക്കുള്ള തന്റെ യാത്ര ഒഴിച്ചുകൂടാൻ പറ്റാത്ത അനിവാര്യതയായി യേശു തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നുണ്ട്. പിതാക്കന്മാരാൽ ഏൽപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടതും പ്രവാചകന്മാരാൽ മുൻനിയമിക്കപ്പെട്ടതുമായ ശുശ്രൂഷയിൽ തന്റ്റെ ശിഷ്യന്മാർക്ക്  മുൻപേ നടക്കേണ്ടത് ഒരു  അനിവാര്യതയായി യേശു കാണുന്നുണ്ട്.

കുരിശിൻറ്റെ  വഴിയെ മുന്പെ നടക്കുന്ന ദൗത്യം 

നന്മയുടെ വർദ്ധനവിന്റെ ശുശ്രൂഷയിൽ കുരിശ് അനിവാര്യതയാണ്; ഒഴിച്ചു കൂടാൻ  പറ്റാത്ത പാനപാത്രമാണ്. ഈ  യാത്രയിൽ യേശു ശിഷ്യന്മാർക്ക്  മുമ്പായി നടക്കുന്നു; അവൻ ഏൽപ്പിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു (ശിഷ്യർ രക്ഷപെടുന്നു); അവൻ ക്രൂശിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു ( ശിഷ്യർ വാതിലടച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു). അവൻ ഉരിർത്തെഴുന്നേൽക്കുന്നു; ഭയവിഹ്വലരായ ശിഷ്യന്മാർക്ക് തന്നെത്തന്നെ ഉത്ഥിതനായി  വെളിപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു. അടഞ്ഞ മുറിയിലും എമ്മവുസിലേക്കുള്ള വഴിയിലും "ഞാൻ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് മുന്പായി ഗലീലിയിലേക്ക് പോകുന്നു" എന്ന  ഉറപ്പ് അവർക്ക്  നല്കുന്നു. അവൻ അവരുടെ സങ്കടങ്ങളും ആശങ്കകളും പങ്കു വയ്ക്കുന്നു . ക്രിസ്തു ഉയിർപ്പിന്റെ  പ്രതീക്ഷയിലേക്ക് അവരുടെ തളർന്ന  ബോധത്തെ തിരികെ കൊണ്ടു വരുന്നു. അവൻ അപ്പമെടുത്ത് വാഴ്ത്തുമ്പോൾ അവർ തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നു അവനിപ്പോഴും തങ്ങൾക്ക് മുമ്പായി ഗലീലിയിലേക്ക് നടന്നുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുകയാണ്. അവരുടെ സാക്ഷ്യം ശ്രദ്ദേയമാണ്, "അവൻ നമുക്ക് മുമ്പായി ഗലീലിയിലേക്ക് പോയിരിക്കുന്നു. " യേശുവിനെ അവന്റെ യാത്രയിൽ എത്തിപ്പിടിക്കാനുള്ള ശ്രമമായി ശിഷ്യരുടെ ജീവിതം സാക്ഷ്യമായി രൂപാന്തരപ്പെടുന്നു. വേദനകളുടെയും, പോരായ്മകളുടെയും, ശൈഥില്യങ്ങളുടെയും ഗലീലിയിലേക്ക് അവൻ ഇന്നും നമുക്ക് മുന്പായി യാത്ര ചെയ്യുന്നു.

വരമ്പുകളെ മറികടകുന്ന  സ്നേഹത്തിൻറെ ശുശ്രൂഷ

സർവ്വ സൃഷ്ടികൾകും വിവേചനമില്ലാതെ നന്മ വിളമ്പുന്ന  ശുശ്രൂഷയിലേക്കാണ് ദൈവം നമ്മെ വിളിക്കുന്നത്. ഉത്പ. 1: 24-31 വരെ മനുഷ്യന്റെ സൃഷ്ടിയുടെയും  നിയോഗത്തിന്റെയും  വിവരണമാണ്.  സർവ്വസൃഷ്ടികളുടെയും ക്ഷേമത്തിന്റെ കാവൽ  മനുഷ്യകുടുംബത്തിന് നല്കപ്പെടുന്നു. അപ്പോ. പ്ര. 10: 9-16 അതിരുകൾ  ബാധകമാകാത്ത സ്നേഹം പകരുന്ന ശുശ്രൂഷയിലേകുള്ള ആദിമ സഭയുടെ ദൈവവിളിയെയാണ് കുറികുന്നത് .  പത്രോസിനുണ്ടാകുന്ന ദർശനം ജീവന്റെ പരസ്പര ബന്ധിതമായ നിലനില്പ്പിനെയും സമത്വഭാവത്തെയുമാണ്  സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്. ജാതിയുടെയും വംശീയതയുടെയും അതിർവരമ്പുകൾക്കപ്പുറത്തേക്ക്  ദൈവസ്നേഹം നീട്ടി നല്കുന്ന ശുശ്രൂഷയാണ് ദൈവം സഭയെ ഭരമേൽപ്പിക്കുന്നത് എന്ന്  പത്രോസും കൂട്ടരും മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. കുരിശ് അനിവാര്യമായ അനുഭവമാകുന്നത്  പിതാവിന്റെ ഇഷ്ടത്തിന് വിധേയപ്പെട്ട് മനുഷ്യനിർമ്മിത അതിരുകൾക്കപ്പുറത്തേക്ക് സ്നേഹത്തിന്റെ സാക്ഷ്യം നിർവ്വഹിക്കുന്നത് കൊണ്ടാണ് . 

ക്രിസ്തുവിനെ സുഗ്രഹമായ അനുഭവമാക്കുന്ന ശുശ്രൂഷ 
യേശുവിന്റെ  ശുശ്രൂഷയെ മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്നതിൽ ശിഷ്യന്മാർ തുടരെ പരാജയപ്പെടുന്നുണ്ട്. യേശു രാജാവാകുന്നതും അവന്റെ അധികാരം പങ്കിട്ടാനന്ദിക്കുന്നതും അവർ സ്വപ്നം കാണുന്നുണ്ട്. ഈ വൈകാരികസ്ഥിതിയിൽ താൻ പിടിക്കപ്പെടുമെന്നും യഹൂദമത നേതൃത്വം തന്നെ ക്രൂശിക്കാൻ ഏൽപ്പിക്കുമെന്നുമുള്ള യേശുവിന്റെ വാക്കുകൾ അവർക്ക് ഉൾക്കൊള്ളുവാൻ സാധികുന്നില്ല. യേശുവിന്റെ ജീവിതവും, ദർശനവും, ശുശ്രൂഷകളും അവർക്ക് എന്നും ദുർഗ്രഹമായിരുന്നു എന്ന്  സുവിശേഷങ്ങളിൽ നാം വായിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. ശിഷ്യന്മാരുടെ പരാജയാനുഭവങ്ങൾ തന്റെ വായനക്കരുടെയും അനുഭവമാകാനുള്ള അപകട സാദ്ധ്യത  സുവിശേഷകൻ  ദർശിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. യേശുവിന്റെ ശിഷ്യന്മാരെന്നവകാശപ്പെടുമ്പോഴും അവൻ നമുക്കിന്നും ദുർഗ്രഹനായി തുടരുന്നു. കുരിശിലേക്ക് നടക്കുന്ന യേശു പാപത്തിന്റെ മഹാ ആഘാതങ്ങളെ തന്റെ ശരീരത്തിലേക്ക് ഏറ്റെടുക്കുകയാണ്. തനിക്ക് നേരിടുന്ന പിഢയും, മരണവും, തള്ളിപ്പറയലും എല്ലാം ഏറ്റെടുക്കുന്ന സഹനം അത്ഭുതകരമാണ്. മനുഷ്യരിൽ നിന്നും മനുഷ്യരിലേക്ക് വ്യാപരിക്കുന്ന പാപത്തിന്റെ പരിക്രമണത്തെ തന്റെ മരണം കൊണ്ടവൻ പിടിച്ച് നിർത്തുകയാണ്. ക്രിസ്തു ശിഷ്യരുടെ മരണാനുഭവങ്ങളെ വരിക്കുവാനുള്ള മനസ്സൊരുക്കത്തിലാണ് ക്രിസ്തു വീണ്ടും ജീവിക്കുന്നത്. 
ക്രിസ്തു ഇന്ന് നമുക്ക് ദുര്ഗ്രഹമായ നിഗൂഢതയാണോ? അതോ അനുകരണത്തിനായി നമ്മെ വെല്ലുവിളിക്കുന്ന ദൈവിക നന്മകളുടെ ഏറ്റവും ലളിതമായ ആവിഷ്കാരമാണോ? ഗുരു നമുക്ക് മുൻപേ നടന്ന് പോകുന്നു; അനുഗമനത്തിന്റെ ശക്തിക്കായി നമുക്ക് പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കാം. 

Melchizedek : Reimagining the Order of Ministry

Melchizedek : Reimagining the Order of Ministry

The order of Melchizedek finds very brief mention in the Bible. Only at three places does it find explicit mention, viz, Gen 14: 18-20, Psalm 110; 4 and Hebrews chapters 5-7. But this brief appearance of Melchizedek can not be easily dismissed as a shadowy figure from the distant past. It is very much part of a living tradition that has historical and theological significance. The Israelites commemorated this tradition throughout the history of their existence as a people countering the cultic Levitical priesthood. As it can be easily assumed from the etymology of the term, Melchizedek combines two important aspects of the leadership in ancient Israel society namely, the priestly and the kingly. The priestly dimension of this leadership always stands in opposition to the cultic Levitic priesthood mentioned in the priestly writings of the Old Testament.  The character that appears in genesis 14 verse 18, who encounters Abram in his victory march, is the king of Salem. What is interesting here is that Abram the father of the nations spontaneously offers the tithe of his loot to the king of Salem. This incident has become the theme of reflection and rereading in other parts of the writings of the scripture later on. The writers of Psalm 110 and Hebrews interpreted Melchizedek rather in messianic terms.[1]

The tradition and etymology

Melchizedek remains as a mysterious figure. His priest/king status signifies that Canaanite kingship was understood as a sacral/political office. Israel too might have drawn meaning from this tradition already existed in the later periods of their history. Melchizedek in the history of Israel might have been viewed as the precursor of both priestly and royal lines of offices in the Davidic kingdom. David’s kingship is sometimes seen as combining these two aspects of the leadership as we see david sometimes taking up the priestly responsibility of showing incense. T. K. Thomas puts it thoughtfully by saying that the first priest ever mentioned in the Bible is neither a Jew nor a Christian; means God establishes God’s priesthood in a distinct order that will never be allowed to be captivated by any human made categories.[2] The initiation of this order comes from God and the basis of this vocation is not the parentage but the oath/promise that God does (Ps 110:4).

Minister mediates the reciprocity of blessing and “tithing”

In Genesis 14 he is mentioned as the King of Salem. As drawing from the etymology of the terms Bruggemann commends that he is the king of Uprightness/Righteousness and Peace. The usage seen in the Mar Thoma Thaksa has correspondence with this meaning of uprightness. Melchizedek’s bringing of bread and wine to refresh the battle-drained Abram is also very significant and cannot be trivialized as a mere offering of food and drink. It cannot be separated from the blessing that follows. At the first instance it is a blessing on Abram by the Creator God. Secondly it blesses God in a direct address; as it implies a  praise and thanks giving for their deliverance from a common enemy. In both instances the blessing increases power and renown. It at the same time bestows strength on Abraham and also increases the renown of God in the world.[3] What is offered through the bread and wine is friendship, hospitality, life and nourishment. A priest of the order of Melchizedek must primarily be aware of the task of nourishing the lives of the people entrusted by God.

It in all its form and depth represents a precursor of a ritual meal and worship, where both dimensions of the blessing suggested earlier in this study is pronounced. The blessing and tithing are acts that always reciprocate in the Jewish and Christian worships. Tithing in this instance rather serves as an act of worship than simply as a military political settlement. Thus the reciprocating acts of blessing and tithing entailed in worship nourished the life of the worshipper and the community to which he belongs

.

Minister encounters the worshipper with the divine name

Though the role of Melchizedek in this episode is not clearly mentioned as Mark G. Brett points it out that, this Canaanite Priest/King plays a crucial part in supplying the divine name that Abram takes up later on in verse 21.[4] El Elyon stands for “God the Most High.” It is the tithing act that was prompted by the presence of Melchizedek that introduces this divine name to Abram. After a victory over the 5 Kings, who earlier defeated the 4 other great kings, Abraham could have been taken to a very arrogant self image. But the encounter with Melchizedek helps him to be humble before God Most High.

In the midst of all the violent military actions and political movements the concern for the family is not lost. It is evidenced in Abram’s care for his nephew Lot. But it is not only Lot who was redeemed through the raids conducted by Abram but the whole community of people subjugated by the unjust kings. Peace and well-being of the communities is emphasised and all including the insiders and the outsiders join hands in the rescue act of the family of Creator God. The worship led by Melchizedek celebrates this wellbeing of Individuals and communities created and sustained by God.

Minister embodies the Indestructibility of life

A comparison of the Levitical priesthood with that of the priestly order of Melchizedek is made possible by the writer of the Hebrews. The presentation of the Melchizedek’s priesthood as from nowhere to nowhere is said to be a literary technique to announce the eternity of this priesthood against the biologically limited priesthood exercised by the Levites depending on the approved parentage and genealogy.[5] Christ’s being a “melchizedek priest” is not a matter of lineage or tradition or succession but of likeness and similarity to Melchizedek. If Christ’ similarity to the order of the “melchizedek priesthood” is not by the descent; it is clearly put as because of “the power of the indestructible life” (v16 of Heb ch7). [6] As it is mentioned earlier the Melchizedek imagery remained in the Israelite tradition as a perpetual ideal type that always challenged both the religious and political leadership by setting standards of uprightness and peace. The faith in the power of the indestructibility of the life is that which made Jesus different and political in his comparison with his contemporaries. He was daring enough to challenge those powers which can destroy only the body with this indestructible power of life. The perpetuity mentioned about the priesthood of Melchizedek does not depend upon the parental lineage but on the oath or promise that God had made about it. the person who is in the order of Melchizedek is not living for himself or herself but make this perpetual order to live perpetually. Paul says, “it is not me but Christ lives in me”.

Minister perfects the people as the children of God

Heb 7: 11-12

Here the question of perfection appears. Whose perfection? The mention is about the perfection of the people, whom the priest serves for God. “The ineffectiveness of Levitical priesthood lay in its inability to “perfect” the people.”[7] The law also failed in perfecting people as the children of God. Perfection implies the right relationship with God. The priestly activities of sacrifice, sanctification etc also point to this reality of right relationship with God. This has resemblance with the idea of theosis that underlies all the theological understandings and liturgical celebrations of the Eastern Church. The sacraments in the Eastern Church are Liturgical events that initiate us to formation as the children of God. Unlike the western idea of sin and fallen nature of human, it emphasises the potential of the human to be nourished into the status of God’s children and in right relationship with God. This aspect of the role of the clergy is expected in the ordination certificate of the Mar Thoma Clergy Towards the end where blessings and prayers for the candidate pronounced, “ We pray that he may be granted the divine grace to lead many to salvation offered to all mankind by the Incarnation, Cross and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The writer of Hebrews puts Christ as the leader of the salvation for the world (2: 10ff). Christ’s sufferings and death gains glory not only for him but also for “many children”.

Conclusion

The priestly office is often considered as delivering certain patterned duties entrusted by the traditions. As the days go by the priest looses the joy of serving the people and God as life becomes repetitions of cycles. Eventually it looses all excitements and becomes a shallow and less sensitive experience. Here the order of Melchizedek comes as a new challenge shaking us off our slumber to explore new and relevant models of ministry for our times. It calls our attention to the reality that ministry happens in the context of a constant encounter with the socio-political realities in which the life of our people are embedded. Primarily it demands a courage that believes in the indestructibility of life and thereby a sincere yearning for peace and uprightness. It should always be a meditative experience where the reciprocity of God’s blessings and the worshipper’s gift to God are carefully maintained. The minister needs to feel the transformative experience of Christ-likeness in being a leader of salvation for the people and must be able to perfect the people in the experience of being the children of God. The all important responsibility of introducing the divine name to the worshipper should be something that radiates from the life, beliefs and choices of the minister than his/her proclamation.

Rev. Jacob P. Thomas

Dharma Jyoti Vidya Peeth

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[1] Leander E. Keck, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol 1, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994, p 439.

[2] T.K. Thomas, “Melchizedek, King and Priest: an Ecumenical Paradigm?”, Bangalore Theological Forum, 31/2 (December, 1999) 

[3] Leander E. Keck, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol-1, Nashville: Abingdon, 1994, p 440.

[4] Mark G. Brett, Genesis: Procreation and the Politics of Identity, London: Routledge, 2000, p 55.

[5] Leander E. Keck, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol-XII, Nashville; Abingdon, 1998, p. 87.

[6] Walter Bruggemann, “Genesis” in Interpretation; a Bible Commentary for teaching and  Preaching, Westminster: John Knox Press, 1982, 296.

[7] Leander E. Keck. The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol-XII, Nashville: Abingdon, 1998, p. 89.

The ‘scandal’ of Christmas: A Christmas Devotion

The ‘scandal’ of Christmas

St Luke 2:1-20

Key verses:

“And she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for him in the inn.”(v.7)

“The angel of the lord stood before them, and the glory of the lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” (v.9)

“…Mary treasured … and pondered…” (v.19)

“The shepherds returned… praising ... glorifying…” (v.20)

To put it straight, Christmas is the coming down of God to assume humanness in all its totality; with its strengths as well as weaknesses. As such, the divine visitation was not unexpected; scriptures say the whole Israel was waiting for the coming of messiah. Clearly speaking, they were awaiting the messiah in the lineage of David, who was expected to reestablish the glorious Davidic kingdom. But the scandal of the Christmas is that, it turned the human expectations upside down. The nucleus of the ‘scandal’ of Christmas lies in the fact that the divine splendor, which transcends the whole created universe, was revealed in the innocence of the baby at the manger in Bethlehem. The political situation of the Roman Palestine must be taken into the serious consideration to comprehend the totality of the scandal the narrator is trying to create. The situation in the entire roman world was that, by the enthronement of Caesar Augustus, a new era of Peace was dawned, which is usually known as the Pax Romana. This peace was not as the result of the experience of welfare and contentment by the people of varying ethnicities and religious affiliations. But it was clearly because of the intimidating tactics of the mighty Roman Empire, which silenced every voice of independence and free imagination. Luke unlike Matthew tries to put Jesus’ birth in the simplest possible terms to contrast it with the unrighteous pomp and luxury of the empire. There is no visit of the Magi here, not many people realize the uniqueness of the baby in the manger as the future King as in Matthew. The emphasis is very much on the ordinariness of the baby.  One of the important aspects highlighted in the story of Jesus’ birth is the content of the angelic proclamation. The good news the angels proclaims is about the hope of redemption of the whole earth and peace as a gift from God for those who please God through their lives; especially for those who are at the fringes and margins.

The ‘scandal’ of “no room”

The brief but clear description of the birth of Jesus is very much down to earth than that is in Matthew. Jesus’ ordinary parents are seen struggling very hard to pull their life ahead. They are said to be brought to Bethlehem by force of the mighty Roman Empire. The census could be for the purpose of taxation as it used to happen in the provinces of Roman dominion. Whether it was mandatory for the pregnant Mary to travel all the way to Bethlehem to show herself for the census is bit doubtful. But one thing that we have to take note of here is the intension of the writer to link historic incidents of Roman world of the time is not to heighten the historic value of the narration, but to depict the pathetic picture of brokenness of ordinary human beings in the Roman Palestine. The ordinary Palestinian homes were said to be a one room affair. The Greek word used in verse7 (kataluma), translated as ‘inn’ in English bible signifies a one room typical Palestinian home of that time. It may resemble the present day adivasi homes of India, where one corner of the room is used for cooking, another to sleep, another one for dining and yet another one to store meager agricultural produces, if at all there are any. The problem of no room was not simply a problem faced only by Jesus’ parents at the time of his birth. But this was a problem commonly faced by the pregnant mothers of the place at the time of their delivery. Thus Jesus shares in the common predicament of the socio-economic deprivations of the ordinary Palestinians. Here the picture of God, sharing in the predicament of the ordinary human beings is indeed a great scandal. The creator God does not simply abandon God’s creation to its brokenness, but God by being a helpless child lying in the trough of the manger assumes the vulnerability of the creation to redeem it. The Bible is full of narratives describing the ‘scandal’ of God being vulnerable to be a redeemer to the whole world.

The ‘scandal’ of tumbling priorities

Luke’s narration of the story of birth of Jesus progresses into another scandal, because of the choice of the shepherds to be the first receivers of the good news of the birth. Shepherds were outcastes in the Palestinian Jewish society. Because of their particular spatial location, they were far removed from the socio-political happenings of the Roman Palestine. In a way they were least bothered about the socio-political changes in the country as those changes were not going to have any positive impact on their lives. The place of birth of Jesus was not far away from the station of the shepherds watching over the sheep during the night. The mention, “in that region”, about the location of the shepherds(v 8), points to the fact that in spatial terms also, Jesus’ birth was his identification with the marginalization of the shepherds. The spatial location of the shepherds was always at the fringes or outside the gates. God opts for the manger at the margin of the Roman, Jewish, Palestinian city as the location of Jesus’ birth. The night also signifies the hopelessness with which the shepherds had to live. Luke’s narration of the event of angelic proclamation clearly describes the brightening of the life situations of the shepherds. The glory of the Lord is said to be shone around the shepherds (v 9). The glory and pomp of the lords whom the shepherds have experienced in their lifetime never had any kind of redeeming effect on their lives. But their glory was always at the cost of the welfare of the ordinary men and women like the shepherds. Here they are greeted by the good news of the birth of a new Lord, whose glory really illuminates their otherwise darkened lives.

The priorities of God thereby tumble the priorities of the empire. When shepherds are the last to be informed of the happenings in the empire in Roman Palestine, in God’s reign they become the first to hear the good news regarding the birth of Jesus. They are also invited to be part of the celebration.

The scandal of God-centered celebration

Rome had a lot of emphasis on celebrating events of imperial importance. These were life-denying and emperor centered celebrations. A lot of innocent lives were taken literally for no reason and the village resources are mercilessly drained to fuel the pomp and majesty of the celebrations. The religious celebrations of the temple cult were also discriminatory as the poor Galileans found the long journey tiresome and expensive. Whenever they approached the ‘immaculate’ temple and its priestly leadership they were constantly reminded of their inadequacy to be considered as complete human persons. Thus the shepherds had nothing to do with the celebrations initiated by the political and religious aristocracy of the place. Here an invitation extended to the shepherds, to be part of a God-centered celebration, by the angel becomes another scandal. God is not pictured as an unapproachable reality residing in the holy of holy place with a very wide and irreconcilable gap in between the devotee and Godself. Instead the shepherds are informed of the presence of God in the sign of a new born wrapped up in bands of cloth.  The initial response to the divine revelation was shock and awe. The bible records this as the standard response of the people to the experiences of divine manifestations. This shock, I think, has to be considered as a kind of awakening. It is an awakening of the shepherds from their life in compromise with the oppression and complacency. The shepherds were not led into anything unfamiliar, but to very familiar settings of a typical Palestinian birth. There is no mention about them spotting anything extraordinary in the child. But they had a sharing and an experience of fellowship with the people at the manger. Their encounter with the child had brought a new mood in their life. We see them, returning by singing praises and glorifying God for all they have experienced. They are really into a God-centered celebration. One thing we have to note here is that, this is not a kind of irrational making of sounds and noises. There celebration initiates the formation of a new community of faithful who anchor the hope of the wider community of the coming of Messiah. Mary as part of this community celebrating the hope of the messiah treasures the words and ponders them in her heart. Thereby she finds this god-centered celebration as a continuation of her faith journey than the momentary ecstatic celebrations of the Roman Empire, which lacks any clear purpose.

Conclusion

Christians are called into a ‘scandalous’ ministry!

The first Christians in the Roman Empire and the Jewish community were addressed as a scandalous group. This was because of the fact that they were challenging the prevailing life-negating values of the empire and the religion. The God-centered church was always reminiscent of God’s impending Judgement on the Life denying empire. At the root of the scandalous ministry of the church was their God-centeredness. This choice of God-centeredness many a time put them in strict opposition to the life-negating values of the empire. They opted to stand firm at the face of persecution than compromising to the injustices promoted by the empire. In today’s world the church is encountering with varying situations of emergence of new kinds of imperialism, which dictates the lives of our people and denies them the freedom to be themselves. A lot of people are denied of any space in our social system to build their lives up. Their needs and issues are not considered by the authorities as they occupy the last rungs in the list of priorities. For the majority, life remains as an irresolvable puzzle than a celebration of life. Why the church is not creating scandals today by stepping into the solution of issues in the lives of ordinary men and women, who are sidelined by suggesting their social inadequacy? Why the celebrations initiated by the church do not transmit hope to the thousands of hopeless around us? May this time of celebration be also a time ‘to treasure the words and ponder them in our hearts.’

Incarnation: an Expression of the Beauty of Body

Incarnation: an expression of the beauty of Body

John’s Gospel depicts incarnation beautifully as “the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (John 1: 14). In our theological talks we usually make a distinction between spiritual and carnal dimensions of life. This is not a neutral way of seeing things, but as we make this distinction between these two aspects our existence we add value to each and make one superior to the other. As one would rightly infer, it is always the spiritual that is given a superior status over the carnal, which many a times is regarded as something that has a sinful inclination. The world could not ever think about the flesh becoming this beautiful as John reports it in his gospel.

But in the Old Testament narrations of bodily existence, especially when it talks about the creation, we come to realize life as a result of the indwelling of the divine in the body (Gen. 2:7). God breathes life into the body and thus human become a living being. And in this being Spirit and body has hardly any distinctions but they are seen as going together as a unit. But it speaks about occasions in which this divine breath is displaced by the evil (Genesis 6:3, 1samuel 18:10), which makes the human lose their divine image imprinted in them by the master Creator. We see the bodily existence becoming very ugly in such occasions. Therefore the OT presents body as a gift and blessing from God. Body is also seen as the medium that carries the divine mandates of caring for God’s creation as a whole. Body helps the human realize the interconnectedness of life. It speaks to one through the experience that life suffering at a point in the vast network on this earth brings sufferings to the whole created order. It is through the body only we feel that we are part of vast matrix of life created and sustained by God the Creator.

But it was the Greek philosophical thoughts that become widespread towards the latter part of the 4^th century BCE (especially through the conquest of Alexander the Great in and around Palestine ca. 322 BCE), which initiated a very negative attitude towards body. Gnosticism was one of the major Greek philosophical strands and it talked about knowledge (Gnosis) as the core of the existence of our being. And this knowledge was not something that the human acquired through the experiences of their bodily existence, but it was a knowledge that had to come from above and release the being from the captivity of the body. Therefore the Greek philosophical schools emerged to train the people in acquiring this celestial knowledge to lead them to salvation. Body or flesh in Greek thoughts were expressed as bondages that we experience as we exist and every being is said to be longing for that perfect knowledge to get released from their bodies.

John the gospel writer pens his gospel in a context like this, where the body was seen negatively as something that each being has to overcome. When the dominant philosophy of the dominant religion of the time talks about salvation and fullness as a movement away from the body, he wants to counter it by saying that salvation on the contrary is a movement towards body. God in Jesus moves towards body to make its existence beautiful and complete. The word“Incarnation” connotes this movement of God towards body (In-Carnation or into the body). According to John, Incarnation is an incessant movement of God towards the world (Ch. 1: 10). That movement keeps on happening eternally as God loves the world through God’s only son eternally (John 3:16).

John wrote the gospel in a world governed by a dictatorial government that unleashed horrendous violence on the bodies of the men and women of that time. And it justified such violations using the philosophies that negated the value of body. Many bodies were thrashed down, many were discriminated on the basis of their “imperfections” in terms of color, ritual impurities, disabilities etc. The time and cultural context of the writing of this gospel had an obsession with perfection of the bodies. The understanding that led to such an overemphasis on perfection of body was that only a perfect body in ideal ritualistic settings can contact the divine. People with bodily infirmities and ritual uncleanliness were not allowed to enter the temples and worshipping places in those times. The whole rituals and the worships were attempts do away with the imperfections of the body. While the animal sacrifices were done, they made it sure that no animal with any imperfections are sacrificed.

But incarnation brought new understandings on the bodily existence. Incarnation was historically experienced as a search of God after the shattered bodies. In his gospel John presents a lot of bodies which were broken, discriminated and declared ritually unclean. Jesus, God’s incarnation, depicted in the gospel renders healing, completeness and moreover holiness to all the bodies he touches or encounters. Incarnation makes God one among our bodies. It makes God vulnerable as we see Jesus’ body been crushed eventually at the cross.  But on the other hand God’s holiness and wholeness become something contagious and it presents body as a real blessing from God. Jesus’ acts of healing, casting of demons, forgiveness of sins, feeding of the bodies, touching the bodies, blessing the bodies were all acts that redeemed the blessedness of bodies that was created by God. Incarnation in short affirms the goodness of body and it declares that life becomes beautiful when bodily existence is taken seriously.

How do we deal with our bodies now a days? Many times we do employ a narcissistic approach towards body. Our body is our own and it has to be kept sanitized from all outside intrusions that pollute it. We hate pain and troubles, we hate proximity unless it benefits us and we love to resign from everything to remain disengaged. We love leisure than involvements, thus our attempt in these days is to make the body as much as “comfortable” as it can be. But incarnation left for us a paradigm of engagement, where we get proximate to our neighbors risking us to be hurt by the “harshness” of our neighbors in an attempt make our bodies as well as the bodies of our neighbor whole. This paradigm tend to ask the most pertinent question in these discussion, that is nothing but why we have our bodies? God’s gift of Body is definitely with a particular purpose of God. The biological nature of body is, it wears as it grows older. But as it grows and wears God intends it to contribute to the nourishment of bodies around. Jesus speaks about the wheat grains and says “unless the grain fall and die it will remain single and if it falls and dies it will bring forth many grains.” We are gifted with the body to live in this body as a living sacrifice to the Lord of the body, so that the bodies created by God in this world will be enriched. It makes the body and its existence meaningful and of course beautiful.

Conversion as a Transformed Vision of Power and Authority

Conversion as a Transformed Vision of Power and Authority

Homily on Acts 19:1-20

The narration of conversion of Paul is thrice repeated in the Acts of Apostles in chapters 9, 22 and 26. It means that it is an important model event of transformation that runs through the whole Lukan narration of the life and conversions of the early church and gives the reader a vantage point to see how a new power discourse rooted in the divine help the transformation of persons. The Conversion of Paul signifies very clearly a change of perception in the understanding of power. We read in the passage that Saul had secured power and authority to persecute the Christians living in the midst of diaspora Jews in Damascus. Power is an important theme that is substantially dealt within the Lukan writings on the history of early church. There are instances of misunderstanding the divine power in other writings of Luke in Acts. There is mention about a certain Simon the magician in Samaria in Acts 8: 18ff trying to bribe Peter and John to receive the power of God. This perception of commoditized and commercialized power stands against the biblical understanding of power as something coming from God and going back to God. Peter and John are seen rebuking Simeon for reducing God’s power of transformation as something transactional in monetary terms. For young Saul power and authority meant the official consent to destroy that which is different and hence threatening to the homogenized religiosity of Jews. His intention was therefore to manipulate the power entrusted to earthly institutions such as High Priest by God to torture the poor followers of Christ, which was originally meant to exercise its resources and power to the service of the poor and marginalised. The biblical revelation of divine always occurs in the context of persecution due to the hegemonic build up of power dictating the destiny for certain people by tampering with their future that God offers them. The divine revelation to Moses and therefore to the Hebrew people is an instance of a counter discourse of power rooted in the divine to that of the hegemonic power imposed on them by Pharaoh. God intervenes in such situations by blinding those who wield power to destroy people. This blinding is not simply to destroy them but to help them have self reflexive introspection to deconstruct the hegemonic notions of power. If somebody is not able to manage this blindness in creative ways that will lead them to total destruction as it had happened in the case of the Pharaoh. Here in this passage revelation of Jesus, whom Paul was trying to persecute, is the revelation of divine power that would counter the power that destroys the different expressions of faith other than Jewish, in God. The blindness that engulfs Paul is too symbolic that it primarily denotes a divine interference with the power discourses that unmindfully destroys the lives of innocent people. And it also signifies the veiling of common sense perceptions on power as something repressing the differences and the opportunity for self reflexivity and new insights for those who exercise power.

Paul’s conversion ultimately is a change in perception of power that he exercised. He could understand that it is not a license to manipulate situations to push through someone’s selfish agendas. But it is the resourcefulness God entrusts someone to fulfill the divine imperatives that is linked to the building up of lives of the poor and marginalised. Thus Paul a staunch practitioner of Pharisaic faith transforms to the apostle of Gentiles, a servant of God ready to sacrifice his very own life to extend God’s love to the people beyond the boundaries of Palestine to the ends of earth.

Our call as servants of God today involves this aspect of managing the power and authority in the respective responsibilities we undertake or going to undertake. What will be modality in which we are going to deal with such situations of exercising power and authority? Is it the modality of Jesus who had seen his authority as the freedom to cross the repressive boundaries that created and sustained by the hegemonic power discourses of his time and dared to be called the friend of the sinners? Is it the modality of Paul who saw power and authority as the freedom to reach out the people beyond the boundaries of the conventional salvation history in divine compassion and love and dared to be called the apostle of the gentiles? Power is bivalent in the sense that it is both repressive and creative. It is our perception of power that is going to decide how we are going to use power. Are we realizing divine interventions in our midst many a time blinding us so that we may respond with kind and constructive acts rooted in a transformed vision of power and authority that God entrusts us?  May the triune God initiate such transformed visions of power and authority in us.

Amen.

A Reflection on the Gracious, Nurturing Meal

Genesis 14: 17-24

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

This is a strange or rather odd passage in the body of the patriarchal narratives. Strange in the sense that in no other places in the whole patriarchal narratives, Abram the great father of Israel’s faith in YHWH is presented as a warrior. Abram in the Patriarchal narrative is generally a figure that understands the contexts of life and avoids the development of a polemical relationship with the neighbors. The historicity of the persons and places in this narration is difficult to precisely fix. Four eastern kings go to war against pentapolis, ie, the five cities or five kings. These cities were said to been under the subjugation of Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam. Therefore it can be assumed that this war was a revolt to declare the freedom from political oppression. It also reflects the ancient west Asian history of frequent imperial aggressions, subjugations and spiraling violence. The mention of the five kings including the King of Sodom where Lot, Abram’s nephew, resided is to highlight the ruthlessness of the power of the four kings who defeat them in the war. But then they in turn are defeated by Abram with the help of only 318 odd men again highlighting the greatness of the deliverance act led by the Patriarch. This passage can be read in many ways, and mostly it has been read to highlight the nature of priestly vocation that Melchizedek represents. Since this passage is also seen as a precursor to the Holy Communion I would like to read it in that line. Abram and the accompanying men chased the kings and defeated them through strategic interventions. They could redeem all the goods and riches captured by the enemy Kings. Their arrival to the valley of Shaveh or the King’s valley was indeed a victory procession with all its probable pomp and pride. Now the team of victors is encountered by two people in the narrative; The King of Sodom and the king of Salem. Genesis 14: 17-24 deals with these meeting of kings with Abram.  The nature and outcome of these two meetings had been extremely contradictory. I would like to focus on the intricacies of these meetings to develop a few points for our reflection.

Holy Communion is the celebration of Reciprocal Circulation of God’s Blessing

Melchizedek as the etymology of the term denotes, combines two important offices in the ancient west Asian communities; the office of the priest and the office of the King. Melchizedek has mention at least in three places in the Bible including this passage. The other instances are Psalm 110; 4 and Hebrews chapters 5-7.  Melchizedek cannot be dismissed as a distant shadowy figure from the past. But it was an ideal type that was kept and celebrated throughout the history of the Israelites to counter the aberrations in the Levite cultic priesthood historically practiced in Israel and even in its political leadership. The etymology of King of Shalom can also be derived as the King of uprightness/righteousness and peace. This aspect is reflected in the prayer in our thaksa when he is characterized as “vedippulla purohitanaya melchizedek.”In the Canaanite traditions Kingship is understood as a sacral/political office. Melchizedek is viewed as the precursor of leadership in both royal and priestly lines. T. K. Thomas in BTF writes “by saying that the first priest ever mentioned in the Bible is neither a Jew nor a Christian; means God establishes God’s priesthood in a distinct order that will never be allowed to be captivated by any human made categories.”[1] Bible places priesthood in a more broad and general plane of the whole created order. The origin of Melchizedek’s line of priesthood pre-exists that of any Judaeo-Christian origins of priesthood. Melchizedek greets Abraham in the name of El Elyon- God Most High. The bringing of a meal to battle-drained Abraham by Melchizedek was followed by a blessing. That blessing was in fact a blessing on Abraham by the creator God. In verse 19 we see this blessing uttered as “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth.” It is interesting to note here the fact that Abram’s pride of a victor of the war was humbled by the presentation of a meal. The refreshing meal to the battle-exhausted Abram and his men points them towards God’s gracious providences that nourish life. Eventually it places the victory against the kings in God’s gracious providence and life sustaining power. Therefore the whole community is enabled to see the deliverance as a blessing of God. That means God is blessed by the worshippers for God’s mighty acts of deliverance. The power that worked the deliverance has really come from God. Abram reciprocates the blessing with the offering of the tithe. It is in fact an acknowledgement of God’s blessing in the life of his family and in the life’s of Amorite brothers and other neighboring communities who accompanied him in the battle. Here the blessing is seen to be circulating between God, Melchizedek, Abram and the people and environment associated with them. Therefore the meal in which Abram and his men participate becomes a precursor of the Holy Meal in which the circulation of the divine blessings in the life of the people is celebrated.  The liturgy of the Holy Qurbana, very well describes life as an experience of mutual blessing. When the priest utters the blessings of the triune God, the congregation reciprocates the blessing. The mission of the church at its core has been the extension of this communion to peoples and communities. Here the direction of the blessing does not privilege any one over the other, but a constant interflow of the blessing between God, the worshipper and the neighbor makes it a continuum. It can further be seen as a reflection of the perichoretic movement within the trinity.

Holy Communion is the Celebration of the power of God to provide always and in all ways

The first one to meet Abram and his men according to the narrative of the text is the king of Sodom. But the meeting of the King Melchizedek takes precedence over this meeting. The details of the former’s meeting are described later towards the end of this narrative only. It may not be an accident but a deliberate crafting by the writer to highlight the importance of the second encounter over the former. The king of Sodom in this text represents the imperial motive to capture, possess and subjugate than be open to share the blessings. According to Terence E Fretheim, the King of Sodom is concerned simply about the power of the men who won the battle and the disposition of the booty of the war. His offer of the whole booty to Abraham in exchange of his men may appear as his magnanimity to share the riches with Abraham. But Fretheim says that it is not the case. By putting claim on the men, the king of Sodom in fact is putting his claim on the power that brought the victory and booty. The possession of the men will be followed by the possession of the booty as a major share of it belongs to them. The empire desires that there should not be any power over its absolute power of dominion. The king’s attempt is nothing but to tame this new exposition of power to be manipulated lately to achieve his purposes. Here the power is conceived as self originating in the empire and not as something entrusted from God for common good, as is expressed through the words of Melchizedek. But Abram resists this attempt to tame the expression of divine power by refusing to accept the offer of the booty from the king. He spells clearly that the king cannot have the claim on the deliverance that he and the whole community has experienced but it is an outcome of the manifestation of power of God.

The carefully crafted ascent to power of Narendra Modi was analyzed effectively by a report came in Pachkuthira. Written by Kamalram Sajeev and titled Maadhyamangalude Bimba Nirmithi. It speaks about the way people, media and capital have been manipulated to create an image of absolute and self originating power centre in the person of Modi to effect an electoral victory. The most dangerous and disturbing truth about this new politics is that the power of the ruler in a democratic political order is no more emerging from the constitutional framework or public morality, but from a combination of personal moral authority and the corporate and a majoritarian communal endorsement of that imposing morality.

Holy Meal is an occasion of encountering God Most High, one who nourishes life over the whole face of Earth. Melchizedek greets Abram in the name of God Most High. Here Holy Communion provides the faith community with an alternate vision of power that originates from God and extends to all creation. Holy Communion comes also as a pledge to God as Abraham points it out to the King of Sodom that “I have sworn to the Most High that I would not take a thread or sandal-thong”. It is a pledge to ever remain as the agent God’s justice and peace for the whole world. The occasion was not taken up as an opportunity to establish hegemony or to make one extremely rich. But Abraham takes it as an issue of justice as he talks about the just sharing of the resources to restore and refresh the broken lives of the people who had to bear the brunt of the excesses of the war.

If the communion is not bringing a vision of just sharing of resources, we become people who hold back the blessings. Who take pride in the deliverance but fail to replicate it in our surroundings. Let us take the vow to carry the energy of Holy Communion to the world to bless the world in the name of God Most High and also to be blessed by its goodness.

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[1] T.K. Thomas, “Melchizedek, King and Priest: an Ecumenical Paradigm?”, Bangalore Theological Forum, 31/2 (December, 1999)