While skeptics attempt to degrade the gospel account of Jesus’ birth and subsequent life, death and resurrection, none can deny the phenomenal impact of this man on all history. A child born to a poor family from an obscure village who suffered an ignoble death at the hands of the Romans became the centerpiece of civilization, with the very calendar readjusted in acknowledgement of his arrival. Jesus remains the most talked about, debated, contested, loved, loathed and feared figure the world has ever seen, with more written about him in sacred and secular literature than any other historical person. The influence of this Nazarene carpenter was unprecedented, and his high social and ethical ideals continue to inspire and challenge us. And the message of peace, reconciliation, hope and joy for all people that accompanied his birth is one which seems as relevant today as in that little village of Bethlehem two thousand years ago.
Yes, ever since the gospel of Jesus Christ was introduced into the world some 2000 years ago, this message of love, peace, truth and salvation has gone on to touch the hearts and minds of millions of people all over the world. Many around the world believed and continue to believe that Jesus Christ is God and that he was exactly who he claimed to be. But even if Jesus Christ was a fraud or a person who was not who he claimed to be, still then we cannot deny the impact he had had on the world. Even if Jesus Christ was a fraud or a liar, it still makes him the most successful liar or fraud in human history. This is so because many have died believing in Christ. Many are still dying believing and preaching his gospel around the world.
Believers say that Jesus Christ was fully man as well as fully God. And when we say this we do not mean that He was 50 % man and 50 % God… but that he was 100 % man as well as 100 % God. Yes, I believe that separating the man and god in Jesus has been a very real issue. This is so because almost all will agree and admit that Jesus Christ is undoubtedly the most unprecedented and influential historical personality the world has ever seen and perhaps will ever see. All will also agree that the teachings of Jesus have a fundamental and universal appeal that can touch, heal and change the hearts of any man irrespective of race, culture and historical affinity. But when it comes to the matter of Jesus as God incarnate, we have a different story to tell because many are unwilling to see Jesus Christ as someone divine. And here lies the demarcating line because according to the gospel, all these acknowledgements will come to nothing as long as one does not accept Christ as God incarnate and that He is the only true God that ever was, is and will be who has power even over man’s ultimate foe ‘death’. Likewise it would also be wrong to assume that Jesus was a godly man because Jesus was not a godly man - He is God.
Whenever Christmas, Good Friday or Easter Sunday comes, the President and the Prime Minister of India always greet the Christian community without fail. They say that Christmas signifies the coming of peace, love and hope, Good Friday signifies the supreme sacrifice of God on the cross for the atonement of human sin and that Easter Sunday signifies the victory of good over evil. We cannot say that these are wrong comments. But more often than not, it seems like the President and the Prime Minister greet the people not because they believe in Christ but rather because India is a secular country and they have to show their solidarity to the Christian community during these important occasions in the Christian calendar. From these observations, it becomes clear that Jesus Christ and his gospel message are no longer strangers to even people in non-Christian countries like India. However, the Bible says that simply knowing about Jesus and his gospel will not save us unless we believe. And here lies that separating line.
It is said that even Mahatma Gandhi was greatly influenced and inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ especially the ‘Sermon on the Mount’. It is also said that Mahatma Gandhi was the one prominent personality of the 20th century who resembled Christ the most even though Gandhi himself was never a Christian. Once Gandhi also said to the western missionaries working in India, “I like your Christ…but I don’t like you Christians”. Gandhi was also totally against the conversion efforts of the western missionaries. He said that “all religions are true… but all religions have some errors in them”. Yes, Gandhi was someone who would willingly speak of Jesus as a great man, a great teacher and an iconic personality. But Gandhi would never speak of Jesus as God or as someone divine…and there lies the separating line. In other words, Gandhi did not deny the life and teachings of Jesus. He also probably would not deny that Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross and that Christ died on a Roman cross. But someone like Gandhi certainly would never accept that Christ rose from the death. What a pity that one of the most iconic personalities of all times could not decipher the divinity and supreme authority of Christ Jesus!
For Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus was a great teacher and a great philosopher who practiced what he preached, the first and the most influential exponent of non-violence, the founder of the Christian religion and a man who had had an unprecedented impact in the history of the world. But in all his study, analysis and appreciation of Christ, Gandhi could never accept Christ as divine or as God. And for a believer in Christ, this was really like missing something astounding by a whisker.
While I was in Delhi pursuing my post-graduate study, I had a friend from Bihar. His name was Nishant Mandilvar. During the course of one of our conversations, he once told me how he used to be overcome with emotions and awe whenever he saw a statue of Christ hanging on the cross. He told me that this statue was situated at the entrance of a catholic church in Patna where he grew up. Even today, whenever I remember this utterance of Nishant, I am compelled to think that even the posture in which Christ was crucified on the cross is a message in itself which is so touching, so unique, divine, extraordinary, unprecedented, unimaginable and awe-inspiring.
Coming closer home, an issue that has come to plague the Naga churches is the mentality which says ‘my church is the best’. The Baptists think that their church is the best since it is the first and original church in Nagaland. The Revivals consider the Baptist church as a church lacking enthusiasm. Similarly, many Christians always tend to point fingers at the Catholic Church for its many so-called ceremonial rituals and its complicated hierarchical order. However, as long as we continue to have this mentality we are only victimizing ourselves in the name of Christianity as a religion and its many denominations. This is so because Religion is not going to save anybody. What really matters is that we follow a church (no matter what the denomination) that is truly based and rooted in the Bible. And what ultimately matters will be how close our walk with Christ is. Therefore, when we fight or ague over these matters, we are only making a fool of ourselves as we fight over non- issues only that will have no ultimate bearing whatsoever.
Yes, we are now living in the 21st century where information from one end of the world can reach the other end in a matter of seconds. And for the last many centuries, many inspired missionaries from different countries have also taken the gospel of Christ to the remotest parts of the earth. Moreover, due to the advancements made in the field of science and technology, human beings are now equipped with all sophisticated and efficient equipments by means of which we can communicate any thought and idea instantly to as many people as we want. As a result of all these, the name and gospel of Christ is no longer something strange or alien to any of us. But simply knowing this message would not be enough unless we believe… knowing the gospel of Christ but not believing has become a matter of life and death and would be like missing the word by a whisker……
