Own discipleship

What concern is it of yours?

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come?[a] What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” 23 [b]So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? [What concern is it of yours?]”24 It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them,[c] and we know that his testimony is true. 25 There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.-John21:20-25

What concern is it of yours? Anybody who hears this line would definitely be taken aback or cringe. But Jesus is teaching Peter that the latter's focus should be primarily in his own discipleship. Like Peter, Jesus is teaching us, too, to focus primarily in our own discipleship or our own soul. We do not remove the speck in another's eye, for we must first remove the log in ours to see better.

Image courtesy: artist

Mothers!

Stay humble. Stay in focus.

17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve [disciples] aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, 19 and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”20 Then the mother[b] of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. 21 He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking.[c] Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” 23 He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left [, this] is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. 26 But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; 27 whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. 28 Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom[d] for many.”-Matthew20:17-28

Mothers! Really! The many things a mother will do for her child. I cannot really blame the mother of James and John for asking such a request, after all, she only wants the best for her two sons. However, the kingdom of God is not according to our perceptions and expectations. It is not an Olympus or a magnificent place for the fabulous and the elite. The kingdom of God is all about love, humility, the cross, generosity, sacrifice, suffering and also joy. In the kingdom of God, the first and the great must be the servant and slave of all, willing to serve without counting the cost, willing to give up his/her life.

Image courtesy: Brooklyn Museum 

Fasting, Joy and Thanksgiving

Time for joy.

14 Then the disciples of John approached him and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.[a]-Matthew9:14-15

Jesus said it right, why must His disciples fast when the much awaited Messiah has come? Why fast when the purpose and reason for fasting is with us? But Jesus ascended into Heaven and He continues to dwell here with us, among us and within us. Therefore, the focus is no longer in fasting but in joy and thanksgiving that God is with us. However, Jesus never said we must not fast, thus, we continue it still not only externally (one full meal), but also internally. Fasting's real purpose is a connection to the Lord, a detachment from the self, and true reconciliation with God.

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What did he see?

What did he see?

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.' Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.-John20:1a,2-8

It made me wonder, what did he see? what did he believe? Did he believe that "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him?" Whatever the answer may be, it is all now moot. But what do we see? And what do we believe? As the Christmas season continues, along with the upcoming new year, what is Jesus' invitation for us to see in our lives? Nowadays, it is difficult to believe if there is no concrete evidence supporting it. Not only in science, but almost everywhere. Is it enough of a reason to discredit a person just because change is slow? Is it difficult to believe that our world can be better despite its chaos?

Image by: artist