THE SINGER OR THE SONG ??????????
Which is the more important, the ‘singer’ or the ‘ song’ ? It all depends on what we are looking for. But we can arrive at a point where we can decide. If it is the message that we are interested in, irrespective of the means by which we get that message; it could be either by SMS, by e-mail, by phone, by post or by any other media, as long as we get it … we thank God for it.
Unlike the Jews in the days of Jesus. They gave undue importance to the medium that passed on the message, and not to the spirit itself in the context. What? Is that man not Jesus, the son of Mary? Is He not the son of that carpenter? Is He not the chap who lives next door? Is He not the one who used to live in Nazareth? Is He not the man we used to play with as children?
As if the answer, to whatever, all these silly questions, will alter, will change the context of the message. It was in the spirit of their culture to put weight on the words spoken ONLY by the Rabbis. This, in fact was quoted by Christ Himself when He once told His hearers: “You remember what they used to tell you, or what is written, but I tell you…” Up to an extent we should not blame the Jews, for behaving like that, they had been brought up that way.
For this reason the Gospel highlights certain ‘original’ or ‘out of the ordinary’ questions put to Jesus. This shows that there existed people who had brains and were in search of the truth. Which seems to imply that what the Rabbis used to say was not always taken as ‘gospel truth’.
These things happened in the days of Jesus, and are still happening today, in this day and age, especially in the countries around the Mediterranean.
This Gospel text shows why the Jews rejected Jesus, and in rejecting Him, rejected eternal life. They judged things by human values and by external standards. The Jews argued with each other, between themselves. They were so taken up with their private arguments that it never struck them to refer to the decision of God. The Jews got used to ‘hearing’ but not to ‘listening’, and so they never learned. Christ did mention this point to them.
Quoting Jeremiah, 31:3: “With loving kindness have I drawn thee.” But the Jews resisted to the ‘drawing of God’. As the saying goes, “It takes two to tango”. It’s no use having a transmitter but no receiver. God is always with outstretched arm ready to welcome any one who appreciates and accepts. The good Lord is sending an open ‘invitation’ not only on daily basis, but with every heart beat. To refuse the offer of Jesus is to miss life in this world and in the world to come. Whereas to accept His offer is to find real life in this world and glory in the world to come.
Which is the more important, the ‘singer’ or the ‘ song’ ? It all depends on what we are looking for. But we can arrive at a point where we can decide. If it is the message that we are interested in, irrespective of the means by which we get that message; it could be either by SMS, by e-mail, by phone, by post or by any other media, as long as we get it … we thank God for it.
Unlike the Jews in the days of Jesus. They gave undue importance to the medium that passed on the message, and not to the spirit itself in the context. What? Is that man not Jesus, the son of Mary? Is He not the son of that carpenter? Is He not the chap who lives next door? Is He not the one who used to live in Nazareth? Is He not the man we used to play with as children?
As if the answer, to whatever, all these silly questions, will alter, will change the context of the message. It was in the spirit of their culture to put weight on the words spoken ONLY by the Rabbis. This, in fact was quoted by Christ Himself when He once told His hearers: “You remember what they used to tell you, or what is written, but I tell you…” Up to an extent we should not blame the Jews, for behaving like that, they had been brought up that way.
For this reason the Gospel highlights certain ‘original’ or ‘out of the ordinary’ questions put to Jesus. This shows that there existed people who had brains and were in search of the truth. Which seems to imply that what the Rabbis used to say was not always taken as ‘gospel truth’.
These things happened in the days of Jesus, and are still happening today, in this day and age, especially in the countries around the Mediterranean.
This Gospel text shows why the Jews rejected Jesus, and in rejecting Him, rejected eternal life. They judged things by human values and by external standards. The Jews argued with each other, between themselves. They were so taken up with their private arguments that it never struck them to refer to the decision of God. The Jews got used to ‘hearing’ but not to ‘listening’, and so they never learned. Christ did mention this point to them.
Quoting Jeremiah, 31:3: “With loving kindness have I drawn thee.” But the Jews resisted to the ‘drawing of God’. As the saying goes, “It takes two to tango”. It’s no use having a transmitter but no receiver. God is always with outstretched arm ready to welcome any one who appreciates and accepts. The good Lord is sending an open ‘invitation’ not only on daily basis, but with every heart beat. To refuse the offer of Jesus is to miss life in this world and in the world to come. Whereas to accept His offer is to find real life in this world and glory in the world to come.
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