WHY CHRISTMAS ?

WHY CHRISTMAS?

I write these lines in genuine confusion. And I write these lines from a milieu that has already submerged itself in the avalanche of celebration. The pagan festival that marked the birth of Constantine twenty centuries ago has totally forgotten him and remembers the radical rabbi of Galilee who lived for 33 years and was later crucified for being unpleasant to the Jewish teachers of those times. They called Him Jesus of Nazareth and the people who follow Him were called Christians in Antioch not too late after His death. The story did not end there. The real story started there. Disciples and women who formed His close company soon found that His grave was empty and for forty days He was found talking and moving in the midst of them before He ascended to Heaven. These followers were native fishermen.  They had left everything to follow Jesus who in their opinion had the Words of Life. These men went around the world, (India included) and carried the news about Jesus.

Why should Jesus be remembered every year? In the midst of decorated pine trees, wafts of snowflakes, cakes and icings, cards and carols, Santa and clothes why do people come back to the essential aspect of remembering Jesus who was born in a manger?  Moreover why should we other than for mere celebration sake bother about Him and His message in this age of all ages? We have broken down distance with jets and Boeing  We have unbroken connectivity with Wi-Fi and Skype. We have friends on Facebook and Twitter. We have Mc Donald’s and KFC to eat and Multiplexes to ease our minds. How does the message of Jesus find its relevance in this age? Do we in tacit terms need God? I have a job to do, money to spend, comforts to relish family to bother and even a religion to affiliate to. Do I still need to look at Jesus through a different lens and give heed to His words? I had my doubts. But when I began reading His story I was taken aback by not just what he did but by what he said.

1.       He speaks with unparalleled authority on the condition of my heart. I would like to be brutally honest.  I do not smoke. I do not drink either. I do not flirt nor did I sleep with any woman so far. I considered myself a decent guy until I compared myself with the standards Jesus set for mankind.  His teaching was not just new but radical to the extent of poignancy. His disciples were so troubled that they once said- it’s a hard teaching who can understand it? You do not have to murder; a harsh word is equal to it. You do not have to commit adultery, a leering glance is enough. When I beheld the giant standard that was set for me I understood that all my righteousness was a mere outward construct. My focus was always to please people around, be good and kind in expectation of reward. When the external veils are removed, I find my heart selfish. Bothering all the time about myself and my future, grumbling about things I do not have rather than being grateful about things I have. He very truly stated that human hearts are twisted and are inclined towards evil as a stream of water is inclined to flow downhill. His claim about the depravity of human heart had a point.

2.       He speaks about the things I lack the most in my heart. What do we need to feed the millions in Africa dying of hunger? If it was green revolution, we have had enough of them. The FAO does not speak of food deficit in the world except for unequal distribution of it. Rich countries have surplus and poor ones do not have money to buy them. What should we do to provide medical care to HIV patients in south Asia? We have enough quality drugs in the world to greatly enhance the quality of life. Pharmaceutical companies are too greedy to give up their patents and as a result millions do not have access to them. Why do people in tribal Orissa find it so hard to get a doctor? With all respect to my colleagues, we are too busy becoming specialists when there are many needing basic care (me included). Don’t we need love? Don’t I need to love more? Loving the naked destitute shivering in frost when I have five jackets one over the other? Loving the child crying in hunger when I have become obese of overeating? Supporting a hardworking poor student who is not able to finish his basic education when I am on studying spree? That is why He said love your neighbor as yourself. In that statement He summarized all that moral teachers ever spoke on this planet. The person I love the most on this earth is I. When Jesus told us to love others as myself He meant to love selflessly. There would be no one lacking anything if we had enough love.

3.       Thirdly, He spoke unblushingly about the needs of my heart- a lingering sense of emptiness. I cannot make sense if my life is just about these 70 years.  That would depress me and prevent me to live in purest sense. For that He has provided relief. He said that there is eternity or heaven where you could live forever in joy and comfort. No striving and struggling, only sheer happiness.

But it is the last point regarding which He spoke most of the time- The fact of eternity and the way to get there. Jesus said and I am convinced of it that He alone is the way to heaven and anyone who accepts Him can be with Him in eternity. Millennia have passed people, cultures, rulers, civilizations have changed. But the central message of Christ being the son of God and He alone being the way to heaven remains the same. It is worth remembering and reminding before it gets lost in the chaos of celebration. Since His message is timeless, His words are still timely. Christmas is not an easy celebration. It is one that can divide us on irreconcilable lines- of meaning, of existence and of eternity. Which side do you stand on?