Christ: The Youth

Would a ninety years old Jesus the Christ have given us the same zeal and enthusiasm as the thirty three years old wayward youngster? Well I do not think so…That’s the beauty of youthhood.

Youthhood is an exuberant epoch; a ripe period when our attitudes, inclinations, passions, ideologies, perceptions, world-views and the like are formed.  A time when we are full of energy which if channelized properly could create wonders. Kahlil Gibran, in his book, “Nymphs of the Valley” has remarked,

“Youth is a beautiful dream, but its sweetness is enslaved by the dullness of books and its awakening is a harsh one. Shall there come a day when wise men are able to unite the dreams of youth and the delights of learning as reproach brings together hearts in conflict? Shall there come a day when a man’s teacher is nature and humanity is his book and life his school? Will that day be?”  

It may indeed feel at odd if I were to say to you that the happiest moment of my life was the day I finished my school and college. I could now finally foster my niche of becoming a theologian.  Classrooms could have been a cradle of transformation in all aspects but it was no better than prisons. That may be the reason why a teacher turned poet pointing towards the inefficacy of our modern education system said, ‘Classrooms have turned into prisons.”

Youthhood is a period when our inclinations and interests are shaped. As the adage goes, “The tree falls where it is inclined to.” At the same time Youth have been deemed as ‘frozen generation’. Even great philosophers like Socrates and his contemporaries attuned to it.  But this is not true. This is a time when we need to wrestle with questions like Who, what and why am I; a time when we need to indulge in certain journey seeking our destiny, faith and identity.

The most inspiring theme that we can meditate upon is Christ was a youth. Christianity was born when a carpenter named Jesus showed the nerve to challenge the then status quo by transcending the boundaries which hindered the human – human relation thereby human – God relation. He set forth with his chisel and hammer to shape the world which had been deformed by the sinfulness of the people. It was an attempt to make people encounter the truth which would eventually set them free and make their worship more profound. But we are all aware of the fact that the world does not spare anyone who transcends the boundaries and disturbs its prevailing order, no matter however sinful it is. Jesus had to pay for this intrusion with his life. He was crucified. But God rewarded Jesus for his just and righteous life by raising him from the dead and conferred upon him the title Christ. The beauty of Christ is that he lived, died and resurrected as a youth. Just imagine an aged Christ, it won’t be that encouraging. At the age of 33, on the cross he had the audacity to say that everything is fulfilled. Could we do that?

Youthhood is also a period where the quest for Spirituality begins. Spirituality is all about transition of prayers and edification of souls. Nikos Kazantzakis in his autobiography entitled “Report To Greco” mentions three kinds of souls with three prayers. They are indeed fascinating:

·         I am a bow in your hands, Lord. Draw me, lest I rot.

·         Do not overdraw me, Lord. I shall break.

·         Overdraw me, Lord and who cares if I break.

There are 4 aspects in which we need to grow. “Jesus grew up in stature, wisdom, human and divine favour.”

Stature

One should take ones ‘body’ seriously (St. Matt 6: 25). When Satan tested Job, body of Job was Satan’s last resort as there is nothing more vulnerable for humans than body. After Patristic period and spirit-oriented theologies emerged liberation theology and theologians who took body seriously. According to Indian Philosophy, Body is the medium through which the Divine manifests. Our body is the temple of God. So activities like smoking, alcoholism, overeating, excessive torture under various pretense and all that which pollutes and nullifies human body are sacrilegious acts. We need to take care of our bodies to work unceasingly for the realization of the reign of God on earth.    

Wisdom

If knowledge is the grape then wisdom is the wine and youths are both grape and wine at the same time. Wine symbolizes extraordinariness. We do not need to wait for the grapes to go stale to make wine but there is a ripe time for it. We just need to know when to pluck the grapes. That may be the reason why Solomon grieves in Ecc 12:1, “Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.”

The world has always admired people who seek wisdom. Be like Queen Sheba (I Kings 10) who wanders in search of wisdom. Talk less, speak more; engage in productive endeavours and conversations; be peacemakers wherever you go; find out the ways in which you can make your life more fragrant; be good sons and daughters, (Blessed are the breasts that nursed you and the womb that bore you. This is the greatest compliment that we could give our parents as Jesus did, be good brothers and sisters, friends; value all relationships; read good books; journey with that 33 year old carpenter always.

Isn’t it always good to have a past that you do not have to regret later?

Human Favour

Christ was a man for others so should we be. Expand the boundaries of our so called family. Love all. Paulo Coelho in his book 'The Alchemist' has reckoned,

“There is no reason to love somebody. You love somebody only because you love him/her.” Do not try to find out the reason why you love someone because if the reason dies then the love too will die along with it.

Consider this fiction by Dostoevsky:

“Jesus once came to a home, apparently reborn on earth. Seeing Jesus, the host was surprised and happy at the same time. He welcomed Jesus inside and told him to feel at home. Jesus reiterated the statement in a question and confirmed the authenticity. Jesus then asked the host for the permission to bring home his friends to which the host conceded. Jesus then brought along with him sex workers, tax-collectors, queers, sinners and all those people whom the society considers demeaning and humiliating. The host on seeing these people occupy his house was irritated and uncomfortable. He then took Jesus, locked him up in a cupboard, placed two candles on either side of the cupboard and started to pray.”

This is what our churches and altars are turning into now-a-days. Closed cupboards! We do not have the courage to free Jesus and welcome him into our midst; As welcoming him would mean embracing the outcasts, sinners and ‘untouchables’.

Divine Favour

This is the result of abiding by the preceding parameters. Having a robust consciousness of God and his Beloved Son Jesus the Christ is what it takes to relish the favour of the Divine.  

Indian soil in the recent past has been drenched and swollen by the blood of youngsters who were lynched. This is an era where murders, slaughters, killing etc are sanitized by euphemisms like sacrifice and martyrs. The demography of India has changed drastically and irrevocably over the years. Gauri Lankesh, Anita and many more protested with their blood against the rampant oligarchy of this nation. This reminiscence me the words of Kahlil Gibran

“Jerusalem could not kill the Nazarene, nor Athens Socrates; they are living yet and shall live eternally”

Youthhood demands ethical and critical thinking so as to bring substantial changes to the society and the world at large. India awaits a great revolution.

I would like to conclude with the work of Prof Shah Alam Khan (AIIMS New Delhi)

“Lynchdia: The New India”

“Pete and Laura, old friends from Derby were visiting. They were here for a month and wanted to go around and discover the land of Buddha. “We want to go to Agra and see the Taj Mahal”, she said with a mouthful of English accent. “Hmm…Taj Mahal? That’s in Uttar Pradesh, nearer to Dadri where Akhlaq was lynched.” “And then we want to go to Jaipur”, she announced. “Well that’s near Alwar, where Pehlu was lynched” “And what about Nalanda?” He asked “Nalanda University you mean? That’s a few hundred kilometers from Sobhapur where Mohammed Naeem was lynched. And yeah, he wasn’t alone. There were Vikas and Gautum, the Verma brothers who accompanied Naeem that night into eternity” “We also want to go to East India. To see the Tea gardens of Assam. My great grandfather was a manager there” Laura looked excited at the idea. “Oh, why not? Go to Dimapur. They had lynched Syed Farid Khan there” “And how about Bombay?” She finally enquired “Shh… it’s not Bombay anymore. We call it Mumbai. That’s the state where in the village of Kherlanji, Priyanka, Surekha, Sudhir and Roshan were lynched” So, we are told that India is changing. It sure is. It has a new tourist map for the likes of Pete and Laura. A map where lines are drawn with sledge hammers and daggers. A topography described with stones and boulders, solid boulders which not only kill but also crush a face beyond recognition. A map with red water bodies and grey skies. A bloody map of Lynchdia with a bloodless heart and a soulless body.”