Breaking the Word

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. (Jn 12:24-26)

A grain of wheat should fall to the ground and die. It has to get decayed. The grain has to lose it identity. Only then the wheat will bear fruit. Losing of the self and ones own identity is essential to be fruitful. One does not become fruitful by self assertion or self fulfillment or self realization. Falling to the ground and losing oneself is the only way for the success.

The same is true for life as well. If one wants to save life or preserve life will lose it for definite. The only way to eternal life is by self denial and losing and hating of this earthly life. It is said “hates his life on earth”. Life on earth is not to be preserved on earth. Life on earth is only a way to eternal life. It should lead to eternal life. It happens only when this is lost.

Model for this is Jesus himself. Anyone who wants to be a follower should be like Jesus himself. He should walk the same way which Jesus has walked and he should meet the same end which Jesus has met. Only them there is honour form the father. Life of the servant should be like that of the master.

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost. (Mt 18:1-5,10,12-14)

Many people in today’s society consider children to be nuisance. Some prefer to do away with them. Naturally the question of child would not enter into the mind of such people when answering the question. Jesus instead picks up a child to answer the question. When Jesus calls them the little ones he includes the idea of weak, vulnerable, playful and at times dirty.

Kingdom does not go for the values and criteria which the elders will opt for. One of the virtues which a child possesses according to Jesus is humility. Here humility points to the attitude of a child that longs to learn from the other. In a sense child is the one who accepts its limitation. Child does not pretend to be knowing everything.

A shepherd leaving the ninety nine in the street and going after the lost one, the stray one is an accepted picture of the Christian tradition. God isn’t happy to say ‘well, we have still got ninety nine and let us not worry about the lost one’. God’s logic is different. So should the logic of the followers of Jesus.