Jesus-ChristI am statement - Research Paper Example

?Jesus-Christ—“I am ment” Module Module ID: John 8:12 Holy Jesus Christi was sent to the world by the Lord for spreading the light of justice, wisdom, vigilance and spiritual uplift of the humans on the one hand, and to deliver the message of forgiveness and salvationii in the life Hereinafter on the other. Jesus argues that he is sent by God to give the message about (the worship and submission to) Lord, which he states in the Last Supper. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17.3). Thus, Jesus is the light which paves the way towards recognizing the blessings and attributes of God. Although the Old Testamentiii manifestly described the characteristics accredited to Christ’s sacred personality, yet a large number of the Jews of Nazarethiv turned against him out of sheer feelings of jealousy, and thus refused to recognize him as the promised Messiahv. Instead of acknowledging the qualities and character of this great holy personality, the people raised unconditional opposition against Jesus for worldly gains, pecuniary benefits and temporary socioeconomic statuses. They not only refuted to comply with the bright teachings Jesus had brought along with him, but also proved themselves as his arch enemies in such a manner that they were determined to assassinate the holy personality in order to sabotage the spread of holy light in the world. Although, they claimed to be the people of God and having command as well as right to interpret and explain the Mosaic laws described in the Ten Commandments revealed on Moses from the Lord, yet they were actually the transgressors and had gone astray from the right path of glory and righteousness. They used to cite Scriptures for their own purposes, and put aside all the noble teachings in their conduct and mannerism. It is therefore Christ had declared them as the hypocrites, who had separated mercy and justice while making judgments and announcing decisions in the light of Mosaic laws. (Matt, 23, II: 23-24) He was pelted with stones and was tormented and tortured, but his foot never wavered in the face of hardships. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) Somehow, the sacred message was to get popularized in every corner of the universe. It is therefore the Lord saved Jesus from becoming prey to the nefarious designs articulated by the king and masses of the era for the elimination of the teachings presented by Jesus and his noble message from the very face of the world. Book of John throws light on the same, and the verses under analysis point out to the Jesus’ last days of his First Arrival on the earth. In the Book of John 7-8, Jesus Christ not only appears to be aware of the hatred and malice the Jews maintained in their minds and hearts for him, but also looks well-acquainted with the very conspiracy well-knitted against his life by the people of Nazareth. He expressively reveals the ill intentions of his enemies, and warns them that they could not reach his destination even devising conspiracies and intrigues against him due to the very reality that they were unaware of Jesus’ journey and destination (in the high heavens). He clearly reveals that his arrival and departure is completely dependent of the will of God (John 7:29), and hence he has been appointed by Him to convey to the people the noble message of God. It is therefore he is not afraid of any threat or challenge arose by the people of Nazareth against Christ. In the verse under-analysis, Jesus rightly declares himself as the light of the world, which would illuminate all parts and corners of the world by grace of his noble teachings, extreme tolerance, mercy, love, compassion and kindness he always displayed while entering into encounters and interactions with others. His mercy was not confined to one stratum only; on the contrary, he showed great love and meekness towards all strata and groups of society without discrimination. Similarly, he did not exercise his love and bounties upon friends, followers and supporters of his noble mission; on the contrary, he would bestow the same magnitude of affection and sacrifice even on his worst opponents and rivals. It is therefore he is justified in declaring himself as the light of the world due to the very fact that light illuminates every part and area on which its beams are thrown. Like the brightening beams of sunshine and the bewitching moonlight; both of which sparkle the entire area without discrimination. However, the sun shines only in the day time, while moon’s captivating light remains intact for the night hours only. But Christ is the light, which is unabated one in nature and scope, and does not observe any fall altogether. Neither the clouds of ignorance could hide the gorgeous sparkling light, nor does any wind or cyclone of opposition have the courage to disturb or destroy the sacred light of the teachings of Holy Christ. It is the light that is beyond time and space, and would remain active and intact to illuminate the generations of humans by dint of the powers it has been blessed with by the Creator of heavens and earth. Old Testament had predicted that “the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;” (Isaiah, 11:2-3) Jesus is undoubtedly the light, which eliminated all darkness of sin, ignorance and injustices from the face of the earth. He was tortured, rebuked and pelted with stones and thrones; his had to undergo blasphemous remarks passed by the deviant Jewish community; he had to tolerate the shameful slanders the cruel and wretched inhabitants of Nazareth associated with the Holy Virgin Mary. But Jesus did not surrender to throw the light of truthfulness and justice on the darkest breasts of the people of his time. Consequently, the people who imitated Christ and his glorious path in the real sense, turned out to be saints and spiritual leaders of Christianity, and spread the same light in the world through their exemplary deeds, sacrifices and steadfastness. It was the same light, which forced St. Perpetua and Felicitasvi to sacrifice her life by happily becoming the prey of the hungry wild beasts; it was the same spiritual light that wide opened the avenues of truthfulness to St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and several others; the same light once sparked in the city of Nazareth illuminated Africa, Asia, Europe and all other parts of the globe. The same light eradicated the system of slavery, cruelty and ruthlessness from political, social, cultural and religious avenues, to replace freedom, justice and fair play. Thus, Christ rightly presented himself as the light of the world. Moreover, Christ’s marvelous light was not confined to one specific area of generation only. On the contrary, it was perpetual and long-lasting in nature, which was to be transferred from one generation to the other for the future years to come. It was the same sacred light under which the people discovered the paths of leading wonderful life by articulating theories, conducting researches and making inventions in all fields of life. However, the rivals and opponents of this holy light were declared to be accursed forever and ever. Thus, the temporary gains that compelled the ignorant to oppose the light of world became the source of permanent agony for the infidels. The Old Testament contains many prophecies about the birth, life, difficulties, opposition and finally his death through crucifixion at the hands of the ruthless King Herod. Isaiah 7:14 clearly describes his virgin birth, while Isaiah 53:3 elaborates the opposition he would face while conveying the message of God to the people. Jesus also claims to be bread of life, as well as the river (of guidance and spiritual uplift), which would quench the thirsty (John 7:37-39) by dint of the marvelous rays of life the river contain. “We should not portray Jesus in our own image, which may drag us far from his real picture; on the contrary, we must be analytical, self-conscious, reasoning and analytical while comprehending the true personality of him. Thus, we must never assume him according to our own wishes; rather, there must be some sound calculations in order to reach the truth and comprehend the realities.” (Cadbury, 1925: 608-609) He was sublime and spoke the word of God. It is therefore his mission would turn out to be successful eventually, which is evident as over two billion humans claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. Read More