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Issue Number 3 | April 2008
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DITORIAL
Dear friends, Summer is again at hand and it could not be hotter this time of the year. We cannot deny the intense heat as we wipe the sweat off our brows. It is not any wonder if most of us have already planned our activities, eagerly anticipating a break from monotony of our daily work. Some of us may have planned to go as far away from the metro as possible, where not even the annoying sound of our mobiles could reach us and disturb us. Almost all of us need a break from the physical and emotional burden that our job tolls from us. We all need a break from the toxicity of our work. Yes, toxin or poison might be one of the most appropriate words ever coined pertaining to the noxious effect of immersing too much in our work. But while it may be true that we need to replenish the physical and emotional areas of our life, there may be one area in our life we tend to ignore. That area is our spiritual health. Did we check lately how we are doing in our spiritual relationship with God? The Holy Week just passed barely unnoticed. And perhaps, just perhaps, we might have missed out on the message of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is not yet too late to reflect on it though. In our vacation, when we are far away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, let us set a time to reflect on what Christ has done for us. Let us reflect on some of the basic but serious questions concerning His death and resurrection. What is the significance of his death or of his resurrection? Was it really necessary for Christ to die? Does it have anything to do with me? Does it make any difference? Friends, these are just some of the questions which we often neglect to ask. But these are serious questions that we need to consider the answers, but fail to do so because of the busyness in our daily activities. More than our physical and emotional well being, we should check our spiritual status also, that of our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. We hope that some of the articles written here would help you reflect on these things. Sincerely, PRISMS Editorial Team 
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by Alexander Parel One of the questions that have mystified me is the extent of suffering Christ had to endure. When I saw the movie “The Passion of Christ,” I saw virtually how agonizing it must have been for Christ to endure the shame, torture, ridicule, denial, betrayal and all things combined. His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane revealed the intensity of what he was about to undergo. And He would only do the will of His Father. Even to this day, I am still as much perplexed as when I wrote this poem in April 2004: to receive such pain, such shame and torture? i can’t imagine, can’t figure out why for someone wretch’d as i, He had to die? For what good would it be to love someone so filthy, helpless and hopeless a man? Is it enough reason to die for me? i really can’t contain such mystery. i can only stand, perplexed and amazed at the thought of the cross, God’s love and grace. And i will always be in gratitude, for i did not receive that which i should.
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by Mariane Peronce Faith and hope are two virtues I believe every Christian believer should possess. It sounds so simple but I definitely believe that these virtues are hard to keep. Each of us are not exempt from experiencing a stage of doubt in our Christian life. Moreover, when problems overwhelm us, we tend to do either of the two options: ignore the fact that there is a problem, or face the problem full of hope. Then we ask, where should we place our hope? Another question would be, who can give us hope in the midst of trials?
The central theme in the passage is faith in Jesus and hope in Christ’s resurrection. I would like to discuss the first theme in relation to Thomas. In verse 25, the other disciples told Thomas that they saw Jesus. Despite their affirmation, Thomas doubted. But upon reading the other gospels, the doubt didn’t exclude the other disciples. In Matthew 28:17, Mark 16:14 and Luke 24:38, it was mentioned that “some doubted”. The mere fact that the disciples locked themselves up confirmed their doubt that Jesus will save them. Among the disciples, it was Thomas who stood out. He was blunt in saying that unless he sees the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and put his finger where the nails were and his hand into Jesus’ side he will not believe. Pondering upon Thomas’ frank statement gave me a feeling of disbelief. Why? Thomas was one of the twelve disciples who accompanied Jesus in His short year of ministry. He witnessed how Jesus healed the sick, drove out demons and raised the dead. Thus, he had a first hand experience of Jesus’ miracles that would prove Jesus’ claim that no doubt Jesus is truly the Son of God. I guess by now we can say that even the disciples were not exempted from experiencing doubt. But how do we deal with it? We need to seek answers for these doubts and not take comfort in not answering these questions. As stated in Hebrews 11:1,6, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Then, we can conclude that we are likewise responsible for our faith. God has provided all the evidences for us to be sure of our faith. Being sure of our faith also gives us the confidence in sharing Jesus to others. I have named a few of these evidences.
Does faith stop in knowledge and in being convinced of all these evidences? To claim the Lord as our God is not enough simply to speak words. To have him as our God means that we submit every area of our life to Him. Only through obedience is God able to fulfill His perfect plan for us. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. - Hebrews 11:40 Another thing that is quite evident in the gospel is Jesus’ scars. It was through these scars that Thomas believed. What message do these scars have? First, Jesus wants us to know that He is alive. In Luke 24:41-42, Jesus ate broiled fish in front of His disciples. In short, we are placing our hope on a living God. The same God who promised us in John 3:16 that we will get to share this eternal life. Thus, our work and effort in this life are not futile. Second, Jesus wants us to know that He is with us during our suffering because He himself was crucified. I can’t imagine a more painful death than that of Jesus’. I think it would have been better for Him to ask for a sudden death blow. The fact that He didn’t end it all at once is a very stark contrast to our attitude of usually complaining when trials beset us. Let us take time to ponder on our relationship with God, try to revive our faith and ask God to continually help us have that unswerving hope of sharing in His eternal life.
3/11/2008 WERE YOU THERE? Then they sat around and watched him as he hung there. Matthew 27:36 “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” asks the old spiritual. Rembrandt, the famous painter whose great art hangs in the finest galleries of the world, would have answer, “Yes, I was there, too!” In his masterpiece, “Descent From the Cross,” Rembrandt, who was famous for contrasting light and dark shadows, shows the disciples gently lifting Jesus from the cross, their brows furrowed with anguish and question. But among the spectators on the dark day, Rembrandt painted his own face, including himself among those who were at the cross. “Yes, I was there,” said Holland’s most famous painter. But the question is, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” For centuries people have avoided the issue, either blaming the Romans for doing it, or else the Jews who instigated the whole process. They beg the real issue, which is far more complex than who prompted Pilate to give the order for the crucifixion and what nationality was represented when soldiers carried it out. Let’s go back to something far more fundamental. What was the real issue which brought Jesus to this point of crisis? And is there something fundamentally flawed with us all, myself included, which shares in the guilt of those who perpetrated this great injustice? But even more important is the question of whether or not Jesus Christ was there not because His luck ran out but because this was all part of a grand design which God thought out, correcting something inside my old nature which is badly flawed and corrupted. Either I am the product of evolution and answerable to nobody higher than myself, or else—and this is where the issue gets personal—I was created in the image of God, which means not only am I responsible for my choices but I also am accountable to my Creator. This changes everything radically. Yes, there are theological implications going far beyond Easter eggs and bunnies. As an individual, my record is flawed. I have fallen short of God’s expectations by my choices and by my nature. Yes, I have committed sins of omission as well as sins of commission. This means that I am a sinner, and when I include myself, as Rembrandt did, with those who were are the cross, I see light beyond the darkness. I hear the faint ring of His voice penetrating the hearts of men with joy as He cries, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Refusing to acknowledge my sin and my guilt is what creates the scandal of the cross, but it is the cross which brings the joy of Easter morning to my heart. A final thought: Until I agree with what God has said about my life, I will always be offended by the cross. God says I am a sinner, but He also directs my thoughts to the cross, and my heart cries, “Behold God’s lamb, the one who takes away my sin.” Most of us are so caught up with the quest to feel good about ourselves, to win over our inner struggles, to keep things together, that we have never discovered the power of the cross. This week take time to read the account of the crucifixion from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and then answer that question, “Was I also there when they crucified the Lord?” If I believe that I am simply a rational animal, the highest form of intelligence, I will continue to be offended by the cross, but if I believe that I am a human being, created in the image of God, there is a powerful, magnetic attraction to the cross which is the antidote to all of my failure and all of my sin. In this I can glory, knowing that He paid a debt He did not owe so that I could receive the gift of the Father’s love. Yes, count me in the number who stood at the foot of the tree on that infamous day long ago. Resource reading: Matthew 27:31.
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