ALONG THE WAY

 

“Hey, What’s up, Are you from here, Where are you from, where are you going, How are you” are the normal daily questions we heard. However, these question help us to reflect and to deepen our state of being human. Only us in relation to others will we encounter them. These are the questions of us being with others, in space and in time.

“Along the way” is a suggested title by a friend of mine. It points to one’s journey, being on the straight way, and the state of one’s being on the way. Maybe there is an intention of choosing this theme but deep down, the essence and the core of it, this evokes the real human life: its miseries and joys, its challenges and opportunities, and its treats and assurances. Yes, we all are along our way; the way we choose or not; the way we decide or not.

I am on my way. That is a fact but do I know the way I am on and the reason I am on? Do I know where I am journeying to? Do I know the people on my way and why they are with me? In what extend, Am I influenced by the people on my journey? And so many questions we can ask concern along the way of life.

A story about a farmer and his son and their donkey. One day a farmer and his son set for a journey to nearest town to sell their donkey. So they left their village joyfully in hope to get some money for their living. While passing to a group of people, they heard people saying,”oohoo how silly you, old man, what is the purpose of having a donkey when you cannot ride on it”. So he asked his son to ride it. But after sometimes he heard people commenting, “this son is very bad child, how come he rides the donkey and lets his father walking. Poor old man”. So the son, felt uneasy and let the father ride the donkey. However, when they passed a village, some villagers told him, “you, old man, the man without pity on the son, why you ride a donkey and leave your son to walk. Old man without heart to the son”. So the old man was so confused, he therefore, asked his son to jump on the donkey and they ride together happily knowing that he did the right thing. But after sometimes riding, passing a group of young men, he heard them saying, “look at the poor donkey, it is almost died because of the lazy man and his boy riding on it in this hot weather. Why they do such bad thing to the donkey. They are very cruel to the poor animal”. Hearing this comment, the farmer and his son jumped down from the donkey and they saw that donkey was tired. So the farmer and his son decided to carry their donkey. They tied the legs of the donkey and tied it to the log of wood and they carried them together. They were satisfied as they crossed a river. While crossing, the donkey smelled the freshness of the river water, so the donkey kicked hard the wood and it dropped down to the river. As the donkey was tied, the donkey was swallowed by the river and died. The farmer and his son went home sadly because of getting nothing.

This farmer and his son was along the way. They had a purpose on the journey but they didn’t achieve it. They were in relation to the others but let the others controlling and influencing their purpose. They didn’t stick together to achieve their goal. It was nice to be along the way but they didn’t prepare mentally and emotionally to encounter silly and bad comments on the journey.

Remember that along the way there are good people that encourage and help our life as well as bad one that stop and destroy our life’s purpose; there are people who can influence us to give up our journey and some will support us to achieve our purpose. So the choice is laying within us; it depends on us on how we respond and react upon the challenges and the threats.  However, do not be afraid of taking a journey. Do not be afraid of stepping out along the way because God is with us. It has a challenge that make us strong; it has an opportunity that open us a new horizon of life. It humbles us and it strengthens us. 

Along the way revels something about ourselves: our weaknesses and strength. It points to self-definition of life and the starting point of creating our new narrative, which can be one day become a grand narrative. We hope.

SUFFERING: IS IT AN ESSENTIAL OF BEING HUMAN

How do you respond to suffering? What do you do when you encounter suffering?

We actually try hard to run away or walk away from all kind of sufferings. We do hate to see the suffering of people. We naturally cry and feel sad because of sufferings. But we can never free totally ourselves from sufferings.

Buddha Gautama tried to solve the problem of human sufferings. He thought the doctrine of " the four noble truths", these are: the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path to eliminate the sufferings. So Buddha tried to find ways to end the sufferings. Buddha saw that sufferings are here and offered ways to eliminate the sufferings by self discipline to reach Nirvana. On the other hand, Jesus of Nazareth, taught his disciples and followers to embrace the sufferings. Moreover, He himself showed the example of embracing the sufferings by carrying the cross and died on the cross.  For Jesus, that is the only way to victory of resurrection and everlasting life. 

Buddha and Jesus saw that human sufferings are essential part of being human but the difference is in the way of their dealing with it because the first emphasis on one self discipline to end the suffering in order to reach Nirvana and the later put more on embracing it. Buddha saw the suffering of humanity is the curse and the condition that should be avoided but Jesus saw as a blessing that should be embraced in order to have Resurrection.

 

If suffering is part of being human, why do we try to end the suffering? If we avoid suffering, can we still be living our life to the fullness? And if we embrace the suffering for the high value, can we live joyfully int this state?

In the olden past, suffering and pain are seen as  an Evil and Bad Spirit's creation, which is opposed to the God of Paradise, the ultimate of happiness. In the story of Job, a faithful servant of God, who were tempted by Satan and then lived in the state of suffering (See the Book of Job), we encountered the mystery of suffering caused by Satan. Moreover, the paradise, the place of ultimate happiness, was lost because of humanity's obeying the voice of Satan, instead of that of God (See the Book of Genesis 2 and 3). Therefore, Buddha, with his Eight-folds pats, these are: Right Understanding, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration, gives a prescription to end the suffering.

On the other side, the reality of human sufferings is seen as a part of being human and by it to be fully human. It means through suffering, human can understand fully who they are here on earth and the purpose of their being here. So, it is advisable that embracing suffering is a way of  growing up to be complete of human. furthermore, by suffering we are thought to seek and long for the real happiness and the ultimate happiness, which is in heaven. Jesus of Nazareth stands in this point. He did the will of God by embracing suffering but because of it God granted him the Resurrection, the Eternal Bliss and Happiness. Suffering is seen as a blessing. Jesus thought His disciples, saying, "Blessed are the poor, the meek, those who mourn, who hunger (See the Gospel of Matthew 5:2-12). The great reward in Heaven is the ultimate goal of suffering.

So these two opposite ways of dealing with suffering were united in the end because both are seeking their ultimate Paradise, Happiness, Nirvana and Heaven. 

Let us be aware of the real presence of suffering in our midst but should not make us lose our hope for reaching our ultimate Paradise and Happiness. Ways to end the suffering were given to us by Buddha but at the same time ways to embrace it and to live with suffering were showed by Jesus of Nazareth.  Hope these two ways will compliment each other and will give us some meanings of our human sufferings. We hope.

Moses’ Rod: A Magic Stick or God’s Power?

 

Moses’ Rod: A Magic Stick or God’s Power?

Harry Potter’s books and films is one of the favorite books and films in our time. It is about magic story and magician life. It shows us a school of magicians, where a magician has to poses their magic stick and have to memorize certain magic words. Only by it, magicians can perform magic and wonders. Without it, they perform nothing.

In the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Traditions, especially in the Bible and Quran, we meet a person Moses who used a magic rod to perform miraculous things. This  rod could  be miraculously changed into serpent and ate others serpents when Moses threw on the ground; by knocking it on the rock, water came; by holding it up, a war was won and victory was there; and by holding it over the sea, the sea was spilt into two. What a magic work of Moses was because of having this rod. But our questions are: why this rod was so powerful? Is it because Moses had inner and magical power or because of this magic rod that Moses could do wonderful and unspeakable wonders? We know that Moses did not enter a school of magician. He did not learn to use magical rod. This rod did not come down from heaven. How and Why this rod so powerful?

According to biblical story, God appeared to Moses in the burning bush at Horeb, in which God revealed Himself as I am who I am and called Moses to free Israelites from slavery of Egypt. But Moses asked God a sign that he could show it to the Israelites that God appeared to him and called him. God, then, asked Moses about what is it in his right hand, and Moses said, “it is staff” and God told him to throw it to the ground and the staff changed to be a snake. (Read Exodus chapter 3-4).

So Moses had a rod with him because of being a shepherd but this rod did not have a power and magical power until he met God and had a mission entrusted to him. In Jewish legend, the rod was believed to be created at the beginning of the world, together with the creation of Adam. It had been passed from Adam to Moses. It means that this rod was a sacred rod because it stayed in the lineage of Patriarchs until Moses. Was this rod so powerful because it came straight from the beginning of creation or because it was God who noticed the presence of it on the right hand of Moses? Did the miraculous actions done by Moses happen because of the rod or because of God? There is an account in the bible that tell us about Moses’ did not listen to God when God asked him to speak to the rock so the rock would provide water for Israelites, instead he hit twice the rock with the rod and water came out and because of it God did not allow him to enter the Promised Land (see the book of Number chapter 20: 8-12).  

Thus, did the rod have a magical power? Or did Moses have the power to perform wonders? Or did the power of wonders come from God? Looking at the story and narrative story of the Moses and his rod, we may say that the rod did not poses any magical power. The power of the rod occurred because of the power of God and because of its being used by Moses, the chosen one of God.

Notes: There is no magic stick or magic rod in our life in order us performing wonders and miracles. The wonders happen because of the power of God and God intends them to be. Miracles can occur in our life because of God’s will. However, the person whom God choses is the one who can be the instrument of God’s miracles works within our life. His life, his words and his presence is the sign of the active God within our life, which can be blessings or curses. On the other hand, the miraculous power of God happens even though it is not done according to God’s intention, but happens because it is done by the chosen one. But of course God will judge and punish him for that action.

Therefore, as Moses has a staff or rod within his right hand because he is a shepherd, we also have our “ordinary rod” in our life, which is our duty, our work and service, and our capabilities, on our hands. We only need God to show to us “this rod” in our life. We need God to make us realize that there is “our rod”. By recognizing the presence of our “rod”, we then, can perform miracles and wonders in our life. We hope that this rod will help us to be confident to our call and to carry our duty freeing our people from slavery of poverty and of ignorance. However, as Harry Potter need a magic words in order to complete his magic, we need God’s word and commands to complete the work of miracles in our life. We need both our “rod” and God’s words; we need matters/forms and grace; and we need our human action and God; so that we can fully perform miracles.  

God: the God of Desert

 

God: the God of Desert

I have been staying in semi dessert country, Botswana. Life in the desert seems to be difficult as no many fertile land to be cultivated. Dryness of the country brings dryness of life and heart. Botswana value water and rain like they value money and life as they have similar word of rain and name of the currency (Pula). Desert, in my view, brings its own beauty and ugliness, strength and weakness. This experience leads me to think of my God, Yahweh, who led Israelites to the Promised Land by taking them out from the slavery of Egypt and accompanying them for forty years in the DESERT. My questions are: What God reveals Himself in this situation and context? Does desert influence of God’s attitudes and characters? Or is this God reactive to the condition of the people in this situation? Does God have a grand plan for his people in the desert?  Does this plan have impact for His people? This God, whom I call Him, is the God of dessert. He comes from the dessert; He lives in the dessert; and His place of worship is the dessert.

God is in the dessert…

Wow… A surprising statement as we know and belief that God only be found in the temple. But when I read the book of Exodus 3: 1-15, which is about God revealing His name to Moses as I AM WHO I AM in the burning bush, I convinced about it that God is found in the dessert. He is from desert. Here I quote the related verses, “… One day he (Moses) led the flock to the far side of the desert, and come to Horeb, the mountain of God… take off your sandals because the place where you are standing is holy ground”. God holy place is not heaven but in the dessert and His holy ground is desert.

A desert, a place of terrible extreme weather between hot and cold and dry, where each living being tries hard to survive with very scarce food and water, is a dangerous place to be. Someone needs to be strong to be there because of many challenges. This place is very hostile to humans. However, desert shows its beauty; it is an open place; it gives a sense of freedom; it presents the universe closer to you, where you can experience sky-meeting-land; and it raises up the experience of how small and tiny you are in this fast and huge universe; it presents the dependency of living beings toward the God of universe. It express a search for oases of life because living beings in this desert try hard to find oases as a source of water.

God of the desert shows Himself as Creator, Protector, Providers, Freedom Fighter, Warrior, and Savior. He is a weather God; desert God, creative God, and Freedom God. He is God of universe; He brings everything into existence; He creates animals and humans; and He helps His people in their warfare and provides them win their welfare; He is God who has power over life and death; and He is all-mighty God. He is God of ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is God of the nomadic, the unsettled and wanderers. He is YAHWE.

God leads them into the dessert…

After living their life as slaves in Egypt, the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were led to leave the country of Egypt. Moses who encountered God in the burning bush, took a leadership role and became a person who speak in the name of God, leading them out of the country having enslaved for many generations. It was happy moment as well as sad moment: happy because they would find their freedom, and sad because they left their normal “comfortable” life as slaves to journey to unknown place and become wanderers. Moses led the Israelites as God commanded him to do. But it is God who started his master plan for Israelite and what God has started must be completed. So God called them out into the desert to be with God alone, to see, to experience His presence among them, and to worship Him.

By leading them to desert, God invites His people to solely trust Him. God reveals His identity to them and shows them His characters. He gives them regulation so to be faithful to him. His promise to them is to be with them because they belong to Him and they are His people. He provides food and water when they have nothing to eat and drink. He leads them to desert to experience that He is in control over all. So all depends on God because God has a grand Plan, that is, to lead them entering Promised Land, where there are plenty of honey and milk (Ex.3:17). Desert is like a stop-over place of being with God; a place of testing; and a place of preparation to enter the Promised Land.

To worship God in the dessert…

Israel found God and He wanted to be worship in the desert. God ordered Moses to say the following word to the king of Egypt, “the God of Hebrew, Yahweh, has met us. Now let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yahweh our God” (Ex.3:18). It is not in Egypt and not in nearby villages or in the land of Goshen but it is in the wilderness of Massah and Meribah. This place has nothing but only mount Horeb, the mountain of God be their cover against wind and severe climate of desert. There is no altar but the mountain of God becomes their altar. In this place, God makes a covenant. He gives them commandments to follows. In this place God selected judges for His people. In this place, Israelites are unfaithful to God and God punishes them. In this place, the healing and forgiveness is taken place. God performs as God and Israel worships Him. (See Exodus 16- 20)

So to save us…

Looking at the experience of Israelites and their encountering with God who revealed Himself, His identity, and His characters, leads us to see our life, especially in the context of encountering the God of desert.  If He is present in the desert, a place of great danger for life, He is here also with us in times of our troubles, problems, and calamities. If He is God who is in control of everything, He will be in control of our life. He is present in our wilderness of life, where difficulties and challenges seem so huge to handle and He finds every solution for it, which leads us to our Promised Land. His grand plan of our life should be fulfilled.

God is the one who leads us into this place, “a place of desert and wilderness” to experience his saving power and to encounter Him so we can worship Him. His presence gives us guidance and protection but His presence can be a war, death, and sickness. This place is a testing place for us. Are we faithful to Him? Those who follow Him will be never failed or lost. He is always God and we should know it. His anger will thunder us but His mercy will welcome us. He is the God of Desert.