Jesus - The Challenging Person


JESUS – THE CHALLENGING PERSON

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

            The personhood of Jesus challenges the common man. For what is considered as normal is something different altogether in the moral scheme of Jesus. The personhood of Jesus always stands for the underdog. Often a time, especially in a situation like today and also in times past, the strong, the brave, the extrovert, the bravado was given importance. Nobody thought about other sectors of society.

            In the Gospel passage of St. Luke 6:20 – 26, it is written,

Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “Happy are you who are poor; the Kingdom of God is yours! Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh! Happy are you when people hate you, reject you insult you and say that you are evil, all because of the Son of Man! Be glad when that happens and dance for joy, because a great reward is kept for you in heaven. For their ancestors did the very same things to the prophets. But how terrible for you who are rich now; you have had your easy life! How terrible for you who are full now; you will go hungry! How terrible for you who laugh now; you will mourn and weep! How terrible when all people speak well of you; their ancestors said the very same things about the false prophets.”

            Through this Gospel passage, there is a complete turn - around or a shift in the value system. Through this Gospel passage, Jesus is challenging you and me to “take up our cross and follow Him” (Lk 14: 27; Mt 10:38). Challenges which would at times seem apparently overwhelming are good since they push us to grow. If we are not challenged we would probably just remain like stones. Stones exist; there is no receptivity nor is there any contribution from them and precisely because they are just inanimate objects. This is something I suppose we can learn from this Gospel passage.   


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