A wooden curving of Jesus Christ on the cross.
If the owner of house had known what time the thief was coming to break in, he would have kept watch and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. And thus Jesus said he will return to Earth as a thief.
As we celebrate Easter, let us ponder, what if Jesus Christ were to return today?
But if he were to return , he would probably punish us leaders to “1,000 years in prison” for the way we have treated the children and the weak in society.
Jesus said whoever causes the little ones who believe in me to fall, it were better for him that a millstone is hung about his neck, and he were drown in the depth of the sea. (Mathew 18: 16).
With so many children going to bed hungry and dropping out of school for lack of fees, he would definitely repeat “let the children come to me; do not hinder them.”
With some advanced countries debating the morality of willful removal of unborn children, Jesus would definitely side with the weak unborn child, as He himself came through that channel.
Cause
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth. Blessed are those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy... blessed are the peacemaker, for they will called the children of God.”
Jesus championed the cause of the weak in society. But now live a life that celebrates being boastful. A comparison culture powered by social media has become the norm. We live like the story of the rich man and Lazarus, with little regard to the suffering man.
The book of Acts of the Apostles reminds us what Jesus taught “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Further in Mathew 25: 36, we are reminded: “I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me”.
But in our modern world, our prisoners are neglected. The naked are not clothed. The sick are neglected.
But our acts of public display of charity, ostensibly to boost political bonga points, would attract the wrath of Jesus. He had warned that “when you are giving to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Those of us in leadership crave greatness and adoration. We love to be praised and cheered and to be massaged our egos. The bling bling culture is too ingrained. Showing off to others is a favourite affliction.
But that’s dangerous — our greatness should lie elsewhere .
The disciples of Jesus once asked him, “Who is the greatest?” He answered by calling a child and said: “I guarantee you unless you change and become like this little child, you will never enter the kingdom of God. Whoever becomes like this child is the greatest.”
But some religious leaders have a penchant for showing off . They would also have a conversation with Jesus if he returned today.
He had warned “when you pray, do not be like hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogue and in the street corner to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they will have their reward.”
Of course Jesus knew the Mackenzies of this world when he said “not everyone who calls me ‘Lord Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of God.
Prescution
However, not everything is doom and gloom. Jesus would be happy that what he started has now spread through all four corners of the world.
And his followers have withstood storms and persecution for over the intervening 2000 years.
Prior to the Edict of Milan in the 4th century, Christians used to be thrown into the Colosseum to be eaten by lions. Emperor Nero would order that Christians be doused with oil and the set alight for amusement.
In some countries, Christians continue to face prosecution and persecution. But it is a far much better space than the Roman Empire days.
But the decline of religiosity in the West would definitely alarm Jesus. Surprisingly, the West helped spread Christianity but now secularism is harming its prospects there.
But Jesus had answer for this “The road to righteousness is narrow.”
- Dr Kang’ata is the Governor of Murang’a County; Email [email protected]
