By Lenard Maharachchi
"I'm the Resurrection and Life." So said Jesus a few weeks prior to His death and resurrection, at the tomb of Lazarus, whom He brought back to life after he was dead for four days.
The raising of Lazarus seems to be a prelude to Jesus's own rising from the dead, since He gave meaning to what He said. No one saw Jesus rising from the dead. But John tells us that the tomb belonging to Joseph of Aramethea was empty when the holy women went to see Jesus's body on that first Easter Sunday.
Let us examine the details from the gospels, on the Resurrection. Mathew and Mark do not say much, but Luke and John do.
Mathew and Mark, do not mention Jesus's appearance in Judea, and Luke does not give an account of his appearance in Galilee.
But John details both appearances.
However, all four concur that the body of Jesus interred in the tomb at sundown on Friday, was missing when the sun rose on Sunday. The women who came to complete the burial rituals that were not done after Jesus was taken down from the cross, found to their dismay that His body was not there. Mathew says there was an earthquake that dawn. Luke says there were two Angels sitting on the rolled down door of the sepulchre. Mathew says the guards were instructed to say, "His disciples came by night and stole the body while we were asleep", when they reported the matter to the priests.
In Mark's shorter version, the appearance of Jesus to two disciples is noted. His first appearance was to Mary of Magdala. Mark goes on to say that she told the disciples about it. And according to John, Magdalene did not recognize Jesus at first. He also writes that Jesus forbade her to touch Him. In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus told them He was not a ghost and such a spirit has no flesh and bones as He had, and invited them to touch Him. The body of the risen Jesus was a glorious body. St. Paul says so in his letter to the Corinthians. Two of the disciples who were on their way to Emmaus finally realised that He was their companion. Mark confirms this incident in brief. How was it that they failed to identify Jesus? Luke gives the answer. "Their eyes were held."
"He appeared in another shape," says Mark. Why were their eyes held? Well, St. Peter gives the answer to that. He told Cornelius "God granted the clear sight of him, not to the people at large, but to us. the ones chosen."
Even today God reveals Himself only to those He chooses.
I have before me a thin volume of some 70
odd pages titled "The Paradox of Jesus
Christ". Its author is well known former civil servant and Ambassador Neville Jayaweera.
The main purpose of the "Paradox of Christ" is obviously to present a Jesus Christ who is above and beyond denominational differences and cultural barriers. This has special significance in a country like Sri Lanka, which is multi-religious and has had a chequered history of encounters with "Christianity". The book tries to unwrap these memories and prejudices and present a Jesus Christ who is above culture and history, a Jesus who is a living person and who comes as a transforming experience to all who open their hearts to Him, regardless of culture, ethnicity, colour or creed.
The paradox
In the first section of this monograph, the author brings out powerfully and convincingly the perennial paradox of Jesus Christ. By all human reckoning, Jesus, the son of a poor carpenter and an itinerant preacher, who ended his life ignominiously on the cross, should have been relegated to the dustbin of history, soon after his death. Even powerful potentates who dominated the world scene during their lifetime had suffered that fate. Jesus, on the other hand, is ever growing in the love and esteem of untold millions all over the world. This, taken together with other factors, is inexplicable unless he was what he claimed to be i.e. God, in human form.
After presenting the more empirical and historical aspects of Jesus's supereminence, Jayaweera goes deeper into His personality and teachings. Step by step, he leads the reader to a deeper knowledge of the real Christ and describes as His 'greatest miracle' His ability to radically and absolutely transform men from within, in the abyss of their being.
Easy terminology
The author has successfully attempted to present in categories, the eternal verities regarding Christ which will always remain a mystery and in a language that is easy for the man on the street to understand. He does so without downplaying or compromising the reality of Christ. Let us take an example. Classical theology speaks of the incarnational aspect of Jesus as "two natures divine and human in one person, who is at the same time God and man". Jayaweera uses terms that are probably more intelligible to the layman. He speaks of the 'appearance and reality', 'outer human Jesus and inner divine Christ'. A Professor of Theology, say one teaching in a seminary, might find some phrases unusual. But that need not worry us here. The target group is not professional theologians; and the book has a different objective. Jayaweera has presented a philosopher's perspective on Jesus rather than a classical theologian's perspective.
The section on the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in the heart of the believer is particularly powerful. Christian life is a serious commitment, not to be confused with instant decisions taken under the influence of mass emotion. "Salvation is free but never cheap. The Gospel is simple but never superficial", the author adds wisely.
The Pauline thesis on the release from the law of sin and death by off loading them on Jesus, and putting on 'the law of the Spirit of Christ', losing oneself to find life, is clearly stated and St. Paul's insistence on faith in the Resurrection of Jesus is powerfully brought out.
Other religions and institutional Christianity
In the section on "Jesus Christ and other religions", while not underplaying the special characteristics of Christian belief, eg. faith in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, Jayaweera shows a profound respect for other religions. However, man by his own effort, cannot rid himself of the law of evil that is within him, Jayaweera argues, and salvation can be secured only through faith in the redemptive power of the cross.
Jayaweera also touches upon "Jesus Christ and institutional Christianity". Here too, the author writes with delicacy. On the one hand, he mentions the services rendered by the churches especially in proclaiming the Gospel; on the other hand, he dispassionately states the shortcomings that have characterised the institutional churches. He quotes with approval the initiative taken by John Paul II as head of the largest Church, at the close of the second millennium, to express contrition and seek forgiveness, on behalf of all Christians, for the injustices of the past and expresses the hope that the fragmented church (while not necessarily having a single pyramidal structure in the worldly scene) would soon be one, the whole body of believers, one in the Spirit, with Christ as the sole Head.
Author's background
The background of the author is of special significance, and adds poignancy to what he writes. Neville Jayaweera comes from a devout Buddhist background. While bringing out the spiritual path he has trod over the past 30 years or so, as a believer in Jesus Christ, he has not lost anything of the deep veneration and love he has always had for Buddhism. Considering his cultural background, his strong family ties and the disfavour he was bound to incur even in relation to his advancement in public life, certainly the choice he made to be a follower of Jesus Christ has not been an easy one. It was obviously the depth and intensity of his convictions that made him take the plunge. I understand that he now devotes his time to writing, teaching, giving seminars to small groups and preaching.
Jayaweera considers himself as belonging to the Body of Christ, the universal church, rather than exclusively to any particular denomination, congregation or theological school and although he seeks constantly to validate the claims he makes for Jesus by grounding them in the scriptures, it is also clear that he is not a fundamentalist. Furthermore, as he says, his faith has also been validated for him empirically through years of prayer and meditation and fine-tuned by his personal experience over the years. It is a satisfying journey that may still take him many more miles.
Keith Wijesuriya, who I gather has donated the cover design and all art work on the Paradox as a token of his own faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, must also be congratulated on the excellence of the product.
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