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“I
myself have seen and have testified that
this is the Son of God,”
(Jn
1:34)
so declared John the Baptist about the true
identity of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus
Christ? Is He only a human being? John the
Baptist will say: „No, He is the Son of
God.” What does the Son of God do? Johannes
will answer further: “He
takes away the sin of the world.”
(Jn 1:29).
With the sin the human beings had lost their true
identity. They forgot that they are the
children of God. Forgetting the love and
friendship people began to live cruel and
crazy life.
An Indian tale is appropriate here. There was once a
lion cub. His parents were killed by a
poacher and the poor little cub was
deserted. He erred solitarily around until
he found at home in a sheep herd. Just like
the little lambs, the young lion also began
to drink milk and frolicked with the lambs
around. Gradually the little lion lost its
identity and thought, that he is also a
lamb. The little lion began to bleat, to
eat grass and leaves. Years passed. One day
a mighty lion out of the jungle began to
attack the entire sheep herd. The lion,
however, was surprised as he saw the
bleating and grass eating young lion among
the sheep. The lion asked the young one:
“why you are here under the sheep bleating
and eating leaves? Don’t you know that you
are a powerful lion, who should drink blood
and roar? The young lion asked anxiously and
without conviction “Am I then a mighty
lion? Am I not a weak lamb? See I can only
bleat and cannot roar.” The big lion
thought: “How can I convince him?” He took
the young lion to at the bank of a river.
“Look to your reflection in water. Your
face is exactly as mine. I am a lion,
therefore, you are also. Now you try to
imitate me and roar.” Discovering the lost
identity the young lion began to roar.
People who have lost their identity no longer believe
that they are sons or daughters of God. The
young lion could not roar like a lion as he
lost his identity. So also people who have
lost their identity lead a depressed and
hopeless life. Like the mighty lion in the
fairy tale, Jesus makes us understand that
human beings are children of God. The
Christian optimism in the mind gives a
person the power, the courageous like a lion
to go through the valley of the pains and
the death. As children of God, with power
and courage and much love in the heart
people can overcome the daily troubles,
tribulations, defeats pains and sorrows,
which are the symbols of the death, to
celebrate the daily resurrection with
regained true identity. |
