‘Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood’ (Mk 5:17) Today’s focus always puzzled me when I was small. In many places the people were simply dying to meet Jesus, whereas here the villagers were begging him to leave, even though he had just delivered one of them from an evil spirit! Only much later did I realize the economics of it. The people were upset with the monetary loss caused by Jesus. He was not good for business. Today too we see that many people are selfish. The mantra is development at any cost. Before a new mega-project comes up in a village an environmental impact assessment is either not done or is rushed through. Overnight, a gigantic structure is built that sucks up scare resources like water and electricity. There is no thought for the poor farmer or widow whose house or means of livelihood is grabbed to make a way for a huge mall or fancy expressway. If people raise their voices in a Gram Sabha, they are accused of being anti-development or green terrorists. But the builder who actually terrorizes the vulnerable is welcomed as a hero. Thus 2000 years after Christ, we see the same story repeated. ‘Development’ only means economic growth, and more money, not spiritual or moral improvement. Most people are more worried by financial loss than by spiritual loss. FRUIT: In what way are we driving Jesus out of our life? In what way are we begging him to leave?
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 04:50:02 +0000
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