Intentions can change equations

Was 300<30?

Confusing!

Yes, the equation of Judas was completely wrong. When Mary has brought an expensive perfume [Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi, that grows in the hills of northern India)] about the price more than three hundred denarii (made of silver) and annointed Jesus' head (Mk 14:3) and feet and wiped His feet with her hair, Judas and others criticized her until Jesus mediated. 

We can read that Judas was a thief, stealing money from the money bag. I think Judas wanted the perfume bottle to be given as a gift and then later in time he could sell it and make money out of it. But his greed for money was not successful at this point of time. 

But Judas sold Jesus for only thirty silver coins which is way too much low when compared with three hundred silver coins. This shows how much Judas was possessed with greed for money. Judas made a pact with the chief priests to betray Jesus. The value for money may matter for Judas but for Jesus adoration and love towards Him mattered much, than above all else.

Proverbs 4:24 says, "Guard your heart above all else/diligence, for it is the source of life". Heart in hebrew is "leb", which usually refers to inner self, since it is considered to be the seat of one's nature. We need to gaurd it carefully from the worldly things and concentrate more on godly things. We are bought by the price of the blood of Jesus (Galatians 13:3a), and we are His people. So, let's be warned by that "..but one in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished", (Pr 28:20), which Judah had at the end.

Intentions can change equations.

Mt 26:14-16.

Jn 12:3-8.

It's Time.

 Gaius Cassius Longinus, was a Roman Senator and a General best known as a leading instigator of the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC and was successful in his plot.

The above quote of Guais Cassius, "In great attempts, it is even glorious to fail", has reminded me of the attempts the Pharisees, the Sadducees and other sects tried on Jesus. We see many encounters these religious heads had directly with Jesus. Of many I remember one such incident in Lk 4:16-30. One comment of Jesus, flared up the people of Nazareth so much so that, they dragged Jesus out of the town and took him to the end of the cliff and wanted to throw him down. But Jesus withdrew from there and went on his way. It might look like a heroic failure, but has a significant cause.

In Jn 7:1-31, on v30, some tried to arrest him, yet no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. One radical move by Jesus has flared this up. But yet the attempt failed.

In Mt 21:46, the chief priests of the temple were trying to arrest Jesus but were afraid of the people around. Just a parable by Jesus has flared up this time. But even this was a failed attempt. There are still some more incidents of such sort. 

Pleople of this world will fall into plots and make plots for others, but Jesus was a complete human and God himself, it is His time and He knows it very well. Speaking to His mother Mary, Jesus said "My hour has not yet come", Jn 2:4. Jesus clearly knows what his time is. In Jn 8:21, Jesus testifies  about his time of departure. In Mt 26:45, Mk 14:41, Jesus says, "the time has come".

Even though His Father can send twelve legions of angles (Mt 26:53), approximately 72000 or 144000 in number, Jesus backoff to "let the Scriptures be fulfilled" (v54), which say it must happen this way. People can plot but may miss sometimes, but if it is God who planned it and inspired to write it, it must happen to what was prophesied.

No man has power over his own life, but Jesus had to fulfill the Scriptures. He exactly knows what's gonna happen. In Jn 10:17,18, Jesus says, "I lay down my life, so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own". Standing before Pilate, Jesus replies back strongly when Pilate tries to command over, "You would have no authority over me (my life) at all.. if it hadn't been given you from above".

Jesus gave his life wilfully for us. In this time of Lent, let us examine ourselves and dedicate ouselves as a "living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1) to the Lord Jesus Christ, one who poured out His blood as propitiation [gk. hilastērion, Rom 3:25] , a sacrificial lamb for our sins and who gave us complete Redemption and Salvation (Rom 3:21-26).

Thank you Lord Jesus for shedding your precious blood for us, a must need which nothing can fulfill or replaced with.

Do Jesus have elder sisters and brothers, answer to a Rationalist

Penmetsa Subbaraju a Rationalist, a few days ago asked a question on his Facebook related to the sisters and brothers of Jesus. In his briefing, he claims that Jesus had elder sister(s), which would question the Virgin birth of Jesus as well as the Deity of Jesus. To which I posted my reply in number of comments. Because I cannot post the same, I summarised my comments and made it a prose/composition, for easy reading. My comments goes like this.

Brother, the verse may seem like a game changer to people like Penmetsa Subbaraju and Co, to denigrate and disparage the Deity of Jesus. But before going ahead with such sources, he must have made a more attentive study on the subject he was referring to.

In Mark 6:3, the words "adelphē" and "adelphós", the sisters and brothers of Jesus in greek, meant that, they are not the conjoined sisters and brothers, but are cousin sisters and brothers from a (?)distant relatives (extended family). The verse taken (Mark 6:3), does carry the meaning of a "kinswoman or a cousin."

See John 7:3,5,10, which clearly states that the brothers of Jesus are not conjoined. Though the greek word "adelphós" for brothers may carry the general meaning, we can still deal with it in a different manner.

Why/How I can still debate on John 7:3,5,10 as not own brothers of Jesus, but may be (?)Cousins. 

In the following verses we can see Brothers of Jesus, James, Joses, Simon and Judas and the Mother of Jesus, Mary, mentioned in the same consecutive verses. 

Matt 12:46,47

Matt 13:55

Mark 3:31,32

Mark 6:3

Luke 8:19,20

John 2:12 and also

Acts 1:14, (though not related to the point of discussion).

(1) All the above verses have as said, mentioned Mary and Brothers of Jesus in the same consecutive verses and not in John 7:3,5,10, though Jesus brethren(?) were mentioned, Mary, the mother of Jesus was not mentioned. Thus, making the possibility that either (a) the incident was not happening in Nazareth or in Capernaum, because as we saw all the other verses mentioned, Mary, the mother of Jesus and the brothers of Jesus in the same consecutive verses, drawing the meaning that, they all came as a family/collectively searching/in want of Jesus, and, (b) it clearly states that, the incident is happening some where in the region of Galilee and definitely not either in Nazaret nor in Capernaum, because the starting verse (John 7:1), clarifies that Jesus was not in Nazareth nor in Capernaum but definitely was in the region of Galilee, where the whereabouts of the incidence is unknown.

(2) The above mentioned verses clearly states that, this is all happening either in Nazareth or in Capernaum (except Acts 1:14 in Jerusalem), which are the hometowns of Jesus. And the incident that mentioned in John 7:3,5,10 is happening at Galilee, a much broader view of the area, where other cities/villages are also included other than Jesus' hometowns, Nazareth and Capernaum. Where there may be his distant relatives like his cousins who might be living in(?) which is unignorable. Isn't that? 

Matthew 2:22,23, Matthew 4:13, and Mark 4:3 mentions about Jesus' hometowns, Nazareth and later Capernaum.

   

So, to conclude, both of the above points makes it clear that the residence of Jesus' family and his brothers and sisters are and the place of occurrence, are not one and the same but different. As well as the derivation of meanings of greek words, "adelphē" and "adelphós" are not one and the same at every instance. This absolutely prove that you did a grave mistake against the beliefs and sentiments of Christendom. Hope you rectify it. Thank you.

Mother Teresa and Conversions(?)

Mother Teresa and Conversions(?)
My answer to a non- christian friend on Facebook

This was my answer to a friend on Facebook for his hatred towards Mother Teresa and her conversions (?).

I'm going to give you a  complete history of leprosy in India, How was it seen in Hindu Custom, How british dealt with it, How indian government dealt with it and What Missionaries of Charity did?

This is little lengthy, but definitely it's going to give you an answer. I know you want to stop here, but don't stop, read. I'm sure you will find an answer for your life time.

Early texts, including the Atharava Veda and the Laws of Manu, mention various skin diseases translated as leprosy. The Laws prohibited contact with those affected by leprosy and punished those who married into their families, effectively ostracizing (to refuse to allow somebody to be a member of a social group; to refuse to meet or talk to somebody) those with the disease for their past sins.

The uncommon practice of ritual suicide as the custom of burying and burning alive of those affected by leprosy, who were often assisted by their families. Though Hinduism generally considers suicide a sin, for leprosy it was not, on the custom of burying and burning alive of lepers in India.

For instance, in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (Section 13 (v)), if one party has been suffering from a virulent and incurable form of leprosy, it becomes one of the grounds for divorce. Similarly, in the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, (Section 18 (2) (c)), if a person is suffering from a virulent form of leprosy, his wife is entitled to live separately from her husband without forfeiting her claim to maintenance. Many states like Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa prohibit leprosy patients from running in local elections. However Odisha has removed the provision, though.

Certain provisions under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939, the Indian Divorce Act, 1869, the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872, the Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, are directly discriminatory against Persons affected by Leprosy and consider Leprosy to be an ‘incurable and virulent’ disease. An infection from Leprosy for not less than two years, under these legislations, serves as a legitimate ground for divorce or separation between spouses.

Under the State Beggary Acts, Persons affected by Leprosy are earmarked in the same category as persons suffering from lunacy. Further, medical examination and arrest and detention of persons affected by Leprosy for an unspecified duration are also provided for under these Acts, in line with past notions wherein Leprosy was considered to be incurable.

In respect of indirect discrimination, relevant provisions under the Railways Act, 1989, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and State Acts such as the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, permit the denial of certain rights, privileges and concessions to persons who suffer from an infectious or contagious disease or disability.

Other laws include the Motor Vehicle Act of 1939 which restricts leprosy patients from obtaining a driving license and the Indian Rail Act of 1990 which prohibits leprosy patients from traveling by train.

Many of these laws were written before the development of multi-drug therapy (MDT) (1983), a treatment that can make leprosy patients non-contagious and prevent further deterioration, and they have not been updated since. For example, almost all of the marriage and divorce laws of India consider leprosy as grounds for divorce with the Special Marriage Act of 1954 declaring leprosy "incurable." These laws do not reflect the current understanding of leprosy.

The first leprosy census in 1872 quantified the problem: over 108,000 cases, for a prevalence of 54 cases/10,000 population. Approximately 1% received organizational support, renewing the cries for segregation to facilitate delivery of care. Next, Hansen identified Mycobacterium leprae in 1873 and postulated it as the etiologic, transmissible agent of leprosy. Third, Father Damien, the Belgian missionary priest in Hawaii, contracted leprosy and died in 1889, proving its contagiousness. These events led to the popular consideration of leprosy as a widespread contagious disease requiring containment.

In response, the British government sent its Leprosy Commission (comprising both physicians and administrators) to India to investigate in 1891.

England within India, enacted the Leprosy Act of 1898. This law institutionalized people with leprosy, using segregation by gender to prevent reproduction. For the self-sufficient individual with leprosy, segregation and medical treatment were voluntary, but vagrants and fugitives from government-designated leprosaria were subject to punitive action. Charities and local governments in British India constructed many new institutions for people with leprosy, providing combined social, religious, and medical services. However, as predicted by the Leprosy Commission, the lack of infrastructure prevented the Leprosy Act from being strictly enforced. It was repealed in 1983 after the advent of effective multi-drug therapy for leprosy.

After independence in 1955 with the creation of the National Leprosy Control Program for surveillance. In 1983, with the availability curative multi-drug therapy, the government changed the name to the National Leprosy Elimination Program (NLEP), with a focus on treatment. Starting in 1997, the government conducted several modified leprosy elimination campaigns. On January 30, 2005 India celebrated the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem.

When did Mother Teresa start Missionaries of Charity?

In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, in Calcutta, West Bengal, with 12 members.
Missionaries care for those who include refugees, former prostitutes, the mentally ill, sick children, abandoned children, lepers, people with AIDS, the aged, and convalescent. They have schools run by volunteers to educate street children and run soup kitchens as well as other services according to the community needs. These services are provided, without charge, to people regardless of their religion or social status.

When did India got it's independence?

1947.

Why did the government of India wait till 1955?

My friend, why are you asking such ill knowledged questions, it's just your hatred for Mother Teresa. She did her work, when right wingers were busy in burning and burying the lepers alive with the help of their families.

Before you make fun of great people, did you ever thought of the psychology of that leper who is on his way to be buried or burned alive, according to your custom? What if such people who had a long history of going through this inhumane act be treated and shown compassion towards them. Think as a human being placing yourself in a place of leper. Did you ever treat a leprosy patient, if you did it with your heart, you would never hate her dedication.

And this is additional information on the same topic.

When did India started to rule itself, ofcourse under the British?

From 1919?

Whose government was there in Bengal in 1941?

Coalition government by Muslim League and Hindu Maha Sabha.

Who attended the Round Table Conferences at London from hindus side in 1930 to 1932?

B.S.Moonje, (12 December 1872 to March 1948) was a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha. After death of Bala Gangadhar Tilak in 1920, Moonje dissociated from Congress. He disagreed with the two main policies of M. K. Gandhi, namely his non-violence and secularism. Following his departure from Congress, Moonje was the All India President of the Hindu Mahasabha from 1927 until he handed over the charge to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1937. Until his death, he was very active in the Mahasabha and toured all over India. Savarkar a strong defender of Manusmruti had his strong support. Moonje attended two of the Round Table Conferences of three conferences at London.

What steps were been taken then by these great hindu bulwarks for lepers in Bengal?

References:
1. An Advanced History of India by R.C.Majumdar. Part 3, Book 2of2, Chapter 6, page 908 for Three Round Table Conference.
2. Wikipedia Three Round Table Conferences, participants names.
3. Wikipedia B.S.Moonje.
4. Wikipedia Mother Teresa
5. Missionaries of Charity.
6. https://web.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2008/Darcy%20White_Evan%20Shannon/Leprosy_D_White_E_Shannon.htm
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2217676/
8. https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/leprosy-antiquated-indian-laws-breed-stigma-discrimination/article7177410.ece/amp/
9. Hinditva Savarkar Unmasked, by Shamsul Islam, Myth 4, page 110.

Minsters: I Sound You This Way

Ministries in the Lord as I see

Apologists - They are like lawyers and advocates, picking up any loophole to make their case win.

Apostles - They are the like Lighthouses shining for those to not to loose their hope. 

Pastors - They guide as controllers at the crossroads.

Missionaries - They are like a waiter in a star hotel serving every good and bad customer with kindness and humility.

Prophets - They are like butchers, butchering in obedience of the Lord.

Teachers - They are like merchants making available the goods that are good and bad (necessary and unnecessary).

Evangelists - They are like a single room house owner, accomodating as many as of owning a palace.

Lay men - They are like a chef in a kitchen, preparing a dish which would only be evaluated after its been served.

Baptizing according to Matthew 28:19 or Acts 2:38

And here's my answer to a friends question on baptism through Whatsapp. Thought of sharing this.

Baptizing in the name of Trinity or in the name of Jesus.
Baptizing according to Matthew 28:19 or Acts 2:38.

I do accept that Baptism should be given in the name of Jesus. But there is a problem. I want to put my opinion in two points.
1. Take for instance, if a jew gets baptized in the name Jesus, this means that he was convinced that Jesus is the promised Messiah who was mentioned about in the OT Scriptures. The jew has no problem to take baptism in the name of Jesus, because he came to know that the one who created him is the incarnated Lord himself.

2. If a gentile accepts the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior and gets baptized in the name of Jesus, that's well and good. But the problem is, as he grows in the Lord spiritually, he will one day know about God the Father and Jesus, the only begotten son of Him. If he some day he comes across Matthew 28:19. Then, this arises a question in him, "did I got baptized against the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ". Then there is every possibility of questioning himself about his salvation (however there will be no question about his redemption).
So, it is better to give or take Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Taking Baptism in the name of Trinity is my stand.

To conclude, Matthew 28:19 is a commandment of Jesus himself, which is a Great Commission. Acts 2:38, baptizing in the name of Jesus, this context should be seen from v14 to v42. Peter didn't say to the crowd about Jesus alone, but gave an introduction to the people present from Judea, Parthia, Media, Elam etc., (v9,10), where some are Jews by birth and some chose to be Jews (proselyte) (v10). So, by verse 10, we now know that they all are familiar with OT Scriptures, and about the coming of the Messiah. But anyway, Peter in his first message, he introduced about "God the Father" (v23) and his foreknowledge about "Jesus", and about the "Holy Spirit" (v38). So, from the above explanation it is clear that Apostle Peter, not just emphasized Jesus, but did clearly emphasize on the hidden work of the Father about His Son Jesus Christ and the coming (came) of the Holy Ghost too (v4).
So, I stand by the Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Proselyte = a person who has converted from one opinion, religion, or party to another.
Emphasize = to give special importance to something.

Great God and His Huge Universe

Why did God create such a huge Universe, when He actually planned for a Sun, Moon, Stars and a Planet for humans?

Do you know the normal intelligible outdoor range of the male human voice in still air is 180 m (590 ft 6.6 in). The  maximum distance the human voice being detectable at a distance of 17 km (10.5 miles) across still water at night.

Speaking about God we've read that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth", Genesis.1:1, and He created them by speaking to the void space, Genesis Chapter 2. We know that from Isaiah.55:11, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it", and "He is (who) before all things, and in him all things hold together" Colossians 1:17.

Whatever other than the earth is all heaven. And how vast is heaven, we don't know. Suppose if I, from my office room ask my wife who is in the kitchen cooking, to get me a coffee, my wife gets me a hot coffee. My words did reach my wife and my work is done.

If a human voice can travel to such a length and do it's job, what about the Sovereign God' voice can travel to? Whatever the humans discovered till now and to be discovered yet in the Universe is all the work of His Voice, which just goes out creating and creating and creating and on and on and on ..... Remember His Voice never comes back void. That's the Sovereignty of the Lord. And that's how vast His creation or the effect of His voice is.

Our solar system may be an odd-ball in the universe. A new study using data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope shows that in most cases, exoplanets orbiting the same star have similar sizes and regular spacing between their orbits. Each of the exoplanets examined in the study was originally found by Kepler, which was launched in 2009 and continues to send data today.

By contrast, our own solar system has a range of planetary sizes and distances between neighbors. The smallest planet, Mercury, is about one-third the size of Earth — and the biggest planet, Jupiter, is roughly 11 times the diameter of Earth. There also are very different spacings between individual planets, particularly the inner planets. This means our solar system may have formed differently than other solar systems.

The research team examined 355 stars that had a total of 909 planets, which periodically transit across their faces (as seen from Earth). The planets are between 1,000 and 4,000 light-years away from Earth.

To conclude God didn't just made us special from other than His creation, but God has placed us in a unique place which is habitual for human kind in all the Universe. This says that how much God loves us and cares for us. May God bless you.

Source: 1.https://www.space.com/39390-alien-planets-reveal-our-strange-solar-system.html?utm_content=buffera3303&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
2.http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/farthest-distance-travelled-by-a-human-voice