By Ukachukwu Okorie
In an episode in the Gospel of Luke 17:11–19, while on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus Christ sent ten lepers who sought his assistance to the priests, and they were healed. In John’s Gospel, he performed seven miraculous signs that characterized his ministry, from changing water into wine in Cana in Galilee at the start of his ministry to raising Lazarus from the dead at the end.
When Peter and John went to pray, they met a lame man on the way.
The man asked for alms and held out his palms, but Peter said to him
“Silver and gold have I none, but such that I have I give thee.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” The man went walking and leaping and praising God.
Instances of the miraculous nature of Jesus Christ abound in the Bible, but every generation keeps witnessing the kindness associated with the name. It was also recorded that he fed thousands who got famished while listening to his teachings.
So from the faith healings, exorcisms, resurrections, and control over nature, there was compassion from the miracle worker. There was love and so much of it. So why is Jesus Christ’s key message of love not fully explained by those that preach his gospel and the authorities that get jittery whenever his true gospel is preached?
The world talks about love, and even the government preaches aspects of it through enactment of statutes that are often baptized as welfare or humane. However, the key foundation of care, affection and kindness are ingredients of Christ’s greatest gift.
It was recorded in the Bible that when Jesus Christ had put the Sadducees in their place, the hypocritical Pharisees conspired and sent a lawyer who asked him a question to test him.
Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Even though his teachings, miracles, prayers and life history exude love, there is a case of misrepresentation by both those in authority, who work to undermine his views and teachings, and most that operate in his name.
Although schools of thought argue about the Bible, however, the empirical evidence therein justifies many activities that took place earlier on. The life of Jesus Christ lays credence to the fact that God is love, and defines it irrespective of human deviation.
As a matter of fact, the creation of human dogma and his attempt to impose it on humanity, has created confusion, and attempted to erode the true identity of Jesus Christ and his core teaching. It is that dogmas that led European slave traders and enslavers to justify their inhuman trade with false biblical backing. New enslavers today in Africa are dubious pastors and prophets, who now deceive the gullible in the name of Jesus Christ. My question, which is like a recurring decimal, asks when will true love as exemplified by Jesus Christ be taught and allowed to spread for humanity?
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