“Peter
asked, ‘How many times must I forgive?’ He replied, ‘Not only seven times but
seventy-seven times.’” –Matthew 18:21
Some say He’s a myth, a
fragment of one’s imagination; to others a ‘deity’
of like all other religion; the Pharisees called Him a ‘mad man’ because of His upside-down views in faith and there are
those who strongly believes in His promise of everlasting life. When I first
heard of this so-called teacher, I was in awe. How can such a man exist? To
start, He is the wealthiest and humblest person to ever live because He gave up
a throne for a manger; He knew ‘life’
more than any scientist or theorist; His generosity is beyond compare and He demonstrated
what it’s like to love someone selflessly. People nowadays don’t even bother to
know Him. Most of them branded His ideology as idiocy. ‘Yet why thou art living?’
If our life is indeed shaped by our philosophies, then to whom must we draw our
hope in difficult situations and to whom do we look up to?
If Aristotle, Confucius,
Plato, Thomas Aquinas and Mahatma Ghandi are famed for their self-styled belief
methods, then how come people exclude ‘Jesus
Christ’ as the greatest philosopher of all? Not to mention that He single-handedly
raised 12 (disciples) people in His great commission (Mat. 28:16-20) and His morals
are certainly renowned and unforgotten because He advocated humility and
defined love (1 Cor. 13:4-7) in its simplest form by taking our place on the
cross.
Thus, what drew me closer
to Him? I became a believer when I was very young. When other children viewed
life like a fairy tale, I viewed mine grim and gloomy. I supposed life was a
bit harsh on me when I was very little that’s why I tried to search for a support
system other than my family because I never found hope nor peace on my peers neither
on my closest friends. My family was very supportive but I could never tell
them the pain I was going through as a child. That is when I started to seek
someone I could look up to, someone who will ‘love’ me despite my failure as a
person. ‘Ask and it will be given to you,
seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you,’ He said
(Mat. 7:7) and so it was. Then came that ‘joyful’
day that turned into years. A
series of bliss even in my darkest moment, a peaceful mind despite the chaos
and a forgiving soul amidst animosity. I remind myself every day that no matter
what the circumstances, His words of wisdom must remain carved in the very
depth of my heart. I still fall at certain times but His grace never fails to
amaze me. “Each time he said, ‘My grace
is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to
boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me (2 Cor. 12:9).”
Most people ignore His wisdom
but I for one acknowledges the power that flows through it. I read His word
which is the Bible and it guided me through the years. This world has so much
to offer (Gal. 5:19-20): it assures fame and fortune to the greedy; knowledge and
sarcasm to the foolish; lust and obscenity to the immoral, and grudge and envy
to the conceited. Yet Jesus Christ offers so much to those who seeks and
listens (Gal. 5:22-23): a humble heart to the proud; wisdom to those who are
searching; love and kindness to the selfish; and most importantly, an
everlasting life to those who believes in Him (John 3:16). I have read so many
philosophers in my studies but there is no one like ‘Him’. I am swooned by His
unconditional love, He satisfies my soul and He has given me hope in my
brokenness. Thereby, I strongly believe Jesus Christ is
the best and greatest philosopher in the world because only He has the power to
change someone’s heart the way He gracefully changed mine.
All Rights Reserved © Shiya Tamasao 2017
July 11, 2017
