As Holy Week begins Christianity is hijacked by false prophets. – By Aubrey Joachim
With 2.4 Billion followers on the planet – 31% of the global population, Christianity is the most populous religion in the world. Of this number 50% – 1.2 Billion, are Roman Catholic which by itself would be the third largest religious group equal with Hinduism. The foundation of the Christian Faith is that God sent his only son Jesus Christ to earth, taking a human form to save humanity from the consequences of sin. While Christianity itself is just over 2,000 years old with the formal establishment of the Church, the historical lineage of Jesus Christ goes back a further 1,000 years to King David and several other Biblical figures and prophets who preceded Him. Christianity originated in the Middle East from where it spread across the whole planet. Jesus Christ was a Jew having been born in a place called Judea which was in Israel. Christianity is an offshoot of the much older religion of Judaism and therefore the two faiths share their early history through some of the early books of the Old Testament. All of the events in the life of Jesus Christ – his birth, early life, his public ministry and ignominious death took place in and around what is now Israel and Palestine.
This week Christians throughout the world commence Holy Week – the most important and sacred period in the Christian liturgical calendar. Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy week and commemorates the day some 2000 plus years ago when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem upon a donkey to the cheers of his followers waving palm branches. He came there to celebrate the Jewish Passover and on the Thursday of the week – known as Maundy Thursday – Christians commemorate the day Jesus had the last supper with his disciples before his betrayal by one of his own disciples, Judas. This is also the day that Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist which is the central precept of the Christian Faith which is a memorial of his death and resurrection. The commemoration of the breaking of the bread and drinking of wine at His last supper is celebrated at every Holy Mass wherein bread and wine is transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Good Friday is the Holiest day in the Christian calendar and is the day that Jesus Christ was condemned and put to death by Crucifixion by the Jews for the perceived blasphemy of him claiming to be the King of the Jews. However, Jesus’ continued condemnation of the high priests and temple administration was an irritation to such authorities who in turn portrayed Jesus as inciting his followers against Roman rule and thus influenced Pontius Pilate to condemn Jesus to die on the Cross. Christian teaching and belief is that God chose such a platform for his only Son to suffer and die in order to save the human race from sin should they follow His teachings. The Resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his death – which is celebrated on Easter Sunday – is seen as the triumph of good over evil and gives hope to all humankind that they too would rise again on the last day.
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Jesus lived on earth for 33 years. His active ministry of teaching, preaching and performing miracles was during the last three years of his time on this earth. The fundamental building blocks of the Christian Faith though transpired during the week that is referred to as Holy Week – from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday – and hence is the most important period in the Christian calendar. Christianity is a faith based religion and its appeal has not only stood the test of time but has grown since its inception to reach the numbers it has today.
Over the years the original Christian Church – which continues as Roman Catholic – has seen several denominations emerge following what is known as the Protestant reformation in 1517 and when King Henry V111 of England split from the Catholic Church in 1534 to form the Anglican Church. While they are largely based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and Christian doctrine they differ in the belief of papal infallibility. There are also differences relating to clergy and religious life. Roman Catholics believe that Jesus commissioned Peter – one of his first disciples, as the head of His Church and all Peter’s successors after that are considered the infallible head of the Catholic Church.
A more recent phenomenon is the emergence of the born-again Christian sects which are mushrooming across the planet. While some of the earlier born-again Churches were charismatic in their philosophy of Christianity the more recent versions led by self-proclaimed pastors and prophets prey upon the vulnerable and unwise to peddle a skewed brand of ‘Christianity’ that is focussed essentially upon earthly benefits of flashy lifestyles, fame and wealth. The flamboyant and glitzy persona of these church leaders are a far cry from the lifestyle of Jesus Christ who preached a model of self-sacrifice and love of neighbour with the ultimate reward being eternal life in God’s Great Garden.
It would appear that Christianity is being hijacked but the fact is that it has stood the test of time over the past 2,000 years, Unfortunately, the weak of spirit are being enticed into a world of make believe with some even willing to part with not only their souls but also with whatever earthly possessions they have been bestowed with in order to fatten the coffers of such church leaders. To such, the message should be loud and clear – beware of false prophets!
Aubrey Joachim is a Sri Lankan expat who is an Australian citizen and opines on different topics.
