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That is why Jesus warns us not to seek praise even in our good works. The Gita’s teachings of Nishkam Karma or selfless service is taught by Jesus too: “Be careful not to parade your good works before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6, 1-4). Jesus teaches us how to take the lowest place rather than seek a place of honour. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk. 14, 7-11). Had not Jesus learnt himself how alluring is the temptation to power and honour, when the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world from a high mountain and said : “I will give you all these if you fall at my feet and worship me”? He shunned the temptation to honour by replying: “Be off, Satan! For Scripture says you must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.” When Jesus had fed the large crowds on five loaves and two fishes, the people said of him: “This really is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself (Jn, 6, 15). How different from us who run after honour, esteem, popularity, gain! f) FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY TO SENSUAL LUST Jesus seems to be much less strict or condemnatory about sins of the flesh – of sensuality, compared to his judgments against sins through love of wealth or hypocrisy. Interestingly too, he is specially severe against seducers but incredibly tolerant and even gentle with women who have been seduced. Read the story, for instance, of the woman taken in adultery (Jn. 8, 1-11). How gently he deals with her and how cleverly he makes the crowd of her condemers slink away shamefully by saying: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone!” So too, Mary the prostitute after she was converted, became one of his greatest follower and lover. Here too, Jesus is much more particular about purity of heart than merely of the body. And here again, in his Sermon on the Mount, he gives us clear teaching on interior purity: “You have heard it said: Do not commit adultery! But I tell you : anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart” (Mt. 5, 27-28). Again, as in the Gita “desire” is considered the root cause of sins, so here Jesus tells us that inner purity demands a readiness to root out from the heart all lewd thoughts and desires, even if it means doing violence to ourselves and suffering physically: “If your hand or your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life without a hand or foot than to keep both hands and feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye should cause you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell” (Mt. 18, 8-9). Naturally Jesus did not mean us to take this injunction literally. To attain such freedom of heart from all the above “slaveries” we need no doubt great faith in God and in the power of prayer for as Jesus often showed, what is or seems impossible to man is possible to God (Lk. 1, 37). |
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