Be troubled in spirit

Scripture/Bible: When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus; 24 so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, "Tell us who it is of whom he speaks." 25 So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, "Lord, who is it?" 26 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast"; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out; and it was night. John 13:21-30

Reflection:  We are often irked about people and their behavior pattern, especially at the way they deal with us. It could make us feel hurt and disturbed, either mentally and sometime we are left with agonizing mental trauma and bruises. 

Many a times our egos are bruised and we may feel rejected or we may feel the other has not been respectful towards us. 

Similarly our attitude or instinct for survival will not allow ourselves to accept a defeatist attitude in the face of such onslaughts. We will do something and rarely not act unless we have accepted a defeatist attitude to the greater onslaught.

There are four different ways in which we actively face a situation like this and we could belong to one of these four categories in our response to such an external stimuli:

1) In the first instance we may deal with such a situation with punitive or vengeful action, hoping to teach the other a lesson.  This action is in proportion to the hurt that we feel has been cause to us. It may not always be based on justice though the one executing it may feel that they are being just in their ways and in most case even feel that with all sincerity.

2) On the other hand we have a situation where  no matter what the insults hurled or the abuses, whether physical as well as verbal, except for the momentary hurt, one still loves the other and is willing to overlook the others faults and failings. This could happen in families and is very common factor in fraternal and husband-wife relationship.

3) The third category is that perfect love which Jesus manifested and is uncommon among human being and even if it exists then it is at very base level.  This is something which only Jesus who can teach us and empower us to do when he says; Love one another as I have loved you. (Jn. 15:12)

When the text of the gospel tells us that Jesus was troubled in spirit, it is reminding us that it was not the ego that was hurt on account of the betrayal and the disrespect of Judas but his spirit that was troubled. 

This is pure love and we can only learn this at the feet of Jesus; "as I have loved you".

4) Today there was Psychologists who in way also promote a concept in which they say that nothing should affect you.  Such philosophy also in a way has its roots in many eastern traditions and their spirituality of meditation braces the mind for subliminal action. This is the extreme category based on self deception.

Such worldly wisdom even if taught in a Christian setting by Christians, can never be Christian. It is the betrayal Christ by the modern day Judases astray with their swollen head practicing a spirituality of openness.

The troubled spirit of Jesus is a language of absolute love in which the others action does not affect him at the level of his ego but rather disturbs him at the level of his spirit. This troubled spirit is a healthy concern for the other who doesn’t know what he is doing; this is Christian love. 

Prayer:  Lord, may we not be fooled by the modern day rabbi’s into believing a worldly wisdom that can only lead to eternal doom.

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