One Hundred and Fifty Three

There is an incident narrated in the Bible about a miraculous catch of fish. The setting is by the Sea of Galilee. The timing is a little after the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  Jesus’ disciples are feeling desolate and some of them who were originally fishermen go back to fishing. Simon Peter, Thomas and a few other disciples get into a boat and try all night but in vain. Early in the morning, the resurrected Jesus appears on the scene unrecognized and calls out, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they do that, their nets get full and they find it difficult to drag them ashore because of the very large number of fish. One hundred and fifty three altogether. (John 21:1-14)

Why the number 153 should merit a mention in the story is a question that is intriguing. Many Biblical numerologists have tried hard to find explanations that are not very convincing. A simple solution is to visualize the setting once again. Peter and his co-disciples drag the heavy nets to the shore. They empty them out. Having got nothing at night, they are excited about their morning catch. They begin to count what they have got now. “One, two, three… ten, … twenty…” Until they shout with joy, “Look what we have! One hundred and fifty three!”

The number 153 is not just a trivial piece of statistics. It is a reminder that God gives us so abundantly that we have to learn to count his blessings, acknowledge them, name them, inventorize them in our record books, memorize them for future recall. This old little song says it all:

Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Life Vector

The difference between a scalar and a vector is taught in the early lessons of elementary physics and mathematics but it is not so commonly known. It is posed as a general knowledge question in quiz contests and entrance exams. Both scalars and vectors are quantities that can be measured, but a vector has additionally a direction associated with its magnitude. For example, if we are travelling, our speed which is a scalar would tell how fast we are moving, but our velocity which is a vector would indicate where we are heading.

Motivational speakers and writers often emphasize that one’s age is just a number. They say that a figure of seventy or eighty does not necessarily mean that one is old. Older people could feel young and do what younger people do if they followed a certain lifestyle.

According to the Bible, a man named Methuselah lived the longest ever on earth. He died at an age of 969 years. (Genesis 5:27) With successive generations, the human lifespan went on reducing and Moses had this is to say in his prayer to God:

“Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:10-12)

In the present times, the average life expectancy is steadily increasing once again, particularly in Japan and some other countries where a 100-year lifespan seems to be reachable. But of what use is a long life if it is without a purpose? God in his mercy, gives us a certain quantity of life but it is for us to maintain the quality of that life.

So if age expressed as a number of years is regarded as a scalar, then life with a direction can be thought of as a vector. The vector of our life needs to be pointed above in the vertical direction towards our Father in Heaven from whom comes wisdom, provision and every good gift. (James 1:17, Matthew 7:11, Colossians 3:1)

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A Matter of Choice

When we enter a restaurant, we are traditionally shown a menu to help us order our food. In the olden days, the menu would be written on a sheet of paper or displayed on a blackboard. In the present times, the menu may take the form of a heavy, large, beautifully printed book. In some hi-fi eating places, diners are given a tablet which has the electronic version of the menus and sub-menus.

Menus are no longer restricted to restaurants. Open any web site and you will be offered a menu. From the main menu, you go to a sub-menu and so on until you find what you are looking for. In fact, nowadays we need to make choices, tick boxes, select a number on a scale of ten, save or delete, accept or reject, all the time, in this digital world that we live in. If we err, we may unknowingly suffer badly.

But this is not entirely new. In the Biblical story of creation, we read that the first man and woman were offered an infinite variety of things to choose from, with just one exception. And they decided to choose that one fruit which was forbidden by God. (Genesis 1:29, 2:17)

Throughout history, humankind has worshipped different gods and different kinds of gods. Even today, there are people who worship the sun, fire, trees, rivers, wind, or soil, or regard them as gods. There are so-called godmen who are adored and followed. No wonder that the first commandment that God gave to men was that they should choose the only true God and worship no one but Him. (Exodus 20:3)

Both the Old and New Testaments tell us that from time to time, God has allowed humankind to exercise options and it has often chosen the wrong ones. Even Lord Jesus said that people will prefer the wide gate and easy path that leads to destruction, and only few will go through the narrow and difficult gateway to life. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Jesus would often say, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.” If we decide to cover our ears, what will Jesus do? Jesus also used to ask, “Do you believe?” or “Do you want to be healed?” If we choose not to believe, is it his fault?

Even the last page of the Bible has this is to say: “Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” (Revelation 22:11) This is one last warning that we must choose wisely out of the available options, as in the very next verse, Lord Jesus says: “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (Revelation 22:12)

It is not just a matter of choice. It is a question of life and death.

 

 

Timebound

As written in the Bible, King David when surrounded by his enemies, put all his trust in God, and prayed, “My times are in your hands.” (Psalm 31:14-15) That was some 2,500 years ago. David’s son, the wise and rich king Solomon, wrote when he was old, “There is a time for everything.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) Like there is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Life is indeed timebound. All the more so in today’s world. In fact anything that we do today is timebound: Deadlines must be met at all costs. We need to keep looking at calendars, year planners, and sticky notes. We cannot afford to miss a flight or even miss a bus. In sports events, every minute counts, the very last minute can be crucial. In athletics, the tiniest fraction of a second decides the winner.

What is good about time is that it follows the principles of equality, fairness and justice. Time is available to everyone in the same measure. Rich or poor, young or old, busybees or idlers, all have the same 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour. What to do with this equal share of time is entirely a matter of our choice.   

What is bad about time is that it runs out fast. Like medicines and consumer goods that come with an expiry date, life itself comes with a prescribed time limit. We always work in a timeframe. We write our sentences in past, present or future tense. We keep recalling our memories while pursuing our dreams.

Time is never enough for us and God knows that. In fact, the Bible says that God himself has set into the hearts and minds of human beings a yearning for eternity. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) And having done that, he has promised everlasting life to all those who seek it.

A Few Words

It is often said that we live in a world of deception. It is easy to paint an unreal picture or create a false impression just by manipulating words. One way is to take a few words out of a sentence, or a sentence out of a paragraph, or a paragraph out of a book. When a text is taken out of context, the meaning may change, it may appear wrong and may then become debatable.

Public speakers requested to speak a few words before their audience often yield to the temptation to speak a few thousand words. Novels that are by definition works of fiction run into several hundred pages. Television serials tend to continue endlessly. The more one speaks or writes, higher is the risk of being misquoted. One way to avoid this is to say less.

When you truly mean what you say, a few words are sufficient. The Bible says that if you mean to say yes, a simple “yes” is enough. Or if you mean to say no, a simple “no” is enough. You do not have to go on explaining or arguing. (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12) Furthermore, you should not be ambiguous, as if you are saying yes and no in the same breath. (2 Corinthians 1:17) And eventually, you will have to give an account of every idle word you utter and be judged by your words. (Matthew 12:36)

Truth is simple and can be stated simply in a few words. Many sentences in the Bible are brief, to the point and their meaning is clear. One such statement is: “Therefore, let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2)