Religion : Faith

Columnist: Hannock Ngaru 

Greetings everyone, The Gaze Magazine will share a column on religion every Sunday, this will help to enlighten readers on the realities of the existence of different spiritual engagements that people engage in. However, in this first article on religion it is best to begin with Christianity. The Gaze will begin with a very important topic that encapsulates Christianity which is faith. According to the bible taking from the amplified version: faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. This graphically exhibits that you have to believe in God for something that you want before you see or touch it physically as examplified in Mark 2.1-12 : the healing of the paraplegic. The bible vividly narrates through the gospel of Mark the faith of the four men who went out of their way to climb the top of Jesus' house to lower their bed ridden friend to where exactly Jesus was, confidently believing that he would be healed by the Master or Rabbi as he was affectionately called. The first thing that Mark let's the reader/audience know is that Jesus was moved by their faith as is rightly mentioned that there was a big crowd and it was very impossible for the four men to get to Jesus. However, Jesus does not look at the faith of the man who had an ailment but of those who carried him. This is what moved him and what they did, let the reader note that Jesus did not shout why they had destroyed the roof of his house but was too perplexed by the men's actions. If it was in our contemporary lifetime and one would destroy one of the beautifully built churches and done the same the reaction would have been quite different, The Gaze may just stop here. Nonetheless, to the man who was brought before him Jesus said, "Son, I forgive your sins,"... He didn't ask him whether he believed or had faith because the other four men had exhibited great faith. The bible says when the Wouldn'tsees and Couldn'tsees asked in their hearts that it could only be done by God, Jesus went on to ask the man to take up his bed and walk. The hardest part then was which was easier to do, to forgive sins or to heal the man. Obviously if one goes to the doctor they expect to be given a prescription and be healed after sometime but here the man was healed with words that corresponded to faith of the four men. Today faith can be exhibited by listening to the Word of God and doing it.