1. Let’s Get to Know Each Other!

Ananda: I am Ananda, coming from India. I would really appreciate the opportunity to have a talk with you.

John: I am excited to have you here. The way you speak Greek fluently surprises me. Although your pronunciation is quite different from mine, it is not hard to follow. Could you tell me how you learned Greek?

Ananda: Since the time Alexander, the Greek emperor, invaded India, we have had a Greek-speaking community there, and I learned Greek from them. With the knowledge of this language, the literary inheritance of the western world is open before us. I am familiar with the classical Greek writers like Homer, Plato and Sophocles, and the recent ones like Philo.

John: I am honored to have you as my guest. Now, tell me what brought you here from India.

Ananda: I have been in this part of the world for a while, trying to understand the people and their way of life. I befriended a few people who prefer to follow the teachings of Jesus, and I happened to hear about you from them. I was told that you were fortunate to be a close friend of Jesus. I also understand that you people who follow Jesus are cruelly tortured by the Roman government. You have been banished from the mainland, and condemned to be here alone in this uninhabited island. My desire to know more about Jesus has brought me to you.

John: I am greatly impressed at your enthusiasm and efforts. It must have been a risky trip for you to get to this island. What you have heard about us is true. We are persecuted brutally, not only by the Roman government but also by the Jewish religious authorities. Jesus himself was crucified. All those who were very close to Jesus except me were captured and killed. I have been deported to this island.   

We are persecuted because of misunderstanding. They don’t understand what we stand for. Romans see us as a group of terrorists against them, but we are not. We are not organizing people for a political struggle. Jesus himself had no intention to be a political leader, though the majority of the people wanted to force the kingship on him. Jewish accusation is also groundless. We don’t deny the Jewish tradition and scriptures. We are only trying to follow them.

Ananda: How do you feel toward those who persecute you?

John: We follow the example of Jesus. When he was on the cross, struggling with pain, he prayed to forgive those who crucified him. They persecute us only because of misunderstanding, not because they are wicked people. We hope that they will realize the truth some day and stop persecution. Because we know this, we can’t curse or hate them, but we forgive and love them. I remember the words of Jesus: If any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Jesus also taught us to pray for those who persecute us. I try to spread this idea as much as I can. Love is the key word I use.

Ananda: I am fully convinced that you are ill-treated without any reason. You are a group of people upholding lofty ideals, but they don't realize it. Now, what I want to know is this: What do you exactly stand for? How do you differ from others?

John: What you have asked is the most important question about us. We usually use the word church to refer to us. Answering this question, I think, is the main job of the leaders of the church, including me. It was with this intention that some of us compiled the teachings of Jesus and the stories of what he did. Although many such books have come into existence, four of them have gained wide acceptance and popularity. The first one came in the name of Mark. Then came two modified versions of it in the names of Luke and Matthew. Finally, I also wrote one. Our intention was the same-- to state clearly what we stand for and what we don’t. It was with Jesus that the church began, and so it is the teachings and activities of Jesus that determine the ideals and policies of the church. That is why we all wrote about Jesus.

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