Did Jesus Christ fail?

As the world gets into its biggest celebration – the birth of Jesus Christ – we witness brutal wars, widespread suffering and exploitation, leaving us to wonder: Did Jesus’ sermons, examples and sacrifice – so powerfully related in the Holy Bible – really fail? Why?

While we remember his birth and life, how can we escape this question?

There is now a brutal war in the Holy Land, around the land of his birth, of all places.

There is kindness, charity and empathy for the suffering caused by decisions of evil-hearted men, whatever the excuse. So evil is the world becoming, it may be better to live like the proverbial monkey: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

The consoling bright Christmas lights, carols, sermons, gifts and parties should not entice us to forget what he came for and did.

We should also ask why his teachings remain so far from what we actually do. It is indeed in our dual nature – the war between our instincts of good against those of evil, between the spirit and the flesh as we continually beg God to “forgive us” and lead us “not into temptation.”

Even from those who do not believe, we need an explanation for the widespread evil around a world with so many churches, priests and holy books.

Controversial, of course, but from all-round evidence, there is also, always, a “war” within us, making it necessary for some to make divine appeals for help, admitting our human weakness and unable to live the life Jesus tried to teach.

Did he fail or did we fail him?

The hunger for power and more power over other people and land has long been an unholy motive, making it look as if “power over others” is an addiction, an incurable disease.

Citing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Archbishop Jason Gordon declared: “Since time immemorial, the grab for land has been at the heart of most conflicts – just examine the wars of today.”

Leaving the controversial sacred to the secular, we read clinical neurologist Lord David Owen’s book: Sickness and in Power: Illnesses in the Heads of Government during the last 100 Years (2008). Citing many examples, he wrote: "Something happens to some leaders’ mental ability while in power. Hubris behaviour with excessive self-confidence is almost an occupational hazard for heads of government." He notes symptoms include patterns of reckless behaviour, bad judgement and operational incompetence, often compounded by delusions of personal infallibility and exemption from political accountability.” It is evil in disguise.

For this and related reasons, the spaces of freedom within democracy are rudely captured by elected politicians and hungry power-seekers for exploitation, revenge and spite – devilishly turning democracy upside down. It’s around us too. Witness it: "Power, the fumes of it invade the brain, Make men giddy, proud and vain." (Samuel Butler)

From the mountain, Jesus left us with eight tools for a blessed life, for service – the eight Beatitudes, three of which are: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled; Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God; Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

These are today called "psychological capital" as guides for a peaceful and progressive society. If the Ten Commandments are too hard for us to follow, these spiritual guidelines will help uplift us to higher ground with our fellow men.

Human suffering and strife are partly caused by the competition and uneven distribution of limited status and resources in the society: conditions aggravated by the greed and selfishness by those who have and always want more. These lavishly celebrate Christmas too, sometimes forgetting what Jesus said.

At 14, when we lived in Real Street, San Juan, I saw the movie Life of Christ at Globe cinema. It was so sorrowful, I cried at his suffering and his being nailed on the cross, especially when he finally said: "Father, forgive them for they not know what they do."

We may be weak when it comes to following all he taught us, but we should never forget.

His life left many lessons and warnings. Five are:

1. Prepare for betrayal and denial by those close to you, as done by Judas and then Peter.

2. If you attack the wrongs of the political establishment, prepare for spite and revenge. Jesus called out hypocrisy and paid for it.

3. Don’t trust the crowd. They are fickle. They will conveniently prefer thieves and vagabonds before the righteous and innocent – as they chose Barrabas over Jesus.

4. And there is this, at Mark 7:14, when Jesus said: "Hear me, everyone and understand. There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man."

Why do the teachings of religions fail to accomplish their holy objectives? How do so many people of the world celebrate peace, love and kindness while so many others at the same time inflict hatred, spite, violence and even war upon others?

Does the devil really have so much power over men? Or is he the necessary test to sift the wheat from the chaff? The deserving from the undeserving?

More baffling yet: why do the same people who pray today hate and wage war tomorrow? The "war" is not merely between one people and another, one country and another. The eternal war is also between the good and evil that resides within us. And the endless battle to overcome evil and temptation.

However small or big the scale on which we celebrate our Christmas, we should try hard not to forget Jesus and what he stood for.