Onam Reflections based on Mathew 5: 1-12

Matthew 5: 12 says, happy are those who are insulted, persecuted and accused of all  kinds of evil falsely, for their reward is great in heaven, "for the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Do Mahabali resemble some of the persecuted prophets, or  one of the "many and various ways"  by which "long ago God spoke to our ancestors" (Hebrews 1:1) or like Melchizedek, the Canaanite "king of righteousness and peace, "resemble the Son of God" (Hebrews 7:3).  Mahabali is  Maha(Great) Bali  (Sacrifice), one who sacrificed his life to keep his word, though his Guru Sukracharya, tried to save him from performing the jaladanam, ritual pouring of water to finalize the land deal with Vamana.  Mahabali is a vanquished king, defeated and rejected by the Brahminic priesthood and the Aryan hierarchy, but has been  eagerly awaited by the Malayalees  to  welcome him to their homes and to their land year after year, in remembrance of  his sacrificial life and death, his noble values and impeccable reign. Keshub Chunder Sen, the great renascent leader of Bengal has said that what India needs is not more religious sacrifices but self sacrifce. He cited Christ as the  supreme example of self sacrifice. Rabindranath Tagore has congratulated Christianity for introducing the idea of  vicarious suffering into Indian religiosity.  Mahatma Gandhiji was also very much moved by the self offering of Jesus to humanity on the cross. The story of Mahabali who lost his Kingdom to the Aryans who invaded Kerala beginning from the third century CE onwards is an example of  the values of self sacrifice and vicarious suffering.  To read the full sermon click here >>>Sermonette: Onam Reflections based on Mathew 5: 1-12