How to Witness to Jains

September 10, 2006

How to witness with sensitivity to Jains.

One of the reasons for the small response to the gospel among the Jains is that so few are presenting the Jains with the gospel in a relevant way. II Corinthians 9:6 “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

Because Jains are a very isolated community they do not often have exposure to the Gospel. There are factors that keep Jains from interacting with Christians on a social level. One of the factors that keep Jains isolated from believers in Christ is the vegetarian diet of the Jains. Jains find it difficult to interact with Christians who are mostly non-vegetarians.

Jains come into a presentation of Christ with a very different concept than Christians do regarding God and salvation. Despite some of the contrasting views they bring to their understanding of Christ there are some important points of contact in presenting Christ to Jains.

“An effective Christian witness among the Jains will display gentleness and meekness. These traits will not only be consistent with their philosophy of Ahimsa, but they are eminently biblical. In short, the missionary must exhibit the fruit of the Spirit as noted in Galatians 5:22,23. If Jains are to be reached with the Gospel, Christian workers must have the attitude of the apostle Paul who testified: I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.” I Cor. 9:22, NASB) 1

It is very possible for believers in Christ to make friendships with Jains. Some Christians have begun conversations with Jains by entering their shops. Others have gone to Jain temples to meet Jains and been invited back to their homes. Jains do enjoy interacting with those outside of their Jain community even though the majority of Jains do interact primarily with other Jains.

It is one thing to engage a Jain in a friendly conversation at their shop and another to lead the Jain to Christ. Leading a Jain to Christ can be considered a physical impossibility in our own strength. The disciples asked Jesus “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:24

When we are interacting with Jains and desire to share Christ with them it is a spiritual matter. We should approach the Jains in the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18). We should spend time interceding in prayer that our Jain friend will be open to Christ as we share our faith with them. We should be aware of certain bridges that help us in presenting Christ to the Jains.

Points of contact in sharing Christ with Jains?

It is very well known that Mahatma Gandhi was impacted deeply be the Jains of his native Gujarat. Gandhi states in his autobiography that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is the greatest literature of all time. A Jain believer in Christ (Manilal Parekh), also from Gujarat, who was a contemporary and friend of Gandhi emphasized that the Sermon on Mount will have an appeal to the Jains. Discussing the Beatitudes with Jains is an excellent point to begin a conversation about Christ.

To bring the conversation with Jains to a deeper level to the saving work of Christ can be done by discussing of the meaning of the term Jain. The Jain community takes its name from the word Jaina that means conqueror. The Jains follow Mahavir who went to extreme measures to conquer inward passions and sins. If a Jain considers all that Jesus did on the cross and the victory that he accomplished through his death they will be deeply impressed.

When considering Jesus act of Jaina (victory of sin) his authority as teacher is confirmed. This becomes the stepping-stone to consider other claims from the great Jaina, the Lord Jesus. He claimed to be more than a great teacher, but the Son of God who came to forgive sins. The story of Jesus healing the paralytic and asserting his authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12) is a Bible story that will help Jains see the full impact of Jesus the great conqueror of sin.

As you share your faith with a Jain keep in mind that the most important doctrine is ahimsa, the practice of non-violence. The leading spiritual figure for the Jains the Maharishi has scheduled to fast to death before the great Jain festival. This act of taking his life through fasting is called swahimsa. For Jains who have been taught that the swahimsa as the highest doctrine need to consider what Christ did when he, “Gave his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

“Jesus Christ went to the furthest extent in teaching and practicing love, so much so that it became swahimsa (the destruction of self for the good of others), which goes beyond ahimsa. In it lies the advance of the Christian religion over others. “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” is what Jesus not only preached but practiced even to the extent of the Crucifixion.”2

As we share our faith with Jains we can expect that because of the power of the Gospel that many will come to faith. As we see Jains come to faith we come to a critical juncture to see Christ impact a large number of Jains.

New believers should become trainers.

Because Jains are a closed community they will listen more to another Jain than from an outsider. When you find your Jain friend respond to Christ they should be counseled to remain inside their community and see their ministry as reaching their family and Jain community for Christ.

In Karnataka a Jain woman, Lela who had been widowed, and her son, Rajan have come to faith in Christ. She is being counseled and trained to share her story of coming to Christ with her Jain family and community people. Her inclination is to ask the evangelist who brought her the saving message of Christ to also share this with her family and friends. This should be avoided and Lela should bring Christ to her fellow Jains.

Lela is much better suited, as a new believer in Christ to share Jesus with her fellow Jains than an evangelist from an outside community. The evangelist role is to fade into the background and disciple Lela behind the scenes. Now the message of Christ is coming to the Jains of North Karnataka from another Jains and not from an outsider. In this way the Jains keeping isolated from other communities does not keep Christ from the Jains but encourages the Gospel to move within the Jain community, Jain to Jain.

The next step for Lela and the new Jain believers is to begin a house fellowship church with Jains who are believers and have Jain seekers of Christ also attending. When Jains come to Christ they will want to keep certain cultural patterns that have been with them from birth. One of these patterns is a vegetarian diet. When new believers are invited to the Jain homes of Lela’s Jain friends who hold the same cultural practice there is a tremendous breaking of the barriers that keep Jains from Christ.

Sharing your faith with Jains can be a joy for you. It is the will of Jesus who does not wish for any Jains to perish. (I Peter 3:9)