WINDOW ON INFINITY (HE WHO SENT ME) BY SONYA KI TOMLINSON WARREN
GLORIES OF OUR JESUS CHRIST
Our precious Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Divine heavenly Father came to me in a dream, February 2021 and instructed me to write an essay on "The Glories of our Jesus Christ" and present it.
Where to begin in describing the illustrious glories of our Lord Jesus Christ, His sermons and works were jewels and pearls cascading from heaven. Beautiful, simple, practical guidance on how to lead a loving, righteous, happy life that was pleasing to God.
I was raised and brought up as a Christian,
I went to Sunday school and was spiritually nourished on the teachings of Jesus. I attended the first reformed Church of Astoria. A quaint Dutch styled red building with a green steeple at the top of a hill not far from where we lived.
The Church and all activities related to it was basically the center of our family life.
I am thankful for the spiritual nourishment I received through the Church for it helped me to develop a deep love for God and a moral foundation.
However, some of the doctrines that had to do with eternal damnation and intolerance of other religions did not sit well with me. Therefore, after some life-changing events I started to explore mystical and Eastern philosophies. Then in 1990 our Heavenly Father, Lord Sathya Sai Baba called me to Him.
The amazing thing is at my first devotional meeting, at a YMCA center on 34th Street in New York, the woman who gave the talk had some pictures of the Master Jesus materialized by Sathya Sai Baba. According to Swami this was a picture of the glorified Christ after the crucifixion.
You can read about this incredible experience at:
http://www.revbiro.hu/christ.htm
In several discourses around Christmas and Easter time Swami has eloquently
given us luminous insights and details into the glory and mission of Jesus Christ.
In the book Sai Smaran by Dr. D.J.G Ghadia, P. 69 - 70.
Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba says:
"when Jesus proclaimed that he was the messenger of god. He wanted to emphasize that everyone is a messenger of God and has to speak act and think as one. When progress is furthered, Jesus asserted that each one would recognize himself as the son of God (children of God, brothers and sisters of oneself). finally, when the inner knowledge ripens into wisdom, and the goal is reached, one realizes that I and my Father are One.
After spending some time in this manner, Jesus began thinking that there must be a light that helped him to recognize the other light. Then He made efforts to realize the basic truth of himself. After some time He declared, "The light is I!" First He stated, "I am a resplendent light." Then He said, "The light is in me" and finally he declared, "I am the light!"
Jesus tried to teach everyone the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God. Traditional and egoistic men considered Jesus a false prophet and they tried every means to the art His mission. Jesus, however, did not waver. Faced with opposition, He continued to be an example of living truth to purify society."
I came across a collection of beautifully summarized discourses by our beloved Sri Sathya Sai Baba on Lord Jesus Christ. They were all taken from "Sathya Sai Baba Speaks" books:
https://sathyasaiwithstudents.blogspot.com/2015/12/sri-sathya-sai-on-jesus-christ-part-1.html?m=1
I selected a portion of them for us to reflect upon:
"Jesus was Karana-Janma, a Master born with a purpose, the mission of restoring love, charity and compassion in the heart of man. He had no attachment to the self, nor paid any heed to joy or sorrow, loss or gain. He had a heart that responded to the call of anguish, and He went about the land preaching the lesson of love. His life was a libation for the upliftment of humanity. Like most seekers, He first searched for the Divine in the objective world. But He soon realised that the world is a kaleidoscopic picture created by one’s own imagination, and sought to find God within Himself. His stay in the Himalayan monasteries in Kashmir and in other centres of eastern asceticism and philosophical inquiry, gave Him greater awareness. From the attitude of being a Messenger of God, He could now call himself the Son of God. The bond of relationship increased, the ‘I’ was no more some distant light or entity; the light became a part of the “I.” With the body-consciousness predominant, He was a messenger. With the heart-consciousness in the ascendant, He felt a greater nearness and dearness, and so the son-father bond seems natural at this stage.
Later as the Atman-consciousness was established, Jesus could declare, “I and My Father are One”. The three stages may be described as, ‘I was in the Light’, ‘the Light was in Me’, and ‘I am the light’, and may be compared to the Dvaita (dualism), Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) and Advaita (non-dualism) stages as described in Vedic philosophy. The final stage is the one when all duality has been shed. This is the essence of all religious disciplines and teachings.
Jesus was honoured by the populace as Christ, for they found in His thoughts, words and deeds, no trace of ego. He had no envy or hatred, and was full of love and charity, humility and sympathy. Jesus’ original name was Isa which, when repeated, is Sai. Isa and Sai, both mean Ishwara (God), the Eternal Absolute, the Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). In the Tibetan manuscript; at the monastery where Isa spent some years, His name is written as Isha, which means the Lord of all living beings. When Jesus proclaimed that He was the Messenger of God, He wanted to emphasise that everyone is a Messenger of God and has to speak, act and think like one. This is the true Karma-Kanda (branch dealing with action and its reaction) of the Vedas; Sadhana (discipline) of Karma (work), Japa (prayer), Seva (service) and Dhyana (meditation). When progress is furthered, Jesus asserted, each one can recognise all as Sons of God, Children of God, brothers and sisters of oneself, and so, deserving of worship. The Upasana Kanda (branch of Vedas dealing with contemplation) is the scripture in Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Universal Religion) for this stage. Finally, knowledge ripens into wisdom and the goal of Jnana Kanda (branch of Vedas dealing with spiritual wisdom) is reached, when each one realises, “I and my Father are One.”
“Isa”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 14,
December 25, 1978, Prasanthi Nilayam
"More than 2,000 years ago, when ego and pride became human nature, ignorance reigned supreme and the demonic nature of man was at its peak, Jesus Christ descended on earth and through His message of love and compassion demonstrated the path of righteousness. Today, you must recognise the most important aspect of the life of Jesus Christ. In the very beginning of His life, Jesus declared, “I am a Messenger of God”. He proclaimed that all are embodiments of Divinity in this human form, and all are messengers of God. He said that every ounce of this human body till the last drop of blood should be dedicated to the service of mankind. “A heart filled with love and compassion is the real temple of God”, declared Jesus. The alarm clock wakes us by ringing the alarm at the right time. The great sages of ancient times would wake man from the slumber of ignorance by warning him at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner. They would warn man to recognise the Divinity which is all pervading. One must remember these teachings and put them into practice every moment of our lives. Celebrating the birthday of such a great and pious soul as just another ritual is not what is expected. The day you understand the teachings of Jesus, and implement them with your heart and soul, that day will really be the Birthday of Jesus Christ. The words of such great people should constantly ring in your hearts and should be the guiding light of your lives. Your real offering to God will be the dedication of your life to practicing these teachings."
- The Descent of God is for the Ascent of Man, Discourse 01, My Dear Students, Volume 05
"You celebrate the birthday of Bhagavan. But do you follow the teachings? You will experience the fruits of celebrating the birthday only when you follow the teachings. Jesus said, “Love everyone.” Christmas is celebrated, but how far does one practise love? None at all. There is love in everyone’s heart. Share it at least with ten persons every day. This is seldom done. People are keener on receiving than on giving. They are willing to give away only things which they do not relish. There is no sacrifice in this."
-Purity, Patience, Perseverance: Steps to Divinity, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 26, November 23, 1993, Prasanthi Nilayam
"The Birthday of Jesus must be celebrated by all mankind, for such Karana-Janmas (a Master born with a purpose) belong to the whole human race. They should not be confined to a single country or community…Carols and candles, readings from the Bible and acting out the incidents that surrounded His Birth, are not enough to celebrate the Birth of Jesus. Jesus said that the bread taken in the ‘last supper’ was His Flesh, and the wine, His Blood. He meant that all beings alive with flesh and blood are to be treated as He Himself and that no distinction should be made of friend or foe, we or they. Everybody is His Body, sustained by the bread; every drop of blood flowing in the veins of every living being is His, animated by the activity that the wine imparted to it. That is to say, every man is Divine and has to be revered as such."
- “Isa”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 14, December 25, 1978, Prasanthi Nilayam
People talk of the sacrifice of Christ as evidence by His crucifixion. But, He was surrounded and bound, and crowned by the crowd who captured Him with a crown of thorns, and later, nailed to the cross by His captors. A person bound and beaten by the police cannot say that he has sacrificed anything, for; he is not a free man. Let us pay attention to the sacrifice that Jesus made while free, out of His own volition. He sacrificed His happiness, prosperity, comfort, safety and position; He braved the enmity of the powerful. He refused to yield or compromise. He renounced the ‘ego’, which is the toughest thing to get rid of. Honor Him for these. He willingly sacrificed the desires with which the body torments man; this is sacrifice greater than the sacrifice of the body under duress. The celebration of His birthday has to be marked by your sacrificing at least a desire or two, and conquering at least the more disastrous urges of the ego.
This day, Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ, resolve to lead the lives of loving service to the weak, the helpless, the distressed, and the disconsolate. Cultivate tolerance and forbearance, charity and magnanimity. Hold dear the ideals He laid down and practise them in your daily lives. The ways in which Christmas is being celebrated now show how far men have moved away from those ideals, how much ignominy they are heaping on His name! The midnight hour is revered, illumination is arranged, the Christmas tree is set up, and then, the night is spent in drinking and dance. It is a day of Holy Ananda, but, the Ananda is reduced to the level of the poisoning excitement of intoxication!
Drink is so pernicious an evil habit, that when man puts the bottle in, he himself gets into the bottle and cannot escape! First man drinks wine, then the wine drinks more wine; and finally, the wine drinks man himself! He is sunk and drowned in drink. Liquor destroys the humanity in man! How then can it develop the Divinity in him? One must dance in Divine Bliss; instead, sensual dance is indulged in as a deleterious substitute! Make your hearts pure, your activities holy, and your feelings beneficial to all. That is the best way of celebrating the Birth of Christ.
- He whom Christ Announced, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 11, December 24, 1972, Bangalore
"Jesus had no trace of ego in Him. He was filled with compassion at the sight of the meek and the afflicted. Paul opposed Jesus in all matters from the very outset. Once Jesus appeared in the dream of Paul and questioned him, “What harm have I done to you? Why do you criticise Me so?” This caused Paul to ponder and realise that his ignorance and ego blinded him to reality. Thereafter he became an ardent disciple of Jesus. In every age, every noble soul had to put up with criticism. People always have mistaken notions about good and bad. If only we understand the truth in the Bible, we will come to the conclusion that there was no fault in Jesus at all. Jesus always aspired to put people in God consciousness."
- Love God wholeheartedly, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31, November 24, 1998, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Jesus was compassion (Karuna) come in human form. He spread the spirit of compassion and conferred solace on the distressed and the suffering. Noticing the torture of birds and beasts at the temple in Jerusalem, He reprimanded the vendors and drove them out of the precincts. He drew upon Himself the anger of the priests.
Jesus was the target for many mighty obstacles and he braved them all. As a result, His name and story and message are shedding splendorous light all over the world now. Not only Jesus; every Prophet, Messenger of God, Teacher of Truth and Spiritual Leader had to wade through ridicule, neglect and persecution.
The Divine, though it moves among the entire sundry, can never be affected or deflected. Envious folk heaped insults on Jesus. Even among His disciples, some betrayed Him and deserted Him. Self-dominated people turn envious at greatness and goodness. But since Prema of Jesus, had no trace of self in it, Jesus was unafraid. The loveless are enveloped in fear. Love instills courage and promotes adventure. It delights in daring. If you follow the Master, you can face the devil, fight to the end and finish the game. Jesus was Love. Sathya Sai too is Love. That explains the gathering of Christians of all sects, which we see here. In Rome today, Catholics gather to celebrate the Advent of Jesus. The Protestants celebrate it by themselves in their churches. The Jews are not welcomed anywhere. But, in the Presence of Sathya Sai, all are equally welcome. The Jews arraigned Jesus and demanded that He should be punished; in this presence, Jews adore that very Jesus.
The Prema of Sathya Sai has transformed and transcended those memories. It made them realise that there is only one caste, the caste of humanity; there is only one religion, the religion of love.
…Compassion was His Message. He was sorely distressed at the sight of the poor. This day, Jesus is worshipped but His teachings are neglected. Sai is being worshipped but His teachings are neglected. Everywhere, pomp, pageantry, hollow exhibitionism! Lectures, Lectures, Lectures! No activity, no love, no Seva. Heroes while lecturing, zeros while putting what is said into practice. Develop Compassion. Live in Love. Be Good, do Good and see Good. This is the way to God."
- Parama Prema, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 15,
December 25, 1981, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Christ declared that God can be realised only through love. Once a high priest in Jerusalem called Jesus and asked Him, “Are you King of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “I do not say so”. The priest told Jesus, “You are leading the people astray by Your wrong teachings. You are telling them that everyone can enter Heaven only through You.” Jesus said that He had been telling the people to seek the Kingdom of Heaven. The priest asked, “Where is that Kingdom?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you, within everybody. When this is My teaching, how can I be accused of claiming that the Kingdom of Heaven can be attained only through Me?” How did Jesus get the courage to speak in this fashion? It was because He was proclaiming the truth. Truth is born of love, which comes from faith in God."
- Divinity through Love, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 20,
December 25, 1987, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Jesus advised one of His foremost disciples, Peter, to live in love, for Love is God. Man can experience God only when he becomes the embodiment of Love, which doesn’t seek anything or expect even gratitude in return, Love which becomes sacrifice and service, spontaneously. When Peter listened to such exhortations from the Master, he found a new joy welling up within him and a new meaning in the word JOY. ‘J’ meant Jesus and the letter directed him to love Jesus first. ‘O’ meant others who must be loved next. ‘Y’ meant yourself who ought to be loved only last. But, look at the human condition today. Man loves himself first, others next and Jesus last!
The body is the temple of God and therefore it has to be maintained, unaffected by disease and distress. It has not been offered to man for catering to one’s selfish vagaries. Jesus sanctified His body by sacrificing it for saving others. He was conscious of that supreme purpose and duty. With faith in the oneness of humanity, He stood against opponents and critics and confronted their onslaughts."
- Truth and Faith, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 19
"Jesus taught that God is Love. Instead of recognizing this basic truth, men are allowing hatred, envy and other evil qualities to pollute their love. Man is gifted with the quality of love not to express it for selfish purposes but to direct it towards God. Jesus declared that there was nothing great about returning good for good. They should do good even to those who harm them.
As Jesus went on with His preaching and drew multitudes towards Him, some of the priests and those in authority grew envious at His popularity. This happens in all countries. They started persecuting Him and charging Him with treason. Jesus, however, continued up to the end to carry on His mission of Love and Righteousness, first, as the Messenger of God, and later as the Son of God. There is a reason for anyone coming in the human form. This may not be known to all. Only the Divine knows the real purpose. Everyone should regard himself as a Messenger of God and try to lead an ideal life. This means that one has to give up selfishness and self-interest. This may not be easy. But with God’s Grace, it should be possible to progress towards Self-realisation gradually.
Love is the means of developing devotion and achieving liberation, apart from other things. Only the love of God is real love. It is the royal road for man to realise the Divinity in him and in everyone. Look at the state of things in Bethlehem, the birth-place of Jesus. Christmas could not be celebrated there this year, because of the ill-feelings among the people.
How unfortunate that while the rest of the world is celebrating Christmas there should be no celebration in the place where Jesus was born."
- Love - The Key to Human Unity, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 21, December 25, 1988, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Develop the love of God. All other forms of love are not love at all, but only fleeting and impermanent attachments. Man’s biggest folly is forgetting his divinity. All should realise that they come “from God”. All are children of God. Everyone should seek to get nearer and nearer to God. That is Sadhana. You must feel that God is Hridhayavasi (dwells in the heart). You must develop compassion in the heart, because without it the heart is only a stone. That is the message of Jesus- the message of Love. Love is God. Live in love. Start the day with love. Spend the day with love. End the day with love. This is the way to God. Only the person who is filled with love will be dear to the Lord."
- Realise God through Love, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 29, December 25, 1996, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Jesus and Judas
Tradition-minded and egoistic men considered Jesus a false prophet and they tried by every means to thwart His mission. Jesus, however, did not waver. Faced with opposition, He continued to be an example of living Truth, and to purify society. Many disciples followed Jesus but throughout history, it has been the experience of Rama, Krishna, Jesus and Muhammad that disciples however close are seldom fully dedicated. Most are only part-time devotees. Jesus had 12 disciples, most of whom had faith in Him and lived His teachings. But, Judas yielded to greed. He betrayed His Master for a mere 30 coins. He could not find joy in life after this treachery. His mind gave him no peace. He had to seek refuge in suicide.
Judas Betrays Jesus
Betrayal by people who pretend to adore is happening since ages. Corrupt, greedy and selfish people spread falsehoods about their own Masters. We have heard of a Judas, 2000 years ago. But in the Kali Age, people are obsessed with money and Judases have multiplied. They seek to amass paltry riches whereas good character, good conduct and knowledge of God are the three real treasures to be gathered. Land and buildings, silver and gold, dollars and other currencies are temporary and trivial. They are possessions only until life lasts. But those three treasures will stay on, sustain and strengthen you until you attain union with the Infinite."
- The Way of Jesus, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 14,
December 25, 1979, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Changes in the nature of the reactions and the lines of approach are brought about by the whims of the moment, the turns and twists of desire and the pressure exercised by the environment, the region and the times. Last night you witnessed a play about Jesus enacted by the students. The disciple who was most loved, Judas by name, decided to work against the Master, yielding to the low temptation of a few pieces of silver. Greed for money is a demon that gets hold of the weak. When one is overcome by it, one loses all trace of discrimination and accepts with ease, wrongful ways of satisfying it.
The success of the task for which I have come will very soon reverberate throughout the world. The truth that all faiths are facets of the One and that all roads lead to the same Goal, is provoking to some persons. You witnessed in the play on Jesus how His emphasis on the basic truths of good and godly life was misinterpreted by even the leaders of religion, who sought to hide their own failings by slander and falsehood. They even plotted to inflict torture on Jesus. All the acts of Jesus were pure and holy, and filled with selfless love. One can have adoration for one’s religion, but it should not be defiled by hatred towards other religions. Be engaged, rather, in tasting the sanctifying, sustaining stream of Divine love. That will confer lasting Ananda."
- The Task will Triumph, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 14,
November 23, 1979, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Jesus on the Cross
When Jesus was being crucified, He cried out to God, “O God, Why do You punish me like this?” Immediately He realized the Truth and said, 'O God, let Your will prevail. It is You who has created me, sustained me, and protected me. I will not act against Your Will. It was a mistake on my part to blame You'.
When He recognized His mistake, an ethereal voice said, “All are one my dear son, be alike to everyone.” Once you recognize your mistake, Divinity manifests. Man today does not recognize his mistakes; instead he looks for mistakes in others. Do not be bothered about others fault; search for your own faults and rectify them. Only then will your life be sanctified."
- Develop Steadfast Faith in God, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31, October 1, 1998, Prasanthi Nilayam
"Jesus Christ on the Cross - The Day now celebrated as Good Friday
Only that person who has realized, “I am not the body, I am not the mind; I am God verily”, is a real Jnani. When you say, “This is my body”, who are you? To whom are you referring? The expression ‘my body’ connotes that you are separate from the body. When you say, “This is my mind”, the mind is separate from you. Similarly, when you say, “This is my Buddhi (intellect)”, it means the Buddhi is separate from you. In all these expressions, what is that ‘My’? That ‘My’ is ‘I’. This ‘I’ is what was referred to by Jesus Christ as the ego that has to be cut. That is the real significance of the cross. You cut the ego."
- Install God in the Altar of Your Sacred Heart, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 42, December 25, 2009, Prasanthi Nilayam
These illuminating accounts of the glories of Lord Jesus Christ are so beautifully described by our heavenly Father Himself, the one who sent Jesus, Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba.
As we can see Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphasizes the progress towards divine union with God in terms of Jesus Christ's journey first as a Messenger of God, then as the Son of God, then the final crowning Glory "My Father and I are One." This is the basic mystical formula for all of mankind as we traverse the long, arduous road to mergence in the One Glorious Self.
Sathya Sai Baba says:
"All should realise that they come “from God”. All are children of God. Everyone should seek to get nearer and nearer to God. That is Sadhana. You must feel that God is Hridhayavasi (dwells in the heart). You must develop compassion in the heart, because without it the heart is only a stone. That is the message of Jesus- the message of Love. Love is God. Live in love. Start the day with love. Spend the day with love. End the day with love. This is the way to God. Only the person who is filled with love will be dear to the Lord."
