The Descent of God is for the Ascent of Man : JESUS CHRIST Part - 1

There is no need to search for God anywhere, since God resides in every being. The body is, therefore, to be considered as the temple of God. Today man is breeding bad thoughts in the mind, thereby polluting the heart which is the seat of the Divine.

Birth Place of Jesus Christ

Having taken birth as a human being, one has to realise the divinity within. The primary duty of every individual, as a messenger of God, is to practice and propagate the principles of truth, love, and peace and to experience the bliss and share it with others. The one who propagates the worldly, fleeting, and ephemeral matters cannot be called a messenger of God.


When Jesus was born, three Arabian kings came to see Him. They were overjoyed on seeing the new-born baby. While returning, the first king said to Mother Mary, “Mother, you have given birth to a child who loves God.”


The second king said, “Mother, you have given birth to a child who will be loved by God.”


The third king said, “Mother Mary, your child is not different from God; both are one and the same.”

The first one viewed the child from the physical point of view. The second saw the child from the mental viewpoint. The third saw from the Aatmic (spiritual) point of view.

Once we understand the inner meaning of these three statements, we will know the truth. The one who loves God is the Messenger of God. The one whom God loves is the Son of God. The one who understands the principle of unity becomes one with God.

As Jesus said: "I and my Father are one." Thus all persons are messengers of God. This means that they should divinise themselves. When can men call themselves "Sons of God?" Recognise what pure actions are done by God, selflessly for the sake of all. There is no trace of self-interest in Him. Everything He does, says or thinks is for the good of others. On the other side, everything men do, speak or think is born out of selfishness. Men have become puppets in the hands of selfishness. Men can describe themselves as "Sons of God" only when they are completely free from selfishness and become Godly. To call yourself the "Son of God," you have to manifest the qualities of the Father.

The Life of Jesus

Jesus preached the primary obligation of everyone to show one's gratitude to the parents. Jesus came with his mother to Jerusalem when he was eleven years old. His mother was worried about the activities of Jesus. Jesus was critical of the ways of the Jews in the temple in Jerusalem. He came out against the harmful practices in the temple and preached the omnipresence of God in all living beings. He exhorted the people not to cause harm to anyone. What he preached was in accord with the basic teachings of all religions. He engaged himself in a mission of mercy to the sick and the poor. He offered food to the hungry. Seeing his acts of love and kindness, people declared that he was a "Messenger of God." Jesus constantly referred to God as the father. Later he declared: "I and my father are one." Jesus dedicated his life to the propagation of faith in one God who is common to all mankind.

Why Fear When I am Hear

The child was brought up by mother Mary and his father was working as a carpenter. Jesus exemplified the spirit of social service. The inspiration for this came from his mother Mary. From his childhood Mary taught him such good qualities as truth, kindness, compassion and justice. 

In his twelth year, Jesus and his parents went to Jerusalem for a festival. In the crowds the parents lost trace of Jesus and searched for him everywhere. Not finding him anywhere, Mary sat under a tree and prayed to God to come to her help. At that moment, a thought flashed in her mind that Jesus was perhaps in a nearby temple. And Jesus was there sitting in a corner of the temple and listening to the words of the priest. 

Mary affectionately rushed towards him and embraced him. "Child, what agony I went through on your account," she said. Jesus told her: "Mother! Why should you have any fear? Those who believe in the world will have fears. But why should anyone believing in God fear at all? I am in the company of my Father. Why do you fear? You taught me that God is everything for us. How, then, can you worry like this?" Jesus had learnt his lessons from his mother and developed his spiritual faith.

The First Disciples

After they returned from Jerusalem, Jesus felt that service to his parents was his foremost duty, because he owed everything to them. In this spirit, he used to assist his father in his carpentry work. Joseph passed away when Jesus was thirty. Mary told her son, “Now that your father passed away, you should continue your father’s profession, so that we may earn our livelihood.” But the boy was not inclined to continue in his father’s profession. The mother was also not interested to oppose the natural inclinations of young Jesus.

One day, young Jesus went to a lonely hilltop. The mother was very much worried, nay, depressed due to the absence of her son. Jesus was sitting and meditating on God all the while. After some time, he returned. As he was returning, he ran into a group of worried men on the coast of the sea of Galilee. 

When young Jesus enquired from them the cause of their worry, they said that they were fishermen and that for quite some time past, they were not able to catch any fish in their nets. 

Jesus said, “Follow me; are there any waters that do not have fish?” He took them along with him in their boats to the middle of the sea and asked them to cast their nets at a particular spot. To their utter astonishment and great joy, the fishermen found that their nets were full with fish. This event created a lot of faith in the minds of the fishermen. Hence, faith is indispensable for humanity.

Where there is faith, there is love; 

 Where there is love, there is truth; 

Where there is truth, there is peace; 

Where there is peace, there is bliss; 

Where there is bliss, there is God.

Jesus could instill such great faith in those people. One of those fishermen was named by Jesus as Peter. He developed intense love and faith towards Jesus. From then on, the fishermen regularly used to take Jesus out on their fishing expeditions and after their return in the evening, Jesus used to expound spiritual matters to them. 

Once Jesus and Peter were going in a boat. When they reached the shore, a man approached them saying that he was hungry. Peter gave him a couple of fish. Then Jesus said, “Peter, why are you giving fish to the needy? If you give him a net, he will be able to catch fish for himself. Truly, it is not practical for you to provide him with fish or for his daily sustenance.” Instead of merely satisfying a man’s hunger for one day, try to find him a job with which he can earn for his livelihood.

When Peter’s father passed away, his mother was filled with sorrow, but Jesus consoled her by telling, “Death is but a dress of life. Wherefore do you shed tears? Death is like changing one’s dress. Therefore, stop grieving. These physical bodies come and go, so do not waste your thought on these ephemeral things. The indweller (dehi) who lives inside this body is the true divinity.”

Once a young discipline asked Jesus, “O Master, when I am faced with some problems, how am I to solve them? Jesus replied, “O simpleton, do not seek solutions to your problems. Love God, who is installed in your heart. Love even those that hate you because God is present in them also. How can you ever have suffering when you love all? Your heart will be filled with bliss when you love everybody.” 

He began his ministry with a group of fishermen as his first disciples. He taught them that they should first seek the Kingdom of Heaven. To enter that Kingdom they had to cultivate loving hearts. Then, their hearts would become the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus further declared to them: " I and my Father are one." 

( Source - Sathya Sai Speaks  )

                                                - to be continued in the second part