Dear readers, today is Easter Sunday and it is only appropriate for us to ruminate on what Swami has said on Jesus and His supreme sacrifice for mankind. Here are excerpts of Swami’s Discourses delivered during Christmas celebrations of 1997 and 1978 taken from the book “Be like Jesus”.

Jesus Faced Troubles Like Other Divine Personalities

There were controversies regarding Jesus. These differences were the cause of the ordeals he had to go through. But Jesus was prepared to face any trouble or any penalty. He considered compassion as the supreme quality. By chastising the rich and ministering to the poor and the diseased, Jesus taught his disciples a new way of life based on faith in, God. Jesus demonstrated and preached the power of faith and, ultimately, invited on himself the supreme sacrifice of life itself. When his disciples started abusing his tormentors, his voice warned them to desist: "All are one! Be alike to everyone."

You have to remind yourselves of the ideals Jesus stood for. For ages, from time to time, many noble souls, endowed with immense spiritual power, have taken birth to propagate sacred teachings to the world. They struggled hard to make the world a good place to live in. But without understanding their noble intentions, foolish people tried to ridicule and persecute them. Right from his birth, Jesus had to face many trials and tribulations. When the name and fame of noble souls spread far and wide, many people become jealous.

In the past, many evil-minded people were jealous of the Divine personalities who attained worldwide fame through their teachings of truth and righteousness. Even today there is no dearth of such wicked people. If one cannot undertake meritorious deeds, it is better to keep quiet instead of indulging in such sinful deeds.

With faith in the oneness of humanity, Jesus stood against all of his opponents and critics and confronted their onslaughts. Every saint and prophet, who strove to uplift the downtrodden and open the eyes of the blind to the splendour of God's Grace, had to be ready and willing for the ultimate sacrifice. One has to expect trouble and welcome the chance for sacrificing all that one clings to, while one is upholding truth and righteousness. Faith in God is the bedrock that can save man from downfall. It is only when we look upon the universe as permeated by God that we acquire the strength to fight the forces of evil.

There can be no sinner worse than the one who criticises God. There can be no hell worse than distancing oneself from God. God is the eternal witness. It is a great mistake to criticise God. You may argue that there are many in the world who have forgotten God and yet lead a comfortable life. No doubt they are living, but they are living their lives like animals. You should strive to live like a devotee to earn Divine grace.

Jesus' last supper

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. Every body 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.

Seeing the same God in all beings is the true spirit of non-dualism. Only when you develop the feeling that all are the embodiments of God, your vision becomes sanctified. Everything in this creation is sacred. All that you see is only the manifestation of God. You see God in the form of the world, yet you feel that you have not seen Him. God has no specific form or dwelling place. He is the eternal witness and is present in all forms. You can progress on the spiritual path only when you have such a feeling.

Jai Sai Ram.