The Miracle of Christ - Talk by Swami Paramatmananda - Part 7

[Guest guest]

One of the most significant parts of Jesus' life was his relationship

with his disciples. He gave them spiritual power, authority to cast

out demons, and also the ability to cure diseases. By themselves, they

could not have done anything. He made a sankalpa and that was enough

to make it all happen.

Adi Shankaracharya blessed one of his disciples with all the knowledge

of the scriptures by his mere thought. A Realized Guru can do anything

just by mere thought.

Jesus sent the disciples out to preach and heal. That was the

beginning of their mission. Until then, they were hanging out with

him, having a great time watching and probably learning a lot. But now

came the test. They had to go out and give satsang, sing bhajans, cure

people, cast out demons - the whole enchilada, and they were very

nervous. They did not know what was going to happen. He said to them,

" Don't take anything for the journey -- not even a walking stick or a

bag, bread of money, and don't even take two shirts. "

This was their test of renunciation. " Go out and tell everybody about

me, and cure all the people that are possessed or sick. " This was a

tall order. These were poor fishermen. They probably spent just a few

days with him, and now they were being sent out in the field.

" Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And

whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off

the dust from your feet. " And so they left, and they went to the

towns, preaching and healing everywhere. Talk about having strong

faith in the Guru!

One day sometime later, he was sitting with them and asked, " What do

the crowds say? Who do the crowds say I am? What's their opinion? "

They answered, " Some people say you're John the Baptist. " Well, that

was impossible since John the Baptist was alive during Jesus' lifetime

and was now dead. He was beheaded by the ruler because he was so

truthful, and bad people don't like truthful people. So Jesus couldn't

be John the Baptist. " Some say that you're the ancient prophet Elijah

come back. "

Some say that the Jews and Christians don't believe in renunciation.

Then where did this idea come from? If Jesus was Elijah, a prophet who

lived two thousand years before Christ, what was he doing until then?

" Others say that you are some other old prophet that has risen again. "

" That is okay, but who do you say I am? What do you feel? You are my

disciples. Who do you think I am? "

Peter answered and said, " You're the Messiah of God. " Then Jesus

strictly warned them not to say this to anyone.

" I must suffer many things. I will be rejected by the elders, and the

priests and the teachers of the law will reject me, and I'll be

killed, and three days later, I'll come back to life. Anyone who wants

to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences, and

carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me. Whoever loses

his life for my sake will save it, and whoever insists on keeping his

life will lose it. What profit is there in gaining the whole world,

when it means forfeiting your soul? But this is the simple truth. Some

of you, who are standing here right now, will not die until you have

seen the Kingdom of God. "

What's meant by the Kingdom of God? Does it mean that there is going

to be a new kingdom coming and God is going to be in charge? No! One

of the priests asked Christ, " What do you mean by the kingdom of God? "

He replied, " The Kingdom of God doesn't come with visible signs. You

won't be able to say it is here or it is there, for the Kingdom of God

is within you. " That is about as spiritual as you can get - the

Kingdom of God is within you.

So what is the Kingdom of God? When we feel the Presence of God within

us, then we are living in the Kingdom of God. In other words, " Some of

you are not going to die until you attain God-consciousness, " is the

meaning.

" No one lights a lamp and hides it. Instead he puts it on a lamp to

give light to all who enter the room. Your eyes light up your inward

being. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. A lustful eye shuts

out the light, and plunges you into darkness. So watch out, that the

sunshine isn't blotted out. If you are filled with light within, with

no dark corners, then your face will be radiant too, as though a

floodlight is beamed upon you. "

Saints are radiant with what is called 'tejas', the effulgence of

God's Presence. It appears in the physical body as a kind of

brightness, as if there is a light shining on them or from within

them. That is the native condition of the soul -- the Divine. When

there is no hatred, no anger, no lust, no jealousy, then the light of

the soul shines forth, and the person is radiant. All of Christ's

words are yogic teachings.

 

(to be continued)