27. Sathya Sai Baba on the resurrection of Jesus Christ
In our time, there has been some doubt that Jesus Christ was crucified. There is such a point of view that supposedly someone else was crucified instead of Jesus Christ. In his lectures, Sathya Sai Baba clearly confirmed that Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday and resurrected on a Sunday. Thus, Sathya Sai Baba confirmed the authenticity of the greatest miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ described in the New Testament.
Sathya Sai Baba said the resurrection of Jesus Christ has a deep symbolic meaning, which is the revelation of the eternal and divine essence in the heart of every person. Jesus Christ proved his power over death by resurrecting his friend, Lazarus. Having resurrected another, he could resurrect himself, and this happened after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ himself.
Many people ask why was Jesus Christ crucified? Was he really so «weak» that he could not resist his enemies? Of course, the question is not the «weakness» of Jesus Christ, but what was his great mission? He was not a victim in the usual sense of the word, he allowed himself to be arrested and crucified, in accordance with the Divine plan.
Let’s remember the famous words of Jesus Christ, himself, that if he needed to, he could ask his Heavenly Father to send twelve legions of Angels who would easily free him and punish the offenders. Consider these amazing words. Jesus Christ was truly a King on a universal scale – his royal power exceeded all conceivable possibilities of any earthly ruler.
The fact he was crucified was by no means a manifestation of his «weakness,» but was his free will, which embodied his divine mission.
Another important event that happened on the cross was that Jesus Christ completely forgave and blessed those who executed him. Now, many centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, some Christians are trying to look for those responsible for his suffering and death. What is the point of looking for the guilty when Jesus Christ, himself, forgave everyone and consciously ascended his cross?
Sathya Sai Baba also said during his lectures that Jesus Christ, after the resurrection, went to his disciples to preach the greatness of the Lord God. He appeared before some of the disciples, among whom were both men and women. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, who was his closest student.
In the canonical Gospels, the role of the main disciple is assigned to the Apostle Peter, however, the real history of the community of disciples was much more complex. After Jesus Christ left this world, the main Jerusalem community of the first Christians was headed by Jacob, the brother of Jesus Christ. Jacob was the elder half-brother of Jesus; for Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, already had children as he was a widower before he married Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
The resurrected Jesus Christ first appeared in front of Mary Magdalene, thereby highlighting her special role among his disciples. Appearing after the resurrection before his disciples, Jesus Christ showed the victory of the Spirit over death.
Sathya Sai Baba said about Jesus Christ that at the beginning of his spiritual path, he realized he was «a messenger of God.» Jesus Christ saw himself as a messenger of the good news. He knew he was «an instrument in the hands of God.»
After long intensive spiritual practices, Jesus Christ realized he was the «son of God.» He awakened in himself the qualities of a «son of God.» For modern Christianity, it is considered an axiom that only Jesus Christ is the «son of God,» while other people can only be «slaves» of God. This is a rather late and absurd point of view and is in fact completely contrary to the Gospel teaching.
In accordance with what Jesus Christ himself preached, each person can and should, as a result of spiritual practice, reveal in himself the qualities of a son or daughter of God. That is why he preached the great «Our Father» prayer. Think about it, in this prayer each person addresses God as his Heavenly Father.