Sri Sathya Sai on Jesus Christ – Part 4
(Personification of Love and Compassion)
“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 His 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
“Jesus teaches infinite love and compassion. To resurrect love and compassion, you must kill jealousy and selfishness, purify your hearts. Earn the true mercy of Jesus. Follow the path shown by Him and reach the position He holds.”
“The Way of Jesus”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 14, December 25, 1979, Prasanthi Nilayam
“Love must be manifested as Service,Seva. must take the form of food for the hungry, solace for the forlorn, consolation for the sick and the suffering. Jesus was Himself out in such Seva. The heart full of compassion is the temple of God. Jesus pleaded for compassion.”
“Parama Prema”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 15, December 25, 1981, Prasanthi Nilayam
“Jesus is the embodiment of compassion. He looked with compassion at the poor and the miserable and gave them succour. In those days, people used to treat birds and animals without pity in the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus sought to put an end to these cruel practices. From those times to the present, those who care for the well-being of all living beings and humanity were subjected to many trials and tribulations. Good people are always pursued by difficulties and troubles. The messiahs, the prophets, saints and God-men have always suffered from troubles and ordeals of various kinds. You should not bother about them. Have faith in God. When you live up to the truths you believe in, you will be indifferent to what others think. Jesus was unaffected by the persecution to which He was subjected on a charge of treason. Moreover, whatever attempts may be made to suppress good people, their goodness cannot be extinguished.”
A fine diamond even if it is in a heap of garbage will not lose its brilliance or its value. A peahen’s egg, even if it is hatched in a crow’s nest, will not lose its colours.”
“Let Love Prevail”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 26, December 25, 1993, Prasanthi Nilayam
“When Paul went on accusing Jesus, He lovingly went up to him and gave a pleasing smile. The sweetness in the nectarine smile of Jesus transformed the poisonous heart of Paul”. Be always cheerful, even in times of adversities. Always put up a smiling face, never a castor-oil face. “Happiness is union with God”.
“Sacrifice leads to Immortality”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31, December 25, 1988, 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
“Derision and denunciation follow the footsteps of the great in all ages. They haunt them like the shadow which cannot be avoided. His own disciples turned against Jesus, even those who adored Him and hung on His words. They did evil to Him who did them good. But Jesus wished well for those who insulted and injured Him. This is a lesson badly needed today. No one should count the harm inflicted on him and plan revenge. He must on the other hand return love for hatred, fraternity for enmity. To behave otherwise is a sign of weakness, of want of courage, of lack of faith in human goodness. Jesus won in this holy struggle. On this day, we must cultivate in ourselves that conviction and that courage.”
“Everyone is a Son of God”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 15, December 25, 1982, 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, December 25, 1986, Prasanthi Nilayam
“Since Jesus bore all the difficulties with fortitude, He is being adored and worshipped to this day. Once a young disciple 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.”
“Overcome Jealousy with Love”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 33
“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
[Adapted from : https://sathyasaiwithstudents.blogspot.com/2016/12/sri-sathya-sai-on-jesus-christ-part-4.html#.W_z6S2gzZP Z]