Behold Jesus In Thy Midst

By

Sri Swami Sivananda

Prostrations, prostrations; crores of times at the Holy Feet of Lord Jesus, the Saviour of mankind, the Eternal Beacon-light that shines to guide man along the path of Rectitude to the Destination of Supreme Beatitude.

Lord Jesus is the incarnation of Bold Understanding, Determined Will and Resolute Action. Study the Gospels again. Meditate on the resplendent, spiritually glowing Divine Form of Lord Jesus. How sweet, how compassionate, how gentle and loving He was! And yet, He showed no leniency towards Himself; He turned resolutely away from Satan–not that He could ever be tempted, but to set an example before us–and He had no patience with the unrighteous impostors and hypocrites.

Could anyone on earth declare in more unequivocal, unambiguous and definite terms the rules of moral conduct, the Regulations that govern entry into the Kingdom of God, than Lord Jesus has done? Can we profess allegiance to Him and yet ignore His commands? Let every Christian today remember the flaming words of the Lord: “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the Will of my Father, which is in heaven.” And that Will of the Divine Father, Lord Jesus had not only stated in the plainest language, intelligible to the least intelligent among men, but what is even more, has demonstrated in an unforgettably graphic manner in the heart-rending, soul-inspiring life.

Lord Jesus declared that it was worse than useless to run after the things of the world, ignoring the supremely important Spirit within. He knew the form of Satan, and therefore, He had forewarned His followers not to let Satan enter any part of their being, and if Satan is detected as having tainted any, to “pluck that part out and cast it out”, in order that the entire being may not be tainted, as heedlessness is sure to cause. We see the wisdom of His Wise Words today. And, what a painful sight it is!

True, Lord Jesus bled on the Cross for the redemption of His people. Today, from His Eternal Seat in the Kingdom of God, His Divine Compassionate Heart bleeds even more profusely, for the people of His time were ignorant of the Law and they erred, but the people of the modern world have the resplendent light of Lord Jesus’s life and teachings shining and illumining the path of righteousness, and yet they want only to walk the path of darkness, ignorance, sin, selfishness, sensuousness and misery. If His Merciful Heart bled for the ignorant sinners, how much more would it bleed for the sins of those who err, ignoring His Light!

Is this the way in which you would like humanity to show its gratitude to the Saviour? No, a thousand times No. It is never too late to mend. And, there are today thousands of pious, devout, righteous men and women in all parts of the globe; in whose hearts Lord Jesus is reincarnate as one or more of the divine virtues that He had idealised in His own Divine Personality. These men are not publicised in your newspapers; throw away these papers. These men are not in your limelight, but it is nothing but crime-light, the light in which dance the disciples of Satan. But these pious men of God, many of them, walk the humble path, unnoticed by the pleasure-seeker, the glamour-adorer, and the sin-blinded “civilised” man. But they are the salt of the earth; they are the sustainers of real life upon earth; it is their presence that brings down the Lord’s richest blessings upon all men; it its their presence that maintains, sustains, the world. It is they that unostentatiously, but all the same powerfully, radiate peace and happiness. And, if today there is even this much of peace, and this much of happiness that mankind enjoys, it is due to the presence of these divine souls in whose heart the Eternal Jesus has reincarnated in all His spiritual radiance and divine splendour. They have known that Lord Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Worship them. Adore them. Follow in their footsteps. They are not the footsteps of these men, they are in fact the Eternal Footsteps that the Lord Jesus has left on the sands of time. Study the lives of these saints. Reflect over their divine traits. How heroically they have reached in the most trying situations! Emulate them.

Christianity is not an arm-chair religion, in fact, no religion can afford to recline on the armchair, if it is to live. Christianity is a Living Religion, a religion which is dynamic and vibrant. So long as there is one pious and devout follower of Christ, Christianity would live, there was only one Lord Jesus, who is today adored by millions all over the world. Even today Lord Jesus lives in our hearts, because, in the worst crises, in the greatest of temptations, he triumphed, holding aloft by his own life and actions the glory of truth and righteousness. He was not a speculative philosopher, but a Living God. Unless this Living God is worshipped in a living manner by living His Life, in our own life, all the speculations of philosophy will vanish into the thin air in which alone, in the vain intellects of the philosophers where alone they had their birth and where alone they existed. Trials and temptations come but to be overcome by the brave. Tests and trying situations are spiritual Vitamin tablets. They come to strengthen your mind and to purify your heart. They are, as it were, the wise men that discover Jesus in you. To succumb to these trials is weakness. To fast, to pray, to discriminate and to overcome these obstacles with the help of the Grace of the Lord is spiritual heroism. When the victory is achieved, to feel, to realise and to proclaim that it was the Lord’s Grace that enabled you to attain victory is real meekness. Meekness is virtue; weakness is sin. Learn this great lesson from the life of Lord Jesus.

Study the “Sermon on the Mount” again and again. Meditate upon it. Choose the Lord’s instructions one after the other, month after month, and endeavour diligently to put them into practice. Thus will you grow into a worthy child of Lord Jesus. Thus will you reincarnate Lord Jesus in your own heart. There are many today who truly and sincerely follow His Teachings. In their hearts has Jesus reincarnated, to guide you, to lead you to the Kingdom of God, Where He has His Supreme Seat. May you all walk the Path that Jesus laid out! May you all be the living embodiments of the Sermon on the Mount! May you realise the Kingdom of God within you here and now!

-A Call To Rebirth

Behold Jesus In Thy Midst