Jesus stands for the truth and truth is omnipresent. He is present here, and right now, in the hearts of those who love him, says Acharya Prashant Tripathi

Jesus is not a mere mortal. Jesus is the source of light; the root of all flowers and beauty. In one form, he disappears. In another, he arises, again. Jesus or Truth is omnipresent. Prophets don’t come and go; they live forever. Going back into the past to look for them is the tragedy of the living. A lot gets missed out on what is available right now because of the mind’s tendency to think that it must be similar to how it once appeared in time. Jesus will keep sending his message. He is present here and right now, in the hearts of those who love him.

The Bible & Jesus

The Bible looks at man as he is, and not as he ought to be or as he imagines himself to be. It look at man as he exists in flesh and blood, in anger and angst, in regret and rage, in desire and death; and to this man the Bible says: ‘See and acknowledge that you are living a life of incompleteness.’

A Patient Must Know That He Is Sick

The one who is lost in limitations must know and accept (and continuously remember) that he is lost. If he continues to be ignorant and keeps imagining himself as a complete one, then his limitations will continue to exist. That’s why Bible continuously reminds the man that he is sick.

There is no point talking of completeness as an abstraction, or even as a concept, and believing in it, because in actuality, it is not the case. Every sense, every feeling, every thought that mankind points towards incompleteness. Man continuously seeks more, and wants to get rid of the stuff that he does not want. Bible describes both. It says that man is limited, he is guilty, he is a sinner, he is ignorant; and secondly, that if he follows Jesus, he can be led to the Father.

Respond to His Call

You come to Jesus only when the Jesus within you calls. Jesus will never tell you what to do. He will never be a provider or instructor of action. Instead, he will be the illuminator. He will help remove the obstacles that come in the way of light, so you can see better. And when you see better, then you know for yourself what path to follow.

The Path Ahead

Your path cannot be the same as somebody else’s path. There is no formula or a general method. What applies to the others may not be suitable for you. You are what you are because you are programmed, brought up and conditioned in your own way. The right action, must necessarily, be different for different people.

Jesus says: “What is right for you, depends on, what you take yourself to be. Your way towards home, depends on, how badly you have lost yourself — depends on, where you think you are. There can be no, one general way or one general right action”.

Remember the Crucifixion and Repent

Live by his word. Remember his crucifixion; because if you forget the crucifixion, you will also forget your immediate reality.

The immediate reality is important. Christianity asks man to repent. The word repent is quite subtle with meaning. It means ‘to go back, to return to home.’

Man is born a wanderer, a homeless recluse — somebody who has a continuous thirst to return to the home, but the thirst finds expression in a million ways except a direct one; and that is why repentance is very useful as a tool. It helps man remember that he is indeed incomplete as he is.

Godliness within oneself must be unabashed in its love towards Jesus; but that which is not godly within a man, also must look at Jesus and repent. It must stay rooted, and true to the facts.

The writer is a spiritual leader and founder, Advait Foundation