THE HIDDEN JESUS by Robert Beckford

THE HIDDEN JESUS by Robert Beckford

Tags: ‘The Hidden Jesus’, Robert Beckford, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Buddha, Islam, Mahatma (Mohandas) Gandhi, spiritual unity

Submitter's Note:

These are the notes I took from Robert Beckford's excellent TV documentary seen here in New Zealand; so am sharing with you. I hope, I trust that Robert's personal thoughts and beliefs on the "person" and life of Jesus may be as uplifting, empowering and perhaps even inspirational to you, as they are to me.

craig

BUDDHA, JESUS, ISLAM and GANDHI:

Christianity has some common spiritual values with other spiritual traditions and religions (and some of the 'miracles' are not unique to Christianity).

Some Common Spiritual Values:
* Be humble
* Keep doors open
* Love as a powerful driving force
* a divine inner light that banishes all darkness and ignorance

Buddhism (along with other Eastern religions) has many common strains of teaching. Buddha taught 'dharma', a right way of living. The Buddha too was "visited and tempted" by the devil and performed miracles (similar to Jesus, like walking on water).
People simply want to be happy - the teachings of both Jesus and the Buddha. Buddhism is a guide to personal transformation, remarkably similar to Jesus's Sermon on the Mount.

Attempting to attain some objective and live with righteousness.

Here are some of the main guiding principles:
* Do good to those that hate you.
* Overcome anger with love.
* Overcome evil by doing good.
* Replace lies with truth.

The teachings of Jesus were similar to those of the Buddha: peace, justice and wanting people to have a good life.

Jesus taught people to follow the right path: that of equality, morality and justice.
Jesus challenged the religious authority of the day and their symbols of opression.
He challenged societies problems and religious dogmas... in a common search for truth and how to engage it.

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ISLAM

Jesus is one of the prophets who performed miracles, a pre-curser to Mohammed, the LAST Prophet revealing Allah's word to the people.

Muslims believe that there will be a day of judgment in everyone's life.

Jesus will return, but only God knows WHEN.
Then he will live for 40 years and will be buried at Medina (present day Saudi Arabia) in a tomb next to Muhammad

Muslims believe that Jesus will save humanity from injustice (ie. he is a messiah). That he preached ete
al truths and is one of the great prophets of Islam.

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MAHATMA (MOHANDAS) GANDHI

Like Jesus, Gandhi was a man of action, who wanted to change his country and so the world... through non-violence or passive resistance. Gandhi was greatly influenced and inspired by the Sermon on the Mount ("Christ gave me the message" and "I love Christ; but I'm not so keen on his followers".

Gandhi pondered the deep question: 'Do I have the capacity not to hate?'
His teachings: Active non-violent resistance, transformed into non-violent resistance.
Like Jesus, Gandhi invoked major confrontation with the authorities (the Salt March has a parallel with Jesus entering Jerusalem on his donkey).

"My life is my message."
- Mohandas Gandhi
It is PRACTICAL faith in ACTION:
Live the faithr
Live the idealismr
This involves a conce
for human rights... as evident in the quote:
"Live simply, so that others may simply live."

Great figures like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Lech Walensa (former leader of the Solidarity movement in Poland) were largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus. This is evidenced by their conce
for human rights and fighting for the rights of the marginalised of society, the opressed people living in their countries.

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The core elements of Jesus's story. (as per the Coptic Museum in Cairo)
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HOW DO I SEE JESUS?
WHAT DOES HE MEAN TO ME TODAY?

The teachings of Jesus are vitally important. But HOW to put them into action... today?

Doing this requires commitment, ie active participation to be a worker for reconciliation, a peace-maker and this involves taking risks.

Yet
"Those who work for peace will reap a rich harvest of righteousness" (or something like that)

I believe to fully understand the "person" that was Jesus, we have to strip away much of the dogma of religion, even of Christianity. Jesus was not only a new Jewish teacher, who challenged the tyranny and opression of the Roman empire of his day.

His simple teachings are still vitally important 2000 years after his death: His messages of justice (and opposing injustice with all ones means/"might") and human rights for all.

Jesus wanted people to experience the Kingdom of God by whatever means is best for them???

The life of Jesus revealed what it means to serve God with all ones heart and soul, together with love (for oneself as well as one's neighbour), as a powerful driving force for ALL humanity. His spirit is a divine inner light that banishes all ignorance and forces of darkness.

And we the "ordinary little" people are invited to claim a portion of His Immense Spirit. All we need do is ASK!

For me the simple message of Jesus Christ was: IF we follow the teachings of Christ and fully trust Him, we can all lead happier and more fulfilled lives going down this path. And in shining our own "little" lights we can change the world for the better.

Shared by craig

"Those whom you seek to change, you must first love." - Dr Martin Luther King, Jnr

"We can all be great; because we can all serve." - Martin Luther King, Jnr (or was it Mother Teresa?)

"Many small (yet significant) steps by many 'ordinary, little' people will eventually reach their destination.
Together, one mind, one heart, one life at a time, let’s plant the seeds for a brighter future "

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