There are many questions that come to mind when
the name Jesus is mentioned. Some people say he was a prophet,
others call him a god, while others say he was a very wise man. But
whatever your idea is, one thing remains certain: he was not your
ordinary man. So if there is something special about him, why all
the confusion?
Just who was Jesus anyway?
HIS ORIGIN
Jesus lived about 2,000 years ago in ancient Palestine when the
Roman Empire was at its zenith. He was not conceived in the usual
way, but was implanted in the womb of a young woman named Mary. God
simply commanded, “Be” and he was. In this sense, he was “a word” of
God and a special sign for humanity. In fact, he was the last in a
long line of religious guides sent to the Jews.
MARY, THE BLESSED
Mary was a righteous woman. Her mother dedicated her to God’s
service even before she was born. As a child, she lived a life
marked by health and righteousness, which others pointed to in
admiration. She was raised by the wise Zechariah, who instilled in
her, a beautiful sense of faith in God. When she had become a young
woman, Mary sought to purify herself further before her Lord.
Knowing that the hustle of life in the towns was distracting, she
withdrew from her people to a sanctuary in the East. There she could
meditate in seclusion and peace. Suddenly, on a day that seemed no
different from the rest, an angel of God visited her, disguised in
the likeness of a human. Afraid of so strange a sight, Mary prayed
for protection, but the strange being reassured her and declared
that he was a messenger from the Lord to announce the glad-tidings
of a faultless son. Mary, astounded, asked how this was possible
seeing that no man had ever touched her. But the angel replied,
“Your Lord says, it is easy for Me …”. But when she felt the little
child within her, she fled her sanctuary out of fear of what her
family would do or say when they heard the news. Mary, however, was
not to face hardship. When in her despair she cried out to God for
oblivion, a voice soothed her and she found shade and a cool spring.
Under a date-palm in the warmth of late summer, she made her
dwelling and there bore the child unlike any other in human history.
Shortly thereafter, Mary returned to her community carrying the
child who was to be called Messiah, Jesus, and son of Mary. When her
people saw her with the baby in her arms they couldn’t believe their
eyes, let alone accept her word. They refused to believe when she
told of an angel who came and told her she was chosen above all
other women to carry this burden. They accused her of infidelity and
implied that she had ruined the family name. Mary, being
overwhelmed, simply motioned towards the child meekly.
THE MIRACLES
Now the child was the product of a miracle and consequently,
miraculous things began to happen. In defense of his mother and of
the truth, the infant Jesus spoke saying, “I am a servant of God. He
has given me Scripture and has made me a Prophet. He has blessed me
wherever I may be and has made prayer and charity my duty as long as
I live.” This put the detractors to rest.
Throughout his youth, Jesus remained dutiful to his mother and
developed quickly in intelligence, wisdom, and piety. He dumfounded
the learned and was greatly admired by those around him who
appreciated his talents. He claimed to be a sign of God and a
Messenger to the Israelites.
His people had strayed from the spirit of truth and placed their
trust in legalism, thereby burying their sense of mercy beneath
dusty scrolls and rituals. Finally, when he came of age, Jesus began
to travel and preach throughout the land of Palestine about a return
to the truth of the old revelations and a rejection of all that man
had added. In his task he was supported by the spirit of truth, the
angel Gabriel.
THE GOSPEL, HIS MESSAGE
He taught that love and mercy overcome hate and anger and that only
a true and sincere faith in the Creator and obedience to His will
can bring a person salvation in this life as well as in the next. To
reinforce his message, which was called “Injeel” (Good News), God
granted him the performance of miracles. He healed the sick,
uplifted the distressed and revived the dead. All these things he
did with the permission of God, never taking credit for them
himself.
He led a simple and pious life. Soon he attracted an inner-circle of
devoted followers who listened to his teachings with fervor and
humility. These disciples, among them Peter, Barnabas, and John
helped him carry the message of Divine Love to the people. They
helped him in his mission.
A TEST OF WILLS
But no righteous man of God is without trial and tribulation. As the
message of Jesus began to gain wider acceptance, a small clique of
hypocrites and evil men began to plot against him. They were the
priests and leaders of the Jews whose position and wealth depended
upon their place as the sole interpreters of religion to the masses.
They pursued him and his followers and eventually captured him.
Though they abused him, he never renounced his faith in the one God.
So in their anger they plotted to crucify him on a Roman cross. But
Jesus slipped from their grip at the last moment, and all the while
they thought they had succeeded. They were sure they had killed him
but God answered Jesus’ prayer and saved him from their schemes.
Confusion overtook the mob and they might have killed the man who
betrayed Jesus instead. In any case, Jesus escaped from their grasp.
Then God removed Jesus from this world into another dimension, to a
place with Him, not to return until a later time.
With their teacher gone, the devoted followers of Jesus tried to
maintain the purity and simplicity of his teachings. But they were
soon besieged and overtaken by a flood of Roman and Greek
influences, which eventually so buried and distorted the message of
Jesus that only a little of its truth now remains. Strange doctrines
of Jesus being a man-god, of God dying, of saint worship and of God
being made up of different parts came into vogue and were accepted
by many of those who took the name “Christians” centuries after
Jesus.
CONCLUSION
The only records that have come down to us concerning Jesus are some
sketchy biographical material, poorly researched and compiled, which
can in no way be representative of the full and accurate Message of
Jesus, the Son of Mary. The time of the final and incorruptible
Message was not yet at hand. It would be left to the last prophet of
God, Muhammad (peace be upon him), to clarify the truth from man’s
additions and deletions.
Jesus taught the same eternal message that was taught by all the
Messengers of God, from Adam, on through Noah, Abraham, Moses and
ending with the mission of God’s last Guidepost to humanity,
Muhammad (peace be on them all), whose coming was foretold by Jesus
himself.
Every nation and every people, from the Aztecs to the Greeks, have
received a Prophet or a Messenger from God. Jesus was the last of a
series of Messengers sent to the Israelites, but they consistently
strayed from the path of surrender to God. Each of the many
Messengers spoke a different language and followed varied customs.
Yet the core faith taught by each was the same: surrender your
imperfect and fickle will to the perfect will of the Power that is
greater than you. You will then find the peace and freedom that only
the Creator of all things can provide. Then you must do what is
right and good to your fellow creatures. This way of life is called
Islam (surrender to God and find peace).
