At the time of writing, we are entering the Easter period, which is the most important Christian festival. It is a time of sadness and joy, as Jesus sacrificed Himself for the good of the world, then showed that He was still a living force. Bahá’ís revere Jesus as a Manifestation of God – someone who manifests or shows the qualities of God to the human world and leads it onward.A Manifestation of God is a great religious teacher Who brings the Message of God for each age and thereby infuses new life into the age in which He lives. He is not an ordinary human being. Neither is He God Himself – He is a perfect mirror Who reflects divine qualities to mankind. He is a “Son of God”. A completely selfless soul, every Manifestation of God has suffered and sacrificed His whole life for the sake of humanity.
The Bahá’í explanation of religion centres on a principle known as Progressive Revelation: each Manifestation of God brings the perfect Message for His time. The Message is the same one divine teaching – of love, compassion, forgiveness, understanding and truthfulness, but re-stated and re-presented in a form perfect for the needs of the time. The spiritual teachings may be expanded but remain the same in essence. The main changes are to the social teachings which are developed according to the needs of the age. In this day, Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings centre on world unity, world justice and world peace.
Bahá’u’lláh paid tribute to Jesus and His importance to humanity: “Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things.”
The idea that by executing the Manifestation of God, this will lead to the extermination of His teachings and His following, has always proved futile. One thousand eight hundred years after the execution of Jesus at the hands of the civil and religious authorities, the leaders of Persia executed the Báb, Who claimed that He was heralding a new age of religious advancement. By killing Him, they simply prepared the stage for Bahá’u’lláh and His revelation. In the same way, the killing of Jesus did not put an end to His teachings or to His following. His disciples realised that this new religion – or new phase of religion – was alive, and needed to be offered to the world. Jesus no longer needed to be a physical presence in the world, His spiritual presence was real and powerful enough.
Jesus humbly referred to Himself as the Son of Man, but was referred to by others as a “Son of God”. In this age, Bahá’u’lláh is of the same station. He is the Return of Christ, come “in the Glory of the Father” - His name means “the Glory of God”. Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u’lláh was the Promised One of all religions of the past – the great World Teacher come to unite humanity. This does not make any of the previous Manifestations of God, such as Jesus or Muhammad, any less important – certainly not. They were central to the progress of humanity, just as Bahá’u’lláh is now. They took humanity forward, materially as well as spiritually. In the future there will be more Manifestations - Messengers from God - because God will never leave humanity without guidance. Each stage of our growth and development needs this divine guidance. But we should never forget the immense sacrifices made for our sakes by Those Who have brought us to where we are now - particularly at this time of year, His Holiness Jesus Christ.
Picture credit: Wikimedia Commons
