By Henning Jon Grini.
It would be immensely fascinating and interesting to hear what Jesus would say about today’s world if he suddenly appeared among us again. Since that is not exactly very likely, I have created my own fictional version below.
Dear fellow human beings, have you forgotten my message? I am sure most of you would remember it if you simply took a moment to reflect. If love was what came to mind, then the answer is absolutely correct, but I observe that there is far too little of it in your society. Love was the answer before, it is the answer today, and it will remain the answer in the future.
Some of you might be surprised to hear that it is precisely love that is needed to save the world. What good is advanced technology if it is used to create deadly weapons? What good is vast wealth and abundance if it is not shared? What good is consumption if it grows so excessive that the Earth is thrown out of balance?
You have forgotten to include the beautiful and powerful force of love in your calculations. Do you not see that it is the lack of love that has led you astray? More egoism, fear, and indifference will take you where you do not wish to go, while greater care, empathy, and tolerance, other words for love, will lead you to beautiful places you can barely imagine.
Now that you are listening to me, I would like to correct some misunderstandings and misinterpretations. I never said, nor did I ever mean, that human beings are born sinful. I certainly did not die for your sins, that is something you invented yourselves. These erroneous ideas of sin and shame, which many of you carry, can in the worst cases lead to dysfunctional lives.
I also did not start Christianity, or any other religion for that matter. Those too are human inventions, and they do not do a particularly good job either. They often create trouble for humanity with their moral admonitions. Instead, listen to yourselves, for you will find the answers within. But in order to listen, you must slow down. Then you will also have more time to live, to love, and to spread love.
I once drove the money changers out of the temple, and I see that you are still at it. From my perspective, it seems that mammon has become your new god, again. The dance around the golden calf is immense, yet it is an empty god. How can anyone find joy in possessing enormous wealth and abundance while others barely have food on the table? There is enough of everything for everyone. True joy is found in giving, sharing, and being generous, especially with love.
You live on a magnificent planet of striking beauty. It is your home. How, then, can it be that you treat your own home so poorly? You have been given the responsibility to care for this planet. The infinite diversity of life, the beautiful flowers, the changing seasons, the order of the universe, none of this came into being by itself. Have any of you studied a grain of sand under a microscope? You would discover that it resembles beautiful emeralds, rubies, and diamonds. You too are all beautiful gemstones.
I also do not understand how anyone can claim that those who believe in me receive exclusive access to heaven and eternal life. This is a deeply exclusionary claim, but I exclude no one.
You could solve most of your problems quite quickly if you truly wanted to. The problems you face, hunger, poverty, and war, are merely symptoms. The real problem is that you have forgotten who you are: infinitely valuable and beautiful souls.
You do not see your neighbor as yourself. The further you move away from that wisdom, the more harm you do to yourselves. Let me say it again: you are connected and interwoven with all living things. It is not only I who am one with the Father, you all are.
Perhaps we should also say the Mother, not only the Father. Two thousand years have passed, and it may be time to include the feminine. I have never made distinctions among you. All are equal, regardless of gender, orientation, or colour. This also applies to nations, for I see unrest once again in the lands where I once walked among you. Fear and division prevail there, when what should reign instead is love and unity.
I see that you have built both physical and mental walls that separate you, yet when you see living images of people suffering, almost all of you are deeply moved. There is a reason for this. Do you remember when I said long ago that whatever you do to others, you do also to me? That is because the others are also me, but they are also you. We are not separate, even though it may seem so. We share a common divine origin. We are far more connected and united than you realize. You will quickly discover this when you leave this world.
You humans are both intelligent and clever. The problem is that you have created a complex world that has led to complex problems, yet the solution is actually simple, and once again, the answer is love. The world suffers from a lack of love. Love is the glue that binds you together.
Are you aware of the mystery and miracle that life is? And that you are deeply loved? It is love that will guide you back onto the right path. If you choose love, for yourselves, for one another, and for the Earth, I can promise you a bright and peaceful future.