08 May, 2008

How to look for Jesus

In the Name of GOD, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate

Jesus, the son of Mary, is a crucial figure for 3.7 billion people. The Christians consider him as the very own Image & Son of God while the Muslims revere him as one of the mightiest messengers of God. Both these religions wait for his second coming and to establish the kingdom of God on earth. Now, in this day and age, how does one go about to recognize this great man? This short article gives readers the basic facts (based solely on the bible) to identify Jesus the Messiah. Only the verses spoken by Jesus have been taken as reference in this article.

HIS GOD: Aramaic was the native language of Jesus. The only time when Jesus calls out for his GOD in his native language is while on the cross – He shouts “Elahi, Elahi, lama sabachtani? – My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”


Aramaic Language: GODELAH; My GODELAHI
Arabic Language: GODALLAH; My GOD - ILAHI


Since both Aramaic and Arabic are ancient Semitic languages, it would be accurate to say that Jesus invoked the same GOD Muslims pray to till today.

HIS RELIGION: As per Matthew 5:17-19 – Jesus says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen; will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus being a devout Jew focuses on the established Law of Moses. No where in the gospels did he abandon the existing laws; but rather he modified the existing laws to give the people a better understanding of why the laws have come to place. So, in short, Jesus was following the Law of Moses & other prophets – a religion which was strictly monotheistic; a religion of complete submission to the ONE Almighty Creator.

HIS PRAYER: The way Jesus prayed would have followed the basic guidelines set by the Law of Moses; which includes cleansing with water, kneeling and prostration. This is confirmed by the gospel of Luke 22:41 says “… he knelt down and prayed”; and the gospel of Matthew 26:39 “..he fell with his face to the ground and prayed..”

HIS GREETING: As seen from the gospels, Jesus used to greet his followers by saying “Peace be upon you”. This phrase when translated to Aramaic would be “Shalom alaichem”; which is strongly similar to the Islamic greeting “Assalam alaikum”.

GOD WILLING: Jesus lived a life of perfect submission and humility. He was a perfect servant carrying out the will of his Father in Heaven. Even in the Lord’s Prayer, he instructs the people to declare “Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven”. In James 4: 14-15: James instructs to people to say "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.". This is again similar to the Islamic rule to say “InshaAllah – By the will of GOD”

HIS PHYSIQUE: Adhering strictly to the Law of Moses, Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day as per the gospel according to Luke 2:21. Jesus also had a beard which is an integral part of the religion.

The ONLY religion that abides by all of the above traditions of Jesus is the religion of ISLAM – the religion of complete submission to the Creator.

So, if you are looking for Jesus, you should be actually looking for any average practicing MUSLIM.

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