Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
John 11:25–26
Being the words of Jesus, the “I” and the “me” in the quote obviously refer to Jesus. That is easy enough to see. What is not easy is the answer to the question: Who was Jesus? It is difficult not because the question cannot be answered but because the question can be answered in many different ways—and every way may point to the truth which is beyond words.
A Vedanta student may want to rephrase the question in this way: Who was Jesus referring to when he used the pronouns “I” and “me”? Only Jesus has the perfect answer to this question. But if you and I have to make our best guess, we can only rely on the scripture and our own experience.
Let us begin with our own experience. What do you and I generally mean when we use the pronouns “I” and “me”? The answer is simple and clear: our “I” refers to a flesh-and-blood being with a mind, intellect, ego and the rest, whom each of us sees as “me.” I am what I see when I stand before a mirror. I am also how I feel within, happy or miserable, ecstatic or depressed. All of my joys and all of my problems are connected in one way or another with my body, mind, intellect and ego. When these are absent (such as in deep sleep), my joys and problems are absent too.
While we all experience happiness in life, it never lasts, it comes and it goes, and we have to wait until it chooses to come again. The same is the case with our problems, they are no fun, but they don’t last for ever. Nor do they disappear for ever. What everyone in the world is pining for is not simply happiness but eternal happiness. What we also want is not simply to solve our present problems but to totally eradicate all problems for all time. Eternal happiness and freedom from suffering is precisely what religions of the world promise as the ultimate reward. They express it often in a language filled with symbols, images and concepts. Theologically, salvation, nirvāṇa and mokṣa appear very different. Experientially, they are the same.
To experience eternal happiness and freedom from suffering, according to Vedanta, I have to be free from the false idea that I am a limited being endowed with a form. I must know—not theoretically but through direct experience—that I am a divine being, pure, free and immortal. In other words, I must firmly detach my “I” which has mistakenly latched on to a mortal body and a changeful mind, and to discover that I am in reality infinite and unchanging. When this is experienced deeply for the first time, it feels almost like a miracle! The greatest amongst us have achieved this state, and the most well-known among these are today worshiped and adored as saints, mystics, saviors, prophets, or divine incarnations.
Look at, for instance, this passage from the Gītā (9.17), where Krishna says:
पिताहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामह: ।
pitāhaṁ asya jagato mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ
“I am the Father of this world—the Mother, the Sustainer, and the Grandfather.”
In the next verse (9.18), he goes on to say that he is the Lord and the source of this world. None of this would make any sense if applied to the historical Krishna. Yes, he was extraordinary in many ways but nevertheless still human, the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. That’s what he would have remained if his “I” had remained confined to his body/mind personality. But the reason he is adored and worshiped even today, centuries after he was born, is that his “I” was no longer the “little self” attached to his body and mind. It had realized its own infinite and divine nature. His “I” was not the human “I” anymore. It had transfigured into the divine “I.” It had transcended all barriers and entered the timeless dimension.
Can we apply this understanding to what Jesus said about himself? Let us listen to his words again with careful attention: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
When we take these words to heart, does it seem reasonable that Jesus referred to his body/mind personality when he used the pronouns “I” and “me”? If he did, then not only would the words make no sense, but Jesus would also be no different from you and me. But we know he is different. He isn’t an ordinary person like us. He is special. He was an enlightened being. He was the son of God. Which is how he continues to shine his divine light upon us even today. The historical Jesus inspires us, but it is only the transcendent, timeless Jesus who saves us. The “I” of Jesus is the “I” of the divine.
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When we read his words: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)—we understand exactly what he means when we substitute “I” with God, or the Divine, or the Spirit, or any word that we associate with the transcendent, timeless reality.
In the light of this understanding, Jesus’s teaching that the flesh must be crucified in order to ascend in spirit becomes meaningful to a Vedanta student. There must be the crucifixion of the ego (“the little self”) before the resurrection of the spirit (“the divine self”). Doing everything possible to bring this about is what spiritual practice means—and this can be done through prayer, worship, meditation, study, and selfless service.
Historically, the manifestation of the divine in the form of Jesus rose from the dead about 2000 years ago. But that event becomes more meaningful and more personal when it is connected with our own lives. In order to do that, every one of us must internalize the event and resurrect the divine in our own hearts. Because of the social distancing requirements, it may not be possible to celebrate Easter this year with our community of worship. We can still have our own personal celebration by making an effort to connect our false human “I” to the true divine “I.”
In Philippines it is customary for people to crucify themselves for a few minutes on Good Friday. That may help some people, but the real crucifixion and the real resurrection must take place in the depths of our own being. If we crucify the material part of our personality—our body/mind centered “I”—the divine within us, the “I” of God, will be resurrected. It will shine in all glory, light and bliss through eternity.