Thursday, April 07, 2022

Osho on Jesus's Crucifixion

Excerpt from https://www.osho.com/osho-online-library/osho-talks/jesus-presence-the-present-821ceafd-617?p=19476a7b858f5865c13a427a2616f152

There were two thieves who were crucified with Jesus: one was on his left side, the other was on his right side. You may not have ever thought of it as a tremendously significant symbol that Jesus represents the present moment. One thief is the past, the other thief is the future, and Jesus represents the present moment - closest to God, closest to essence. 

One thief mocked Jesus - the past always mocks you; he condemned Jesus - the past always condemns you. The other thief asked Jesus about the future, 'What will happen after death? Will I be able to see you in heaven?' One is past, the other is future, and Jesus is just sandwiched between these two thieves. 

And why call them thieves? Past is a thief, future is a thief, because they go on stealing your present. They are thieves. To me this is a parable. 

Jesus is present, herenow, closest to the essence, just ready to die and disappear from the body and the mind. He hesitates a little bit -everybody hesitates. When you come to the present and you will see eternity facing you -no past, no future, but eternity - a totally different dimension. Past, present, future are horizontal; eternity is vertical. Again, to me the cross is the symbol of these two lines crossing. 

A cross is made of two lines - one horizontal, the other vertical. This is a representation of time and eternity. Everybody hesitates when facing eternity, nowhereness, nothingness or all-ness. It is so much, one is going to disappear into it like a drop. And the ocean is so big, one will not be found again. Even a dewdrop falling into the ocean from a grass leaf hesitates. 

Jesus hesitated, and I love this man because he hesitated. His hesitation shows that he was human. His hesitation shows that he belonged to us - he was son of man. He cried to God, 'Have you forsaken me?'  'What are you doing to me? Have you abandoned me? Are you no more with me? I am disappearing and I don't see your hands protecting me' - the dewdrop is falling in the ocean - 'Where are you? I am falling into a deep nothingness. Death has arrived, and I had always hoped that in death you would be there waiting and you would embrace me, you would take me in your fold, you would be warm and loving. But where are you? Have you forsaken me? Have you abandoned me? I don't see you anywhere.'

It is very human - the life of Jesus is very human - and that is the beauty of it, that's why it has impressed so many people. His very humanity is touching. But then he saw the point: he must have looked deep into the eternity, the nothingness, he must have seen the point that 'God cannot have a human face, this is his face,' that 'God cannot have human hands,' that 'This nothingness is ready to embrace me, to take me deep into its heart.' And then he said to God, 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. So, be it so, let it be so. So you are nothingness: I am ready, I trust you. I will trust even your nothingness.'