6. The Message of Jesus

The message of Jesus, as I understand it, is contained in his Sermon on the Mount unadulterated and taken as a whole and even in connection with the Sermon on the Mount, my own humble interpretation of the message is in many respects different from the orthodox. The message, to my mind, has suffered distortion in the West. It may be presumptuous for me to say so but as a devotee of truth, I should not hesitate to say what I feel.

Young India, 8-12-1927

I consider him as a historical person - one of the greatest amongst the teachers of mankind. I have studied His teachings as prayerfully as I could, with the reverence of a Christian, in order to discover the truth that is buried in them. I have done so, just as I have done about the teachings of other teachers.

Harijan, 14-9-1934

Even the blind who do not see the rose perceive its fragrance. That is the secret of the gospel of the rose. But the gospel that Jesus preached is more subtle and fragrant than the gospel of the rose. If the rose needs no agent much less does the gospel of Christ need any agent.

Harijan, 17-4-1937

Jesus preached not a new religion but a new life. He called men to repentance. It was he who said, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven".

Harijan, 12-6-1937

Jesus lived and died in vain if he did not teach us to regulate the whole of life by the eternal Law of Love.

Harijan, 7-1-1939

The love that Jesus taught and practised was not a mere personal virtue, but it was essentially a social and collective virtue. Buddhism 'taught and practised the same thing six hundred years before Jesus.

Harijan, 4-3-1939