The Co-opting of a Radical
I believe there has been a systematic co-opting of Jesus that has robbed us of his essential message: a radical call to love and equality. Today, we see a Christian Nationalist movement attempting to refashion Jesus into a figure of righteous indignation—a justification for the seizure of power. Yet, in his own time, Jesus’s primary mission was to subvert authoritarianism, whether in the form of Roman imperial boots or the rigid Temple hierarchy. His message was simple but dangerous: God is love, and that love is the highest authority.
This modern manipulation of faith mirrors the “Constantinian Shift” of the 4th century, where the peace-centered teachings of the early church were traded for the legislative and military power of the state. What delights me today, however, is a burgeoning “return to the core”—a non-religious spirituality that is reclaiming the heart of Jesus’s teachings.
A Personal Journey Through the “One True Religion”
My perspective is shaped by my origin in Roman Catholicism. Raised in parochial schools and a family centered on rituals and mandatory mass, I saw religion as a cornerstone of communal life. Yet, as a young adult, I sought something more than a message of obedience.
I ventured into the Evangelical movement, only to find another set of narrow blinders. There, “salvation” felt exclusive; you were either “in” or you were “damned.” I witnessed plenty of praise, but very little of the inclusion and compassion Jesus actually practiced. Both experiences shared a common requirement: don’t ask too many questions.
Reclaiming the “Spiritual Power Couple”
Grateful for those perspectives, I now choose a bolder angle: reclaiming the humanity of Jesus and Mary Magdalene as a “spiritual power couple.” To see them as radicals threatening the status quo is to see them as they likely were—living expressions of Spirit in the day-to-day.
The Gospel of Mary (Magdalene), the Gospel of Philip, and the Pistis Sophia paint a picture of Mary not as a “penitent sinner,” but as a highly advanced teacher—the one disciple who truly understood the depth of the message. This isn’t just modern speculation; even the Vatican has begun to correct the narrative. In 1966, the “prostitute” label was officially removed, and in 2016, Pope Francis elevated her to the “Apostle of the Apostles.”
By seeing Jesus as a husband and Mary as his co-equal, the “Sacred Feminine” is restored. This partnership was a direct threat to the patriarchal order then, just as it is to the subservient roles demanded by ultra-conservative movements today.
The Silk Road and the Lost Years
How did a Jewish youth develop such a subversive, inclusive worldview? I find the “Lost Years”—the gap in the Biblical record from ages twelve to thirty—to be the most illuminating. Given the Middle East’s location on the Silk Road, it is a small leap to imagine Jesus seeking out the elevated masters of the East.
Authors like Nicolas Notovitch and Nicholas Roerich recorded traditions of “Issa” (Jesus) studying Vedic law and Buddhist sutras in the Himalayas. This connection suggests that Jesus’s words were perhaps less about “sin” and more about “breath and balance”—a bridge between Western action and Eastern introspection. The local traditions in Srinagar, Kashmir, even suggest he survived the crucifixion to live out his days with Mary Magdalene, buried at the Rozabal Tomb.
A Living Mastery
As a husband, father, and practitioner of non-dual Tantric yoga, I find immense value in this humanized Jesus. In Tantra, we don’t seek to escape the world; we seek to find the Divine within it.
The teaching that “Christ is within” inspires me to grow through my relationships—first with myself as a sacred being, then as a partner and parent. Jesus taught that the “Kingdom of God” is a here-and-now reality. When we love all beings equally—regardless of gender, race, or belief—we participate in that kingdom.
A mature spiritual view is inclusive and curious. It understands that seeing Jesus as a student of the East and a husband does not diminish his divinity; it sanctifies our own human experience. As Dr. Elizabeth Clare Prophet beautifully stated: “The highest spiritual mastery is not found in escaping the world, but in loving it completely.”
Sources:
- The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ, Nicolas Notovitch (1894)
- Altai-Himalaya, Nicholas Roerich (1933)
- The Immortality Key, Brian C. Muraresku (2020)
- The Secret Life of Mother Mary, Marguerite Mary Rigoglioso (2024)
- The Lost Gospel, Simcha Jacobovici & Barrie Wilson (2014)
- The Hidden Gospel, Neil Douglas-Klotz (2021)
- The Lost Years of Jesus, Elizabeth Clare Prophet (1984)
- YouTube documentary:Jesus in India – The Lost Years
