This is a continuation of our extracts from Yogananda’s The Second Coming of Christ
articles that originally appeared in East-West, Inner Culture, and Self-Realization magazines.
“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).
This scripture depicts the proper divine attitude of Jesus to His parents. In the above statement, the perfect life of Jesus brings forth a perfect utterance as to how a divine child, consecrated to serve humanity, should behave. Jesus hints that it is the highest duty of parents not to worry about a divine child like Jesus, Who was protected by the King of Kings. He implies also that the highest duty of the son was to look after the celestial business of spreading the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father. He implied that duty to our Heavenly Father comes first and foremost, and that duty to parents, although important, is secondary.
Jesus knew that parental love and affection, being blind, might demand from Him greater attention to His earthly father’s business than to His Heavenly Father’s business, for which He came on earth. He also here signifies to His parents that they should know, and at the same time wish, for Him to be busy with His Heavenly Father’s business. Since parental and filial relationships are brought about by God, parents should first teach their children that it is good to be proficient in God’s business.
The above saying was the first hint by Jesus to His parents as to what they would have to expect, and about what His life was going to be. As all noble parents are lovers of God and of His business, so they should wish the first interest of their children to be in God’s business. All parents should start their children to be in God’s business. All parents should start their children on the right road in life by making them first proficient in contacting God, and in doing all things with God Consciousness. A life guided by God’s inner, intuitive direction can be successful, healthy, and complete only when activity is balanced with wisdom and happiness.
The ordinary man thinks that this world, his family, and his work are his business, but the spiritual man knows that parents, children, family ties, the business world, and all else are God’s business. He knows that everyone should help to maintain a world by love and service compelled and actuated by instinctive blood-ties. Hence, all business should be spiritualized; that is, everything should be done with the consciousness of God within, and man should try to please God by harmonizing all things with His ideals.
Religious duties should not conflict with the duties of business; neither should duty to business conflict with spiritual duties. When such conflict occurs, the spiritual duty is incomplete and should be modified. Business duties also should be revised when they militate against spiritual duties. Spiritual and material duties should work together like two stallions, pulling the chariot of life harmoniously and uniformly to one happy goal.
A successful life, therefore, must be begun with spiritual culture first, for all material and moral actions are governed by spiritual laws. All business must first conform with God’s business of Divine laws in order to be of lasting benefit to mankind. Any money-making business which caters only to human luxury, and false or evil propensities, is bound to be destroyed by the workings of the Divine law of the survival of the worthiest. The business which does harm to the real spiritual comfort of people is not doing real service, and is bound to meet with destruction because of the very nature of its activities.
Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You (2 Volume Set)
More on the teachings of Jesus:
Subscribe via RSS to the Atma Jyoti Blog 
What Is RSS?