Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON LOVE; PART CC
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren” (James 1:12-16).
We ended the last post in the Glory of Transfiguration which we picture as an effulgent display of the Light of the Soul pouring unimpeded through the form of the disciple in the Earth. We should remember that this is spiritual Light and not that light that we can imagine in the world. The only clue to its reality that we have is in the words of the gospels which paint it as something that IS only seen by those of higher spiritual awareness, hence the special invitation offered to Peter, James and John by the Master. We should try to see here as well that while these three are seeing this as an event, it IS likely that it is His continual countenance which they are seeing in a special display which is for their and our benefit. It is in this way that the example of Transfiguration can be seen and understood as a part of the Life of the Master and of the man in form who, as a disciple, is to be seen in the Light of the Apostle John’s saying about the Christ, that: “as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). We should understand that while this saying pertains to ALL men as ALL are in essence the same, a physical form and personality expressing to some degree the Life and the consciousness of the Soul, it is only the disciple to whom the apostle writes that can realize this stature and understand it. The accounts of the Transfiguration of Jesus are found in the three synoptic gospels:
- From the Gospel of Mark we read: “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining , exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying , This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Mark 9:2-7).
- From Matthew’s Gospel we read: “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold , there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only” (Matthew 17:1-8).
- From the Apostle Luke we read: “And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. And it came to pass , as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:28-35).
We have these three accounts of the Transfiguration and the majority of the teaching of the church and doctrine are not about this but rather center on the other factors as we post above from the gospels;
- The offer by Peter to build three tabernacles which are rather undefined and which in Jewish tradition are tents or booths. Without explanation these can be understood as monuments of a sort for these three Holy men. They are however better seen as the tents or booths; Vincent tells us this: Three tabernacles (skhnav). Tents or booths, out of the brushwood lying near. Peter realized that it was night, and was for preparing shelters into which the heavenly visitants might retire after their interview 4. While this is logical in effect, it does seem out of place from the Apostle Peter’s perspective; for us this paints a picture of Peter’s uncertainty and, as the words tell us, his fear, both of which show us the long road to the reality of True discipleship as we understand it.
- The presence of Moses and Elias who we KNOW as Elijah of the Old Testament. We should KNOW here that there is no reason other than for the show of it that these Souls would need to make an appearance in order to speak with the Master as the Master is already a fully functioning Son of God in the Earth. Remembering here what the Apostle Paul tells us of Jesus: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9), we should be able to understand our point. It is interesting to note here another thing that is not spoken of and likely because of the confusion that it can engender regarding this appearance of Elias of whom the Master also tells us, speaking of the Baptist, that: “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:13-14). This understanding is confirmed immediately after the Transfiguration episode which we have above as we read in also from Matthew’s Gospel that: “And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist” (Matthew 17:9-13). Here we KNOW that the Master is speaking of the Baptist and that He had said the same earlier; apparently the three did not understand nor remember and hence they too fall into the Master’s saying from that earlier time: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear“. We should note as well that as we spoke about Enoch and his ‘translation’ according to Hebrews, we can also speak of Moses and Elijah, both of whom are taken without a death as we understand it.
- Finally there is the voice of God out of the cloud saying “This is my beloved Son: hear him” according to Luke’s and Mark’s versions while Matthew adds “in whom I am well pleased“. We do not KNOW if this voice of God is an audible sound or if it is, as we would expect the voice of God today, spoken in and through the heart, the consciousness, of the man in form. What we should see here is an affirmation of the Master’s position and one that is for the benefit of the three apostles as well as those who read these words.
This is the view of the church and of doctrine; for us however we see that the greater reality from these verses IS the Transfiguration itself and we see it, as we said in the last post, as the pinnacle of man’s Life experience here on this Earth. This IS the “the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23) that Paul tells us of which comes as the result of that ONENESS, which the apostle calls for us the adoption. From a spiritual perspective, the seeing of the Christ’s Transfigured form can be likened to seeing God here on this Earth and, as we have oft said, we are really not any different; we are the Soul, the Christ and the God Within, the True divine man, in form on the Earth and at such time as we can accomplish the reality of this ONENESS, which is to express the fullness of the Godhead, the God Within, through form, we too will be Transfigured. Imagine here the reality of the Apostle Peter who, through the examples left for us in the gospels, overcomes ALL of his worldly thoughts and ways and who, in the end, after the death and resurrection of the Master, leads the apostles in the role appointed him as the MOST READY of disciples. He becomes so effulgent with spiritual Light that it is written that: “Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one” (Acts 5:16-16). Now we dare not say Transfigured here but we can say that the effect of the apostle’s spiritual Light, the Love and the Power that poured forth from his Soul, gave Peter this awesome Power and, this IS the same Light of the Transfiguration.
Understanding that the Hindu religion is given to the Indian people and has its origins many thousands of years ago and, we come to the Life of Krishna who about 5000 years ago came to them as the incarnation of God. There are claims by some that Krishna was born of a virgin but that is not our topic here; that He is incarnated and He IS a Son of God from the perspective of man is a Great Truth. We should remember that this idea of Son is for the sole purpose of our understanding the relationships between the Father God and those who bring His fullness to us in the Earth. There have been many Sons of God given to the different cultures of the world and at different times and this terminology should not detract from the reality that we too are Sons of God. We speak here of those who came among us with the ability to express their divine nature for a special purpose; divine representatives so to speak. Krishna is among these Great Souls and is seen by the Hindu religion as God in the Earth and here we should not forget the words of the Master who tells us that “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). In this we should recognize the same for ourselves and for others with the only missing link being one’s realization of this reality which we can call synonymous here with our topic…..Transfiguration. We are discussing Krishna here because there is a beautiful part of the Bhagavad~Gita that speaks about the Universal Form of God and that tells us from the perspective of Arjuna, a man in the world who we could equate with Peter, of the appearance of God. The text goes thus:
“The Supreme Lord said: ‘O son of Prithâ, behold the hundreds and thousands of the variegated divine of My diverse forms and colors. Just see the [twelve] Âdityas, [eight] Vasus, [eleven] Rudras, [two] As’vins [demigods for the longevity], [fourty-nine] Maruts as also the many of all the wonders you did not see before, o best of the Bhâratas. See here and now the universe completely, all at the same time, with all that moves and not moves, in this body of Mine, o conqueror of sleep, and also whatever else you wish to see. But surely you will never be able to see Me with your normal eyes; divine eyes I give you to perceive My Divine Union.’ Sañjaya said: “O King, after having spoken thus, the Great Lord of Yoga, the Supreme Personality, showed Arjuna the beyond of the Universal Form. Many mouths, eyes and many diverse wonderful sights, many divine ornaments, and a variety of uplifted weapons, heavenly garlands and the wear of dresses with divine fragrances and ointments, were all wonderful and shining, extending to all sides. If there were the light of the simultaneous presence of many thousands of suns in the sky, such might resemble the effulgence of Him, the Greatness of the Soul. There Arjuna then could, in the universal form of the God of Gods, see in one the complete universe divided in many. Thereafter, being overwhelmed with wonder and his hair standing on end, the conqueror of wealth offered the God with folded hands his obeisances, bowing his head and began to speak” (Bhagavad~Gita 11:5-14).
Again we must recognize the time and the place of this happening in India and we should try to see our purpose in posting it. It is in the fullness of the Godhead that is expressed by these Sons of God, Krishna and Christ both, that ALL things exist; away from the constraints of time and space, In the Spiritual Realm that IS our True nature and our True place, there IS an existence that we CAN NOT define from our place in the world. Peter, John and James do however define Him as:
- “his raiment became shining , exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them“
- “and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light“
- “And as he prayed , the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering“
This is their vision of God in man, God in Christ, on this Earth and what we have above is Arjuna’s depiction of much the same thing. God IS and He IS within us ALL awaiting that time when we can and we will express His fullness to the world as did the Master, Krishna and many others in the long history of the Earth.
We close for today without having gotten to our sayings below as the completion of our discussion on the criteria for discipleship. We have however completed our look at the Transfiguration as the final part of our journey, the pinnacle of our Earthly efforts and that point at which True discipleship, attainment of the Kingdom and the fullness of the Godhead ALL meet in the body of man.
REPENTANCE, TRANSFORMATION AND REDEMPTION LEAD US TO TRANSFIGURATION
- “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).
- “Herein is my Father glorified , that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8).
| Aspect of God |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way
|
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment:
Leaving again the Great Invocation, we encourage ALL to read and reread it and our comments as in these words can be found the keys to our spiritual reality.
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men–
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
This prayer is a part of our Prayers and Meditations section and there is much information about it there and in our discussion of it in the Quote of the Day section of In the Words of Jesus parts 128-132
The above Invocation or Prayer does not belong to any person or group but to all Humanity. The beauty and the strength of this Invocation lies in its simplicity, and in its expression of certain central truths which all men, innately and normally, accept—the truth of the existence of a basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth that behind all outer seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love; the truth that a great Individuality came to earth, called by Christians, the Christ, and embodied that love so that we could understand; the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will of God; and finally the self-evident truth that only through humanity itself can the Divine Plan work out.
Like the Lord’s Prayer, this invocation is a World Prayer which is as all that a prayer is intended to be. It is a prayer for the uplifting of the Human Family out of the mire of materialism and selfishness. The Lord’s Prayer asks nothing for the individual praying it but asks that its benefits be for US and for WE which is why it was given by the Christ as a prayer and as a model over 2000 years ago. This invocation is also attributed to the Christ who, as He promised, has never left us; He, through channels that we do not readily understand, has Himself instructed His disciples to distribute this prayer and to encourage its use as a world prayer and as an aid in preparing the world for His return.
The first three stanzas of this prayer should be understood as reflecting the effective potencies of the Trinity which is God and which, when brought down to an individual level, the Trinity which is Man. His Will, His Love and His Light we should see them as the Potent Powers of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit albeit on a much smaller, microcosmic, scale.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
