IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 928

ON LOVE; PART DXVII

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).

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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).

In the last essay we discussed the Apostle Paul’s words from the eighth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans which we believe is one of the most revealing in the entire New Testament as regards the nature of the man in the world. We have used the apostle’s words many times and in many different contexts as in them we see some of those mysteries and secrets which ARE hidden in the words of the Master and His apostles. Now Jesus tells us that it IS for the disciples to KNOW these mysteries and we do not make any claim to that High Office other that that we are striving toward it; but, at the same time, we should understand that revelation and realization come to us by degree and that so long as the aspirant IS seeing the words as they ARE reflected from his own Soul in the form of that Wisdom from above, he will get a glimpse of the Truth. How much is likely directly dependent on the strength and the consistency of one’s focus upon the Good, the Beautiful and the True; one’s focus upon the things of God. That there ARE mysteries here in the Master’s words is attested to by He Himself and by His apostles and here we read some of their words on mystery:

• “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:34-35). Here we should understand what the apostle IS saying; first that there are secrets and mysteries and second that these will be spoken in parables and this so that those who ARE NOT focused upon the Truth of God CAN NOT understand the True meaning of the words. Many believe that they KNOW these things that are hidden in Jesus’ words but many who make such claim only see the outer parts and not those that ARE hidden and this IS easily seen in the many different interpretations of His sayings.
• Jesus Himself makes this clear in answering His disciple’s question regarding His teaching by parable as He says: “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see , and hearing they might not understand” (Luke 8:10). We should understand here that the Master IS NOT relying upon His repeating the parables in a more interpretive way to His disciples but that they would just KNOW the meanings as they are able to discern the Truth. We see this in His words as He says to them who ask for more clarity regarding the Parable of the Sower that: “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13). We should see here that as a disciple one IS expected to be able to discern the Truth and this IS a privilege of discipleship; that the Master here IS patient and does explain does not detract from this reality.
• The Master offers these words to His disciples after he interprets the Parable of the Sower for them “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad” (Mark 4:22). In this we should understand the reality of revelation and of realization and that as a man is ready by way of his own focus upon the things of God, these will come. We should note here that this IS a private conversation to His disciples as we read: “And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables” (Mark 410-11).
• Paul tells us in the end of this same Epistle to the Romans these words as part of his closing: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith” (Romans 16:25-26). Here we should understand this as it is presented and intended; first that Paul IS writing to those who are aspirants and disciples as we should note in his opening as he addresses his words  “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). While many believe that they are saints, we should understand that this word should be reserved for those who wholly keep the Master’s words which we ourselves extend to include those that Truly strive toward that goal. We should note here that the word saint IS an English idea intended to accommodate the Greek word hagios which literally means holy ones. This reality has been hijacked by some denominations and made to become believers in Christ but not necessarily that these believers ARE keeping His words. Here it IS better to see this idea of saint in the same tone as disciple or, at a minimum, as an attentive and dedicated aspirant and not as some parts of the church may define these things. Secondly we should understand here that while these secrets and mysteries are being revealed, that this IS being done in a similar parabolic way as we find in the Master’s speech; in this we should see the need for right discernment which IS by revelation and realization. Finally we should note that the end part here IS NOT necessarily what it is presented to be but rather that the mysteries will become KNOWN to ALL in response to one’s obedience and not for the purpose thereof. This Greek preposition eis which is rendered here as for can be used to mean a variety of ideas and the lexicon gives us an interesting take on this when rendered as for; they say: “For” could have two meanings. If you saw a poster saying “Jesse James wanted for robbery”, “for” could mean Jesse is wanted so he can commit a robbery, or is wanted because he has committed a robbery ².
• Above we have the apostle telling us that his own words contain these same mysteries and secrets that were spoken of in the gospels but we should understand that he does not mean that ALL will properly discern his words. Finally we have these other ideas from Paul regarding the mysteries; he says: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). Here the idea is that the apostle, as ALL True”ministers of Christ” in which idea we should see the reality of keeping His words as a servant to his master, IS a steward of the mysteries, a caretaker if you will, and speaking here to others who are in this same way, ministers and stewards, he reminds them of the ultimate Truth “that a man be found faithful” and this word means for us a man who KNOWS his service in his DOING.

In our subject words then from Paul to the Romans we see much mystery and hidden themes that we believe we have somewhat unlocked and do properly discern but we DO NOT KNOW this as we ARE NOT yet at that point of KNOWING beyond a doubt that what we see IS the Truth. However, we are at least partly right in our understanding of the apostles words as our discernment DOES meet the standards set in the Wisdom from above and the fruit of the Spirit and we do follow a logical track that IS not disputed elsewhere in scripture. Our words are universal in approach and can affect everyman who IS willing to focus upon the thoughts and the ideas presented by the apostle and who IS at the same time either a disciple of the Lord or is striving to become a disciple. This IS again the key to revelation and realization: that we strive to keep His words. Our view DOES NOT rely on one being a Christian or believing this or that pronouncement of doctrine; it DOES NOT rely upon any affirmation nor rite nor ritual. We DO NOT say that one shall be delivered according to some doctrinal approach but rather that ALL men shall be delivered; one by one as they find within themselves the wherewithal to overcome the self and the self in the world. And this IS the crux of the apostles presentation as he tells us that it IS to those who are “led by the Spirit of God“; those who can overcome the world and “mortify the deeds of the body“; those who the Apostle Peter tells us ARE  “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4) who will find this deliverance. These ideas pertain to ALL men regardless of religion, creed, culture or any other artificial divisions of the ONE Humanity. In our view Paul’s words cut to the heart of the mysteries of our presence in this world of men as regards the race from the beginning, ourselves individually and every incarnating Soul:

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:13-23).

We see here that it IS as Souls that we are “made subject to vanity” and that this IS not of our own doing but by the very Plan of God, “by reason of him who hath subjected the same“. This IS called by some the fall of man but here we should try to see the greater reality; we ARE NOT cast out of some Garden of Eden, we ARE “made subject to vanity” which we should understand as that:  perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends ⁴ which IS Life in this word of illusion and glamour. And we ARE in this with a purpose and this from the perspective that ALL Life, ALL things of God, have some underlying purpose and this IS in our view the constant moving forward of ALL parts toward the full realization of the Godhead and we should here remember the idea of eternity. This IS very far beyond our ken as simple individuals and self aware Souls and we should believe that this simple state in which we find ourselves IS itself a great achievement by which, when we are complete in our work, we will understand the Truth of the apostles words that this Life in vanity, in illusion and glamour, IS NOT “worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us“. We should understand this glory as the fulfillment of the promise that Peter tells us IS to be “partakers of the divine nature” and which Paul calls here our deliverance, our freedom from, “the bondage of corruption” AND “into the glorious liberty of the children of God“. Here we can go so far as to say that even the Master, that Great Soul who IS able to express the fullness of the Godhead through the form of Jesus, will continue to grow into greater and greater realization of the totality of the Godhead and here we should remember the idea of infinity. That Jesus the Christ was able to express this fullness, that “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9) IS a great Truth but it IS a saying and a reality that is concerned with this Earth scheme and His relationship to that reality of God on this level of existence. The depth of this subject is likely infinite in nature as well and since even the concepts that we can glimpse are yet a mystery, we can but faintly imagine what IS beyond for the Christ and for us as well.

So we ARE here in this world as Souls and we are ensconced in the vanity, the illusion and the glamour, and we have the promise of deliverance as the expectation of God who according to His Plan put us here. But there is a price to pay for this deliverance which we can see in the apostle’s words as that we “suffer with him” or be afflicted as we ARE in this world of vanity. The Master was able to overcome this worldly nature by His ability to come into this world in His already divine state where He IS able to express that divinity over the “works of the flesh“; He came among us with “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily“. This IS not to say that He did not suffer the trials and the tribulations as we discussed recently in this own temptations; these things are True, but by His very nature He was able to overcome; the Master’s suffering as we suffer did occur in previous incarnations as He IS subject to the same True Laws of Life as we ARE. We ARE ALL Souls on a journey forward toward that fullness of realization of the Godhead and while we DO NOT KNOW what this means in human terms, we ARE on this journey nonetheless and each of us is at his own point along this Path.

But we are concerned here with Life in this world, on this Earth and in the sense of the Kingdom of God that is attached, if we can use that word here, to this Earth. In this there IS a reason as well and one that serves the Plan of God as it exists in relation to our existence here. There IS a purpose in our being subjected to these rounds of birth and death and rebirth and this purpose IS to advance the Plan of God as it exists; there IS a power that comes forth in this Earth by the very existence of a True Son of God, by His ability to fully express the Love and the Power of the Soul, the Love and the Power of the Godhead through His Life in this world. We can see some part of this in the Life of Jesus which we can and will replicate if we continue in His word, that IS that by example we teach others and that we become a beacon of the Light of the Kingdom of God in the world of men. This IS an unseen Light but by our expression of it we serve the Plan by adding to the brightness of that Light in this world of darkness. Paul gives us some hint of these realities in His words that close this section of his letter to the Romans as he says “ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body“.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

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.

We repeat here a Quote of the Day that we spent much time with over the course of our essays. In this affirmation we find the Truth of discipleship as we have been ever been expressing and here we can relate our themes of the last few days; “take no thought” for the things of the world and that we approach the Kingdom and discipleship in the nature of the little child, in humbleness, meekness, unashamed in any way and unassuming. The message that this imparts for us today IS that it IS the Soul that is at work in the world of men as it expresses to some degree the purpose, power and the will through Life in this world. These words are from a meditation offered to his students by our Tibetan brother and in which we find greater understanding of the message of the Master. This IS Truly the way of the disciple.

My Soul has purpose, power and will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.

My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.

I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love. All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.

My will is one with the great Will of God;. that Holy Will requires that all men serve. And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!

• ² New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888