|
home | what's new | other sites | contact | about |
|||||||||||||||
|
Word Gems exploring self-realization, sacred personhood, and full humanity
Editor's Essay Commentary on Mark 11 "Believe that you have received
Though I make Word Gems available to the world, it constitutes a personal collection of the best wisdom of history's stellar teachers; also, the best insights I've been privileged to receive. These "gold nuggets" of truth, offering glimpses of how the universe works, are to me beyond price. I would not part with this treasure-trove of heavenly gifts, no, not for a billion dollars. It is difficult to rank and sort points of wisdom, but the information on this page is so important to me that, I know, it will serve as "internal guidance system" for the next million years and beyond. I hope it will benefit you as well.
You were created in the image of God. This message of human dignity and self-respect powered the early Church for its first 400 years - until it was hijacked by those seeking worldly power. The message of "the image of God" is the message of the wonder of you - with the only barrier to your success as fear, low expectations, and lack of self-love. This hindrance to spiritual evolvement can seem formidable - a mountain in one's path. But our Brother Joshua is in the mountain-moving business.
Jesus and the Rock Cycle If there's a mountain in our way, all we have to do is wait 100 million years, and we'll see it thoroughly weathered, ground to powder, and washed away. It's the birth-and-death of mountains, which earth scientists call the Rock Cycle. But Jesus said that getting rid of mountains doesn't have to take quite that long. In fact, when we get the hang of it, we can receive a sense of absolute certainty regarding the removal of mountains. There is a section in the New Testament, Mark 11, which I found to be extremely encouraging in this regard, and I'd like to present it to you.
Why did Jesus curse a fig tree? Did he lose his temper after having a bad day? - I don't think so. Shortly before Jesus' death, he entered the Temple in Jerusalem. And "he looked around and surveyed what was happening." (Mark 11: 11) But here's a question for you. The next day ("on the morrow," vs. 12) he would famously throw the money-changers out of the Temple. Why didn't he create a scene the evening before? ("eventide was come," vs. 11) Was he just a little too tired to mix-it-up late in the day? I think there's a lot more going on here. The next day's dramatic cleaning-house of the Temple was no intemperate fit of pique, no momentary loss of equanimity and cool, but a studied and calculated move. The Teacher saw a grand opportunity to enact, as a kind of living parable, one of the most important lessons of the universe.
"in the morning, he was hungry..." Why would this be mentioned? Is this vital news? Mark tells us that in the morning, on their way from Bethany to Jerusalem - a mile or two walk - Jesus had not yet taken breakfast, and he was hungry (vs. 12). Why hadn't he eaten something before leaving his host's home? There are other mornings mentioned in the gospels, but, in those instances, we are not informed as to the time of Jesus' first meal. Why is today different? Dear reader, begin to feel the heavy aura of pedagogy in all this. We are being set up... for a teaching lesson. Jesus comes to a fig tree (vs. 13). He knew it was there, this was not a surprise. He'd walked that path many times. But today he approaches it, searches for figs among the leaves, and finds none.
talking to fig trees Seemingly with melodrama, Jesus addresses the fig tree: "No one is going to eat fruit from you ever again." What are we to make of this declamation, this rhetorical elocution, one salted by seeming unreasonableness. Is this theatrical performance necessary? Do we need to address fig trees? moreover, condemn them? Couldn't we just try another one over there? We presume, even allowing for the 'secret life of plants,' that the tree meant no harm to anyone. I speak as a fool here to illustrate a point. Clearly, Jesus the zen-master is up to something. Some biblical commentators, equally foolish, see undisciplined exasperation in Jesus: he's hungry, you know, who could blame him, peckish as he was, for cursing a little fig tree on an empty stomach. Uh-huh. This is the same Man who, when slighted by a Samaritan village and demonstrating great forbearance, was approached by James and John who matter-of-factly suggested, "Why don't you just rain down fire on them and wipe them all out?" to which Jesus responded, "Guys, you are so far out in left field, you don't even understand the dark energy motivating you - raining down fire is not what we do." (Luke 9: 53-56) Clearly, Jesus is setting us up for something. Notice, too, that this same fig tree is mentioned again later in the day (vs. 20). Yes, this is a big set-up.
early banking reform Jesus, flanked by his students and looking for a fight now, strides into the Temple. Many times he had seen what he saw that day, but today was the day; and, without pause, but with contemplation aforethought, he instantly executes his already-devised plan...
Jesus stepped on religious tradition going way back - how far back do you wanna go - to Abraham and his sacrifices? that's 2000 years; or, to Moses at Sinai? that's 1400 years; or, David and Solomon with the original Temple? 1000 years! The clergy of Big Religion who controlled the Temple real estate, the tithe-and-offering income, and the priestly perks and salaries, were not impressed... You think you can just come waltzing in here with your high faluten 'spiritual this' and your 'grace-and-love that' and overthrow thousands of years of religious law and heritage?! "...and they sought how they might destroy him (vs. 18)." If left unchecked, Jesus' insurrection would overturn a well-oiled money-machine.
meanwhile, back at the shriveled fig tree Do we really need an update on the declining health of this fig tree? It fared not well after the morning bout with Jesus. The gospel writers say that they culled out and discarded a lot of information about Jesus and pared it down to only the most noteworthy - so why do we need to discuss the fig tree; even, for a second time. Peter, with great amazement, sees that the fig tree is now just a mass of withered pulp, without even a fig-leaf to cover its own nakedness. "Teacher, look! the fig tree you cursed this morning is all dried up!"
the well-staged teaching moment And now, with the teaching-props all in place, Jesus finally comes to the didactic moment he'd carefully crafted. He wants them to understand something very important. Responding directly to Peter's exclamation, he begins with (vs. 22), "Have the faith of God." (NKJV). Jesus does not mean, "Grit your teeth now, and try really hard to believe this." No, Eugene Peterson's translation beautifully captures the sense: "Embrace this God-Life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you." (The Message) This is a heavy statement from Jesus. Are his comments really about the small affair of destroying a fruit tree? or, is he speaking to a greater hidden symbolism? There is a reason why the fig tree is mentioned twice, before and after the episode of the Temple cleansing.
I submit to you that Jesus' so-called cursing of the fig tree represents his steel-eyed intent to end the reign of Institutionalized Religious Deception and to replace it all with authentic spirituality. This is the vision Jesus offered to the woman at the well (John 4); what Paul proclaimed in Galatians, his very first writing.
the barren fig tree The fig tree that bore no fruit is a metaphor of the world's barren religions of legalism. Jesus was hungry - by which he meant to picture the famished masses of humanity, the soul-hungry, those searching for real spiritual sustenance; but, instead, these seekers of truth are turned away with nothing to eat.
the barren fig tree - with its curse upon all forms of legalism, all barriers to spirituality Jesus brought a new age of grace, an end to ritualistic ways of approaching God. Paul said the time of liberation had finally come (Galatians 4: 2, 4). But, still today, there are thousands of old-testament styled religions and churches that operate, in principle, as those ancient systems of legalism.
the wider issue before us But religious legalism was not the primary focus of Jesus' teaching that day. Addressing Peter and the others, the Teacher refers to the corruption of institutional religion only in passing, on the way to something more substantial. As Jesus broaches the subject of the "God-Life," we sense, by his choice of emotive words, his heart beginning to race with excitement. He wants his students to understand the real issue before them.
mountain-moving? - no problemo Jesus' comments about moving mountains are some of the most quoted in the gospels - but not often understood. I suggest that the "fig tree/Temple" incident points us to something very grand, an awesome glimpse of our own futures as maturing sons and daughters of God.
Jesus continues... "Embrace this God-Life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you! This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake' - no shuffling or shilly-shallying - it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray... Include everything as you embrace this God-Life, and you'll get everything." (The Message) Review these words also in the NKJV... “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
this is not The Secret There are books and DVDs concerning a purported success-concept known as The Secret. Some will say that what I've spoken of is merely The Secret repackaged. It is not. There is a short clip in the The Secret DVD featuring a young boy who wishes, prays, and focuses his thoughts on a shiny new bicycle - and then goes outside to find the object of his desire on the front porch. Good luck to you. This is not what Jesus is talking about. "The world is filled with so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. [God] knows better than you what you need." (Matt. 6:7,8, The Message) The Secret is just the latest iteration in a long sequence of "peddling techniques for getting what you want from God." It is a corrupted version of Jesus' teaching in Mark 11. Prayer is not meant to be an exercise in egoic needing and wanting, a flight into dysfunctional perceptions of "I don't have enough, because I am not enough." This is not Jesus' message in Mark 11.
meanwhile, back at the mountain, Jesus responds to Peter... Allow me to offer an expanded paraphrase of the sense of Jesus' instruction: "Peter, you are impressed by what I did to the fig tree. Don't be. You and the others, and all of my mature students to come, will soon be doing the same and more. I don't mean that you'll be walking around blasting trees. That's not the point. I solicited the help of my friend, the fig tree, merely to teach an important principle.
"The barren fig tree represents the world's sterile religious establishments, now and in the future. They're all alike in attitude, though they say different things. What you call 'cursing the fig tree' is my way of symbolizing the coming end of ritualistic barren religion. I will be asking my brother Paul to speak of this in detail. I say 'coming end' of religion - not spirituality, of course - because religion's reign in this world will continue for a long time. That's because there are so many fearful people, so many immature spirits, who will succumb to religious propaganda. Even so, the days of religion are numbered. What I did to the fig tree was meant to picture what I did in the Temple. At least for a few hours, you might say, I 'cursed their barren and fruitless fig tree,' I shut them down. The clergy of the Temple were meant to feed God's children; instead, the priests have become a primary roadblock to finding God. The people are hungry for real teaching for their souls, but they will not find a good meal from the priests. I know that they'll be back in business tomorrow - but I wanted to make a statement and offer a living metaphor of what I ultimately intend to do to Despotic Ecclesia. "Despite the drama today, however, I want all of you here to know that my work in this world is much more than merely being against something, and cursing something. Freeing people from the burdens of superstition, of fear and guilt, of dark religion, is what I really want to do for humanity. It's a deep passion with me. It's in my heart and soul. And I want you to understand a bigger picture here - what I did to the fig tree is meant to symbolize the bringing into reality any godly soul-desire that you might have.
"Some of you are not so spiritually-minded yet; some of you have some growing up to do and don't even know what I'm talking about right now. That's ok, just keep thinking, keep asking God to help you understand, it will all come to you in time. But when you finally understand, I want you to remember something. When you begin to access that spiritual part of you deep within, then you will start to think as God thinks, and you will want what God wants. And you will then pray the words that conform to God's own desires. It works like that. When you are linked to God's own energy, how could it be otherwise? "This may sound fantastic to you, but that's because most of you are still spiritually very young. But when you grow up, when you tap those inner soul-energies, when you come into contact with the Divine via your own deepest self, then you will begin to see life as God sees it - and you will want certain things to be better in this world. That's what you were witnessing in me with the Temple incident. I so wish everyone could know God as I do, to experience the joy bubbling up from deep within. I live in this joy every moment of my life! How I wish I could just drop it into everyone's heart.
"But mark my words. Though it is a long road, I will see this through to the end. I will yet bring in God's harvest, and I don't care how many thousands of years it takes to make it happen. In my mind, the great dark forces of this world which block humankind from a more enlightened way are like a giant mountain in my path. It is true, mountains can be intimidating; and yet, in the quietness of my own soul, I hear the whispering voice of God telling me that this mountain of spiritual chaos, now massively imposing itself upon the peoples of the world, will yet be cast into the sea. One day, the curse of legalistic religion will be gone from the earth. "Yes, this is not something that I merely believe as an opinion, it is something that I know. I know it because my own deepest person tells me that this is the way it will be; and because that deeper part of me is linked to God, I cannot be stopped, I cannot be defeated - that mountain will be cast into the sea, and I will yet be granted the joy of seeing all people, all of my friends, everyone, reach a great height of spirituality. "My point is this: when you come to know the reality of God within your own sacred inner person, you will be granted a vision of something that your own true self will want to work on, something that will benefit all humankind - and it won't matter if this blessing to the world cannot be accomplished in a day; you won't mind because the joy of giving this gift to the world will activate and propel your life. "People speak of praying to God - but what I've just described is the real prayer. It is tapping into the very consciousness of God, and reflecting God's own desires, and offering those desires back to very Divinity. Paul poetically speaks of 'praying always'. Some immature ones think that this means mumbling to oneself, repeating a prayer-script without end. But 'praying always' means living in a constant awareness of one's soul-energy link to God. And in this flow you will experience what some call 'the peace that passes understanding.' It is a serenity without basis in logic or material fact, a perception of well-being unfounded upon physical circumstance. At times your prayers will be expressed verbally, but the highest form, that prayer 'without ceasing,' prayer resulting in a soul-cradling sense of the Providentially-directed life, occurs when one's entire existence becomes a prayer - not a prayer of needing and wanting but of praise to God. "God wants more than words. God wishes that your entire Being - your thoughts and actions, your intentions and goals, your reason for living - all this is to become a sanctified prayer. Yes, that is the real prayer, that is praying without ceasing."
"I said that 'you'll get everything' with this kind of prayer. Do I mean that you will become a pampered sultan, an indulged billionaire? I do not need to answer that, you should know better. Maybe, by now, you can see that you will 'get everything' that your True Self craves; every truly good thing that you ought to crave - everything that a mind linked to God would want. "But does this mean that you can never ask for mundane things for one's own life? - small things, big things, that preoccupy? Must we ever live as world citizens, public figures, with no personal life? I do not mean to say that. There are things that you need for your own private life, for your own personal happiness. "I want to re-emphasize something. I said 'God knows better than you what you need.' Some of you are frightened by a comment like that; you are afraid that your deepest personal desires will go unheeded, a casualty of doing what you might see as the greater work of God. Dear friends, we, all of us here, to be sure, are in the business of serving the world; but never doubt that you are as deserving of love and God's blessings as anyone in the entire universe! In the divine economy, the individual is not sacrificed for the whole; at least, not permanently. If God operated that way, no individual would ever receive anything from God. Do not fear. You have spiritual Advisors, commissioned to guard you, and to guide you, with a view toward preparing you to receive all that your True Self requires. You can trust God, and his servants the Spirit Guides, to unfailingly deliver on this. God knows who you are, where you are, and knows your own personal definition of happiness - which is the only one meaningful to us. God is not a bureaucratic cheerleader-CEO interested only in the advancement of the group. If God were not cognizant of, and inclined toward, loving each of us in an individualized way, what point would there be in serving such a plastic and cold-hearted God?
"If you do harbor fears in this area it is because you have not yet met God via that soul-energy link. But when you do, you will be filled with a sense that all is well in hand and on track; and that all you have to do to maintain your Life is to flow in the artesian-spring waters of eternal refreshment [John 4]. Your willpower is not required to 'believe' in God - those who do not know God use the word 'believe' - tell me now, of what need is there of 'belief' when you can know God? By this I do not mean that you will see God face-to-face, but you will experience the Divine via your own deepest person. In this, you will be granted a sense of reality and certitude about God. And then you will have the confidence to move any mountain that your soul informs you needs moving. No power in the universe will stop you. Friends, how could it be otherwise? How can you fail? Who will stand against you when you become co-creator with the very God of the universe?"
"Believe that you have received your request and it will be yours."
Big Religion has sullied the meaning of "believe," turning it into an oppressive tool to manage and control people. Its definition approaches "try very hard to adopt a mental consent." This exercise in will-power is not unlike the advice offered by the Queen of Hearts:
But such mind-control technique takes us very far afield from the spirit of Jesus' message.
a real example of what Jesus is talking about An actual example of Jesus' instruction will help us understand. I have often referenced the afterlife testimony of Elizabeth Fry and will commandeer it once again. Her wisdom will allow us to cut through the Orthodoxy-inspired misconceptions of "believe" - especially note the yellow-highlighted portions:
Elizabeth, in her charitable efforts, at times will ally herself with others, "groups of souls who do special work" in the service of the common good. To that end, consider Elizabeth's emphasis on one's inner state of consciousness and how this self-knowledge leads, not just herself, but "we all," all of her work-mates, to "realize, automatically, within ourselves, what our part is, what work we have to do." Elizabeth's assertion of self-realization takes us very close to Jesus' meaning regarding "believe." And this is why earlier I stated that Eugene Peterson's Message rendering, "Embrace this God-life," is well placed.
"nothing will be too much for you - this mountain, for instance" "Embrace this God-Life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake' - no shuffling or shilly-shallying - it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray... Include everything as you embrace this God-Life, and you'll get everything." (The Message)
Coming into view now is a most grand vision of heroic altruism, one without border or boundary, wherein success is no mere possibility but foregone conclusion.
How does this process work? Some of the translations of Jesus' instruction veer into contingency statements such as, "if you can believe," seemingly suggesting, "you can move that mountain if you grit your teeth hard enough, huff-and-puff, and then your will power will make it happen." And now we're back to the advice given to Alice - but this is absolutely errant and borne of the Small Ego. Elizabeth Fry is right and the Queen of Hearts is wrong.
In effect, Jesus is saying this: "Really immerse yourself in this God-centered way of living, thinking, and being. Allow its energies, as a naturally-flowing artesian spring [John 4] to bubble-up to the surface of consciousness. In this rising from the depths of being, you will come to know - seemingly, in spite of yourself - many wonderful things. As my sister Elizabeth stated so well, you will begin to realize, automatically, within yourself, what you are to do. This sense of direction will be yours as a result of meeting God within your deepest sacred person. As the 'heavens start to open' for you, you will catch a vision of your place in life and where you are to contribute. Every mature person in God's family is involved in service toward those less developed; some of these problems afflicting our wayward brothers and sisters are very big problems, indeed. The massive bulwarks of evil in this world are like mountains to overcome - and there are so many mountains besetting humankind, it's a whole mountain range.
well, you always wanted to be a Big Rock star anyway "But do not be daunted as you survey these granite behemoths. With God as your partner, you cannot fail. Your part will be to move a particular 'mountain' of darkness. Which one to select? My advice is, do not make a choice. Allow this goal and direction for your life to 'percolate upward' from the depths, that is, allow it to be God's choice for you. If you do that, how could you possibly go wrong, and how could you fail when it is God's own directive leading you? And so I say to you, and to all of God's children - Embrace this God-life! Really embrace it! And when you do, you will begin to discern which particular 'mountain' has your name on it. It will be the one for you to scale and to conquer. Do not despair to know that moving a mountain might take a thousand years, as some of these service projects will require. The time to completion doesn't matter. The important point for you to understand is that your success is assured. It's as good as done. Therefore I encourage you, when you pray, include all of the details of what you want to accomplish with your particular mountain-moving project - include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get everything."
What do I really want? Where shall I serve? The question becomes this: not "will I succeed?" but "what do I really want?" and "where do I see myself being led to serve?" This is what Elizabeth's service group understands and lives by. Embrace this God-life and the answers will come to us regarding direction. Do not allow the Small Ego to choose; that way, we'll get everything wrong. For those who enter the next world as an "adult," I think the freedom of self-expression to be experienced will approach something akin to what an outsider might deem to be anarchic - so vast will be our powers, with broad purview of discretion, concerning whatever our sacred intentions might dictate. The godly person will have absolute autonomy, offered wide latitude to express and to execute all that glows in the God-directed heart.
Editor’s note: In our world, run by the ego, people often mark success by “lying on a beach somewhere,” a life of indolence, of “retiring,” but in the real world a great indicator of advancement is perceiving what God would have one do with one’s life, where one fits in, with the work one was meant to pursue. The less developed do not know, and it’s a sign of maturity to know.
What do you really want? This question will be the unspoken dictum of our lives. Everyone will want to know. What do you really want? What do you plan to create? What good thing, even now, is brewing in that service-minded and loving heart of yours? What great program of world beneficence will flow from those famous divine soul-energies of yours? We know you're thinking about it, you always do - we know this because we know the Family from which you come! And we know that, once you decide, once you receive clear, affirming direction from God within, you will be unstoppable, and no opposing power in the universe will dare stand in your way.
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
.jpg)
