Jesus' Context Part 1 (7:35)
Jesus' Context Part 2 (12:10)
In this Chapter:
Origin of the Records
Birth of Jesus at Bethlehem
The Dedication at Jerusalem
The Return to Nazareth
The Youth of Jesus
Jesus at Student
Development of Jesus
These passages tell us everything we know about Jesus’ youth. It’s not a lot, and you may wonder how we even know this much. You can imagine how it might happen: A local boy makes a name for himself, and then people come around asking questions to find out more about him -- who his parents were, how he grew up, what stories there are about his youth that give insight into his latter stature...much like we do today with sports and movie stars. (I can hear it now: “Oh yes, quite a handful that Jesus was, smart as a whip let me tell you! Why, I remember a time when…”)
With the passage of time, we can assume that many of the stories of Jesus’ youth have been lost. Remember, at best the Synoptic Gospels were written several decades after Jesus death, and before then existed only as oral tradition. Given that, it’s amazing we have what we do.
And what insights might we gain into Jesus from these small snippets? One thing that stands out is that he had parents and seems to have been conceived the old fashioned way. Nothing about a virgin birth here. His parents appear to have been devout Jews, following Jewish laws and customs. And we can probably conclude that Jesus was very bright. At 12, he’s already locking horns with the local Rabbis (“and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”). In today’s language we might say he was gifted. In any case, he was bright, well thought of, and clearly interested in his religious tradition.
9. Baptism of Jesus by John
This passage begs the question: If Jesus did not believe in the apocalyptic vision, what was he doing being baptized by John, who clearly did believe in it? One possibility is that at this point in his life, Jesus had not necessarily rejected the idea of an apocalyptic messiah – that insight came after his baptismal experience and his time in the wilderness, which we explore in the next section.
Again, trying to put ourselves in Jesus’ sandals, we can project that John was making quite an impact among the Jewish populace, arousing Jesus’ curiosity about what John had to say. We can also imagine that Jesus -- himself preoccupied with his peoples’ plight under the Romans -- was inspired by John’s courage, since his actions were creating dangerous enemies (not just Herod but Jewish religious leaders as well). With all of that playing in his mind, it’s not hard to see how Jesus might have been motivated to experience the baptism that John was offering.
All of this is, of course, conjecture -- we cannot know for sure. But whatever Jesus’ motivation for undergoing John’s baptism, we do know that he had quite an experience: “the heaven was opened, and the Spirit of God descended, as a dove, upon him.” The language is poetic, not literal. If you’ve ever had what might be called a religious experience – what mystics have referred to as a direct perception of the oneness of reality that penetrates the soul but defies verbal expression -- you would be compelled to rely on poetic language to convey it.
We can also see how such an experience could lead to a total shift in Jesus’ identity – “And a voice came out of heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; this day have I begotten thee.” One interpretation: Jesus had an “ah ha!” experience of the first order, in which he became deeply conscious of his personal relationship with God.
However we might try and describe the experience, it was clearly powerful, and required Jesus to remove himself from his normal environment to assimilate what had happened. This brings us to his time spent in the wilderness.
10. Withdrawal of Jesus to the Wilderness
Jesus had a profound experience of some kind in the baptism – he saw something he had not seen before, and it led to a total shift in his identity. The questions before him then became: What does this experience mean, and what shall I do with it? Shall I use my insight to serve my own ambition and power drive ? Does my insight somehow confer upon me supernatural abilities? Or shall I simply use it to amass great personal wealth? These are the three temptations Jesus confronts during his time in the wilderness, symbolically presented as a conversation with the devil.
The first temptation is that of the political messiah: “And he led Jesus up, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: if thou wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine.”
Jesus was keenly aware that his people were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the one who would re-establish the Jewish Kingdom as it was in its heyday under David. He also knew he could play into that expectation and amass considerable personal power. He rejected that as a possibility, saying: “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus concluded that the expectation of a political messiah was not the will of God, but rather a dangerous illusion with potentially disastrous consequences. He understood that there was simply no way the Jews could rise up against the Romans and win. The Romans had already shown how they deal with insurgency: They massacre all the insurgents. It was clear to Jesus that such a fate awaited the Jews if they continued to resist Roman rule.
The second of Jesus’ temptations was to play to the peoples’ desire for an apocalyptic messiah: “And he led Jesus to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou are the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee: And on their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.” The apocalyptic vision can be thought of as a magical belief – where the physical laws of reality are turned on their heads. Earth comes to an end; evil doers are cast into fire, and the good and righteous rise up to Heaven. Jesus’ answer to this temptation was: “It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” In other words, don’t expect God to suddenly change all the rules. We have been given the structure of reality, it has been dependable, and to expect that structure to be suddenly violated is completely unrealistic.
So, if Jesus is not going to try and fulfill either the political or apocalyptic visions, a third alternative is presented to him: Use the insight to gain material wealth. This is the symbolism of turning stone into bread. Jesus’ answer – that man does not live by bread alone – is a statement that material well-being is not the primary focus of life. First and foremost is a complete commitment to the will of God.
We will see in the next section that, having thus sorted out the options available to him, Jesus makes a decision: He takes on the mission of teacher to pass on the knowledge he has gained – not just so that his people can avoid the catastrophe to which rebellion against the Romans ultimately leads, but so that they can fulfill their higher destiny of bringing this new knowledge to the rest of humankind.
The rest of Jesus’ short life is dedicated to that purpose.
22. Culmination of Criticism of Jesus
23. Attitude of Jesus Toward Criticism
One gets the sense that the Pharisees were survivors – they were pretty quick to sniff out and deal with threats to their authority. It is still early on in Jesus’ ministry and they have already decided that this guy has got to go.
Jesus is obviously aware of his impact on the status quo. He knows he is a threat, he understands why, and, importantly, he has compassion for those who fear him. He knows that change is hard for people, particularly when the old ways seem to be working so well, as in a sense they certainly were for those in charge.
All of us know this. Change comes slowly if at all. Often times we only change when we hit rock bottom and see no other way out. Even then it is more a surrender than a real decision to change. Out of surrendering comes acceptance and perhaps the vision of a new possibility, if there is one. But the vision can not be seen until the act of surrendering is complete.
Totally surrendering what does not work can give us the opportunity to gain a new “wineskin.” But a new wineskin is not the new wine – or the new teaching, or the new way of seeing -- itself. What is the new teaching? Jesus gives his fullest description in the next section: Definition of Standards of Righteousness.
26. Discourse on Standards of Righteousness
Because this passage is so long and content-rich, we will take it a section at a time.
And Jesus came down with the twelve, and stood on a level place. And a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea cost of Tyre and Sidon, came to hear him.
And Jesus lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
Blessed are ye poor.
Blessed are ye that hunger.
Blessed are ye that weep.
Blessed are ye when men persecute you.
Ye are the salt of the earth.
Ye are the light of the world.
Okay, let’s stop right here. Why in the world would Jesus say it is a blessing to be poor, hungry, sad and persecuted? Does that sound like a blessed state to you? Is he saying that somehow these are the attributes of a righteous, noble, God-like state of being, which should be nurtured and cherished?
A more plausible interpretation gets us back to a point made in the last section: Jesus understood that people are more likely to make fundamental changes only after they have hit rock bottom. If the behavior is working for you, you have little or no motivation to change it. Likewise if the culture is working for you – even if it is corrupt – there’s no reason to start making waves.
Jesus did not believe the Jewish culture was working for his people, because it was steering them toward a suicidal confrontation with the Romans. Nevertheless, the culture was working very well for the elites, at least in the short-term– they were prosperous and in positions of power, and as a result unwilling to take any actions against their perceived self-interest. They were promoters of the status quo, and were distinctly disinterested in any teaching that diminished their status and prestige.
In short, Jesus was saying that the people who are disillusioned with the way things are have the best chance to initiate and nurture the new – they are the light of the world because they are open to moving down a different, more life-enhancing path.
Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God.
This passage is important because it shows that Jesus saw himself in the line of the Jewish prophets. He is not out to start a new religion. His interest is in fulfilling the promise of his own religion. And he makes it clear that the standards he is talking about are far higher than those set by the scribes and Pharisees. How much higher? Let’s take a look:
Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment.
If therefore thou are offering thy gift at the alter, and there rememberest that thy brother has aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the alter, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and them come and offer thy gift.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.
“Thou shalt not kill” is the first of the 10 Commandments, which were given to Moses by God at Mount Sinai. These commandments form the foundation of Jewish law, and it is this foundation that Jesus said he had come to fulfill, or lift to a new level of understanding or consciousness.
His insights in this regard are extremely astute, particularly when viewed in the light of today’s knowledge of human psychology. Jesus understood that the desire to kill is the inevitable extension of any belief system that justifies anger. Anger is the taproot of the kill, and if religion is to be contemporary and of value, it must deal with that taproot.
So when we are angry, Jesus instructs, go and make peace with whomever we are angry with. He does not say “don’t get angry” – that’s not realistic (and if there is one thing that Jesus is into, it’s Reality!). He says that when we are angry, do not be justified in that anger, or excuse it, but go make peace. Otherwise, we are in danger of “the judgment.”
What judgment is that? God’s judgment? Is Jesus talking about the apocalypse here?
The suggestion here is that Jesus is talking about something else, something very challenging to get hold of. It requires a very different perspective on the world – the perspective Jesus received in his baptismal experience with John.
The whole premise of Jesus’ ministry rests on the insight that all life is one, and that what we do to others we do to ourselves. What that means is that when we are angry at and out of relationship with another, we are actually angry and out of relationship with ourselves – for the other is us, we just have not seen it yet. As a result we are in a state of “dis-integration”. That state is the judgment of which Jesus speaks. By making peace, we re-integrate.
Haven’t we all experienced the pain of estrangement and the joy of reconciliation? One experience leaves us feeling whole and energized; the other split and often spiritless, preoccupying us and draining our energy. Such is the nature of the judgment. It is not God’s punishment – any more than is stepping off a cliff and suffering the effects of gravity. It is simply part of the law of cause and effect.
Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that everyone that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body. And if thy hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Well, here is a juicy one! This passage follows a similar logic to the one above. Just as anger is the taproot of the kill, so lust is the taproot of adultery. Jesus’ instruction again is, deal with the taproot.
The procreative drive is one of the strongest of human instincts – elemental to our survival as a species. If we are not vigilant, it can take us over and become an obsession. Our powers of self control become subjugated to this ancient and primitive drive, and we in effect become enslaved. If we are enslaved, we are not free to serve the will of God, which for Jesus is at the core of what it means to be human.
Both the teaching on lust and the teaching on anger lead us naturally to compassion. We may feel judgmental of one who commits adultery or murder, but have we not all experienced lust and anger? If so, then according to Jesus we are not so disconnected from the adulterer or the murderer, and so have the capacity to understand and forgive.
Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by Jerusalem. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head. But let your speech be Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of evil.
It’s all about wholeness. Say yes when you mean yes, say no when you mean no.
When you say yes but mean no, you are split. When you say no but mean yes, you are split. Be total. Be whole. Be one, just as the universe is one, just as God is one.
Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, Resist not evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man would take away thy cloak, let him have thy coat also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him twain.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
This is an oft quoted, oft discussed, and oft challenged passage. Is it really wise to turn the other cheek just to get smacked again? Sounds painful, and not very creative. Given what we know about Jesus, could this really be what he was advocating?
More than likely, no. Once again, Jesus is talking about a profoundly new way of looking at the world, encapsulated in three amazing words: “Resist not evil.”
What in the world is he talking about? If you should resist anything, shouldn’t it be evil?
Let’s do a little thought experiment, Think about a time when you were in resistance. Maybe your in-laws were coming to stay for the week. Your child was failing in school. Someone at work was shirking their responsibilities, leaving you holding the bag... whatever it might have been (and if you’re human, you should be able to think of plenty of examples!).
Now ask yourself, when you were in that state of resistance – which is basically wishing that something that is, wasn’t, and how crazy is that? -- how creative did you feel? How free were you to act? Or did the resistance seem to collapse all options and leave you stewing in anger or resentment or hurt? Jesus’ point is that when we resist, we cannot respond creatively. And when confronted with evil, we need all our creative powers operating at full throttle, for it can make the difference between life and death.
When you are free – not in resistance – you can do the unexpected, which can alleviate the stress or tension or even danger of a situation, and allow for a more constructive outcome. That is the meaning behind the admonitions to turn the other cheek, to give the coat as well as the cloak, and to walk two miles rather than one.
Let me give you a small example. My wife and I lived in China for two years in the early ‘80s and our primary mode of transportation – like every one else’s -- was a bicycle. If you got into an accident with another bicyclist whom you did not know, the customary outcome was a yelling match, each one blaming the other for their inept bike riding skills. You would never apologize – to do so would be to admit guilt and lose face.
One time I ran into someone on my bike, an older gentleman. He looked at me and, in customary fashion, began to verbally rip into me, with insults I can only imagine. When he came up for air I just looked at him and said, “I’m sorry”. He was stunned into silence. He looked at me, shocked, and just said, “It’s okay, doesn’t matter, no harm done” and rode off, occasionally stealing a backward glance to see if I was for real or some sort of an illusion.
So what was that all about? Well, I figure I did the equivalent of turning the other cheek. I did the unexpected, and it took the wind right out of his sails. He did not hit me on the other cheek (keep yelling at me), he stopped yelling altogether.
My advantage was in being a foreigner and not caring about losing face. I was free, able to respond in whatever way I thought the most creative. Of course, you don’t have to live in a foreign country to put this teaching to work. We probably all have examples illustrating that conflicts are best dealt with when you have not been polarized by resistance, but when you can leap into someone else’s shoes, gain a new perspective and uncover some previously hidden options.
The opposite approach is knee-jerk retaliation – the “eye for en eye” philosophy that has a direct hotline to our reptilian brain. Anyone who is really paying attention can see that this approach leads only to escalating violence, pain and misery. Jesus certainly saw that, and so was advocating a different response to Roman rule than the direct confrontation being preached by the Zealots. Stop resisting the Romans, he was saying. Stop being trouble. This too shall pass, and if we become model subjects, odds are they will leave us alone and we may even outlast them.
That would certainly have been a better outcome than what eventually transpired: Near-complete annihilation 60 years after Jesus’ death.
And what about today? Do we need more proof that the eye-for-an-eye approach does not work, or are we finally ready to try something new?
Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.
If ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them. And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same.
Ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil: he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
“Love your enemy” and “resist not evil” are fundamentally the same teaching. Both are instructing us to respond creatively rather than react violently, to act with goodwill rather than with ill-will. It’s all in the attitude.
Doing good to those that hate us, however, is not easy. It requires that we move beyond our limited sense of self and expand our identity to include the enemy. Just as God is inclusive of all --“he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust” – so should we be.
Think about it: If all life is one interconnected whole, than the “other”-- even our enemy – is us. Not understanding or hating another is an outcome of not understanding or hating ourselves. So embracing the enemy is an heroically creative act that brings about wholeness in ourselves, and contributes to the well-being of the world at large.
Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father.
When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father, which seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.
In these passages, it appears that Jesus is drawing attention to the pitfalls of egocentricity. There are basically two motivations available to us for our actions: egocentric, or God-centric. When we do things for egocentric reasons – for “the glory of men” – we have received our reward. Our ego has been stroked.
Doing things for God – rather than for the attention or approval of others -- diminishes the hold our ego has on our sense of self, and creates the opportunity to see who we are beyond the ego’s limited boundaries.
Hasn’t it been the times when we’ve forgotten ourselves – when we’ve abandoned totally into some project or effort or purpose – that we have felt the most alive? Maybe that is the greater aliveness that Jesus refers to when he says, “and thy Father, which seeth in secret shall recompense thee.”
Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.
The message here seems pretty simple: how can you help someone else if you are not seeing things clearly yourself? If something is blocking your perception, take care of it, before you try and help another.
Doing this is not often easy -- we so desperately want to see the problem as lying “out there” rather than inside ourselves. The rewards, however, can be great. When we at last see and accept ourselves, we are better able to see and accept others. When we see and accept others compassion, not hatred, flows.
All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them.
Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of God; but he that doeth the will of my Father.
Here Jesus is saying that it is not enough to go through the motions of living a religious life. What’s required is that we completely align ourselves with the will of God.
Why is that so important? Left to our own devices, our motivation can be shallow, petty, and self-serving. God brings badly needed perspective to our decision-making process, requiring that we think long term and beyond the traditional boundaries of self, family, tribe and nation. God is wholeness, and the purpose of a relationship with God is to help us to think and act for the benefit of all.
This passage is the first time that Jesus refers to the “kingdom of God.” The suggestion here is that the kingdom of God is not a place, not a euphemism for Heaven, but rather a state of being to be realized here and now – a state of being in obedient relationship with God.
By their fruits ye shall know them. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bringeth forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Every one therefore which heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.
Enter ye in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many be they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few be they that find it.
What is to be the basis of our life? Money? We can lose money. Family? We can lose our family. Good health? We can lose that too. Everything temporal can be taken away from us. Making such things the foundation of our life is building our house upon sand.
To build our house upon a rock is to enter into a conscious relationship with God: to be aware of the power and pitfalls of our ego-centricity; to enter into the process of loosening our ego’s hold on our identity by dealing with our resistance and anger and lust and blind spots. And when we can love not only those who love us, but our enemy as well, we shall be likened unto the wise man of which Jesus speaks.
And why is the gate narrow? Because in a relationship with God, love is all that is permitted us.
32. Opinion of the Religious Leaders
The religious authorities are clearly threatened by Jesus’ growing popularity, and seek to discredit his attention-getting acts of healing by saying that he is only able to cast out devils because he himself is an ally of the devil. In response Jesus makes a strong defense, saying their accusation is ridiculous because a house or kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. But then he goes on: “Whosoever shall speak a word against me, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall blaspheme against the spirit of God, it shall not be forgiven him.”
Jesus understands that it is not him but the spirit of God working through him that enables the healing to occur. The scribes, however, are saying it is the spirit of the devil. Their motivation? To discredit Jesus and protect their own positions of power. This ego-driven act is the blasphemy of which Jesus speaks.
And why shall it not be forgiven? Perhaps because once we choose to serve our own power drive over the will of God, the ego takes control and it is nearly impossible for our higher selves to wrest it back. It is not that God punishes; it is that we have put ourselves under a powerful master that consumes us and makes us work against our own larger, enlightened self-interests.
See also “Opinion of Disciples about Jesus,” Commentary 10-47.
33. Basis of Real Relationship to Jesus
Well, if you were Jesus’ mother or brother, this might have sounded a bit harsh. But one thing we learn about Jesus as we study his life is that he never missed an opportunity to teach. His point here – repeated in several parables that come later -- is that our relationship with God is primary and completely redefines our relationship to everything else: our mother, father, brother, sister, neighbor and even enemy.
See also “Basis of Real Relationship to Jesus,” Commentary 11-63.
34. Discourse on the Kingdom of God
Since this is a long passage, we will break it out into sections.
And again Jesus began to teach by the seaside. And there gathered unto him a very great multitude, so that he entered into a boat, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude were by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his teaching:
How shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or in what parable shall we set it forth? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds that are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches; so that the birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof.
As we discussed earlier, the kingdom of God refers not to a place, but to a spirit or an energy that is released when an individual or a collective live in conscious relationship with God, obedient to His will.
The parable of the mustard seed is that the kingdom of God starts small – one person at a time. As more people see and choose the relationship, however, the influence or affect of that spiritual dimension grows and spreads to the benefit of all.
And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.
And he said, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
This parable speaks to the inner nature of our relationship with God, which we begin by making a commitment to deal with our resistance (“Resist not evil”), remove our blind spots (“…first remove the beam in our own eye”), and learn to love our enemy. Once we make that commitment -- and stick with it until we are “all leavened” -- it works on us, mysteriously, as leaven works on bread.
Another parable set Jesus before them, saying, The kingdom of God is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up, and brought forth fruit, there appeared the tares also. And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together.
If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear.
In this parable Jesus once again debunks the apocalyptic version of the kingdom of God. If you try to separate the wheat (the good guys) from the tares (the bad guys), you’ll end up killing both. So don’t try and stamp out or eliminate evil, because it will bring about your own destruction as well.
Now that’s something, isn’t it? It certainly isn’t the way most of us think. The only way it makes sense is if you see life in an entirely different context. We are one human family. Each of us represents what is possible for all of us. No one has a unique possibility; if they did, they would be something other than human. Just as all acorns share a common potential – none of them can become a peach tree – so do all people.
Because we are the same, the key to accepting others is to accept ourselves. (Think back to our discussion on Jesus’ teaching on anger and lust.) Likewise, rejection or condemnation of another can be a sign that there is an aspect of ourselves with which we have not yet made peace.
In that context, evil in the world can actually be our teacher, revealing sides of our own nature that perhaps we would rather not look at. Take terrorism, for example. Most people would say terrorists are evil. Most people would also say they themselves are not terrorists. But take the USA: is there not some shade of terrorism in a country that has 6% of the world’s population but uses more than 30% of its resources? In a country known to have covertly deposed democratically elected leaders in third world countries just because they threatened our economic interests? In a country that prosecuted a misguided war in Southeast Asia that resulted in the death of 3 million innocent civilians? We have some soul searching to do; and evil in the world may be an indication that we have not soul searched enough.
If we really understood evil, we’d know that its root is ignorance, and that our challenge is not to eliminate evil—for ignorance will always exist—but to understand the process by which we move from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light.
The only other choice, according to Jesus, is to perish.
And Jesus said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth; and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how. The earth beareth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.
We can see in nature that when the right conditions are met, the growth process occurs. The same is true for the kingdom of God. When we fulfill the conditions -- obedience to the will of God, which is to love all – a growth process is set in motion that bears fruit in mysterious ways.
The kingdom of God is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of God is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls: and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
When we truly understand what the kingdom of God is all about, we know that a relationship with God is not something that you add on to your life, like a new room to your house. It is the foundation of your house…without it you have nothing solid upon which to build. But to be 100 percent obedient to God’s will requires the total surrendering of our own will – that is the meaning of selling everything you have. And it feels like everything, doesn’t it? That’s because we are so tightly identified with our own ego. But along with that surrendering comes a rebirth to a higher, more fulfilling state of consciousness.
And with many such parables spake Jesus the word unto them, as they were able to hear it: and without a parable spake he not unto them.
And when Jesus was alone, the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? And he said unto them, Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you.
Jesus knows that his teachings threaten the religious authorities – the scribes and Pharisees – and that they are plotting against him, hoping to trap him in some heresy. Jesus therefore speaks in parables that they may see and not perceive, and hear, but not understand.
Then Jesus went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying: Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. And Jesus saith unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how shall ye know all the parables?
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he thinketh he hath.
Here is one of our first clues that Jesus’ disciples are really not getting it. The tares in the field parable, remember, refuted the apocalyptic vision of the kingdom of God, the prevailing expectation of the times. It was one of Jesus’ central teachings, yet his disciples totally missed its meaning.
Jesus uses this as an opportunity to stress to his disciples the importance of clear perception and understanding. If you don’t see that bus coming as you cross the street, or don’t appreciate its ability to flatten you like a pancake upon contact, you’re going to probably lose everything you have as it runs right over you. If you do see it, and understand your relationship to it (stay out of its way!), you cross safely and life goes on. That is the meaning of “to him shall be given.”
Hearken: Behold, the sower went forth to sow: and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it. And other fell on the rocky ground, where it had not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing; and brought forth, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.
And Jesus said unto them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel, or under the bed, and not to be put on the stand? There is nothing hid, save that it should be manifested; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.
Here Jesus is acknowledging that not everyone will understand his teachings. But those that do understand them have an obligation to spread those teachings far and wide. In fact, the very purpose of the human adventure is to move from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge, so that life may continue.
And Jesus asked them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto Jesus, Yea. And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of God is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
In the attitude or spirit that prevails in the kingdom of God, the richness of the past is not discarded, and the possibility of the new is not resisted. Each is evaluated only on its ability to serve the cause of life.
There is nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed: and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light: and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them which kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Again, we see that Jesus had an acute understanding of the danger of his situation. We can project at this point that he has foreseen that his life will end at the hands of those he most threatens, and that to buy as much time as possible, he must speak covertly. But there will come a time when his disciples will need to abandon the stealth approach, and instead teach openly…proclaiming these truths “from the housetops.”
[See also “Limits of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 12-69), “Time of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 13-79), “Essential for Entrance into Kingdom” (Commentary 14-84), and “Time of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 14-89).]
35. Fear vs Faith
Fear and faith. Two ways of looking at reality. In fear, we anticipate a negative outcome. In faith, we anticipate a positive one. Neither approach guarantees anything, but it may be that our attitude does somehow influence the outcome. In extreme cases we call this a “self-fulfilling prophesy” -- for example, someone who, being convinced that no one likes them, carries a chip on their shoulder so that indeed, no one likes them.
Probably most of us, however, bounce back and forth between these two attitudes. When we get in our car and drive down the freeway, we probably have faith we’re going to reach our destination, and are not preoccupied with having a major collision. Being talked into bungee jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge by a group of friends, however, might arouse in us a bit of trepidation. Still, we would have to have more faith than fear or we would never jump, right?
So maybe the attitude of faith has something to do with knowledge gained from experience. Enough trips down the freeway with no collisions and we begin to have faith that this is a safe thing to do. After all, we live in a pretty reliable world, where if we follow the rules – obey speed limits, make sure you’re going in the direction of traffic, etc. – then the outcomes tend to be fairly consistent. There’s always the outlier, the occasional exception, but it is just that: the exception.
36. Jesus Teaches at Nazareth
Jesus goes to his hometown to preach, and his reception is a bit chilly. It’s not hard to imagine why. Someone the locals have probably known since he was in swaddling clothes comes back as if he’s some sort of big-shot prophet who suddenly knows more than they do.
You can image them thinking to themselves, “Hey, isn’t this that runny-nosed kid that used to tease my daughter and throw pebbles at the neighbor’s sheep? And now he’s come back thinking he’s all special and filled with the wisdom of God? Yeah, right. He should go back to being a carpenter, if anyone will hire him.”
Perhaps the lesson here is that once people have a strong impression of you, it’s hard for them to see you any differently, no matter how much evidence there may be of change.
38. Disciples Tour in Galilee
This is the first – and last! – time that Jesus sends his followers out on their own. Why did he never send them out again? Look at the last line: “And they went out, and preached that men should repent.” Repentance was John’s message, not Jesus’! The disciples were preaching that people should repent and get ready for the apocalypse, where the righteous will be rewarded with everlasting life, and the wicked burned in unquenchable fire. As we have seen, Jesus preached a very different message.
It is hard to escape the conclusion that these disciples were not the sharpest tools in the shed. Despite all of Jesus’ teachings, they could never shake the belief that he was the messiah foretold in Jewish prophesy, there to vanquish the Roman enemy.
42. Concerning Traditions About Defilement
This is another long passage that we will look at in sections.
And there are gathered together unto Jesus the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.
For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders: and when they come from the marketplace, except they wash themselves, they eat not: and many other things there be, which they have received to hold, washing of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels.
And the Pharisees and the scribes ask Jesus, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?
And Jesus said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
This people honoreth me with their lips,
But their heart is far from me.
But in vain do they worship me,
Teaching as their doctrines the ..precepts of men.
Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.
And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death: but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God; ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or mother; making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.
And Jesus called to him the multitude, and said unto them, Hear me all of you, and understand: To eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man. There is nothing from without the man, that going into him can defile him: but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man.
The message here echoes earlier passages on Jesus’ attitude toward fasting, keeping the Sabbath and associating with sinners. Once again Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for maintaining outward -- and meaningless -- appearances of piety while ignoring what’s truly important: their inner condition.
Jesus’ accusation is that the scribes and Pharisees sacrifice the laws of God in order to keep self-serving “laws of men.” His example: Sinners who make financial contributions to the synagogue are no longer held accountable for their actions. To say that money can act as a substitute for righteous living is clearly an abomination in Jesus’ view.
And when Jesus was entered into the house from the multitude, his disciples asked of him the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from without goeth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it goeth not into his heart.
And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, ailing, pride, foolishness: all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.
Yet more evidence of the disciples being slow on the uptake.
Then the disciples said unto Jesus, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard that saying? But Jesus answered and said, Every plant which my Father planted not, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
This is a very interesting teaching. It suggests that evil – or ignorance – has an end. Think in terms of evolution. Every species that does not adapt to changes in the environment goes extinct. This could be a modern interpretation of “Every plant which my Father planted not, shall be rooted up.” If we are not aligned with the fundamental laws of life, we don’t make it. Simple as that.
There’s also an implication here that there is another way of dealing with evil. Rather than trying to root it up and eliminate it, let it run its course. Having made the wrong turn in the labyrinth of life, it will eventually reach a dead-end and go no further.
48. Jesus Forecasts Events at Jerusalem
This is an interesting passage. First of all, Jesus seems pretty clear on the fate that awaits him, and he is accepting of it. Clearly he believes it is God’s will. Otherwise, he’d be steering clear of Jerusalem.
And then there is Peter’s reaction – something any nice person would tend to say, right? “C’mon Jesus, why all doom and gloom? Cheer up, that’s not going to happen to you!”
But Jesus delivers what appears on the surface to be a pretty uncharitable response – he turns around and calls Peter Satan! What is that about? Well, one explanation is that Peter still thinks Jesus is the apocalyptic messiah, and Jesus getting strung up by the authorities is NOT the way the story is supposed to end. Jesus calls him on that and rebukes him for buying into the apocalyptic fantasy and not being grounded in reality, which is what a relationship with God is all about.
49. Some Costs of Discipleship
Here we have the essence of Jesus’ teaching, what is known as The Great Paradox. Understanding it requires postulating two aspects of our identity: one rooted at the level of ego (our conditioned or enculturated self) and one rooted at the level of our soul (our essence or “created” self).
The ego-centric self abides by “the laws of men” to use Jesus’ language. In other words, it seeks survival by being obedient to the expectations and norms of the culture. The ego also sees itself as fundamentally separate from the rest of humanity, and therefore can feel secure only when it has either power over or approval from “the other.”
The soul-centered self abides by “the laws of God” and thus stands on much firmer ground. It sees itself in holistic terms – part of, not separate from. Unconcerned with power or approval or even physical survival, it is able to serve a higher purpose: truth. So when it appears that the culture is headed in the wrong direction – say, for example, a direction that threatens the survival of the clan or nation – the soul-centered self is willing to risk rejection and even its physical life to speak out.
Both “selves” have their purpose and usefulness. The question is, which self is in charge? If the ego is running the show, our essence or soul is left unmanifest. That is the meaning behind the first part of The Great Paradox. If we try and save our ego – that is, only concern ourselves with success within the culture as measured by power and approval – our higher self is left stillborn.
But if we are willing to forgo power and approval and risk rejection in order to do what we know is right – which, if you’ve ever had the experience, you know truly does feel like a death – we create the condition for the birth of a new, higher level of existence or consciousness. That is what is meant by losing your life to save it.
It is the most difficult instruction, because our ego does not want to die. The ego is clever, resilient, subtle and unrelenting – all qualities developed and perfected over millions of years of evolution. Without the ego’s drive for survival, we would never have come as far as we have.
But if we want to continue to evolve and not destroy ourselves, it is time to will the ego into a subservient role. It will never go away completely; but it can cease to be in charge.
[See also “Some Tests of Discipleship (Commentary 11-57), and “The Costs of Discipleship (Commentary 12-73).]