If Jesus’’ mission had been to generate a vast array of theories about his life and legacy, then he was wildly successful. Within Christianity there are thousands of denominations, many claiming to have the unique truth about him.
Outside of Christianity you have several centuries of scholarship on the historical Jesus. While most academic scholars agree that a historical Jesus of Nazareth existed, there’s a wide range of scholarly opinion about the meaning and accuracy and origin of the Biblical stories about him and a dearth of reliable extra-biblical historical information.
The fact that the New Testament (NT) is almost entirely written in Koine Greek has significance suggesting that the NT versions of the story is a Hellenized one. Jesus himself left no writings. According to the Gospel of Mark none of Jesus’ disciples understood him. Did Paul who never met him in the flesh?
The origins of the four gospels are complicated to say the least. Scholars don’t think all of the books attributed to Paul in the NT were actually written by him. They doubt that any of the other books were actually written by the disciples they’re attributed to.
All that said, God speaks to me through the Bible. Go figure!
Receptive spirits recognise the divine in many sources. My favourite book at present is Earth Prayers, 365 Prayers, Poems and Invocations from around the world. They acknowledge the non-dual nature of reality, address the healing of the whole, sacred places, and give praise and thankgivings.
The Tao Te Ching 42 says: “When a wise man hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to live it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he believes some of it and doubts the rest.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud at the very idea.
If it were not for that laugh,
it would not be the Tao.”
That seems to be the way it is today and the way it’s been throughout human history. If we think that the situation is deplorable, who shall we blame? For whom is the evolution of consciousness going to slowly?
The question is whether the situation is deplorable, or whether our habits are deplorable. For the habits only humankind is to blame, but how does blaming anyone help. Either we are wise, or we are foolish. I believe that the average person sometimes needs guidance, because so much is made complicated, and it is sometimes performance artists who help us focus on what is important, or what is substantial.
I think that Jesus accused the Pharisees and Sadduzees for complicating the calling of God in his day, just as we can say that there are many “experts” today who complicate the message today, which is essentially simplicity. This becomes more obvious when we are able to leave the fray, and until then, we are often caught up in the competitiveness of society, unable to see clearly.
But do you see the circular logic that means, in the end, you are blind until some intervention allows you to see? If there is nothing you can do, even after immersing yourself in the suffering of the world, suffering rejection by the powers that be, and recovering to stress the primacy of love, then it becomes a selective grace, arbitary and whimsical.
I agree, which is a lesson that Jesus gave. It is also important in his lesson on prayer, alone in our closet or chamber. Much of what he taught people was the opposite to what they saw the pious of the day doing, who were caught up in their legalistic understanding.
They overlooked the devotion of the widow and her offering her pittance, they mocked the tax-collector with a contrite heart, they accused anyone of breaking the sabbath just by taking seeds from a plant. They were restricting life, rather than demonstrating the breadth of the grace of God. Jesus exemplified this broadness by acknowledging the centurion faith like nothing he had seen in Israel.
Intentions to show recognition without demonstrations of recognition are empty, and demonstrations of recognition without intentions to show it (“showing”/hiding ulterior intentions) are disingenuous (willful blindness).
That sounds great, but what does it mean? Do you disagree with what I wrote, or agree?
I find that many religious people tend to make overarching statements to show their learnedness, rather than to engage with others. Jesus was dfferent, which is why I say Jesus as an artist is much more relatable than the pontifications of the Catholic church or the moral arrogance of evangelical preachers. His examples showed the simple devotion to principles and the liberational aspects of his Gospel, which he considered fundamental.
Yes, it’s a paradox. Free will versus predestination. It’s a theological analogue of the free will versus determinism question.
It’s what Kant called an antimony—a contradiction between two metaphysical propositions that are both justified by equally valid explanations.
From a nondual perspective, who or what is lost? who seeks? who finds?
The Bible points to nonduality. Jesus teaches “He who seeks finds”. Then it says” The Son of man seeks and saves the lost.”
Who is seeking who? The most basic question is “Who are you?”
