YES, HE is Talking to YOU! (continued)
Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
We ended yesterday with a bit about a newfound keynote for us to use going forward; accounted worthy. Up to now the idea that we emphasized in regard to the Kingdom of God and our journey toward it was in our use of the word focus. Both of these words will serve us well as we go on reading and writing these essays as it is the focus of our lives that will change our direction from the ways of men to the ways of God and it is through this change that we will be accounted worthy.
Can we see here now that the idea of resurrection is intended by the Master to be understood as Life in the Kingdom of God and in His Presence? Can we see here too that those “accounted worthy” will be “equal to the angels” and whether we take this to mean that we are, as Souls, the angels or just that we may take on their nature is of no matter. Can we see here also that those “accounted worthy” will truly be “children of God” and “children of the resurrection“, of Life in the Kingdom of God. These are all of the things that the Master tells us in His saying to the Sadducees of: “….The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:34-36). We must remember two things here in relation to this saying; first, there is the reality of two types of death and two types of life and the second is His saying of those “accounted worthy” that “Neither can they die any more“
On the two types of death and of life we should recall what we noted yesterday from the writings of the Apostle Paul who tells us that: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hence forth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7). This saying is accepted for its idea that we must ‘kill’ the flesh, the carnal life; that we “should not serve sin“. Paul says elsewhere that “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Galatians 5:24) confirming this thought for us. This is a death of the body through which the body lives and gains new life in that it is born again. We see this idea again in the writings of the Apostle John who tells us that “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death” (1 John 3:14). This is the same thought in relation to doing the commandments of the Master and in this is the notion of spiritual life within the mortal life as well. Jesus tells us also of this Life saying “….I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10) and “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). Conversely the Master says, alluding to our spiritual death, that: “…..Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53). Spiritual Life here and now is accomplished by focusing on the things of God and on the Kingdom and in this Life we accomplish also the death that is in the carnal life and sin. We also accomplish being “accounted worthy” for the resurrection of the Life into the Kingdom of God after the death of the physical body. Two lives and two deaths.
Regarding Jesus saying in this Parable of Teaching the Sadducees of “Neither can they die any more“, what can we say but that this is, or at a minimum can be seen as, an allusion to the concept of reincarnation. This concept is not mentioned at all in the entire bible in a way that would give to it clarity but neither is is denied. We have covered some of this in previous posts (In the Words of Jesus parts 35, 36, 68-70) but we have not covered it in any depth from non-Christian sources and we will not yet here. We do need to see this statement however as at least being the hint of something more than what we see in life and death and heaven and hell. A practical sense of the concepts involved in the ‘doctrine’ of reincarnation can be found in this:
- Over an undefined period of time the individualized Spiritual Life of God, the Spirit of Man, chooses to incarnate in form. The reasons for this remain a mystery to all but the most advanced of Souls as is the WHY of Life in general and this is WHY is true for all regardless of belief. There is a vast science behind this all which we have not yet touched and which is alluded to in some of the worlds oldest spiritual texts.
- In some cyclic way we, the actual Spirit man, is born into the body of man and this birth is the same regardless of how we believe. We are born into flesh as infants and the relationship between the Soul, which can be seen as the manifestation of the Spirit Man, and the Form are unknown and, again, this is regardless of what we believe.
- We are born, we mature through childhood and through adolescence and we develop our individual peculiar personalities; for much of this time the Soul awaits the opportunity to get the attention of the growing personal self. Here, though we know that we are Spirit, we seem to see life as the carnal man making contact with the Soul or the Spirit. It matters not however how we see this as the result is the same. There may be an on again, off again relationship between the Soul and the personality which may never amount to anything or, we may come to a day where we realize our true nature and change our focus to the things of God.
- This is the dividing line if we ever reach it. If we do not, we will live our life in form and do good or evil or just exist on neither end of the spectrum but some where in the middle. This is the sowing part from which we will reap in the afterlife. This is the status of the majority of everyday persons; they live a life in form and they die, some young, some old, some at middle age. Some with opportunity and some without and we bring the mindset and emotional baggage of life in form into the mystery of the afterlife where, whatever we have sown, we may reap. Again, the mystery of the afterlife is the same whether we believe in reincarnation or not; we are somewhere, doing something in torment or in joy. This can be our heaven or our hell and much depends on our focus during this life in form. The body is dead but we are not and eventually, perhaps depending on their intensity, we will shed the mindset and the emotional baggage as well and find a place of peace.
- At some time and for some reason that we do not understand we are born again and some say this is in groups and tell us that we ‘gravitate‘ to a birth situation that can suit our needs as Souls. And so the cycle begins again with a new form and presumably one that is better suited to the progress that was made in the last cycle. Again we will live in a body and the body will die, some young, some old and some at middle age; some with opportunity and some without. This goes on until the end of whatever the Cycle Ordained by God may be. This is a broad view of the track of reincarnation. If reincarnation is not the way, then we need to see ourselves as who and what we are for this same Cycle Ordained by God but with no provision made for having opportunity or for dying young or for being born in a body that cannot function. What can we say about these things?
- Finally our point; somewhere in this cycle of birth and death the Soul does get the attention of the Form and the changes take place in a particular mortal lifetime. These are the changes that we call born again and it is here that the Soul begins to live through the Form and the carnal life is ‘crucified‘ and subjugated to the Spiritual Life. This is not the popular church doctrine of born again based on something we say or that we feel some emotional attraction to God, this is the actual doing of the things that we know must be done to enter into His Kingdom. This is beyond even striving, rather it is the culmination of striving. When we find this Life in our mortal life then we can see ourselves in the group of those “accounted worthy” and of whom the Master says “Neither can they die any more“. We are then free from the cycle of birth and death and are forever “equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection“.
This brings us to the end of our discussion on the Parable of Teaching the Sadducees and we will close with the closeing of the parable “Now that the dead are raised , even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him ” (Luke 20:37-38). Commentaries on this do not treat it as the revelation through parable that it is and this because of the preconceived ideas of the Christian churches. Let us look at some:
- From The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible)8 we find 37, 38. even Moses–whom they had just quoted to entangle Him which is only to say that this is here to reflect a part of the Sadducees’ question and that there is no relevance to this saying.
- From John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible8 we find him saying that: Now that the dead are raised Or that there will be a resurrection of the dead, this is a proof of it: even Moses showed at the bush: when the Lord appeared to him out of it, and he saw it burning with fire, and not consumed; when the Lord called to him out of it by the following name, as he has recorded it in (Exodus 3:6). Hence it is said, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; for though the Lord called himself so, yet Moses likewise calls him by these names, when he gives an account of this affair, and when he went from him to the children Israel. John Gill goes on with more in regarding this verse as it appears in the Gospel of Matthew to the end that it is a dispute on resurrection with the Sadducees.
- From The John Darby Synopsis of the New Testament8 we find this paragraph covering the entirety of our parable: The Sadducees come next before Him, and question Him as to the resurrection, thinking to prove its absurdity. Thus, as the condition of the nation had been exhibited in His discourse with the Pharisees, the unbelief of the Sadducees is displayed here. They thought only of the things of this world, seeking to deny the existence of another. But whatever the state of degradation and subjection into which the people had fallen, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, changed not. The promises made to the fathers remained sure, and the fathers were living to enjoy these promises hereafter. It was the word and the power of God which were in question. The Lord maintains them with power and evidence. The Sadducees were silenced.
Except for John Gill who adds some historicity and a spiritual theme, these commentaries address only that which is apparent in the words themselves and do not see the parabolic nature that we see in the concept of resurrection, the idea of angels and in this last part which is a testimony to those being “accounted worthy” of whom the Master says “Neither can they die any more“; that they, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are “equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection“. These three, spoken of by Moses as the Fathers of the Nation of Israel and as examples of how they should live, are said by the Master to be Living. Jesus says that they are not dead fathers but they have Life. This says to the Sadducees that there is a resurrection and that those who have died a physical death yet live. He also says to them and to us that the resurrection is to those “accounted worthy” and we must believe that these three patriarchs are and that all those things the Jesus tells us about the resurrection are true for them as well.
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.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:1-5).
Today’s Quote of the Day is from the Prologue of the Gospel of John and is a testimony to the spiritual nature of God and of Christ and of Man. We so limit the fullness of the potency of God and Christ and Man by our doctrines and our dogmatic positions on these three aspects of Life. We don’t understand but we dictate what is and what should be.
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
