IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 735

ON LOVE; PART CCCXXIV

ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α

GoodWill IS Love in Action

ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α

May the Power of the One True God flow through His group of all true servers;

May the Love of the Christ characterize the lives of all who seek to aid in His work;

May I fulfill my part in the one work through self-forgetfulness, harmlessness and right speech

(Evening Reflection)

In yesterday’s essay we got entwined in a discussion on the Apostle Judas as we were led there by the nature of the words of the Master as He washed the feet of His disciples and spoke about how each should do this for each other. We noted the response of Peter who at first refuses to let the Master wash him but then relents under the pressure of losing his ongoing relationship with Jesus. We noted that this idea of washing of other’s feet is likely seen as a distasteful thing and we surmise that this IS what is thought by Peter and the others. We saw that after this event Jesus says to the twelve: “Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:12-14), and in this saying the attention of most all is centered on the act itself. We however see this as the Master’s telling His apostles in a rather parabolic way that whatsoever needs to be done for each other should be done regardless of how distasteful it may be; can we see this dynamic? In the midst of this all the Master says those obscure words that “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all” (John 13:10) and here we can only premise that in cleanliness He is meaning openness as they ARE likely ALL equally clean in body, he having just washed the feet of ALL. One of the definitions that we get from the lexicon for this Greek word katharos is pure which has little to do with the cleanliness of the body and this is generally seen by the commentators, that the Master is not referring to the body. They do however equate the impending acts of Judas as sin in their context of some evil thing and this likely from the way that the other apostles speak of Judas as the betrayer and as a thief. We of course see this in a very different way and as we said in the last post, Judas IS a disciple of the Lord and ALL of them do in some way have sin of their own; this we see this in the example that Peter becomes for us as he is rebuked frequently by the Master even until after the resurrection and, as we noted recently, in the self-centered attitudes of both James and John as they find themselves concerned about who would be greatest and even ask the Master for ‘special’ treatment. This IS the worldly vision of the apostles and we can see the effect of this even to the day of his writing as John DOES NOT  show that Love that the Master teaches and this we see in the his harsh and unforgiving words about his brother Judas.

So we see the Master doing a rather distasteful thing and then telling the twelve that they should be ready always to do likewise and the force of this IS found in the way that He says this: “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet” saying in effect that if I could make myself “lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29) as we have recently discussed this, so should you ALL. Returning to the word katharos from which we can see the idea of pure which would make this an apparently parabolic saying even from the perspective of the commentators as the Master IS speaking about the body and the feet but even they seem to take from it purity of heart. By example, John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible ⁸ tells us that: And ye are clean, but not all; which shows, that justifying and regenerating grace are common to all the true disciples of Christ; they are equally born again, alike justified, and are as clean one as an other in the sight of God; not only Peter, but all the apostles, were clean, excepting one; there was one of them, Judas, who was not clean; and therefore he says, but not all: whence it may be observed, that among the purest societies, there are some unclean persons; there was a Judas, an unclean person among the pure disciples of Christ; there are chaff and tares among his wheat, goats among his sheep, and foolish virgins along with the wise ones  ⁸. Here we can see the generally accepted doctrinal approach to this.

However, Strong’s gives us a bit more saying that this Greek word means: clean, pure, clear of responsibility, innocent ³ and we should take note here of the idea of clear of responsibility and relate this to our thoughts from the last essay as we established a premise that Judas has this thing to do that he IS hiding from the others, he has this responsibility to perform and it IS a distasteful one. In this view we can see that there is no teaching here about cleanliness of body or cleanliness of heart, the only lesson is that He tells them that one of you has this thing to do and he must do it. If we are right, and we believe that we are, the eleven other apostles apparently do not understand this and perhaps that is not required from in the view of the Master, so long as Judas understands. Continuing then from where we left off:

• “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he” (John 13:15-19). Here we have the follow-up to the last words that tell them that they should do as He had done. We have established that this is a distasteful thing that the Master has done for the twelve in the washing of feet and that he adjures them to do likewise and that this IS NOT ONLY in reference to washing feet but as we can see at the beginning of this next verse this IS an example, a thing that they should follow in DOING as He had done but not necessarily by way of washing the feet of the others as this would amount to a rather meaningless ritual. We should see this in the broadness of the Master’s intent, that He is doing for them a thing that is not easy from the perspective of the man in the world and that they must look past the world and do as IS required. We get a better understanding as His words proceed, as He reminds them as that He IS their Lord and their Master and that none of them is greater which again says in clear language that if I can do such a thing, all of you can do so as well and “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them“. These next words are the reality of this entire story but these are words that ARE NOT rightly understood. Returning again to John Gill we read this from a doctrinal perspective: I speak not of you all. What he had before said on the one hand, “ye are not all clean”, ( John 13:11 ) , for one of them was not; and on the other hand, when he put an “if” upon, or seemed to doubt of their knowing and doing these things, ( John 13:17 ) ; or what he was about to say concerning his being betrayed, this he did not speak of them all: I know whom I have chosen; not to apostleship, for they were all chosen to that, Judas as well as the rest, but to grace and glory, to everlasting salvation and happiness; of these he was well assured, that they were all clean, pure, and spotless, in the sight of God; were truly regenerated by the Spirit of God, and had an experimental and practical knowledge of the things he recommended by his example, and would be the happy persons he spake of; but he observes, so it is, and will come to pass, that there is one of you which will betray me ⁸. In this perspective the idea of “I know whom I have chosen” loses its effect as it should be apparent that the Master had chosen one of the Twelve and this IS made abundantly clear by the use of the singular “He that eateth“; there is however no way, in the right understanding  to reconcile the idea that the Master had chosen one and the doctrinal ideas about Judas. Now we can see here that the Apostle Judas is chosen to do this distasteful task and that the Master, by way of the parabolic washing of the feet and then speaking of the need to do as He had done, is reinforcing in Judas the need to do as he KNOWS that he must while at the same time keeping the others in darkness by way of His words. This is likely an important view of this as if they had KNOWN and understood what Judas was chosen to do, they would have hardly let him do so. Can we see the balance here in the words of the Master as he instructs Judas and at the same time diffuses the potential reaction of the eleven? And can we see as we end this segment that Jesus words are pointed and clear regarding what it IS that He IS saying and yet we KNOW from history that they do not yet understand.
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon” (John 13:20-26). This next seemingly out of place remark by the Master can only be rightly discerned as a part of one’s view of this whole episode and the right way of looking at the role of Judas. Here we can see a reminder to the eleven that is picked up in the next section as the Master sends Judas out to perform his task, to do the bidding of the Master for which he was chosen. These words are said in similar fashion to His saying as reported by the Apostle Matthew who tells us this saying from the Master: “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me” (Matthew 10:40) which he offers at the close of His sayings on being worthy of Him which we KNOW as discipleship. Now the intent in Matthew’s Gospel IS clear and it is directed at ALL of the twelve; in this saying above it should be apparent that the Master IS speaking to the eleven and of the one who was chosen and sent….the Apostle Judas. And, in this word that is rendered as receiveth in Matthew’s use, the Greek word dechomai we should note that this can also be rendered as accept which, in both of these sayings, can make much sense. Strong’s tells us that dechomai means: to welcome, receive, accept ³; However, in John’s usage the word rendered as receiveth is the Greek word lambano which Strong’s tells us means: to take, receive; (pass.) to be received, selected ³. While this may all see confusing, it can be clarified by Webster’s who tells us that these words are all very related and who defines receive in part as: To take, as something that is offered, given, committed, sent, paid, or the like; to accept; as, to receive money offered in payment of a debt; to receive a gift, a message, or a letter ¹. Our point here is to show the True intent of the Master regarding Judas and the rest of the apostles, that they are to accept, take, receive or whatsoever other word one can use, Judas as they would accept the Master Himself as it IS Judas who IS both chosen and sent. The remainder of this section is spent in the ritual of identifying who it IS that is chosen and, according to other gospels, each IS actually wondering if it might be them; we read from Mark that: “And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?” (Mark (14:18-19).

Again we have run out of space to finish this important part of the True understanding of the role of the much derided Apostle Judas and in the words that we have set forth over these last essays we should be able to see that this IS a much more complex matter that history and doctrine has allowed for in the simplistic view that Judas betrayed the Master and should be reviled. We leave the last parts below and our mantram above and will try to complete these in the next post.

• “And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.  Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night” (John 13:27-30).
• “Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him” (John 13:31-32).

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

Aspect of God	Potency	Aspect of Man	In Relation to the Great Invocation	In relation to the Christ
GOD, The Father	Will or Power	Spirit or Life	Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN	Life
Son, The Christ	Love and Wisdom	Soul or Christ Within	Heart of God	Truth
Holy Spirit	Light or Activity	Life Within	Mind of God	Way

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.

Wakefulness is the way to life. The fool sleeps As if he were already dead, But the master is awake And he lives forever. He watches. He is clear. How happy he is! For he sees that wakefulness is life. How happy he is, Following the path of the awakened. With great perseverance He meditates, seeking Freedom and happiness. So awake, reflect, watch. Work with care and attention. Live in the way And the light will grow in you. By watching and working The master makes for himself an island Which the flood cannot overwhelm. The fool is careless. But the master guards his watching. It is his most precious treasure. He never gives in to desire. He meditates. And in the strength of his resolve He discovers true happiness. He overcomes desire – And from the tower of his wisdom He looks down with dispassion Upon the sorrowing crowd. From the mountain top He looks down at those Who live close to the ground. Mindful among the mindless, Awake while others dream, Swift as the race horse He outstrips the field. By watching Indra became king of the gods. How wonderful it is to watch. How foolish to sleep. The beggar who guards his mind And fears the waywardness of his thoughts Burns through every bond With the fire of his vigilance. The beggar who guards his mind And fears his own confusion Cannot fall. He has found his way to peace. (Dhammapada; on Wakefulness) ⁵.

This selection from the Dhammapada, the sayings of the Buddha, is from the chapter called Wakefulness. The ideas here are simple for the awakened but for the unawakened they can be very difficult. This is much like the sayings of the Christ and His apostles, especially these last ones that we discussed regarding the mysteries. Wakefulness here can be likened to our idea of focus on the Christ Within, the Soul, and the spiritual Life. Sleep is just the opposite and can be likened to focus upon the things of the world. To be awake is to see things as they Truly are and to be asleep is to see things in the illusion and the glamour of the world. Wakefulness makes a man the master of his own Life while sleep makes one the fool. Wakefulness is striving to enter at the strait gate while being asleep is to float aimlessly on the waves of the ways of the world where one may think that he is getting somewhere only to realize in the end that he has gone nowhere, accomplished nothing.

In the above we should see the idea of master as we understand the disciple in our writing, as the awakened one, the man in whom the Light of the Soul is being expressed through form, the disciple and the high aspirant and we should see the idea of the beggar as the seeker, the one who is seeking awakening.

This idea then of being awake can be seen running through the teachings of the Master and of the Buddha although the Master does not use the specific word but rather alludes to it in His teachings calling the asleep those whose “heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed” and the awakened those who “see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart” and this is a point that Jesus makes several times and it is to those who can realize their awakening that these words ARE directed: “blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear“.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!

• ¹ Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913
• ² New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ³ Strongest Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; arvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com