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"To
find yourself. Think for yourself" -
Socrates
In the Bible, we can read that the
Radical Jesus used parables to teach profound, changeless Principles of
Life. So, it is not to be unexpected that many of the writers who
wrote about Him, also created a more colorful and exaggerated story in
which to make their points. And there are hundreds of stories
written about the Radical One ... and just recently another one was
found related to Judas. The details of these stories are not
important ... the Truth that they attempt to illustrate is of utmost
importance ... and I will make my best attempt to bring that out in this
message.
Jesus had created quite a stir up to the time
of Palm Sunday. His teachings were antagonistic to the rituals,
dogmas and traditions of religion and to those in power. He had
been cleverly evading the authorities, but, He made the decision to come
out in public. This created a great fear amongst His followers ...
but He did it anyway ... and the way in which He did ... further
antagonized those who already thought Him vile and blasphemous and had
been building a "conspiracy" against Him for at least three
years.
The Old Testament prophet, Zechariah, had foretold the arrival of
the Messianic king in Jerusalem riding an ass (donkey). The crowd
hailed Jesus as the "son of David" which only infuriated the
priestly establishment more. Not only were the scribes, elders and
chief priests out to get Him ... but the politicians were as well.
And as we know after the Passover Seder [Last Supper] ... He was
crucified [more on this next week].
No matter what our religious/spiritual beliefs, the
Radical Jesus' actions during this time serve as a great example for all
of us. Understanding His Divine Unity with God, Infinite Spirit,
Jesus made courageous decisions and did not back down. When He
stated that the "Father and I are One" ... He knew that God is
always with us ... always the "life" of us ... and that there
is no power on earth that is greater than the Omnipotence of God ...
"in God" is All Power. "In Him, we live and move
and have our Being" ... the Master Mind Jesus knew this as Absolute
Truth.
Most of us have had experiences that called us to
greater courage ... to think independently of others ... and to stand up
for something, even when we knew that we would face the antagonism and
anger of others. Dr. O. C. Smith impressed upon His followers that
"fear is the child of an undeveloped consciousness." And
perhaps most of us have a great deal of work to do in consciousness
before we have the courage of Jesus ... but, we will never know how
powerful we are, until we begin to develop our consciousness free of
fear and manipulation. Just like the religious and political
leaders of Jesus' time, there will always be those who attempt to bind
us to fear ... to manipulate our feelings and desires to be loved and
accepted ... but this is just another way of attempting to crucify the
Divine within us. And for some of us these are the very people
that we love; family, friends, business associates. It takes great
courage to confront those we love ... but, an undeveloped consciousness
will never attempt to. And instead, will enable behaviors that are
antagonist to that which is right and just.
The Radical Jesus' great courage wasn't in His
actions ... it was "activated" in the decision to stand for
the Truth ... for God ... and for the Good. And this great courage
is within you and me.
And
So It Is!
Letting
Love Use Me In Its Own Good Way,
Rev.
Bates
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