Food For Though

Food For Thought T h i s wo r k i s n o t co p y ri g h t . It ma y, t h er efo re , b e re p ro d u ce d eit h e r in wh o l e o r i n p a rt f o r p u r el y n o n - co mme rc ia l p u rp o s e s wit h o u t a n y re q u e s t t o , o r wr it t e n p er mis s io n fro m, t h e a u t h o r . B u t i t wo u l d b e a p p r ec ia t ed i f it s web l in k is men t io n ed , a lo n g wit h t h e a u t h o r’ s ema i l a d d re s s : id l es s @ h o t ma i l. co m

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Contents

Soul Kitchen………………………………………………………………………3 Dedication to Christians……..…….…………………………………………….4 Dedication to Muslims…………………………………………………………...5 Who is Jesus?…………………………………………….………………………7 Attachment: A Composite View of the Arrest of Jesus………………..……..14 Questions for Bible Study on Authentication of the Divinity of Jesus…...….16 The Transfiguration….…………………………………………………….…...21

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SOUL KITCHEN

If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. (George Orwell) Every now and then a man’s mind is stretched by a new idea, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions. (Sr. O. Holmes) If in the last few years you haven’t discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead. (Gelett Burgess) Only a fool and the dead don’t change their minds. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn but to unlearn. (Gloria Steinem) Education consists mainly in what we have unlearned. (Mark Twain) It often takes more courage to change one’s opinion than to stick to it. (Georg Christoph Lichtenberg) Every man has a right to be wrong about his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong about his facts. (Bernard Baruch) Nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known. (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne) It is the courage to seek the truth and to speak it that can save us from the narcotic of selfdeception. And each of us has access to some bit of truth that needs to be spoken. It is a paradox of our time that those with power are too comfortable to notice the pain of those who suffer, and those who suffer have no power. (Daniel Goleman) Whoever invented the phrase ‘the naked truth’ had perceived an important connection. Nakedness is shocking to all right-minded people, and so is truth. (Bertrand Russell) If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation…want crops without plowing up the ground… Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will. (Frederick Douglass)

The Church fixes the minds of the workers upon the next world and so distracts their attention from the pressing task of making the present world a decent place to live in. I have heard it said: “The preacher points your eyes to heaven, and then the boss picks you pocket.” “Religion is the opiate of the people.” (A.J. Muste)

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DEDICATION TO CHRISTIANS

This work is dedicated primarily but not exclusively to Christians who are intellectually honest enough with themselves to at least suspect, or who even have a pretense of rationality to recognize the fact, that there is something very seriously wrong with Christianity. This is not because the teaching of Jesus is necessarily fallible, but because of the significant lack of evidence in Christian dogma that is necessary to substantiate the alleged divinity of Jesus. The subsequent doctrinal differences among the 20,000+ denominations (divisions) within Christianity[1] and the cyclically more or less high fall away rate from the Christian “faith” are all evidence of this. Belief in the same God cannot possibly result in so many more or less sharp doctrinal differences (John 17:23). Furthermore, rational faith and unreasonable doubt are mutually exclusive. Consequently, it is impossible to backslide from the truth, since backsliding means to stop believing (James 3:17 REV). These are all symptoms of an extremely significant problem, that is, the failure of the organized church to acknowledge the hour of actual glory on the cross, specifically, the greatest defining moment in history through which Jesus revealed his real but hidden identity (publicly albeit privately),[2] and through which the Holy Spirit (Eternal Life) is dispensed or bestowed. Failure to recognize this climactic moment in the works of Christ “reduces” him to the level of an innocent victim of Roman and Jewish injustice, which in turn results in subsequent hypocrisy (counterfeit faith) and immediate idolatry (worshipping your own subjective idea or creation of God). By default, the church’s efforts, whether intentional or not, to conceal this fact makes it the strongest albeit the most subtle Antichrist force and the main source of damnation in this world, regardless of any denomination. Subsequently, Christianity is, in fact, a complete misrepresentation of the Gospel, because the deep albeit solvable and intelligible mysteries beneath the letter of the Scriptures and what is proclaimed by the leaders of the organized church, which is based on face value meaning, are two completely different things, but only to the self-trained mind, as opposed to the indoctrinated one.

Notes [1] Case in point: “…if a dozen or so Christian denominations are found in Jerusalem, an estimated 21,000 distinct Christian groups exist worldwide.” (Brian Wilson, Religions of the World: Christianity, London: Calmann & King Ltd., 1999, p. 15) [2] This seeming contradiction can be solved by dichotomizing between the works of Jesus as performed on the cross (hence a public revelation), on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the final act of revelation made conclusive only to individuals who have solved the question of Jesus’ real but hidden identity. Solving this question needs to be done independently, regardless of societal taboos and expectations.

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DEDICATION TO MUSLIMS “They denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood . . . They declared: ‘We have put to death al-Masih Isa (Jesus Christ) . . .’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they mistook the crucified one for him. . . They did not kill him for certain. Allah lifted him up to Him: He is Mighty, Wise.” (Sura 4: 157-160, insert added.) These verses are highly inspired by the Holy Spirit. They preserve the mystery of God in the most subliminal manner. The writer of the Koran knew who Jesus really was and why. Interestingly, there is as much difference today between the Koran and Muslims as there is between the Bible and Christians. The Gospel according to Barnabas (an Islamic publication used to demote the Gospel according to Christianity) is a misrepresentation of the aforementioned verses in the Koran. These verses reflect the writer’s view of who Jesus is, and what happened to him, very accurately. In these three verses, the writer of the Koran gives us a more beautiful and intriguing description of what really happened on the cross (who Jesus really is) than the four Gospel writers put together. The writer of the Koran recognized the fact that no one crucified and killed Jesus. A close study of John 18 & 19 (as reconstructed in the next chapter) will vindicate the latter by establishing the fact that Christ actually crucified and killed himself. He was not an innocent victim of Roman and Jewish injustice, as is generally believed today. The Roman soldiers may have put the nails through his feet and hands, but that does not mean that they crucified and killed him. Jesus ended up on the cross by his own power; and his death was sudden, unexpected and self-inflicted, by a sheer act of will. The best way to dedicate this work to other (non-Christian and non-Muslim) denominations is by underscoring the fact that all (or most) other religions (including Islam) are built on the ruins of Christianity and/or Judaism (of course, provided that they do not predate Christianity and/or Judaism, if applicable in the latter case). Therefore, they will be judged less severely than Christians (for the record, I am not qualified to say how religions that might predate Judaism will be judged, but those that predate Christianity without predating Judaism are not likely to fare well, in my view, since Judaism has always been and still is way off base, inasmuch as the Gospel according to John, specifically chapters 18 and 19, accurately reflects the primary interests of God). A very close look at Matthew 10:15 reveals a highly unconventional standard by which God has been, is judging, or will judge the world. “It will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Judgment than for that town.” (Matthew 10:15; emphasis added.) “Sodom and Gomorrah” epitomize the places in the world that had/have not been exposed to the Gospel (the idea here is that if they had been given such an opportunity, they would have repented from spiritual unbelief, that is to say, unbelief in the face of compelling evidence). As a matter of historical fact, these two cities were infamous for their rampant ‘sexual immoralities,’ particularly Sodom, from which the word sodomy is derived, signifying homosexuality. On the other hand, “that town” (Capernaum) epitomizes places where the Gospel had/has been preached but rejected; in other words, the equivalent of modern day Christian communities. These will be judged more severely than the non-Christian world because Christians have rejected the truth about Jesus’ real identity, in spite of exposure. This makes Christianity the worst kind of deception in the world, at least by default (so much for the Christian condemnation of homosexuality!) 5

Additionally, it can be inferred from Matthew 10:15 that an atheist or a non-Christian will fare better than a Christian on ‘Judgment Day,’ for the simple reason that it is more honest and commendable to bluntly deny God’s existence for lack of plausible proof, or to worship a god that is not represented through the Bible than to conform to and echo 2000 years of thoughtless dogma; or, to put it differently, than to pretend to worship the true God, while in fact worshipping a false one, as is evidently the case with Christianity.[1] When it comes to all the other contemporary world religions, it should be re-emphasized that the only reason why they are in error is because they are merely built on the ruins of Christianity. (It should not be overlooked that Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism, and Islam is an offshoot of Christianity; the point being that those religions that are not built on the ruins of Christianity are certainly built on the ruins of Judaism, insofar as they do not predate the latter.) Therefore, they will be judged more leniently than Christianity, as stated above.

Notes [1] Even though the gospel-based evidence that Christianity is a false (hence by definition idolatrous) religion is documented in the next chapter, still, it bears stating, from a sociological standpoint, that “the main doctrines of Protestantism were an answer to psychic needs which in themselves were brought about by the collapse of the medieval social system and by the beginnings of capitalism.” (Erich Fromm, The Fear of Freedom, London: Ark Paperbacks, 1984, p. 89; emphasis added; chapter III and IV particularly of this work provide many valuable insights into how Protestantism (and to a lesser extent Calvinism) first liberated mankind from external traditional restraints, only to enslave mankind by new inner restraints, compulsions and fears dictated and shaped very much by the overbearing character and internalized expectations of rising industrial capitalism, the implication being that freedom to is as important as if not more important than freedom from.)

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WHO IS JESUS?

I. PRINCIPLES The teaching of Jesus concerning witnessing, in general, and the question of his identification, in particular, are central to the New Testament. Although Discipleship Training, as defined in Matt. 28: 19-20, is a long-forgotten calling, we can learn and apply the Rules of Evidence for Witnessing as found in John 5: 31-36. 1. ON THE DEMERITS OF TWO KINDS OF CLAIMS a) “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.” (Verse 31) N.B. How much could Jesus, who had utterly humbled and emptied himself, claim anyway? Not much! b) “I receive not testimony from man.” (Verse 34) N.B. Testimony from men (even from disciples) can differ according to their varying levels of understanding. 2. ON THE VIRTUE OF WORKS “The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me.” (Verse 36) To which thrust was added later in John 10: “Do not believe me, then, if I am not doing my Father’s works. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, you should at least believe my works, in order that you may know once and for all that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” (Verse 37-38; emphasis added) N.B.

As we shall see below, there were as yet unspecified works to be later “finished” on the cross. These would make up the great “defining moment” of the identity of Jesus and provide, once and for all, clear insight into his hidden divinity.

Through such clear-cut pronouncements on the demerits of claims and on the virtue of works, Jesus has established a unique and irrevocable standard for all his disciples to strictly follow in witnessing about him.

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II. PRACTICE 1. Acts of the Apostles We can find the evidence in the Book of Acts about the rules the first disciples applied faithfully and successfully. Guided, finally, by the Holy Spirit who, as promised, would take what is of Jesus and declare it to them (John 16: 14), they spoke with authority of “the great things that God has done” (Acts 2: 11). These referred to nothing more or nothing less than the special works of Jesus. In each of these, the disciples saw, in retrospect, his crucifixion and death as the supremacy of his foolishness and weakness over the wisdom and strength of men (cf. 1 Cor. 1: 18-25). In other words, it was only through the public and timeless ministry of baptism in the Holy Spirit by Jesus, the crowning touch of his works, that they and others came to know him indisputably (John 3: 3; 8: 33-37). Such a prospect, including the sole prescribed means of its application, has been abundantly provided, once and for all. This we shall see below. All we need to do is to check it up. 2. Today Because we have failed to grasp the essence of his teachings, we have also failed to acquire the skills required for witnessing. Many Christians are, therefore, unprepared and unable to bear witness effectively. Consequently, we take the easy way out by witnessing on the basis of the two kinds of claims totally discredited by Jesus himself. In effect, this is contrary to his teaching and a prescription for failure. The serious consequences of our actions can only be assessed from his warning given on another occasion. Specifically, he significantly warns that claims are, in fact, the breeding ground for false teachings, even if based on his name (Matt. 24: 3-28). We should instead be familiar with his works, which alone, when used in witnessing, can produce genuine faith, i.e., faith as a fruit of the Spirit. 3. The Difference The same power manifested in his death that for three hours turned daylight into darkness; rent the veil of the Temple from top to bottom; quickened the dead, shook the earth loosening rocks and opening up tombs, etc. (Matt. 27: 45-53), can be of use even today. It can be used “to tear down strongholds, demolish arguments and every pretension [as opposed to well-conceived reservations and objections] that sets itself against the knowledge of God […]” on condition that “our obedience is complete”[1] (2 Cor. 10: 4-6). In other words, we should be well-trained and familiar with the works of Jesus which alone are the divine weapons of power given to us for witnessing. Making claims and requiring people to accept them “by faith” will produce, as we know too well, nothing but temporary and disappointing results (Matt. 13: 5-6, 20-21). The latter may look like the Gospel of Jesus Christ but it is not.

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III. WORKS THAT WITNESS OF JESUS When the Jews pressed Jesus with the question: “Who are you?” (John 8: 25), He answered: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am” (verse 28). (For other references which correlate knowing who Jesus is with his crucifixion and death, see John 13: 19; 14: 21; 16: 14, 20, 22, 23, etc.) These clues can help us to narrow down the range of works that bear witness of his identity to events associated with his death and to accept the responsibility of judging for ourselves whether or not each of the following works is, in fact, divine.[2] 1. FIXING THE DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION We continue to marvel at the fact that the fixing and announcement of the day of the crucifixion was not the work of the chief priests and elders of the people as one would expect, but that of Jesus alone (Matt. 26: 1-5). 2. IDENTIFYING JESUS FOR ARREST The brief account of the arrest of Jesus described in John 18: 1-12 gives Judas no real role in identifying Jesus for arrest. In fact, his presence with the band of soldiers, who came to arrest Jesus, is merely mentioned in passing. Secondly, the step-by-step description of events that can be reconstructed from all the four Gospels leaves no room to doubt the utter uselessness of Judas’ attempt to betray Jesus. Careful study shows that Jesus identified himself, well before Judas’ “Kiss of betrayal,” not just once but twice. The effectiveness of this betrayal was questioned by Jesus himself (see Attachment). 3. ARRESTING JESUS The scene illustrates in a dramatic way the confrontation between the wisdom and strength of men, on the one hand, and the foolishness and weakness of Christ, on the other, and the totally unexpected outcome. When Jesus identified himself, the first time, the whole company of soldiers and officers could not come forward to arrest him as was to be expected; but, significantly, they drew back instead and fell to the ground utterly powerless. Upon his selfidentification, the second time, we note that he practically dictated the terms of his arrest. It is highly instructive to note further that only after Jesus himself explicitly gave the consent for his own arrest did the captain and his troops come forward to do what they had come to do. Jesus was in complete control of the situation though many of his adversaries and even his disciples failed to notice it as events unfolded (see Attachment). Jesus later confirmed this by stating that his adversaries knew not what they were doing (Luke 23: 34). 4. JESUS BEFORE THE JEWISH COUNCIL The prisoner was present. Charges warranting the death sentence were read. Witnesses testified but without agreement. It seemed likely that the case against Jesus would be dismissed. This 9

would certainly have happened if Jesus had continued to hold his peace under further questioning. Unknown to the High Priest, to the majority of the members of the Jewish Council and to most of his disciples, the anticipated hour for the great revelation of the real identity of Jesus was at hand. Without any hesitation and taking full advantage of the High Priest’s unwitting, last question, Jesus acknowledged his divine identity and offered his credentials. This he did in the presence of the whole Council, which immediately passed the death sentence on charges of blasphemy. 5. JESUS BEFORE PILATE Having perfectly stage-managed his grand “departure which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” Jesus was next led away and delivered to Pilate, the highest Roman authority in the land, because it was not lawful for Jews to carry out the death sentence. In spite of Pilate’s claim of power over the life and death of Jesus, he could neither release nor use his power to crucify the prisoner whom he repeatedly declared innocent. On the contrary, Pilate officially declared that he was not responsible for the blood of an innocent man by washing his hands in public (Matt. 27: 1-26; Mark 15: 1-15; Luke 23: 1-25; John 18: 28, 19: 16). In other words, Pilate was well-advised to honor the requirements of the law concerning unsolved murders (Deut. 21: 6-9).[3] 6. THE CAUSE OF JESUS’ DEATH The report of all four writers of the Gospel is that Jesus died solely and unexpectedly by the power of his own will (Matt. 27: 50-54; Mark 15: 37-39; Luke 23: 46,47; and John 19: 30). Contemporary Christians, however, have not given diligent attention to the cause of Jesus’ death. Unlike Pilate, the Centurion at the crucifixion and the four Evangelists, this question has not sufficiently aroused the curiosity nor fired the imagination of present-day Christians. 7. THE BENEFITS OF JESUS’ DEATH (The Once-for-all Revelation of Jesus’ Divinity) The benefits of Jesus’ death, as developed in the Gospel of John, were first promised in 3: 1-14, later clarified in 7: 37-39 and finally made universally available from the cross in 19: 33-37. Although it passed largely unnoticed when it happened, the death of Jesus was one of his greatest miracles and the necessary condition for the revelation of his divinity. What could actually be a “greater witness” (John 5: 36) than seeing the Holy Spirit descending and remaining on Jesus (as John the Baptist did), if not seeing the Holy Spirit in the form of “water” issuing from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus! The former was inconclusive (Matt. 11: 2-12), the latter final and decisive. The former was a sign for one man only, the latter for all the world to see (John 19: 3337; of course, dead bodies do not issue water [or blood for that matter]. John was merely using symbolic language to subliminally describe the revelation of Jesus’ resurrection on the cross). The first public appropriation of these benefits took place on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Specifically, the means for use of the benefits are “the blood and the water” that were seen by one witness to have come out of the pierced side of Jesus signifying, respectively, the manner of his death and baptism, (cf. John 19: 34-37 with 1 John 5: 6-9). The latter, of course, refers to the 10

fulfillment of John the Baptist’s prophecy concerning the baptism work of Jesus in the Holy Spirit (Matt. 4: 11; Mark 1: 8; Luke 3: 16; and John 1: 33). Only by seeing first the power and miracle of his death can one actually know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. Only by the Holy Spirit received as given above can one be certain today about the divinity of Jesus and his unlimited power, i.e., dead in the flesh but alive as ever in the Spirit. Only by the Holy Spirit received as given above can one be truly convicted of one’s sin of unbelief [4] and come to know Jesus personally. SUMMARY It is these works, described once as “the great things that God has done” (Acts 2: 11), which bear witness to the divinity of Jesus. They are, therefore, the substance and evidence of saving faith. Ignorance of these works reduces our opinion of Jesus to the level of an innocent victim of Jewish and Roman injustice. Knowledge of them, on the other hand, exalts him to the highest possible level of divine power and glory. Without these works, faith is dead (James 2: 17) and mere pretension that sets itself against the true knowledge of God. It is these works that make the saying “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost,” sure and worthy of full acceptance (1 Tim. 1: 15). CONCLUSION The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a great mystery both in concept and timing. If we pay attention to the warning given by Jesus himself in Matthew 12: 33-41 and refrain wholly from hanging on to the conventionally accepted but unauthorized sense of the resurrection (which is supposed to have taken place at an indefinite time in the early hours of Sunday morning), a fresh and detailed study and examination of the complete teaching and work of Jesus (as “commanded”[5] in Matt. 28: 19-20) will lead us all to a repeated revelation of far greater consequence (why else would John have said, “They will look on the one they have pierced” (v.37), which is just another way of saying that these works which Jesus performed on the cross and through which he revealed his Everlasting Glory are transcendental in nature). In a real sense, Jesus rose from the dead not after three days but immediately after his self-inflicted death. Only by direct and personal revelation of this unique defining moment of Jesus can one’s mind be so stretched that it will never shrink back to its former dimensions. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the great mystery of Divinity which can continue to be revealed even today only to and through disciples (in the latter case, without the need to take a blind leap of faith, and with the proviso that the final act of revelation takes place not by proxy but directly and personally). Anything less or different is a perilous situation full of doubts and conjecture without certain knowledge. Relative to the given potentials, this is a very high price to pay. Is the cross just a symbol of the death of Jesus, as popularly believed by Christians, or the greatest sign ever given of his Divinity and Eternal Glory, as taught and demonstrated in the Gospel of John? If the latter can be independently verified, then there will not be any doubt about the deepest pit of deception into which Christianity has fallen, fulfilling perfectly the predictions of Jesus in Matt. 13: 24-30 and 24: 4-28. AFTERWORD On a different albeit very important note, what is the social-psychological function of religion? In his essay entitled The Dogma of Christ, Erich Fromm summed it up thusly: “religion has a threefold function: for all mankind, consolation for the privations exacted by life; for the great 11

majority of men, encouragement to accept emotionally their class situation; and for the dominant minority, relief from guilt feelings caused by the suffering of those whom they oppress.” Nothing less will do. To be sure, institutionalized religion is a great monstrosity, since it has the function of anesthetizing people till they do not notice the injustice of which they are both the perpetrators and the victims. This is why Erich Fromm, the early (libertarian, as opposed to the late authoritarian) Marx, and others have pointed out that, in substance, organized religion is a mystification, a means of camouflaging the wickedness of the prevailing social system. The reason the Christian principles of love, equality, and freedom are preached is that they are not really practiced. If they were, there would be no need for the church to exist, to take ideological care of those principles. People who are authentically religious are necessarily against organized religion, since it is a great source of evil. So, shall humankind dare break the chains that imprison it, or shall it remain forever enslaved under highly toxic illusions of freedom and a—per official church doctrine—fictional life after death?

Notes [1] The term “our obedience is complete” needs deciphering and qualification. Thus, an appropriate contemporary translation ought to read: ‘on condition that we voluntarily subscribe to discipleship training’—in which case our commitment ought to be steadfast, despite a critical frame of mind. Otherwise, the results of the inquiry are not likely to lead to a direct and personal revelation—which entails nothing more or less than a critical, objective, systematic and in-depth study of John 18 & 19, since it is highly unlikely that God wants a master-slave relationship with us (see note 5 for some elaboration on this point). In other words, the passages in John 18 and 19 provide the only calm, complete and firsthand account with deeper insight into the surrender, trial, crucifixion, and revelation of the divinity of Jesus, without which it is futile, if not outright deceptive and pretentious, to even talk about God, let alone try to persuade people that He/She/It exists. Which is always done by going straight for the emotional jugular, by instilling Fear, Obligation and Guilt in the subjects being recruited (FOG is the essential tool of manipulation, if not the modus operandi, of the church, since it undermines individual and collective freethinking, autonomy and freedom in rather significant ways, thereby making it very difficult for us to break relations of fetter and dissolve oppressive structures, in any realm). [2] For first-hand verification of the works that bear witness to Jesus, the reader is strongly advised to refer to the Bible passages indicated. [3] For an answer to the question: “Who, if not Pilate, could have possessed the power to release or crucify Jesus?”, an additional insight can be gained by cross referencing John 19: 11 with 3: 13. [4] I say ‘sin of unbelief,’ because from a strictly spiritual point of view that is the only kind of sin that is likely to preclude ‘salvation,’ even if it is understandable and reasonable for socially-minded persons to condemn and ostracize people who commit social crimes, especially if they credibly claim to be spiritual persons, in accord with the criteria established in this work. The reason for this is simple: people who are genuinely spiritual should—unless they suffer from mental illness, emotional deprivation or a serious personality disorder (the inference being that it is possible to attain spiritual enlightenment despite such deviances)—manifest in no uncertain terms love for humanity, reasonably excepting persons who have done wrong by them in significant ways. In other words, the phrase ‘sin of unbelief’ should more accurately be termed ‘the sin of alienation/estrangement from at-onement with God and humanity.’ For a short but interesting discussion of this concept, see Erich Fromm, To Have Or To Be?, London: Abacus, 1976, pp. 120-125 (“Sin and Forgiveness” in chapter VI). [5] I put the word command in inverted commas, because the relationship between God and his disciples is not a (Nietzschean) master-slave relationship (this is an extremely important point, because the doctrinal position promoted by the church, i.e., that God is Master and we his servants, effectively albeit spuriously legitimizes ecclesiastical and/or political guardianship (doublespeak for spiritual and/or secular bondage). Put differently, the aforementioned doctrinal position spuriously legitimizes the relationship of fetter and

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oppression between the ideologically constructed sovereign state and its ideologically constructed nonsovereign subject population. In brief, the relationship between God and his disciples is a relationship of co-equals. Case in point: “Jesus answered them [the Jews who picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy, since Jesus claimed to be God, as he conclusively demonstrated on the cross for the whole world to see, though much of the world still remains in spiritual darkness], “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? […] he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scriptures cannot be broken […]” John 10: 31-35. In conclusion, the seeming subordination (if not outright humiliation) stemming from the initial phase of the final act of revelation through which subordination to God seems like an absolute prerequisite for knowing him personally and directly, is nothing more than a question of doing what God forced himself to do for the benefit of humankind (as a means to an end, the means being temporary humiliation and the end being everlasting human sovereignty on an equal footing with God, so that humanity, once equipped with the empowering knowledge of what sovereignty really means and entails, may fight against spiritual and secular oppression in all its forms). What God forced himself to do for our benefit is simply this: he utterly humiliated himself in order to demonstrate the virtues of humility, so that the vices of arrogance and moral corruption stemming from racial bigotry, political power, cultural hegemony, economic oppression, sexism, homophobic oppression, etc., may be preempted or fought against in the service of humanistic emancipation on all fronts. Hence the very apt saying: “the belief that salvation comes from above is a ruinous belief that has kept mankind in bondage for centuries” (Anonymous). In other words, salvation, any kind of salvation, always comes from below, a notion fully confirmed and brought to life in the most compelling terms by the works of Jesus on the cross, through which he showed, in no uncertain terms, that those who look upward for salvation look in vain. For some crucial insights into the dynamics and interrelationship between spiritual and secular bondage, see the seminal work of Mikhail Bakunin, God and the State, at http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_archives/bakunin/godandstate/godandstate_ch1.html. Bakunin’s work is not necessarily atheistic, despite appearances to the contrary. But even if it was, a careful reading vindicates the main thrust of his thesis, despite a handful of flaws stemming from a rather superficial understanding of the Gospel of Jesus. But apart from this latter weakness, his work is very conducive to human emancipation, even if it produces some inevitable tensions and conflicts between humanistic and spiritual values. Given the infinitely complex nature of reality, some cognitive dissonance is both inevitable and necessary (but those cognitive dissonances that result from authoritarian structures can be eliminated, of course, by dismantling such structures). The ability to learn to live with cognitive dissonance, without letting it translate into socially undesirable means and ends, is a sign of both wisdom and maturity, surely a desideratum for those who care about the foreseeable consequences of human action and inaction.

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Attachment

A COMPOSITE VIEW OF THE ARREST OF JESUS

John 18: 1 1.

After Jesus said this prayer he left with his disciples and went across the brook Kidron. There was a garden in that place, and Jesus and his disciples went in.

John 18: 2-3 2.

Judas, the traitor, knew where it was, because many times Jesus had met there with his disciples.

3.

So Judas went to the garden, taking with him a group of soldiers and some temple guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees; they were armed, and carried lanterns and torches.

John 18 :4-8 4.

Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him; so he stepped forward and said to them, “Who is it you are looking for?”

5.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

6.

“I am he,” he said.

7.

Judas, the traitor, was standing there with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they moved back and fell to the ground.

8.

Jesus asked them again, “Who is it you are looking for?”

9.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

10.

“I have already told you that I am he,” Jesus said. “If then you are looking for me, let these others go.”

Luke 22: 47-48 11.

Judas came up to Jesus to kiss him.

12.

But Jesus said, “Is it with a kiss, Judas, that you betray the Son of Man?”

13.

“Be quick about it, friend!”

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Luke 22: 52-53 14.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and the elders who had come there to get him, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs, as though I were an outlaw?

15.

“I was with you in the temple every day, and you did not try to arrest me. But this is your hour to act, when the power of darkness rules.”

Matthew 26: 50 16.

Then they came up, arrested Jesus, and held him tight

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QUESTIONS FOR BIBLE STUDY ON AUTHENTICATION OF THE DIVINITY OF JESUS

A.

Fixing the day of Crucifixion Matt. 26: 1-5 1)

-Who fixed the day of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and made the announcement thereof? Multiple choice _______ the chief priests and the elders of the people or _______ Jesus Christ himself

2) B.

-How?

Identifying Jesus for Arrest John 18: 1-9 1)

-At what time did Jesus and his disciples leave the guest-house in Jerusalem for the garden across the river? -Why?

2)

-Why was Judas, one of the disciples of Jesus, among the band of soldiers who came to arrest Jesus? -How did the soldiers and officers find Jesus?

3)

-Who identified Jesus of Nazareth for the arrest? -Was the identification confirmed beyond any doubt? -How? -Was a further identification necessary? -Why?

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C.

Arresting Jesus John 18: 10-12 1)

-After Jesus identified himself the first time, could the soldiers step forward, seize and bind him as expected? -Why? -What caused the soldiers to retreat and fall to the ground?

2)

-What further conditions did Jesus dictate for his arrest? -Why?

3)

-What was the value of the demonstration of Simon Peter’s loyalty to his Master? -Why?

4) D.

-How did the soldiers succeed in the end to seize and bind Jesus?

The Jewish Trial John 18: 19-24 1)

-Was Annas, the ex-high priest, right or wrong in questioning Jesus about his disciples and his teaching? -Why?

2)

-How strong was Simon Peter’s denial of not being one of Jesus Christ’s disciples? -Why?

E.

The Roman Trial John 18: 28 - 19: 16 1)

-What was the charge against Jesus? -If the Jews had the power to execute the death penalty, how would they have carried it out on Jesus according to their law? -Why?

2)

-Did Jesus make an appeal against the judgment of the Jews? -Why not?

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3)

-What had Jesus spoken earlier signifying how he was going to die? -As far as Jesus is concerned, what would have been the difference between being stoned to death (according to the Jewish law) and being crucified to death (according to the Roman law)?

4)

-Why did Jesus come into the world? -How would He bear witness to the truth? -What is truth? -Who can verify (know) the truth? -How?

5)

-If Pilate did not find any crime in Jesus, why the scourging, mocking and beating?

6)

-What emotions are invoked by the sight of Jesus scourged, wearing a purple garment and carrying a crown of thorns? Multiple choice ________ pity or ________ cruelty or ________ composure -Why?

7)

-Did Jesus give any answer to Pilate’s question of who he is? -When? -How?

8)

-Who had the power to release or to crucify Jesus? -How? -Why was more sin imputed to the high priest than to Pilate?

9)

-Did Pilate demonstrate as having any power to release or to crucify Jesus? -How? -By whose power was Jesus then delivered back to the chief priests to be crucified?

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F.

The Crucifixion John 19: 17-29 1)

-What emotions are invoked by the sight of the crucified Jesus between two robbers? Multiple choice ____ Ridicule, e.g., “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matt. 27: 40) or ____ Unbelief, e.g., “He saved others, himself he cannot save. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver him now if He will have him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matt. 27: 42-43) or ____ Insult, e.g., “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.” (Luke 23: 39) or ____ Wonder, e.g., Either “looking on from afar” calm and quiet like the women from Galilee (Matt.27: 56) or standing near the cross like one disciple Jesus loved (John 19: 26) -Why?

G.

2)

-Why did Jesus entrust Mary, his mother, to the care of the disciple who he loved?

3)

-If John was among the very few who understood Jesus’ works as they unfolded, then how come he was near the cross and not “looking on from afar,” as the women from Galilee did?

The Revelation of the Glory of Jesus John 19: 34-37 “. . . the Son of man (must) be lifted up, (so) that whoever (born of water and the Spirit) believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3: 9, 14-15) “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7: 38-39) “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he” (i.e., the Everlasting One). (John 8: 28) “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12: 23-24)

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“But when the Spirit of truth comes . . . he will glorify me, for he will take what is mine (i.e., ‘all that the Father has’) and declare it to you.” (John 16: 13,14) “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood (signifying his death) and water (signifying his baptism) that you also may believe. (John 19: 34-35. Cf. 1 John 5: 6) 1)

-What was the proof of Jesus’ death? -What came out of the pierced side of Jesus? -What is the significance of the “blood” and the “water”? (Cf.1 John 5: 6) -Is there any significance in the order of appearance of the blood and the water? -If so, what?

2)

-What use, if any, does “looking at him whom they pierced” or studying about the circumstances of his death serve? -Does the passage (19: 34-37) justify the conclusion that the divine glory of Jesus was revealed, through a Transfiguration, at the moment of piercing of his side? -Why? -Is it all right to settle for the crucified and dead Jesus when one can look instead at the glorified and eternally living One revealed once and for all? -Why?

3)

-Is the following statement true or false? “They denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood (when) they declared: ‘We have put to death Jesus Christ.’ They did not kill him, not did they crucify him, but they mistook the crucified one for him. “. . . They did not kill him for certain. God lifted him up to Him: He is mighty, wise.” -Why? -Do you know the source of the statement?

4)

-Does truth know any boundary?

Questions and/or critical comments may be sent to [email protected] 20

THE DEFINING MOMENT OF JESUS “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (John 1: 5)

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