8: 31 I have always loved this phrase, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Abraham’s descendants immediately thought of freedom in the political sense, and did not identify themselves as not being free, nor as slaves, and so they asked, “How can you say that we shall be set free?”
8:34 Jesus responds by talking about the bondage to sinfulness. As in our recent dialogue of sin, this could be taken to mean that anything that separates us from God, from recognizing God’s very presence within us, that keeps us from an ultimate freedom of knowing God. To be free of what keeps us from being close to an intimate relationship with God is truly freedom.
8:37 It could be considered that as descendants of Abraham, Jesus saw those before him as having lost the quality of good ancestry, and following family tradition and perhaps a sinful life, rather than following God’s law and truth. Coming from a lineage, so to speak, does not naturally bring you closer to God. Anyone, from any family, could lead a life that takes them further from God. Just as they have the opportunity to live a life that brings them closer to God, no matter what family they are born into.
8:43 Jesus recognized that he was speaking in a manner that was not intuitive to his audience. In many ways, this is still true. These are difficult ideas to wrap my ‘mind’ around – but less difficult for my heart. Jesus insinuated that their (our) consciousness was not turned toward the truth he was speaking about. People live day in and day out away from God consciousness, with bad habits and worldly thinking, mind identified thinking, that separates people from God. Jesus uses the words “Keep my saying, (or keep my word)” suggesting that these teachings must be reflected upon often to keep our consciousness on God.
8:55 The language here about how Jesus could have known Abraham created a lot of confusion for me, as well it seems, for the Jews. But if we consider that Christ consciousness is eternal, not time limited like our historical dimension, then this is possible, Yes? As with God, all before, present, and future is known. It is as though Jesus is saying, as Christ Consciousness, “I am” present always.
7 comments:
Tell me about Christ Consciousness. Is thsi similar to waht I suggest when I said:
Or was Jesus some kind of mystic. His sensitivity to the spirit moving within him was such that he could spontaneously speak the words God spoke to the people through him?
I sense more tahn this from your use of teh phrase and that's why I ask.
There is a big difference between reading with the mind and with the heart. Meredith always calls the second to our attention.
Yes Larry. I keep praying for an interpretation both my heart and my head can agree upon.
Still waiting.
I agree with you, David, that Jesus was a mystic. This is evidenced by his immersion in God, his very life and his oft repeated message of this God-like nature within him and within all who share this understanding with him.
Christ consciousness then would be the sole perfect reflection of the Absolute, the Spirit, of God within us. It is a call to lift ourselves to this higher plane of awareness, and of love.
As Larry said, it is my hope to bring our attention to reading with our hearts, for I believe that to comprehend this text we must be willing to expand what our minds, and our logic, would tell us. Our heart may hear this message with greater clarity. This message from Christ has to do with our ability to love, and our ability to intuit a far greater reality than we can merely see with our eyes, or know only from our experience, or decipher from only our intellect.
Hi Meredith. Thoughtful post, as susal :-). I like what you said about reading the scripture with your heart - that's what I try to do too - not so sucessfully. Right now I am writing this weeks text for my blog and it's funny ... I had just written this below before I saw your post ...
Many people like to keep their religious life at an emotional distance but that's not easily done if you're sincerely engaged with the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius ... it's not so much the doing of theology as a searching of the heart.
Crystal,
"...it's not so much the doing of theology as a searching of the heart." That is beautiful, and I couldn't agree with you more.
In fact, it occurs to me that this spiritual dimension of our lives is all the richer because it asks us to engage our hearts so fully.
I'm so delighted with these posts and comments, and all of you dear friends. And to find I can still read and write to you here in a far place (without being able to sign my name--so I sign it here:
Larry
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