What Would Jesus Say?
Please join the discussion as we look at present day events through the eyes of Jesus. If you would like to be a guest editorialist, please contact us.
15 May
Jesus says, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”(Matthew 7:12)
The was a time long long ago when the entire world was connected as one giant land mass known as Pangea. Jehane Noujaim dreamed that the entire world would once again be united in a virtual land mass, which she called Pangea Day. Last November in the blog post entitled Transformation we all discussed her vision as well as her provocative movie Control Room, which earned her the Ted Prize and an opportunity to share her wish with the world. Jehane’s wish was there would be a day devoted to bringing the world together using the media of film, in the hopes that people around the world might begin to understand that regardless of our different cultures and religious beliefs we are all more alike than we are different. Last Saturday, May 10th 2008, her wish came true and her dream of Pangea Day became a reality. The films shown around the world reflect the full range of human emotion revealing the common glue that holds us all together in an invisible bond of love. (Please visit www.pangeaday.org to see this amazing array of movies). Karen Armstrong was a speaker at Pangea Day who also has a very big wish for the world. Karen is a world renown theologian who has studied in depth the common thread of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and how faith shapes world history and is a force that drives current events. She has written over 20 books on the subject and perhaps even more interestingly, she was a nun for seven years before she left her convent to become the recognized author that she is today.
Jesus says, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”(Matthew 7:12) Karen’s wish is that people around the world, regardless of religious or non-religious beliefs, embrace what she calls the Charter of Compassion built on the principle of the Golden rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In her extensive study she has discovered that at the core of every religion is the fundamental principle of the golden rule, but she also recognized that religion has been hijacked and used throughout the world as a platform for extremism, judgment, and violence. The pervasive idea is that Religion is about belief, but Karen recognized that the original meaning of belief was to love or hold dear not the generally accepted idea that belief means to adhere to a set of principles or doctrine. Karen asks, “If religion is not about believing, what is it about?” What is religion really about and how can this question provide you with an even deeper understanding of the teaching of Jesus?
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7 May
Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51)
It is hard to imagine the destruction left in the wake of the cyclone that slammed into the coast of Burma several days ago. The death toll has climbed to an estimated 22,000 with over 41,000 people missing who are believed to be dead. The global community is in the process of mobilizing to send much needed food, supplies, and water, but conditions on the ground as well as the Burma military resistance to foreign aid has stymied efforts to get aid to the most devastated areas. The impact on the global food supply is unknown at this time, but it is anticipated that it will have severe impact on the global shortage of rice and other produce. It is easy to be overwhelmed by such heartbreaking news. The sudden death of someone you love is simply devastating and people throughout Burma are experiencing a profound heartbreak beyond all concept of heartbreak. Yet, in the midst of the unbelievable devastation, you are given a rare opportunity to see that which is eternal – eternal life.
Some Jewish men ask Jesus, “Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets who died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answers, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” To this they ask, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus replies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:52-58) Everyone who is born into this world lives for a time and dies. Death is an uncomfortable subject that is often avoided, but meeting death has the power to awaken your consciousness to eternal life. What did Jesus mean when he says ‘before Abraham was, I am’? How can the heartbreak of this unfathomable devastation in Burma help you to understand the teaching of Jesus on an even deeper level?
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19 Apr
Jesus says, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:37)
Many years ago I had an awesome dream. I had a dream that a message of light could move around the world awakening the global consciousness to a Great Light. I had a dream that this message could open your heart to a deeper understanding of who you really are at the core of your being. Yes, I had a dream that one day you could see the light that you are and in this recognition, it would be natural as breathing for you to love everyone as yourself. Imagine waking up to the infinite light that is shining deep within you right now. How would it feel if you knew that you really are this great light? How open and compassionate would you be? Imagine your heart being so open that you love everyone, even your enemies. Yes, I had a dream that you could wake up from the limitations imposed by your own mind to a deeper realization – that you really are the Light of the World! Jesus has this very same dream. This is not the Jesus of dogma, or the limiting ideas presented as the Jesus of Christianity, but this is the infinite Light of Jesus Christ, which has the power to open your heart to Love beyond any concept of Love, Grace beyond any concept of Grace, and Peace beyond any concept of Peace. This is eternal Freedom. Many many years ago I had a dream that the transcendent message of Jesus could inspire and uplift you and everyone around the world regardless of religious beliefs. Yes, I had a dream, not as an egoic idea of creating world peace, or converting you to Christianity, or some grandiose plan to save the world, all it takes is one look at the world to realize that egoic lust for power, selfishness, and greed is killing people as well as the planet who sustains all of us. No, my purpose is simply to remind you that Jesus stands in eternity pointing directly to the Great Light that you are. It is this Great Light that contains the power to open your heart to the love and compassion of your true nature!
Jesus says, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:37) If you follow the gaze of Jesus you will see the Truth that he came here to illuminate. It is a Truth so profound it contains the Grace that can free you from the bondage of suffering and uplift you to the realization that who you are at the core is a love so pristine, so beautiful, that it has the power to make you weep with joy. This Truth is easily overlooked simply because it is so close to you, closer than your breath, but once you recognized this hidden Truth a joy that defies labels of any kind naturally arises within you. As Jesus illuminates, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) This is mind falling into heart. Last week the mind of American Idol fell into its heart through the voice of a very talented young artist named Jason Castro. Jason sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow with such profound love that he transformed this beloved song into a song of transcendence, a song of hope, and a song that reveals that dreams really do come true. David Archuleta embodied this same spirit of hope when he sang the famous John Lennon song - Imagine. How can the magnificent voices of Jason Castro and David Archuleta open your heart to the transcendent message of Jesus Christ?
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4 Apr
Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the favorable Year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)
Few people really understood why Martin Luther King spoke out against the war in Vietnam. Even those closest to him thought that he was getting too radical. After his speech against the war in Vietnam, his resonant voice, once applauded for its call of non-violence during the civil rights movement, was scorned in the press as anti-American and unpatriotic. At the time, only a handful of people recognized that an unseen power far greater than the civil rights movement and far greater then than his love of America was the driving force behind the resonant voice of Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. King explains, “Many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. ‘Why are you speaking about the war Dr. King?’ ‘Why are you joining the voices of descent?’ ‘Peace and civil rights don’t mix,’ they say. So this morning I speak to you on this issue because I am determined to take the Gospel seriously. There is that thou said a very obvious, almost vassal connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I and others have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of Hope for the Poor both black and white through the poverty program. Then came the build up in Vietnam and I watched the program broken as if it was some idol political play thing of a society gone mad on war. And I knew that America that would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor, so long as adventures like Vietnam continue to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube. You might not know it my friends, but it is estimated that we spend $500,000 dollars to kill each enemy soldier while we spend only $53.00 for each person classified as poor and much of that $53.00 goes for salaries to people who are not poor. And so I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and attack it as such.”
Jesus continues, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21) There is no question that Marin Luther King was anointed by God to proclaim the good news to the poor and down trodden, but more than that his life was given as a testimony to the unending power of Truth over the egoic lust for power and greed. Ego is the driving force behind all conflict, prejudice, and war. A recent CNN article entitled, King’s final crusade: The radical push for a new America states, “King was gambling his legacy on a final crusade that was so revolutionary, it alarmed many of his closest advisers. Some became concerned about his emotional stability. King called his crusade the Poor People’s Campaign. He planned to march on Washington with a multiracial army of poor people who would build shantytowns at the Lincoln Memorial — and paralyze the nation’s capital if they had to. The campaign’s goal: force the federal government to withdraw funding for the Vietnam War and commit instead to abolishing poverty.” What this article fails to recognize is that Martin Luther King really did take the Gospel seriously and wanted to fulfill its true intention – to uplift and inspire everyone to live in the harmony of God. His famous anti-war speech goes on to explain the deeper meaning his Poor People’s Campaign and his anti- war message? What did he say and how can this almost prophetic message of Martin Luther King deepen your understanding of the teaching of Jesus Christ?
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21 Mar
Jesus says, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus was so frightened the night of his arrest that he sweat blood and yet he had the courage to surrender his will to the will of a far greater consciousness – the Grace of God. He chose that which is eternal over that which is temporary. He knew something so profoundly awesome there are no words that can adequately describe its infinite nature. Love is a word that comes close, but even that has become polluted with more mundane ideas of its meaning. Divine love is beyond anything imaginable. It is Grace beyond any concept of Grace, Peace beyond any concept of Peace, Light beyond any concept of Light, and Love beyond any concept of Love. In his darkest moment of fear so intense that droplets of blood glistened on his skin, Jesus had the courage to consciously choose the eternal Grace, Peace, Light, and Love that is always present and rarely noticed. He chose eternal life over certain death. Today is Good Friday, the moment in time forever venerated as the most Holy moment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. What does the crucifixion mean? Is it just about his brutal execution or is it a demonstration of the infinite Grace of God – the illumination of your sacred gift - the sacred right to choose?
Jesus says, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) Now is, and now is the time to deeply reflect on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, not as the annual Easter Sunday event, but as a time to stop your everyday rushing around to contemplate the deepest meaning your life, the deepest meaning of the lives of your family, friends, and enemies. It is time to really stop everything for just a moment and contemplate the deepest meaning of the immortal words of Jesus; “I am the resurrection and the life” and “I am the light of the world” and “You are the Light of the World.” It can seem that the world is at odds with the message of Jesus Christ, that atheists are growing in staggering numbers, and the message of Jesus has been polluted by ideas and concepts that have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus or his teaching. And then, when you least expect it, something happens, something that shocks you out of the everyday ho hum. Today, was one of those days. A friend sent me a TED video, that offers a very concise clinical analysis that literally demonstrates that you really are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD! You really do have the ability to choose the infinite peace that you are and it all has to do with the seat of your mind – your brain. Jill Bolte Taylor, who is a neuroanatomist better known as a brain scientist, relays and amazing revelation that occurred when her brain literally stopped functioning during a life threatening stroke. What can this shocking scientific revelation teach you about the infinite love, light, grace, and peace of Jesus Christ?
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14 Mar
Jesus says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”(Matthew 23:25)
There is a great lie that is systematically being propagated throughout Christianity, which lives in the preposterous idea that it is simply not possible to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ in everyday life. Even more troubling is the truth that many ministers and evangelicals simply do not understand, nor do they apply the teaching of Jesus Christ. There is a movement within Christianity known as the Religious Right or more accurately Christian fundamentalism based in an egoic lust for power and greed rooted in self-indulgence, ignorance, arrogance, and fear. Its core message could not be further from the eternal peace, compassion, love, and joy of Jesus Christ and his eternal teaching of Light. In Deepak Chopra’s new book – The Third Jesus: The Jesus we cannot Ignore, he intimates, “Not just in America, but around the world, the faith has been hijacked by movements that violate Jesus’s teaching even as they proclaim they are defending it. A religion of love has moved alarmingly in the direction of hatred, although outright hatred may not be preached from the pulpit. What is preached is self-righteous intolerance.” Narrow selective interpretations of scripture have opened the door of sanctioned prejudice, violence, and corruption. The fear-based message of this movement is systematically gnawing away at the foundation of Christianity while many Christians sit on the sidelines with their jaws locked open in utter horror, shock, and dismay. This blog has drawn global attention and is often viewed as controversial simply because it has the audacity to focus on what Jesus is teaching you – right now in this moment. It has the audacity to say – Yes, you really can apply the transcendent message in your everyday life! Yes, you can LOVE your neighbor (everyone) as yourself! Yes you can abide in the love of Jesus. Yes, you can BE the peace that Jesus is eternally pointing out to you! YES YOU CAN!
Jesus continues, “You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:26) Is Jesus simply talking to the Pharisees of old or is this a teaching that applies to you – right now in this moment? Many think this scripture is relegated to the hypocrisy of Jewish religious leaders over 2000 years ago, ignoring the truth that many of today’s Christian leaders are no different from the Pharisees! This belief is at the center of a growing Schism in Christianity that threatens its very existence! Deepak explains, “When we read headlines about gay bashing and violent attacks on abortion clinics, the media are careful not to draw a direct line to fundamentalist dogma, but that is a mere formality. Society has been led by “two sides to every story” into believing that intolerance is the other side of an ongoing social debate, and perhaps more virtuous. Fundamentalist Christians, after all, proclaim their devotion to life, family values, and regular religious observance. This trend may eventually cripple Christianity. In every denomination reactionary and progressive forces struggle for power, and one would be hard-pressed to find a case where the reactionaries aren’t winning. They equate taking the Bible literally with being a good Christian, despite the mountain of evidence – Only a fraction of it mentioned in this book – that Jesus’s teachings have been muddled, obscured, altered, corrupted, and lost over the centuries. Attempts to return to the pure origin of Christianity are doomed from the start, but this only fuels fundamentalist zeal. The tragic irony behind this is revealed by a favorite fundamentalist slogan: What would Jesus do? It has become familiar on bumper stickers and in presidential races. The novelty of this slogan has worn off, yet countless Christians (not just fundamentalists) use ‘What would Jesus do?’ as their moral touch stone?” Is the teaching of Jesus lost or is it simply misunderstood. What can Deepak Chopra’s provocative perspective teach us about the timeless teaching of Jesus Christ? What would Jesus do? Or perhaps more importantly; What would Jesus say?
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1 Mar
Jesus says, “These people honor me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9)
Is it time for a new Jesus? Deepak Chopra thinks so. A recent Washington Post article entitled Why we need a new Jesus? reveals Deepak’s perspective on Jesus – that there are actually three of them: A historical Jesus, the Jesus of dogma, and the Jesus of Truth. Deepak’s new book entitled, The Third Jesus – The Christ we Cannot Ignore, focuses on the Jesus whose teaching is in the present tense, is directed toward you personally, and is transcendent of what most view as Christianity. Hmmmm….sound familiar? By contrast the well known pastor Rick Warren is fine with Jesus as he knows him and most Christians know him, which of course is a more traditional dogmatic (narrow) Christian perspective. The Truth encompasses both perspectives while dogma asks you to choose between what most believe to be the black and white issue of choosing between eternal life or eternal damnation. Sadly, it is the limiting perspective of dogma, which opens the door of inaccurate or misleading teaching or preaching and opens the door of hatred, prejudice, judgment, arrogance, pride and fear – the limiting realm of the ego and super ego. In the article Deepak says, “Many believers are satisfied with one or the other Jesus, and yet millions are not. They have witnessed their faith being hijacked by rigid fundamentalism. A teaching of love and peace has been perverted to justify war and bigotry. These deeply disturbing trends speak of a single radical need: the need for a new Jesus.” Deepak says we need a new Jesus, but in Truth we need to re-discover the REAL Jesus and apply what he teaches. The deeply, deeply, deeply, disturbing trends that Deepak is referring to, represents the antithesis of Jesus and his teaching and is one of the many reasons why I began writing this blog. It is also why I wrote the book The Secret Teaching of Jesus Christ – His teaching is a secret because his teaching is not understood on a fundamental level. Even, Rick Warren, who I admire as one of the best ministers the world has seen in a while, often falls prey to the dogma which misses the deepest teaching that Jesus is eternally offering.
Jesus says, “These people honor me with their lips; But their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9) Dogma basically means strongly held narrow religious beliefs, which on a fundamental level is the teaching of men or the interpretation of scripture based on the limitations of the human mind and ego. The Truth is dogma confines the transcendent teaching of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, dogmatic theology has replaced the golden rule of Jesus – do unto others as you would have them do unto you – with the sanctioned bigotry, arrogance, and ignorance that dogma unwittingly promotes. In the Washington Post article Deepak intimates, “In everyday life Jesus’ teachings are impossible to follow. Ordinary awareness doesn’t permit us to follow the Golden Rule. If we treated everyone else the way we wanted to be treated, there would be no wars, crime, or divorce. If we obeyed the injunction to resist not evil, all too probably the world’s evil-doers would run amok.” This is right on. This is right on. This is right ON! In the context of ordinary awareness, you will simply be unable to apply the teaching of Jesus Christ in your every day life! In order to live his teaching your awareness must shift by opening both your mind and your heart to the incredible expansiveness of his teaching! Of course, well known pastors like Rick Warren hold fast to their dogmatic perspective of Jesus, but we are all living in a time when we need to break free of ordinary awareness by reaching out to one another and demonstrating the love that Jesus Christ IS! The words of Jesus Christ are simply transcendent normal ways of thinking and being. What can both Deepak Chopra and Rick Warren, teach you about the transcendent teaching of Jesus Christ?
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