Two Worlds, Two Types

Luke 20:34-36 presents Jesus' answer to a complicated question meant to trap him in religious technicalities. See below.

“The children of this world marry and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”

This is how his answer breaks down:

Two opposing types:

This world and that world – one already obtained, the other to be obtained.

Those who are or are not given and those who do or don't receive the given in marriage.

Of the higher type (accounted worthy):

The children of the resurrection are equal to the children of God.

The children of God are equal to the angels – who are no longer bound to the wheel of life and death.

The fact that they do not die “any more” signifies that they used to regularly die 'again'. Whereas they were, upon a time, associated both with life and death, the worthy will have their association to death removed.

That the worthy neither marry nor are given in marriage in no way signifies a situation indicative of “that” other world. It may well be that the non-marrying type, who are accounted worthy of the other world, are simply the type who refrain from marriage in this present world. In regard to this consideration, I remind the reader of the 144,000 virgins found in Revelation 14:4.

“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. ”

If there is a transition from opposing types, it is not necessarily to be found in aspects associated with this present world. The book of revelation seems only to indicate virgin men, but a transition that follows the pattern of 'worldly to spiritual' may mean a new spirit in women that is equal to the spirit in men.

Is 'that' world a wholly different physical world from “this' world? Consider this question with due diligence. If you took the time to research the word 'world', you would find this list of synonyms: everyone, everybody, people, mankind, humankind, society, humanity, sphere, arena, milieu, province, domain, and discipline. Obviously, a world is more than a physical location.

We have obtained a world that is a physical location, a solid rock speeding through a solid void. The cold vacuum of space is not so empty. The ethereal and invisible nature of spirituality, by the same token, may be more inhabited than previously established. Think about it. Man, as a living thinking soul, could not inhabit this rock called Earth without an appropriate vehicle. The physical body perfectly matches the need, but alas, the body is bound to the cycle of life and death.

Likewise, a soul may not inhabit a world associated with eternal life without an appropriate vehicle. To obtain the necessary vehicle is to obtain the domain. The discipline of immortal angels frequents this physical world, but not as men do. And yet, Biblical accounts of angels depict them as men – as man-like yet untethered to death. In short, an opportunity has been presented to the children of men, an opportunity for an upgrade that is neither physical nor worldly.

Balance Between the World and the Spirit

Seekers of truth always dig deeper than the rest. We look, now, at Luke 20:25 as if viewing two layers – a worldly, or common, layer and a spiritual, or refined layer. Like everyone else, we see what is on the surface of things, although we are rarely inclined to take things at face-value. We see both where we are and where we should be.

If I said to you, “I am off to a good start,” my comment is only a common, face-value, worldly, on-the-surface-of-things statement. However, what I have not said, also makes a statement. To be off to a good start is a place and a condition that is equal to not yet having reached the finish line. Knowledge of the goal is that higher, refined layer.

When we want someone to pay special attention and get a particular point, we say 'listen up'. Up is the key direction. Whenever you see the face-value of something, as in where you are or what you are, you should strive to look beyond that. You should seek the unspoken truth that is above the world.

When Jesus spoke, he wanted people to 'listen up'. His parables were the unspoken truth behind the face of things, above the surface of the world. His message, although it was couched in worldly illustrations, always pointed away from what a person was or where they were to what they were supposed to be and where they needed to go.

A case in point is Luke 20:25. For the reader, there are two levels to be seen in the statement Jesus made. On the surface of things, Jesus was outwitting the people who were trying to trap him in his words. At face-value, the statement was a clever reply, but the unspoken truth, above the worldly surface of things, was the issue of finding and keeping balance.

Jesus said, in Luke 20:25, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.”

How does one find a balance between the things of the world and the things of the spirit? Indeed, does one even seek said balance? You may notice that in his statement, Jesus used the word 'and' rather than the word 'or'. He did not say don't pay tribute to Rome, nor did he minimalize the importance of faithfulness to God. He said to find the proper balance.

The view on a balance between the world and God, in both Christian and non-Christian thought, is an 'either-or' arrangement. It is not a matter of balance but a restriction of one reality in preference for another reality. All realities are actually one and the same, yet certain people only see what is real through the lens of personal preference.

Some personal preferences restrict the use of musical instruments in worship services. Some personal preferences restrict modern technology in daily life. Some personal preferences restrict the vocalization of the name of God. For some, prayer only works if you kneel down, or if you lay on your face, or if you fold your hands just so, or if you finger some beads. Some men can't be spiritual without a beard; some women must wear uncomfortable clothing and head coverings to be what they think they should be – or worse, to be what others think they should be.

The Christian can't seem to shake the inclination that in order to give God his due, he or she must restrict the normal realities of life. It is a restrictive state of mind that empties life of TVs and radios, and games, and computers – as if reality opposes itself -- as if God did not place or allow all these things in life.

As if it was not bad enough that the Christian can't find balance between his worldly reality and his spiritual reality, the Non-Christian comes along and bashes him with such accusations as 'you can't be a Christian if you smoke', or 'you can't be a Christian if you drink', or 'you can't be a Christian and have sex, too'. So, why can't a Catholic monk, or a nun marry and have children – how does that decrease their faith or devotion to God?

A balance between the world and God is a balance between the outer man and inner man. 'Either-or' is an impractical mindset. There is a balance to be found, and to the Christian, the Bible has this advice in regard to the 'either-or' approach to truth and spirituality, in the following NIV translation of Ecclesiastes 7:16-18.

“Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise – why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool – why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.”

Recognition and Title

In Luke 19:39, Jesus is addressed as 'Master'. Christians, these days, see absolutely nothing odd about this. What I wish to point out is who, exactly, called him Master. In the multitude that crowded around Jesus, as he made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and positioned close enough to speak with Jesus, were Pharisees. It was they who called Jesus by the title of Master.

Pharisees were themselves, in their own station, addressed as Master. This instance was a case of Masters calling Jesus by the same title. It was a case of positive recognition of the station and title of a peer.

Jesus was more than a wannabe in their eyes; the Pharisees knew Jesus for who he was. He was much more than some country-bumpkin upstart with twelve disciples. According to verse 37 of this section of scripture, Jesus was attended by “the whole multitude of the disciples.” Everyone who followed Jesus was a disciple – and Jesus had quite a large following. The Pharisees were part of that multitude, part of that following.

One has to ask, why did the Pharisees always follow Jesus? You would think, if they were there only to harass and lay traps, the twelve, being closest, would set a perimeter, do some crowd control. That was the case for many among the press, but not so for the Pharisees. They were always close to Jesus.

Since I approach this as evidence of authoritative recognition of the station and title of Jesus in a social setting, I wish to address how many times, in the New Testament, the title of Master was applied. Master is the interpretation of both 'Rabbi' and 'Rabboni'.

In Matthew 8:19, a scribe addressed Jesus as Master. In Matthew 9:11, Pharisees addressed Jesus as Master. In Matthew 10:24-25, Jesus referred to himself as master. In Matthew 12:38, both scribes and Pharisees addressed Jesus as Master. In Matthew 17: 24, tribute collectors referred to him, in speaking to Peter, as “your master.” In Matthew 19:16, a young man with great possessions called Jesus “Good Master.” In Matthew 22:16, disciples of the Pharisees, and of the Herodians addressed Jesus as Master.

It is interesting that both Jesus and the Pharisees had disciples. It seems that having disciples was a standard practice of the Pharisees.

In Matthew 22:24, it was the Sadducees who addressed Jesus as Master. In Matthew 22:36, a Pharisee lawyer addressed Jesus as Master. In Matthew 23:8, Jesus said this about himself, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” He said pretty much the same thing in verse 10, “for one is your Master, even Christ.” In Matthew 26:18, Jesus called himself by the title of Master. In Matthew 26:25, he was called Master by the disciple Judas. Again, Judas said, “Hail, master;” when he betrayed Christ.

Jesus is called by the recognized title of Master fifteen times in Mark, twenty-two times in Luke, and eight times in John. Altogether, in the New Testament, Jesus is addressed by the official title of Master some fifty-nine times.

Such a number places one far above the upstart level. Pharisees were also referred to by the title of Master. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee, he asked him this in John 3:10, “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”

I am convinced that Jesus had an official status among the religious leaders and that his peers recognized that fact every time they addressed him by the title of Master.

Interestingly, John the Baptist, Jesus' close cousin, was also addressed as 'Master' in Luke 3:12. Here is what I wish to note in closing, Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and lawyers were all masters of Israel. The title of 'Master' and the title of 'Rabbi' are one and the same. 'Master' is a bonafide title. All of them, being addressed by the title of Master – whether Pharisee, John, or Jesus – all of them, I say again, had disciples. It was a standard practice for all titled religious leaders.

Accusation, Confession, and Judgment

We turn our attention to Luke 19:7-10. Zacchaeus, a tax collector for Rome, was called by name. Jesus called him down from the sycamore tree and told him he would eat with him. Zacchaeus hosted Jesus and at least some of his troop that day. Jesus had not been invited; Zacchaeus had been invited. That was the decision of the Son of God.

It was a savior's decision.

In verse ten, Jesus said plainly and publicly for all to hear, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The part about being lost – that was past tense. It had already happened. The part about seeking and saving was present tense. It was the ongoing mission of the Son of man. The fall of man, his sinful nature, his need for redemption – all were concepts widely known and believed. Nothing about those concepts was foreign to the people standing around at the time.

Jesus said what he said for a pointed reason. Zacchaeus was not the only one standing there who was lost. He was an example of being lost, an example of the need for salvation, an example of God's grace.

The people had complained, they stood there and accused Zacchaeus of being a sinner. Sinners accusing sinners obviously ticked Jesus off. We can be so dense sometimes. And it wasn't just a few ornery individuals pointing the finger. Verse seven goes like this: “And when they saw it, they all murmured . . .”

Who, exactly, were 'they'? The people who had come to town with Jesus? Had he not traveled the country healing their diseases and forgiving their sins? His disciples? Had he not taught them better? Townfolk? Could they really be so grudging?

It was Jewish nature that accused. The national concept of a savior was bent around the hope that someone would save them from Rome. Rome was despised. Romans were despised. Anyone who sold out to Rome was despised. Was Zacchaeus a sinner because he collected taxes for the Romans? The Jewish consensus was a resounding 'Yes!'

The bruised and burdened Jewish heart accused anyone who worked against the Jewish state. Jewish equaled good, Roman equaled bad. Law of God equaled good, law of Rome equaled bad. It was a natural reaction for that day and age.

While those around Jesus spoke ill of Zacchaeus, murmuring, accusing, Zacchaeus, on the other hand, made confession. In the spirit of making things right, he confessed to Jesus that either he would make things right, or was already in the process of making things right.

He said this in verse eight, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”

The Hebrew law, found in Exodus 22, deals with the restoration of lost goods and requires a twofold, fourfold, or fivefold restoration.

To a son of Abraham, charity is a fundamental way of life. Jewish law requires an individual to give one tenth of his substance to the poor. “Tzedakah” is the Jewish word for charity. It is taken from the root “Tzadei-Dalet-Qof ” which translates as righteousness, justice or fairness.

A good article on this topic may be found here: http://www.jewfaq.org/tzedakah.htm

Zacchaeus worked for the Romans, but he was a fair and a just man who obeyed the laws of God. In everything we read about the man in these verses, we see a desire toward God and his laws. Zacchaeus had such a desire to see Jesus, who he unreservedly called Lord, that he climbed a tree, and when called down, “He made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully,” verse six.

Jesus judged the situation and the man in verse 9, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” Inasmuch as Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham no less than those who accused him of sin, and since it was the Son of man's ongoing mission to seek and save such sons of Abraham, Jesus clearly displayed the type of spirit in a man that is right with God and God's law. 

There Was A Tree In Jericho

To those of you who actually read what I write, you know my posts are, at times, quite lengthy. This study of Luke 19: 1-4 may turn out to be short.

Think of the movies you've seen about Jesus. Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus walking with his disciples, Jesus teaching and walking through cities, feeding the thousands on a country hillside, his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Many depictions, such as this image from the movie J.C. Superstar, place Jesus in a treeless setting such as a barren desert.

Where are the trees?

This study of Luke 19: 1-4 shows Jesus inside the city limits of Jericho. Along the city street he walked, he and his disciples and the pressing throng, there was a sycamore tree, a tree that grows rather large. It was high enough for a man, who could not see Jesus for the press, to climb and see Jesus above the heads of the crowd.

It is my belief that there was an abundance of trees in Jesus' day. They were everywhere. Had they used them all up, which some Hollywood movies suggest, they would have gone down the same road as the people of Easter Island.

Wood was a commodity of everyday use. It was useful in the preparation of daily meals for tens of thousands of people. It was used in construction. It was a food source. It was used daily in temple sacrifices. In the yearly Festival of Booths, palm covered booths and tabernacles were erected in a week-long celebration of the tabernacle Moses carried through the wilderness.

I am reminded of the triumphal entry. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey's colt. Thousands welcomed him, ripping branches from palm trees to lay on the road before him.

You might see the token palm in one of the movies, and you might see multiple trees in scenes of the garden prayer and betrayal – otherwise, depiction of trees in the Holy Land is pretty skimpy.

Finally, let's jump back in time and think of Moses leading his people through the wilderness for forty years. Think of the logistics. How many people walked through the wilderness for forty Years? How many people needed to cook their daily meals? How many animals needed to be stalled and fed? How many fires had to be built for the sacrifices? Have you ever seen a movie about Moses where the landscape was filled with trees?

Opening the Door to the Kingdom

In an earlier study, I made the case for connections between God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and man. I return to the theme of connections in Luke 18:15-30. Christ delivers two truths about entrance into the kingdom of God. What I hope to show in this study is simple. The connections will be made plain.

Opening the door to the kingdom is, in fact, being open to the door.

Two cases are presented to Jesus. First is the spirit of the children who are brought to him to be touched. Second is the spirit of the ruler who asked Jesus what he needed to do.

When the disciples acted on Jesus' behalf, thinking to clear him some space, trying to keep the overwhelming multitudes at bay, Jesus answered them with these words.

Luke 18:16, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Upon hearing Jesus tell him to sell all and follow him, the rich ruler was very sorrowful. Noting the spirit of the ruler, Jesus made the following comment.

Luke 18:24, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.”

One spirit is pro-kingdom, one spirit is pro-world, pro-wealth. In the spirit of the small child being brought to Christ, there is no sacrifice, there is no sorrow. The spirit of the small child is on a learning curve, gaining new experience with excitement and singular focus. The spirit of the small child sets its desire on what is before it, without comparing what lies ahead to the things of the world. There are no worldly expectations in the spirit of the child.

Now, I wish to take the mindset of the small child, described above, and show it's connection to previously explained connections.

Jesus is the door, he said so. He is that entrance into the kingdom of God which this study explores. God the Father and 'Door' the son are one. That is to say that they are connected by the same spirit – the Holy Spirit.

Both the door into the kingdom of God and our own openness to that door are found in the spirit of the individual. Jesus prayed in John 17 that you and I might be one with the Father and the Son. To be on that same page, we must have a matching spirit.

Think of the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. If we want to fit into the big picture, the only way we can do that is to be one of the interlocking pieces. We may not be something other than one of the pieces that came with the original set. Neither may we be a piece from another big picture.

Every spirit in every individual is naturally a part of the big spirit; the Holy Spirit is the spirit that is special to the Father and the Son – the spirit that makes them one. Our connection to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is an internal connection. It's a connection from our spirit to the Holy Spirit. We may not find that connection through anything physical such as worldly possessions.

In the context of the verses referred to in this study, both the small child and the rich ruler were connected through their personal spirits to the one spirit of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. So, I ask this – what propelled the child forward, and what detained the adult?

The case with the spirit of the child is this – there is no dilution of the spirit with worldly concretion. There is no determent, no dissuasion, no preclusion or disincentive.

The case with the spirit of the adult proves otherwise. There is dilution. There is a full lifetime of concretion. Two red flags jump out at us. One is choice, the other is free will. Free will (or willfulness) is an act of separation. This separation is implemented through desire, which walks hand-in-hand with choice.

Willfully and knowingly, man chooses to be separate from the spirit of God. Man chooses concretion deliberately, ignoring the truth that his will is unable to detach his little spirit from the big spirit. Therefore, man must view himself as physical and worldly rather than spiritual. It is choice that binds man in the chains of darkness.

The disciples were horrified. Everyone had possessions; they wondered how any of them could possibly overcome such an insurmountable obstacle. Jesus answered them with the following words.

Luke 18:27, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Do you see it? It is a comparison between the physical, external, worldly man that man has created through willful separation and the internal, spiritual component in a man that no man, through any willful act, is able to separate himself from. It is a comparison between the external man of choice and the internal man of his true nature. That true nature, that spirit-to-spirit connection, can make all things possible.

We have a saying, 'fighting fire with fire.' Mankind does that every day. We may also fight choice with choice. The separating choice of the external man may be undone by the connecting choice of the internal man. The internal man is spiritual, the internal man is a spirit. God is a Spirit, Jesus said so. Man is a small spiritually interconnecting piece in the bigger picture.

The willful man who thinks he is separate can never escape the truth of his nature. One is either connected by choice or connected despite himself.

Finally, the kingdom of God, with its entrance (our internal Jesus/door connection,) is connected to yet another concept. That new concept, found in verse 30, is 'the world to come.' The disciples had forsaken all to follow Jesus, hoping to be a part of the kingdom of God. We must ask, are the kingdom of God and the world to come the same thing?

We may not say so with any certainty. The reward associated with the world to come is “life everlasting.” What is that exactly? Is it the same thing as life eternal? One synonym for the word everlasting is the word perpetual. The definition of the word perpetual is this: 'occurring repeatedly; so frequent as to seem endless and uninterrupted.'

What if the world to come is but another round of the perpetual life/death cycle? Certainly, even those who have forsaken all hope for more from the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God – really?

Matthew 12:28, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”

The good rewards that the disciples hoped to receive from the kingdom of God, Jesus claimed they would receive in this present world. Luke 18:29-30, “There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time.”

Just saying . . .

The Thing About Prayer

I return to the book of Luke. Luke 18:9-14 is an account of the parable that contrasts a proud Pharisee with a humble publican. Both men are inside the temple engaged in prayer. All the major points of this parable have been thoroughly covered in Sunday sermons.

I would bring forth the minor points – which may prove to be just as major if given enough attention.

The treasure buried deep in these verses is the matter of prayer. Both men stand in the same temple, both men pray, both men pray to the same God. I would venture to say that prayer is sort of a universal constant between men.

We must ask how it is that the spirit in a man may either succeed or fail in the handling of such a constant.

Two different men engage in the same spiritual communication with the same spiritual God. How is it one is justified and the other is not? The answer rests in how each man uses his spirit.

Let me be clear on this one point: prayer is a spirit-to-spirit communication. All successful communication demands that there must be something in common.

Think of a lock and key. The lock is iron. A wooden key will likely fail to open the lock. In similar fashion, a key of ice or of glass will break. Opening a lock is a material-to-material communication. There must be something in common.

A spiritual lock requires a particular kind of key – a spirit key made of the same spiritual metal.

Everything in existence requires something of whatever it has a relationship with. A cool fluid drink requires cup-likeness to hold it. A cup in reverse has nothing in common with the drink. A relationship between a road and the vessels that traverse it requires wheels. A relationship between vessels and an ocean will require something different – like paddles or sails.

Prayer is a spirit-to-spirit communication, as I have said, but what does God require of man, spirit-to-spirit-wise? That is certainly something to consider. Here is something else to consider. God is a spirit. To pray to a spirit requires a material (so to speak) with something in common.

This is a big pill to swallow but prayer is a God-to-God communication. Logic dictates that if God is spirit, then spirit is God. To answer the objection that not all spirits are God, I give this response. All spirit is God. Within those parameters, there is spirit used correctly and spirit misused.

Free will is in the nature of man. In the nature of man is found every evil possession and fallen angel. Free will in man is spirituality (our part of God) that is not always used correctly.

The parable of the two praying men portrays prayer as a God-to-God communication with the first spirit in the account (the Pharisee) misused by pride and self-righteousness. The second spirit in the account (the publican) is used correctly by humility. Humility justifies the part of God found in the publican. The misuse of the part of God found in the Pharisee finds no justification.

Here is the wording of the parable, which we may assume are the words of Jesus. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself . . .” Luke 18:11. We may take these words to exemplify common usage. The communication was God-to-God; the communication was spirit-to-spirit. The Pharisee's misuse of his part of the spirit-to-spirit communication was an exaltation of his small footprint in the bigger picture.

God, as a lock, is properly exalted and does not require exaltation from the smaller part of Himself found in the Pharisee. An exalted God requires one thing from the small part of Himself found in a man – humility.

What I wish the reader to take away from this study is the fact that we are not separate from God. When we pray to God, there is something we have in common with him, and we must have that in order to pray, that something is the spirit of God residing in us.

Names and Connections

For today's study, I wish to depart the usual routine and speak topically – which is how I started. Instead of following through with the next reference in the book of Luke, allow me to broach the concept of connections.

It is a level of understanding that many of us avoid. People fail to realize this level as they race through the reading of scripture like galloping wild horses. It is common to drink in large drafts of scripture in as singular a gulp as humanly possible.

Here, however, what we need to do, unlike the gulping drunk, is to step back and sip, as a wine taster sips wine, savoring each distinct nuance that completes the whole.

I wish to deal with three names and their connections. Those three names belong to God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. See them listed here.

Holy and Reverend.

The Holy Spirit of Truth.

The Truth.

Psalm 111:9 (KJV) “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and Reverend is his name.” Also, John 4:24 (KJV) “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

John 16:13 (NIV) “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Also, Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Also, Luke 4:18 (KJV) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . . .” Also, Matthew 28:19 (KJV) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

John 14:6 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Also, John 10:30 (KJV) “I and my Father are one.”

Finally, 1 John 5:6-8 (KJV) “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”

Those are the names; these are the connections:

First, both God and the Holy Ghost are a 'spirit' – their first name is even the same, 'Holy'. God is a spirit named Holy and the Holy Spirit is a spirit named Holy.

Second, the Holy Spirit of Truth has his last name in common with the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the Truth and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

Third, all three persons of the Trinity are one and the same – this according to 1 John 5:6-8. It is also according to Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” True also according to Zechariah 14:9 “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” They are “One.”

What does that Mean? God is a spirit, the Holy Ghost is a spirit, and Jesus (even in the flesh) is a spirit. If Jesus is the Truth, so also is the Holy Ghost and God. God, after all, is the Father of the Truth. Not only is Jesus the 'Word', but so is the Father of the Word and the Spirit of the Word. All three are the one way, but the pivotal component of the Trinity is the spirit that connects a spiritual Father to a flesh and blood person born of the Holy Spirit. That is according to Matthew 1:18. John 3:6 (KJV) confirms with these words, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

The careful consideration of such connections should put a higher spin on the prayer of Jesus found in John 17:20-23 (KJV) “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

Perseverance in Prayer

Luke 18:1-8 is about the unjust judge. I have already made a study of this parable. Still, there is somewhat to say on the matter. Take a look at verse one. The first verse shows us that the writer of this account had been made aware of the meaning of the parable. As this writing occurred at some distance from the actual fact, we must assume that the making aware of the meaning was a practice whereby a previous source is divulged to a new iteration – over and over again down the time line.

So, the meaning of the parable was understood and passed along with each iteration. We must also assume that each person in the know also understood what the parable was not about. The parable did not purport that a man can wear down God with constant pestering. The parable did not compare the unjust judge, who basically made himself unreachable, to God.

Jesus concluded his parable and subsequent explanation with this statement found in Luke 18:8 – “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, will he find faith on the earth?” What is the parable really about and what must each of us come to understand? The parable is about faith. The parable is about an enduring faith that is able to go the distance. It is about a persevering faith that never gives up.

The bold widow was not rooted in the judge or his judgments. The widow was rooted in her faith. She came often before the judge, an issue the judge is shown to consider. Obviously, the judge delayed his judgment time and time again. She never gave up; she knew her claim was just under the law. She had a right to be avenged of her adversary. She knew that a judge had to bend his will to that of the law.

As in the case of the widow, our prayers are petitions to a judge. Our judge is just. The widow's judge is described as unjust. The widow is chronicled with the attributes of faith and perseverance. Let us ask, then, why the widow persevered in her faith? Let us ask why the constant delays of the judge did not sway her faith? What did she have that so many of us seem to lack?

The widow did not ask for trivial matters; she asked for the one thing under the law she knew she had a right to ask for. Knowing what one may petition for is an important first step in prayer. Consider the case of King Solomon. He prayed not for long life, neither did he ask for the destruction of his enemies. Solomon petitioned for the wisdom necessary to lead God's people. Solomon asked for the very thing that God wanted and was willing to give. The king was already wise enough to know what to pray for.

We often pray about small matters that ultimately work themselves out without divine intervention. We are brash enough to ask for things we would doubtless waste upon the altar of our personal desires. We ask God to let us win the lottery – just in case.

Prayer is more than just a petition. Prayer is a relationship one may not enter without the prerequisite belief in the one we pray to. Not only must a person first believe in the one who hears our prayers, a person must develop an understanding of the one we stand before. We may not simply be caught up in personal issues and expect the random prayer to be answered. We must have a knowledge of what God wants and is willing to give. It is a relationship not unlike all others; a relationship is 'give and take'.

We may not seek a withdrawal from the bank of prayer before the required deposits. One gets from anything only what one puts into it. Perseverance in pray is a prerequisite to answered prayer. Belief in God is a prerequisite to prayer. Faith is the prerequisite to perseverance.

At this point, it will suffice to body forth some supporting Bible verses on the topic of perseverance in prayer. To that end, I submit these references:

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving,” Colossians 4:2.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer,” Romans 12:12.

“And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good,” 2 Thessalonians 3:13.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people,” Ephesians 6:18.

“Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you – If you remain in me and my words remain in you,” John 15:7.

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized,” Hebrews 6:11.

Evidence

To anyone who actually reads my weekly blog, I wish to apologize for the lack thereof last Sunday.

This week, I would like to take a closer look at Luke 17:37. I failed to address it in the previous study. This is it: “And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”

Imagine, then, that you are a game hunter on safari. You see vultures circling in the sky. From your wealth of hunting experience, you know this to be a sign that there is carcass ahead. Sight of the vultures is evidence of something you do not yet see.

There is, in our existence, not one thing that is self-evident, and while many hold with the concept – as in, 'we hold these truths to be self-evident' – evidence, itself, implies the support of something else. For example, the carcass is not self-evident. The truth of its existence, while as yet unseen, is supported by the vultures circling overhead. It is quite obvious.

I would like for us to consider how many different ways we may express the obvious, or how many life experiences include such obvious evidence of things as yet unseen.

Imagine that you are driving down the freeway, approaching the off ramp you wish to take. You move over in preparation. You see the sign that says 'Business District ½ Mile.' That sign is the obvious evidence of the off ramp you do not yet see. What if, however, the sign has been removed – is all evidence of a truth gone? I think not. You still move over in preparation; your experience is obvious enough.

Imagine that war is coming. There are no troops on the streets; there is the report of neither bullet or bomb. Where is the proof of a coming war? Where is the evidence that supports the truth of it? If you are young, you are probably not even paying attention. Let us say, then, that you are mature. Let us say that you follow the news. Let us go one step further and say that you have experience in the political intrigues that presage the onset of war. You've seen it all before.

The political maneuverings, as well your own savvy experience, are both proofs of coming war. In this case, obvious evidence is the support of such as 'knowledge', 'perception', 'understanding', 'insight', 'discernment', 'acumen', and 'common sense'.

Imagine, now, that a major flood approaches. Some guy named Noah keeps going on about it. Where is the proof? You've never, in your entire life, seen a drop of rain. Water falling from the sky – who makes this stuff up? You are the type that is most affected by the things you see – and you have never seen rain, only the solid ground you walk upon. You cannot imagine the land covered with water. You believe only what you see.

Noah has been building a huge boat he calls an ark. It stands before you, bigger than life. You see it with your own eyes. If you believe only what you see, why don't you believe what you see?

Imagine the end of the world approaches. Where is the obvious evidence? Imagine a mortal man who is actually the very Son of God. What supports the truth of it? Imagine God. Is there evidence? Your eyes see no off ramp sign. Your eyes see no drops of rain. Your eyes see no troops and your ears hear no bombs. Yet, your eyes see and your ears hear. You are mature. You pay attention. You have experience and knowledge. You have perception and discernment.

Finally, you are the game hunter again. Beside you walks a game hunter with less acumen, less insight. He will not believe a carcass lies ahead. He is adamant in his self-limitation. He will not listen. He will not learn. He will not believe until he stumbles blindly into the guts and maggots. Belief at that point does little benefit; he has the mess on both boots.

Between the sighting of the vultures and the sighting of the carcass, there is a sojourn that rests in faith as the sole and sufficient evidence of truth.

The Son of Man Revealed

Let us continue our study of the spirit of God in man by taking a look at Luke 17:24-37. Jesus had just dropped the hammer on the religious-minded, on the kingdom-minded. He told them, and us as well, not to look outside ourselves for the kingdom. The kingdom is not on the outside, he said. The kingdom of God is within.

Then Jesus predicted what they should look for. It is not like the arrival of an army in a cloud of dust, it is more like a revelation. It will be a realization. When the kingdom and the king are finally realized, it will be all at once. It will illuminate everything. He said this in Luke 17:24, “For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”

We have sayings such as, 'your day will come', and. 'every dog has its day'. The predicted day of the Son of man will be the natural outcome of all that has gone before. Things will come to a head, so to speak. What has been developing all along will finally bear fruit. There will be a sudden all-encompassing flash of illumination. We will, at last, when the Son of man is revealed, understand everything. It will all be clear.

Who is the Son of man? People around Jesus did not call him the Son on man; it was Jesus, alone, who styled himself thus. We get this from Wikipedia: The Hebrew expression "son of man" (בן–אדם, ben-'adam) appears 107 times in the Hebrew Bible, the majority (93 times) in the Book of Ezekiel. And this: The New Testament features the indefinite "a son of man" in Hebrews 2:6 (citing Psalm 8:4), and "one like a son of man" in Revelation 1:13, 14:14 (referencing Daniel 7:13's "one like a son of man"). [9] The four gospels introduce a new definite form, "ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου", literally "the man's son." It is awkward and ambiguous in Greek. [1] In all four it is used only by Jesus (except once in the Gospel of John, when the crowd asks what Jesus means by it), and functions as an emphatic equivalent of the first-person pronoun, I/me/my.

Scholars seem confused as to the exact application of the expression. They suggest it shows the unreachable Holiness of God as opposed to the attribute of man's utter commonness. I would like to suggest something else.

God, a spirit, knows what it is like to be a father, i.e. the expression “only begotten son of God.” God has an opinion about the whole 'son' thing. Men, as flesh imbued with spirit, share that opinion. A son is the better part of the father. The father is proud of, or knows great joy in the son and lifts him up. The father paves the way for the son, gives him all that he has.

My suggestion is that son of man is the mortal equivalent to son of God. The two are connected in a spiritual sense and combined, act as a bridge between the lost state of man and the redeemed state of man.

When the only begotten son of God called himself the Son of man, I see a natural extension of state between the son and all who are one with the son. Consider the earnest prayer of Jesus found in John 17, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.”

How can mortal man be one with a spiritual God? The answer is this: they must be on the same spiritual page. I think the beginning of that is the realization that man is not separate from God – he is built around the Godcore – spirit is mind.

That realization will come. The seeds have been planted and everything develops according to a predetermined schedule. Among spirits in man, there are those who embrace their spirituality and those who reject it as so much wish fulfillment. The realization will come to all, but to some, it will be an 'oops' moment.

It will be like the fable of the grasshopper and ants. All along, the ants were preparing, developing, embracing. The grasshopper – well, he just wasn't the type. He laughed at the ants and made no preparations of his own. He cared not to develop. He may have been successful at ignoring it all summer, but when the cold winds began to blow, the realization came to him as well. It came in a flash.

Jesus made that point to his audience: the time will come. The realization will come, just as it did to all those who ignored and laughed at Noah, just as it came to all those who ignored and laughed at Lot.

The revelation will be a realization. All of a sudden, it will be everywhere and everything. We will no longer be able to laugh at it or ignore it. It will not be outside of us and unaffecting. It will be within us and we will be forced to take it personally.

The coming of the kingdom of God will be the revelation of his son, whom he has exalted. The son is one with the spiritual father and we are one with the son – it is internal. The kingdom is within, us right, now developing. The king is in his kingdom. His son is with him. We are all in here together. We are on a trajectory toward revelation. We travel from the inside to the inside. The revelation of the Son of man is, by extension, our revelation.

Jesus said there will be, at the realization, two men in one bed (we have a modern expression regarding bedfellows, allies due to circumstance.) One will have an oops, the other will not. One will be accepted into the ark, the other will drown. There will be two women grinding at the same mill. One will fly high, the other will crash and burn.

I just hope your moment of realization is not an oops.

If you find yourself on a higher plane than the world you inhabit, consider yourself developmentally sound. Do not turn back to the world. If you are in your field on a trajectory toward harvest, let it grow. Some of us are wheat, some of us are chaff, but we all develop along the same trajectory. To turn back is to drive the wrong way on a very crowded highway.

The legend of Lot's wife is an admonition against turning away from the progress you have already made. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, the plowing man who turns back proves himself unfit for the revelation.

The realization will be a dark time. Jesus described that time with the words, “in that night.” It will be the oops moment of everyone not in the ark. It will be, for many, a time of stumbling and a time of weeping. The realization cuts deep.

Kingdom Come

This won't take long . . .

. . . but it needs to be said.

We've got it all wrong. People of passionate faith believe in a place, either real or quasi-real, that the devout resort to after death. It is viewed as a place of splendor, a heaven, a paradise. Some see rewards dispensed for their faithfulness: wings, halos, crowns, or virgins. It matters not the religion, the view is that the faithful and the good will leave this wicked world for a better place, while all the enemies of the faith will go to a place far worse.

Those who do not believe also have an opinion about the afterlife. They see a pipe dream with all the silly flutter of cardboard wings, they see the wishful thinking of the male libido, egotism, fantasy, and thought structures not thoroughly rooted in science.

What if I told you all of us are wrong? What if I told you there no Heaven, no Paradise, Nirvana, or Valhalla. I do not mean this in the sense that the unbelievers have already postulated in countless tirades. I mean there is no place outside the human experience, and again, this is not intended as the same argument as that of the unbelieving.

There is a place, but it is a place in the spirit – by which, I mean the mind. There is a kingdom, there is a paradise, but so far, all of us have wholly misinterpreted the subject. Our normal misinterpretation involves a movement from one outside to another outside, all being separate from and external to the conscious identity.

The Pharisees, masters of the law of God, also got it wrong. Their concept of a kingdom was a place of victory for the nation of Israel, a place where the tyrannical rule of Rome was crushed beneath the heel of Abraham. In Luke 17:20-21, the Pharisees demanded Jesus to tell them when the Kingdom of their God would come.

Jesus answered, 'When? 'You can look for it til you turn blue in the face and you'll never see it coming. You can observe the stars, the prophecies of old, or anything you like – there are no signs. Neither may anyone say the kingdom is in the east or in the west, in this nation or that.'

As plainly as anyone could ever say anything, Jesus told them in Luke 17:21, “the kingdom of God is within you.”

Let me put that in perspective. If the kingdom is within the conscious identity of the individual, the king is also there. As Jesus said in John 4:24, “God is a spirit.” Here, we must understand that 'spirit' is not something outside the human condition – it is the human condition. It is what makes us who we are. Aside from so many pounds of flesh, there is only the spirit to define who and what we are. The body, despite the science, is merely a vehicle for the spirit.

Each of us has a spirit – by which I mean, a conscious identity.

Each of us has a spirit – by which I mean, God is a spirit. Each of us is a part, or extension, of the same conscious identity that is God, the same spirit, the same mind. Each of us, as a spiritual seed, has been planted in mortal clay. Some seeds will grow and be harvested, increasing the one who planted the seed. Some seeds will not grow at all. Some seeds will grow wild and be slated for a fiery end, as when the stubble and refuse of a field are burned.

Each of us is a part of God. What we make of that is in our hands. The kingdom is inside of us; the king is inside of us. And yet, the flesh will always perish. We seem to be tied to the eternal wheel of life and death. Where and when does the kingdom come if it is inside of us?

We look for something better. We look for it outside of ourselves, outside of our daily practices and rituals, outside of our thoughts and intent – anywhere other than where we actually are. We are here, each of us with our own little part of God and his kingdom inside of us. Sadly, we do not do the things that might bring God's kingdom to bear. Here, within the societies on earth, in each of us, in our own time, we might produce God's kingdom on earth – with the right efforts.

Connect the dots: there is one king, there is one kingdom, and all of that lies within the human condition. Each of us has a spirit. God is a spirit. Are you looking for the kingdom of the spirit? It is within.