78. Parable on Deferred Judgement

The first thing we might ask ourselves after reading this parable is, what is a fig tree doing in a vineyard? It does not seem to belong. Worse, it produces no fruit, so the caretaker is instructed to cut it down. But the caretaker demurs, saying, let me see if I can’t nurture this tree so that it bears some fruit, before we make an irreversible decision.

What comes to mind when reading this parable is the situation where a stranger is inserted into an established gathering – say a group of co-workers, or friends from a social club. Often our initial impulse is to reject the stranger – to ignore them and to feel relief when they depart. Picking up the vibes, the stranger in turn may be quiet and not add much value to whatever is going on, justifying the group’s original impulse to reject him or her.

In such situations, Jesus is recommending a different response. Don’t instinctively reject the foreign element, the stranger. Be inclusive. Make them feel welcome. Create the conditions for their participation and see what contribution they might make before passing judgment.

79. Time of the Kingdom of God

The Pharisees believed that the kingdom of God would arrive on the heels of an apocalyptic event, where the righteous are lifted to the heavens and the sinners sent to burn in hell. As we’ve seen, Jesus had a very different conception of the kingdom of God. It is not a physical place you can point to, but an attitude of being, a spirit of love and compassion and inclusion. Jesus no doubt saw himself as a vehicle of that spirit, and that may be what he meant when he said, “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

[See also “Discourse on the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 7-34), “Limits of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 12-69), “Essential for Entrance into Kingdom” (Commentary 14-84), and “Time of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 14-89).]

80. Parables on Importunity in Prayer

Persistence in general pays off, does it not? So also in prayer. This parable harkens back to Jesus’ instruction to “seek, knock and ask” and it shall be given to you. If you want to know what God’s will is for your life, if you are struggling to make some important decision and need guidance, be persistent in your appeal, and you will get the answer you seek. Maybe not the answer you want, but certainly the answer you need.

81. Several Sayings of Jesus

Have faith in God. All things are possible to him that believeth. If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would have obeyed you.

“Have faith in God.” What is faith? What is God? These are two huge questions that need to be explored before we can reasonably attempt to understand this saying.

Earlier we discussed faith as looking forward to a positive outcome, based on experience. Should we have faith that we can jump off a cliff and fly like a bird? Of course not. Nothing in our experience would justify such a belief. That is not faith. That is ignorance.

Someone once said that faith is not sitting on a chair that is not there; faith is the nobler of two hypotheses.

And what is God? In our exploration we have used God to mean ultimate Reality. The proposition here is that there is an objective reality (of which we are part) and that it is, at least to some extent, discoverable and knowable.

So is Jesus simply saying, have faith in Reality? Have faith in a process, a set of discoverable laws, that when obeyed can be used to accomplish wondrous things?

Perhaps what Jesus meant would be clearer if he had put it this way:

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this man, Be thou lifted up, and be thou set down on the surface of the moon; and he would have obeyed you.

And his name would be Neil Armstrong.

A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Even so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father.

This saying seems at odds with earlier teachings about doing things in secret so that our Father, who seeth in secret, can recompense us. One possible explanation is that Jesus is making a slightly different point, one more related to his teaching about not hiding your light under a bushel. If you have discovered something of value, share it, so that others may reap the same benefits.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. For with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. Freely ye received, freely give.

People frequently report that when they do things for others, they invariably get more out of the experience than those who are the recipients of the giving. (Our saying that “it is better to give than to receive” is probably a reflection of this fundamental truth.) Often, the act of giving fills us with a sense of connection and gratitude that we do not get any other way.

Of course, given that all life is one, interconnected whole, this makes perfect sense. When we give to others, we are giving to a whole system that includes ourselves. So we are both the giver and the recipient. It can be no other way.

The condition, however, is that the giving be free – no attachments, no expectations of response, no desire for reciprocity. Freely ye received, freely give.

Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.

This teaching is often interpreted as Jesus acknowledging his own Godhood. It stands in stark contrast to his other teachings, which are all remarkably lacking in self-reference. Because of this, Sharman did not believe this teaching was authentic. We each can draw our own conclusion

82. Parable on the Basis of Justification

If we fully face our own humanity, we will not harshly judge or condemn others, because we understand what it means to say “there but for the grace of God, go I.”

The Pharisee is alienated from his own humanity, and maintains the illusion of superiority. The publican – a sinner in the eyes of Jews for cooperating with the Romans and collecting their taxes – harbors no such illusions, and faces himself head-on.

We are all publicans. We are all Pharisees. The key to it all is acceptance.

83. Teachings About Divorce

In Western society, we have a different attitude about divorce than existed in Jesus’ time. Most of the cultural inhibitions against divorce have worn away, particularly when divorce is motivated by the need to get out of a harmful relationship.

However, even from our modern Western perspective, we can still bridge back and find meaning in Jesus’ words. Once again we have to start from the basic premise that underlies all of Jesus’ teachings: All life is one, interconnected, interdependent whole.

For humans, the most fundamental implication of this oneness is that we all share a common capacity both for evil and for good. When we deny that capacity – when we see only “good” in ourselves while freely projecting “evil” onto others – we split our personality in two, with the repressed aspects forming what psychologist Carl Jung referred to as our “shadow.”

It is our shadow that is the source of much of the conflict in our lives. Having rejected certain qualities in ourselves, we reject them in others as well. Conflict is therefore a signal that tells us that our shadow is at work. It is also an opportunity to look at our shadow, to accept it, and then to integrate it into our conscious personality. In doing so, we resolve the split and become, like the system that created us, “whole.” We are also less likely to project our shadow onto others, giving us the ability to see reality more clearly.

So what does all this have to do with marriage? It is a popular truism that we marry our opposite, thereby creating a union rich in potential conflict. If both parties are aware of the existence of their shadow and understand the need to bring it to consciousness, then the inevitable conflicts of marriage can provide a safe and loving environment within which that can occur. Through this process, each partner is able to integrate “the opposite” represented by the spouse, symbolically becoming, in Jesus’ words, “one flesh.”

84. Essential for Entrance into Kingdom

We have proposed that the kingdom of God is not a place, but an attitude or spirit of acceptance and creative response (love). Above all it is an attitude of being open and receptive to the present moment, free of any baggage from the past.

By “baggage” we mean unconscious conditioning that can interfere with our ability to respond appropriately to the present situation. We’ve probably all had the experience – both personally and observed in others – where a reaction to a situation seemed overblown and inappropriate. That is unconscious conditioning – baggage – at work.

Little children have very little baggage. They are more naturally present, open, and receptive. According to Jesus, a prerequisite for entering the kingdom of God is to clean up our baggage... to deal with our issues so that they do not interfere with our ability to perceive clearly.

[See also “Discourse on the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 7-34), “Limits of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 12-69), “Time of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 13-79) and “Time of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 14-89).]

85. Relation of Possessions to Eternal Life

To enter into the kingdom of God, we must be free of all attachments. We have seen this teaching repeatedly throughout the book. We saw it in Discourse on Standards of Righteousness (Chapter 5, #26), Discourse on the Kingdom of God (Chapter 7, #34), Some Costs of Discipleship (Chapter 10, #49), Some Tests of Discipleship (Chapter 11, #57), The Way of Eternal Life (Chapter 11, #58), Teaching About Reliance on Wealth (Chapter 12, #67), The Costs of Discipleship (Chapter 12, #73), God versus Mammon (Chapter 13, #75), Relations of Possessions to Eternal Life (Chapter 14, #85), and The Rich Publican of Jericho (Chapter 14, #88).

Too much money, it seems, is a huge liability when it comes to entering the kingdom of God. Money brings power and prestige, comfort and acceptance, opportunity and status – all things that people, once they have it, are loathe to give up. The problem, of course, is that all of those things are food for the ego, not the soul.

The promise, however, is that if we are willing to detach from all things temporal – and therefore temporary – we stand to gain much more than we ever loose: we gain our own soul, which is to say our true identity as human beings. What’s more, we stand to inherit not temporal but eternal life – which we interpret not in the apocalyptic sense of living forever in heaven, but in the evolutionary sense of inheriting, and then passing on to subsequent generations, the knowledge that will keep the human species viable into the future.

[See also “Teaching About Reliance on Wealth” (Commentary 12-67), “God vs. Mammon” (Commentary 13-75), “The Rich Publican of Jericho” (Commentary 14-88).]

86. Parable on the Basis of Reward

In this parable, the householder is God. The laborers are those who agree to do God’s work. Whether we begin that work in the spring of our lives or in the winter, the reward is the same: We find our true selves.

87. Teaching on Standards of Greatness

This is similar to an earlier passage titled Teachings on Greatness.

Once again we see that the disciples – in this case James and John – are still under the spell of the apocalyptic vision: they ask Jesus for the right to sit on his right and left hand in the kingdom. Jesus mildly rebukes them saying they know not what they ask. Jesus, no doubt fully aware that he will be crucified, and equally aware that James and John have a very different expectation as to how things will turn out, asks them if they are able to accept his same fate: “Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” The disciples say yes, not understanding Jesus’ true meaning. Aware of, but not outwardly acknowledging the misunderstanding, Jesus says, ok then. The same fate awaits you. But will your crucifix be on my right or my left? That is not for me to say.

And then Jesus goes into a familiar teaching about greatness. It is not about status and power and prestige – sitting on Jesus’ right or left – but about having knowledge of the things that make for life, and helping other people gain that same knowledge. Serving people – helping them find and travel the path toward a personal relationship with God – is the highest calling.

[See also “Teaching on Greatness,” Commentary 10-51.]

88. The Rich Publican of Jericho

Zacchaeus is a publican – a tax collector for the Romans. That would make him unpopular among the Jew’s rank and file.

Clearly Zacchaeus has heard of Jesus, has a good impression of him, and is eager to meet him. Jesus likewise may have been told of Zacchaeus by disciples who scouted the town prior to Jesus’ arrival. So when Jesus sees a man small of stature up in a sycamore tree, he has a pretty good idea who it is. Also, having likely been told of his receptivity, Jesus probably sees Zacchaeus’ as a good prospect and so declares his intention to visit Zacchaeus at his home, where presumably they spend some quality time together.

Once again, Jesus association with “sinners” does not go down well with the Jewish leadership, who view such people as pariahs. As we’ve seen, Jesus has a different perspective about sinners: because of their ostracism they are often the ones most open to his message. Clearly he was right about Zacchaeus, who, upon hearing Jesus’ teachings, decides to make full retribution for anything he may have done wrongfully.

[See also “Teaching About Reliance on Wealth” (Commentary 12-67), “God vs. Mammon” (Commentary 13-75), “Relation of Possessions to Eternal Life” (Commentary 14-85).]

89. Time of the Kingdom of God

Throughout his ministry, Jesus has been trying, with seemingly limited success, to give a new definition of the kingdom of God. We see it in his Discourse on the Kingdom of God, Teaching on Forgiveness, Parable on Forgiveness, Teaching on Tolerance, The Way of Eternal Life, The Definition of Neighbor, Limits of the Kingdom of God, Parables on the Worth of Sinners, Parable on the Basis of Justification, Essential for Entrance into Kingdom, and Parable on the Basis of Reward, among other teachings.

In all of these teachings, Jesus attempts to dispel the notion that the kingdom of God “will come about through violence,” where God descends to earth to cast the evil people into fire while raising the good people to heaven. The kingdom of God that Jesus talks about is one of compassion, mercy, acceptance and understanding.

And how will this kingdom be realized? Not when God descends from his heavenly throne. It will come when people start living it – when we use our “talents” in the service of God to create the kingdom here on earth, rather than hiding our talents away where they do no good.

God is not going to save us. But He has given us what we need to save ourselves.

[See also “Discourse on the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 7-34), “Limits of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 12-69), “Time of the Kingdom of God” (Commentary 13-79) and “Essential for Entrance into Kingdom” (Commentary 14-84).]

90. Jesus Enters Jerusalem as Popular Leader

After about one year of teaching in the cities and villages on the outskirts of Judea, Jesus finally comes to Jerusalem, the spiritual epicenter of his people’s religion. What’s more, he comes during the preparation for Passover, one of the holiest of Jewish celebrations. It is a calculated moment to enter the holy city, because it promises to give Jesus his greatest audience, and his greatest impact.

It is clear from the first part of this passage that as Jesus enters Jerusalem, he receives a hero’s welcome. In fact, his reception is so enthusiastic that Jesus is moved to declare it virtually uncontainable: “I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.”

This outpouring was not some happy accident, but the outcome of a calculated strategy. Jesus knew that when he came to Jerusalem, he would be entering the lion’s den – the power base of the Jewish leadership who were most threatened by his teachings. By first preaching in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, beyond the clutches of those who would destroy him, he knew he would build up a following that would give him some protection when he finally came to preach in his enemies’ midst.

It would be a strategy that would only buy Jesus so much time, as he seemed fully aware. In the next passage, Jesus foreshadows his fate when he says: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her!” It appears his anguish is not so much over his personal fate as the fate of his people. Because they would not heed his message, he sees clearly the coming annihilation at the hands of the Romans: “For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another…”

And finally we have the last paragraph, where Jesus, while in Jerusalem, does a little reconnaissance – checking out the situation in the temple before retreating to Bethany, where we can imagine he is making his plans for the next day.

91. Jesus Casts Commerce from the Temple

This passage is often used to make the point that even Jesus could lose his temper if given sufficient cause. This interpretation, however, is not consistent with the Jesus we have come to know. The Jesus we have studied has taught that we should love, not resist, our enemy; that we should live in a state of constant forgiveness; and that we should be merciful, even as our Father is merciful. Is he now, in this final stage of his mission, throwing all of his teachings out the window? The suggestion here is, not likely.

Instead, it makes more sense to view this as a calculated act. Our first clue is in the final paragraph in the last section, where we read that Jesus enters the temple and “when he had looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.”

Jesus, no doubt an extraordinary tactician, came the day before to take in the situation in the temple, so that he could evolve a conscious, premeditated plan – one that he may have finalized in prayer during his rest time in Bethany. And to what purpose? To make an impact, gain attention, and draw a following, so that he may quickly begin what he came there to do: Teach.

92. Jesus Teaches in the Temple

Here is Jesus, in Jerusalem, in the temple, at the time of Passover, teaching a radically new understanding of humankind’s relationship to God while undermining the authority of the Jewish leadership. It is amazingly bold.

Given the threatening nature of Jesus’ message, the Jewish leaders were not pleased. But their hands seemed tied: Jesus was a popular figure, protected by the multitudes. That, and the fact that in the evening Jesus always left Jerusalem to stay in Bethany, frustrated their attempts to have him arrested.

93. Jewish Rulers Challenge Authority of Jesus

In this passage the chief priests, scribes and elders are trying to trap Jesus. If Jesus were to answer that he was given his authority by God, they would attempt to discredit him as a heretic. But Jesus cleverly avoids their trap by setting his own, asking them first to answer the question whether the baptism of John was from heaven or from men – which he knows they cannot answer honestly. Like Jesus, John was well loved by the people; and, again as with Jesus, that popularity helped protect him from persecution. At least for a while.

94. Parables in Condemnation of Jewish Leaders

And Jesus began to speak unto them in parables:

A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in the vineyard. And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

What think ye? Whether of the twain did the will of his father? They say, The first.

Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him.

Jesus here conveys a simple message: To acknowledge wrong-doing and make amends brings us closer to the kingdom of God than to do wrong and hide from that truth.

In the kingdom of God, when you see the need for change, you change.

Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder, which planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a pit for the winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. And at the season of the fruits he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruits of the vineyard. And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and him they wounded in the head, and handled shamefully, and sent him away empty. And he sent another; and him they killed: and many others; beating some, and killing some. And the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my son: it may be they will reverence him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one with another, saying, This is the heir: let us kill him and take his inheritance. And they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do unto them? He will come and destroy those husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

We have seen throughout our study that Jesus believed that the Jewish religious leaders had abdicated their responsibility to God and failed to serve the interests of their people – instead, they used their authority to advance their own cause and to gain status, prestige, wealth, and power.

This parable continues that criticism. It is a searing indictment of the Jewish leadership’s corruption – an unambiguous accusation that they had betrayed the word of God to satisfy their own egocentric desires. And it is delivered at the heart of the leadership’s power-base.

In this parable, the householder is God. The husbandmen represent the Jewish leadership, who are given the responsibility of nurturing their people’s spiritual growth (represented by the vineyard). But the husbandmen have gone astray, perverting their responsibilities for selfish gains. When the people come to reap the fruit of the husbandmen’s knowledge of the way of God, they end up betrayed and mistreated and led further from truth rather than closer. Dismayed at their behavior, the householder then sends his son – symbolic of a prophet – in the hopes that this will gain the husbandmen’s attention and motivate them to mend their ways. But the son too is rejected, and killed.

Jesus’ parable ends with a prophesy: That God’s mission for the Jews – which Jesus believed was to bring the knowledge of the path to God to the Jews and Gentiles alike – would be taken from them and passed on to others.

And Jesus spake again a parable unto them, saying, A certain king made a marriage feast for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast. And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found: and the wedding was filled with guests.

The marriage feast is the kingdom of God, and the king’s chosen people are all invited to enter. But like the husbandmen in the previous parable, they ignore the king’s request and go about laying up treasure among men – “one to his farm, another to his merchandise.” So what does the king do? He invites others in their place. Once again, Jesus is saying that because the Jewish elders have turned a deaf ear to God’s will, the mission of bringing the knowledge of the way to enlightenment to all humanity shall pass on to others.

95. Efforts to Accumulate Evidence Against Jesus

And they watched Jesus, and sent forth spies, which feigned themselves to be righteous, that they might take hold of his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor.

And when they were come, they say unto him, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and sayest and teachest rightly, and carest not for anyone: for thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way of God. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?

But Jesus perceived their craftiness, and said, Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a denarius. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

And they were not able to take hold of the saying before the people: and they marveled at his answer, and held their peace.

Once again the Jewish elders are trying to trick Jesus into saying something that will get him in trouble – this time with the Roman authorities. But again Jesus is far too clever, giving an answer that is at once unambiguous, yet completely sidesteps the trap set for him.

And there came to Jesus certain of the Sadducees, they which say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, that if a man’s brother die, having a wife, and he be childless, his brother should take the wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died childless; and the second; and the third took her; and likewise the seven also left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife of them shall she be? for the seven had her to wife.

Jesus said unto them, Is it not for this cause that ye err, that ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of God? The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage: for neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

But that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. Ye do greatly err.

And when the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Let’s imagine that thus far the Jewish elders have found themselves outsmarted by this upstart prophet at every turn. Each trap they have set, Jesus has avoided – and in the process the elders have most likely felt embarrassed, humiliated and frustrated. With that as a backdrop, it is easy to imagine the delight of the Sadducees when they finally confront Jesus with what is clearly an unsolvable riddle, at least for anyone who believes in the resurrection -- which they seemed to assume that Jesus did.

The problem is simple: A woman, who had married and been widowed by seven brothers in succession, but bore no children with any of them, dies. In the resurrection – where God raises from the dead all true believers and restores their human form and lifts them up to heaven to be reunited with their families – whose wife would she be?

Jesus’ response seems to be along the line of, “You guys must be kidding. If you had even a clue about what is in the realm of possibility and what is not, you would never ask such a question.” He then goes into what seems to be a very different conceptualization of the afterlife and of the resurrection than his inquisitors. Clearly Jesus does not believe in a physical resurrection, but rather a spiritual one, and in such a resurrection there is no marriage as we conceive it here. That is why he says to the Sadducees “ye do greatly err.”

He goes on to make the point that, in any case, we need to consider the things which make for life, rather than what happens after death. It is the here and now that should command our attention.

And the scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery; and having set her in the midst, they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her?

And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him.

But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst. And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are they? did no man condemn thee? And she said, No man, Master. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.

While the meaning in this passage is clear, it is worthwhile to reflect on how intelligently and creatively Jesus deals with what is a life and death situation -- both for the accused woman and for him.

The woman’s life hangs in the balance because she has been accused of adultery, the punishment for which is death by stoning. Apparently a crowd of people have gathered, ready to carry out the sentence. At the same time, Jesus is aware that the Jewish authorities are using this situation as bait: If he wants to save the woman’s life, which the leadership knows would be his desire, he can only do so by contradicting Jewish law, in turn making him vulnerable to arrest.

But once again Jesus is able to out-maneuver his enemies. Rather than attack the validity of the law, he simply sets out a condition for its execution: whoever is without sin, cast the first stone.

As we study Jesus it is hard not to marvel at the intelligence, presence of mind and creativity he brings to whatever situation is thrust before him.

And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that Jesus had answered them well, asked him a question: Teacher, what commandment is the first of all?

Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord the God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

And the scribe said unto Jesus, Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast well said that he is one; and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.

And no man after than durst ask Jesus any question.

Here again we have the essence of Jesus’ teaching – what is referred to as the first and second commandment. The commandments have a prologue: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. That statement alone is worth a lifetime of pondering and investigation. Why is it at the beginning of the teaching? And what is meant by that word, “God”? Our mind struggles to comprehend. Some call God ultimate reality; some ultimate mystery; others truth and spirit; still others, love. Jesus spoke of God the father. We also speak of God as creator, the source of all life. And we speak of doing God’s will – indicating that we believe God has an intention, a direction, a purpose. All of these – and much more -- are aspects of what we mean when we say God.

What does it mean to say God is one? And why is that such an important insight? Earlier Jesus expanded on the meaning of God’s oneness: “For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and his rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” In other words, there is one creator, one creation, one “set of rules” that applies to everyone. All of us are equally subject to God’s will – which we primarily experience through the laws of cause and effect.

If all creation is one interconnected whole, then alienation from any aspect of creation is ultimately dysfunctional and unsustainable. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” As human beings, we mostly experience alienation in our relationships with each other. By alienation we mean a subjective attitude or feeling of rejection, anger, hurt; or lack of forgiveness, mercy or compassion. When we are in such a state we are not happy – perhaps an evolutionary mechanism meant to motivate us to resolve our alienation so that a deeper, more satisfying existence can be achieved.

If you think about it, all alienation is the result of an unmet expectation. There was something that we wanted that we did not get. Usually it comes down to not getting love, although its manifestation may take myriad forms, such as not getting approval, respect, obedience, admiration, to name just a few. By letting go of these expectations, by being willing to surrender and go deep into the abyss to confront our worst fear – that we are unlovable -- we learn that there, at the foundation of our existence, our very soul, we are one with a magnificent, awesome and mysterious process that goes back to the beginning of time.

We realize, in short, that we have been, and continue to be, loved into existence.

But seeing that truth requires a total surrender, which is why the first commandment is to love God totally -- with all our soul, mind, heart and strength. Loving God totally requires that we surrender our own ego-driven priorities and desires. We put nothing ahead of our commitment to discover and do God’s will.

The first commandment is the pathway to freedom, to realizing who we truly are. The second commandment is the gymnasium within which the first commandment is exercised. Love your neighbor as yourself. How we treat others is a measure of how deeply we are aware of our own identity as a vehicle of God’s will and spirit.

All this and more is implied by Jesus’ teaching. And it may be that the scribe to whom he is speaking actually understands these implications. So why then does Jesus say that he is not far from the kingdom of God? Why is he not in the kingdom? Because understanding is only part of the requirement. We also have to live it.

96. Discourse in Condemnation of Scribes and Pharisees

In this section Jesus is addressing two different audiences: The Jewish leadership, and the people those leaders supposedly serve.

For the people, Jesus has a singular message: put no other human being between you and a personal, autonomous relationship with God. Anyone who asks to be called teacher, or master, or father, or in any other way tries to insert themselves as an intermediary, is on a power trip. In contrast, a genuine spiritual guide would present him or herself humbly, without self-aggrandizing interests, desiring only to serve those in need.

Jesus obviously believed the scribes and Pharisees were of the power trip variety, and so made them a target of unrelenting condemnation. Why? Didn’t this just increase their desire to have him arrested and put to death? Why exacerbate the situation with fiery polemics?

One possible explanation is that Jesus felt that exposing the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees was absolutely necessary if the people were to wake up and take responsibility for their own spiritual journey. Regarded by the people as learned interpreters of Jewish law, the scribes and Pharisees were looked to for instruction and guidance. But as we have seen, their teachings were formal and legalistic, emphasizing form over substance, ritual observance over a genuine connection with truth and spirit….with God.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and integrity. Ye blind guides, which strain out the gnat and swallow the camel.

Perhaps most egregiously of all, they became corrupted by power --- using their position to gain wealth, status and prestige.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Ignorant themselves of the requirements to enter the kingdom of God, they demanded people’s compliance to rules and customs that often served only to line their own pockets with gold.