I woke up really early this morning, and enjoyed an extended time of prayer and blessing. You were all there 😊

I am reminded this morning of something that was spoken to me yesterday by a good friend, someone who knows me well. “You’re becoming so Christian lately.” I had to laugh, and then to ponder. I am drawn to learn more about the Master Teacher Yeshua…at least as much as we can presume to know about his life and teachings. Why is this important to me? Because whether or not I am aware of it, the Christian tradition is woven into the very fabric of the culture I live in, and therefore, into the very fabric of my being. I am affected by it ways that go deep into my subconscious. So, rather than having the literal interpretations of the stories that I was raised with, or that I have come to be aware of, floating around, making no sense, and maybe creating unwanted messages in my subconscious, I am choosing to dig deeper, to consciously give meaning to these impactful stories.

I was first taken by a fact that, while somewhat obvious, had never occurred to me before; although I have been exposed to a more literal Western interpretation of the sacred scriptures we call The Holy Bible, they were actually written in the East. Traditionally, Eastern authors have told their stories through such literary forms as mythology, legends, sagas, parables, and poetry. All of these forms are rich in symbolism and attempt to offer lessons of one form or another. None of them are meant to be strictly historical or literally-interpreted (although some historical figures or events may be included). That said, I am moved to look once again at Holy Week and the gifts that it offers as we move into Good Friday.

Here is the basic story line: Jesus had travelled into Jerusalem the previous Sunday to celebrate the Passover, as was (as is) customary for the Jewish people. The people who followed him, as well as those who welcomed him, believed him to be their new King, come to rule…politically, as well as spiritually. They believed that somehow this man would save them from their difficult conditions, from the political corruption of their government…would do their spiritual work for them (my own interpretation). Fast forward five days, and Jesus is on trial. Much of what I have studied tells me that the Roman leaders saw no harm in what Jesus was teaching. It was the people, his own people, that called for his crucifixion. When he refused to take a political role, they became fearful, and that fear turned to anger.

The disciples, who were closer to understanding his message, couldn’t believe that this man who was supposed to save them was being put to death. But the majority of the citizens spoke out against Jesus. We are all familiar with what a mob mentality is and how quickly it can get out of hand. It seems that this is what happened. And the key to the story is that Jesus savvy enough to know it would happen, that it needed to happen for his message to survive him.

In John 16:7 Jesus tells his disciples: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” The Master is telling the students that they have become too dependent on him; as long as he is alive, they will lean on him…make him their god, rather than developing their own relationships to the Divine.  For me, this story holds a powerful message. First, it tells us that when we expect another to carry us through life, we will experience disappointment; no one can do our Work for us. Second, when we give our power to another, we experience painful disempowerment; we are unable to take dominion, to guide ourselves to our rightful place, to our full potential. In the story, if Jesus lives on, his disciples will continue to worship him instead of claiming and embodying their own Divinity.

In John 12:34, it says this: “The crowd responded, ‘We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die (will be lifted up)? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?’” Well, in the story, the people are talking about Jesus. But those who study sacred scriptures tell us that every character in every story represents aspects of us. The Son of Man that must be lifted up here is ‘everyman’, me and you. It is that within us that gives away our power and authority to friends, family, the government, the economy, our history…basically, to our story. What the Teacher is trying to tell us is that each of us is the Christ (king, ruler) of our lives. Each of us has complete Spiritual Authority, given as our Divine Birthright. We have only to recognize and make conscious use of it to experience the miraculous effects in our lives. “These things and greater will you do.” (John 14:12)

For me, this is the message of Good Friday. We must allow our erroneous human thinking to be crucified (crossed out). We can then reorganize our thinking and realign ourselves with the Divine Mind, raising ourselves to a greater experience of life. This can only happen as we stand in our own power, not allowing ourselves to be distracted or led by other people, things, or situations. And when we forget, when we fall, we forgive our stinkin’ thinkin’ and move on. “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

I hope this offers food for thought…shines a little Light on Scripture and into your day.

May we all be well…stay in touch…know our Unity…and thrive!

And may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day…