Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Fri, 16 Oct 1992 09:33:53 CDT
From:         Michael Million <MM24681@UAFSYSB.BITNET>
Subject:      Teachings of Jesus/Special versus Universal

 When the Jewish peoples came out of Babylonian captivity, they made
 every effort to destroy all written material about their secular
 history.  They rewrote their king's earthly doings so to establish a
 'divine' link between these kings (Saul, David) and the prophets
 (Samual, for example) of the One God.  Establishing their cultural com-
 munity as the 'chosen people' of God accomodated their human desires
 of pride and 'divine' vengence in the re-establishment of their self-
 rule.  Generations of believing such a history caused them to not
 recognize the Son of God when he appeared on earth.
 The Jewish leaders were expecting the *Jewish Messiah* to come forth
 and proclaim their 'kingdom' on earth in their time so to vindicate
 their long suffering.  Jesus' message of the universal brotherhood of
 man and a spiritual kingdom in heaven did not appeal to their need to
 be special; it was not enough for them that all are _individually_
 special to the Father.  When the Son of God pronounced the message of
 universal salvation, the religious leaders were offended and fearful
 that such a message might prove the eventual disruption of their
 'special' ways and even take over the whole world!  To the Jewish, the
 kingdom was their _community_, to the gentiles the kingdom was their
 _church_ but to Jesus the kingdom did and still does consist of ALL
 MEN.

 Today, the 'Christian Faith' labors under the false assumptions of a
 similar nature.  They have presumed to have a special place in the
 mediation of eternal salvation for men and it is an embarrassment to
 them.  But worse yet, many good souls with honest hearts are turned
 away from this church because it declares to hold this 'specialness.'
 Honest hearts know that whatever spiritual potentials are awaiting
 them personally, must be awaiting all men ... for a divine plan must
 be fair and just by definition.

 The teachings of Jesus are of an eternal nature; he has told us that
 he will not let us forget them.  He, of course, has been true to his
 word as he has provided us not only with the Spirit of Truth in each of
 our hearts but also a detailed accounting of his life and teachings
 written by the very celestial personalities that have helped and still
 do help him administer this most unusual of worlds.  We recognize, in
 our hearts, his true teachings and thus it will always be.  The stag-
 nation of spiritual advance due to the secularization, fossilization
 and corruption of eternal truths by man-made interpetations and trad-
 itions can prevail for but a short time.  The living, latent potentials
 of the true teachings of Jesus will bloom one day soon on our earth.
 It is a tragedy indeed that those who profess to be his followers
 shrink from his calling and his simple and well-defined requirements.
 The very church which professes his name does not yet recognize that
 his actual teachings have been placed at its doorstep.  The call to
 universal truths actually scares the leaders of this church for it
 demands that they give up their 'special' claims.  I ask you, would
 Jesus recognize the 'Christian church' today as his own?  And, does
 this church recognize the teachings of Jesus?

 Jesus did have to die in the physical sense to complete his mortal
 bestowal.  He did not have to be tortured and crucified.  This perver-
 sity was the handywork of the secular and religious leaders of his day.
 He willingly paid the price of *human* bigotry, religious prejudice
 and spiritual blindness.  It is a crass human notion that entertains
 the idea that the ever-merciful Father would demand Jesus so sacrifice
 himself for the misdeeds of mortals.  Jesus' willingness to die such
 an ignoble death was for the purpose of illuminating divine love and
 the power it has to consume error and wrongdoing.  Can we learn by
 the mistakes of previous generations?

 Do we hear his words?  Do we heed his call?  Who among us is special?

                                a brother in Jesus,  Michael