Jesus Ain’t Candy-coated
Dec 25th, 2007 by Brian Robertson
Dear Reverend;
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Missed your message the last few days.
Question:
I don’t understand some of the gospel and I do understand Ramakrishna, Hazrat Kahn, Rabbi Schapiro, The Dalai Lama, Paramahansa Yogananda etc etc.
For example where Christ says you think I came to bring peace but I came to cause trouble, and Husbands cleave to your wife vs leave everything and follow me.
Sometime when you have time let me know your thoughts.
I have tried asking the Spirit and The answer is no answer Kind of like when St. Augustine asked God to show him the mystery of the Trinity—”can you count the grains of sand on the beach?
Peace, Pax te cum, blessings.
Bob Bollinger
Well, first off, Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I’m familiar with most of the people you mentioned, especially Ramakrishna. I often wished that Jesus had someone like Ramakrishna — “M” was a disciple who followed him around and dutifully recorded just about everything that was said!
Part of the problem lies in the fact that there are places where, owing to memory as stories progressed through generations, translation, theological wranglings and rewrites and more, we can often sense the spirit of Jesus behind some of the sayings attributed to him, but the fact remains that some of those recorded sayings that show up in one of a zillion modern translations may be contradictory or confusing.
Then again, word meanings change or are glossed over. The example you gave above, for instance, is one of my favorite sayings. Jesus basically said, “Don’t think I bring peace but, rather, a sword….” (Matthew 10:34). First and foremost, I think we have to remember that Jesus’ idea of peace wasn’t lack of struggle, but, rather, the absence of Love. Secondly, the saying seems to be saying that traditions were being uprooted. The idea of an intermediary between a person and God — a teacher, rabbi, priest — was no longer valid, because God’s approach was direct to the very heart of each person. Relationships based on the traditional view — father/son, brother/sister, etc — were apt to be strained to the point of breaking, with one side going this way and the other that way when it came to Jesus and his message.
There’s one other rather fascinating angle, which is why I love that particular verse so much and it’s mention of the “sword.” If you know Ramakrishna, then you probably realize that his foremost disciple was given the name Vivekananda, which means “discrimination” (viveke) and “bliss” (ananda). What is interesting is that in traditional religious circles, there is such a thing as the “sword of discrimination.” This is not to be thought of as discrimination in the sense of racial discrimination, but rather, discrimination in terms of discriminating or being able to see and tell apart the differences between the mundane and the holy, the world and the kingdom of heaven or, on a more personal basis, the ego and the spirit that is infused by the Spirit.
I suppose at the heart of it all, we have to realize that all is not as easy as some would have us believe, certainly not if we are to follow the teachings and meanings of Jesus. There are “hard sayings” that pop up here and there, and certainly the verse you cited is one of them. I can only say, again, that The Way is not and has never been easy, unless one chooses to simply assent to a creed and be done with it, although Jesus seemed to show little in the way of patience for people such as that in his journeys. We will find that our travels toward God through Jesus can alienate or totally destroy relationships that depend upon not who you are but, rather, by what you believe; and we can look at Jesus’ commitment to the truth and to God’s Presence that, ultimately, cost him his life and realize that Jesus was not always the Hallmark Card caricature of himself so often presented.
I hope that rambling helped. I really meant to make it shorter and it, well, sort of got out of hand!
Merry Christmas, all.
Blessings,
Brian Robertson
Technorati Tags: christian, christian mystic, jesus, God, not peace but a sword, hard sayings of Jesus, spiritual growth, ramakrishna, vivekananda
Greetings, y bienvenidos:
I have recently, within the last year, become more interested in studying about Christian mystics. I am somewhat familiar, in a general way. However, I am interested in studying more.
I would appreciate suggestions about approprieate readings, etc.
Because I am a new student, I am interested in general, more basic information. Information that would give a solid information base is what I am interested in at this point.
I would appreciate communication along these lines. Obviously, I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the width and breadth of knowledge out there in comparision with my limited knowledge base.
Thanks so much for helping,
Sra. Debra
I love the “contradictory” statements of Christ. The truth is always in paradox.
“The path into the light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems weak,
true purity seems tarnished,
true steadfastness seems changable,
true clarity seems obscure,
the greatest art seems unsophisticated,
the greatest love seems indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.”
- Tao Te Ching
Dear Brian and friends,
The sword of truth and the fire of spirit, when applied to a self-obsessed ego/personality, can be a pretty miserable experience. From the perspective of the ego, the spiritual life should be all about the reduction of suffering and increasing joy. Yet Jesus tells us that if we are going to follow him then we better be ready to hang on the cross with him. We better be ready for the various parts of our personalities and relationships to be set at odds with each other and severely tested; for all our sins to be dragged out before us into the light of clear perception. And then, once we have experienced all that purgation and purification, then we get the special blessing of deeper suffering with and for others, just as Jesus weeping for the mourners of Lazarus. Of course, even then we still have egos and personal desires and, like Jesus, we may sweat blood over the trials we know we still have to face.
None of this is to say that the Christ Path is nothing but a way of suffering; rather, suffering is put into a new context, one that less often magnifies or prolongs suffering by trying to deny or escape it. This context is the Kingdom of Heaven where everything, from the most horrible pains to the greatest pleasures, are tested by and sacrificed to the law of Love, and that, of course, is how we know real peace rather than our egoic “Cloud 9″ fantasies.
The Lord knows I don’t live up to the example of courage, strength and compassion set by Jesus.
Peace,
Chuck
I cannot deny that I think *some degree* of candy-coating not to be a Bad thing at all. No, indeed! You know: “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down…”. Very true. So I will take a Jesus that is candy-coated and colored in pink velvet (I actually saw this pink, velvet coated figurine of Jesus at Border’s bookstore, recently). Maybe all this is offensive to some (for my being “sacrilegious” or because I am “weak”). But sweetness can and does enchant me. And that is not wrong. It does not, of my own “sword”, make to be dulled, if I acknowledge that a veneer of candy coating and candy colors can be a lovely dream of beauty, especially if not mistaken for the complete entirity of what one is seeking. My bias, also, is that there is a bit too much Puritanism and love of suffering in the world, that seems to seep itself into most everything. I can acknowledge pain and sorrow and truth and strength, as well as all the rest, but I must have my measure of whatever might be labeled “frivolous”, too.
Mea,
Thanks for many true words! As is so often case, balance and harmony are hallmarks of Spirit, and Spirit loves to laugh and play.
Blessings,
Chuck
Or, to put a slightly different twist on the line of thought…
“Believe nothing, no matter where you have read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own wisdom and common sense.”
- Buddha
Do not believe what is written if it contradicts Jesus as you have come to know him, unless is it part of a broader theme in your studies that suggests an evolution of your understanding.
Do not believe what is written if it contradicts Jesus as you have come to know him, unless is it part of a broader theme in your studies that suggests an evolution of your understanding.
Thank you Malachi, I like that…
How I see it:
The sword is the words and actions of Jesus that will divide the church, pitting the church and it’s family members against each other and eventually destroying it. Jesus’ message is one of peace, but not peace at no cost. There is always a sacrifice, hence the crucifixion. I don’t think it’s about violence as much as it is about shattering the belief system held by the people at that time.
I’m sorry to post a comment in the archives but I had to share an insight on this passage and hope that somewhere down the line it might help someone else.
If you don’t understand this passage… try showing love to someone that a friend or family member hates. Whether it has to do with race, class, past misunderstandings, what have you. I have seen people I thought I knew become irrational with anger because I refused to dislike or shun someone because they didn’t like them or approve. Showing love to one’s enemies can seriously divide a family and break a friendship.
It also sheds some real light on ‘out of the heart, the mouth speaketh.’
Wonderful, comment, Allan, and feel free to comment on ANY post, old or new. Hope people will take the time to discover what your wrote!
Brian
Allan’s comment brings to mind what happened to Richard Gere when he was booed at a 9/11 benefit concert for the following statement:
“The horrendous energy that we’re all feeling, and the possibility of turning it into more violence, and revenge, we can stop that. We can take that energy and turn it into something else. We can turn it into compassion, and to love, and to understanding.”
It’s a startling thing to hear people boo “compassion, love, and understanding,” but I think this is a good example of the kind of going-against-the-grain Jesus calls us to.
Brian W. I would agree with your evaluation of what Jesus was trying to express. I think if speaks to something very close to the core of mankind and that is the sense that we must some how belong to “the group”.
I have seen this in post on other forums and in my own personal life. For example there is alot being written and said about leaving the institutional church. It is very interesting to see how these people who have left the “group” have begun to form their own group and how those who do not strictly fit into what they are preaching at the time, well they are scorned and pushed away. Of course this can be seen in many other examples throughout life which to me speaks volumes to what Jesus was eluding to his teachings.
We seem to get a glimmer of understanding and begin to pursue that sliver of truth and it becomes a group or ministry or theology and so on. That opening of understanding given by the Spirit once again becomes lost or hidden. I wonder why this continually happens? I am speaking in a broad sense from my own observation, this observation of course has its exceptions. Maybe the confusion of the issue of belonging to the group comes from a clouded view of what love really is. Do we not equate popularity with love and acceptance, and being alone with rejection and a lack of love? Could this be what Jesus was trying to teach us, He wanted us to see the true meaning of love?
Just a thought…