What Jesus Demonstrated ... and Demonstrates

Building on the past 3 days' posts ... (don't start here! go back and begin on the 11th!).

Here's what I'm seeing Jesus demonstrated, and demonstrates, for us:

~ Jesus shows us God's nature. Which is love. "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father." Jesus is our plumbline. Our lens. Through Him, we view the Father ... and through Him we can tell what of the Hebrew scriptures are actually God, and what is instead the ego-perspective of man, projected onto God. Everything about God comes out of His love -- even what we would egoically describe as His "wrath." God is in the healing business, not the punishment business.

~ Jesus shows us what's *not* working. For instance, the entire measure-up system of Judaism (of mankind, period!). Jesus shows us the folly of conventional wisdom, of status quo, of group think. Jesus highlights our egoic insanity. The wisdom of Jesus is subversive/alternative wisdom. Which is the very wisdom of God.

~ Jesus shows us that the gospel and salvation are not what we think they are today. We think it means "accepting that Jesus died in your place, to appease the justice-demand of God." Adjust according to your own denominational background. However, Jesus was instructing the disciples to spread the gospel before the crucifixion and resurrection. And, Jesus was declaring folks saved, before the crucifixion and resurrection (further, David was claiming salvation in the psalms). The disciples couldn't fathom Jesus dying, much less resurrecting. And they couldn't have faith in something that wouldn't occur to them.

~ Jesus shows us that all is fulfilled. According to Jesus, until *all* that was in the law and the prophets (including the prophecies of His parousia/return) was fulfilled, not the smallest portion (not a jot nor tittle) would pass from the Law. IOW, if Jesus hasn't returned (albeit quite differently than the traditions of man describe), then we are all still under the Law, and in the old covenant.

~ Jesus shows us that all are One. Beyond the prayer before the crucifixion, He claimed that whatever we do or do not do to each other, we do or do not do to Him.

~ Jesus shows us that death is not the end of life, but a transition, much like birth is. His body stopped working, but His life went on. Paul says that just as we were crucified with Him, we were resurrected with Him. All life is God's life, and all life is eternal. That's just the nature of life. Death is an illusion.

~ Jesus shows us that the Kingdom of God/Heaven (He used them interchangeably), is not "what happens to us after we die", but that it is here, now, at hand, in our midst, within us. Jesus even used two "unclean" images to define the Kingdom -- a woman spreading yeast in flour -- it permeates the flour, slowly, incrementally, ever-spreading 'til it takes over. NOT a sudden-shift. The Kingdom is that which we experience when we let go of the ego's perspective, and see with God's perspective.

~ Jesus shows us that we need eyes to see. Jesus speaks more about blindness/seeing than about any other paradox, including righteousness/unrighteousness. We need a new perspective, not a new ontology.

~ Jesus shows us that there is no duality in God's perspective. God declared everything "very good" (and never took it back). We are *still* to stay out of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (the perspective of judgment), and instead to eat of the tree of life.

~ Jesus shows us that we are connected to God. The leaders confronted Jesus, asking Him, "do you think you're one with God?" His answer? "Do your scriptures not say, 'you are all gods?'" If you read Psalm 82, which He is quoting, and check out the meaning of the words, you can see that He did not mean "judges" -- which doesn't fit the context. Jesus is telling us who we really ARE - if we have ears to hear, and eyes to see..! IF we can bear it.

I've been accused of arrogance, by "bringing Jesus down to our level." But Jesus already did that. Jesus was a human. Son of Man was how He described Himself. And yes, of course, He was also Son of God. Jesus brings us to HIS level ... to show us that our true identity is In Christ. We are all Sons/Daughters of God -- children of the Most High. God's offspring.

It's truly arrogant to insist, "I'm not part of God -- I'm separate from God!" We only think that's humble. True humility is to see as God sees. So, ask Him to show you how He sees you!

We are Spirit-beings, currently having an earthly/human experience. We came from God, and we return to God. We are God-manifested in physicality .. and all life is God's life.

It is my passion to be set free from all the lies I've ever believed ... and to be a contagious/infections catalyst that inspires others to be set free as well.

May we come to live and breathe our truest/highest/deepest identity ... may we live as we are One ... with God, and with each other.

Shalom, Dena


(The past four posts summarize what I said to the folks at the Baytown conference ... you can compare my memory with what you hear, once the links are available. Oh - and I said a lot more about sex ... but I'll be sharing the video of that aspect tomorrow ...!)