"What do you want?" "Come, and you will see." (John 1:37-39)

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?" "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. (John 1:35-39)

Why were they so interested in where Jesus was staying?

Jesus is responding to two of John the Baptist’s disciples, who asked:

"Rabbi, where are you staying?" (John 1:38).

After being asked this, Jesus wants to show these disciples of John where he is staying. He is being completely upfront. He has nothing to hide from them. So he invites them to come with him and see for themselves where he was staying.

But why were these disciples of John so interested in Jesus all of a sudden? It is because John the Baptist - their spiritual teacher - told his two students:

“Look, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36)

What does 'Lamb of God' mean?

This is a very practical statement. What is a “lamb” of someone else? A lamb is a subservient animal - one who defers to the herder. This is, in other words, an analogy. 'Lamb of God' is describing one who is humbly devoted to the Supreme Being.

This is not how many people like to translate the word lamb. They like to think of lamb as an animal that gets slaughtered because they slaughter lambs and eat them. 

However, we know that John the Baptist did not eat lamb:

His food was locusts and wild honey. (Matt. 3:4)

Was John the Baptist a vegetarian?

"Locusts" - from the Greek word ἀκρίς (akris) - does not refer to the insect, but rather, to the pods of the locust tree - which contain the carob bean. (They were called 'locusts' because the shape of the pods resembled the appearance of the locust insect - giving rise to the term, "locust tree.")

We also know from descriptions of Jesus, that Jesus did not eat red meat. Thus we can understand that when Jesus' teacher, John the Baptist, referred to Jesus as the "lamb of God" he was not referring to Jesus being slaughtered. John was referring to Jesus as being someone who was devoted to the Supreme Being.

Jesus also referred to himself this way later:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

In other words, a lamb of God would be someone who was completely subservient to God, and willing to sacrifice everything on behalf of God. So describing Jesus as the "lamb of God" meant to describe Jesus as the humble, loving servant of God, who had given his life to the Supreme Being.

What does 'taking away the sin of the world' mean?

The day before, John also said:

"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Was this referring to Jesus’ dying on the cross for our sins, as many among professional sectarian teachers have proclaimed?

What is "sin"? According to scripture, sin is acting in a way that goes against the will of the Supreme Being. Consider what God's will is, as taught by Moses and Jesus:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40)

Sinning is the opposite consciousness of loving the Supreme Being - sinning requires a self-centered consciousness. Sinning is to harm others, thus acting in a way that is not pleasing to the Supreme Being. Since what is pleasing to God is to love others, sinning is diametrically opposed to this - harming others.

Do we have to love ourselves before we can love others?

Some have twisted Jesus' instruction to "Love your neighbor as yourself." to mean we must love ourselves first before we can love others.

This is preposterous because if we are loving ourselves, we cannot follow the initial instruction, to "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' " If we are loving God with all our heart, that contradicts loving ourselves first.

The very phrases, "with all your heart" and "with all your soul" and "with all your mind" necessarily negate loving oneself first. They quite certainly mean loving the Supreme Being first.

Did God make Jesus suffer for everyone's sins?

The doctrine that many sectarian institutions embrace says this very thing: That Jesus died for everyone's sins.

If we accept this, we must also accept that Jesus died not only for the sins of billions and billions of people who lived before him. But he was also dying for everyone who would sin after he was crucified. How does that work?

The sins of people today were not even conceived 2,000 years ago. How could Jesus have died for those sins? How would he have paid for the sins of the future when he was murdered 2,000 years ago?

This impractical doctrine also comes with another element, which many sectarian teachers also promulgate: That the Supreme Being sanctioned Jesus dying for everyone's sins.

Such a doctrine comes with two problems:

1) It would mean that God arranged to have Jesus murdered and tortured on the cross.

2) It would mean that no one past or future has any consequences for sins.

The second assumption would mean that we can do anything that we want and Jesus will suffer(ed) for it. It means there is no consequence for harming someone else - we can just do whatever we want because Jesus already suffered the consequences.

The first assumption would mean that the Supreme Being would arrange to have His beloved son tortured. What kind of God is that? Is that the kind of God that we could love as Jesus taught?

Why would God need Jesus to suffer to forgive our sins?

If God was truly all-powerful, why would He need to make His servant suffer on a cross to remove people's sins? Does God need to follow some sort of ritual sacrifice in order to do something?

God can remove someone's sins simply by willing it. This is why Jesus taught his students to ask God for forgiveness for their sins in the Lord's Prayer:

He said to them, "When you pray, say:" 'Father, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come.Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." (Luke 11:2-4)

Why did Jesus teach his students to ask God (Father) for forgiveness if all they had to do is wait for his crucifixion?

The fact is, this notion of the murder of Jesus' physical body being some sort of sacrifice for our sins so that we can go on sinning and wiping our sins off on Jesus is a hoax. It is a teaching intended to gain followers by making purification cheap and easy. There is no need for a change of heart (repenting). Jesus made a clear statement about such teachings along with those who teach them:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Luke 7:21-23)

Rather, the manner in which Jesus can take away sins is accomplished by his teachings and his example. By teaching us to love and serve God, and by showing us how to love and serve God ("does the will of my Father") Jesus could effectively remove the sins of those who followed him. How so? By changing their hearts. By convincing them to give their lives to the Supreme Being.

How can our sinful nature be purified?

Sins are not removed by some magic trick. It is not a passive act. The Supreme Being does not remove the consequences of self-centered activity on a whim. The consequences of self-centered activities are part of the Supreme Being's system of learning within the physical world. Without consequences, we would continue our self-centeredness with no hope of having a change of heart.

But should we begin to learn the lessons borne of consequences, and approach the Supreme Being humbly, asking for forgiveness while being prepared to forgive any offenses others make against us, the Supreme Being forgives our past sinful nature. This is Jesus' teaching, as evidenced by Jesus' request to turn to God and pray to Him:

"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." (Luke 11:4)

"You are right when you say you have no husband. ..." (John 4:17-18)

"The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." (John 4:17-18)

Here Jesus is responding to the woman's answer:

“I have no husband,” she replied. (John 4:17)

Why is Jesus saying she has no husband?

Jesus is showing the woman that he has the ability to know her past. This is to show her that God has empowered Jesus. Jesus is bringing attention to the teachings that God has instructed him to teach. In order to do so, from time to time he illustrated some of the power God had given him.

This is evidenced by the fact that following Jesus' statement, the woman said:

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet." (John 4:19)

The ability to know that the woman had five previous husbands, and her current boyfriend is not her husband illustrates to the woman that Jesus has been given extraordinary power.

Does this mean Jesus is God?

Does knowing her boyfriend is not her husband mean that Jesus is the Supreme Being, as many sectarian teachers claim? If Jesus was God then who was he praying to:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10)

Or when he prayed:

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matt. 26:39)

Prayers like these confirm that Jesus never taught that he was God. Therefore, we cannot accept that Jesus is God. Even when he said, "I and the Father are one," Jesus was clarifying that he was united with God: That Jesus had the same will as God. This is confirmed when Jesus stated that he was God's representative:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

According to Jesus, doing God's will means serving God. It means lovingly wanting to please Him. That is the prime definition of a loving servant.

As we'll see in the next statement, Jesus' purpose for showing his abilities is in an attempt to bring the Samaritan woman back home to her loving relationship with God. This is the clear definition of "being saved."

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will ..." (John 6:38-40)

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:38-40)

Is Jesus saying that he is God?

Many have misinterpreted this statement to mean that Jesus is saying that he is God. (See below for a clearer translation.*) 

The Jewish Pharisees listening to Jesus also thought this. They began to grumble and question:

"Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" (John 6:41)

In other words, how could someone who was born among men claim to suddenly have the authority of the Supreme Being?

The primary fact not understood is that Jesus was not his physical body. His physical body was a temporary vehicle for Jesus' spirit-person.

The physical is occupied by a person of another plane of existence - of spirit - making the occupant of each physical body a spirit-person. In the case of Jesus, his physical body was occupied by a superior spirit-person - a loving servant and representative of God, whom God dispatched to teach on His behalf.

Jesus states this clearly here when he says:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me."

Is this not clear enough? If a person says they are not doing their own will but someone else's will, does that make them the other person? Certainly not. There are still two individuals present. One is choosing to work on behalf of the other.

Furthermore, Jesus clearly speaks of two entities here: "me" and "Him who sent me." How could Jesus be the sender and the messenger at the same time?

Jesus did not become the Supreme Being and the Supreme Being did not become Jesus, just as an ambassador of a country's president does not become the president when he goes to another country. God has empowered Jesus as His representative, and Jesus furthered the will of the Supreme Being by acting on behalf of God.

Why isn't Jesus doing his own will?

Jesus is speaking of choosing to work on behalf of someone else. This is called service. And when that service is performed with love and the desire to please the one being served, that is called being a loving servant.

In the case of Jesus, he is speaking of doing the will of the Supreme Being. Doing God's will, in other words.

Jesus was God's loving servant. This is confirmed by another statement:

"I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)

What did Jesus mean by 'son'?

In this context, "loving servant," is a more appropriate translation of the Greek word υἱός (huios). The lexicon clearly states that the translation of this word to "son" only "in a restricted sense, the male offspring (one born by a father and of a mother)." Otherwise, it indicates the word means "one who depends on another or is his follower."

As described elsewhere, the most appropriate translation of the Greek word υἱός is devoted follower or loving servant, not "son," because son only applies to an offspring of a physical family according to the lexicon.

Just consider a few of Jesus' statements that utilize this word υἱός (huios) - using NKJV:

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matt. 5:9)

“But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection." (Luke 20:35-36)

"The people of this age marry and are given in marriage." (Luke 20:34)

These uses of the word υἱός (huios) illustrate the alternative use of the word outside of the relationship of physical bodies - parents and their children. This means that references Jesus makes in his spiritual relationship with the Supreme Being (translated to "son of God") and to humanity ("son of man") are akin to his statement in Luke 20:35-36, wherein it is clear a more appropriate translation would be devoted follower or loving servant.

Thus we would have:

"Son of God" is thus better translated to: "Devoted follower of God" or "Loving servant of God." In the case of Jesus, depending upon the context, it would be better translated to "Representative of God." Such a case for this translation is also made in Thayer's lexicon. 

And "Son of man" is better translated to: "Servant of humanity" or "Servant of the people."

This makes more sense, doesn't it? A person who is led by God is certainly following God. And a person who is following God is certainly serving God. Furthermore, a person who is following God by saving humanity would therefore be serving humanity.

Jesus confirmed his position as servant in other verses, such as:

“For even the Son of Man [Servant of humanity] did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45)

"The greatest among you will be your servant." (Matt. 23:11)

Thus by Jesus' own admission and teachings, he stated clearly that he was in the position of servant - God's loving servant and the loving servant of humanity.

Jesus is describing the empowerment that God’s representative and loving servant receives from God. The loving servant and representative of God has been empowered by God to be able to save someone from the depths of the hell of the physical world by passing God's message on to the student.

What does the 'last day' mean?

This also is the meaning of "raise them up on the last day." Many ecclesiastical sectarian teachers would like us to believe that Jesus is speaking of some supposed day in the future where Jesus will return to earth and bring all his flock - who have been waiting after having been dead for how long? - back to heaven with him. This is actually an absurd and comical interpretation of this statement by Jesus.

"The last day" that Jesus is speaking of is the day when each person's body dies. The day the body dies is the last day of our physical life in this body. It is not some kind of mysterious "second coming" that so many sectarian teachers have predicted over and over (incorrectly) as Armageddon – its Greek word (only used once in the Bible) referring to a hilly region (“harrar”) of Megiddon – a region located in Northern Israel.

What about the "Rapture"?

Then there is this speculative concept called the “rapture” – a theory developed by John Nelson Darby in the early part of the Nineteenth century and proselytized by Cyrus I. Scofield, who wrote it into his “Scofield Reference Bible.”

The concept of the “rapture” is never mentioned in the texts of the Bible – at all. It is a speculative theory made up by sectarian teachers interested in attracting followers.

The “rapture’ theory nonsensically states that we will all wait in our graves until some moment when Jesus “comes” and frees all the believers from their graves, whereupon they float up to the clouds to meet up with their families and then float up above that to meet up with Jesus.

Perhaps these "rapturists" never dug up an old gravesite. If they had, they would have realized that within a few years, the body decomposes and turns into soil. The bugs and microbes eat it up and discharge the waste into the soil. The body will be completely gone within a few decades following death – depending upon how it is buried.

The reality is, the day each of our bodies dies we will have to leave them. This is our own personal "Armageddon." This is the day when everything we thought we owned is torn away from us. This is the day that our family is torn away. This is the day when our reputation is torn away from us. This is the day that all our plans and all our accumulated wealth are all torn away from us.

Yes, this day brings upheaval and great calamity and great wailing, as the scriptures discuss. But this is a personal event that each of us faces individually when we are forcefully pulled away from our physical bodies. Because each of us dies alone, regardless of how many family members we are surrounded by at the time.

On this day of the death of our physical body not only do we leave our body, but our lives will be judged, and our next destination will be determined. This is also called "Judgement Day." The day that we leave our bodies is our own personal "Judgement Day."

God's messenger Jesus was empowered by God with the ability to guide us towards achieving our loving relationship with God. God is ultimately in charge, but He empowers His messenger to help those who want to return to Him after their "last day."

The fact that Jesus is doing God's also explains the "oneness" that exists between God and His messenger Jesus. They have become "one" in purpose, and "one" in love. But they remain two individuals: God remains God, and God's representative is His loving servant.

But they have the same purpose because Jesus is God's representative - and thus doing the will of the Supreme Being.

*Here is the translation of these verses according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

“For I have descended from the spiritual realm not to please myself but to please Him who sent me. And what pleases Him who sent me is that I shall lose none of those He has entrusted to me, but raise them up at the time of death. For what pleases my LORD is that everyone who perceives the Representative and trusts in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the time of death.” (John 6:38-40)

"The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right ..." (John 7:6-8)

"The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." (John 7:6-8)

Jesus said this to the brothers of his physical body. Here is the situation:

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the institutional temple leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him. (John 7:1-5)

What is 'the right time'?

Jesus stated to the brothers of his physical body that in his role as God's representative, there would be the right time for him to speak out publicly about certain controversial matters. Until then, Jesus was guarding his movements, and being careful, awaiting the right time to appear to the crowds and speak out.

Jesus knew that he would soon make his appearance to the public in Jerusalem to speak on these controversial matters. He understood that this would inflame the situation, and likely cause those in power to persecute him. But that time was not yet, and Jesus still had many things to teach his followers.

This is because it is the teachings of Jesus that are critical to our ability to regain our relationship with God. Jesus' physical body dying on the cross cannot alone save us. It is following Jesus' teachings and knowing that Jesus' teachings were important enough for him to suffer the ultimate sacrifice.

Does the world 'hate' Jesus?

Jesus also makes a comment about the people of the physical world – the souls inhabiting physical bodies. He said, “it [the world] hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.”

This clearly states that the people of the physical world are primarily self-centered. Those who are self-centered generally despise those who love others and want to help others. In other words, Jesus had to be careful, because the physical world is primarily occupied by self-centered people, many of whom wanted him out of the way.

Those living in the physical world are here for a reason. Each living being occupying a temporary physical body is here in this physical world because we at some point rebelled against God. 

We rejected our subservient relationship with God. This is what the symbolic story of the Garden of Eden was about: Adam rejected his subservient relationship with God. He ate the forbidden fruit even though God advised him not to.

And what was the forbidden fruit?

Self-centeredness. The desire to essentially have what God has. God is the Supreme Enjoyer. By desiring this position, we are essentially envious of God.

Yet God created living beings in His likeness to exchange loving relationships with Him. This, however, requires the freedom to love Him or not.

Because love requires the freedom to love, God also gave us the ability to choose to love Him or not. This is why He gave Adam the choice to pick the forbidden fruit. The Supreme Being could have hidden the tree from Adam if He wanted to. But he gave Adam the choice: Either do what God wants him to do, or rebel against God and seek his own enjoyment.

Once Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he was thrown out of the spiritual world:

So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:23)

Adam was given a physical body and put into the physical world:

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)

In the physical world, we occupy these physical bodies ('garments of skin'). This allows us to try to enjoy a temporary, virtual self much as a video game player will take on an avatar to play the video game.

These virtual physical bodies are more than just vehicles to try to enjoy, however. They are also vehicles of learning. This is accomplished through consequences.

The physical body and its environment are like a miniature school: Designed to take us through numerous lesson plans in an attempt to rehabilitate us. In other words, the physical world is like a rehabilitation center for those spiritual beings who became self-centered.

These virtual physical bodies also block our vision of the Supreme Being: They prevent us from seeing or sensing God - unless God specifically allows it. This is because we made the decision to reject God: We wanted to be away from God.

So what is “evil”?

Evil is acting in a self-centered fashion, with the intent to enjoy oneself separately from God.

In other words, evil is the desire to be the Supreme Being and/or enjoy like God. This is why most of the citizens of the physical world are striving to be the champion, the hero, the superstar, or the boss of some sort. We are trying to carve out some form of godhood. We want to have God's position.

And those who come to teach us these things on behalf of the Supreme Being are mostly despised here. They are despised by the people who want to be champions of the physical world. This is because God's message ruins the illusion that we are the center of the universe, and everything revolves around us.

"I did one miracle, and you are all astonished ..." (John 7:21-24)

"I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision - though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs - you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." (John 7:21-24) 

What does healing on the Sabbath have to do with circumcision?

Jesus is arguing the logic of institutional temple officials who were criticizing Jesus for healing a person on the Sabbath. Jesus is questioning them: Why do they permit circumcision on the Sabbath but not healing?

Both healing and circumcision are activities that relate to the physical body. In the case of circumcision, the issue is cleanliness. Circumcision during a time when bathing was not as available helped save men from getting infected.

This is now a proven part of the scientific record. Men who are circumcised tend to get fewer genital infections.

Healing is not that different because it also has to do with the health of the physical body. Jesus was healing people's physical bodies. This can be comparable to circumcision because of its positive effect on the health of the body.

Where does circumcision come from?

Jesus also points out that the instruction to circumcise came not from Moses, but from the patriarchs. Who are the patriarchs?

The patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These are considered the preeminent messengers of God prior to Moses.

Jesus was right. We find these verses in the Book of Genesis:

[God speaking to Abraham]"This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you." (Genesis 17:10-11)

This indicates that Jesus was well-versed in the scriptures we now describe as the Old Testament. While the teachers at the Temple referred to circumcision in relation to Moses, Jesus knew the teaching preceded Moses.

Was Jesus disavowing Moses?

Jesus was in no way indicating a lack of deference to Moses. He was stating a fact, that the teaching of circumcision did not originate with Moses.

Jesus acknowledged Moses' position as God's representative repeatedly. In fact, Jesus' central teaching was also the central teaching of Moses. Here is Jesus quoting Moses:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

Moses' student, Joshua, after Moses passed, also taught the same message:

"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul." (Jos 22:5)

In fact, all of the bona fide prophets and teachers of the Bible taught the same basic instruction, even though they also had specific instructions intended for their particular students, time and circumstance.

Why did Jesus heal people?

Jesus performed a minimal number of healings. He didn't heal everyone. He didn't open a hospital and take on the responsibility of healing everyone that was sick.

Rather, Jesus' healings were intended to increase people's faith in God. The purpose was to focus their attention on the power and authority of the Supreme Being. Jesus used his healings to project this instruction.

This is why his healings would be acceptable activities during the Sabbath. There was a spiritual purpose for them. They were not rituals.

Jesus is pointing out that these institutional temple authorities had put ritual ahead of purpose. They were not cognizant of the purpose of the instructions and the service of God's representatives.

The various rules and regulations given by the messengers of God (such as Moses, Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, Jonah and Jesus) are meant to ultimately bring their followers closer to God. 

Yet we can easily see that some of those instructions were specific to a time and circumstance, and others were not. We can see this throughout the Bible, from the Old Testament leading up to the days of Jesus, and then amongst Jesus' disciples.

What is the purpose of God's messengers?

We can see from this chronology of teachers that the Bible is a history of the lives and teachings of God's messengers and their followers.

We can also see from the examples of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Jacob, Isaac, Eli, David, Solomon and so many other great messengers from the Bible that each held in the highest regard, the instructions of their teacher, their teacher's teacher and so on.

Even Jesus illustrated this as he accepted initiation (baptism) from John the Baptist.

Each of these messengers from God, after receiving instructions from their teacher, presented instructions to their students, as God had empowered them to.

This is because following the teachings of God's messengers is critical to the success of our spiritual lives.

Not doing so can and has resulted in many speculative interpretations.

Hypocrisy in the name of Jesus?

The prime example of this sort of speculation is that today, many ecclesiastical sectarian teachers are teaching that we don't need a teacher because we can go directly to Jesus. Yet isn't it interesting that they need to teach us this? If they are teaching this, then they are a teacher. 

It is hypocritical to teach that a person does not need a teacher. It is also hypocritical to teach without having first been a student.

We can tell immediately that a person does not know Jesus or represent God when he gives this contradictory teaching. It means their teachings make no sense. Can we trust any other statement they may make about Jesus?

It might be said that a person with an official title of priest, minister, reverend, bishop, cardinal, or even pope should be authorized to represent Jesus and God because they were a student attended an official school and that school maintained teachers. However, are those teachers representing God or representing their respective ecclesiastical organizations?

The crux of the matter is how those teachers gained their positions of authority. These official seminaries and Bible colleges select their teachers by committee: A committee of men. This selection by committee is a political process (ecclesiastical). 

The candidate must impress the committee with their resume, credentials, reputation, interview and recommendations (who they know, in other words). This is no different from a candidate running for political office. It has nothing to do with representing God.

This is also how priests, reverends, ministers, bishops, cardinals, and popes are chosen for their respective titles or positions as teachers within a church. They are chosen by an election of a committee. In the case of Protestant churches, there is typically a church committee called the deacons. 

Once again, the candidate must impress the committee with their resume, credentials, reputation, interview and recommendations. This is a political process that does not represent God's empowerment.

Can God's representatives be elected by people?

A central reason why these sectarian organizations are hypocritical is that their teachers and officials are elected using a political process. Regardless of the type of committee, politics is always involved when a person must impress a group of people.

Again, this has nothing to do with representing the Supreme Being. For example, if a prime minister was elected by the people of Spain, could that leader represent the people of England? No. 

The elected leader can only represent those who elected him or her. In the same way, sectarian officials elected or appointed by people can only represent those who elected or appointed them. They can not represent the Supreme Being unless God chose them to represent Him.

But can't those officials elected by these committees also be chosen by God? No. Why? Because the Supreme Being is offended by a person who pretends to be His representative when they are not. 

A person who puts on the big robes, the crown, or whatever dress, and then accepts the title given by men cannot be in a position as God's representative without being empowered by the Supreme Being.

Such a person elected by men may well be a kind and considerate person. But God will never empower that person unless they abandon their fake position and go through the heart-changing process of developing a relationship with Him.

This is only logical. Let's say a person pretends they are an employee of a company when he is not. Say he goes out and sells the company's product, collects people's money, and then cannot ship the product. 

He is basically stealing the money while pretending to be part of the company. Will the company's management then hire him while he is stealing from their potential customers? Certainly not. The company would have the person arrested.

What if the fake employee quit the scam and came to the company and asked for a job? Would the company hire him? Think again. The only way they would hire him is on the condition that he gave back all the money and rectified all the lying and stealing they had done first.

As Jesus identified in a previous statement, the only way we can see who is empowered by God is if we sincerely want to do God's will. We must have the desire to do God's will in order to see who is doing God's will, as did Jesus, his disciples, John the Baptist, David, Isaac, Moses, Abraham, Solomon, Jacob, Jonah and so many others depicted in the scriptures.

This is why Jesus said:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)"

"Where I go, you cannot come." (John 8:21)

"I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come." (John 8:21)

Where is Jesus going?

Jesus is speaking to institutional temple officials who were in the crowd as he spoke in the temple.

These temple priests and Pharisees were confident of their knowledge of Mosaic law. They were challenging Jesus’ authority to speak on behalf of the Supreme Being.

Jesus states that he will be leaving them and they will not be able to go where he goes, nor be able to find him. Where is this special place that he is going?

Jesus is speaking of returning to the spiritual realm to be with the Supreme Being:

“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” (John 20:17)

Jesus also indicated that he came from the spiritual realm:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

Jesus also taught that each of us can return to our home in the spiritual realm and be with the Supreme Being:

"And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven." (Matt. 23:9)

"When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." (Mark 12:35)

In John 8:21 above, Jesus clarifies that while the Pharisees and other institutional temple officials in the crowd were pompously considering themselves elevated and certainly going to heaven because of their great positions of authority within the temple, Jesus identifies clearly that they will die in their sin - and thus not return to the spiritual realm.

What does 'die in your sin' mean?

Those persons, as Jesus indicates here, will stay here in the physical world to "die in your sin."

When Jesus says "die in your sin," does he mean to physically die? No. Since everyone's physical body physically dies at some point - and even Jesus' physical body died, as evidenced later - the type of death that Jesus is discussing is spiritual death.

Let's use an analogy: Let's say that a person had a great career as a teacher, and then one day he hurts a student. A person might say that the teacher's career is dead, yes? The teacher may not have physically died, but his ability to teach is now gone. As a teacher, he is dead.

In the same way, one who is dead spiritually does not have a relationship with God. They cannot experience the joy of loving and serving God because they are wrapped up in their own happiness. They are seeking their own authority, and thus do not accept God's authority.

The word "sin" here is being translated from the Greek word, ἁμαρτία (hamartia). This means, according to the lexicon, "to err, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong" and "that which is done wrong, an offense, a violation of the divine law."

The word thus means to reject our constitutional relationship with the Supreme Being - as one of His loving servants. And "dying" in that consciousness means to completely lose one's ability to remember the Supreme Being. This is the position of animals, insects, and plants: They have become completely ignorant of their relationship with God due to their previous choices.

But weren't the institutional temple priests doing the right things? They were strictly following the rules and rituals of the Jewish doctrine, but they were still not going where Jesus is going. Why not?

What were they doing wrong?

Jesus was clear that returning home to the Supreme Being in the spiritual realm requires a certain consciousness:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21)

Jesus is clear that returning to the spiritual realm requires one to come to love and serve the Supreme Being.

Those institutional temple priests' focus was not upon loving and pleasing God. Their focus was on gaining and keeping the respect of others. Their concern was their authority, and Jesus was undermining their authority.

This quest for authority is not different from the search for power we see all around us. This seeking of power and authority is manifested into the desire to be king, queen, ruler, CEO, president, rock star, media queen or any other position of power, prestige, respect, and admiration from others. Why do we seek these positions of power, prestige, respect, and admiration?

The quest for authority is basically a deep-rooted desire for God's authority. This is the root of sin. We are each here in this physical dimension because, at one point or another, we wanted God's authority. We became jealous of his power, prestige, respect, and the admiration of His loving servants. 

We no longer wanted to serve God: We wanted to be God. This was expressed by the serpent - the symbolic representation of our envy - as he spoke to Adam about eating the fruit:

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5)

What is it to "be like God"?

This means to enjoy as God enjoys. It means to have the authority of God. This is manifested into our self-centered desires that we execute here in the physical world.

Notice that God then threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden (the spiritual world) and put them into physical bodies:

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. (Gen. 3:21-23)

What were the "garments of skin"? Are we talking animal skins? No. We are talking about these temporary physical bodies - these "garments of skin" we wear for 50-100 years or so.

Furthermore, "to work the ground from which he had been taken" could only mean that the "garments of skin" were of the same composition as the physical world, and Adam would toil within the physical world. While the text translations slightly confuse the spiritual person of Adam with Adam's physical body, but it is nevertheless the practical purport of the symbolic event.

Jesus also confirms this position in his statement. Jesus is indicating that the high priests and Pharisees will not be going where he is going: "Where I go you cannot come."

Was Jesus talking about a physical place here? Was he talking about a place up in the clouds where there are people playing harps on little chunks of clouds? Or perhaps another planet? Where is Jesus going, and why can't they also go?

The reason they cannot go is the same reason that God also threw Adam out of the Garden of Eden (spiritual world). Because Adam became self-centered and rejected God's authority, Adam no longer fits in with the consciousness of the spiritual world. The consciousness of those in the spiritual world is love. There is no selfishness among the inhabitants of the spiritual world. Everyone is focused on God's happiness and the happiness of God's associates. There is no room for those who seek to gain God's position and enjoy as God enjoys.

Why did these temple officials not like Jesus?

The temple teachers that Jesus was addressing here were specifically envious of Jesus because Jesus was attracting large crowds of followers. Such envy comes as a result of wanting to be the center of the universe - essentially God's position.

This is the case for those institutional temple high priests and Pharisees, as is the case for any so-called religious leader whose intent and purpose is to expand and enjoy their own authority rather than love and serve God. 

Today we find that many will even use Jesus to gain authority, as they seek political appointment as priests, bishops, cardinals, popes, ministers and other positions of authority - so they can experience authority over others.

This is epitomized by priests in modern times who abused their parishioners and altar persons. As those who were abused stepped forward to describe their abuse, they recalled how the priests would exert their power during the abuse.

This quest for authority was also symptomized by those with higher authority in churches that covered up these abuses and allowed the priests to move to other churches where they could continue abusing followers. 

Why would they cover up the abuses of these priests? They were afraid of undermining the authority of the church - and ultimately their own authority. If the church lost moral authority, no one would respect the training and the education of the priests. People might think that the church and the priests, popes, bishops and cardinals were not empowered by God.

This, of course, is the case: Why else would those high officials seek to criminally cover up abuse in order to falsely prop up the authority of the church? They do not have the empowerment of God. They do not represent God's authority. 

Rather, they are composed of individuals who are seeking their own authority. Like those high priests and Pharisees that were challenging Jesus' authority and empowerment, they do not represent God. They only represent their own quest for authority.

This is also why some institutions and their teachers must hide behind rituals and ceremonies. They, like the high priests and Pharisees who criticized Jesus, have to hide behind the empty pomp, rituals, and dogma because they have no ultimate empowerment by God. 

They cannot speak plainly as Jesus spoke in the language of the people. They merely use various power phrases in an attempt to establish their own authority.

Why were they so envious of Jesus?

The temple high priests and Pharisees that heard Jesus speak were not only envious of Jesus attracting followers. They were also envious of Jesus' authority: Jesus displayed real authority because he was representing God. And they saw how he was able to affect others.

Jesus has a special relationship with God, and he represented God. So he was describing that he would be returning to God’s spiritual world upon the death of his physical body. The place he is describing is the spiritual dimension. This is the dimension where God is the center of attention and authority, and there is an exchange of loving relationships between God and His loving servants and associates.

Those of us whose focus is upon ourselves, and our own authority over others; we will return to the physical dimension to continue more lifetimes of challenges and learning experiences. 

The "kingdom of heaven" is reserved for those who put their focus and consciousness onto establishing a loving service relationship with God:

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)

Doing the “the will of my Father” means to accept God's authority. Those who do God's will no longer seek their own authority. They no longer seek power. Rather, they seek to please God. This was Jesus' consciousness, what he taught, and how he lived.

"As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me..." (John 9:4)

"As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." (John 9:4) 

What does 'night is coming' mean?

Jesus says, "Night is coming, when no one can work." What is this night that is coming?

Jesus is referring to a coming period in Israel when preaching about God will become more difficult. This period of 'night' begins after Jesus gets crucified, as the Romans and the Jewish temple officials start to distrust each other in a bigger way, and those who followed Jesus will be hunted down and persecuted - which is what happened to James and Peter.

This 'night' period continues through the Jewish-Roman Wars, which last for about 70 years from 66 CE until 135 CE. During this period, there is little ability to widely preach to people. During this time, the Romans burnt down villages and massacred Jewish and Christian people with impunity.

Jesus recognizes that the opportunity to reach people with his preaching is now, before he is arrested and persecuted. And before the entire Jewish nation breaks down in a conflagration with the Romans.

Who is 'Him who sent me'?

The 'Him' that Jesus is referring to is undoubtedly the Supreme Being. Jesus spent his life glorifying God, praying to God, teaching about God, and acting as a messenger from God. There is no other way to see this:

Jesus is clearly identifying his objectives and his position as a loving servant of the Supreme Being.

"We must do the work of Him who sent me" indicates service. Anyone who does the work of someone else is serving that person. Now if the person does the work of another voluntarily and lovingly, then that person is the loving servant of the person.

Furthermore, Jesus is clearly indicating that the "Him" being referred to actually sent Jesus ("Him who sent me"). So not only is Jesus serving this Person, but this Person actually dispatched Jesus. This Person dispatched Jesus and had work for Jesus to do.

But isn't Jesus God?

Now let's consider for a moment the implications of this statement if the teachings of so many modern-day institutions that Jesus is the Supreme Being were correct. Who, then would Jesus be referring to? Was Jesus creating a fictitious person or something - like Harvey the rabbit?

Certainly not. Jesus is obviously referring to the Supreme Being here. Jesus is clearly stating that God dispatched Jesus, and Jesus is serving God. How much clearer can Jesus be about his mission and objectives?

Those who claim that Jesus is the Supreme Being have a dilemma. If we accept that God is the Supreme Being and Omniscient Personality who is All-Powerful, why would God be sent by someone else? Why would God be serving someone else?

Those who claim that Jesus is God do not know the Supreme Being. They have manufactured a speculative philosophy that has no basis in scripture, nor in the direct statements of Jesus. In other words, they are ignoring the very Person Jesus was serving!

What is the Nicene Creed?

This concept was born from the Synods of Nicea, first organized by Constantine in a political attempt to control Christianity and therefore Europe. Here a politically-appointed council of officials began dictating church doctrine and sat in judgment upon other teachers, even condemning some who were teaching the Truth. They also threw out and burned many scriptures that did not meet with their political agenda (of controlling the population), and created the "Nicene Creed," which made broad interpretations of Jesus' message and who Jesus was.

For example, part of the Nicene Creed describes Jesus Christ thus:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God

The Nicene Creed says, "one Lord." That means they accept Jesus as the Supreme Being.

And while they describe Jesus as the only son of God, in the next sentence they say that God begot God ("God of God"). What does this mean? Either Jesus is the son of God or he is God. Which is it?

Furthermore - in the first line - by saying they believe in one Lord - Jesus Christ - they are thereby eliminating the Father from the equation.

Does God need to suffer for our sins?

Some teach that Jesus was God manifested into a man so God could suffer for our sins.

Why should God have become a man to suffer for our sins? And why does He have to suffer at all?

This provokes the logical question of why God should have to suffer? He is God, isn't He? Now if you were God, would you want to suffer? Certainly not. Someone who is in full control, as God is, would never be obligated to suffer because God is in complete control.

God is eternally blissful. He is in complete control. If God wanted to wipe away the consequences of our self-centered activities ("sins") then He could do it with a simple thought. He has no limitations. He has no obligations. God would never need to suffer for anyone's sins.

So why did this political council produce this teaching? A hint might be taken from the fact that this same creed also states:

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

The creed is an attempt to create a politically cohesive teaching that made it so there was only one church and one teaching that could save a person. They wanted to eliminate all the various teachers and teachings that circulated around the Roman territories and planned conquests, so they could create one religion and dominate that religion and therefore dominate the people. This is why the Nicene Creed emphasized that Jesus was the "only" son of God.

Was Jesus the only son of God?

Such a thesis contradicts scripture and all of Jesus' teachings. Consider these statements from different books of the Bible:

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. (Genesis 6:2)

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6)

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. (Job 2:1)

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)

But as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12)

Jesus himself said:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9)

Jesus’ early followers also confirm this translation:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)

So we find that being the son of God is not exclusive to Jesus. But they answer that Jesus is the only "begotten" son of God. Begotten, of course, means to give birth to, or create. So are we saying that God did not give birth to and create each of us? This, again, contradicts scripture, which clearly states that God created everything, including each of us:

This is what God the LORD says - He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: (Isaiah 42:5)

Now if God is giving "life" to those who walk on the earth, is God not begetting every person?

What is the basis for their knowledge? Their basis is simply the ecclesiastical teachings of elected church officials who parroted the Nicene Creed language over the centuries, for fear that they would be tortured - as the church did to those that spoke out of line. And so the concept has been drummed into every church parishioner repeatedly until everyone blindly believed it.

People also believed in the teachings of Jim Jones, who eventually murdered hundreds of his followers. So believing in someone's teachings doesn't mean those teachings are correct.

Actually, the translation to the word "son" is not even correct in most of the instances above, and in most of the statements regarding Jesus in scripture. The Greek word being translated to "son" in most instances in the books of the New Testament is υioς.

Here is the meaning of this word according to Thayer's lexicon:

"used to describe one who depends on another or is his follower - of teachers - i.q. pupils."

"one who is connected with or belongs to a thing by any kind of close relationship."

"instructed in evangelical truth and devotedly obedient to it"

"one to whom anything belongs"

"those to whom the phrophetic and covenant promises belong"

"The Jews called the Messiah υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ pre-eminently, as the supreme representative of God"

This translation to loving servant would clarify the other statements mentioned above:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called servants of God.” (Matt. 5:9)

“…because those who are led by the Spirit of God are servants of God.” (Romans 8:14)

“You are all servants of God through faith in Christ Jesus…” (Galatians 3:26)

This translation to servants - or loving servants - is also consistent with Jesus' statement here in John 9:4. Jesus is clearly identifying himself and those who follow him as God's loving servants: "As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me."

Notice that Jesus uses the word "we" in this statement. This obviously contradicts the notion that Jesus was God's only servant.

God has innumerable loving servants. And He will send His loving servants here to the earth ("Him who sent me") to bring us back to Him.

Thus we have an additional context to add to the translation of υioς within the context of Jesus' being sent by God:

Isn't Jesus better defined as God's representative?

God is not some vague force or burning bush or voice in the sky. The Supreme Being is a person. God is an individual. Someone who sends another is separate from the person they are sending. That is why they are sending someone - because the person they are sending is separate from themselves.

The Supreme Person wants us back. Each of us has a unique relationship with God, and at some point, we rejected that relationship. So we are here in this physical world as a rehabilitation center. And these physical bodies are simply temporary vehicles we operate for a while, to enable us to learn lessons about love and compassion.

The Supreme Person is trying to show us who we really are and why we can only be happy when we are re-situated in our original position as His loving servant.

This is why Jesus' primary instruction was:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

*Here is the translation of this verse according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"We must do the service of Him who sent me as long as it is day. Night is coming, when no one can work." (John 9:4)

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me ..." (John 10:14-15)

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:14-15) 

Did Jesus really say he was the 'good' shepherd?

This element of Jesus' statement has been mistranslated* and this has caused misinterpretations. One of the key mistranslations, as we discussed with Jesus' previous statement in John 10:11-13, Jesus is not saying that he is the "good" shepherd. The Greek word translated to "good," καλός (kalos), is actually better translated to "genuine" or "approved."

In other words, Jesus was saying that he is the "genuine shepherd." 

He was saying that he is not a fake. He is actually representing God, unlike some of the temple teachers (Pharisees and Sadducees and chief priests) that were preaching in the temples during Jesus' time.

What about 'I lay down my life'?

The other glaring issue is that some professional sectarian teachers interpret the phrase "I lay down my life for the sheep" out of context with his surrounding statements. 

We also discussed this "lay down" translation in Jesus' previous statement.

Today's professional teachers try to construe this as Jesus referring to his coming murder at the hands of the Romans and institutional temple high priests.

Actually, the Greek words being translated into the phrase "I lay down my life" are τίθημι (tithēmi), ἐγώ (egō) and ψυχή (psychē). "Lay down" is being derived from τίθημι, which actually means, according to the Greek lexicon,  to "commit" or "bow." This word does not imply dying for something. It refers to committing oneself for someone else.

The words "my life" are derived from ἐγώ (egō) and ψυχή (psychē). ἐγώ is a pronoun referring to something possessive, and ψυχή is not the physical body, as in what died in the crucifixion (Jesus did not die, only his temporary physical body died). Rather, ψυχή refers to, according to the lexicon, 'the vital force which animates the body,' or the 'living soul,' or 'soul.' In other words, ψυχή refers to the living being within the body. It does not refer to the physical body at all.

So to translate the Greek into "I lay down my life" illustrates a lack of understanding of the spiritual context of Jesus' statement. From the lexicon, we can understand that what Jesus is saying is that he has committed himself to his students and disciples: "I have committed myself."

How does the 'genuine shepherd' fit into this?

Remember, in his previous statement (John 10:11-13), Jesus told a parable that compared the "genuine shepherd" with a "hired hand." He illustrated that the "hired hand" would abandon the sheep when he saw a wolf coming, but the "genuine shepherd" would stand with the sheep and protect them (see previous entry).

Now Jesus is saying that between the two, he is the "genuine shepherd." Jesus will stand by his sheep because he is committed to his "sheep" - his followers. But then Jesus says something very revealing about his relationship with his "sheep" and his relationship with God.

He says, "I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father." What does this mean?

What is Jesus' relationship with God?

Consider first the word γινώσκω (ginōskō), being appropriately translated to "know." γινώσκω (ginōskō) means to 'perceive,' 'understand,' and 'become acquainted with' according to the lexicon.

To perceive, understand and become acquainted with someone means to have a personal relationship with that person. It is not simply the kind of knowledge from a textbook. It is not like knowing the history of Abraham Lincoln. To "know" someone in this context is an intimate type of knowing. 

It means understanding what makes the person "tick." It means knowing what pleases them, and what displeases them. It means to know the will and purpose of the person. This is the "knowing" that Jesus is referring to here, and this is confirmed by the Greek lexicon.

So Jesus is identifying with this statement who his "sheep" are. They are not simply people who go to church every Sunday and expect Jesus' suffering on the cross to relieve them of the consequences of their sins. This is confirmed by another statement Jesus made:

“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will come to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:21-23)

This statement confirms that Jesus is not pleased with people who are pawing him for miracles, healings, and being "saved." What Jesus wants here is very clear: "but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." This phrase illustrates two things:

1) Jesus is only pleased when we serve God.
2) Jesus is not the Supreme Being. (Otherwise, he would not have said "my Father who is in heaven" when he was standing in front of those he was speaking to. If he was God, he would have said, "but only he who does my will." He didn't say that.)

We can now clearly understand Jesus' statement above: "I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father." Those who "know" Jesus understand that Jesus is pleased when we serve the One he loves, God. Jesus "knows" God because he knows what pleases God and is serving God in order to please God. This is confirmed by Jesus' prayer:

"Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will. Let the cup pass from me." (Mark 14:36)

Jesus is not wanting to do his own will, but he wants to do God's will. Now, why would a person want to do someone else's will and not their own will?

Why is Jesus saying this?

The reason is Love. Jesus loves the Supreme Being. Jesus wants to please the Supreme Being. Jesus has a loving relationship with God, and just as in any loving relationship, he wants to please the one he loves.

This is what Jesus is trying to teach us, and this is the key to becoming one of Jesus' "sheep." Jesus didn't just teach this with his words, but with his actions. He totally committed himself to teach this to his followers. He did not work a job to make himself rich. He did not try to become a powerful church administrator or priest so he could command authority.

He simply tirelessly worked to teach - walking with no possessions throughout the countryside, teaching from knolls, courtyards and temples throughout the land. And when the institutional temple priests ("hired hands") accused him of teaching wrongly, he stood by his teachings. He did not abandon them. He did not deny them.

He could have, and this would have allowed him to escape persecution. But Jesus did not. He knew his teachings were pleasing to the Supreme Being, and he stood up for them because he wanted to please the One he loves. He was committed to pleasing God and committed to saving his students and disciples from the selfish ignorance of their lives by teaching them to love and serve the Supreme Being:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-38)

*Here is the translation of Jesus' statement according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"I am the genuine shepherd and I know my own and my own know me – just as the Creator knows me and I know the Creator – I commit my life to the sheep. (John 10:14-15)

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live ..." (John 11:25-26)

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26) 

What does resurrection mean?

This statement* by Jesus has been taken out of context and largely misinterpreted by many teachers.

Jesus’ statement follows one of Jesus’ students, Martha, saying the following:

"I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." (John 11:24)

This followed Jesus saying:

"Your brother will rise again." (John 11:23)

We can see by the other statements regarding this event that both Martha and her sister Mary (who had also rubbed Jesus' feet with scented oil) were devoted students of Jesus, as was their brother, Lazarus, whose body lay dead two miles away in Bethany.

First, we should consider Martha’s statement. Martha, a student of Jesus, was reflecting on an accepted principle among Jesus' students as she discussed resurrection. The “last day,” translated from the Greek phrase ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳἡ, does not refer to some end-of-the-world scenario thousands of years later. It refers to the last day of our physical body. The end of our physical lifetime.

The last day is the time of death. Martha understood from Jesus’ teachings that the spirit-person within will rise out of the body at the time of death. This is taken from the Greek word ἀνίστημι (anistēmi), which means “to cause to rise up, raise up” or “raise up from laying down” or “to raise up from the dead” according to Thayer's Greek lexicon.

Mary also understood that a person will leave the body after death, and will hopefully rise and return to the spiritual dimension - which Jesus previously referred to as the “resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14).

Why does Jesus say he is the resurrection?

But then Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.” What did he mean by that?

Let’s consider this carefully. Who did Jesus say he was? Jesus had previously described himself clearly:

“For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.” (John 5:36)

If the Supreme Being has sent Jesus, that makes Jesus God’s messenger. This means Jesus is God's representative. Just consider what this means in terms of the authority of Jesus. He is representing God’s authority.

Let’s compare this to, say, the ambassador of a country living in a foreign country. When the ambassador goes to the prime minister of the other country and makes an official statement on behalf of their government, this statement carries the weight of the ambassador's government and president behind it.

While the ambassador is himself or herself not the president, nor the entire government, the ambassador represents them. Therefore, such an ambassador could say something like “I am empowered by the government,” or something to that extent, and be absolutely correct, because he/she represents their government.

Jesus was trying to convey the same type of message to Martha. He was stating that because he was representing the Supreme Being, he provides a doorway back to God and the spiritual realm.

The reason he says "I am the resurrection" is because "resurrection" in this context relates to the restoration of one's spiritual position. This means one's relationship with the Supreme Being. 

And because Jesus is introducing his followers to God, he is helping restore their relationship with God. In other words, Jesus' teachings provide a pathway to resurrection - our rising to the spiritual realm.

Why does Jesus say he is the 'life'?

What does Jesus mean by "life?" Jesus also described life indirectly when he told a prospective student to:

“Let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matt. 8:22)

In both this case and in the statement above, Jesus is describing “life” as loving, serving and pleasing God. Doing God’s will out of love is Jesus’ purpose and mission. This is truly “life” in Jesus' teachings. 

The “dead” people who were burying a dead relative were "dead" according to Jesus because they were not loving and serving God with their lives. Rather, they were focused on the temporary things of the physical world. They are focused on things that die.

Jesus confirms these definitions as he says “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

Is this about belief or trust?

Actually, the meaning of "believe in me" has been misunderstood and misused by some sectarian teachers who teach this means all we need to do is believe that Jesus died for our sins and we are saved.

The word “believes” here comes from the Greek word πιστεύω (pisteuō), which means: “to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in,” according to the lexicon.

This means that Jesus was talking about trust here. He was asking them to trust what he was teaching them. He was asking them to trust his God-given authority to save them with those teachings. 

Since Jesus was standing in front of them, there was no need for them to believe he existed. And they had seen his miracles so they didn't need to believe he was special. 

And since he had yet to be crucified when he made that statement, he certainly was not talking about him dying for anyone’s sins.

Rather, Jesus’ statement was quite simple. He was indicating to Martha and her sister Mary that if they trusted his teachings and followed his instructions, they would return to God and His kingdom. They would have life after the death of their own physical bodies.

And what was Jesus’ most important teaching and instruction?

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-38)

*Here is the translation of Jesus' statement according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection, and the life – he who trusts in me shall live, even if his body dies. And one who lives and trusts in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

"He who hates me hates my Father as well...." (John 15:23-24)

"He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father." (John 15:23-24)

Why does someone who hates Jesus also hating God?

This statement* by Jesus to his close disciples indicates his close relationship with the Supreme Being. It indicates that Jesus loves God and Jesus' life is centered around doing what pleases God.

Such a close relationship makes them united. Jesus is effectively representing God. Therefore, to hate Jesus would also be hating God.

This indicates Jesus' loving relationship with God, as well as his mission to serve and please God, which included performing miracles.

Jesus' statement also clarifies that Jesus is not God. The term "as well" - translated from the Greek word καί (kai) - clearly indicates Jesus is referring to two individuals: Himself and his Father, the Supreme Being.

To say "as well" assumes another individual. Also the use of "my" - from the Greek word ἐγώ (egō) - indicates a possessive, which requires a distinct individual. The word "both" in "both me and my Father" - also translated from καί (kai) - also indicates two individuals.

If Jesus was God, then he would have simply said "I am the Father."

The reality is that Jesus is involved in a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. And that loving relationship produced loving service in the form of Jesus' teachings and miracles.

What was Jesus' mission on earth?

Jesus' mission was to teach what the Supreme Being wanted him to teach. And those who offend Jesus will also offend the Supreme Being because the Supreme Being was behind Jesus' activities.

This might be compared to how a president of a country might feel if his ambassador was insulted by a foreign government. The ambassador is acting on behalf of the president. So to insult or hurt the ambassador would be to insult the president.

This doesn't mean the ambassador is the president. They are still two distinct individuals. But one is acting on the other's behalf.

This is the nature of the practical relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being. Jesus explains this here.

Jesus also discusses the offensiveness that comes about when God's representative is dismissed, criticized or otherwise harmed:

"If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father."

In this case, the word "sin" relates to offensiveness. This is consistent with the use of the Greek word ἁμαρτία (hamartia), which can mean, among other things, "an offense" according to the lexicon.

Jesus is thus explaining the nature of the offensiveness of those Pharisees and Sadducees who heard Jesus' teachings and saw his miracles, and yet still proceeded to criticize him and eventually promoted his arrest by the High Priest who delivered him to the Roman court.

Once they heard his teachings - which were coming from the Supreme Being - and saw those miracles connected with those teachings, their offensiveness was not only to Jesus but to the Supreme Being. This is because Jesus' teachings and miracles came from the Supreme Being.

This is confirmed by other statements by Jesus, such as:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

"My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him who sent me." (John 7:16)

"Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but He who sent me is true. You do not know Him" (John 7:28)

These and many other statements indicate that Jesus was acting on behalf of the Supreme Being.

Jesus' miracles also came from God. Jesus clarified this as well:

"I have shown you many great miracles from the Father." (John 10:32)

These statements clearly indicate that Jesus was not God, and Jesus was not acting alone. He is God's representative, and the Supreme Being empowered his activities.

Can someone be a follower of Jesus and ignore God?

Yet many of those who supposedly follow Jesus dismiss that Jesus was acting on behalf of God. They proclaim that Jesus is God, thereby removing the very person from the equation that Jesus cared so much about and constantly spoke of. This is also an offense against Jesus and God. Why? Because Jesus came to teach us to love God and serve God. Just consider his clear statement in this regard:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:21-23)

Why is Jesus so angry with those who are worshiping Jesus (i.e., "Lord, Lord") and even performing miracles in Jesus' name?

Because they are ignoring his beloved, the Supreme Being. Jesus is offended by those who dismiss God when they proclaim Jesus is God. When they say that "God died for my sins" they are saying that "God died." They are also saying that God has to come under the laws of material nature - that He is subject to the rules of sacrifice and has to sacrifice for our sins. This is offensive against both Jesus and God, because God is never subject to the rules of sacrifice. God is always in control. And God never dies.

The Supreme Being can forgive our sins quite simply: All we have to do is ask for His forgiveness.

This is why Jesus suggested that we pray to God and ask for His forgiveness for our sins, in what is now referred to as the "Lord's prayer":

"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." (Luke 11:4)

Why would Jesus ask us to pray for forgiveness if he died for our sins?

God can immediately forgive our self-centeredness and the many offenses that we have made against Him by simply asking Him. He doesn't have to become a man and die for our sins in order for our sins to be forgiven.

We can simply pray to God and He will forgive us because this is His nature. This is what Jesus taught, as he told his followers to pray to God (e.g., the Lord's Prayer) and ask God to forgive us as we forgive others.

God is the most merciful. He is the most compassionate. This is because He loves us unconditionally.

Can we have a change of heart?

What we should also be praying for is a change of heart. Asking for forgiveness for our offenses and self-centeredness is important, but we should also be asking the Supreme Being to help us change from being self-centered to being God-centered. From focused on doing our will to becoming focused on doing His will.

This is what Jesus was trying to communicate when he said above:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

Doing "the will of my Father who is in heaven" is performing loving service to God. It is doing what God wants rather than what I want.

This, in fact, is heaven. It doesn't matter where we are located. We are in heaven when we are doing God's will, and we are in hell when we are doing our own will.

This is because doing God's will is our natural position. We were each created by God to be one of His loving caregivers. But because love requires freedom, He also gave us the freedom to love Him or not. Those of us who decided not to love Him were tossed into the physical world of consequences, where we virtually act out our self-centered desires within these temporary physical bodies.

We must also understand that the suffering that takes place in this physical world is a virtual type of suffering - that takes place for these temporary bodies. It can be compared with a video game in which the computer icon can be shot and killed but the person playing the computer game can turn off the computer and walk away.

We are each eternal spiritual beings, temporarily occupying these physical bodies. And the various events that take place against these bodies take place as consequences to help us learn and grow. This is the nature of the physical world.

It is not as if the Supreme Being has lost control over the physical world - as some teach. It is not as if Satan has overpowered God and wrestled control of the earth away from God. God is in complete control over the physical world. He has simply created a world of consequences, where the temporary physical body we wear receives the same suffering we previously inflicted onto others - either within this physical body or a former one.

This is a perfect system, which allows each of us to gradually understand the meaning of caring for others versus self-centered behavior. In other words, this virtual physical world was designed by God to rehabilitate us - to teach us to love again.

And we can at any time resume our real identities as God's loving caregivers regardless of the physical body we occupy. We can wake up from our self-centered slumber and begin to live for the pleasure of the Supreme Being. This and only this will truly make us happy because this is our natural position.

This is why Jesus also suggested we pray:

"Father, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 11:2)

*Here is the translation of Jesus' statement from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"One who hates me also hates my LORD. If I had not done among them the deeds no one else did, they would not have offenses. But now they have seen them and hate both me and my LORD.” (John 15:23-24)

"I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those ..." (John 17:9)

"I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given me, for they are Yours." (John 17:9)

Who is Jesus praying for?

This part of Jesus' open prayer to the Supreme Being is focused on Jesus' followers. How do we know this? Because in the previous verse of Jesus' prayer, he said:

"For I gave them the words You gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent me." (John 17:8)

So the "they" in this verse - is referring directly to those who have accepted Jesus' teachings and have believed that God sent Jesus.

So does this include those teachers and followers of most of today's sectarian institutions? Actually, no. Why not?

Because most of today's sectarian institutions are not accepting Jesus' teachings, and they do not accept that God sent Jesus (ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας).

They actually do not follow Jesus' teachings, because his teachings revolved around loving and serving the Supreme Being. These institutions teach that Jesus is the Supreme Being, so they have missed Jesus' entire mission and objective. Since they do not accept the individual existence of the Supreme Being they cannot love or serve God. Jesus specifies this exact situation in the following statement:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matt. 7:21-23)

We can understand that the teachers and followers of many of today's sectarian organizations are being referred to here, because they are calling Jesus "Lord, Lord" as they teach ("prophesy") in Jesus' name and use Jesus' name to perform miracles and drive out demons. Yet Jesus is still denying these supposed followers. Why?

"but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

This means clearly that someone may be doing all these things in Jesus' name - preaching in church or going to church, doing bake sales, doing healings, going to far-off countries to preach about Jesus. But they still will be rejected by Jesus if they are not serving the Supreme Being ("does the will of my Father who is in heaven").

This clearly states that doing God's will means first accepting the individual existence of God - separate from Jesus' existence. To serve the Supreme Being - and do His will - we need to come to know the Supreme Being. Because in order to do someone's will we must know what that person wants us to do.

Who are 'those you have given me'?

Jesus is clearly stating to God - that he wants to help "those You have given me." What does this mean?

When a person reaches out to the Supreme Being and sincerely asks "please let me come to know You and love You." That person is guided to someone who is already knowing and loving the Supreme Being - someone who can introduce us to God. This is how God works. He sends His loving servants to the physical world to re-introduce those who want to come home to Him. Why?

Because God enjoys loving relationships, and He doesn't just introduce us to Him solely - He introduces us to the loving relationships that exist between Himself and His loving servants. 

These relationships give Him pleasure and they give His loving servants joy. God enjoys the exchange of loving relationships. This is why those loving servants such as Moses, David, and Jesus were so focused on asking us to come to love God. This is the highest form of loving service.

So when a person sincerely asks God to guide Him, God will direct that person to one of His loving servants. That loving servant will then teach the person about God. This is what Jesus is referring to when he says, "for they are Yours." Jesus is not claiming them. He is clarifying that by their sincerely reaching out to God, God has taken them under His wing and they are His.

Those students and disciples of Jesus that God directed to Jesus were under Jesus' tutelage. God had given Jesus those students to teach, and Jesus' service to God was to teach them.

And after Jesus left the planet, some of those students went on to teach others who were directed to them by God. This is how God's system works, and this system is identified even in the Old Testament with Moses and Joshua, Eli and Samuel, Samuel and David, and with John and Jesus and Jesus and his students. 

This is the teacher-student relationship system that God embraces and utilizes to help guide those who sincerely wish to return to their own loving relationship with the Supreme Being.

Why isn't Jesus 'praying for the world'?

Jesus isn't praying for everyone in the physical world. Why not? Because so many of us are not interested in coming to know the Supreme Being. Most of us are looking to be supreme. We want others to praise us. We want to be the CEO, the billionaire, the star, the boss. Even if Jesus did pray for us it wouldn't help most of us. We'd still be seeking our own self-centered goals.

These are all things related to the physical world, and our temporary physical bodies. They are not related to loving the Supreme Being or serving the Supreme Being.

Jesus addressed being concerned about our worldly things specifically:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life.... So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Instead of sectarian institutions following and teaching these things - Jesus' teachings - many teach the very opposite. They actually focus on these things Jesus was teaching not to focus on. Their worries are focused upon how much money they make and what clothes they wear - beginning with their teachers, who will only teach when they receive a salary to teach and insist upon wearing special uniforms with certain types of collars to make sure that everyone gives them the proper respect. They ignore Jesus' statement:

"But seek first His kingdom..."

And when they teach, they teach about family life, about getting enough to eat, about being healthy and about making money. Many preachers will sometimes focus their whole sermons on using Jesus in order to become wealthier.

And we see their athletic followers praying in public before football games and before Olympic sports events. What are they praying for? They are praying to Jesus to help them win and help them avoid injury. And they make a big show of these prayers so everyone will respect that they are part of the "Jesus saves" club.

Rather than wanting to serve the Supreme Being, their focus is on winning. They spend their whole lives preparing (working out, education and so on) so that they can become famous and well-known and make lots of money. Their focus is upon fame, glory, reputation, money and the health of their temporary physical bodies.

Do they see Jesus as their servant?

When some of these institutional teachers pray out loud, they are positioning Jesus as their servant. They teach that we should pray to Jesus to heal us - or give us money - make sure we have a good job - make sure we win. Such prayers are usury. They are an attempt to use Jesus for self-serving purposes.

Isn't that what a servant would do? Fetch something or deliver on something?

These are part of the "world" that Jesus is not going to be praying for. The word "world" used in this statement comes from the Greek word κόσμος (kosmos). This word can mean "the world, the universe" according to the lexicon, but also "the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God" according to Thayer's lexicon.

Jesus is referring to the material world.

What makes us alienated from God?

Self-centeredness separates us from God. Being focused on ourselves rather than the Supreme Being and His children.

We must be clear - as Jesus is clear. Saying "I am saved" and "Praise Jesus" and healing in Jesus' name and so on has nothing to do with loving and serving the Supreme Being. This is made clear by Jesus in Matt. 7:21-23 above.

Jesus' primary teaching was not to claim to be saved. His primary teaching was not to ask Jesus to heal my leg or give me money.

It was:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37)

Love is an action word. It is not just sitting back and saying, "oh, I love God - I love God and I love baseball and my cat and hot dogs." Loving God "with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" means remaining focused on God. It means doing what God wants us to do. 

It means praising and glorifying God and giving credit to God. It means making offerings to God. It means seeking God throughout our activities and our lives. It means praying to God and asking Him to show us how we can serve Him and please Him.

And we can do all of these things in Jesus' name because this was what Jesus taught.

You see, Jesus has a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This is why Jesus is praying to God in this verse. He is involved in a loving relationship with God and he used his prayers to communicate with God within such a loving relationship.

We can also know by this that when we follow Jesus' teachings and we sincerely reach out to God in Jesus' name, Jesus will help us in this process. He will be helping plead our case on our behalf, as he states here (from the Lost Gospels of Jesus):

"I pray for them. I pray not for the material world, but for them You have entrusted to me, for they are Yours." (John 17:9)