"Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit....." (John 1:47-50)

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."
Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that."(John 1:47-50)

Was Jesus the 'king of Israel'?

the word "king" here is translated from the Greek word βασιλεύς (basileus). According to Strong's lexicon, this word can mean "leader of the people," or "prince," or "commander," or "lord of the land." It can also mean "king."

Obviously, Jesus was not a king in the common sense of the word. Jesus held no legal governmental authority that could have attributed the word "king" to him.

The word “king” here is thus a mistranslation. The better translation is “leader,” as taken from the lexicon. This would fit the circumstances of the situation and the English language.

Interestingly, the word "Israel" here may not mean a region or country as it does today. This Hebrew word means, literally, "he shall be a prince of God." This name was given by God to Jacob, and it is assumed that this is a character identifier rather than a common name.

While "leader of Israel" is an appropriate translation, one could certainly make the case that what Nathaniel was describing Jesus as also representing the lineage of Israel - referring to those who love and serve God.

What does 'Son of God' mean?

Now let's consider Nathanael's statement regarding being the Son of God, and then afterward, Jesus' own use of the word "son" in the context of "Son of Man":

Here the Greek word that has been translated to “son” is υἱός (huios). This may indicate a relationship of offspring in the limited sense of the physical body, but it is more appropriately defined, as taken from the Greek lexicon, to mean "one who depends on another or is his follower."

Furthermore, the Greek word that has been translated to "man" is ἀνθρώπου, which can mean "man" but can also mean "humankind," "people" or "humanity."

Thus, within the context of the self-reference of υἱὸς τοῦ [of] ἀνθρώπου, the more appropriate translation would be something like:

"servant of humanity" or "servant of the people"

We find this alternative use for the word "son" throughout the scriptures For example, we see this use of the word "son" as follower or servant in this text spoken by Eli to his student, Samuel:

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” (1 Samuel 3:6)

"Son" is also the wrong translation used in connection with υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ or "Son of God." Let's consider how the term "Son of God" is used in the larger context:

...the sons of God saw that the daughters of men 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 men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.(Genesis 6:3-5)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Jesus, Matthew 5:8-10)

...because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:13-15)

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:18-20)

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:25-27)

We can see by these statements that the use of the "Son of God" is much broader than simply Jesus being the only Son of God. We are certainly seeing this among Jesus' disciples as well.

Are we saying that God can only have one son? Are we saying that God is now impotent since He had His one son and no one else?

Certainly, this is ridiculous. God has innumerable children. He has directly created each of us. It is not as if, as the politically-driven Synod of Nicea - assembled by emperor Constantine in the fourth century as part of his effort to control Europe and the middle east through the control of the Christian church - Jesus is the only begotten Son of God while we are all indirect sons of God. This is preposterous. We are all children of God.

Rather, as we can see from the use of the phrase "sons of God" in the texts above, the word "son" was used to signify a loving servant of God: Someone who has, out of freedom of choice and love, given their life to God. The "Son of God" is someone who has dedicated their life to God.

While we find many references to "Son of God" in the Bible that many sectarian teachings have singled out Jesus as the only Son of God.

In reality, this reference is describing a particular role or position, not one single person. When the prophets in the Old Testament refer to a coming "Son of God" they are referring to someone who will take on the role of loving servant of God and become God's representative.

This might be compared to the word "ambassador." While we might refer to someone in particular as "ambassador," we will also refer to the duties of a person in that role in general. A person might say, "the ambassador will represent the president of the United States and all of the people of the United States." This would be a correct statement that could be applied to a particular person who is currently holding that office, as well as any other future person who may hold that office in the future.

But if someone says, "there will only be one ambassador," well that is another story altogether. What about those who served as ambassadors of the U.S. before this particular ambassador? How about those who will succeed the ambassador currently holding office?

This is the same misconstruction that has happened within the sectarian world. Because of a combination of two things:

1) The desire of emperors, popes and bishops (and other sect and church leaders) to control the people and thus declare that Jesus was the only Son of God (i.e., if there were others, they would lose their control)

2) Those not becoming servants of God themselves. Because they did not follow Jesus and surrender their lives to God and become the loving servants of God, they instead took on this falsehood of just proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God and then supposedly being saved by Jesus (salvationism - a selfish desire that has nothing to do with serving God).

We can see this also in Acts, where Jesus is described as God's servant, yet it is translated to "Son of God" in the King James version. In the New International Version, it has been translated correctly:

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. (Acts 3:13)

Here the Greek παῖς or ‘pais’ better translates to "servant" than "son."

The combination of these two elements has created this misconstruction of the notion of Jesus as the only Son of God. In fact, we are talking about Jesus being the loving servant of God. And as he says above in Matthew 5:8-10, we can all become sons of God simply by following Jesus' instructions, the first and most important 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)

What is a better word instead of son then?

When most people hear the word "son" they conjure up a male offspring. Sometimes a supervisor or older person might also greet a younger man as "son." But this is quite rare compared to the typical application of the word "son" in modern English.

From a spiritual context, this creates quite a bit of confusion because a son is typically a physical offspring. When we try to apply this term applied to the physical body to a spiritual context things get confusing.

Now let's consider the true meaning of the words being translated to "son" in 'Son of God' and 'Son of Man.' What the heck is a "Son of Man"? Does this make any sense?

Remember the translation of υἱός (huios) to "follower" or "loving servant." This also applies to the meaning of “Son of Man.” The use of "man" is not a single "man" here. It is not one man, but men in general. In other words, mankind, or humanity.

Here Jesus is describing himself as a “servant of mankind” or a servant of humanity. In other words, he feels that he has come to serve people by bringing them the teachings of God. This is certainly the highest service, as Jesus is practicing the second greatest commandment:

"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matt. 22:39)

The reason the second command is like the first is that once a person loves God, they will automatically love all of God's children. It is automatic. They will instantly feel saddened by the state of existence that some of God's children are in as they (we) are ignoring God and not loving God. Thus, the loving servant of God will work to deliver the message of love of God to all of God's children.

What is 'heaven and earth opening' mean?

Consider Jesus’ next statement. Jesus predicts that they will see heaven opening, and angels ascending and descending on the servant of humanity. What is Jesus saying here?

Jesus is saying that he will be teaching them about God, and those teachings will open the gates of heaven to those men (the translation from Greek refers to a plural “you”) who accept the guidance of God's representative.

Should they follow the teachings of God's representative(s), they will guide them back home to the kingdom of God. Notice that some of the angels are "descending." Why?

These are God's representatives - angels - who are being sent down to earth to teach us about God. It isn't that God is losing some angels and gaining others. They are coming and going because God is sending them and bringing them back. It is a passageway, that allows God's messengers to descend to the earth, and bring others back home, back to God's kingdom. And why are they on the "backs of the Son of God?"

It is because as these angels descend from God's kingdom to bring us back, they become loving servants of humanity. They bring God's message to us as a gift. And the message: If we also become God's loving servants (sons of God) we will be happy, and will return to our eternal loving relationship with God.


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

Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, and said of him, “Truly, an Israelite in whom there is no deceitfulness.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to him, “Rabbi, you are the Representative of God; you are the leader of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I saw you under the fig tree, you are believing? You will see greater things than this.” (John 1:47-50)

"You are Israel's teacher, and do you not understand these things?" (John 3:10-15)

"I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man [or man who is in heaven]. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:10-15)

What did Nicodemous ask?

Here Jesus is responding to Nicodemus the rabbi's continued questions. After Jesus’ previous statement (see previous entry), Nicodemus asks:

“How can this be?” (John 3:9)

This prompts Jesus to question how it is that Nicodemus is a Jewish teacher, and he cannot discern between matter and spirit — one of the basics of spiritual life (as Jesus had spoken of earlier). Did the Jewish teachings not teach about the spiritual world and the difference between the spiritual world and the physical world?

Then Jesus comments that even though authorized teachers and prophets in the line of David, including John the Baptist, taught about the dimension they know — heaven, or the spiritual world — people (such as Nicodemus) do not believe them.

Even as they try to teach about the spiritual world from the perspective of the physical material world, the people still do not believe their teachings. Jesus presents that one cannot know about heaven (the spiritual world) unless he has entered the spiritual world and can thus speak about it from experience. One cannot speak about the spiritual dimension with authority unless they have been there, in other words.

What does 'Son of Man' mean?

The next sentence has often been misinterpreted. "Son of Man" is often confused to mean an exclusive position. This would mean that no one except for Jesus has ever been in heaven. If we believe this interpretation, this means that all of the other prophets and saints through the years never went to heaven: Only Jesus has been there. This is a nonsensical position, yet this is the interpretation that the sectarian preachers, ministers and priests would have us believe.*

Furthermore, the Greek word translated to “son” is υἱός (huios). This can indicate a relationship of offspring in the context of a physical family, but in this context, it is more appropriately defined in the Greek lexicon, as "one who depends on another or is his follower."

"Man" is being translated from the Greek word, ἀνθρώπου, which can mean "man" but can also mean "mankind," "people" or "humanity."

Thus, within the context of the self-reference of υἱὸς τοῦ [of] ἀνθρώπου, the more appropriate translation* would be "servant of humanity" or "servant of the people."

This is why God called Ezekiel "Son of Man" ["servant of humanity"] more than 60 times, and why he also called Daniel "Son of Man."

Accordingly, Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" with a humble reference. We can also see this humble self-identification in David's referral to himself as a Son of Man:

"O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the Son of Man that you think of him?" (Psalm 144:3)

The reason professional sectarian teachers want to describe Jesus as the only person who's been to heaven is that they - ironically as Jesus also describes here - are not speaking from a position of being from the spiritual world. Their interpretations are coming from those whose eyes and hearts only see the physical world.

The appropriate translation* of υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, rather than "Son of Man" would thus be "servant of humanity," or servant of the people.

Is Jesus the only spiritual teacher?

Many sectarian institutions have put forth the premise that Jesus is the only bonafide spiritual teacher. Is it true?

This is precisely the intention of the Council of Nicaea in Constantinople of the fourth century, organized by King Constantine. And his purpose? To organize the Christian churches and their various teachers into one church so it could be controlled politically. Why? So that Constantine could maintain control over Europe. He understood that by controlling the teachings of the most popular religion, he could control the population.

So the council organized what is referred to as the Nicene Creed. This creed was a sectarian interpretation of the scriptures imposed upon the Christian world by a body of political appointees from various churches, gathered under the command of Emperor Constantine. This turned the teachings of Jesus into a political tool to exert power over people. It had nothing to do with the truth.

This goes against everything Jesus and all his disciples taught. If Jesus was the only teacher then why did Jesus send out his disciples to teach to others? They must also be teachers if they were teaching.

And those who teach on behalf of sectarian institutions today are also assuming the role of teacher. Even if they proclaim that Jesus is the only teacher, they are teaching that. Therefore it would be a hypocrisy to teach that Jesus is the only teacher.

Jesus also quoted the teachings of the Prophets before him. This confirms that Jesus accepted the Prophets teachings. Part of the purpose of the Bible is to chronicle the teachings of the Prophets. They taught that to realize God, one must humbly approach God in prayer, and hear from those teachers who are representing God. They taught that one's relationship with God is a personal one, not one of an organization of men. Love of God cannot be enforced by a political group.

The knowledge of God does not come from an electorate: It comes from one's personal communion with God, and God hands this knowledge down through His loving servants - those prophets and teachers such as Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jesus and so many others.

All of these teachers were individuals teaching a personal message. They were not political assemblies of men. God's representatives are individuals, not political groups with ulterior motives.

For this same reason, all political assemblies of men, be they made up of cardinals, bishops, deacons or whatever, do not represent God. They are councils of men and/or women who seek to sustain the organization they represent. Their conclusions, voted on just as a legal bill might be voted on, do not represent the will of God. Their conclusions represent the political will of that group.

What is the Council of Nicaea?

Therefore, we cannot accept the conclusions of the Council of Nicaea. The First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. created seven creeds. The next council, fifty years later, further embellished upon these with nine creeds. They defined who Jesus was, how Mary fit in, and the relationship between Jesus, God and the Holy Ghost.

These nine creeds have since become the pillars of the interpretation of the scriptures by sectarians around the world. And the teachings of practically every preacher, reverend, priest or pope of today's sectarian organizations all teach these misinterpretations of Jesus' teachings.

Anyway, the translation to “Son of Man” simply makes no sense. What the heck is a “Son of Man”? Isn't every male a son of a man? Furthermore, the sectarian explanation of this does not make practical sense either.

This translation as "servant of humanity" is consistent when applied to other mistranslations of "Son of Man" throughout the Bible, in addition to David's self-reference quoted above:

"...how much less man, who is but a maggot— a Son of Man, who is only a worm!" [Job, humbly referring to himself] (Job 25:5-6)

"He said to me, "Son of Man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." " [Ezekiel referring to God calling upon him] (Ezekiel 2:1-3)

"He said: "Son of Man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against Me to this very day."(Ezekiel 2:2-4)

"He then said to me: "Son of Man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them."(Ezekiel 3:3-5)

(God refers to Ezekiel as the "Son of Man" over 60 times)

"As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of Man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end." " (Daniel 8:16-18)

Certainly, these indicate that υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου does not refer to the exclusive position of Jesus. "Servant of humanity" is the only logical translation of υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

Thus, Jesus and other prophets such as David and Ezekiel could refer to themselves as “servants of humanity” because they were devoted to helping others return home to God. And this, of course, is why God referred to Ezekiel as a "servant of humanity."

So when Jesus makes these statements about the servant of humanity, he is speaking in a general way. Note how he refers to the servant of humanity in the third person. Why wouldn’t he just say “me” or “I” if it were all about him? No, he is speaking in general about how loving servants of humanity descend from the spiritual world to bring others back home to God. This is a selfless mission - one that requires the loving servants of God to make many sacrifices in their service.

So why was Jesus bringing up the concept of being "lifted up" within the context of the rabbi not understanding the spiritual world and the difference between the physical world?

The concept of “must be lifted up” describes the sacrificing of one's physical life in the service of God, the departure of the spiritual individual from the physical body, and the resulting ascension (or return) of God's loving servant to the spiritual world.

This is what Jesus did. He sacrificed his physical body as part of his loving service to God and humanity, illustrated his identity as spirit to his disciples, and then ascended into the spiritual world to return to God.

Why the sacrifice? Was it so that people could stare at the cross every Sunday and be relieved of their sins so they could return to their selfish lives on Monday free of the consequences of their actions? Certainly not.

When people do not believe someone, radical action must sometimes be taken to illustrate the seriousness of the issue. In Jesus' case, teaching the Truth required significant sacrifice to illustrate just how important our relationship with God truly is. This is, in fact, the reason for Jesus' sacrifice: To illustrate the importance of our relationship with God.

Isn't that what any sacrifice says?

Consider an army soldier who gives his life to his country in a battle. What is this sacrifice saying? It is saying that the soldier considers his country more important than his own life.

In the same way, Jesus' sacrifice is saying that he considered God, and the teachings of God, more important than his own physical life.

Note also that Jesus was not the only representative of God that sacrificed his life in his service to God. Jesus' own teacher, John the Baptist, also sacrificed his life on behalf of his teachings and service to God. He was beheaded by Herod, after being jailed. In addition, many of Jesus' disciples were also tortured on behalf of their teachings and service to the Supreme Being.

This is the ultimate service to God, and to humankind.

It is not, as terrorists would imagine, murdering innocent people while committing suicide. Jesus did not commit suicide and neither did his teacher John the Baptist or many of Jesus' disciples. They were murdered by those who could not tolerate someone teaching love of God.

Some might ask: Why did God let Jesus be murdered then?

This scenario would essentially remove the freedom of those who murdered Jesus from rebelling against the Supreme Being. To do so would be to also remove their freedom to decide to love God.

In other words, the Supreme Being give each of us the freedom to love Him or not - which requires the freedom for us to also act against His will and thus act in a self-centered fashion.

This does not mean that God has lost control. It simply means that God allows us to exercise freedom within a virtual reality - this temporary physical plane of existence.

Should a person understand the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice, and see the purpose of life is to serve and please God, that person will have, as Jesus puts it here, "eternal life." What is “eternal life?” Eternal life is returning home to God in the spiritual world: A place without birth, disease, old age and death. Life in the physical world is temporary. Life in the spiritual world is eternal.

Eternal life is also where relationships are eternal. Our physical relationships with friends, family and spouse, are all temporary. They end when the body dies. The relationships of the spiritual world - ones centered around loving God and loving His children - are eternal. They do not end when the body dies.

And being "saved" is not a condition of being cleansed of sins: It is a change of heart. It is the change from a selfish consciousness to the consciousness of love for God and His children. This is the consciousness of those within the spiritual world.

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

Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and do you not understand these things? Truly I say to you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you do not accept my testimony. If I speak of worldly matters and you do not trust me, how will you trust me when I speak of spiritual matters? No one ascends to the spiritual realm unless he descends from the spiritual realm as the Servant of Humanity. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Servant of Humanity be honored, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:10-15)**

**There is considerable evidence from earlier texts that Jesus' statement ended at John 3:15, and the verses later numbered as John 3:16-21 were added in as commentary by later translators. It is for this reason that a number of translations, including this one, end Jesus' quote at John 3:15.

"... the Son can do nothing by himself ..." (John 5:19)

For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his father doing, because whatever the father does the son also does." (John 5:18-19) 

Is Jesus saying this literally or metaphorically?

Many have misinterpreted this literally, with the "son" being Jesus and the "father" being God. For this reason, many translations have added capitalization to "father" and "son."

Rather, Jesus is using the relationship between a father and his son metaphorically to explain the relationship he has with God.

If Jesus was referring strictly to himself and God here, he would have said something like:

"Very truly I tell you, I can do nothing by myself; I can do only what I see my Father doing, because whatever the Father does I also do."

Certainly, this would be a more appropriate statement for Jesus to make if he was referring specifically to himself.

Why wouldn't Jesus do this, and speak in the first person instead of the third person if he were speaking literally of himself?

Because Jesus was referring to a role - not a specific individual. Yes, he was conferring that he was in that role - but this role was not exclusively himself, or else he would have just said "Jesus" or "me."

We do find that Jesus does make a similar statement about himself directly, later on:

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." (John 8:28) 

Is Jesus referring to dependency?

Jesus was responding to those wanting to criticize Jesus, saying that Jesus was putting himself equal to God. Jesus clarified that just as a son is dependent upon his father, he was. 

Jesus is suggesting that he is dedicated and dependent upon God, just as a son is dependent upon his father.

In response to the Pharisees' complaint about Jesus, Jesus is also indicating that his followers have the opportunity to regain their relationship with God and become dedicated to God. 

What kind of relationship? Taking shelter of God. Becoming dependent upon God.

Such is the opportunity for each of us. Any of us can choose to take shelter in God and become one of God's dependents. One of God's lovers. This is what Jesus is trying to teach his students.

Jesus was also illustrating that indeed, he is to be included as someone who has taken shelter in God. 

This occurs in any loving relationship. A person who loves another will do the will of and act on behalf of the one they love. This is the essence of Jesus' life and the essence of Jesus' relationship with God.

"You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth...." (John 5:33-34)

"You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved." (John 5:33-34)

Is Jesus referring to John the Baptist?

Jesus is referring to the teachings of John, who was his spiritual teacher. Jesus is indicating that he was teaching the same teachings as John.

Indeed, many sectarian theologians have been mystified by the reason Jesus approached John, and the reason Jesus became baptized by John.

When did John testify about Jesus? Likely many other times outside of this, but we can see in the text:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (Matthew 3:13-14)

John said other things in honoring Jesus. Thus he provided direct testimony about Jesus.

Why was Jesus baptized by John?

What was the intended meaning of baptism before the sectarian organizations of the Christian churches converted it into a sect-joining ritual?

During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 3:2-3).

What does "a baptism of repentance" mean? The word "repentance" is translated from the Greek word μετάνοια. According to the Greek lexicon, μετάνοια means: "a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done."

In other words, the Greek source of the word "repentance" means to have a change of heart: A change of purpose and a change of mind. This means a change in one's life, basically.

What kind of change are we talking about here? Luke 3:2-3 states clearly that God empowered John (the word of God came to John) to teach others. In other words, John became a messenger for God.

Is baptism a form of purification?

The word "baptism" has been translated from the Greek word βάπτισμα. According to the Greek lexicon, βάπτισμα means "immersion, submersion".

If we combine the Greek phrase used; βάπτισμα μετάνοια εἰς ἄφεσις ἁμαρτία; we can understand that John was immersing those he taught into the word of God, which helped change peoples hearts. 

This means baptism symbolized the teacher helping to release others from the bondage of their selfishness, anxiety, greed and fear - putting them on a path of love for God.

What was John teaching?

John was teaching God's word, which was able to purify people and free them from the clutches of selfishness, anxiety, greed and fear. John's teachings were able to change people's hearts. John's teachings were able to make people change their hearts and change their path.

"a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

The words "for the forgiveness of sins" comes from two Greek words: ἄφεσις and ἁμαρτία. According to the Greek lexicon:

ἄφεσις means to "release from bondage or imprisonment."

ἁμαρτία means to "to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong"

So if we pull this together, John was preaching "a baptism" that changed people's hearts, released them from bondage, and corrected their path.

John also taught something else, which Jesus also specifically passed on:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Matthew 3:1-2)

Jesus then proceeded to also teach this teaching:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17)

Then Jesus also taught his own students to pass on this same teaching:

"As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’" (Matthew 10:7)

What does 'near' mean?

Some have professed that Jesus, John and the Prophets before them were all referring to the end of the world. They propose that when everyone dies Jesus returns riding on horseback to pick up all the believers and kill all those who aren't. Some also claim members of their sect will then inherit the earth.

If that were true, what about all those who believed this and died decades and centuries ago? Why didn't it come for those Jesus was speaking to? Or for those John was speaking to? By now most of those dead bodies have decomposed. Their bodies are now dissolved into the dirt. There is no way they will inherit the earth.

Or will they all have been waiting around in some kind of purgatory state - or in their graves?

Such a theory is preposterous. Those bodies that died 2,000 years ago have long decomposed.

Rather, what John was referring to - as was Jesus and the Prophets before them - was love of God. Being "near" to God means caring for Him, wanting to please Him. Yes, they were speaking about love of God.

This is why Jesus' most important instruction mirrored those of Moses and the other Prophets:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut. 6:5)

Yes, Jesus quoted this statement by Moses, adding: "This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:38)

This central message and teaching also has the ability to change a person's heart, release a person's bondage, and straighten a person's path.

How so? Consider what happens when a young man falls "in love" with a young woman. Suddenly, his life changes. He no longer considers himself only. He now is thinking of his beloved. He rearranges his life to please his beloved. Everything changes. Why? Love. He suddenly cares for someone else other than himself.

Love for God has an even deeper effect on a person. Should we fall in love with the Supreme Being our entire life and focus changes. Suddenly we are concerned about pleasing the Supreme Being. Suddenly we are wanting to live our lives in such a way that serves God's interests, rather than our own interests. This is the change of heart that John the Baptist gave to people who came to the desert to hear from him.

And this is also the change of heart that John gave to Jesus when Jesus submitted himself to John for "baptism." Jesus certainly was already a special person. He had chosen to love God and God acknowledged that. 

Jesus still submitted himself to John (as John had submitted to Zechariah) because he saw John as God's messenger. Jesus heard John's teachings and became a follower of John's.

Following Jesus hearing John's message and submitting to John, the Supreme Being also empowered Jesus to become His representative. This is why Jesus' teachings began after his baptism by John.

Is baptism symbolic?

The baptism ceremony of dunking into the water is a symbolic act that represents the submission to God's representative (as was anointing previously). It is not the submission in itself. The submission must occur within one's heart.

This is the method by which God's word is passed from teacher to student. The student sits at the feet of the teacher and hears his message with submission. Should he absorb and embrace those teachings, his (or her) life will change. As that happens, God may then empower the student to also become a teacher, to pass God's word on.

Why is this so important? Because love of God is passed from person to person. Love of God is about a relationship with God. One who has that relationship can introduce another to that relationship. It is a personal system, because we are each a person, and God is a Person.

We can see this system work in everyday life. When a friend introduces us to his friend, we can then become his friend's friend, through that introduction. Their relationship enables our new relationship with that person. This is because relationships are fundamental to our existence, and they all branch from our original relationship with the Original Person.

Jesus, like John, was teaching God's word, which also changed people's hearts, freed people from bondage and put them on the path of pleasing God (assuming they really heard Jesus' teachings). In other words, Jesus, like John, taught love of God. He was trying to introduce those around him to love and cherish God. This is why Jesus; like Moses (and John, and all the other prophets) taught:

“ ‘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)

"... testify that the Father has sent me.” (John 5:35-36)

"Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me." (John 5:35-36)

Why was John a lamp?

Jesus is speaking metaphorically. When Jesus says, "John was a lamp that burned and gave light," he is communicating that John taught others with spiritual teachings. The 'light' refers to spiritual knowledge, which is enlightening. When a person has spiritual knowledge, they are enlightened. Metaphorically, this lights their path.

A lamp gives out light just as a spiritual teacher gives out spiritual knowledge. Because such knowledge provides the wisdom to navigate life, we can compare this to light that provides a way to navigate a path in the darkness.

Jesus follows with "and you chose for a time to enjoy his light." This indicates that people were enlightened by John's teachings, and Jesus is now carrying that same torch in his teachings.

What about the human testimony?

So why does Jesus say: "Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved" when he is speaking of John? When Jesus says he doesn't accept human testimony, he is meaning that he only accepts the word of God. As indicated in the verse before (John 5:32), Jesus accepts only God's testimony.

But in this case, Jesus speaks of John because Jesus is teaching the same message that John taught. John was credible because he changed people.

And because Jesus says "the Father has sent me" he is inferring that not only did God send Jesus, but He also sent John and the Prophets before John.

Why are John's teachings important?

In the second sentence, "I have testimony weightier than that of John," Jesus states this after saying that John's teachings provided wisdom and truth:

"John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light."

Jesus was not saying that John did not save those whom he taught to and baptized. For we can balance this with other statements by Jesus:

"Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11)

and

"For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." (Matt. 21:32)

The phrase "to show you the way of righteousness" clearly means that Jesus accepted that John was saving those who followed his teachings. Indeed, as Jesus himself followed John's teachings - evidenced by his baptism by John (a ceremony representing becoming a disciple).

Did Jesus teach what John taught?

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matt. 3:1-2)

After John was imprisoned, Jesus began his mission with the same principle teachings:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matt. 4:17)

Then Jesus also instructed his own disciples to teach the same:

"As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'" (Matt. 10:7)

Why is Jesus' testimony 'weightier'?

So why is Jesus saying that his "testimony" is "weightier" than John's? Is he saying that his teachings are better than John's?

No. The word "weightier" is being translated from the Greek word μέγας (megas), which can certainly be applied as "weightier" or "heavier" - as the lexicon indicates: "of the external form or sensible appearance of things (or of persons) - mass and weight: great"

However, Jesus is not speaking of physical stature here. He was not saying that he weighed more than John. Or that his words weighed more than John's words. The word μέγας (megas) can also mean, as indicated by the lexicon: "used of intensity and its degrees: with great effort, of the affections and emotions of the mind, of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong" and "things esteemed highly for their importance: of great moment, of great weight, importance."

We must understand the context of Jesus' statement. Jesus is not saying that he is greater than John or his teachings are more important. Why would he accept baptism from John if he thought he was better than John?

Rather, Jesus is teaching among those who had been students of John's - and had been hearing from John, or had heard about John. Now Jesus is explaining that Jesus' teachings - at that moment - were coming from the Supreme Being, and because they were coming from God, they should be given their immediate attention. This is confirmed by his statement just before this:

"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)

This illustrates that Jesus is referring to the fact that his teachings - coming from God - have more importance at that time and place. They were more important at that time and circumstance - they were appropriate for that current situation and audience, just as a live narration about a current event has more importance at that time than a historical reference about a past event. This is even more critical when we are speaking of spiritual teachings.

Let's use an example:

Let's say that a child is in the fourth grade. Their third-grade teacher taught the child to add numbers together by putting them side by side with an equal sign at the end so they could read left to right and add them together. Then the fourth-grade teacher begins teaching them to add larger numbers (say 1031+2672) by putting them on top of each other so that the tens digits can be carried. The child then raises his hand and says "our third-grade teacher taught us to add differently."

Was the third-grade teacher wrong? No. The teacher was teaching them based on their age and level of math. The fourth-grade teacher may say something like, "that method is okay, but this method is a better way to do heavier calculations." In this way, the third-grade teacher is simply giving the kids more advanced teachings. Not that either teacher was teaching a better method.

How do Jesus' teachings get taken out of context?

Over the centuries, many of Jesus' statements have been taken out of context. How does this happen?

In some cases, Jesus' teachings were specifically tuned to the particular situation and particular audience. They were also designed for a particular time and circumstance. When the time and circumstances become different, the original context can be lost. And when the audience hearing or reading those teachings is substantially different - from a different society and speaking a different language, the underlying meaning of Jesus' statements can be misunderstood.

We could compare this again with the third and fourth-grade teachers. The fourth-grade teacher was teaching a method that was specific to the readiness of the child. There was nothing wrong with the previous method for the third grade, but the children were now ready for adding larger numbers. So the method the fourth-grade teacher uses becomes substantially different. This could easily be misinterpreted, instead of simply being a different methodology.

Again we must understand that Jesus is not speaking of himself as being the central issue. In fact, he was not speaking of himself at all. He was speaking of his service to God:

"For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me.”

Jesus is clearly identifying himself as God's messenger. A person who is sent by another is the messenger of the sender. Furthermore, Jesus is clarifying that he is working for God: "the very work that the Father has given me to finish..." So not only is Jesus God's messenger, but Jesus is God's servant.

Was Jesus' service to God forced?

He was not forced by God to testify on behalf of God or do God's work. There is a big difference between being a slave and a loving servant. A loving servant serves his master out of volition: out of love. This means that Jesus is the loving servant of God.

This also means that Jesus enjoyed a personal relationship with God. If one person "sends" another, and the other works hard to do the work of the sender out of choice, there must be a relationship between the sender and his servant the messenger. Furthermore, if the messenger is undergoing great hardship to do the work of the sender, this illustrates a relationship of love must exist between the two.

This also explains the "oneness" that exists between Jesus and God, as Jesus alluded to in other statements. God and Jesus are "one" because Jesus loves the Supreme Being and Jesus does the will of God: He works for the Supreme Being. This creates a oneness of love and a oneness of purpose.

This could be compared to a loving husband and wife. Because of their loving relationship, the wife's and husband's activities, even if done separately, are considered collectively. They act as a unit. When the wife buys something, the household has bought it - they own it collectively. Such a "oneness" is also represented by the fact that the husband can usually sign for the wife and vice versa. They have a theoretical "oneness" of will and purpose - which is founded (hopefully) upon love.

Because the institutional translators and scribes employed under Constantine and his appointed bishops - and the many sectarian institutions that followed - all assumed the Nicene Creed (if they didn't they would have been an illegal group and would have been persecuted) - the real "oneness" of love that exists between Jesus and God has been lost in translation.* They decided to claim that Jesus is God because:

1) They did not know who the Supreme Being is;
2) They did not have a relationship with the Supreme Being;
2) They wanted to create exclusivity within religiosity in order to ban all other forms of religion in Rome. This, in fact, created a monopoly on religion to further the political interests of the Roman empire.

Did the Prophets love God?

Even a passing review of the Old Testament indicates that the Prophets enjoyed a loving relationship with God. They were also servants of God, and this is why Jesus often quoted the prophets before him, such as Moses, David, Samuel and others.

And many since Jesus have also been loving servants of God, despite the misinterpretation of the Bible as designed by Constantine and his politically-appointed bishops organized under the Councils of Nicea.

To confuse Jesus - God's confidential loving servant - with the Supreme Being produces two unfortunate byproducts:

1) By accepting Jesus as God, we ignore the real Supreme Being. We are forgetting the very Person who sent Jesus and the One who Jesus loves and wants us to love.

2) This, in turn, offends Jesus because Jesus came to teach us to love the Supreme Being.

This is precisely why Jesus said:

“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)

Now isn't it curious that Jesus, who drove out demons and performed miracles, would reject a person who also healed and performed miracles in Jesus' name?

Rather, he is clarifying that even the greatest charity works will not replace the central teaching of Jesus to love and serve God: "but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

This clarifies that Jesus wants us to love and serve the same Supreme Being Jesus was serving. In fact, this was his central message, as stated by Moses before him:

“‘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 Jesus' statement according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"John was the lamp that shined and gave light, and you rejoiced for a time in his light. Yet the testimony is more critical than that of John. For the work that the Creator has given me to finish — the very work I am doing — indicates the Creator has sent me." (John 5:35-36)

"Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set ..." (John 5:45-47)

"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" (John 5:45-47)

Why does Jesus refer to Moses as their accuser?

The reason is that Moses was (and is) the central spiritual teacher of the Jewish nation, and Moses delivered to the Jewish nation many instructions and commandments from God. Therefore, Moses was God's representative, and the institutional temple priests that Jesus is speaking to here held Moses as the father of their faith.

This is confirmed by the word "hopes" - as in "Moses, on whom your hopes are set." The word "hopes" is not the best choice of translation.* The Greek word ἐλπίζω (elpizō) can mean "to hope" but also "hopefully to trust in."*

In other words, because these institutional temple priests are supposedly relying upon Moses' teachings, and presented to the people that they represented Moses, they will have to answer to Moses, not Jesus.

We can understand two clear things from this: We can understand that Jesus held to the standard of taking instruction from a particular representative of God and then passing those instructions on. This is the standard that Jesus accepted, rather than a standard of blindly following the teachings of an institution. 

Coming to know and love God is a personal thing: It is not a group thing. A relationship with God has nothing to do with our standing with a particular organization or congregation: It is between each of us and God. Jesus taught love of God to personally introduce us to the notion that we could have a personal relationship with God.

Were they hearing Moses' teachings?

Thus Jesus is clarifying that while the institutional temple priests were presenting to others that they had some special connection with Moses, they indeed were not even focused on what Moses actually taught. If they were, they would have recognized that Jesus was the embodiment of Moses' teachings. Jesus was functionally practicing and teaching what Moses taught.

So what did Moses teach? Consider Deut 6:5:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut. 6:5)

And what did Jesus teach?

“ ‘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)

Jesus says this is the "first and greatest commandment," yet the instruction is identical with the instruction of Moses. Why would Jesus quote Moses and then say this was the first and greatest commandment? Because they were teaching the same thing.

Furthermore, Joshua also confirms the essence of Moses’ teachings:

“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." (Joshua 22:5)

We can see that Joshua was also teaching the same thing as Moses taught, and as Jesus taught. So we can see here that Joshua, the student of Moses, is truly representing Moses to the people, because his teachings are consistent with Moses.

How did Moses write about Jesus?

Is Jesus saying that Moses wrote specifically about Jesus? Because Moses’ focus was to instruct the Israelites about loving and serving the Supreme Being, Jesus is the embodiment of those instructions. Jesus is carrying out those instructions. He is loving God. He is serving God. He has given his life to God, just as Moses instructed.

And because Moses instructed his students to work for the pleasure of God, Jesus carried out Moses instructions. Thus Jesus could say that Moses’ teachings were about him. Yet Moses’ teachings were also about Joshua, David, Solomon, Job and so many others who also gave their lives to God and worked to please God. They all embodied Moses' teachings.

Context is important. Jesus is speaking to those who were saying they represented Moses but were not living by the primary central instructions of Moses. God was not the center of their lives. 

Rather, they were so caught up in the organizational minutia and rituals of their priestly positions. Their focus was in maintaining their positions of authority. This is why they were questioning Jesus, instead of realizing that Jesus was the pure loving servant of God: Moses' true representative.

The institutional temple priests were wearing priestly clothes and following rituals discussed in the scriptures. But they were not living the central instruction of Moses. 

They did not get (or teach) the essence of Moses' teachings. This is actually no different than some of today's sectarian priests, ministers, reverends, popes, cardinals and bishops who claim they represent Jesus. They may wear the robes and practice so many rituals. But do not focus on "the first and greatest commandment.”

Moses also said:

“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear [honor and respect] the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

This is the essence of Moses' teachings, and what Jesus’ life and teachings were all about. Jesus was perfectly following the instructions of Moses: Jesus was loving and serving God with all his heart and all his soul.

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

"Do not think I will accuse you before the Creator; the one who accuses you is Moses, upon whom you put your hope. For if you trusted Moses, you would trust me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not trust his writings, how will you trust my words?” (John 5:45-47)

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life ...” (John 6:26-27)

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." (John 6:26-27)

What is 'the food that endures'?

Here Jesus is pleading with those who are following him to not focus on the temporary things of this physical world, but rather, focus on the Supreme Being, and trust that he is God's representative.

The "food that endures" is none other than our relationship with the Supreme Being. This "endures" - from the Greek word μένω (menō), which means "to remain" or "to survive - because it is not of this temporary physical world. Our relationship with the Supreme Being is transcendental to this temporary physical body and this fleeting physical world. Our relationship with the Supreme Being is eternal.

The things of this world are fleeting because they rust, corrode, whither and degrade. Nothing is permanent here. And at some point, our body dies, and we depart our bodies, leaving everything behind.

Jesus is requesting that his students and followers focus their attention on their spiritual lives. The spiritual dimension does not whither or degrade. The spiritual world is the permanent world. This physical world is a temporary, virtual world.

In other words, this physical world is like a facade or perverted reflection of the spiritual realm. It is like looking at a pond's reflection of a tree on the other side of the pond. 

Just consider such a reflection of a tree on a lake. Does the reflection look like the tree? Yes, But is it the tree? No. It's just a reflection of the real tree on the other side of the lake.

Furthermore, such a reflection on the lake is upside down, with the leaves at the bottom.

This is much like the difference between the physical and the spiritual realm. All life comes from the spiritual realm - and each of us is from the spiritual realm. But since we are animating these physical bodies, life is only portrayed proximally within the physical world.

One might compare this to a movie set. The movie set is not permanent, nor is it real in that it is just made up to make the movie look like it is real. The movie set might look like a real-life scene but it is not. It is a facade of a real-life scene.

The physical world is acted out by temporary physical bodies - each driven by a spiritual individual. Just as a person sits down inside a car and drives the car away, each of us (spiritual individuals) is driving a temporary physical body. Once the car has reached its destination (or breaks down) the driver steps out of the car and walks away. The physical body provides the same facility. The spiritual individual steps into the body and drives it for 60-90 years, and then it dies, and the spiritual individual must then move on.

Jesus is representing the permanent spiritual realm - the realm where love of God is the ongoing environment. This is why Jesus also stated that he was the bread of life.

What is 'eternal life'?

Each of us is a spirit, not a physical body. And eternal life takes place in the spiritual dimension. The spiritual world is the dimension where God dwells personally, surrounded by innumerable loving servants who share relationships of love and loving service with Him. Out of love, they tend to His needs, play with Him and care for Him. They also care and tend to each other in love. The spiritual world is the place where love rules. It is the place we all aspire for. It is a place where there is no hatred. It is a place where there is no envy. A place where there is complete harmony. This is the place many (such as John Lennon) often imagine and hope the physical world could be.

But these imaginings always fail, because the physical world is the place where the envious, selfish beings dwell. The physical world is like the prison of the spiritual world. It is the place where those who cannot function in the spiritual world go, because we have become envious of God, and desire not to love and serve God and others. Rather, we prefer to serve ourselves, and strive to achieve self-satisfaction (which never comes, because we are innately servants, not masters).

The only way we could create such a “heaven on earth” that we strive for would be if we were to transform the consciousness of every resident of the earth to the consciousness of those in the spiritual world. This is in fact what Jesus is asking. He is asking us to return home to God, by first changing our consciousness. He is asking us to focus on God and His permanent world, rather than this temporary physical world.

What is God's 'seal of approval'?

In his statement, Jesus also indicates clearly his God-given authority. He says, "For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." What does this mean?

Jesus is explaining that God empowered him to be God’s representative and guide people back home to God.

He states: "On him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.” How much clearer can this be? He is clearly showing that he and God are distinct individuals. In order for someone to place their “seal of approval” on someone else, there must be two distinct individuals. For one individual to approve another individual, there must be one person who approves, and another person who is approved.

It is not as if Jesus is the Supreme Being and God needs to create a fake approval process to boost Himself. God does not need anyone's seal of approval. But Jesus is clearly illustrating that he has received such a seal of approval - as he has been empowered by the Supreme Being to deliver God’s message to these people.

And the "oneness" that Jesus once indicated between himself and God is their unity of purpose: Jesus does God's will, so there is a oneness of purpose. God has given Jesus His “seal of approval” because Jesus is carrying out God's will. This means that Jesus' teachings and activities represent the wishes of the Supreme Being. Jesus said this specifically:

"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)

and

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

With Jesus' statement above, he is also indicating that he is empowered to deliver people back to God ("give you"). And how does Jesus give them the "food that endures to eternal life"?

By his teachings. If they (and we) listen to and apply Jesus' teachings, they (and we) can receive what he gives, and be saved.

Jesus is serving God and serving humanity, in other words. This is actually what "Son of Man" means. The Greek word that has been translated to “son” is υἱός (huios). υἱός can indicate a relationship of offspring in the context of a physical family, but in this context, it is more appropriately defined, from the Greek lexicon, as "one who depends on another or is his follower." Thus, the correct translation of υἱός in this context is "servant" and ἄνθρωπος means "humanity," so the most appropriate translation is not "son of man." The more appropriate translation would be "Servant of Humanity" or "Servant of the People."

Being saved is not an automatic process by which we simply say "I surrender to Jesus" and then we are saved. It is not as if Jesus' "dying" on the cross automatically saves anyone. We must apply Jesus' teachings. It is following Jesus' teachings that saves us. And what was his primary teaching?

“ ‘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 these verses according to the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

“Very truly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Servant of Humanity will give you. For on him the Creator, God, has authorized.” (John 6:26-27)

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

Where do Jesus' teachings come from?

This clear statement by Jesus contradicts the teachings of many sectarian institutions that claim Jesus is the Supreme Being.

Are these words, spoken by Jesus himself, not evidence enough that Jesus is God’s messenger and loving servant? Is this not clear enough that Jesus’ teachings are coming from the Supreme Being, but that Jesus is not the Supreme Being?

It is true that because Jesus is representing the Supreme Being, there is a oneness between them. This is certain. Jesus clearly states that God sent him.

For example, when an ambassador of a country represents a government, there is a oneness between the ambassador and his government.

This oneness, however, relates to the message the ambassador brings to other governments. This oneness is based upon the reality that an ambassador will convey to another government whatever his or her president wants to tell them.

But this does not mean the ambassador is the president. No one will confuse the ambassador with the president. Other governments will understand that the ambassador represents the president, but will still recognize there are two individuals.

In the same way, we must honor the relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being. By calling Jesus the Supreme Being we are actually offending the Supreme Being by ignoring His existence. We would be offending Jesus as well because Jesus came to re-introduce us to the Supreme Being:

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know Him, but I know Him because I am from Him and he sent me." (John 7:28-29)

Again we see here that Jesus is stating that someone else has sent him, and the authority he has was given to him by someone else - the Supreme Being.

Why don't they know God?

In John 7:28-29 above, Jesus is also stating that they do not know the Supreme Being. This is why Jesus was sent to the physical world - to offer to re-introduce us to the Supreme Being.

Notice that Jesus is standing in front of them when they say this. If Jesus were God, how could he say this? Obviously, Jesus is not God.

More importantly, to ignore the very person Jesus came to re-introduce us to would be to offend both he and God.

This is why Jesus stated:

"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)

Thus we also see with this statement the basis for Jesus' teachings. We see that Jesus is stating that "only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" will be returning to the spiritual realm. Why? Because this was the major element of Jesus' teachings.

He was teaching those who chose to listen about the Supreme Being and how we could return to Him. And he taught specifically that if we do the will of the Supreme Being - thus becoming His servants - then we can return to Him.

Does this mean we are slaves?

Being God's servants doesn't mean we become slaves of God. Certainly, the Supreme Being could make slaves of us anytime. He could force us to serve Him. But He doesn't. 

Rather, He gives us the choice to serve Him or not. Why?

Because love requires freedom of choice.

Each of us has the choice to love the Supreme Being or not. This is why Jesus' most important teaching 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. 22:37-38)

"He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him." (John 8:28-29)

"When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The One who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him." (John 8:28-29) 

What does 'when you have lifted up the Son of Man' mean?

Is Jesus saying that we have to grab Jesus and lift him up over our heads or something? Or a bunch of people has to hold him up and toss him up in the air?

The phrase, "When you have lifted up" is extremely confusing. It has little meaning in the practical sense. Yet "lifted up" comes from the Greek word, ὑψόω (hypsoō) can have a literal and metaphorical meaning, according to Strong's lexicon. It can mean to "elevate," but also to "exalt" or to "honor."

But Jesus was not looking to be exalted. He was not seeking a legion of followers or fans. This is why he used "Son of Man" in the third person. He didn't say, "when you have exalted me ..."

Rather, he was speaking of the Son of Man (better translated to Servant of Humanity) as a role: Someone who has come to serve humanity by introducing us to God.

In other words, Jesus is saying that when we honor or exalt the Servant of Humanity, then we will know that Jesus is who he claims to be.

That is, that Jesus is God's messenger - sent by God to teach us about Him. How do we know that?

Who is 'the One who sent me' according to Jesus?

Jesus is referring to the Supreme Being when he says, "The One who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him." 

This may be confusing due to the fact that the NIV (and other) translators do not capitalize "one," "he" and the "him" in Jesus' statement (added in quotes above).

Could Jesus be any clearer in this statement about who he is, his purpose, and his intentions? “I do nothing on my own....”

This means that Jesus is not acting on his own behalf and he is not acting alone. He is not teaching in order to become famous or achieve the respect of others. He is not teaching to gain authority. He is also not teaching others in order to get paid or be rewarded in any other fashion.

Jesus’ intention is to do what pleases the Supreme Being. He speaks what the Supreme Being has taught him, and he does what pleases the Supreme Being.

This means, clearly, that Jesus is God's loving servant. A person who voluntarily does what pleases another is a loving servant of the other. Someone who is focused on serving another person is a servant. Someone who does this out of a relationship of love is a loving servant.

How is Jesus describing himself?

This is how Jesus is describing himself: A loving servant of the Supreme Being. He makes no lofty statements about being the Supreme Being. He doesn’t even say he is God-like. Jesus merely gives all praise and all credit for everything he says and does to the Supreme Being. He is only doing what God wants him to do.

This also means that there are two individuals involved: Jesus and the Supreme Being. Because Jesus is doing what pleases the Supreme Being (someone else), there must be two individuals.

How could anyone, let alone so many popes, bishops, priests and ministers that have followed through the centuries of sectarianism, all miss this simple understanding about Jesus - as spoken by Jesus himself? How could they have created this complicated "God became man to die for our sins" speculative philosophy when Jesus says quite simply who he was?

Others, because they simply could not believe such a complicated theory of Jesus, have proclaimed that he was just an ordinary man: So they have speculated upon whether he married Mary and so many other things that also have nothing to do with how Jesus defined himself.

Jesus is and was, as he says himself, God's loving servant and representative. He loves the Supreme Being, so he worked to please the Supreme Being. Therein lies Jesus' glory. Therein lies Jesus' greatness.

What pleases God?

We can tell what pleases the Supreme Being by what Jesus did. Jesus gave up any semblance of a normal life to teach people. He traveled from town to town, stood in courtyards, on hilltops and where ever people would listen, and spoke of God. And what did he teach?

“ ‘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)

This was also the teaching of Moses:

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deut. 6:5)

And what do we know about Moses? We also know that he communicated directly with the Supreme Being and did what pleased the Supreme Being. So Moses, too, was God's loving servant and representative.

This was also Joshua's teaching. Joshua was Moses' student. Consider what Joshua taught:

"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)

Joshua says clearly that Moses was God's servant. This means that Jesus, Moses, and Joshua are teaching the same thing - along with so many other Prophets and teachers in the Bible. 

Now since Moses is God's servant, and Joshua is God's servant, and Jesus - as he states above - is God's servant, and since these servants of God are teaching us to love God, what does this mean about the Supreme Being?

This means the Supreme Being wants us to love Him. Why? God doesn't need our love. He is fine without us. But God knows that we will be happy if we return to our loving relationship with Him. And God wants us to be happy. 

What does this say about us?

It means we were created by the Supreme Being to exchange a loving relationship with Him.

Isn't this what we all truly desire? Virtually everyone is scrambling around looking for someone to love. We go from relationship to relationship, looking for the perfect person to love and serve.

Occasionally we might find that person who seems to fit the bill. But once we get to know them, we realize they are not the perfect person we thought they were. They were not the perfect beloved. So we keep looking.

Why are we always looking for love?

Despite all the love songs, the love stories, the tear-jerkers, and all the romance of this world, worldly love simply does not satisfy us. 

This is why so many of us struggle to get more love from others. This is why so many of us seek name and fame: Seeking followers on social media or our 15 minutes of fame elsewhere - all in an attempt to get others to love us.

Yet we can easily see that even those with millions of followers or millions of fans are not satisfied. All that attention does not bring any fulfillment. How can we tell? Because they continue to seek more followers and fans. This means this type of adoration from others does not satisfy us.

The seeking of fans and followers is the seeking of love. An attempt to fill an emptiness within.

This doesn't mean we cannot have loving relationships in this world. Truly, we can have meaningful loving relationships with those around us. 

But real love comes from a deeper place. It comes from the Supreme Being. The real love that comes from the Supreme Being is completely satisfying. It is fulfilling. Yet we can still share this type of love with others.

Love is part of our character: It is built-in. It is hard-wired. This is because God created us this way.

But we remain unfulfilled if we put our love in the wrong places. Or expect love from the wrong places.

Love doesn't come from followers on the internet or fans on TV. Love comes from God. And love is given to others from God.

These temporary physical bodies do not give love - in the same way that an internet computer or a TV set can give love.

Love comes from the spirit within each of us - ultimately originating from the Great Spirit that created us.

It is only when we exchange love with the Supreme Being do we become fulfilled. This is because this is our natural position. 

This is why Jesus, Moses, Joshua, John the Baptist, Job, Abraham, Jeremiah, Zechariah, David, Solomon, Samuel, Eli and all the other servants of God worked so hard to give us this message: Because they were representing God's wishes, and God wants us back.

Jesus is trying to tell those around him that he is simply working on God's behalf. Jesus is also showing us that once we begin to love and serve God, we also begin to truly love others as they are.

So we do not need to speculate about Jesus. We don't need to debate whether he went to India or married Mary. We simply can know from his own words that he was God's loving servant and he did God's will by teaching us to love the Supreme Being. The next step for us is simply to put those teachings into practice.

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

“When you honor the Servant of Humanity you will know who I am and I do nothing for myself, but I speak only what the Creator taught me. And He who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” (John 8:28-29)

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

What does Jesus mean by 'the truth'?

The word "truth" here is being translated from the Greek word, ἀλήθεια (alēthei). According to Thayer's lexicon, this means "what is true in any matter under consideration" but also, "in reality," or "in accordance with fact."

Jesus is referring to his teachings ("If you hold to my teaching"). This means that Jesus is saying that his teachings are factual. His teachings are displaying reality.

How can Jesus' teachings set us 'free'?

Currently, most of us in the physical world is bound by self-centeredness. We scheme or dream of things or events to come, thinking these things will bring us fulfillment. These are typically related to possessions, positions, fame, glory, respect, wealth, family, and so on. 

In other words, we are constantly seeking something in the future that might fulfill us. This means that we are not fulfilled. And we are trapped by our future schemes.

The problem is that none of these future schemes and dreams will bring us fulfillment. We can know this simply by looking around us at the people who have already accomplished those schemes and dreams.

We can see that none of the wealthiest, most famous, or most powerful people in this world are fulfilled. We see their emptiness in their continued search for fulfillment elsewhere. We see it in their alcoholism, drug addiction, suicides, anger, violence, and other symptoms.

Yet we scheme on, hoping to become wealthy, famous, and powerful, thinking that it will be different for us. Certainly, we will be happy even if they aren't, we think.

Our schemes and dreams are founded upon not only fulfillment but also love. Yes, we want worldly goodies. But if we become famous and powerful we will gain the adoration of others. 

Sorry, but this is an empty shell. We won't get the adoration of others by accomplishing our dreams of wealth, power and fame. They may become envious of our fame or power. But they won't adore us for them.

Our search for adoration doesn't end there. We are constantly looking for love in a partner, be it a wife or husband, girlfriend or boyfriend. Or even children. 

For those who do not have one, we assume that having a partner or child will fulfill us. But those who have found a partner or have children understand that they do not fulfill us. Yes, we may feel love for them, and this love can bring us some fulfillment.

But the love we exchange doesn't bring complete fulfillment. So we keep looking. 

Our endless search through the physical world for happiness is our jail. It is our prison.

This world is like a prison because we are chained to our worldly desires and schemes. We are chained to the notion we will be happy here.

Our worldly dreams and schemes are unfulfilling because we are not of this world. We are temporarily occupying a physical body much as a person operates an automobile. The body in itself is not capable of bringing fulfillment to the real person within - the spirit-person. Jesus stated this clearly:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." (Matt. 10:28)

"Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit..." (John 3:6)

Each of us is a "soul" who is composed of "spirit," and the Supreme Spirit is our Creator, God. While the "flesh" - the physical body - can bring fruits of the flesh, these do not satisfy the spirit.

Jesus' teachings set us free because they teach us about our identity as spirit. They teach us the connection we have with God. This connection with God is outside the scope of this world:

"My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36)

Jesus' teachings are freeing because they allow us to step off the conveyor belt of our worldly desires and schemes, and understand that we don't have to be defined by how much money we have, what kind of car we drive or how big our house and family is.

According to Jesus, if we follow Jesus' teachings, we will no longer look for our fulfillment in the forms and things of the physical world. We become freed from those self-centered, unfulfilling concoctions.

What does it mean to 'hold' to Jesus' teachings?

Jesus clearly defines that his actual disciples are those who "hold" to his teachings. But what does this mean? It is very practical:

To hold to Jesus' teachings means first to study them carefully, then apply them to our lives.

To hold to Jesus' teachings means to not let them go. To not abandon them.

To hold to Jesus' teachings means to take shelter in them.

To hold to Jesus' teachings means to make them the center of our life.

By holding to Jesus’ teachings, we become his followers. This means we read those teachings very carefully and understand their meaning within the context that Jesus gave them.

This also means we abandon those teachers and institutions that do not hold to his teachings. Or make interpretations of his life and teachings in ways inconsistent with his teachings.

Should we hold to Jesus' teachings, we will direct our lives towards coming to know and love the Supreme Being, which fulfills us. This will set us free and release us from the jail of our worldly schemes and dreams.

As we seek the Supreme Being, He reveals Himself to us more and more. This allows us to increasingly fall in love with the Supreme Being - Jesus' "first and greatest" teaching:

“ ‘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)

"My Father will honor the one who serves me." (John 12:26)

"Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." (John 12:26) 

Why is service to Jesus so important?

Jesus is stating that his relationship with the Supreme Being is such that his followers who serve him will be pleasing God. Why is service important?

Jesus is clarifying our natural role as servants, and ultimately, as servants of God.

Most of us in the physical world want to be masters. We want to be the boss. We want to be the star. We want others to adore us and serve us. This is our disease.

Jesus is offering the remedy to this disease: To resume our natural position as servants.

Yes, regardless of whether we think we are the boss or the master, we are still a servant, even in this world. Just consider the star who must, in order to maintain his or her fanbase, continue to appease the fans with new songs, interviews, shows or movies. Or consider the boss who must maintain the enthusiasm or support from those they are in charge of.

Or consider even those who achieve high positions in government: They must maintain their positions.

All of these activities to maintain such positions are forms of service. So while they might think they are in charge, their constant service means they are ultimately servants.

Even parents who might feel they are masters of their children are ultimately servants. The duty of a parent is to constantly serve the child. This begins with diapers and feedings as babies and continues throughout the child's lifetime. Even when the child is an adult and has children, the service of the parents then becomes serving the grandchildren. Now that is a life of service.

These all point to the reality that ultimately we are servants by nature. Anything we do in life requires service. This is because we cannot escape our natural position.

Jesus taught this very point clearly:

"The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12)

Ultimately, the Supreme Being is the only Master. God is in charge, and we are not.

And those who want to develop their relationship with God must become servants.

Since Jesus is God's messenger, we can become pleasing to God by serving God's messenger.

Furthermore, Jesus is clarifying that service is the key to following Jesus, and following Jesus is the key to serving him. These are interchangeable relationships.

It is ultimately about love. Jesus is not speaking of becoming a slave to God or himself. The type of service Jesus is speaking of comes from love.

What does it mean to "follow" Jesus?

One might ask how they can serve Jesus now, and become his follower now?

The most basic element of following Jesus is to carefully read his teachings, and carefully take those teachings into our hearts.

The next step is to apply those teachings to our lives as best we can, according to the time and circumstance. As we follow his teachings, we begin to understand Jesus' intentions. Jesus is very clear about this:

"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)

Jesus is saying that it is not enough to be praising Jesus as "Lord." Jesus clarifies that to follow him ("enter the kingdom of heaven") we must do the will of Jesus' Father. Who is Jesus' Father? God, the Supreme Being.

What does doing the will of God mean?

To do someone else's will means to care about that person and act in a way that is pleasing to them. This requires that we come to understand what pleases them.

The best way to understand what pleases the Supreme Being is to carefully understand Jesus' teachings. Because Jesus is God's representative we are given an insight into what pleases God. Jesus is speaking on behalf of God. So we can understand God by understanding Jesus' teachings.

Jesus' teachings indicate the God is lovable. Because Jesus' "first and foremost" instruction is to love God, we know that God is a lovable person. That negates some of the threatening interpretations of God given by those sectarian teachers who have taught that God is to be feared.

What about fearing God in the Bible?

The word "fear" from the Old Testament in the Bible has been mistranslated.

The translation comes from the Hebrew word יָרֵא (yare'). This word can mean to fear, but it also means "to stand in awe of, be awed," and "reverence, honor, respect" according to the lexicon.

Now consider this carefully. How can a person love someone they are afraid of? We can, however, love someone whom we also revere, and honor, and have respect for. Certainly, if we love someone, we will naturally revere them and honor them.

Furthermore, we can certainly accept that a person who loves God and be "awed" by God. We can certainly accept that the Supreme Being is awesome and love Him at the same time.

But loving God and fearing God simply do not mix well. The entire teachings of Judaism are founded upon love of God. We know this because Moses, who is considered the central Prophet, repeatedly stressed the importance of love of God:

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

“Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, His decrees, His laws and His commands always.” (Deuteronomy 11:1)

“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 11:13)

“If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow – to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him – “ (Deuteronomy 11:22)

“…because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today – to love the LORD your God and to walk always in His ways – “ (Deuteronomy 19:19)

“For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws” (Deuteronomy 30:16)

“…and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life....” (Deuteronomy 30:20)

We also know that Joshua, Moses' disciple who continued Moses' teachings, also stressed love of God as the prime directive:

“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.” (Joshua 22:5)

“So be very careful to love the LORD your God.” (Joshua 23:11)

Love of God was stressed elsewhere in the Bible:

“Love the LORD, all His saints!” (Psalms 31:23)

“Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalms 97:10)

Jesus also stressed the importance of this teaching:

“‘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)

We can add to this all of the directives in the Bible that have been translated to "fear God" can be translated to "revere God" or "honor God." This means that all of those Biblical verses are also teaching love of God.

How can we learn to love God?

Loving someone means caring about them. That means doing what pleases them.

Let's say that we get married and have a relationship with our spouse. After we are married, do we just run off and continue to do what we want? No. We begin to find out what pleases our spouse, and do things that please them. This becomes the glue of our relationship: Doing things that please our spouse.

This is not like reading a menu. In order to do what pleases our spouse, we have to find out what pleases them, yes? This means that we begin to focus on them and discover what pleases them. Sometimes it takes just observation, other times it takes asking questions and engaging in communications. This is called relating. As we communicate more with our spouses, we gradually find out what pleases them the most, and then we do those things.

This entire process is called a loving relationship, and it defines Jesus' call to do God's will. In other words, Jesus wants us to turn to God, focus on God, relate with God, and do what pleases God. This is following Jesus.

Jesus was engaging in a loving relationship with God while he was on the planet, and he told his students that he would be returning to the spiritual realm after the death of his body. So we know that if we truly follow Jesus' teachings, we will also re-establish our loving relationship with God and return to Him. We also know that by following Jesus we can be engaging in a relationship with Jesus and His Father, the Supreme Being, now.

Jesus confirms the mechanism of this as he says: "My Father will honor the one who serves me."

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

"If someone serves me, he will follow me; and wherever I go, my servant shall also go. And my LORD will honor one who serves me.” (John 12:26)