New Thought Lectionary: 4th Sunday before Advent (Proper 26)

Date: November 2nd, 2008

Theme: Growing together as the body of Christ

Topic: Christ, Mankind's Indwelling Interpreter Of Scripture

Key verse: Jesus said, ‘Nor are you to be called 'teacher', for you have one teacher, the Christ [Matthew 23:10].

Reference Scriptures: Matthew 23:1-12 ‘Jesus asserts that Christ is the only reliable interpreter of scripture’.

Other Reference Scriptures: Joshua 3:7-17 ‘Israel crosses the Jordan’.

Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37 ‘Thanksgiving for deliverance’.

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 ‘Paul’s faith and example’.

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In today’s Gospel reading Matthew 23:1-4, Jesus of Nazareth uses rhetoric, reasoning and political language to condemn a specific group of spiritually blind religious leaders, in his own faith. They rejected the eternal, indwelling Christ, who Jesus proclaimed as mankind's only indwelling Lord, and true interpreter of scripture [Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 22:41-44, John 14:6]. They refuted Jesus' assertion that all humankind have direct, eternal, Spirit-based relationship with Abba Father, through the indwelling Christ and the Holy Spirit, as revealed in scripture [John 1:1-5, 17:20-21].

Jesus teaches that his followers must proclaim the Gospel of Christ. However in interpreting scripture, he makes it clear that all human beings have only one true interpreter of scripture – and that interpreter is Christ, the Word, in the spiritual core of all persons [Matthew 23:10, John 1:1-5]. The Bible confirm this also by declaring that the Law was given by Moses but that grace and truth were revealed through Jesus of Nazareth [John 1:17-18; John 14:6, Romans 1:16-17].
Jesus' radical teachings in today’s texts are Christ-centered and Spirit-based. They do not focus on Jesus' physical person and personality. Jesus probably centered his gaze on the close relationship the community of Israel had with God through Christ, I AM THAT I AM, before they chose to proclaim Moses as their human intermediary between God and them [Exodus 3:14; 24:9-11]. This eternal, intimate, Spirit-based relationship with Abba Father was the center of Jesus' prayer life for those who choose to follow him [John 17:20-26].

In Matthew 23:8-12, Jesus advised his disciples to call no man, including himself, Father, instructor or teacher. These radical statements by Jesus suggest the urgent need for mankind to again contemplate and appropriate this Christ-centered, Spirit-based foundation of the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. Jesus teachings bring new inner spiritual meaning and symbolism to his life, cross, death, resurrection, ascension, second coming and the body of Christ. They shed new light on the human experience of kingdom living in the spiritual kingdom of heaven within us and in our midst [Matthew 6:33, Luke 11:1-13; 17:20-21].

The Bible declares that Jesus of Nazareth was the full visible manifestation of the Godhead [Trinity] bodily [Colossians 2:9]. Jesus demonstrated first hand knowledge of God's grace, wisdom, love and truth, and mankind's eternal relationships of communion with indwelling Abba Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit, through our spiritual cores [Colossians 2:10-11]. With God's help, all human beings can potentially express the fullness of the Deity through the indwelling Christ, within oneself and within all people [John 1:17, 17:20-26].

Jesus saw his physical person and personality as our elder brother, the visible Messiah. He saw his incarnate Spirit, the Christ, within himself and within all humans, as the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only true interpreter of the written or spoken Word [Genesis 1:26-27, John 1:1-5; 14:6]. Jesus of Nazareth modeled this breakthrough in mankind’s individual and collective consciousness as repentance, salvation, healing, wholeness and faithful interpretation and response to God's Word through the Christ, in human souls, hearts, minds and affairs [Matthew 23:8-10, Luke 4:18-19, John 5:19, 30].

Many people believe that Jesus revealed and modeled God's Reign and mankind’s divine heritage as the body of Christ [Genesis 1:28-31]. Many proclaim that Jesus brought to light God’s eternal plan of salvation and deliverance from the bondage of sin, sickness and death, through Christ. Many teach that Jesus modeled God's eternal plan for healing broken human and divine relationships between God and each other through Christ.

Jesus’ ministry flourished because he willingly emptied himself of the carnal, mortal and worldly mind of the flesh. Jesus was not on an ego trip. Under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus raised in human consciousness, the knowledge and role of the invisible, eternal, indwelling Christ, to the glory of our Father, within himself in and all persons [John 3:13-17]. Jesus always made it clear that his ego personality, the Son of Man, must suffer many things. He will die and be raised on the third day [Matthew 16:21]. He always stress the exaltation of Christ as Savior, Lord, Teacher and Interpreter of Scripture [Matthew 23:10].

Like Peter, many people view the death of the Son of Man with great fear, anxiety and distress [Matthew 16:22]. Is it possible that the life, passion, death and resurrection, ascension and second coming of Jesus of Nazareth could be metaphors and symbols for the death of the mind of the flesh, which must take place within the human heart, before mankind could put on the mind of Spirit [Matthew 24:23-36, Romans 8:1-11, Colossians 1:26-27]? In today’s Gospel reading, is Jesus not summonsing seekers in all the world religions, to turn away from the mind of the flesh and turn within to the indwelling and incarnate Christ, as the only true interpreter of the spoken and written Word?

Carnal, mortal and worldly belief systems create false impressions of human separation from God and each other, through all religions. They distort, confuse and misinterpret the spoken and written Word. As eternal spiritual beings, now going through temporary human experiences, Jesus admonishes all mankind to discern and steadfastly lift up the indwelling Christ as the true instructor and interpreter of Holy Scriptures [Matthew 23:8-10, John 12:31-36].
Jesus encourages all mankind to fully re-claim our divine heritage, in and through Christ. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the day of Christ's coming as Lord, Master, Teacher and Interpreter of the Word [2 Corinthians 6:2, 1 Thessalonians 2:13].