"i understand the egoic allure of (self-)'righteous indignation', that surge of endorphins in imagining oneself the sole defender of truth and justice. yet, in the end, what we resist persists, and Jesus offered some pretty good advice regarding the 'pharisees': "Leave them alone..." - Annie Daugherty
I think that is good advice from Jesus who had much experience in dealing with the Pharisees of his day. There were times he engaged them on a discourse about God and the kingdom of God, and there were times he disengaged from them and departed from them when they resisted his message and wanted to stone him. Similarly, when his disciples shared the gospel, they also learnt to shake the dust off their feet and moved on to another town if they were not welcome in a town.
I think today's Pharisees can be likened to those who do not see Jesus manifested in the flesh (in everyone on earth) and look forward to a physical return of Jesus in future, not realising the kingdom of God is in the here and now and is within us. This egoic allure of imagining oneself to be the sole defender of truth and justice is in everyone, including the Pharisees. For example, many a times, some modern pharisees/evangelists would claim to speak for "God" and pronounce judgment on some groups or some societies for not living up to certain expectations. That could also be a manifestation of the egoic expression of the dualistic self.
When it comes to promoting social justice and setting people free from oppression, we can follow our heart and intuition, as Jesus did. Sometimes it involves speaking up for the marginalised, just as Jesus defended the woman he healed on the sabbath day who was bowed down by religious oppression. Sometimes it involves speaking in parables which invite people, including Pharisees, to think for themselves what the kingdom of God means, as Jesus said, "he who has ears, let him hear." When people's hearts are open and ready or willing to learn more about the gospel, they will come to Jesus and listen more of his teachings, as it was in the case of Nicodemus the Pharisee.
"Expecting the world to treat you fairly
because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to
attack you because you are a vegetarian." ~ Dennis Wholey
Yes, being a good and kind person doesn't quite guarantee that we won't
be treat unfairly by the world because we may at times come across or
encounter people who are at war within themselves, and we may be
unfortunate recipients of their own self-hatred and jealousy. Even for
the peacemakers who seek to do good and bring justice and freedom to the
oppressed, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi, John Lennon, Rob Bell
and so on, they have been attacked by those who are jealous of them.
Perhaps we have to accept the fact that we live in a world system that
is influencing people in a negative way through the separatist and
egoistic mindset, and remember we are not of the world. This will help us remember to keep a
distance from those who tend to hurt us/others, and remain focused on who
we are and what we can do to help make the world a better place in our
own ways.
You are valuable, you are loved, and someone knows you even better than you know yourself. There is an image and likeness imprinted upon your being that is the basis of your value ... a value beyond your wildest dreams.
Coins used to have the face of the person who guaranteed their value, minted onto them. Any note or coin has a guarantor, a person or institution that guarantees its value. Even if a coin gets lost, the coin never loses it's value.
The one who invented and designed you, stamped you with His own image and likeness.
He knows you better than you know yourself ... He knew you even before you were born. You might not know Him, but He has always known you. You might not be aware of Him, but He has always had you on His mind.
You might think 'why' ... why would anyone have such an obsession with me. Well, the creator of this universe sees a value and a beauty in you beyond anything in this natural world. He even sees a possibility of romance!
I like what Andre Rabe said in his message so far, especially the part that we cannot be lost unless we belong, and as we have seen in the 3 parables, the sheep remains the sheep, the coin remains the coin, and the son remains the son. Our true value and identity has not changed, and neither has God/Creator/Divine Love changed his mind about us, regardless of whether we know him or do things that impress/disappoint him. So the idea of separation (as propagated by organised religions) is a lie, and so the truth of the gospel of inclusion sets people free from the illusion of separation and enables them to enjoy peace and wholeness in their lives.
Further thoughts
I have finished listening to Andre Rabe's message video. Overall, it is a good message about God's love that affirms our intrinisc value, which is based on the image and likeness of God in whom we are created/made. This value is unchanging and incorruptible, as he said. I agree that God loves us not in spite of us, but because of who we are - we are valuable, precious and lovable, and God's love rejoices with the truth - that there is something so lovable about us.
Yes, God created us in his innocence and likeness, and God knew us before we were formed; he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1). Jesus is the revelation of what God thinks about us, and Jesus is God's mind made up about us - he is the Alpha and the Omega - he is God's original thought and final conclusion about us (our lives). (This is similar to Francois du Toit's main message of the gospel too.)
I agree that the gospel is not a "product" to be purchased by the "currency" based on the amount of grief, faith, remorse, etc shown by the "customer". As he put it, we are not selling a product. Rather, the gospel is a mirror, and what we declare in the gospel is true, whether we believe or not - that God has declared us innocent and righteous, and has included in his love and acceptance. Yes, knowing this truth doesn't make people grovel in the dust anymore or continue to live in a pigsty like the prodigal son did, parabolically speaking. Looking into the mirror of our true identity can transform our experience of how we live our lives -knowing who we are can cause us to want to not continue in our illusion of separation (since we are already one with our highest self), just as it causes the prodigal son to forsake the pigsty that has never been his origin. (To me, it simply means a place of ignorance of God's love.)
I like his sharing of Psalm 22 - God has done it, and the ends of the earth shall REMEMBER - yes, we cannot remember unless we once knew the truth of who we are and later forgot who we are.
As he pointed out, some people say "God is love but he is also just" as if God is in conflict with himself, and yet there is nothing God does not do for us in justice that is different from his love, so justice and love are one because God does not have a multiple personality disorder. I also noted that Jesus prayed to the father that we may be one - before the world began, we were all already in a relationship of love (John 17) Yes, God is not a grumpy judge in an antiquated legal court. Rather, in his fullness and completion, his love overflows to reach out and embrace us.
I also agree that loving God is shown in loving people - loving our brothers who are made in the image of God too (1 John), so for our doctrine to be worth something, we will demonstrate love to others in our own lives.
Last but not least, Andre also shared that Jesus is fully God and fully man - representing both God and humanity, and that the law came not to fix the problem but to reveal the problem - the law demands perfect obedience and declares man exceedingly sinful (in terms of measuring up to absolute standards). My take is that the law was only for those under the old covenant, who placed themselves under the law of Moses - so it is only applicable in their culture and tradition. The law is not applicable to us, so we are not "sinners" to start with.
So, innocence is our original state, and in a sense, we did not know until the gospel came to reveal the truth. As for 2 Corinthians 5 that says God has reconciled the world to himself through Christ, I agree that is the gospel to the people living in the first century, and I would add that the world was referring to the known world back then (in the Roman empire), based on a preterist perspective. For us in our modern context, I see it as being reconciled to our true self who is never separate from us. We live in a time that is beyond the Jewish religion, beyond covenants, and beyond sacrifices. While some symbolisms in the Bible may not apply directly to us (such as the temple, covenants, etc), we can still learn and benefit from the gospel described in the bible.
All in all, I agree with the overall message that God the father (Divine Love, highest self, universal consciousness, Great Spirit) enjoys who we are, and is proud of us, and there is nothing wrong with us, and the truth of God's love sets us free to be ourselves and trust and accept ourselves for who we are.
I have come to learn that the idea of God punishing Jesus for man's sins misleads people to think of God as a vengeful judge, which in turn fuels violence in the world where people kill and condemn one another in the name of god.
To me, that is man's version of justice, which goes by revenge and retribution. But Jesus said not to return an eye for an eye but to love one's enemies.
So God's version of justice would not involve hatred and retribution but rather love and reconciliation. When people experience love and reconciliation, they will be at peace with themselves, and then they will be at peace with others.
That is true justice as I understand it, that Jesus came to bring, to open the eyes of the blind (to see our true identity) and to set free those who are oppressed (by religion and illusion of separation), to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord - the good
news of our acceptance, innocence and perfection. Now is the day of salvation, now is the time of favour.
People can experience peace right where they are when they love and accept themselves for who they are.
