“…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned.” (I Corinthians 2: 13-15).
People around the world are abuzz concerning two new Christian theories: The Da Vinci Code book theory, (that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and produced a child) and the theory from old parchments that Judas didn’t betray Jesus in delivering him to his enemies, but rather, Judas was working in accord with Jesus’ own wishes when he did so. At this point in time, the first theory (Da Vinci Code) has no real evidence that I can ascertain. In the second theory (concerning Judas), my readers might be surprised to know that I consider it possible. Yet, at this moment in time, they are both still ‘What If’ theories. The What Ifs are what keep fiction fresh and exciting, not to mention entertaining. If, as a Christian, you’re feeling threatened in any way by these particular What Ifs, my personal view is ‘Not to Worry.’ Here’s why:
For those who’ve not yet read the book, the movie on the Da Vinci code is soon coming out. I’ve read the book, and I intend to see the movie. It’s an exciting tale. But we Christians around the world needn’t over-react to the new theory put forth in the book. It goes like this: What if Mary Magdalene was more than Jesus’ adoring disciple? What if she was his wife, and even bore him a child, (or children) and that the descendants of Jesus are actually walking the earth today? While most Christians don’t agree on every detail of Jesus’ life and mission here, most believe that he came into the human experience to reveal something important to humanity. By his own words, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world; that I should bear witness unto the truth.” (John 18: 37, King James Bible). The biblical records show that this “truth” Jesus came to reveal included healing everyone who came to him of all diseases, injuries, and in a few cases, death—showing that God is not the source of such evils to Its children, but rather, is ready and willing to destroy these evils of belief, when spiritually, in faith rather than fear, an individual calls forth God’s omnipotence and kingdom of heaven into the earthly experience. Jesus also preached that the kingdom of God is an invisible, spiritual kingdom, present despite its physical invisibility, and then said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18: 36 to first :). Thus, the truth which Jesus taught was of a spiritual, not physical, nature. He didn’t consider his true selfhood to be a citizen of the material scene. He even broke the so-called physical laws of matter by walking on the sea—a blow against the law of gravity. The law of gravity seemed to be unassailable, and yet even Peter walked on water for a few seconds or minutes, until fear took over. (See Matthew 14: 28-31). In fact, the core of the truth which Jesus taught was the great truth of spiritual, rather than physical, being. “God is a Spirit:” he taught, “and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth.” (John 4: 24). This means that there are spiritual principles to learn and live by, in order to bring forth the kingdom of God’s power (our spiritual circumstances) into the seemingly material situation. Even a minor study of the Master’s behavior during the years leading up to the cross reveals that he was viewing reality in another dimension—a spiritual dimension. Keeping a human, fleshly lineage going wasn’t part of his ministry, nor his behavior pattern. Once, when asked whose wife a woman (who’d had seven husbands) would be in the resurrection, he referred to marriage on the ‘other side’ in this manner: “…when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.” (Mark 12: 25). Jesus wasn’t mentally here in the same sense that the rest of us are here, on the physical plane, or dimension. His perception of spiritual reality denied reality in a material dimension. Nor did his mission include planting any human seeds of identity. He was here to show humanity (those in the flesh) that their true, eternal identity was spiritual, with no fleshly ties; and that this identity needed no “other half” or spouse, for we are each whole within our true, Christly (image-of-God spiritual) selves, each reflecting both the masculine and feminine qualities of God. Our true, forgotten identities need no healing and need no redemption. This true identity, the Christ identity of each of us, is the true image and likeness of the perfect God. Our Christly self has never sinned, never been destructive in any way; for it knows that there is never any need to be so. It’s only the false, material sense of identity (which we accept as our being) that ever errors in belief or behavior. Our Christly self is never sick, for Spirit can’t be sick, and the flesh doesn’t really control our Spirit dwelling within consciousness—although we’ve been taught to believe it does. These healing truths Jesus tried to teach all his followers and disciples; but only a few comprehended the message of spiritual being sufficiently to re-identify themselves as spiritual beings, making them able to heal the ‘ills of the flesh’ as Jesus did. Jesus lived with Spirit as his Source. He never identified with the human generations, or sense of family. He told his followers, “Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” (Matthew 23: 9). Note Jesus’ response, when he was told that his mother and other members of his family wanted to speak with him: “... he answered and said unto him that told him, ‘Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?’ And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, ‘Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.’ ” Thus, to have married Mary Magdalene, and had children by her, would be living to the flesh in a way that Jesus wouldn’t have done. But know this: even if the Master had married someone humanly, it would make no difference in his ultimate mission. His ultimate mission was to go through the physical death process, in order to demonstrate for all humanity, the deathless Life we have in Spirit. His resurrection was the proof of our own resurrection. Spirit can’t, and didn’t die. All who have died in the flesh have never really died. Their spirit, body, soul, and mind is still intact somewhere. Never having truly lived in the flesh, (but rather in the Spirit) one can’t actually die out of the flesh. That’s why the resurrection is real—not because someone dies and is reborn, but because Spirit doesn’t die. The flesh never possessed, nor destroyed, the spiritual Life force, at all. Christ Jesus’ mission was to die to the physical sense, in order to show that Life, the true Life of all creation, is eternal and spiritual. This is how he saved us—by showing us the truth of spiritual, everlasting being. Every word of spiritual truth he uttered was to awaken our sleeping thought about who and what we are. Every healing he accomplished, with ordinary people, proved their true, spiritual identities, even though they perceived it not. Note that, in the ascension, Christ Jesus left the entire material dimension of existence; that is, he left the material level of thought, leaving behind all those, including his disciples, still in the physical ‘dream’ or state of mind. His kingdom never was of this world. His kingdom was in the realm of Spirit’s true reality. It he taught nothing else, he showed us the illusory nature of material existence. Those who have the physical world of material substance as the basis of their reality (in thought) don’t like to leave their trusted power in material law, with its perceived good effects and bad effects. Not comprehending Spirit’s reality and harmony, (and the healing it brings into the human illusion of being) materialists abhor the invisible power of Spirit, which is above and beyond the reach of matter, and so-called physical laws. These material ‘scientists’ (not just in academia, but in thought) must continue to depict spiritual individuals, such as Jesus, as falling at the feet of fleshly, worldly powers. They must strip the spiritual elements away and make him physical, or fleshly, in all aspects. But that doesn’t matter. The truths of spiritual light and might which Christ Jesus (and a few other prophets throughout time) have revealed blesses even those that don’t yet believe. So, we must never fear the fleshly theories that war against God’s Omnipotence. What will be has already been.
Old documents have been deciphered from what is being identified as the Gospel of Judas. These suggest that Judas didn’t betray Christ Jesus as the New Testament says. Rather, it declares that Judas was Jesus’ closest (or at least one of his closest) disciple, and he was entrusted to bring the crucifixion about when Jesus gave him the command to do so. So, instead of being a traitor, Judas was actually an unsung hero, by helping Jesus to bring about his own death at the right, given time. This isn’t as fictional to me as the Da Vinci theory. To me, it’s a possibility. Since Christ Jesus had to die physically, in order to prove mankind’s deathless Life in God, Spirit, he may have needed someone to deliver him to his destroyers. Maybe Judas was needed to play the part of a traitor. Perhaps the way in which events led up to Jesus’ death on the cross was necessary, in the divine plan. The reason I can accept this new theory, or writings, is that it actually makes sense to me. To prove the resurrection from material unreality, Jesus had to die ‘in the flesh’. In order for Jesus to be in control of his spiritual demonstration over physical death, (proving the eternal, spiritual Life of all mankind) Jesus would want to make the demonstration when he was ready. His enemies had tried to capture him before, but he’d just passed through the crowd of them, unharmed. Clearly, at those times, he was not ready for the cross experience. So, when the Master was ready to end his earthly mission and prove Life’s resurrection beyond the grave, he’d quite likely be the one to pick the time to assure his physical death. Asking Judas to betray him may have been necessary to assure his death. After all, committing suicide could send the wrong message. So, knowing that the Roman Empire and some of the priests were seeking to kill him, Jesus may have trusted a friend to play the part of betrayer. Who knows? If the new findings of Judas are true, then whatever human damage Judas suffered on this material plane of thought was quickly recompensed on the other side. Only in the material, human scene was he, then, a traitor. I think many of us would like this new version of Judas better. It even means that the thirty pieces of silver had no value to Judas. He would have done it for nothing. The resurrection was what humanity needed to see and know, and Judas would have played a positive part in bringing that great message to mankind. I’m waiting to hear further information from this Gospel of Judas. For those in the world who continue to try to make Jesus a “miserable sinner” denying that there was any divinity about him, it might be wise to take a long pause and ponder how universal all that he said and did was. Whatever divinity he professed for himself, he professed for all mankind. Whatever Life in Spirit he demonstrated for himself, he proved for all of us—that was why he was the messenger, and that’s why the Christ of Jesus (his spiritual identity) was the message. He was our spiritual Brother, showing us our true, divinely immortal Selves. He was the son of God, but so are we all. Jesus never claimed to be God…only the Son of God. When he spoke of his and our oneness with God, he was describing our spiritual connection to the Infinite One, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being;” (Acts 17: 28 to ;). And he called many women “Daughter,” showing that the feminine is also divine at its core. God is the infinite Intelligence of the spiritual universe, and every thing and every one created is a ‘son’ and ‘daughter’ to God. It was the CHRIST (the spiritual identity) of Jesus that was divine. It is the CHRIST identity of each of us that is divine, whether we believe it or not. This coming of the universal Christ identity was, and still is, the important point to get. How it was brought about can be safely left behind, with no damage to Judas, or anyone else.
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