John 16:33 “I have told you these things so
that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be
courageous! I have conquered the world.”
According to the author of the gospel of John, Jesus said what
is written above. This is a bold claim but I believe it is accurate with regard
to our relationship to material and corporeal reality. According to Jesus teaching
and claims, how did he overcome the world? This is a question that I hope to
answer and also, what did he overcome or conquer? Let’s look at some of the
Greek words that make up this claim.
World is translated from the Greek word kosmos. The Greek
word kosmos describes and defines the known universe and all of material and
corporeal reality. Suffering, tribulation, trouble is from the Greek word
thilipsis. It means all of the above meanings. Finally the Greek word nikaho
means conquered or overcome. So, I believe that Jesus is actually saying that
he has conquered material reality and all of the trouble it presents.
How then did he conquer it? He conquered it with knowledge
and faith. In other words, he had faith in his intuitive knowledge. His intuitive
knowledge told him that he was the eternal offspring of the creator. He took
that intuitive knowledge and applied trust to it. It was a fact in his mind
that he relied on. He saw creative consciousness as the parent. While he called
it father it was both feminine and masculine. If one believes in as above so
below and as below so above then it is only reasonable that the divine parent
is both genders. We see in the material world that it is the combining of the
two genders that produce offspring. Therefore, the divine parent is the perfect
description of creative consciousness that many call God. Thus, Jesus
intuitively realized his divinity and went on to explain that it is true of ALL
humanity!
That is the good news and it is truly good news. Being an
eternal expression of creative divinity is good news we can use. He goes on to
explain that by the very nature of the material world, the kosmos, the universe
there is the likelihood of trouble, suffering, tribulation etc. However, there
is likewise the opportunity for pleasure, peace and love. There is the possibility
of experiencing the knowledge of the parent and thereby expanding that knowledge.
Eternity is now. It is always now. It has no future, and it
has no past. Therefore, the knowledge that one is eternal and eternally part of
the creator and creation, is what overcomes or conquers the kosmos, the
material universe. This is the perspective that embraces faith in the eternal
conscious creator. It is also the source of theodicy.
Both spiritual and material wickedness is a thought form
linked to the material universe. While it has real effects, it does not have
eternal effects. Therefore, the nature of creative consciousness which is love
and peace conquers the material universe always. Putting trust in that
knowledge lets each of us individual conscious agents, offspring of the parent
conquer as well. Be of good cheer and have peace!
No comments:
Post a Comment