The New Testament My brothers slept during the so-called "agony" in the garden. But I could not be angry with them because I had learned I could not be abandoned. Peter swore he would never deny me, but he did so three times. He did offer to defend me with the sword, which I naturally refused, not being at all in need of bodily protection. I am sorry when my brothers do not share my decision to hear only one voice, because it weakens them as teachers and as learners. Yet I know that they cannot really betray themselves or me. The crucifixion cannot be shared, because it is the symbol of projection. Bbut the resurrection is the symbol of sharing, because the re-awakening of every Son of God is necessary to enable the Sonship to know its wholeness. Only this is knowledge. The message of the crucifixion is perfectly clear: “Teach only love, for that is what you are.” If you interpret the crucifixion in any other way, you are using it as a weapon for assault rather than as the call for peace for which it was intended. The Apostles often misunderstood it, and always for the same reason that makes anyone misunderstand anything—their own imperfect love made them vulnerable to projection, and out of their own fear they spoke of the “wrath of God” as His retaliatory weapon. Nor could they speak of the crucifixion entirely without anger, because their own sense of guilt had made them angry. There are two glaring examples of upside-down thinking in the New Testament, whose whole gospel is only the message of love.
If the Apostles had not felt guilty they never could have quoted me as saying, “I come not to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:34 This is clearly the exact opposite of everything I taught.
Nor could they have described my reactions to Judas as they did if they had really understood me. They would have realized I could not have said, “Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48 unless I believed in betrayal. The whole message of the crucifixion was simply that I did not. The “punishment” which I am said to have called forth upon Judas was a similar reversal. Judas was my brother and a Son of God, as much a part of the Sonship as myself. Was it likely that I would condemn him when I was ready to demonstrate that condemnation is impossible? I Am Grateful To The Apostles I
am very grateful to the Apostles for their teaching and
fully aware of the extent of their devotion to me. Nevertheless,
as you read their teachings, remember that I told them
myself that there was much they would understand later
because they were not wholly ready to follow me at the
time. (John
16:12 and John
16:25) No one is “punished” for sins, and the Sons of God are not sinners. The crucifixion was a complex of behaviors arising out of clearly opposed thought systems. As such, it was the perfect symbol of conflict between the ego and the Son of God. The conflict is just as real now, and its lessons, too, have equal reality, when they are learned. |
Workbook For Students Special Topics - Part 2 |
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