Does the Gospel of John Reveal Your True Identity?
Your identity defines how you live your life.
“What are you?” is the most critical question you can ask yourself. Not to be confused with “Who are you?” which gets at how you portray yourself in society, such as your name, where you were born, your occupation, and so on. “What are you?” gets at your fundamental nature. Are you simply an independent mass of tissue operating via neurons in your brain, or, at the other extreme, are you God’s child interconnected to everything? Answering this question will inform your primary life objectives and define how you live your life.
But how is this fundamental question addressed? Ultimately, everyone must determine for themselves what they are. Religious and spiritual teachings frequently focus on this area. Does God exist? If so, what is your relationship with God? What options for salvation are available? Is there a Heaven and hell? The list goes on.
This article focuses exclusively on the Gospel of John to illuminate what you are. The Gospel of John is unique among the four Gospels, the remaining three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, being called the synoptic Gospels because of their overwhelming similarities. John is considered the most spiritual of the four Gospels, is known for its lengthy dialogues from Jesus, and does not rely heavily on parables, which are often difficult to understand. Plus, John is more descriptive of God and spends much more time addressing the world’s characteristics (obviously where you currently call home), using the word “world” 57 times compared to 21 in the synoptic Gospels combined.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus viewed His message as having three fundamental components.
- He had a comprehensive message declaring all things.
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15, NASB)
- He took great pains to make clear the message He portrayed was not His but rather from God.
The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. (John 14:24, NASB)
- His message was new and different, not previously disclosed even to Moses.
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.” (John 6:32, NASB)
This surprising final point is illustrated repeatedly throughout John as Jesus continually disputes the beliefs of the established religious leaders of the time. Perhaps the best example is the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus at the beginning of Chapter 3, where Nicodemus, a high-level religious leader sincerely seeking Jesus’ guidance, has no clue what Jesus is talking about.
The disparity between Jesus’ message (as articulated in the Gospel of John) and the established Jewish teachings of the time may be disconcerting as the bulk of the Christian Bible comprises the Old Testament, the very work Jesus disputes. Reading the Gospel of John with the intent of harmonizing it with the rest of the Bible (which is not my intent) will cause the reader to oversee its essential spiritual message. Buckle up!
Jesus’ disputes with the established Jewish leaders of His time frequently centered on differences in the nature of God or humanity’s connection to God. In this regard, and because the essence of God is instrumental to answering our original question, we now turn to Jesus’ concept of God and His One Son.
What Is God and His One Son?
God is the first cause. The Gospel of John opens with:
In the beginning was the Word,¹ and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1–2, NASB)
The Word is most commonly viewed as God’s Son,² who was with God in the beginning. In the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus states:
And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed. (John 17:5, NASB)
God created His Son in the beginning (before the world), thus making God the first cause.
God is spirit, without form.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24, NASB) “No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.” (John 1:18, NASB)
God can only be a mind because He is a spirit without physical form. The fact that God is a mind requires considerable elaboration.
- Minds create through thoughts. Thus, God’s Son is a thought³ in the Mind of God. This explains the concept often stated in the Gospel of John of God being in Jesus and Jesus being in God (John 14:10, for example). This also illustrates one of the most essential concepts in John, oneness (John 17:11), but this oneness exists only in the Mind of God, in Heaven.
- God creates only that which can be one. His creations are spirit. God and Jesus (the Son) are in each other and are one with another. Oneness is not possible with form, as form implies differences. Plus, flesh provides no benefit (John 6:63). All God’s creations are equal (the same). Oneness requires equality.
- God created many Sons (in the beginning), but they are all one. The Gospel of John talks about God giving Jesus many men belonging to God (John 17:6 and 10:16). Being from God, these men were created by God and thus are His children (John 20:17). The children are all God’s thoughts, are all equal, and are all one Son. Therefore, the one and only Son comprises many thoughts (children).
Jesus is not God but rather His Son. In the Gospel of John, Jesus never talks like He is God (John 14:28 and 14:31, for example). In Chapter 10:30, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” to which His audience misconstrues Him to be saying He is God (John 10:33). As explained earlier, Jesus being a thought in the Mind of God is one but not the same. The same applies when Jesus says “I am” and again risks being stoned (John 8:58).
God is eternal and gives eternal life to His creations.
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal. (John 6:27, NASB)
Thus, whatever God creates cannot be destroyed. How can a thought in the mind of God be changed? Effectively, God creates only in His image, as would be expected. God would not create something less than Himself.
God is true.
The one who has accepted His testimony has certified that God is true. (John 3:33, NASB) Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (John 17:17, NASB)
God represents the only truth, which becomes the message Jesus shared with the world.
God is Heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. (John 6:33, NASB)
To be with God is to be in the Mind of God, thus in Heaven. Heaven is not a physical location but rather a state of being.
God is everything.
John replied, “A person can receive not even one thing unless it has been given to him from Heaven.” (John 3:27, NASB)
All is given from Heaven.
Therefore, Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.” (John 5:19, NASB)
God gives all. The opposite of everything is nothing. God has no opposite. Interestingly, what does this say about the world?
As Jesus explained, understanding God, His Son, and the relationship between everything depends on a clear grasp of oneness. Let’s elaborate on this concept.
What Is Oneness?
Oneness exists only in the Mind of God; it is impossible in the physical universe we know as the world. Oneness defines the relationship God has with everything. In the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays for all believers:
I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:20–24, NASB)
This prayer was said before the crucifixion. In the prayer, Jesus declares He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, indicating He and God are one even while Jesus is still in physical form. Further, Jesus asks to be loved by God as He was loved before the world’s foundation. This is consistent with the opening verses of John. But Jesus also asks God that all may be one and that they may be perfected in this unity.
The oneness theme is also seen in Jesus’ story of the vine.
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. (John 15:1–12, NASB)
Remember, there is only one Son comprised of all God’s children. In this context, the “I” is the one Son, the branches of the vine are God’s children, and God is the vinedresser. Every branch with God (part of the one Son) bears fruit, but the branches not with God (not part of the one Son) whither and die. In other words, you choose to be in Heaven (with God) or in this world (not with God). This was Jesus’ message from God that His joy would be in you and that your joy would be made whole. And the way to remember you are part of the one Son is to “love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 13:34, NASB).
Oneness was destroyed when the world was made. Oneness was the only form of existence before the world. Jesus’ effort was to restore oneness, thus perfecting the children of God.
What Is the World?
In the Gospel of John, Jesus talks only about Heaven and the world (earth), never mentioning hell. Jesus establishes a firm distinction between Heaven and the world. The world is portrayed as the opposite of Heaven. The two are so far apart that partaking of one eliminates the ability to understand the other.
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come on My own, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word.” (John 8:42–43, NASB)
In effect, the world is hell.
While Heaven is God, the world is not God.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. (John 1:10, NASB)
The world does not know God.
Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;” (John 17:25, NASB)
Those of the world cannot possibly understand God or the oneness He requires.
While Heaven is light and everlasting life, the world is darkness and death.
For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. (John 6:33, NASB)
Interestingly, Jesus does not view the world as something to be rehabilitated. There is no mention of a second coming of Jesus to establish a new kingdom on earth.
While Heaven is good, the world is evil.
And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. (John 3:19–20, NASB)
Again, consistent with the paragraph above.
While Heaven is spirit, the world is form, manifesting as flesh or bodies for human purposes (John 3:6). Jesus critically states:
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life. (John 6:63, NASB)
Our mind has convinced us that we are bodies, but the body provides no benefit. God created us as a mind, yet we think of ourselves as a body, which has no benefit.
While Heaven is oneness, the world is characterized by separation. In the world, we naturally exist in a state of separation, both among ourselves and with God. When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30, NASB), those who heard it did not understand the concept of oneness in Heaven but interpreted the phrase from the viewpoint of separation (John 8:15).
As stated, Jesus’ new message portrays a different relationship between God and humanity, Heaven and the world. This new relationship contradicts many traditional concepts of the Bible.
God did not create the world and humans. Genesis Chapter 1 has God declaring His creations as good, but in John, Jesus states flesh (form) provides no benefit. Why would God create the world if He already has His Kingdom (Heaven) and if form has no function?
The world is a place to leave rather than reform. There will be no second coming of Jesus to install a great kingdom on earth. Again, what is the purpose of reinvigorating the world if form has no function? Why have we yet to see the second coming after 2,000 years? You can discard your belief in the world (thus return to Heaven) at the time of your choosing (John 7:6).
Humanity is not separated from God because of sin. Jesus redefines sin. In the time of Jesus, the Jewish people worshipped God, made sacrifices to God, tried to obey God, and attempted to curb sin. But Jesus said there is a different relationship between humanity and God. Speaking about people generally, Jesus declared:
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. The one who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. (John 15:22–24, NASB)
To Jesus, the actual sin is the shattering of oneness between God and His Son and among His children. This is what separates humanity from God. This is why people in the world do not know or understand God or each other. Jesus has provided a new message on how to view God and humanity’s relationship with Him and each other (John 8:24), a message available to anyone (John 6:48–50). The old concept of sin focuses on changing yourself to make a more perfect self. In God’s realm, the self is unnecessary, undesirable, and completely prohibited, as all are one. Oneness is where there is no self. You are a servant to all. You are to love all. You are to achieve oneness, which is possible only in spirit, not form or flesh.
To see sin (in the traditional sense) is to see separateness. In Heaven, there is no sin, as there is no separateness. To judge is to see separateness.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17, NASB)
Thus, the old concept of sin makes oneness impossible.
How Did the World and Humanity (Flesh) Come About?
Given the discussion, the world seems a rather curious entity. If God is Heaven, God is everything, and the opposite of everything is nothing, then what is the world? The answer is that it must be nothing. In John 6:63, Jesus says that “the flesh provides no benefit,” the opening Chapter of John states that the Son made all; why then would the Son make something of no value?
Let us re-examine the difference between Heaven (God, light, everlasting life, goodness, spirit, and oneness) and the world (not of God, darkness, death, evil, form, and separation). Why would the Son make the world and humanity? Jesus states that the world does not know God. One obvious answer is to escape God. But why escape God if God is everything? One thing God does not provide (and will never provide) is the illusion of specialness. In Heaven, all are one, all are equal, and all are the same. But somehow, the Son wanted to “enjoy” the feeling of specialness and made the world of form in His mind.
But specialness comes with a steep price. To be special, you must be different from everyone else, unlike in Heaven, where all are the same. Differences require the ability to sense and measure them, which means there must be physical form and change. But with form and change comes death, selfishness, and all manner of evil. Nevertheless, it’s seemingly a willing price to pay for specialness.
God created His Son as thoughts in His mind. The Son comprises many elements (thoughts), but all are one. Thus, there is only one Son. God’s Son shattered this oneness through a desire for specialness by manifesting the world of form, including the making of bodies. These bodies view themselves as separate entities, indeed a requirement for specialness. But these different entities are only fabrications in the minds of the Son, as in reality, all remain as thoughts in the Mind of God, where they will never leave, although they have severed all communication with God.
Thus, we find a world made in the minds of the Son that does not know God. All knowledge of God has been suppressed deep into the subconscious. The world hated Jesus because His message opposed the world order. This is why the world wanted to kill Him — the world order needed to protect its interests.
You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. (John 8:44–45, NASB)
How does the Son cast off belief in the fabricated world and remember His true roots with God? What is Jesus, and, as I promised to answer at the beginning of this article, what are you?
What Are You and Jesus?
The answer is that you and Jesus are the same.
Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father.’” (John 14:12, NASB)
All are God’s children. The difference between you and Jesus is that Jesus, while in the flesh, uncovered the true relationship between God and His children and that the world is merely a fabrication in the minds of humanity.
“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NASB)
He then preached this message to others: Jesus is God only because He is one with God (residing in His mind), the same as you.
The Gospel of John does not contain the virgin birth narrative portrayed in Matthew and Luke.⁴ The virgin birth intends to present Jesus as standing apart from other humans, as His Father is described as God. However, this is unnecessary as John 1:1 already has Jesus as being created by God in the beginning, as part of the one Son. God is everyone’s Father.
The death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection remains a cornerstone of Christianity. But Jesus is a child of God, and nothing God creates can be destroyed. It is only Jesus’ imagined physical body that died on the cross, not the real Jesus as created by God as a thought in His Mind. In this regard, you are a child of God and have everlasting life, spiritually but not physically. This is the good news Jesus provided.
How Do You “Return To God”?
During His conversation with Nicodemus:
Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3–8, NASB)
This statement illustrates the two forms of existence: flesh and spirit. It also is consistent with John 6:63, which says, “the flesh provides no benefit,” and it is “the Spirit who gives life.” It would be best if you transformed the belief that you are flesh to that of spirit. Jesus talks about the Spirit being like the wind blowing as it pleases. Still, Nicodemus did not know where he came from or where he was going, similar to Jesus’ repeated assertion that people did not know where He came from or where He was going (John 8:14, for example), that they did not know He was from Heaven and would return to Heaven.
Further in the discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus states:
No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. (John 3:13, NASB)
In the context of what we have been discussing, Jesus states that all who ascend to Heaven will have originally come from Heaven. To ascend to Heaven is a matter of wanting to return, giving up the desire to fabricate an existence in the world.
Jesus addresses explicitly this with His disciples the evening before His crucifixion.
Little children, I am still with you a little longer. You will look for Me; and just as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you: “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” (John 13:33–36)
Jesus tells His disciples He is going where they cannot come (Heaven), that they should love one another as He has loved them, and again reiterates that they cannot follow Him, at least not at this point. This reads as an instruction to follow Him: love one another.
Loving one another, as Jesus loved, means giving up the separate self you have created for yourself in this world.
Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13, NASB)
Becoming a servant to all, as Jesus demonstrated by washing His disciple’s feet (John 13:5–20). Thus returning to the oneness of Heaven.
What Is Belief?
A core tenet of Christianity is the belief that Jesus died on the cross as a ransom for the world’s sins. Even in Chapter 1, John the Baptist introduces Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NASB). Interestingly, Jesus did remove the traditional sense of the world’s sin, not by dying on the cross but rather by redefining sin.
The Gospel of John uses the word “believe” many more times than the other Gospels combined and repeatedly talks about the need to believe in Jesus. Indeed, Christians often quote John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (NASB)
What does this phrase mean, given what we have been saying? While God wants nothing to do with the world defined as the imaginary forms made by His Son, He does love His children. But all His children began with eternal life. Heaven can be attained by believing in Jesus’ teachings that you love one another.
“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.” (John 3:20–21, NASB)
Another critical Christian tenet is that, to be saved, one must believe Jesus is the Lord and Savior. After all, in the Gospel of John, Jesus repeatedly directs His followers to believe in Him to receive eternal life (John 3:36, for example). But did Jesus want His followers only to believe He is Lord and Savior to attain everlasting life, or did Jesus want His followers to follow His teachings? Jesus’ message (from God) to His followers radically differed from religious teachings at the time. Because of these differences, Jesus asked His followers to believe in Him and believe He had the true message from God.
“It is written in the Prophets: ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” (John 6:45, NASB)
As presented throughout this article, God’s message is clear: you can return to Heaven only by choosing to do so. Simply believing Jesus is your Lord and Savior does not make this choice or the modifications in your thinking to achieve oneness with God. Additionally, Jesus is not God, as previously discussed.
A Final Word on Sin
To summarize, a fundamental Christian belief is that sin separates humanity from God, that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, and that only through faith in Jesus can one be saved. Sin is not what separates humanity from God. Instead, humans want to be separate. Through a desire for the oneness God provides, unity with God can be achieved by loving one another.
This Christian belief in sin is a sharp, double-edged sword cutting at the fabric of unification. First, focusing on sin inherently means concentrating on the body, which is not what you are (you are a mind). Seeing your “sin” and that of others creates differences in your mind, making it impossible to achieve oneness.
And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” (John 20:22–23, NASB)
Second, thinking that belief in Jesus is the only way to be saved also creates differences between Christians and others, making it impossible to attain oneness. Believing in Jesus is not the only way to be saved; believe in the oneness Jesus taught.⁵
Unfortunately, focusing on sin adds to separateness, detracting from unity with God. In Heaven, all are one, which means all are the same. The only way to achieve oneness, to love one another, is to look past the physical to what your brother or sister is: God’s child.
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” (John 9:41, NASB)
You are resting in the mind of God without sin. Can sin exist in Heaven, in the Mind of God?
Healing of a Blind Man
Chapter 9 is devoted entirely to a man blind from birth to whom Jesus provides sight. Each of the synoptic gospels has at least one story of Jesus restoring sight to a blind man, but these accounts each amount to only a handful of verses, never an entire chapter. Chapter 9 tells a more compelling and symbolic story.
The last three verses provide critical insight into the chapter as a whole.
And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Those who were with Him from the Pharisees heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” (John 9:39–41, NASB)
Jesus told those from the Pharisees that if they were blind, they would have no sin, but since they claim sight, their sin remains. This is consistent with Jesus’ redefinition of sin, that sin is not what you may inappropriately do with your body but rather that you remain attached to the world (seeing it). Those unattached to the world (who do not see it) are sin-free. In this regard, Chapter 9’s story is not about a man who is physically blind but rather unattached to the world. But what else would someone unattached to the world need to see?
The chapter starts with Jesus’ disciples asking whether the man’s blindness was due to his sins or that of his parents, reflecting a standard view at the time that sin could manifest itself as a physical impairment. Jesus responded that the blindness was not due to sin but rather “it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3, NASB). Again, Jesus refuted the ordinary view of sin, instead indicating the blind man was a showcase for the works of God.
In healing the man, Jesus “spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes” (John 9:6, NASB), then requested that he go to the river to wash it off, after which he could see. In the more typical healings, Jesus would touch the recipient or verbally command that they be headed. The use of mud and its subsequent washing away must have some relevant meaning. Indeed, the mud parallels the Genesis creation story where God “formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7, NASB). Jesus asks the man unattached to the world (the blind man) to wash away the Genesis creation story so that he may see fully, that is, also know that he is God’s child resting in the Mind of God rather than a body created from mud. Jesus heals (in a true sense) the man by giving him the knowledge he is part of God’s Son. Thus, his knowledge is complete, and he is no longer “blind.” With this knowledge, the man approaches the gateway to Heaven.
The man’s healing confused his neighbors and other locals as they could not correctly determine whether it was him. He replied, “I am the one” (John 9:9, NASB). This self-identification is reminiscent of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman:
The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.” (John 4:25–26, NASB)
The healed man was brought before the Pharisees, where further confusion ensued. Some Pharisees believed Jesus was not from God (as the healing took place on the Sabbath), while others did not understand how a sinner could do such a great deed, although the healed man declared Jesus a prophet. The Pharisees acted in disbelief that the man had been blind since birth until the man’s parents indeed verified he had been born blind.
The Pharisees again accused Jesus of being a sinner, but the man defended Jesus by stating he was blind but now could see. The man was charged with being a disciple of Jesus, but the Pharisees proudly said they were Moses’ disciples and did not know where Jesus was from. The man admonished the Pharisees (rather eloquently) for not knowing where Jesus came from, as no one had previously opened the eyes of someone born blind. At this point, the Pharisees had enough, declared the man a sinner, and expelled him from the synagogue.
The Pharisees had no grasp of Jesus or the blind man. Both are rejected as Jesus is declared a sinner, and the man is expelled from the synagogue. The Pharisees, protecting the version of the world as they understood it, sought to destroy any alternative. This is consistent with Jesus’ message, which radically differed from the status quo.
Epilogue
You are God’s child, and so is everyone else. The Son made the world of form to generate the illusion of separateness (specialness). In doing so, God’s children developed a sense of separation from God and each other, relegating all prior knowledge of Heaven to the subconscious. Returning to the oneness offered by God is straightforward: give up your desire to be separate. Jesus instructed how to do this: love one another.
So far, I have not mentioned the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), the teacher Jesus sent to help us. The Holy Spirit understands love and helps return your mind to God. He can be of great assistance to the willing.
This article has covered much ground that may be unfamiliar, different, and somewhat frightening. Ultimately, Jesus has commanded you to love one another. If you are still contemplating this and what results may come from it, conduct your experiment. Change your life (mind) to love everyone to the best of your ability for six months. Follow what the Holy Spirit tells you. Then, at the end of this period, determine where you want to go.
Notes
¹ “Word” is translated from the Greek word “Logos.” “Logos is the Greek term translated as ‘word,’ ‘speech,’ ‘principle,’ or ‘thought.’ In Greek philosophy, it also referred to a universal, divine reason or the mind of God.” “What is the Logos?”, Got Questions at https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-Logos.html#:~:text=Logos%20is%20the%20Greek%20term%20translated%20as,with%20God%2C%20and%20the%20Word%20was%20God.
² The Bible uses the pronoun “He” to refer to God and “Son” to refer to His child (or children). I will maintain this style for consistency, even though, being spirit, God and His Son have no gender.
³ See footnote one indicating Logos can be translated as “thought.”
⁴ Mark does not mention the birth of Jesus.
⁵ For example, “Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.
The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity.” “A Common Word between Us and You” (Summary and Abridgement) at https://www.acommonword.com/the-acw-document/.
