A New Perspective on One of the Most Misunderstood Sayings of Jesus
The Mystical “I”: Jesus’ Invitation to Spiritual Awakening
Imagine if one of the core teachings of Christianity had been misunderstood for centuries. What if the very words of Jesus, often interpreted as declarations of his unique divinity, were actually meant to reveal a profound spiritual truth accessible to all?
Well… that would make Christianity a totally different religion.
Today, I want to talk about a particular phrase that Jesus used repeatedly in the Gospel of John and how the church constructed an entire theology around it that may have missed the mark. The phrase in question is “I and the Father are one,” spoken by Jesus in John 10:30. Traditionally, this statement has been viewed as evidence of Jesus proclaiming his divine nature, setting him apart from humanity.
But what if there’s more to it?
An Alternative Interpretation
On one level, it makes sense that when Jesus announced, “I and the Father are one,” he could have been declaring his divinity. But let’s consider the implications if this was not what Jesus had in mind.
There are some good reasons to believe that Jesus meant something other than what the Church recognizes. For example, some other statement Jesus made could lead us to a different conclusion. For example, in John 14:12, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.”
This statement is often downplayed because the Church is not fond of our getting the wrong idea. Yet, I believe that it is precisely what Jesus meant.
To believe (deeply enough) in Jesus and his miracles is to understand that the appearances of “this world” are not God’s reality. It follows that we cannot become prisoners of our fears of any appearance when we know that, as children of God, we are protected by a loving, omnipresent, and omnipotent God. The immutable faith of this belief was the source from which Jesus became the instrument of his miracles.
The incredible idea is that Jesus told us that we could emulate him even in performing miracles — although there is a condition since he speaks only of those who believe (deeply enough) in him.
When Jesus asks that we believe in him, he really means that we believe his message. His message informs us that the possibility to emulate Jesus is not a matter of nature but faith.
The Church rejected the possibility of humans emulating Jesus by implying that our human nature was our limitation and that miracles were possible only for Jesus because of his unique and divine nature.
Having witnessed and benefited from spiritual healings through authentic spiritual healers myself, I can attest that miracles are within humans’ purview.
The psychological “I” and the mystical “I.”
From the time we began to speak, we learned that “I” refers to our unique self. For many people, the psychological self is their ego persona through which they attempt to portray who and what they think they are or wish to be.
The spiritual path starts when we realize that our true self is not our ego but rather our spiritual self or spiritual “I.” Then, we become convinced that our spiritual self is of the essence of the Divine. And we become aware that this is also the truth about everyone else, even if they do not believe it, do not understand it, or choose to ignore it.
Recognizing that our true nature is spiritual is also the realization that we are children of God, offspring of the Most High. That relationship with God becomes mystical — in that spirit, we speak of the “mystical I” and italicize the “I.”
When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one,” was it his psychological “I” or his “mystical I” speaking?
Since it is clear that Jesus always spoke from the standpoint of his “mystical I” when teaching, we must ponder the question: Is the “mystical I” exclusive to Jesus, or is it a high state of consciousness achievable by other humans?
I believe that the response to this question is the latter, provided in the affirmative by Jesus in the same John 14:12 that I cited earlier.
The Universal Name
Moses’s great revelation took place in Exodus 3:14 during the episode of the burning bush that was not consumed by fire. Moses heard God declare, “I am that I am.”
These words are not easy to ponder, and they might sound like a riddle that is ours to uncover. For my part, it is an expression of two realities:
1. “I am” is a statement of being-ness, or more broadly, of “is-ness.”
2. “I am that I am” is a statement of consciousness aware of itself.
Anytime we say, “I am,” we affirm that we are alive and conscious. In fact, anytime we say “I,” we imply the same.
In a sense, “I” is the universal name of each of us and all of us. However, the difference between the psychological “I” and the “mystical I” is that the former is temporal, whereas the latter is eternal. Most importantly, the “mystical I” is conscious of its spiritual nature, expressing the Divine Spirit individualized.”
We can see the possibility that when he said, “I and my Father are one,” Jesus meant each and every one of us, contrary to mainstream Christian dogma. You can also see how such a fundamental theological understanding would, and still could, totally re-orient the practice of Christianity.
The Spiritual Failure of the Church
From the outset, and following Paul’s lead, the Church emphasized Jesus’ divine nature.
Jesus’ core message is that we are all spiritual beings in the image and likeness of the God of Love. Failure to recognize this message obfuscated Jesus’ mission to raise human consciousness.
Clearly, it was easier for the Church to maintain the human/divine barrier that Jesus had removed during his ministry. This separation was achieved by creating and emphasizing the differences between Jesus and the rest of humanity.
Humanity was portrayed as the alleged outcome of original sin. In contrast, Jesus allegorically was born to a virgin, and the Church canon would raise him to deification as a member of the Trinity.
The Church’s intent was to maintain a huge contrast between Jesus’ nature and the nature of the rest of humanity. This was effective and sealed the case.
The original message of Jesus would have been nearly impossible to carry on, particularly when Christianity became the Roman Empire’s official religion. Regarding authority and /or divinity, the Roman Emperors did not welcome competition — especially from the rank and file.
The practicality with which the Church addressed the challenge built-in the authentic message of Jesus was a victory at one level, but, in effect, it was a spiritual abdication. Mysticism was marginalized when not fought against.
In a world where kingdoms and empires failed, the Church survived, and its victory can be traced to a rejection of the true spiritual interpretation of Jesus’ message.
Jon Canas
Debunking false creeds. Reclaiming the Soul of Christianity.
Site: https://bio.site/ChristicSoul
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My book: Religion, Politics, and Reclaiming the Soul of Christianity: A Spiritual Imperative for Our Time and Our Nation
