Rough draft.
Text and Commentary
Flavius and Greek Culture
Flavius, the Greek Jew, was a proselyte of the gate, i.e., someone from outside the community living with the Jews and following some of their customs. As such, he had never been baptized or circumcised.
Flavius was the kind of guy that loved beautiful art and sculpture, and he had a large priceless collection from around the world in his luxurious house. When he invited Jesus to his home, Flavius was worried that he might take offense at the sight of these so-called graven images.
But he was glad to find out that instead of being offended by all of his art, Jesus was impressed with everything he had, and even asked him a lot of questions as Flavius took him through the house and showed him all of his favorite statues.
Now, Jesus could tell that Flavius was a little confused that he wasn’t upset over his large collection of art.
After Flavius was done showing him around, Jesus told him why he wasn’t bothered by his art, saying in effect, “Flavius, why do you expect to be criticized for appreciating beauty created by our Father through a man’s artistic hands? Just because back in his day Moses fought the worship of false gods, doesn’t mean men should look down on the reproduction of grace and beauty.
I’m telling you, Flavius, that Moses’ children have misunderstood this issue so badly that now their prohibitions against art are in and of themselves false gods. But still, even if Moses taught those laws to the ignorant minds of his day, what does that have to do with today when the Father in heaven has been revealed as the universal Spirit Ruler over all?
Flavius, I’m saying that in the coming kingdom people will no longer teach, ‘Don’t worship this and don’t worship that. People won’t worry anymore about rules telling them what to do and what not to do.
Instead, everyone will have only one supreme duty: the dual privilege of worshiping God the Paradise Father, and loving service to humanity.
If you love all other people as you love yourself, you really know that you are a son of God.”
Jesus went on, saying that Moses was justified in trying to stop the worship of false gods because back then no one understood who God the Father was.
But in the future, because he, Jesus, will have revealed the new revelation of God through how he’s lived his life on Earth, people won’t confuse our Creator Father with stone or gold and silver idols.
Instead, wise people will appreciate material art and beauty without confusing it with worshiping our Father in Paradise, the God of all things and all beings.
Flavius believed Jesus. The next day, since the apostles were not yet baptizing people, he went to Bethany past the Jordan and got baptized by the disciples of John the Baptist.
Then, when he returned to Jerusalem, Flavius held a large dinner party for Jesus and sixty of his friends, many who also decided to follow Jesus.
The Talk on Assurance
One of the great sermons that Jesus preached in the temple this Passover week was in answer to a question by a man from Damascus, who asked Jesus, “But, Rabbi, how can we be certain that you’re sent by God, and that we’ll enter this kingdom that you say is at hand?”
And Jesus answered, “Judge my message and the teachings of my disciples by their fruits. If what we are telling you is true, the spirit of God in your hearts will confirm that our message is genuine.
As for your question about how you can be sure that you’ll be accepted by the heavenly father and allowed entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Let me ask you this, ‘What worthy and kindhearted father would keep his children anxious about their status in the family or about the love of their father?
Do you Earth fathers take pleasure from torturing your kids by keeping them unsure about your love? No. And God doesn’t keep his children unsure about his love, either.’
If you receive God as your Father, then you are, in truth, the sons of God. And if you are sons, then you have no worries about your eternal and divine sonship.
If you believe me, it means you believe in God who sent me, and by believing in the Father you’ve secured your heavenly citizenship. If you choose the will of the Father in heaven, you won’t fail in gaining your eternal soul.
The Supreme Spirit will bear witness, along with your spirits inside of you, that you are truly children of God. And if you are the sons of God, then have you been born of the spirit of God. And this victory means that you have the power in yourself to overcome all problems or lack of faith.”
Jesus went on, reminding them that the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of these times, said, “When the spirit is poured upon us from on high, then the work of righteousness will become peace and assurance forever.”
Jesus said that he was the guarantee that everyone who believes this gospel will achieve eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. And that the evidence to everyone else that someone has been born of the spirit, is that they sincerely love their neighbors.
The crowd hung around for several hours asking Jesus questions.
This period spent in Jerusalem did a lot to inspire the twelve apostles, and this talk by Jesus emboldened them to go out and preach with even greater power and faith. It was their first time working with such large groups of people, and the lessons they learned here helped them in their later ministries.
The Visit with Nicodemus
Nicodemus was an older wealthy member of the Sanhedrin (san’hedrin). He had heard Jesus talk in the temple once, had a personal and sincere interest in his teachings, and he wanted to know more.
But already the Jew’s rulers were upset enough with Jesus that no one in the Sanhedrin dared to have anything to do with him. So instead, Nicodemus got with Andrew and they set up a secret meeting at Flavius’ house.
That evening after nightfall, Jesus along with Peter, James, and John met with Nicodemus in Flavius’ garden, though later they continued their talk in the house.
When Jesus met Nicodemus, he, Jesus, was calm, earnest, and dignified.
He didn’t show Nicodemus any undue respect because of his status, and when they talked Jesus didn’t compromise his beliefs or try to persuade Nicodemus to believe him.
When Flavius introduced him to Jesus, Nicodemus said: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God because no mere man could teach like you unless God was with him. I want to know more about your teachings of the coming kingdom.”
Jesus answered Nicodemus, saying, “The truth is that unless a man is born from above, he can’t see the kingdom of God.”
To this, Nicodemus asked, “But how can a man be born again when he is old? He can’t enter his mother’s womb again to be born.”
And Jesus said, “Regardless, I’m telling you that unless a man is born of the spirit, he can’t enter into the kingdom of God. That that is born of the flesh, is flesh, and that that is born of the spirit, is spirit. But Nicodemus, it shouldn’t surprise you that I said you must be born from above. When the wind blows, you hear the rustle of the leaves, but you don’t see the wind, not from where it comes nor where it goes. And it’s the same with everyone born of the spirit. With the eyes of the flesh you can see the results of the spirit, but you can’t actually see the spirit itself.”
Nicodemus said that he didn’t understand.
And Jesus asked him, “How can you be a teacher in Israel and still not know of all this?
Because of this confusion, it’s the duty of the people who know the spirit to teach it to the others who only see the material world.
But the question is, will you believe us? Do you have the courage, Nicodemus, to believe in me, the Son of Man, who has descended from heaven?”
To this, Nicodemus asked how he was supposed to get this spirit that was going to prepare him to enter the kingdom?
Jesus told him, the spirit of the Father is already in you.
If you allow yourself to be led by this spirit, you’ll soon see with the eyes of the spirit. Then, by fully choosing to follow your spirit guidance, you’re born of the spirit because at that point your only will is to do the will of God in heaven.
And from there, you begin to see the fruits of the spirit in your daily life.
Nicodemus was sincere and impressed by what Jesus said, but he still went away bewildered.
Nicodemus was refined, egoistic, and altruistic. He was well versed in things like self-development and self-restraint, and he even had high moral qualities.
But at the time, he didn’t know how to submit his will to the will of God his Father in the same way that a little kid is willing to submit to the guidance of a wise Earth father, and thereby become in reality a son of God.
But Nicodemus did manage to come up with enough faith to enter the kingdom. When his colleagues in the Sanhedrin wanted to condemn Jesus without a hearing, he only gave a half-hearted protest. But later, with Joseph of Arimathea (ehr-uh-ma-tee-uh), he boldly stated his faith and they claimed Jesus’s body, even though most of the disciples had run away in fear from the scene of Jesus’ final suffering and death.
Okay, that’s it for part 2 of Chapter 21, “The Passover at Jerusalem.”
As for commentary.
COMMENTARY
First, on the bit about the art, false gods, and the Jewish laws.
When they were talking about the idea of art being seen as a false god, Jesus told Flavius that Moses’ children had misunderstood this issue so badly, that now their laws, their prohibitions against art, are in and of themselves false gods.
So, the crudest form of worshipping false gods would be to make a statue or pick some physical object and call it God and devote ourselves to worshipping it, whether it’s the sun in the sky or a golden calf.
And telling someone not to do that, not to worship God that way, is what we’d teach a child, or adults with simple minds.
But the point is, anything can be a false god, whether it’s a physical object or an idea or standardized religious dogma.
In this case, Jesus was telling Flavius that the Jews had made their rules for worshipping God more important than the actual worship of God himself.
There are no negative injunctions you can follow to get into heaven.
No amount of obedience to rules saying don’t do this or don’t do that has any weight whatsoever on your gift of eternal life.
God, and the kingdom of heaven, can only be approached through the positive injunctions of faith in our Father’s love and mercy, and recognizing the subsequent siblinghood of humanity by serving man for the sake of God.
Absolutely everything else in every religion is man-made and is usually designed for human preoccupations with power, profit, and control.
Moving on
When Jesus was asked how people could be sure that he and the apostles were the real deal, he responded with the bit about, “By their fruits you shall know them.”
But he also said that the Spirit of God in their hearts will confirm the truth.
So, I understand that to mean that it’s not just us, our material mortal minds, that are looking at a person to determine if they bear the fruits of the spirit, but also the Thought Adjuster inside of us, that entity that is actually God and knows every true intention in our minds, is guiding us in that decision.
We also know these fruits of the spirit have nothing to do with wealth, power or material goods, and, like mentioned earlier, when taken to extremes these things become false gods.
Instead, it appears we’re supposed to look to the ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness to better see if a person bears the fruits of the spirit.
Like, Is the person at peace and living in truth with themselves and others; are they fit, healthy, and sane; are they kind, compassionate, unselfish, and pleasurable to be around?
That kind of stuff.
And then, from there, we follow the subtle hints of our heart as best as we’re able.
Like Jesus told Nicodemus, if we allow ourselves to be led by the spirit, we’ll soon see with the eyes of the spirit.
In other words, we’re developing this ability to see with the eyes of the spirit. It’s a process, not an event.
And it requires our trust, our faith in the process.
We are each, from the time we receive our Thought Adjuster and based on our willingness to follow that divine guidance, evolving into eternal souls; becoming more and more God-like.
For me, this shows the importance of holding on lightly to everything, from material goods to ideas and beliefs, except for faith in God and my commitment to serve humanity for his sake.
In other words,
I’m working to keep in mind the immensity of my personal unknown, which both keeps my ego in check, at times, that is and keeps me open to the continuous growth required to fully embrace this journey to our Father.
Okay everyone,
That’s it for this episode.
Godspeed.
Defend liberty. Protect our kids. Serve man for God.
Bob