Add & Subtract - Jesus

This Easter time let's look at Jesus

Two millennia ago, Joshua Ben Joseph (Jesus’ Hebrew name) lived amongst us and taught a simple but liberating message: the father/motherhood of God and the brother/sisterhood of humanity.
Jesus message was spiritual and simple:

• The Kingdom of Heaven is within you (we don’t have to rely on outside authorities because the spiritual dimension is in everyone)
• God is a loving, heavenly Father (our Source is like a perfect parent)
• We are all equal, beloved children of the Father (we are all spiritual siblings, so should try to get on with each other with love and kindness)

Although it was a short life, and he only taught publicly for three years, his influence continues to resound around the world and throughout our local universe.

ADD RESURRECTION

After his execution, Jesus appeared in his resurrected, spiritual body to almost 1000 people in 19 separate events. Many spiritual traditions record Masters visiting people in their ‘ascension’ bodies.
One metaphysical understanding of the Easter event is that Jesus wanted to prove to us there is no death; our life as spiritual beings continues beyond the finish of the flesh suit.
If this is true, we can learn to let go our stubborn identification with the physical, and all the guilt and grievances we hold for what we have done, and what others have done to us. If Jesus could stay loving and peaceful through that ordeal, maybe we could get less upset about our difficulties!

The resurrected Christ on fulfilment of scripture:
“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things”
Source: The Gospel of John 24:46-47

SUBTRACT CRUCIFIXION

In Jesus’ time there were many cults of sacrifice, which believed that God was vengeful and required the death of animals, birds and even humans to avoid punishment. The early church took the completely unnecessary and cruel execution of an innocent man and made it ‘sacrifice’ to appeal to the people of the day.

Jesus himself never taught this idea. The church doctrine of ‘penal substitutionary atonement’ was only added 400 years ago. He died because of the ‘sins’ of threatened Jewish religious leaders, politicians, and a weak Pontius Pilate, but not to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and stop God sending downs bolts of lightning.

Suggestion: Instead of a crucifix, place a candle on your altar. Light it today to remember the life-affirming teachings of Jesus instead of his gruesome death; we are the creations of a Source of perfect Love, connected in unity as individual cells of one spiritual body.

The Urantia Book describing “the great mistake” in early Christianity:
“The effort to connect the gospel teaching directly onto the Jewish theology- that Jesus was the sacrificed Son who would satisfy the Father’s stern justice and appease the divine wrath. These teachings originated in the praiseworthy effort to make the gospel of the kingdom more acceptable to disbelieving Jews. Though these efforts failed as far as winning the Jews was concerned, they did not fail to confuse and alienate many honest souls in all subsequent generations”

Hope this makes for a lighter Easter for you. If you have any feedback, comments or questions, feel free to get in touch.