“No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service ..." (Luke 9:62)

“No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

This statement by Jesus follows this verse:

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” (Luke 9:61) 

Why couldn't he say goodbye to his family?

Jesus' reply can easily be taken out of context. Is Jesus saying that a farmer or a field worker cannot return to the spiritual realm?

Wasn't Jesus supportive of the family? Just consider today if a teacher discouraged his students from saying goodbye to their family before becoming a follower.

Also consider, the importance of family is one of the central tenets of so many institutions today. Why wasn't Jesus supportive of the potential follower returning to his family to say goodbye?

We must understand that Jesus wasn't making a grand statement to all of humanity about farming here. He was speaking directly to this potential follower, who had the choice of following Jesus now or looking "back" by going back to his family to say goodbye.

Is Jesus speaking about commitment?

Commitment requires focus. And it relates to service. This is why Jesus refers to "service in the kingdom of God.” And why he references "a hand to the plow and looks back." Jesus is talking about our grand choice: who do we want to serve?

While many think of the spiritual realm or heaven as this place where people are all sitting around playing harps or otherwise enjoying themselves, the spiritual realm is actually wherever loving service to the Supreme Being is taking place - wherever it may be.

While serving and giving pleasure to God is the central mission of the spiritual realm, it also takes place throughout the spiritual and material universes among those to want to live for God.

You see, we are all servants. Whether we serve ourselves and our physical bodies, our bosses, our electorate, our board of directors, our parents, or our spouses, we are all serving someone, and most of the time we are serving multiple people at once, as well as serving our physical bodies.

These ultimately self-centered engagements are all based on the mistaken notion that we are independent and we do not need to serve. We think of ourselves as the boss of someone or something. We like to think of ourselves as the boss of our children, or our employees, or our fans, or our pets. But what we don't see is that we are actually their servants.

This is seen easily in pet owners who pick up their pet's poop. Or parents who change their children's diapers and drive them to school every day. Or bosses who provide services for their employees. Or stars who serve their fans by entertaining them, providing interviews, and public engagements.

We don't see that we are servants for only one reason: Because we don't want to be a servant.

Is this denial?

We are in denial that we are servants and caregivers. This is because we have become envious of the Supreme Being. We wanted what He has. We became envious of Him and this is why we were kicked out of the spiritual realm.

So God gave us these temporary physical bodies and this illusory place so we could pretend we were bosses of something. But because our nature is one of servant, we simply have changed from one type of service to another. Our service is now self-centered instead of being God-centered.

So Jesus is offering those around him a pathway back to their natural position as one of God's loving servants in the spiritual realm. Do they want to take that opportunity? If they do, they must be committed to it. They must be focused upon it, and not look back.

This reflects the fact that the Supreme Being only wants us to come home when we are ready. This is what Jesus means by "fit for service" - being ready. And "fit for service" means we must have totally committed ourselves to loving and serving the Supreme Being. This means having a one-pointed commitment to pleasing God.

This is the test that Jesus is giving to his prospective student. He is saying that only those who are committed to following him will become ready to return to their position as God's loving service in the spiritual realm.

Is love the bottom line?

And it is love that lies at the bottom line. Service to God must be based upon love or it is not spiritual. Service to God based upon getting something in return is not spiritual. That is business. It is still self-centered. And because it is ultimately self-centered, there is no commitment in this type of service relationship.

This can be compared to other relationships of seeming love in the physical world. If a father loves his son, and his son gets in an accident, what does the father do? He drops everything and rushes to the hospital. He doesn't first go to his own parents or his boss and ask them if it is alright if he goes to the hospital. He just does it. Why? Because of his complete commitment to his son. And this reflects his love for his son. He doesn't care if he loses his job.

This relationship between love and service, and the type of natural commitment that follows is also reflected in Jesus' most important instruction:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

"Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet ..." (Luke 10:4)

"Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road." (Luke 10:4)

Why can't they take a purse, bag or sandals or greet someone?

Why is Jesus suggesting that his 72 disciples (Luke 10:1) go out and preach without a purse, bag or even sandals?

In other words, he wanted them to go traveling to these various towns (two each) without money ("purse"), belongings ("bag") or even shoes: Barefoot, with no money or possessions. Why?

Jesus was teaching them to be solely dependent upon the Supreme Being.

Passing on Jesus' teachings while being completely dependent upon the Supreme Being for food, shelter and protection allowed them to be in the position Jesus wanted from them - to represent the Supreme Being as they were taking refuge in God.

It is not that going barefoot or not having money makes a person take refuge in God or represent God - as this is cheap imitation. Rather, Jesus was instructing his students to set an example at a particular time and circumstance.

During that time, Temple priests were paid per diem salaries and lived well at the expense of the Temple - and those who made offerings. Jesus wanted to show that the Truth is not a business deal. It is offered by God and His true representatives without obligation or cost.

Is this done today?

Yes, there are some who still teach in this manner: Humbly, without the expectation of respect or honor.

But some of today's institutions who claim to represent Jesus do completely the opposite: They take advantage of Jesus. They profit from their proclamations and preaching. The reverends, priests, cardinals, and popes are well-paid and housed in extravagant quarters.

They don't need to rely upon the Supreme Being because they earn salaries. And they wear extravagant robes, hats, and comfortable shoes, all paid for by the poor people who attend their churches.

These institutions claim to represent Jesus, but they are basically businesses. They employ their preachers just as a business employs salespeople - in order to market their business and bring in the income. They might claim their purpose is spreading Jesus' teachings, but they don't spread his teachings. They spread a false promise that all we have to do is join their church and accept that Jesus died for our sins and their members are saved.

And if one doesn't join their sect, they say that person will go to hell. On top of this threat, they promise that Jesus will heal all our diseases and make us rich or even help our football teams win - or whatever else we want. Wow. What a great deal. And all they need to do is join the sect and claim they are saved?

Is this proposition real?

As a business, this would be a perfect strategy for getting customers. Imagine a business telling its customers that if they come to the store and drop money into the collection box, and just say "the CEO saves" then all their problems will go away. They will be healed, they will be wealthy and they won't have to go to hell now.

Such a business will certainly get lots and lots of customers, and won't have to sell anything - except of course their false proposition.

But eventually, such a business will be identified as a scam.

Like scams, these institutions that claim to represent Jesus promise all this, yet little is delivered. They promise that accepting that 'Jesus died for my sins' will erase one's consequences. But this is a falsehood.

If it were true, why have so many people who attended these churches gone to jail for committing a crime? If their sins were cleansed by Jesus' crucifixion why would they still have to suffer the consequences for them?

Even some Catholic priests have gone to jail for their crimes of child molestation. If Jesus' persecution on the cross saved them from the responsibility of their sins, then why did they go to jail? Why do they have to pay for their sins with jail time if Jesus saved them from their sins?

And why, if Jesus heals everyone that goes to these institutions, are there so many sicknesses among their members? Why do some of their members die from cancer or heart disease and other illnesses like everyone else? Isn't Jesus supposed to heal them as promised by their teachers?

And if Jesus helps win football games, why does every football game have a loser even though both teams prayed to Jesus to help their team win?

Because these are not Jesus' teachings. These are attempts to use Jesus. They are attempts to take advantage of Jesus' ability to heal others, or otherwise, perform miracles - by those who want to profit from Jesus' teachings.

Just consider Jesus' clear teaching on this topic:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matt. 7:21-23)

Jesus follows this clearly by stating:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matt. 7:24)

How are Jesus' words put into practice?

Jesus is separating this idea of using Jesus to heal or perform miracles from following his teachings: "who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice."

He also separates those who aim to use Jesus to save themselves from their sins from those who serve God: "Only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" will be returning to the spiritual realm - "enter the kingdom of heaven."

He is also separating this from doing a quid-pro-quo with God: Doing service in order to get something in return.

This also means that using Jesus' dying on the cross in order to get our sins cleansed is not Jesus' teaching.

The phrase, "will enter the kingdom of heaven" is clearly describing being saved. A person who is saved enters the kingdom of heaven. And thus Jesus is stating that "only" - yes "only" - "the one who does the will of my Father" will be saved.

Doing someone else's will out of volition means serving them. It means doing what pleases them.

Asking to be "saved" by Jesus' "dying" on the cross, or having our diseases healed by proclaiming Jesus or asking Jesus to help us get rich or win football games is quite the opposite of Jesus' teachings: These are wanting Jesus to do what pleases me.

Our will is to be saved. Our will is to be healed. Our will is to win the football game or be the boss or be famous or whatever. If it is my will - it is all about me. What pleases me. These institutions are teaching us to want God and Jesus to do what pleases me. In other words, they don't teach us what Jesus taught - that the goal is to love and serve the Supreme Being. Their teaching is to ask God and Jesus to serve me.

This is the opposite of Jesus' teachings. Jesus wanted his students to learn to serve and please the Supreme Being with their lives. And he wanted them to focus on that service.

This is why he also told them "do not greet anyone on the road."

He wanted each team of two to enter the village and begin preaching. He didn't want them to get sidetracked while on the way. Who knows who they will meet on the road. Even if they were to stop and preach, they would be taking time away from what Jesus wanted them to do: To preach to a crowd of people within the village. There they could properly lay out the precepts of Jesus' teachings, and allow multiple people to learn those teachings at once.

And what was Jesus' most important teaching?

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" (Luke 10:27)

"But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under ..." (Luke 12:50)

"But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!" (Luke 12:50)

Is this translated correctly?

Unfortunately, this translation is dubious given the original Greek.

The Greek word βάπτισμα (baptisma) has been translated to "baptism" - which is interpreted to mean the process of formal initiation that includes being immersed in water.

But the most common meaning of this Greek word βάπτισμα actually means, according to the lexicon, "immersion, submersion - of calamities and afflictions with which one is quite overwhelmed."

Furthermore, the Greek word συνέχω (synechō) is here being translated to "this constraint" but actually means "to hold together" according to the lexicon.

As such, we can have a clearer understanding of Jesus' statement here. A more appropriate translation of his statement would relate to being immersed in a difficult situation, which would be kin to being challenged. Here is the translation of this verse from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"Yet I have a challenge to undergo, and I will press on until it is done." (Luke 12:50)

What is this challenge?

And what is Jesus keeping together?

Jesus is portraying that he has become immersed in a difficult situation and he is focused on keeping things together until he accomplishes his goals.

And what are his goals related to? They are related to doing the will of the Supreme Being:

"As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." (John 9:4)

To do "the works of Him who sent me" means to be serving the Supreme Being. Jesus was God's loving servant, and his mission was defined by the Supreme Being.

And what were the primary "works" of Jesus? He traveled through the countryside teaching. Jesus was teaching others about the Supreme Being. 

He was sent to teach those who are serious about returning to their relationship with God about coming to know and love the Supreme Being.

We know Jesus was sent to teach by the Supreme Being because not only did he endeavor with great difficulty to travel around by foot and teach to people, but he specifically said he was teaching on behalf of the Supreme Being:

“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me." (John 7:16)

Where was Jesus sent from? As Jesus himself admitted, he was sent down to the physical world from the spiritual realm:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

Did Jesus descend from heaven into hell?

Actually, this physical world that we are living in - with its violence, hatred, wars, starvation, disease, and death - is hell. This is a place of suffering, where its citizens are primarily self-centered and prepared to hurt others in order to get what they want. And Jesus has descended into this hell in order to give us God's teachings.

This is the immersion Jesus is speaking of in Luke 12:50. He is not speaking of some kind of ceremonial baptism. In his service to the Supreme Being, Jesus immersed himself into this hellish physical world.

Why? Because the Supreme Being wants us to come home. God wants us to give up our self-centeredness and renew our innate loving service relationship with Him - and come home to Him. He wants us to return to our natural position and our spiritual identity as His loving servant - because this is the only way we will ever become fulfilled.

So the Supreme Being sent his beloved Jesus to save us. Jesus basically descended into hell in order to accomplish this purpose of teaching us and showing us about our true identity as spirit, not the physical body - and teaching us about our relationship with the Supreme Being.

It was a difficult assignment - wrought with danger and accompanied by Jesus' physical body being persecuted and murdered at the hands of those who were envious of his authority and power.

And as we can see from the scriptures, up to the very end of his physical lifetime, Jesus continued to focus upon his mission - allowing us to understand the importance of loving service to the Supreme Being.

Jesus prayed, as he knew he was to be arrested and persecuted in the coming hours - and certainly had the option of escaping into the night and avoiding arrest if he wanted to - that he continue to do what pleases his beloved Supreme Being:

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matt. 26:39)

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower ...'" (Luke 14:28)

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.'" (Luke 14:28)

What does building a tower mean?

Jesus is continuing his discussion about devotion and commitment to his teachings. He had just said (translated appropriately):

"And whoever does not pull up stakes and follow me cannot be my follower." (Luke 14:27)

The analogy of building a tower is critical to becoming a true follower of Jesus because this requires a particular type of foundation. What is that foundation that Jesus is speaking of? It is commitment and dedication.

Only through commitment and dedication will a person have the where-with-all to complete the task of perfecting our spiritual life. Without commitment and dedication, the result will not be there. 

Put in more general terms: Initially if a person does not commit themselves to their search for their identity, and their search for their relationship with God, the result will not be there. Why?

Furthermore, Jesus is confirming that if someone does not commit themselves to following him, then they will not have the desired result of loving and serving God. Why?

What does God want from us?

First of all, the Supreme Being is a person. He is not a void, or an impersonal white light. He is a person - someone we can have a relationship with - if we want. And Jesus is offering to introduce his followers to this Supreme Person.

Ultimately the Supreme Being wants us back, but He doesn't want a sketchy, careless relationship with us. He only wants those who are committed to a relationship with Him.

Just consider how we might feel if we had a boyfriend or girlfriend who wasn't committed to a relationship with us. Or even a spouse. Who would want such a relationship? If the boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse wasn't committed to the relationship then most people would just want to forget about having a serious relationship with that person.

Yes, the term "serious relationship" is the point when we are speaking of our relationship with God. Is our relationship with God a "serious relationship"?

What is our role?

The fact is, the Supreme Being seriously loves us. His commitment is already there. Everything around us - everything we have and where we are - is because the Supreme Being is satisfying our desires to be away from Him. Yes, He loves us so much that He creates the opportunity for us to be away from Him. He allows us the scenario where we cannot see Him or be with Him.

This is why we are in these temporary physical bodies, away from Him. Because we rejected our relationship with Him in the past, so He gave us the ability to ignore Him and even deny His existence. That is the purpose of the material world and these temporary physical bodies, and the reason we can't see Him - because we decided we didn't want to see Him.

The question is, do we want to return to our relationship with Him? If so, we'd better become serious about it.

Just think of the scenario where we had a boyfriend or girlfriend who decided to break up with us in the past and go "play the field" - and "date around." Then one day out of the blue they call us and want to come back together with us. What will we do?

Certainly, we will want to make sure they are serious. We will want to be sure that they aren't still just "playing the field." This means that we become assured that they aren't also dating someone else while they are dating us, right?

Because if we find they are "dating around" - dating someone else while they want to date us - we will not be very inclined to get back together with them. Why? Because we don't want to fool around with a sketchy, careless relationship again - just to find that they run off again.

These relationship scenarios are universal because relationships are universal. Why? Because ultimately, all relationships stem from the original relationships that exist between the Supreme Being and each of us. Each of us is spiritual in composition - not these material bodies. And each of us has a unique spiritual relationship with the Supreme Being. Regardless of whether we accept it or not.

And if we want to return to that relationship with our Best Friend and Soul Mate we had better be serious about it. Because the Supreme Being doesn't want someone who is also "dating around" - meaning we might worship Him a little and then go out and worship materialism the rest of the time.

Surely, worshiping God a little is better than not worshiping Him at all. Certainly, He sees this and will help guide us, assuming we are at least serious when we do worship Him. But if we are just worshiping Him in order to get some better stuff for our worship of materialism - then we are just offending Him.

However, if we are serious about fully embracing Him and returning to our loving service relationship with Him we had better commit ourselves to Him and His representative.

This is what Jesus is asking of his followers because Jesus is God's representative. If someone becomes committed to the teachings of God's representative - meaning they are following those teachings - they are also committing themselves to a relationship with the Supreme Being.

"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king ..." (Luke 14:31-33)

"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." (Luke 14:31-33)

What does Jesus' parable of the king mean?

Jesus is using an analogy of a king and his army here to communicate that in order to truly follow him, his students must be willing to fully commit themselves.

When many read such words, they often think of material things. They figure they will need to give away their money or walk away from their house and family.

But that is not what Jesus is speaking of. Jesus is speaking of giving up our attachment to these things, and the hope that these things will make us happy.

This includes the hope that if we become famous or have many followers we will become happy.

This very issue is one of the problems presented by those who give away their material assets or walk away from their positions and go to a monastery and live like a monk or become a priest. They might have left their money and their homes and family, but many will still maintain a quest to achieve the respect of others for their so-called renunciation. Many believe they will impress people for their supposed dedication.

As a result, many priests and monks end up striving for followers and a high position among the hierarchy of the institution they have joined. They might seek positions of esteem, such as head monk, high priest, cardinal, bishop, pope or whatever position might curry them respect.

Such a quest is simply a minor shift in materialistic aspirations, away from secular society into ecclesiastical society. Their underlying self-centeredness has not changed.

What Jesus is looking for is a change of heart. He is asking those who follow him to give up their hope to achieve self-centered happiness - whether it be via wealth, fame, followers, or whatever this physical world offers. 

Materialism could never make us happy anyway - because we are not these physical bodies.

But what is left then? 

How can a person become happy if we give up everything we have previously hoped will make us happy?

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’" (Luke 10:27)

What is love for God? Besides this being Jesus' most important instruction, to love God means to want to please Him more than we want to please ourselves. It means wanting to serve God more than we want to serve ourselves. "All your heart" means everything. The Supreme Being becomes our heart and soul.

It means giving all of our aspirations and goals to the Supreme Being - and just doing what He wants us to do.

Isn't this about a change of heart?

Changing our hearts from being self-centered to being God-centered.

In such a consciousness it doesn't matter how much money we have or how much fame we have or whatever other assets we might have. In such a consciousness, those material things become tools to please God with. One can utilize money in the service of God. One can utilize a house in the service of God. One can utilize fame in the service of God.

For example, Jesus had 12 close disciples around him who helped him manage his travels and food and where he stayed. It is also evident from the scriptures that Judas kept the money and paid for things when needed - whether it was meals or otherwise. In other words, Jesus was not averse to money. He utilized it in his travels. But he wasn't interested in accumulating it. It was simply a tool used in his service to the Supreme Being.

Material things can be used in the service of God if we already have them. We don't have to give them up. We also don't have to leave our families or homes. But if we want to follow Jesus and please God, we do have to give up our attachment to them. We have to give up the notion that we need them and they will make us happy.

Jesus is speaking of commitment here. Giving up our aspirations for materialistic happiness requires a serious commitment. Why? Because the Supreme Being doesn't want those who are wavering in their relationship with Him.

Just consider: Would you want to have a loving relationship with someone who wasn't sure whether they wanted to be with you or be with someone else? Or they just wanted to 'date around'? Who would want such a relationship? Real loving relationships require commitment. This is what the Supreme Being wants, and this is why Jesus is requesting this of his followers: Because Jesus knows what will please the Supreme Being.

This was communicated directly by Jesus:

"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness ..." (Luke 14:34-35)

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." (Luke 14:34-35)

What is Jesus referring to as saltiness?

Jesus is speaking of devotion to the Supreme Being. He says this just after he says:

"In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." (Luke 14:33)

The process of giving up something for something else is called devotion. Devotion is a natural part of our constitution. By nature, we must be devoted to something. Why?

We can devote our life to becoming famous or winning at some sport or skill. Or we can devote our life to becoming a leading politician. Or we can devote our life to having a big family and a big house. Or we can devote our life to becoming wealthy. Or perhaps towards reaching all of these or a combination of these things.

To achieve any or a combination of these things means giving up other things. A person who wants to have a big family and big house will have to give up the singles life of dating around. The person who wants to be a leading politician must give up those activities that will lose elections. To achieve wealth one must give up spending money frivolously. Accomplishing each of these requires giving up something else.

Do we have to give something up for spiritual success?

Spiritual perfection also requires the same process of giving something up. When Jesus says "everything" he is referring to our attachments to the physical world - our temporary body and that which is connected to our temporary physical body.

Jesus communicated this same instruction elsewhere:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matt. 6:24)

"Money" in this statement is translated from the Greek word μαμωνᾶς (mamōnas), which is more appropriately translated to "mammon" or "materialism."

The reason one cannot serve materialism and God at the same time is that each requires devotion in order to serve them. Materialism comes with many requirements - time, dedication to gaining that object of materialism (especially money), and attachment to it in order to maintain that object of materialism.

Being devoted to materialism renders our existence meaningless - as Jesus states above. This is because materialistic achievements are all temporary.

Doesn't materialism also come with sacrifices?

This isn't as if materialism doesn't also require sacrifice. Outside of our spiritual life, materialistic achievements typically require commitment and sacrifice, of time, money, hard work and so on. It is not as if we are given materialistic success without working for it.

But materialism also takes another toll on us. It produces anxiety. What kinds of anxiety, you ask?

- The anxiety of not having what we desire and the possibility of not getting it.
- The anxiety of losing what we have already achieved or gained.
- The anxiety of having lost what we had previously.

These three anxieties pertain specifically to materialism and this is based upon the fact that we are not these physical bodies. And because we are not these physical bodies, the objects of materialism are fleeting and temporary. They come and go. One might have money one day but then lose it in the future. One might have a big house but one day the bank forecloses on it. One might have a big family but at some point the kids grow older and go their own way, leaving the 'empty nest.'

Then, even what we might retain to the end of our life, we lose it at the time of death. When our body dies, we must leave behind everything in the physical world. Any money, homes, family, careers, reputation - everything - we might still have, will have to leave behind at the time of death.

Are identity and materialism related?

Each of us is a spiritual entity who temporarily occupies a physical body. At the time of death we leave these physical bodies behind and everything they may possess.

But our spiritual person must still - by constitution - embrace something or someone. Our desire to devote ourselves to someone or something remains. This is not a composition of the body. This part of the spirit-person's composition. By constitution the spirit-person is active, and by nature, must be devoted to something or someone.

For this reason, a spirit-person who leaves the physical body while remaining attached to the things and people of the physical world will come to occupy another physical body in the physical world in order to achieve those. This is the design of the Supreme Being, as He lovingly allows the spirit-person to live out our desires with significant freedom of choice.

For this reason, materialistic family members typically rejoin each other in subsequent lifetimes - albeit typically within a different relationship and without knowing how they knew each other in a previous lifetime. This is because families tend to travel together playing different roles in order to provide lessons to each of us in successive lifetimes.

This is because this physical world is a place of learning.

What is consequence learning?

God's design also requires that we must deal with the consequences of our activities - in order to learn. This means the next lifetime will also embrace whatever we did in this lifetime. If we hurt others in this lifetime, we will receive that in our next lifetime. This is why, for example,  children can be born into suffering. This is the result of that spirit-person's actions in a previous lifetime in another body. (This doesn't mean we can't help such a person, however. Mercy is also part of our learning process.)

But for the spirit-person who becomes devoted to the Supreme Being - when that spirit-person leaves the physical body, they won't return to the physical world. Devotion to the Supreme Being allows them to return to our real family in our spiritual home in the spiritual realm.

But in order to achieve this according to Jesus, we must become dedicated. We must dedicate our lives - first to coming to know God, then to establishing a devotional relationship with Him, and then to becoming pleasing to Him.

This doesn't mean we have to give up our job or our career or our family or our possessions. But it does mean giving up the notion that these things will make us happy. We have to give up our attachment to them, because after all, we will lose all of them anyway.

In such a state of dedication - we can devote whatever things we find important to the Supreme Being as well. Anything within our realm of influence can be devoted. Whatever we may temporarily have can be offered in our service to the Supreme Being. And instead of seeking praise for ourselves, we can praise the Supreme Being.

Once we offer to Him the things we find important in this world, those things will belong to God. And instead of our life being an instrument for materialism, our life can become His instrument - giving us the facility to enter His world and come to know and love Him with all our hearts. In this way, we can achieve our innate "saltiness" - our natural position of loving devotion to the Supreme Being.

This is the goal of Jesus' teachings - to come to love God with all of our hearts:

" ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’" (Luke 14:33)

"Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or wife or brothers ..." (Luke 18:29-30)

"Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life." (Luke 18:29-30)

What does Jesus mean by the 'age to come'?

Jesus is speaking to his students and followers. And he is speaking of their particular lives.

Here is the same statement, translated in the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

“Truly I tell you, no one who has left home, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the sanctuary of God – will not fail to receive many times as much – whether in this lifetime or in the eternal lifetime to come." (Luke 18:29-30)

The central difference in the translation lies with the translation of the Greek word αἰών (aiōn) to "lifetime" instead of "age." Certainly, the Greek word can mean "age." But it can also mean "period of time" according to the lexicon. What period of time or age is Jesus speaking of as he speaks to his followers?

He is speaking of their lifetimes. First, the period of time that his followers spend within their physical bodies. The span of time where the spirit-person - the soul - spends trapped within a physical body is referred to as a lifetime.

Let's say for example, that a person commits a crime and gets sentenced to 'life in prison without parole.' The person will live out the rest of their lifetime in prison, right?

But what about the afterlife? Will they be in prison then? No, since the prison is designed to lock up the physical body. The spirit-person within is not the physical body. So once the prisoner's body dies, the spirit-person leaves the body - and thus also leaves the prison.

So what is the "eternal lifetime to come" all about then?

Is Jesus referring to heaven?

The spiritual realm is considered the "eternal lifetime to come" because the spirit-person is eternal. And the spiritual realm is the home of the spirit-person.

The spiritual realm is also the home of the Supreme Being. And because we are intimately related to the Supreme Being - those who return to the spiritual realm are also returning to their particular type of loving relationship with God.

Remember that Jesus is speaking directly with his followers here - his students and disciples. He is not speaking in general to strangers or a big crowd. Jesus is responding directly to Peter's statement:

Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!" (Luke 18:28)

We can also understand from this exchange between Peter and Jesus that family life was not the prime teaching of Jesus. Jesus is speaking of his followers leaving their homes to follow him. He is speaking of their leaving their wives, their brothers, their sisters, their parents - even their children behind and following him.

This was also communicated multiple times by Jesus in different situations. Here are two of them:

He said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family."

Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:59-62)

What about the importance of family?

Many preach the importance of family today. Is this what Jesus taught?

Actually, Jesus was encouraging his potential students to leave their homes and their families and even their occupations to follow him - and then take up their own preaching. Jesus was further suggesting that a person who "looks back" will not be "fit for service in the kingdom of God." What does he mean?

Jesus is speaking of his students starting to follow him and then simply returning home to their families and their occupations - their materialistic lives.

Jesus is asking his followers to commit their lives to follow him and serve God.

While leaving home and family doesn't necessarily apply to us because Jesus is not walking the earth now, this teaching is important because Jesus is speaking of devotion. Becoming devoted to the Supreme Being means commitment.

Was Jesus asking for their commitment?

Commitment is what it takes to return to our relationship with the Supreme Being. Why?

Let's say for example that a boy is dating around - he's dating different girls. But then there is one particular girl who he likes a lot and is more serious about.

What will she tell him? She will tell him that if he is serious about her, then stop dating all the other girls.

Why? Because this is what relationships are about. They are about commitment. When a person becomes serious about a particular relationship with a particular person, commitment is required.

Otherwise, how can there be a serious relationship? It will be a joke of a relationship if there is no commitment.

Jesus is speaking of this sort of commitment because he is trying to guide his students back to their respective relationships with the Supreme Being. And this is the first test of their seriousness - to leave their homes and family and follow Jesus.

Peter is illustrating this sort of commitment in his statement, and Jesus is illustrating this commitment in his own response to Peter. They both communicate that commitment is required, and Jesus points out that there is a reward for such commitment in the form of returning to one's relationship with the Supreme Being - not only in this lifetime but in the lifetime following their leaving the physical body at the time of death.

This means that one can be loving the Supreme Being and exchange a loving service relationship with Him even when we are living in the physical world.

It is all about exchanging a loving relationship with God. This is Jesus' primary teaching:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’" (Luke 10:27)

Consider carefully the words: "all your heart" - "all your soul" - "all your strength" - "all your mind." Are these not the very substance of commitment?

“This is my substance - offered for you – do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

This is from the Lost Gospels of Jesus translation. To compare, here is the translation of this verse from the New International Version:

"This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

Most other translations are similar. One might wonder why the Greek word σῶμα (sōma) was translated in this case to "substance" rather than "body."

What is the context of Jesus' statement?

Here is the context of Jesus' statement - what was going on as he said this:

Then he took some bread and offered it to God. He broke it and gave it to them and said, “This is my substance - offered for you – do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

The Greek word σῶμα (sōma) can certainly mean “body,” but also, according to Thayer's lexicon, “is used of a (large or small) number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body” and “that which casts a shadow as distinguished from the shadow itself.”

The word can also refer to one's spiritual body - or spirit - according to the lexicon.

Obviously, Jesus is not saying that the bread is his physical body.  Jesus is sitting in front of his disciples as he says this, and they can see his body. His body's hands are holding the bread.

How can the bread be Jesus' body?

Could the bread represent his body? How is that? What sense would that make? Is Jesus wanting his disciples to eat his physical body like a bunch of cannibals?

That makes absolutely no sense. In fact, this characterization of Jesus' statement is asserted by those who revel in Jesus' suffering. They like to make everything about Jesus' physical body dying on the cross. They think his suffering on the cross has removed the consequences of their sins - as if Jesus was some sort of sacrificial lamb that people eat after it is offered to God.

This notion is not only grotesque. It is also nonsensical. The same people that promote such a theory also say that Jesus' physical body rose up after it was murdered on the cross.

So which is it? Does Jesus' body become sacrificed and people eat it or does his physical body rise up after the crucifixion?

They can't have it both ways. In reality, both of these proposals are nonsensical. Let's look at each:

Was Jesus a sacrificial lamb?

Jesus was not a sacrificial lamb that cleanses the sins of those who simply accept that Jesus died for their sins. How can we know this? We can know this because every day we see people having to suffer the consequences of their sinful activities, even though they have accepted that Jesus supposedly died for their sins.

For example, we find that people who are members of churches will be put in prison for a crime they commit. They have to pay for their crime (sin) by going to prison. That means that Jesus' crucifixion did not save them from having to pay the consequences of their crime.

Now, if Jesus' crucifixion paid for their sins, why are they continuing to pay for their own sins (crimes) with jail time?  If they had been members of churches that taught this philosophy before they committed their crime, why didn't Jesus' crucifixion save them from their sin? Why did they get arrested in the first place if Jesus already paid for their sins? If this philosophy is true, then policemen should just ask the criminal if they accepted Jesus as dying for their sins, and if they do, then they would release the criminal because Jesus already paid for their sins.

But police don't do this. They arrest the criminals. Because Jesus didn't die to pay for their sins.

This goes for any other consequences that we find in our society. If a person gets angry and punches someone, the other person will likely punch them back. This is the consequence of their being violent - violence returned is a typical consequence of violence extended. We also find that if we are kind to others, others are typically kind back. Again, we are always presented with the consequences of our actions - good or bad.

This is why it has been said, "as you sow, so shall you reap."

Jesus did not teach, "as you sow, so shall I reap."

This is also why Jesus told a man he had just healed:

“See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14)

Thus we understand that Jesus taught the law of consequences. Now if Jesus was going to die for everyone's sins, then he would have told the guy that. He wouldn't have had to tell him to stop sinning or something worse would happen to him.

The bottom line is that Jesus is not the sacrificial lamb for anyone who wants to wipe their sins off on.

Did Jesus' body rise after death?

As to the second assertion, as we've discussed with the previous verse, Jesus' physical body did not rise. His spirit-person 'rose', leaving the physical body at the time of death. This is very clear from Biblical verses:

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. (Matt. 27:50)

With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

From these we can understand that Jesus' spirit-person left his physical body at the time of death. And it was this spirit-person - an angel-like form - that appeared to Jesus' disciples after the death of his physical body. Jesus indeed did rise: He rose out of that physical body at the time of death.

This is why Jesus was not immediately recognized when he appeared to them. Because he didn't appear to them in his physical body. He appeared to them in an angel-like form, that could appear through locked doors, and could suddenly appear walking at their side.

As to why Jesus' physical body was missing from the tomb - the four gospels don't describe this. But we can easily conclude that Jesus' body was moved. Yes, they posted guards, but the guards also slept, and when they awoke, Jesus' body was gone. In fact, the tomb was not Jesus' permanent tomb - it was lent to Jesus by Joseph until they could find a more suitable tomb for his body.

Each spirit-person rises out of the physical body at the time of death. Where the spirit-person goes from there depends on upon their consciousness and previous activities. The spirit-person who becomes devoted to God during their physical lifetime will return to the spiritual realm. Those who do not will take on another physical body and suffer the consequences of their previous lifetime.

Why 'substance' and not 'body'?

So why does the Devotional Translation use the word "substance" instead of "body" in the above verse? Jesus is referring to his very substance – what he is made of – in a metaphorical sense. Jesus has just offered the bread to the Supreme Being. Now he is saying that this bread represents his very substance because he is offering himself to the Supreme Being.

Most miss the fact that Jesus offered the bread to the Supreme Being. Most Bible versions have translated the Greek word εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) to "gave thanks" yet it also means "to consecrate a thing" according to Thayer's lexicon. 

How is something "consecrated? According to the Old Testament, this means to offer it to the Supreme Being.

We find throughout Jesus' teachings that he supported the teachings of the Prophets, such as Moses, Abraham, Samuel, David, and others. Heck, his most important commandment to love God was a quote of Moses from Deuteronomy 6:5:

'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

All of these Prophets made offerings to God. It is documented clearly in the Old Testament.

Jesus is explaining that he had offered the bread, just as he is offering himself to God. One who offers themselves to the Supreme Being is making the total commitment. They are voluntarily surrendering their life to the Supreme Being in love. This is what Jesus was doing.

And this is the meaning of Jesus' allowing the Jewish Chief Priest and his guards to arrest him and put him up on trial, and eventually be subjected to the brutal persecution by the Romans and the Jewish priests.

Jesus could have evaded the arrest. He could have slipped off in the woods that night and stopped preaching. But he didn't. He stood up for his teachings of love for God. He would not back down. He would not run away.

This is essentially an offering to God - but it is Jesus' offering. Jesus made this decision. It was not as though God forced him to be persecuted - as some others have asserted. Rather, out of devotion and love, Jesus suffered the ultimate sacrifice. This is because Jesus loves God and wanted to show everyone just how important his teachings of love for God are.

And yes, the understanding of this act of love and devotion by Jesus certainly has the ability to save each of us. By understanding the extent of Jesus' love and total commitment to the Supreme Being, our hearts become purified. And that purification has the ability to redirect our commitment towards our own loving relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is what can propel each of us to return home to the spiritual realm.

But this is an ongoing choice each of us can make. As we make such a commitment and taste the loving relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being, we can be saved.

“LORD, into Your Hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

Is Jesus dying on the cross when he says this?

Jesus states this as he leaves his physical body as it died on the cross. How do we know this?

Luke 23:46 continues with:

Having said this, he breathed his last.

The Book of Mark states:

Then Jesus cried out loudly, and his spirit passed. (Mark 15:37)

The Book of Matthew states:

After Jesus called out again with a loud voice, his spirit departed. (Matt. 27:50)

The book of John states:

And he bowed his head and released his spirit. (John 19:30)

So we find clear evidence from all four Gospels that the spirit of Jesus left his physical body at the time of death.

So what is the "spirit" of Jesus? It is the person Jesus - the soul - the person - the personality. As did Jesus, each of us is wearing a temporary physical body. When that body dies, the person - the spirit - the soul - leaves the physical body. This is why at the time of death, the physical body becomes lifeless. Because the spirit-person leaves the body at the time of death.

In the verses above, "spirit" is being translated from the Greek word πνεῦμα (pneuma). This word means, according to the lexicon:

"the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated; the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides; the soul; a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting"

These are all describing the self - the spirit-person. For example, "The vital principle by which the body is animated" means that the physical body is only alive due to the presence of the spirit-person, who "animates" the physical body. This is also the soul, according to the above definition.

Thus it is not as if we each have a soul: Each of us is a soul.

How do we know that Jesus' body died?

We know from the Gospels that indeed, Jesus' spirit-person did leave. His physical body became lifeless. This fact that Jesus' physical body was lifeless is confirmed when the soldiers went to break his legs and saw that his body was without life:

But when they came to Jesus’ body and saw it was dead already, they did not break his legs. (John 19:33)

This and other verses confirm that Jesus' physical body was lifeless. Jesus - the spirit-person - had left this physical body.

Jesus repeatedly confirmed that we are not these physical bodies:

And don’t fear those who can kill the body but are unable to kill the soul. (Matt. 10:28)

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41 and Mark 14:38)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. (Matt. 6:25 and Luke 12:22)

"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life." (John 6:63)

"Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:6)

In the above verses, we find clear evidence that Jesus taught that we are not these physical bodies. Rather, we are each a soul, spirit or spirit-person. Whatever you want to call us, each of us is temporarily occupying a gross physical body.

This can be compared to getting into an automobile and driving it away. When a driver sits in the driver's seat and drives the car away, the driver occupies the car. The driver does not become the car. At any time, the driver can stop the car, get out, and walk away.

In the same way, the spirit-person is released from the physical body at the time of death.

This understanding awakens a new paradigm regarding the concept of resurrection.

What is resurrection?

The resurrection that Jesus referred to in his teachings was the moment of death, when the spirit-person would rise up and leave the body. In fact, the very word "resurrection" means "to rise."

As Jesus taught, there were two types of resurrection: The resurrection "of the living" and the resurrection "of the dead." (Matt. 22:31-32)

There are two types of resurrection because, at the time of death, the spirit-person can be carried up to the spiritual realm to return to be with the Supreme Being. This is the resurrection of the living.

Or, should we reject our relationship with the Supreme Being, the spirit-person may leave his body and remain in the physical dimension - by occupying another physical body. This is the resurrection of the dead. It is a metaphorical use of the word "dead" - meaning spiritually dead. Meaning when a person's relationship with God is "dead."

This is precisely why Jesus offered himself ("my spirit") to the Supreme Being at the time of his body's death. He was giving himself to God. He was committing himself to God. He was dedicating his life to the Supreme Being.

This kind of dedication or commitment is the only kind that can last. Many will dedicate their lives to becoming wealthy, or to having a family, or to their occupation or their nation. These types of commitments may impress us, but they are all temporary. Once the spirit-person leaves the physical body they are all left behind. The commitment cannot be sealed because these are all based upon the temporary physical body.

But making one's commitment to loving and pleasing God is a permanent endeavor. The commitment continues after the body is dead and decomposed, because the spirit-person lives on to continue that dedication.

This commitment to God is also the goal of life. To surrender oneself to the Supreme Being is our ultimate purpose in life because we are God's children, and we were created to love Him and serve Him.

Committing ourselves to God with love is by definition, life. This is the mainstay of the teachings of Jesus, and the teachings of all the Prophets.

Why did Jesus choose these particular words?

Jesus was actually quoting a verse from one of David's Psalms. Jesus was giving tribute to David's commitment to God. Here is the verse with those leading up to it:

In You, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Your righteousness. Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for You are my refuge. Into Your Hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God. (Psalms 31:1-5, NIV)

As we can see, Jesus' statement, "Into Your Hands I commit my spirit" is a direct quote from David's Psalms.

This means that Jesus is feeling the rest of what David is saying. He is taking refuge in the Supreme Being. He is taking shelter in God.

This is not out of the blue. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he indicated his loving commitment to the Supreme Being:

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do what pleases Him who sent me and to complete His work." (John 4:34)

"By myself I can do nothing; As I hear, I make choices, and my choices are just because I do not seek to please myself but to please Him who sent me." (John 5:30)

"For I have descended from the spiritual realm not to please myself but to please Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

And he went a little farther and fell facedown and prayed, “O my LORD, if possible, please let this cup be taken from me – yet not what pleases me but what pleases You.” (Matt. 26:39)

So we see from these and other verses that Jesus had committed his life to loving and pleasing his beloved, the Supreme Being.

We find throughout the Gospels that Jesus was exchanging a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This was what his life was about. And he illustrated this with his focused commitment to teaching us about our lost relationship with the Supreme Being.

Even in the face of being persecuted, Jesus continued to teach those around him how to come to know and love the Supreme Being. Even his most important teaching was this very principle:

“ ‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)