"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven..." (Luke 6:23)

"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the Prophets." (Luke 6:23)

Remember that Jesus is speaking to his disciples as he said this ('Looking at his disciples, he said:' - Luke 6:20), and he spoke the verse above after he said:

"Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the son of man." (Luke 6:22)

Jesus' disciples have chosen to sacrifice being appreciated and respected by others for the sake of following their teacher Jesus. Because Jesus was rejected by the mainstream Jewish teachers and their respective followers and organizations, Jesus' disciples were rejected by others. They were, as Jesus states, excluded, insulted, and rejected.

But because they accepted this hardship in order to follow Jesus, Jesus says clearly that "your reward is in heaven." What does this mean?

What is a reward in heaven?

The heavenly reward is unconditional spiritual love.

Jesus is explaining the heavenly reward for loving and serving God - joy. This juxtaposes with the earthly reward of gaining the respect of others on earth.

Receiving acceptance amongst one's peers requires effort. First, they will need to fit in. This means wearing the right clothes, having the right haircut, and doing those things that are accepted by the group of people they want to be accepted by. This also means saying things that are accepted and not doing things that are different from the norm.

We find these sorts of groups all around us today. There are church groups, temple groups, environmentalist groups, community groups, nationalist groups, political groups and many others.

The supposed earthly reward is being accepted: acceptance into a group or society. It takes hard work to fit in. And fitting in means a reward of acceptance.

Fitting in with a group or society is important to us because being accepted by others is confused with being loved. We each need love. We each want to be loved.

The problem is that this so-called "love" is not really love. Those who become accepted by a group don't really receive love. Mutual acceptance is sort of a stalemate with others in the group - that we are all "okay" since everyone is doing the same thing. This is also called insecurity.

Such a mutual acceptance means that while acceptance is sought to satisfy our insecurities, our seeking acceptance is sought by members of the group to satisfy their insecurities. In other words, they need us as much as we need them.

The problem is that physical groups or societies cannot truly satisfy insecurity. That is because insecurity is only satisfied by unconditional spiritual love.

Can we have this reward while we are on earth?

Jesus is teaching that living our life for the Supreme Being gives us a real reward: Unconditional spiritual love. Unlike group acceptance, this is completely satisfying. And we can have this reward while still on earth, or in heaven.

The unconditional spiritual love provided by God also satisfies all of our insecurities. This is why Jesus and Jesus' students could weather through the abuse of those around them.

Spiritual love cannot be found through materialism or from fitting in with a physical group. Even if it is a church or sect or other supposedly religious groups.

The reward for living one's life for the Supreme Being and His representatives is beyond the range of the physical body or a physical group of people.

A person who lives their life for the Supreme Being will still have to contend with aging, disease and the death of their physical body. But those who live for the Supreme Being begin to re-establish our original loving relationship with God. This relationship gives us the unconditional spiritual love we each seek as eternal.

Does Love of God satisfy insecurity?

A loving relationship with the Supreme Being gives us the security that we each inherently need. None of us - despite the teachings of so many that claim we are God - can control our environment or the world around us. We need help from someone who is in control. This is the Supreme Being.

This relationship - regardless of whether it occurs when we are in the physical body or after the death of the body - is spiritual. It is not of the physical world. We may express this relationship in our physical lives, but the relationship itself is spiritual.

This is what Jesus means when he says their reward is in heaven. It is not as if his students all have to wait until their bodies die and they go to heaven. Or that they will need to wait until Jesus' "second coming," as many teachers proclaim. They - and each of us - can partake of a spiritual reward right here and now. Regardless of the church, temple or institution we may belong to.

How can we do that? By partaking in the instructions of God's representative, Jesus. By focusing our lives on the Supreme Being in practical ways. This means sincere and humble prayer, praising God and His Holy Names with song and chant, offering gifts to God, and spending time studying scripture.

All of these methods can be done in the privacy of our own homes, away from the groups, institutions and churches, or within groups - assuming the group shares God being the center of focus.

Regardless, we can reject being accepted by any group and just focus our attention on the Supreme Being, and this will allow us to begin to partake in our original relationship with the Supreme Being - our heavenly reward.

Why did Jesus compare himself and his followers to the Prophets?

Jesus compares himself and students with the Prophets. The second thing that Jesus' statement above communicates is that Jesus compares himself and his followers to the Prophets and their followers. "For that is how their fathers treated the Prophets" clearly indicates that in the same way those institutional Jewish temple teachers and their followers were rejecting Jesus and his followers, the Prophets before Jesus were also being rejected by institutional followers of ancient times.

This gives us a clearer picture of not only how Jesus saw himself, but also what the Prophets of the Old Testament were doing. They were doing the same thing as Jesus was - teaching love for God to their own followers while being rejected by the masses.

Despite the interpretation that the purpose of the Prophets' teachings were to foretell Jesus' coming, Jesus saw himself as following in the footsteps of the Prophets before him. This also means Jesus' teachings also reflected the teachings of the Prophets.

This is consistent with scripture. If we read the Old Testament without institutional interpretation, we can clearly see that each of the Prophets was teaching love for God. Each was teaching us to hold on to and re-develop our relationship with the Supreme Being.

And this is what Jesus was teaching.

We can also see that Jesus had great respect and appreciation for the Prophets before him. Not only did he quote them often, but he renders his admiration for them in this statement above: "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the Prophets." (Luke 6:23)

This means that Jesus' students should be thankful not only because their reward is in heaven: But they are following in the footsteps of those who followed the Prophets before Jesus - those who also were rejected by others in order to follow God's representative. Jesus also did this, as he rejected his local temple and went to the desert to hear from and become baptized by John the Baptist.

This indicates a pattern. The pattern is that the masses may follow the teachings of institutional teachers who may mislead them, while only a few will reject these institutions and find those who truly represent the Supreme Being and the true message of the Prophets and Jesus.

Why is this? Why do so many follow these giant religious institutions who mislead others? Why do so many people follow institutions with histories of child molestation and other violent activities in centuries past?

Because many of us do not want to hear the whole truth. Many of us want to hide from the whole truth. Most of us who have set up camp in the physical world are here because we ran away from God.

Are we running from God?

Most of us who are dwelling in physical bodies within the physical world are here because we are running from God.

The physical world is the place God set up where one can get away from the Supreme Being.

We have come here because most of us do not want to really worship God. We might pretend to belong to a particular institution to be accepted by others, but ultimately, our goal is to be respected by others. We want others to love us. We don't want to give love. We want others to love us.

Ultimately, we want to be the boss. We want to be the star. We want to be the greatest at something - whether it be sports, job, community or another club. We want others to love us and admire us.

And many of those who seek the position of religious teacher - whether it be priest, reverend, guru, pope or bishop - are also seeking the love and admiration of others. They may put up a great front of prayer - and speak a great sermon in church - but they want to be the center of attention. The leader of the pack. The big guy in the room. This is no different than the person who wants to be CEO or a big movie star or rock star.

In other words, those of us drowning in self-centeredness will use whatever niche we find available to gain the respect of others - even if it means using religion. This is why Jesus said:

"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 perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matt. 7:22-23)

Isn't this what priests and preachers do (or try to do) - prophesize in Jesus' name, drive out demons and perform miracles in his name? Yes. Yet Jesus is calling them "evildoers." Why?

Because they are only using Jesus to gain the attention and acceptance of others. They are using Jesus to become the big guy in the room.

Before this statement Jesus clarifies who pleases him:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21)

Doing "the will of my Father" means engaging to please God. This means having a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. Doing someone else's will means doing things that please the other person. A person who works to please another without expecting a return (which is a business relationship) is executing care for that person. This is the meaning of love.

And if we have any doubt that Jesus wanted his students - and all of us - to love the Supreme Being, we can just read Jesus' statement - also quoting the prophet Moses who taught repeatedly of love for God - when Jesus was asked which is the most important commandment:

"'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." (Matthew 22:37-38)

"A farmer went out to sow his seed...." (Luke 8:5-8)

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." (Luke 8:6-8) 

What does the parable of the farmer and seed mean?

We can see this same parable spoken by Jesus in the book of Matthew. The two parables are practically identical, with the exception of the multiple of the crop. In Luke, it says "a hundred times more than was sown." In Matthew, it says "a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Is this significant? No. But it is notable because the multiple referred to in Matthew indicates there is a unique quantity for different situations. In other words, different situations will produce different crop multiples according to the parable.

Jesus described this meaning to his followers in the coming verses:

"Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Luke 8:10-15)

 

Why are 'seeds' so important in Jesus' parable?

Even with this clear explanation, there have been misunderstandings regarding the meaning of this parable. The key symbolism relates to where the seed fell.

Let's look more closely at the four seeds and where they fell, and what each means:

1) Seeds that fell on the path: "Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved."

2) Seeds that fell on rocky ground: "Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away."

3) Seeds that fell among thorns: "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature."

4) Seeds that fell on good soil: "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

In all four scenarios, the issue is what each person did after they heard.

1) "...the ones who hear..."
2) "...the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it..."
3) "...those who hear..."
4) "...who hear the word..."

This means that hearing is the key element that Jesus is relating to.

But hearing what?

He is talking about his students hearing his teachings.

Why are some not getting this?

Yet this concept - that the parable clearly relates to Jesus' teachings - often gets lost. Why? Why wouldn't they want to focus on Jesus' teachings?

The only reasonable explanation relates to those who prefer to push forth their own agenda. Here are some examples of agendas of sectarian teachers that could run contrary to Jesus' teachings:
-To gain followers.
-To have their salaries paid.
-To be respected by others.

How do we know this? Jesus taught us precisely how to understand this:

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matt. 7:16-20)

And what has been the fruit of the various sects for the past 1800 years? Fighting over territory and struggling to maintain followers; imprisoning people; torturing people; taking people's land; massacring natives in foreign lands; choosing their leaders through political appointments; changing and rearranging scripture to suit their political motives; abusing innocent children.

Are these not enough fruits to be able to understand the tree? Are these activities not enough to figure out whether these sects are thornbushes or figs?

Can Jesus' teachings save us?

Jesus is stating with this parable that indeed, his teachings have the ability to save us.

This is evidenced by this statement that explains the results for those "who hear the word."

Here "word" is being translated from the Greek word λόγος (logos) - which refers to a doctrine or teachings.

Certainly, if all we have to do is accept that Jesus died for my sins, then what would the purpose of his teachings be? Why would we need to bother with learning Jesus' teachings if all we have to do is accept that he died for our sins?

If the main thrust of Jesus' life was to "die for my sins" then why would Jesus teach the meaning of this parable with the statement about not being "saved" after "the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts"? And why would he say, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

If this teaching (that all we had to do is accept that Jesus died for my sins) were true, then learning Jesus' teachings would be a waste of time. It would have little purpose, because we would already be saved.

The reality is, Jesus never taught that he would save anyone simply by his physical body being crucified. And he never stated that the death of his physical body would in itself relieve our sins.

In fact, the thrust of Jesus' teachings - and this parable - have nothing to do with Jesus' physical body dying on the cross. And here in this parable, we can see that Jesus is speaking of his teachings. And the fact that his teachings can save us.

What about fanatical followers of Jesus?

Jesus also clarified his view of fanatical followers who claim ownership of Jesus' life and the meaning of his life inconsistent with Jesus' teachings:

"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)

What is Jesus trying to teach with this statement? "Only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." What does this mean? It means only those who worship and serve God will be returning to the spiritual realm.

And what does this teaching mean:

“‘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)

What is "the word" have to do with the "seed"?

These teachings comprise the essence of "the word" that Jesus is referring to with regard to his parable about the farmer and the seed: Loving God and serving God. Jesus is talking about someone who hears these teachings, retains them, and puts them into practice.

Jesus is speaking of knowledge. Hearing and applying Jesus' teachings.

Let's consider Jesus' teachings for a moment - what hearing is, and what knowledge is:

Most theistic people will certainly agree that God is the Source of all knowledge and Truth, but we must consider this more carefully.

If we accept that God is ultimately a person, then we have to view "knowledge" from a different perspective. A Person has personality, a will, desires, objectives, and so on. This would confirm Jesus' statement, "will of my Father." If God has a will, God must be a person.

If God is the Source of knowledge, then knowledge comes from the Supreme Being. God is a Person, and God can create anything He wants at any time.

And because none of us are capable of completely understanding and knowing God - because He has so many different aspects - different moods, pastimes, forms, and so on - which He can change or produce at will - we can only pray that He will show us Himself as He would like us to see Him. This means revealing our own personal relationship with Him.

In other words, knowledge of the Truth is not a set of facts. It is knowing the Person of God. It is being re-introduced to God and coming to know Him personally - within the context of our personal relationship with Him.

When we know God personally, we will know everything. We may not know all the facts, but we don't need to know all the facts. What we will know is the Person behind everything that exists. We will know what pleases Him. We will know why He does what He does. And because God can and does everything, we can know everything simply by exchanging our unique loving relationship with Him.

If we understand that the Truth is not a set of facts that we hunt down, but rather coming to know a person - God - then we can also understand that only God can reveal Himself to us.

This is the same with anyone. We can only come to know a person when they let us in. They have to trust us enough to open up to us.

The Supreme Being is no different.

And He will only open up to us when He trusts that we are ready and that we are not going to abuse what is opened up to us.

Just consider a person you have known at a distance in your job or school comes to you one day and ask you to open up to them more about yourself. Will you do it? Maybe, maybe not. It depends upon whether you can trust the person not to abuse what has been opened up to them.

God is no different. While He has nothing to fear when it comes to revealing Himself, and He knows whether we will abuse what He reveals to us beforehand; the fact is, we have decided in the past we wanted to get away from Him. We wanted to do our own will rather than His will. We became self-centered and became desirous of having what He has - control and enjoyment.

So He created this temporary physical world for us to get away from Him, and pretend to be who we are not for a while. We were given these temporary physical bodies that give us the illusion that we have some sort of control over something, and that we are enjoying these physical bodies and what is given to them. And most importantly, these bodies shield us from Him. They allow us to ignore His existence.

And that's what most of us do within the physical world. We ignore God. Some of us try to pretend we are religious and join a church or something - but essentially our focus is still upon ourselves. We try to avoid God's personal existence because we are focused on our own desires. We don't want God to interfere with our desires.

This freedom is what we wanted, and this is what has been given to us - graciously, by God. Because He loves us, He readily gives us freedom.

But here we are, empty and lonely without Him. We might even be part of a large family - wife, husband, kids - everything. But we are still lonely without our relationship with the Supreme Being.

"The word" - Jesus' teachings - is what can rescue us from our loneliness and emptiness. This is the purpose of Jesus' teachings. To rescue us because we are drowning in this world without our relationship with the Supreme Being.

What is the "time of testing"?

If we want to regain our relationship with Him - which is nondifferent from gaining knowledge or Truth as indicated above - we have to show Him that we really want to return to our loving relationship with Him.

This means commitment. He doesn't want us to pretend we want to know Him so that we can show off to all our buddies or our church members that we now know God and aren't we so great because we know God and we are the big guy now. He wants us to be serious about returning to our relationship with Him.

Very few people might really be serious about coming to know God as He is and wants to sincerely renew their relationship with Him. Others may seek to be accepted as a sect member or want to be a leader of a sect. While these may not be inherently wrong, they also may miss the focus of Jesus' teachings if those teachings are not taken seriously.

Does God reveal Himself to those who don't want to know Him?

When we are serious about coming to know God, God reveals Himself from within.

For this reason, people may read or hear Jesus' words, and not really hear them at all. Or they may misinterpret them or mistranslate them. Their desires (symbolized by "the devil" in Jesus' discussion above) may interrupt their hearing them. Or they may truly hear them but their commitment or seriousness is not there so what they heard fades away.

In other words, we may be in contact with the Truth by reading or hearing Jesus' words, but because we are not serious enough, we don't see God through those teachings.

If a person is serious about coming to know God, God will guide a person to hear from someone who knows Him. And then will also teach them from within.

This is the way God often operates. He uses those who know Him and lovingly serve Him to introduce Him to others. This was Jesus' role. He was God's representative, and God wanted Jesus to introduce those who were serious about knowing Him - to Him.

But during that introduction process, a person may remain serious or not. They may decide their own desires are more important. This is where the "test of time" comes in. Should we feel serious for a while and try to sincerely hear and follow Jesus' teachings, we can be assured we will be tested through time (the "time of testing").

What did Jesus mean by 'persevering'?

Many desires and temptations will enter the picture in the coming years. These include so many physical things: Name and fame. Wealth. Sensual things. All of these things will be put in front of us to test our seriousness.

This is because God only wants us to return to Him if we remain serious about it. He wants us to become committed to our relationship with Him. This is what Jesus meant by "persevering."

And should we become increasingly serious - persevere - as we follow the teachings of God's representative, God will continue to reveal Himself from within.

And "the crop" Jesus spoke about producing? Quite simply, this is helping others to remember and grow closer to God. This is why Jesus sent his own disciples out to pass on his teachings to others.

"Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" (Luke 14:3-5)

Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. Then he asked them, "If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?" (Luke 14:3-5)

Here is the situation:

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. Then he asked them, "If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?" And they had nothing to say. (Luke 14:1-6)

Is this about mercy?

Jesus is speaking of mercy - and love. These are practical matters. Jesus is not speaking concepts that are difficult to understand. The Pharisees were watching Jesus closely and trying to connect him with breaking the rules of the Sabbath because they were envious. They wanted to find fault in him.

So instead of seeing his mercy and love for others, they only saw Jesus through eyes of envy.

This provides a lesson for each of us as we consider through what perspective we are seeing Jesus.

Are we seeing Jesus as he is?

This is an important question because many see Jesus only as someone who died for their sins and someone who healed others.

In other words, they are seeing Jesus only through the perspective of what they get out of Jesus. They are, in other words, wanting only to use Jesus. Either they want to use Jesus to cleanse their sins or they want to use Jesus to get rich or healthy or win football games. Is this the same as following Jesus?

This perspective is not so far away from the perspective of the Pharisees who were looking to trap Jesus so they could have him arrested. Why? Because it was all about them. They wanted to achieve their self-centered goals, and Jesus was a means to do that.

Let's look at this more closely. Let's say that an FBI agent hunts down and catches someone on the 10-most wanted list. They will probably get a commendation or a raise or at least be honored by the other FBI people, right? Because they caught someone who the FBI wanted to catch?

This is the same perspective that each of these Pharisees saw Jesus. If one of them could catch Jesus breaking the Sabbath they would be honored by other members and possibly even the high priest for catching Jesus in the act of breaking the Sabbath. This could help them gain notoriety and followers - and this was why they were envious of Jesus: Because they wanted to have followers just as Jesus had followers.

So each of them were seeing Jesus through the perspective of self-centeredness.

This is not much different than a person who sees Jesus as a means to become cleansed, or wealthy, or become a winner.

This is why Jesus said:

"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)

We can see from this statement that the manner in which Jesus wants his followers to perceive him is:

"one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

What is doing the will of God?

It is serving the Supreme Being. This is the opposite of self-centeredness. This is God-centeredness. Someone who wants to do God's will is not concerned about becoming wealthy, or being a success, or even having their sins cleansed.

What Jesus is speaking about is love: To fall in love with someone means we want to please that person, right? This is what Jesus wants from his followers.

Why? And why is Jesus so concerned about healing others on the Sabbath?

Because when one falls in love the Supreme Being, they not only become happy and fulfilled. They also automatically fall in love with God's family - each of us.

This was Jesus' position: He was God's perfect loving servant. He loved the Supreme Being with all his heart and soul, and he thus loved each of us. When he saw someone suffering, he wanted to help them. Yes, even if it was just their temporary physical body - he cared for them.

But his main concern was to heal each person spiritually. His healings were only to bring attention to his teachings. Healing the body only has a temporary effect. Each body dies regardless of whether it was healed at some point. But at the point of death, we the spirit-person within will move on, and where we go depends upon whether we are healed spiritually or not.

How did Jesus heal people spiritually?

Through his teachings. By guiding us back to our loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This is why Jesus' most important and his second most important instructions were:

" '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. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matt. 22:37-39)

"Why do you call me good? No one is good — except God alone." (Luke 18:19)

Isn't Jesus good?

This is the beginning of Jesus' response to someone who approached him. According to the NIV translation, he asked him:

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18)

Why does Jesus reply with this point? Why does Jesus say that no one is good except God alone?

The reality is, this is a poor translation of the original Greek. The Greek word being translated to "good" is ἀγαθός (agathos). This can certainly mean "good," but also, according to the lexicon, "distinguished" and "honorable."

In other words, Jesus wasn't speaking of being "good." He was speaking of being honored. He didn't want to be honored. He didn't come to honor himself. Jesus came to honor God. Jesus came to serve the Supreme Being and honor the Supreme Being.

Therefore, the correct translation of Jesus' statement including the question, from the Lost Gospels of Jesus, is:

A magistrate asked him, “Honorable Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me honorable? No one is honorable except God alone." (Luke 18:19-20)

We can see from this translation that Jesus is answering logically. His statement doesn't portend that he is not good - as some translations such as this one - put forth. His statement speaks to maintaining the honor or respect of others.

This is at issue because Jesus' message is related to doing the will of God. For example, when Jesus was told that his relatives wanted to speak with him, he said:

"Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." (Mark 3:35)

Doing someone else's will means serving that person. Serving someone voluntarily means to honor that person with doing what pleases them. This is called loving service. And this is the foundation of Jesus' teachings - to love God and serve God.

This also means to honor God above all else. Jesus, therefore, wanted those who were honoring him to honor God.

Is Jesus God?

But some claim that Jesus is God. 

The reality is that this single statement by Jesus reveals much about the identity of Jesus - specifically how Jesus identified himself.

As to the latter question - it is obvious that Jesus is not the Supreme Being - not just from this statement. But from many others, one can easily conclude - if one actually reads the scriptures - that Jesus is not God. Here are a few statements that Jesus made to his students where he clearly differentiated himself from the Supreme Being - God:

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven." (Matt. 10:33)

"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:53)

"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt. 12:50)

“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." (Matt. 7:21)

“My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17)

“Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven." (John 6:32)

“If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me." (John 8:54)

"This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18)

"My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand." (John 10:29)

"Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. (John 10:37)

"Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." (John 12:26)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." (John 15:1)

Indeed, what we find among Jesus' statements is a particular relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being. What kind of relationship? It is a relationship of love. And a relationship of loving service.

We also see this relationship as Jesus prayed to the Supreme Being:

“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)

“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” (Matt. 26:42)

And when Jesus asked his students to pray, he declared the Supreme Being with the word "our":

"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matt. 6:9-13)

Jesus also clarified that the Supreme Being sent him:

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the One who sent me." (Matt. 10:40)

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the One who sent me.” (Mark 9:37)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free" (Luke 4:18)

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16)

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work." (John 4:34)

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)

"For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me." (John 5:36)

"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)

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." (John 6:44)

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

“Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know Him, but I know him because I am from Him and He sent me.” (John 7:28)

“I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the One who sent me." (John 7:33)

"But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me." (John 8:16)

"I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” (John 8:18)

“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” (John 8:26)

"The One who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” (John 8:29)

“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me." (John 8:42)

"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)

"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken." (John 12:49)

"These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:24)

"... but now I am going to Him who sent me." (John 16:5)

“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” (John 20:17)

“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

What do these verses indicate about Jesus?

Being sent by God clarifies that Jesus is in fact, God's representative.

We see this also in Jesus' prayers to the Supreme Being:

"For I gave them the words You gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that You sent me." (John 17:8)

"As You sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. (John 17:18)

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent me." (John 17:25)

In fact, Jesus declares that it is not Jesus who saves people, but it is the Supreme Being - his Father - who can save us:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24)

Jesus also explained that he was returning to be with his Father in the spiritual realm:

“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” (John 20:17)

What about when Jesus said that he and God are one?

"I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

This not only contradicts all of the verses quoted above: This statement is taken out of context and misinterpreted. The word in question is the Greek word εἷς (heis) - which can mean "one" in the context of together, but also, "to be united most closely (in will, spirit). Jesus is not saying that he is God - that he and God are the same person. He is saying they are united - they are one in will. Jesus is saying that because he is doing God's will, there is a unity between him and God.

We can see this when the statement is read in the context of his previous statement. Let's put them together:

"My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:29-30)

We can see clearly from this that Jesus is referencing God as being a distinctly different person: "My Father." Yet Jesus is also explaining why God "has given them to me."

The reason God "has given them to me" is because Jesus was united with God. He shared the same will as God.

Just consider this as we see Jesus state the same expression - also using the Greek word εἷς (heis) with respect to his disciples in his open prayer to God:

"I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name, the Name You gave me, so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:11)

and again later in the prayer:

"I have given them the glory that You gave me, that they may be one as we are one—" (John 17:22)

Is Jesus stating that his followers ("they") are now God too?

If we were to accept that this statement "we are one" means that Jesus is God: This must also mean that Jesus' followers must also be God. Right?

We know this is a ridiculous assumption. Certainly Jesus' followers - his disciples - are not God. And by the same token, Jesus' statement about his oneness with God also means that Jesus is not God as well.

What Jesus is saying is that he is doing God's will - that that provides a oneness between God and himself. Jesus is being sent by God. Jesus is doing God's will. Jesus is representing God. This provides a oneness, just as there is a oneness between an ambassador and the president he represents.

The phrase, "they may be one as we are one" relates to a bond of consciousness. Being of the same mind and heart so to speak.

And while it is acceptable to worship Jesus with great devotion as God's representative - it is offensive to Jesus to worship Jesus as God while ignoring the Supreme Being:

"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)

Yet even with these clear statements, some fanatical teachers just won't quit. They will also use a couple of other mistranslated statements:

"On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:20)

"Father, just as You are in me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent me." (John 17:21)

"I in them and You in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me." (John 17:23)

In these statements, the Greek word ἐν can be translated to either "in" or "by" or "with" among a few others. Now should we replace "in" to "with" in the above statements, they come out quite differently:

"On that day you will realize that I am with my Father, and you are with me, and I am with you." (John 14:20)

"Father, just as You are with me and I am with You. May they also be with us so that the world may believe that You have sent me." (John 17:21)

"I with them and You with me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me." (John 17:23)

Can we have a relationship with God?

We can see with these statements that Jesus is speaking of a relationship with God. These statements indicate that Jesus enjoys a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. He is loving God and he is serving his Beloved. And Jesus is wanting his followers to also have a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. Should they do this, they will also enjoy the same oneness that Jesus enjoys with God.

This also explains why, in Luke 18:19 above, Jesus wanted to refer to the Supreme Being as the only person who was "good" - from the Greek word ἀγαθός (agathos), which can also mean "excellent," "distinguished," as well as "honorable" according to the lexicon. These give us a clearer dimension of Jesus' statement. He sees the Supreme Being as "honorable" and "distinguished" and "excellent." Why?

This is how a person sees the one they love. Jesus loves the Supreme Being, and he enjoys a loving service relationship with God:

"I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me." (John 14:31)

Jesus also wants us to love the Supreme Being. This was his 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)

“Indeed, I am among you as one who serves." (Luke 22:25-30)

“The leaders of the materialists lord it over them and those who have authority over them are called dignitaries. But this is not the path for you. For you, one who is greatest among you must become like the newcomer, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater: One who sits at the table or one who serves? It isn’t the one who sits at the table. Indeed, I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:25-30 Lost Gospels)

Why is this translation being used?

This statement by Jesus is being quoted from the Lost Gospels of Jesus translation. Why is this translation being used? Take a look at how the King James Version translates Jesus' statement:

"The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth."

The New International Version (NIV) doesn't offer much of a difference:

"The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves."

Both of these versions and many others tow the same line regarding Jesus' statements - with the same principles they and their institutions have been pushing. They assume that Jesus is a racist - that he would make such a comment about "Gentiles." 

They use the word "Gentiles" because this word describes people of another race and nationality, notably as separate from the Israelites.

Was Jesus a racist?

Certainly not. He understood that each and every one of us - regardless of what type of body we are wearing, are children of the Supreme Being. He confirmed this when he said (NIV):

“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)

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." (Matt. 10:28)

Even from NIV, these clear teachings and many others confirm that Jesus did not see the person as the body. Each of us is wearing a physical body just as one might wear clothing. Each of us is a soul - the spirit-person within.

To assume that Jesus would denigrate the Gentiles - as a race of non-Jewish people outside of Israel - is to simply not know Jesus nor his teachings.

Rather, the Greek word ἔθνος (ethnos) refers to, according to the lexicon, "a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together - a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus" and its Biblical usage, "not worshipping the true God, pagans." In other words, Jesus is speaking of people who are not focused upon the Supreme Being. They are focused on matter. Jesus is referring to materialists.

In other words, Jesus wasn't concerned about race. He accepted people of any race. He was only concerned about whether they were focused upon God. Those who are focused upon themselves and their material desires were considered otherwise.

Was Jesus referring to 'kings'?

The above understanding also explains Jesus' use of the Greek word βασιλεῖς - which refers to a ruler or leader. Jesus is not speaking of kings of a particular nation or country here - he is speaking of those who lead others astray. Those who pretend to be leaders or spiritual guides but are deceiving people. Those who are simply cheating people.

Like the well-known "self-help gurus" today who are esteemed by so many ("dignitaries") and travel around holding seminars, teaching others that we can be happy in the material world if we just love ourselves. Or they teach we can be happy if we just make a few emotional adjustments. Or that if we can figure out how to win at something - and think of ourselves as "winners" - then we'll be happy.

Sorry - but loving ourselves, or making a few emotional adjustments, or thinking of ourselves as a "winner" won't make us happy.

The only thing that will make us happy is to return to our loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This is Jesus' teaching and the only teaching that will make us happy.

We are seeking our innate relationship with the Supreme Being. He is the Soul Mate we have been searching for.

But those who take positions of leadership and try to guide people by telling them that materialism will make them happy - or to love themselves, or make a few emotional adjustments and they'll be happy - are cheating people. This is who Jesus is referring to when he says, "The leaders of the materialists lord it over them and those who have authority over them are called dignitaries. But this is not the path for you."

Why is Jesus saying this?

Jesus is saying this in response to an argument that broke out among his disciples:

Then an argument arose between them about which one of them should be considered the greatest. (Luke 22:24)

This concept of being "the greatest" is actually the disease that landed us in the material world, away from the Supreme Being. Our desire to be "the greatest" is essentially wanting to be God. It is our reason for falling to the material world from the spiritual realm. This is also made clear in the Book of Genesis.

This is also why Jesus is making this point in response. He states:

"For you, one who is greatest among you must become like the newcomer, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater: One who sits at the table or one who serves? It isn’t the one who sits at the table. Indeed, I am among you as one who serves."

Jesus is seeing himself as a servant, not as some kind of king or leader. This is an essential part of knowing who Jesus is. Those who worship Jesus as God must carefully read this statement by Jesus. It is clear even in those versions translated by those who don't know Jesus. They still quote Jesus as saying that he is the servant.

Who is Jesus serving?

Jesus is God's servant, and because he is serving God by teaching people, he is also serving humanity.

The fact that Jesus is God's servant is made clear by Jesus in so many other statements, such as (all NIV):

"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)

"The One who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” (John 8:29)

"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken." (John 12:49)

“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

It is clear from these and many other statements by Jesus that he considers himself God's servant. Why?

Love. Consider the statement in John 8:29 above. Jesus says, "I always do what pleases Him." What is going on when a person says that?

A person who "always" does what pleases another person is someone who is in love with that person.

Yes, Jesus is in love with God. He loves God with all his heart. So Jesus wants to please God. This is what someone does when they love someone else: They want to please the one they love.

This is the key to coming to know who Jesus is. Jesus is God's perfect loving servant. And Jesus' most important teaching was requesting that each of us also come to love the Supreme Being:

"'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)