“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44)

“Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44)

Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples following a healing that amazed those around him:

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples... (Luke 9:43)

What does Jesus mean by his statement?

Most certainly Jesus is speaking of his upcoming arrest and persecution. But what is the meaning of his statement at that time and place, and why did they need to "listen carefully"?

To fully understand Jesus' statement we must translate the text more accurately.

As discussed at length previously, the translation to "Son of Man" is troublesome. This is a meaningless phrase because every male human is a son of a man.

As mentioned, the Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) - translated to "man" with "Son of Man" as well as "men" in "hands of men" here. Is this the right way to translate these?

Not completely, as ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) can "mankind," "people" or "humanity." Thus while "man" and "men" are not completely wrong - they are out of context with the rest of Jesus' statement.

This is understood only when the Greek word υἱός (huios) from the phrase υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (translated to "son of man") is translated accurately.

According to the lexicon, the word υἱός (huios) can only mean "son" in the context of a physical family: "in a restricted sense, the male offspring - one born by a father and of a mother".

Thus we cannot apply the word "son" to this phrase, as ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) does not mean a single "man," but refers to "mankind," "people" or "humanity." Jesus is not referencing a man here.

What would it mean if he were? This would give absolutely no distinction to Jesus' reference to himself. Every human male is the son of a man. In fact, this translation (to "son of man") is offensive to Jesus because first, Jesus did not say it, and second, because it relegates Jesus to be no different than any other human male.

So what should υἱός (huios) be translated to? According to the lexicon, the word also means, "used to describe one who depends on another or is his follower." Thus the word was commonly used to describe a "subject" or "servant."

Let's illustrate this. The following statements by Jesus also use this same word υἱός (huios).
The word translated from υἱός (huios) is in red:

"But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 8:12)

“How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast." (Matt. 9:15)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are." (Matt. 23:15)

Thus we find many statements using the word υἱός (huios) refer to either a "follower" or "servant" - or "subject." They do not refer to being a physical offspring or "son".

As for Matt. 9:15, Jesus is really describing those who are servants of the bridegroom - in ancient weddings, both the bride and the bridegroom brought servants to facilitate the wedding - the custom has carried through the centuries although they are not officially servants anymore. Yet today they are still called "bridesmaids" and "groomsmen", which reflects their tradition as servants.

The correct translation of υἱός (huios) to "follower," "servant" or "subject" means that the proper translation of the Greek phrase υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου is:

Is Jesus a Servant of the people?

Yes. Jesus is placing himself in the humble (yet acclaimed) position of being the servant of humankind. He came to teach us to love God - which is a service to humanity.

Today we use the phrase "servant of the people" or "civil servant" when we describe government leaders or civil leaders. These descriptions illustrate their focus on helping others.

Jesus' self-description was along these lines, as he often extolled the service of others:

"The greatest among you will be your servant." (Matt. 23:11)

Given this clarity we can now find in Jesus' statement unveils another concept regarding the condition of humankind:

“Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Servant of Humanity is going to be delivered into the hands of humanity.” (Luke 9:44)

Thus we can now distill Jesus' meaning here. He is commenting that while he has come to be of service to people - trying to save us by teaching us about how to rekindle our loving service relationship with God - he will be persecuted by the same people he is trying to save.

Why is he bringing this up at this time?

Jesus is responding to the fact that people were so amazed by his healings. Jesus is noting the fact that while people around him were so impressed, these same people would allow his persecution. As we find later, those who previously were so amazed by Jesus' healings and miracles stood by while the Jewish priests and Romans orchestrated Jesus' torture and murder.

This commentary on people of this world also comes across in another statement by Jesus - where again he referred to these people with the word υἱός (huios) (and again mistranslated):

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter" (Mark 3:28)

Here we see the phrase "sons of men" - translated from the phrase υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων - which is the same Greek phrase as "son of man" except it is plural. But here Jesus is describing those who are offensive to God and God's representatives, confirmed with the text previous as well as "whatever blasphemies they may utter."

Why would Jesus use the same term for these blasphemers as he does for himself? This highlights the fact that υἱός (huios) is being mistranslated to "son" as discussed above. If they were both "sons" of men then there would be no distinction between two obviously distinct references.

If we understand the word υἱός (huios) does not mean "sons" when the context is not a physical family, then we can understand its meaning relates to one who is a "follower" or "servant" or "subject" of someone or something.

In this reference in Mark 3:28 to "sons of men" - υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων - we can thus properly translate this to "followers of men" or "followers of humanity" or "servants of men." They are not following and serving God - they are following those within the physical world - they are focused upon gain within the physical world - driven by self-centeredness and greed.

But Jesus' reference to himself as "son of man" is actually "servant of humanity" in a different context. He is speaking of himself as someone who does service for humanity: Not becoming the subject of humanity - but one who works for the welfare of humanity.

Yes - there is a subtle difference between the two in the semantics - but the difference in meaning is huge.

Consider, for example, if a person is speaking to a crowd of people. It can be said that the person was "speaking to a crowd." It can also be said that a person could be "speaking in a crowd." While both are surrounded by a crowd, one is within the crowd and the other is leading the crowd.

This is similar, as the "followers of humanity" - Jesus is referring to in Mark 3:28 is the same element as he speaks of those to whom he will be handed over - "delivered into the hands of men [humanity].”

What does this have to do with the 'hands of men?

Because Jesus is teaching his students about the nature of humanity.

Jesus is not only commenting on his particular situation. He is commenting about how the "hands of men" can be so brutal to those who are simply trying to help people return to their relationship with God.

Just consider the state of affairs around the world: Mass shootings, chemical gassings, bombings, kidnappings, civil wars, stealings and cons, starvation, torture, wife and child beatings, murders - the list goes on and on. The physical world can be a place of suffering if the "hands of men" make others suffer. This can be our choice - each of us has the ability to choose to be kind to others or cruel to others. We each have that choice.

Jesus is commenting on the fact that while he has come here to try to save people - some of those very people he is trying to save will be organizing his persecution and murder.

Is this God's fault?

Is the suffering at the "hands of men" caused by God? Put another way, did God make Jesus suffer?

And why, if God were kind, is the world not a better place?

The fact is, the suffering of this world is not caused by God. God simply set up this place to give each person the freedom to choose whether to love others or cause the suffering of others. It is our choice.

We are the fallen ones - we cause this world to be a place of suffering.

That is why we are trapped within the confines of the physical world - because we have rebelled against God. We wanted to be God. This is why the citizens of the physical world are mostly fighting for control. We are fighting to control the things around us. We are trying to own and possess things. We are trying to be the boss. We are trying to become famous. We are trying to become wealthy and powerful. Why? Because we want to be in the position of controller - or dominator.

Yet none of us can control or dominate this world. No matter what our temporary physical position is here, we will lose it. We might think we own so much but none of it is ours and it will be taken away from us at some point - if not the time of death.

So God set up this virtual dimension for us to be able to ignore Him and even pretend to be Him. He gave us these temporary physical bodies to occupy and gave us these temporary lifetimes to play out our desires.

But we are here in this hellish physical realm not just to get away from God and play out our self-centered goals: The Supreme Being also set this world up to teach us. This is a rehabilitation center.

And this is why there is so much suffering here, and consequences to every action we take. This is why there are so many natural disasters, such as flooding, earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, sickness, chronic disease, and eventually death.

In fact, we suffer from the time we are born into this world to the time we leave it. At any stage of our lives, we are suffering from some kind of negative situation that stresses our bodies physically or our minds emotionally. We toil our lives away hoping that one day we will retire in comfort, only to find that retirement is plagued with body pains and eventual death - if we even see retirement. And this is among the wealthier societies of the world. Those from less advantaged societies face a fate far worse as they age.

Despite our illusion that it is, this world is not our playground. It is not a place where we "make our mark." It is not a place where we enjoy life and live forever.

Isn't this world a place of learning?

We are in God's rehabilitation center.

Just imagine if a social worker came to a high-security prison where all the prisoners were hardened criminals. And the social worker's goal was to try to get some of the prisoners to change so they could be let out of prison. So he comes to jail and lives within a cell, trying to invoke change in others.

What will likely happen to this social worker? He would likely be beaten up and possibly even murdered in prison.

This is the status of Jesus. He has descended into hell in an attempt to save people. In his service to God, Jesus took on a temporary physical body to walk the earth teaching about God. And indeed, he did save many with his teachings.

We can conclude that Jesus did indeed describe himself - as the Greek indicates - as the servant of humanity, but also - as other verses clarify, as the servant of God - and a special servant of God at that: A loving, compassionate servant of God who came to rescue us from the depths of hell.

But God's loving servant Jesus was also brutally tortured and murdered by the same humankind he came to save, due to the self-centeredness of some - not only Jewish priests and Roman governors but the very people Jesus was trying to rescue.

This is what Jesus is trying to communicate here, and why he said to his disciples:

"Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you:"

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho ..." (Luke 10:30-36)

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" (Luke 10:30-36)

How would a 'neighbor' act?

This is Jesus' response when asked by the "expert in the law" (Luke 10:25) the following question:

"And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29)

This came after Jesus' confirmation of the two most important commandments:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27)

Jesus followed with: "Do this and you will live." (Luke 10:28)

So with this parable, Jesus is illustrating to the "expert in the law" how one who practices "Love your neighbor as yourself" would act.

Actually, the word "neighbor" here is a bit of a misnomer, because we will often consider our neighbor to specifically mean someone who lives next to us or nearby. This communicates the idea that if someone lives in another neighborhood - or even another country - then they should not be treated as our neighbor.

The word "neighbor" is being translated from the Greek word πλησίον (plēsion) which means "any other person" or "thy fellow man" according to Strong's lexicon. In other words, Jesus is referring to everyone, not just someone who might live next door or otherwise close to us.

This is also illustrated by Jesus' parable. Notice that Jesus compares three individuals here: The "priest", the "Levite" and the "Samaritan." Why is Jesus utilizing these three in the parable?

Because most people - at least during those times - would consider a priest and a Levite to be kind to others, since they are considered men of God. A Levite is a member of a Jewish sect that was originally derived from the tribe of Levi - one of the twelve tribes of Israel. And during the time and place Jesus spoke this, a priest was a Jewish priest - ἱερεύς (hiereus).

Are Jews and Samaritans 'neighbors'?

Jesus then utilizes in his parable, Σαμαρίτης (Samaritēs) - a Samaritan - seemingly referring to a person who comes from the city of Samaria. Why? Firstly, because Samaritans at the time were considered by the Jewish priests and people of Jerusalem and surrounding areas as being outcasts.

Actually, both the Jewish and the Samaritan groups thought of each other in this way. Each felt the other was not a credible follower of the Jewish faith. The Samaritans to the south considered themselves followers of Joseph - the follower/son of Jacob - while the Jewish tribes to the north were considered part of the other tribes of Israel. (There were twelve "tribes" - based upon the twelve followers/sons of Jabob (renamed Israel)).

In other words, while the Judeans considered the Samaritans to be second-class citizens, the Samaritans felt they were true followers of the teachings of Jacob (Israel).

So it is appropriate that Jesus utilized in his parable someone who was looked down upon by Jewish society at the time. And because Jesus was speaking to a Jewish "expert in the law" we can see that Jesus' contrasting the actions of the hypothetical priest and the Levite with those of the Samaritan was to illustrate that being part of the Jewish institution doesn't necessarily mean the person will follow the teachings as handed down through the ages from the time of Moses.

After all, the commandment to 'Love your neighbor as yourself' was originally derived from the teachings of Moses - as communicated by the Supreme Being to Moses in Leviticus 19:18.

Thus what we find in Jesus' parable is a story of a person who went out of his way to help his fellow man. Why is this important? Because Jesus wants people to know what loving "your neighbor as yourself" really means when put into practice.

Notice that the Samaritan in Jesus' parable also makes sure that the Innkeeper is reimbursed for his efforts to help the stricken man. Not only is the Samaritan concerned about the stricken man, but he doesn't want to see the Innkeeper put out in any way.

He could have assumed that since the Samaritan went out of his way, the Innkeeper should as well. But he doesn't. The Samaritan doesn't assume anything.

Today we have a law called the "Good Samaritan" law, whereby if a person comes to the aid of someone he cannot later be sued for anything that might have slowed down the process of healing or otherwise resulted in the unanticipated death of the person.

Why does self-centeredness pervade?

This illustrates the self-centeredness pervading within the physical world. That someone would try to become compensated by suing a person who simply came to the aid of a fellow person at a time of need.

Yes, this physical world is a place of self-centeredness. And this is precisely why Jesus is explaining the opposite of self-centeredness: Becoming centered around others' welfare rather than our own.

Just look around. Practically every one of us has our own interests or the interests of our family or country or other organization we belong to at the center of our lives. And if anyone threatens any of these, we work to defend 'our own.'

By the design of the Supreme Being, this effort to defend our self-centered interests produces consequences. These consequences are the basis for all the suffering that occurs within the world.

Many imagine that suffering is caused by others. Some blame suffering on "the devil" while others blame God. Others will see it all as chance.

What we don't understand is that the Supreme Being designed the physical world as a place of rehabilitation. With such a design, every action we take based on self-concerns has consequences.

Let's use an example:

Let's say that a person commits a crime and they are put into prison. The prison system is designed with the hope that during their time in prison they will be rehabilitated. What do the prison system and its officials do to aid that rehabilitation?

They set up rules within the prison, and if those rules are broken, there are consequences to breaking the rules. And of course, if the rules are followed, then the person is rewarded by being able to get out of prison early.

Setting up rules and consequences to breaking those rules is practical for learning. God wants us to learn, and grow. In fact, this sort of "consequence training" has been accepted by child psychologists as the best way to train children as well - rather than using punishment-oriented discipline.

Why is this method so successful? Because it works. It is the best method to help direct a person towards the intended rehabilitation or training.

Would we expect anything but the best method within the design of the Supreme Being? Certainly not.

Is this world chaotic?

God set up the physical world with perfect design.

While we might think of the physical world as a bit messy - with all the violence and suffering that take place - the reality is, the world has been perfectly designed by the Perfect Designer - the Supreme Being - to enable consequences to be carried out that perfectly reflect our actions on an individual and group basis.

So why is there all the suffering in the physical world then? Is God just being mean to us?

No. The suffering in the physical world is simply the consequences for each previous activity taken by each individual. When a person acts selfishly, that action has a consequence. If a person hurts another's body, their body will become hurt later. If a person damages someone's house, that person's house will be hurt later.

But what is later? And how can this explain a child who is born into starvation, only to die during childhood from malnutrition or a disease they were born with?

This specific question was also asked of Jesus:

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2)

This very question indicates that Jesus' disciples had been taught that a person has a previous life prior to their birth into the present body. This is obvious from the question because the man was born blind and the disciples were asking if the man's previous sins caused him to be born blind. If they didn't accept rebirth into another body (transmigration of the living being) then they would not have asked if the man's sins caused his being born blind.

The bottom line is that Jesus did teach transmigration of the living being. While being misinterpreted, this was also the meaning of the phrase, "resurrection of the dead" (Matt. 22:31 - not the same term as "resurrection from the dead" which we will describe below). "Resurrection of the dead" is when the living being is reborn into another physical body after the death of the previous body. The phrase "of the dead" - ἀναστάσεως τῶν νεκρῶν - using the word νεκρός (nekros) which means, metaphorically, "spiritually dead" according to the lexicon.

This is as opposed to the "resurrection of the living" or "resurrection from the dead" which is when the living being ascends to the spiritual realm after the death of the physical body. This Jesus also termed as the "resurrection of the righteous" (Luke 14:14).

The word "resurrection" - ἀνάστασις (anastasis) - means to "raise up" or "rise." But what is "rising"? Is the physical body "rising"? Certainly not.

This has been illustrated by the hundreds of thousands of documented clinical death cases where after a person's body is declared clinically dead, they are resuscitated, and later describe floating up above the physical body and looking down upon the physical body from above. They are truly "rising" up from the physical body since they describe themselves 'looking down' upon their former body.

Yes, clinical studies have proven that these cases are real because what the person describes they saw while hovering above their dead body has been proven to be accurate. Their dead body lies on the table with the eyes closed with no heartbeat and no brain waves. Yet the person can describe everything that took place in the room, including the activities of the doctors and nurses. Why?

Because we are not these physical bodies. We are the living being that occupies the physical body. We are spirit-person who is temporarily operating a physical body much as a car driver will operate an automobile.

And yes, the living being - the spirit-person - occupying the physical body leaves the body - rises up from it - at the time of death. Where do we go after that?

This depends upon the state of our consciousness and our past activities. As described by Jesus, if a person uses their lives to rekindle their loving relationship with the Supreme Being, they will return to the spiritual realm.

But if a person does not, they will take on another physical body - and not necessarily a human physical body.

Once reborn into another physical body, we then experience the consequences of the actions taken within this lifetime. Our next body thus perfectly reflects not only our past activities, but also our consciousness.

There are thousands of species of living organisms on this planet alone. The central characteristic of each of these organisms is that they are conscious. They each seek survival and comfort, and loving relationships in the form of families and mates. We know this intimately as humans, as many adopt animals as pets, and exchange a relationship with that animal. So we cannot deny that animals are not like us. That they do not seek love and loving relationships.

What is Hell?

Consider the concept of "hell" as described in the scriptures. What is this? We know the physical body will decompose following the body's death. So who can go to hell? The living being - the spirit-person - within the body leaves the body and goes to "hell."

In other words, "hell" is being born into a body of suffering. This may be a human body born into starvation or violence or disease otherwise. A person born into a warzone, for example, will experience a hellish existence.

Or it may be an animal form. A form that is characterized by a reduction of intellectual abilities - and a lack of ability to be aware of the Supreme Being.

Yes, some physical incarnations are truly hellish. They produce a lifetime of ignorance and suffering. Just consider the life of a wild animal. Wild animals live in perpetual fear. Practically every animal is prey for another animal. Thus they are constantly in fear of being eaten by a predator. Is this not the same as the metaphorical descriptions of hell? Of being chained up and being beaten - attacked?

Certainly being in a body of an animal is being chained up. The living being is trapped within that body. It is a jail sentence. And animals are constantly being attacked by other animals - most specifically by predators.

Does this not satisfy the various metaphorical descriptions of hell?

How else could we experience hell? Ignorant teachers have described hell as being below the ground as if there were caves down there where dead physical bodies get taken. But we know this is ridiculous because everyone knows our bodies decompose after death, and many drilling expeditions have been done under the ground and no one has drilled into hell.

We also know from the various metaphorical descriptions of hell that we "go to hell" based upon our activities. What is this? It is none other than consequences. This depiction of hell is that it is a place of consequences, just as we are describing here.

And how else could we receive the consequences of our lifetime of activities in this body unless we were able to take on another body?

The bottom line is that we have choices. The Supreme Being has given each of us the choice to return to Him or stay within our self-centered consciousness. He has even created a system that encourages us to gradually improve our consciousness and eventually return to Him. Note this does not force us. But it encourages us to make good decisions. And when we make good decisions, we are rewarded.

The best decision we can make is the one that rewards us with eternal life - the return to our loving relationship with the Supreme Being. This is our ultimate good decision because we need our relationship with God. We need to love and serve the Perfect Person and this is why we each search for a soul mate. We are looking for God wherever we go and whatever body we may be occupying. This is because our spiritual identity - our self - is intimately connected with the Supreme Being. This is why Jesus' most important instruction was:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27)

This also means that the ultimate form of loving our neighbor is to also remind them that they too can be happy by loving and serving the Supreme Being.

" From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded ..." (Luke 12:42-48)

"Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. The servant who knows the master's will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:42-48)

Is this about slavery?

Some may interpret this parable to be referring to himself or the Supreme Being as the master, but this is incorrect.

It must be understood that slavery - which was common in Jesus' day - is not the situation that exists between God and each of us. Rather, slavery as described here - with the master who would reward or beat his servants - is used as a metaphor, because slavery was the status quo during Jesus time. This is why Jesus is using this as an example: So his students could relate to what he is trying to teach them.

The notion that the master who beats his slaves represents God would completely contradict the central tenet of Jesus' teachings:

 ‘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)

How could a person love such a brutal master?

Rather, what Jesus is describing metaphorically in this parable is the time of death of the body, and the consequences that follow.

It is the time of death that will come when the servant - which represents each of us - least expects it. And it is the consequential nature of the physical world - which returns us the consequences of our activities - that is represented by whether the metaphorical master will reward or beat his servants.

Yes, this physical world has been programmed in such a way that our condition reflects our activities and our consciousness. We are born into these temporary physical bodies according to a combination of our consciousness and past activities.

It is sort of like buying a car: We will typically choose a car according to what we like to drive. But the car we end up with depends on how much money we have.

Are we made of matter?

The body is made of matter, but we are not. Each of us is made of spirit. We are the spirit that occupies this temporary physical body.

Once we are in the physical body we begin to identify with it. We think this body is me. Just as a person driving a sports car might begin to identify with the car - thinking of himself as sporty like the car. But the design of this world is that we are given the illusion that this physical body is me.

Once we begin to identify ourselves with this temporary physical body, we assume that by satisfying the physical body with sensual pleasures and possessions - or by promoting the name and reputation of this physical body - we will become happy. The problem is, because we are not these bodies, these things do not make us happy.

Nonetheless, this ability to seek and achieve sensual pleasures, material possessions, wealth and fame are symbolized in Jesus' parable as he says, "he [the master] will put him [the manager-servant] in charge of all his possessions."

As we seek to gain happiness within the physical world and these physical bodies, our goals become focused on success, wealth, fame, recognition, sensual pleasure and family.

A person who chases these self-centered dreams through our physical lifetimes may harm others in order to get what he wants. Whether this comes in the form of preventing others from getting their portion or actually going out of his way to hurt others in order to get what he wants, we find this world full of violence due to people striving for their self-centered goals at any cost.

This is being compared here by Jesus as the servant-manager put in charge of some of the master's possessions getting drunk and eating food he's not supposed to eat, and beating the other servants.

But the master - the time of death and the consequences that follow - will at come back at some point, when least expected by his servants.

What about the master who beats his servants?

The master is described here as returning and then either rewarding the servants who follow his wishes - including giving the manager-servant more responsibilities if he takes care of the others - or beating those servants who take advantage of the possessions, get drunk and beat other servants.

Again, the returning of the master represents the death of the physical body. And the rewarding or beating the servants according to their activities represents the law of consequences within the physical world, which returns to us the results of our activities in this lifetime or the next.

The activities of this lifetime all have consequences, according to the choices we make in life. Will we choose to harm others? Will we choose to ignore the fact that our activities harm others?

The consequences of activities that harm others in our chase for materialism are described as pretty tough: "He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers."

Again, this is not describing the Supreme Being. It is describing the design of the physical world and its consequential facilities.

Does God cut people to pieces?

Some might say that since God created and programmed the physical world then it is ultimately He who is metaphorically cutting people to pieces. It is He who is metaphorically beating the servants. This is simply not true.

This notion is the same as blaming the Supreme Being for the sufferings of this world.

Just think of this rationally: What would a parent do if their teenage child started beating people up and hurting people. Would they let that teenager continue to harm others - say the teenager put a few people in the hospital, to the point where the police arrested the teenager. Should the parent just bail the teenager out of jail and then let him go back to beating people up?

Certainly not. Because the parent doesn't want other people to be harmed, the good parent would probably let the legal system do its job and punish the teenager according to the rules of the legal system - which is designed to help protect others from violent people like the teenager.

But does this mean that the parent is responsible for the punishment of the teenager? Certainly not. The parent still loves the teenager and wants the best for them.

But as the teenager will hopefully learn, the teenager is responsible for his own actions. It is the teenager that decided to beat up some people. So it is the teenager who will have to suffer the consequences.

Now let's say that the teenager is put into prison for two years for his violent activity. As we find in most prisons, the teenager is then met with other prisoners who are also very violent. As a result, the imprisoned teenager will likely be beaten up by his fellow inmates.

Was the beating up of the teenager in prison the parent's fault? Is the parent to be blamed? Certainly not. Once again, the teenager knew that prisons were violent. And the teenager knew he could go to prison if he hurt someone badly. But he did it anyway. So who is to blame? The teenager.

But one might argue that since the Supreme Being set up the consequence system of the physical world then ultimately He is responsible for the consequential pain and suffering of this world - right?

Again, no. It is each of us individually and all of us collectively who cause the sufferings in this world. It is our choices and activities that ultimately produce the pains and suffering of the physical body.

And it is each of us who wanted to leave the Supreme Being. It is each of us who wanted to be free of Him and become free to act out our desires without His interference.

So He merely created a dimension whereby we could do this: Whereby we could act out our self-centered desires freely without His interference.

What if there were no consequences?

What if the Supreme Being created the physical world in such a way that nothing we did had any consequences? A world where we could do what we wanted to while harming others in order to do it - without any consequences?

Would the world be fair, or just?

Who, then, would choose who could act in this way without any consequences, and who would be hurt by that person acting without consequence? Would such a situation be fair to those who are harmed by the person who hurts others in order to achieve their goals without consequence?

How could that be fair? Let's say that one person is given the physical world and all its trappings and they proceed to become king and then whip and imprison anyone who doesn't obey their command. Is this fair to those who are whipped and imprisoned that such a person could do those things without consequence?

Certainly not. In other words, the only way to set up a system that is fair to everyone at the same time is to design the system with consequences that reflect the activities of each person equally. As such, the only fair system would be one that effectively punished the king mentioned above as example - by returning to him the consequences of the suffering he inflicted upon others.

In such a way, each of us receives precisely what we have doled out in the past. This notion was specifically taught by Jesus and his students, paraphrased with "as you sow, so shall you reap."

This is the law of the physical world. It is a simple law, which is fair both to those who may not harm others as it is to those who do harm others.

But the only way this law of the physical world can be truly seen is to understand our identity and the fact that each of us has lived in prior physical bodies, and will live in a successive physical body should we not choose to return home to the spiritual realm at the end of this lifetime.

Is reincarnation real?

Many will jump to a misleading notion of reincarnation after reading this - thinking that our physical body will become another physical body. But the factual event - better described as the transmigration of the spirit - is based upon the fact that each of us is not this physical body. We are each spirit-persons, who are temporarily occupying a physical body.

As such, this physical body will die within a few decades, and each of us will leave this physical body. Where will we go?

Most sects teach that we will either go to heaven or go to hell. There are some that also speculate there is some kind of purgatory state in between.

But one must ask - where is this place called hell? Most describe it as "below."  Is it underground then? Certainly, we have probed the depths of the earth and no one has found such a place under the earth.

What about hell?

Furthermore, most of these doctrines insist we will go to heaven or hell (or purgatory) with our gross physical body. How can that happen when the physical body decomposes after the time of death? Or what happens should our body be cremated? Many today opt for cremation, which means their physical body is turned into a jar of ashes. So what goes to hell or heaven if the body becomes a jar of ashes?

These points all illustrate that it is the spirit-person who leaves the physical body at the time of death and goes to the next destination. It is the spirit-person who ultimately will ascend home to the spiritual world or will descend into hell.

But where again is hell? Hell is - quite simply - another physical body within the physical world of consequences. The only way one can practically and scientifically accept the existence of hell is to accept the transmigration of the spirit-person.

Yes, as hell is described in scripture, hell is always the result of consequential behavior. One doesn't go to hell for doing nothing wrong. This means that hell is made up of future consequences of things done during our current lifetimes.

And that means 'going to hell' literally means suffering consequences of behavior that harms others. Suffering consequences necessitates taking on another physical body. The spirit-person must take on a physical body in order to suffer the consequences of harm done to someone else's physical body previously.

This is precisely why there is suffering in the physical world. The sufferings of this physical world - including war, starvation, violent crime, and other forms of suffering - are all taking place as consequences of our prior activities. These consequences are being represented in Jesus' parable as being either rewarded or beaten.

This would be comparable to the analogy described above - of the teenager being sent to jail where other prisoners are violent. Transmigrating to another physical body and being born into a suffering situation is comparable to a person being sent to prison because of their violent activities, and having to face that same violence among fellow inmates.

Such is the nature of the consequential physical world. The consequences of some of our activities come back to us in this lifetime, and the consequences of others come back in successive lifetimes.

But Jesus also reveals another important feature of the consequential nature of the physical world: It is based upon awareness. A person who is more aware that what he or she is doing will experience the consequence more fully. Jesus describes this in his parable:

"But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows."

The point is whether we are aware of the effects of our activities. Let's say a person is driving a car and runs someone over and kills them. Were they aware they were going to run someone over? If they were not aware, the driver might be given a charge of vehicular manslaughter, with a fairly light sentence.

But say the driver was trying to kill a certain person and followed them and then ran them over with the car and killed them. Would such a person be charged with the lighter crime and sentence? No. The person would be charged with murder in the first degree and sentenced to life or execution.

Why? Because they were aware that their actions would result in the death of the person.

This is also why a person who drives drunk and accidentally runs someone over will be given a more severe sentence than someone who isn't drunk and accidentally runs someone over. Because it is common knowledge that drinking reduces control over driving, the drunk driver is held more responsible: They knew they could hurt someone when they drove drunk.

Isn't this about fairness?

This is the nature of the fairness set up in the design of the physical world's consequential system, as Jesus clarifies. A person who is aware that their actions are hurting another will receive greater consequences for the suffering they produced than a person who is not aware of the suffering they will produce.

As such, the human form of life is known as the lifetime of awareness and thus comes with greater consequence.

This means, as Jesus is warning, our human lifetime is a lifetime of consequence, and this creates a master of sorts - which returns to us the results of our prior activities in the form of a future lifetime. This also means that since we are subjected to this system, we are its servants of sorts.

However, we must also see the situation from a more broad view, as we consider the loving nature of the Supreme Being:

The fact is, we are not these physical bodies. They are vehicles we are temporarily driving around - much as a person drives a car around.

This means the sufferings of the physical world only take place upon the physical body - not our eternal spiritual spirit-person. This would be comparable to a car being scratched or dented. The car is dented or scratched, not the driver.

But the relationship we have with the suffering of our body depends upon how much we identify with it.

For example, one person can get all worked up about their car being scratched, while another person doesn't care. The person who doesn't care doesn't identify with the car, while the person who is panicking about a scratch is identifying themselves with the car.

We might better put this into another comparison: When a person plays a computer game, they will sit down at the computer and first choose an icon or avatar to enter the game with - just as we will enter the physical world and take on a physical body. This icon or avatar then goes through the video game and gets involved in fights or whatever. The icon might even get blown up in one of the fights, even though the person is still sitting in the chair in front of the computer.

While the person playing the computer game might be emotionally affected by his icon getting blown up in the game, the person sitting at the computer is not blown up. The person sitting at the computer can decide to log out of the game and get up and walk away from the computer with no physical damage. They might have learned something from the game, yes. But even though the icon in the game might be smashed, the computer game player is physically unaffected.

In the same way, our spirit-person remains structurally unaffected by the events of the physical world. We can certainly learn from these events and grow spiritually - hopefully.

This is the wonderful nature of the Supreme Being. He gives us a virtual world with which to play out our dreams, and receive the consequences as a result in order to learn important lessons - relating to love and fairness.

But just as we wake up from a dream we get involved in, we can wake up from our identification of the physical body. We can, in other words, choose to "log off."

Should we choose to 'log off' of the physical world and not chase after the temporary dreams of the physical world - and instead work to re-develop our innate loving service relationship with the Supreme Being (Jesus' primary teaching) - we can, after the death of this body, return to the spiritual realm and leave behind the consequential sufferings of the physical world.

Yes, it is our choice. We can choose at any time to make a change. This is the loving, merciful nature of the Supreme Being: Regardless of how selfish and awful we have been, He still wants us back should we want to come back. He still wants us to return to His loving arms, but only if we choose to.

All we have to do is make that choice. Because love requires freedom of choice.

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said ..." (Luke 15:11-32)

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'  'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " (Luke 15:11-32)

What does this parable of the two sons mean?

Jesus is explaining God's mercy for those of us who have become lost. This parable is about God's mercy for those of us who have run away from God. The Supreme Being simply loves us and wants us to come home to Him. He isn't about revenge or grudges. God already forgives us for the things we have done. He just wants us to remember Him and learn to love Him again. That is main thrust of Jesus' story.

Most of us in the physical world are lost in our self-centeredness, is like the younger son. We have squandered God's love for us. We have squandered the wisdom and the intelligence that He gave us. Yet God still loves us with open arms.

Jesus is also explaining why he had no problem mingling with "sinners." This followed the questioning of the institutional Jewish teachers:

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:2)

Now just consider what Jesus is doing by telling this parable - this metaphorical story about the wealthy father and his two sons: He is introducing those around him - even those who opposed him such as the Pharisees and Jewish "teachers of the law" - to the nature and personality of the Supreme Being:

What about the son who left and spent all the money?

Just consider the father whose son took off and spent all his money - losing half of his father's wealth. How did that father react when his son came home? With only love - and joy that he decided to come home. The wealth his son squandered was nothing to the father. The fact that his son took off and offended him was already forgiven.

He simply loved his son. He treasured his son. And he was so pleased when his son returned to him.

This is the Supreme Being. Jesus is trying to teach those people - and all of us - about the nature of God. God is not the vengeful, angry God that ecclesiastical translators of the Old Testament and elsewhere have portrayed: God is forgiving. He is loving. He values us more than what we may have done - even if we offended Him in the past - He still loves us and wants the best for us.

But this is also why there are consequences to our actions. Just think of a parent who did not discipline their child with consequences. Say if the child stole something or did some damage - they didn't make the child pay for it or fix it. The child's having no consequences means the parents don't care for the future of the child. They don't care if the child grows up to be a criminal. They don't love the child.

Does the Supreme Being punish us?

The physical world maintains the law of consequences. This is not punitive. It is for the purpose of teaching us. Besides, the consequences of this world occur for this or the next temporary physical body. We are occupying these physical bodies for a few decades and then we leave them at the time of death.

For example, if a child were to puncture the tire to another child's bike, what would be the appropriate consequence that his parents should employ? Should they spank the child? That would bear no appropriate consequence. The appropriate consequence would be to make the child repair the bike of the other child and take away the child's bike in the meantime. Or even remove the good tire from the child's bike and put it on the other child's bike and let the child fix his own bike.

Note that this type of consequence would not be considered child abuse. Why? Because the bike is separate from the child. Taking away the child's ability to ride his own bike is appropriate because this is what the child did to another child's bike - he took away the other child's ability to ride his bike because he punctured his tire.

This is the same with consequences in the physical world. Our physical body is a temporary vehicle - it is not us. It is like the bike of the child. If we hurt someone else's body - their temporary vehicle - then God's system will provide us with the appropriate consequence - which will occur to our temporary vehicle - our physical body of this lifetime or the next.

This type of consequence discipline is appropriate because it teaches us - assuming we are willing to learn the lesson - to empathize with others. For example, now that the child who punctured another child's bike doesn't have a bike to ride, he can now experience what he caused upon the other child. This allows him to realize, first, that there are others in the world besides him. And second, just how it feels to be without a bike to ride.

In the same way, if a person - a criminal - were to say, cut off another man's legs - then it would be likely that his next body in the next lifetime would be paralyzed from the waist down. That would also be an appropriate consequence. Jesus confirms this law of consequences after he healed a paralyzed man and then told him:

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

Thus, while some teachings of scripture will inform people of the consequences of living a life of sin (sin ultimately means self-centeredness) - the purpose is not for God to condemn us to "eternal" hell. Otherwise Jesus' parable regarding the man with two sons would have no meaning.

Does this mean going to hell?

Those of us who live for ourselves are already in hell. Whether we might temporarily be experiencing positive consequences or negative consequences, it is the same: Living without loving and serving the Supreme Being is hell. And such a hell is "eternal" because as long as we remain self-centered, we remain in hell.

This is the meaning of the part of Jesus' parable that discusses how the son was faced with a famine in the other country and had to work on the pig farm and he wasn't even getting enough to eat. As long as he continued to ignore his father, he was forced to be someone else's servant and suffer mistreatment.

But then he "came to his senses" and realized that even the servants of his father's farm were fed better than this. So he humbly returned to his father, apologetically.

Certainly, the son could have continued to ignore his father. In that case, his hellish situation would have continued indefinitely.

This is an analogy within an analogy: Jesus often did this with his parables. They were deep, but for those who had the intelligence to understand them - they also ultimately revealed the loving nature of the Supreme Being.

This is because Jesus loves the Supreme Being. They share a loving relationship. This is the secret of Jesus' teachings.

"If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets ... " (Luke 16:19-31)

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' " (Luke 16:19-31)

What is Jesus talking about?

Jesus is describing with this story the fact that human life is a life of critical importance: This is the opportunity we have to grow spiritually and return to our home in the spiritual realm.

Or not. Those who waste this precious human form by spending all our time and attention on chasing the temporary forms and names of the material world are not utilizing the opportunity we have in this lifetime to explore, learn and test ourselves.

This is indicated metaphorically as Jesus states:

"'And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'"

What is this 'great chasm'?

The 'great chasm' is the divide between the physical world and the spiritual realm. It is also the divide between ignorance and wisdom. It is also the divide between emptiness and fulfillment. It is also the divide between loneliness and love.

The point of Jesus' story is that when we are not ready to hear about the Supreme Being and our relationship with Him - if we are not ready to accept our position as loving servant - then practically nothing will convince us.

This also explains why - even with scriptures being readily available, and so many opportunities to learn about God - so many of us are unwilling to change our hearts and our lives. We simply are not ready to admit that we are servants.

We are too busy seeing ourselves as masters: As the masters of all we survey. This more specifically means that we want to be the enjoyers. We want to be the recipients of pleasure. We want to have the goodies. We want to have the money. And the big family. And the big house. And the big car. And the fame. And the prestige.

Why do we not want to serve?

We don't want to be a servant: We want others to serve us.

This is our disease. And this is specifically why we are here in this material world, away from God and His loving realm.

But if we look around at all the people who temporarily gain various positions of seniority or mastership - and physical pleasures - we can see that none of these things bring happiness. Those in temporary positions of mastership or enjoyment are never satisfied. They are always seeking more.

We can thus concur logically: Trying to make myself happy doesn't give me any real happiness. It brings no lasting joy: No fulfillment.

This is because this is not our identity. We are not only not the physical body: We are not enjoyers by nature. We are spirit by constitution and servants by nature.

How can we tell we are servants by nature? Because being the masters - the center of our lives - does not bring us happiness.

There are only two options here: Either we are masters or we are servants. There is no middle ground.

When we serve others - when we give to others - we taste happiness. Giving to others and loving others truly gives us pleasure. This is where the saying came from: 'Tis better to give than to receive.'

But just giving to others' physical bodies doesn't give us complete fulfillment. Those temporary physical bodies will not stick around for long - therefore our relationships with other forms of the world are temporary.

But if we become God's servant - well this is another thing altogether. This brings us true happiness. And our relationship with God is eternal.

Was Jesus happy?

We can see by his teachings that Jesus was happy from within. He was in love with God. This is why he said:

"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)

So the chasm that Jesus speaks of relates ultimately to purpose: As long as someone is seeking their own happiness, there is no happiness. But when a person seeks the happiness of the Supreme Being, that brings happiness. This is because we are each servants by nature. This is confirmed by Jesus when he 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." (Matt. 7:21)

We must note also that Jesus accepted a tormented situation - not so different from the rich man who went to Hades in Jesus' story. Jesus allowed himself to become arrested and hung from a cross in the middle of the hot sun in the desert. His body was parched and thirsty - and all he was given was some vinegar on a sponge before he left his body.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)

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

Thus we can understand that Jesus' body was tormented much like the rich man became tormented.

What is the difference?

The difference is that Jesus' accepted his body being tormented as part of his loving service to God. Meanwhile, the rich man's torment of his new body (in Hades) was forced upon him as a result of his choices during his human lifetime.

Thus we find the real chasm between hades and the spiritual realm: Those who are the center of their own lives end up in hades (hell) while those who have the Supreme Being at the center of their lives return to the spiritual realm.

This difference in consciousness is the basis for this chasm. In fact, a person whose life is focused upon oneself would find the spiritual realm to be hellish - because everyone there is focused upon loving God. A person who seeks self-centered happiness would find this repulsive.

Notice that Jesus doesn't state the form of "torment" that the rich man was in. Why? Because Jesus is describing an ongoing state of agony for those of us who decide that we want to be the center of our lives. This makes us do things that create consequences.

This is God's design in the physical realm: When we seek independence of God we must suffer the consequences of our actions.

But those who dedicate their lives to pleasing the Supreme Being no longer create material consequences: Because their goal is to love and serve God - their only consequences are spiritual - they relate to their loving service relationship with God.

Jesus confirms the means of entry into the spiritual realm:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)