Re-Introducing Yeshua
This is not the creedal Jesus of the early Councils, or the dogmatic Christ of the Church, but Yeshua as a living Master of Wisdom who assists us in every age.
Lesson 6: The Journey Inward
We have transitioned to a new paradigmatic figure in our understanding of Yeshua. He is not just a religious figure, but a model for a different kind of human being. He set new patterns into motion that have persisted across centuries of time into our own world now. This is not the creedal Jesus of the early Councils, or the dogmatic Christ of the Church, but Yeshua as a living Master of Wisdom who assists us in every age. For us, he appears as an elder brother, a friend, a guide, a presence, and a master-teacher helping us find and use the same energies of Anointing from the Source (the Abba) that he knew. We are also are touched by the fiery breath of Spirit in in our present, difficult world that was not dissimilar to his own. At the level of the heart and through experiences of direct knowing, we experience the same intimacies and collegiality with the divine Presence that transcends barriers of time, space and diversities of cultures. What unites us to him and to each other is the same eternal Life that flowed from the ultimate Source through his being and now ours.
Presence, empowerment, unity, wisdom
None of us practices this wisdom perfectly. Ours is a journey through fierce landscapes. What confronts us now are challenges we might not otherwise have faced if we had just “stayed home” in our safe religious environments of relative conformity and denominational comfort. We have left these behind and are embarked now upon a journey of Eternal Return leading us through this troubled world and also into realms and dimensions beyond it. In these dangerous times there are no firm assurances except one, his continuing Presence, fulfilling the promise to never leave nor forsake us (John 14:18, Hebrews 13:5).
Together, we drink from the same living water. We are given access to the same anointing by the energy of the sacred Spirit similar to his own. We eat the bread of heaven and drink the wine of life that sustains and nourishes us now as it did him. We are being empowered to endure life’s difficult passages that remake and awaken us out of sleep, and take us from blindness into seeing. Finally, we are offered the opportunity of unity with the Source of All which is the ultimate marriage of the human and the divine experienced in Oneness. Yeshua himself knew this, and he prayed that we might also experience it as we journey together.
The themes that have been introduced in this series invite us forward to explore even more deeply in understanding these teachings. We have just begun this journey. Many others share it with us, often from other faith traditions who are seeking the Perennial Wisdom as we are. We have the opportunity to understand many wisdom streams that are coming to us now in our day. We can also support one another, gathering into sanctuaries of prayer and learning where we can commune with the divine Presence and learn from these sources of living wisdom.
What unites us to Yeshua and to each other is the same eternal Life that flowed from the ultimate Source through his being and now ours.
Our responsibilities
We may be experiencing these times as perilous, and realize that what is lacking is not more information, but a wisdom that can help us find a way forward that is spiritually sustainable. We are not meant to stay cloistered and enclosed unto ourselves, but to venture forth to share this wisdom and these insights with others in the world around us. We have, therefore, three distinct responsibilities: first, to the Earth itself as a living and sacred being to help cherish and protect her and her creatures; second, to assist the human community not only in its distinct localities, but to heal the whole of the human family and bring it to higher consciousness; and third, to the mission of creating a wholly different future that combines heaven and earth in a new unity so different from the divisions we know now. The personal question is, what role do we each personally play in these three? Yeshua opened these doors, we follow him down a path on a journey forward into what will often be new and unknown territory, guided as we go.
Questions for Reflection
Understanding of a paradigm
What is your understanding of a paradigm and how it works? Can you think of other individuals like Gandhi, or Martin Luther King, whose lives helped shape the journey of others as paradigmatic figures? Who has most shaped your own life in this way?
A journey
Rather than being about a belief system, the life of Yeshua maps out a way for us to journey through this world in touch with Spirit and the energies of both heaven and earth as we go. What do you feel that you need most to learn and receive from Yeshua’s life and wisdom today? What would enrich and strengthen you in your own passage through time and space that perhaps you feel is lacking in your understanding at the moment?
Sit with the iconic images below. Let them speak to you as they will. Journal your reflections and insights.
Re-Introducing Yeshua > Lesson 1: Historical Foundations > Lesson 2: His Journey > Lesson 3: The Mysteries > Lesson 4: The Mission > Lesson 5: The Paradigm Shift > Lesson 6: