“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing ..." (Matthew 7:15-20)

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, 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." (Matthew 7:15-20)

Who are the 'false prophets' Jesus is referring to?

This has been interpreted variously over the centuries - ironically, some by the very type of people Jesus is describing here.

Unfortunately, Jesus' statement can directly be applied to many of today's institutions and their teachers that claim to follow Jesus.

Anyone who reads the news will know of the 'bad fruit' of these institutions. We have seen instances of those in authority among these institutions taking advantage of, and even harming their followers as well as non-followers. We have heard of innocent children being sexually assaulted. We have heard of monies being misused and misappropriated. And in previous centuries, we have heard of entire cultures being slaughtered by those who considered peaceful people to be "heathens."

What more in the way of bad fruit do we need to see to recognize these institutions for what they are?

Leaders and teachers within some of these institutions have abused their influence, and have offended Jesus by using his life and teachings to mislead and harm others. 

In short, these are the acts of "ferocious wolves" in "sheep's clothing." They are today's "false prophets," whom Jesus also called, "blind guides." Just consider, for example, a few of the "false prophets" who predicted the end of the world.

What are their 'fruits'?

As Jesus indicates here, these fruits are symptoms of a larger, deeper problem. While we are in no position to judge, we must heed Jesus' instructions as we consider who to follow, and what teachings we should be following. Should we be following the interpretations of those institutions and teachers that exhibit these bad fruits?

Certainly, we should always be ready to forgive someone who has harmed us personally. That is an act we are obligated to do because the Supreme Being forgives each of us for our offensive behavior.

However, it is not our right to forgive someone for an indecent or immoral act upon someone else. In this case, our responsibility is to help protect others from future harm by informing others about the abuse.

In a criminal matter, this means prosecution under the law. Why are some of these institutions trying to protect their priests from criminal prosecution? Are they saying their priests are somehow above the law?

No one but the Supreme Being is above the law.

At the very least, we can help protect our children and other innocent people from such an institution and its teachers: By discontinuing attendance or donations; and being vocal about anything we have seen or experienced.

Do we need to go into an institution built by thieves and liars in order for Him to hear us? Does God not hear us when we worship Him in private?

To this end we can consider this statement by Jesus:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:6-7)

How do these 'false prophets' get into positions of authority?

Those Jesus was referring to as 'false prophets' were typically appointed or elected by the institutional temple system, headed up by the High Priest. Appointing a Rabbi was a political process. This means the Rabbi or Pharisee would be chosen based upon how they appealed to the High Priest and those other temple officials. The

It is surely wonderful to congregate to share praising God. But selecting a teacher should be done with discretion.

To accept a preacher or priest who is chosen by election - by a council or even appointed by a single person - we are accepting that political process as representing God. Are we sure they represent God?

Such councils are politically motivated. Their interest is in their institution. They want to be sure the leader will sustain the institution in their eyes. This may or may not have anything to do with the Supreme Being.

Only the Supreme Being selects His representative. This is an absolute in spiritual life. To consider otherwise is to not accept the Supreme Being's ultimate authority.

This is also illustrated throughout the scriptures. In the Old Testament, we see repeatedly that each prophet - after having accepted a teacher - established a personal relationship with the Supreme Being. They were empowered by the Supreme Being, which was reflected in their teachings.

But their teachings also reflected those before them. They did not make up a new philosophy.

Ultimately, only God chooses who He wants to represent Him. And this will not be a person chosen by a council. Why? Because the Supreme Being doesn't empower those who have accepted the empowerment of others.

If a person accepts the empowerment of others they have - as stated by Jesus above - already received their reward. Their focus is the authority - not in the pleasure of the Supreme Being.

Thus a true representative of God will always avoid the politics relating to authority. They will follow what pleases God rather than what pleases other people. 

This occurred over and over in the life of Jesus, the life of John the Baptist, the life of Moses and others as they were met with institutional resistance.

This is because the Supreme Being wants our personal love and service. He doesn’t want a groupthink situation, because this is not a sincere relationship. We each need to develop our own personal relationship with the Supreme Being - not with a group.

This anti-groupthink was reflected by Jesus as he chastised Peter when he was curious about another disciple's fate:

"...what is that to you? You must follow me.” (John 21:22)

We should carefully examine our prospective teacher before we follow that person. We must truly understand they represent God before we commit to their philosophy.

How do we distinguish between a 'false prophet' and a bonafide spiritual teacher?

As stated, a clear sign of a bonafide teacher is that they did not make up their teachings. They are passing down those teachings handed down by elevated teachers before them.

This means they were a student before they became a teacher.

A person who makes up their own philosophy should not be trusted. Rather, only a person whose teachings are steeped in, and consistent with, the teachings of not only other bonafide teachers but the scriptures, should be accepted as a spiritual teacher.

Sometimes a teacher will form an institution or organization to help further their teachings. This does not mean they made up their teachings. This may be to further the dissemination of those teachings received and passed on.

The handing down of knowledge from teacher to student is a time-honored and sacred practice supported by scripture. The symbolic process of baptism or anointing (as documented in the Old Testament) is founded upon this practice.

The ceremony itself is not important. Such a ceremony - if it occurs - symbolizes the student accepting the teachings of the teacher.

It is for this reason that Jesus conducted baptism, but also commanded all his followers to pass on the teachings he had given them. They were instructed to receive his teachings, practice them, and then pass them on.

We can see this as Jesus instructed his students:

"As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'" (Matthew 10:5)

This is the same thing Jesus was teaching:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."(Matthew 4:17)

And this is also what Jesus' teacher John the Baptist taught:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Matt. 3:1-2)

This is the model for the passing of knowledge that composes a good tree with good fruit. And what is that good fruit? The good fruit is not measured in materialistic quantities. The ultimate good fruit is re-establishing our personal loving relationship with the Supreme Being, and helping others to do the same.

This good fruit is the accomplishment of Jesus' first and foremost commandment:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"" (Matt. 22:37-39)

“Go back and report to John what you hear and see...” (Matthew 11:4-6)

“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:4-6)

What does Jesus mean by 'good news'?

Jesus is referring to teaching the "good news" just as John the Baptist taught:

And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them. (Luke 3:18)

But we should also note that Jesus is practically quoting Isaiah's statement about bringing 'good news to the poor.' Here is Isaiah's statement:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.  (Isaiah 61:1-3)

The core statement about 'good news' by Isaiah includes more of his statement for context. Isaiah is speaking of his being a messenger for God. He is speaking of his teachings providing comfort to those who are empty and saddened by the physical world.

We also find that the "good news" has a root in the more ancient texts:

“My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.” (2 Samuel 18:31)

Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.” (1 Kings 1:42)

Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones. (Proverbs 15:30)

So we find there is a tradition in using this phrase to indicate, even metaphorically, that the messenger of God can deliver information to us that will comfort us and bring us spiritual health.

Not only does Jesus' statement reflect this along with Isaiah's sentiment. He also quotes Isaiah's statement during a sermon in a Temple:

"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, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)

So we find that Jesus is not just stating his role in preaching the "good news" here. He is suggesting that this act of giving people the "good news" is something that comes from a tradition of God's messengers, to give hope to those of us who are lost without that "good news."

But what is the “good news”?

"Good news" is actually a poor translation for the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον (euaggelion) - which directly relates to the teachings of the Prophets - and "the gospel." Jesus, John, Isaiah, Samuel and other Prophets weren't paper boys handing out the news: They were preaching God's message. And what was that message?

" '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 and Deut. 6:5)

Why did John the Baptist's disciples question Jesus?

This statement of Jesus follows a question from John the Baptist's disciples for Jesus:

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:2)

This question from John the Baptist’s disciples reveals a lot about the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist, and the lineage of God's representatives. Remember that Jesus is also one of John the Baptist’s disciples. This we know because John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

The New Testament does not elaborate much on their relationship. But we know there was a close relationship between them, as Jesus went to see him. Then he heard his teachings and became baptized by him. We also know that John the Baptist was a teacher of the "good news," and that many people traveled far distances to hear his teachings.

Consider this description of the birth of John the Baptist from Luke 1:5-18:

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:5-18)

Did John have a teacher?

The scriptures indicate that John the Baptist's father, the priest Zechariah, was John's teacher. This illustrates a lineage of teachings passing from teachers to students, who then become teachers.

We also can see that John was to become empowered by God to deliver people back to God - to save people, in other words.

After John's birth, Zechariah made this prayer:

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
to give His people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace." (Luke 1:67-79)

Was Jesus part of a lineage of priests?

We know that Zechariah and John the Baptist were ardent followers within the lineage of teachers descending from David. In Luke 1:39 we come to understand that Mary knew Elizabeth because Mary went to see Elizabeth in her home and they sat together prior to the birth of Jesus.

Both families were obviously among a society or tribe that strictly worshiped the Supreme Being, as confirmed by the statements above about Elizabeth and Zechariah. Many call this association the Nazarenes, repeatedly in the New Testament Jesus is referred to as "Jesus of Nazareth" which could also be translated to "Jesus the Nazarene."

Others say that Jesus and John were part of the Essenes, who mostly lived in the wilderness, away from the cities.

Regardless of the group, we can see from their activities and teachings that they were strictly following the teachings ("commandments") that had been handed down through generations of prophets, to worship the Supreme Being and devote their lives to the Supreme Being.

This, in fact, is the meaning of "prepare the way for Him." We do not need to wordsmith this as some have done to try to suggest that John's purpose was only to introduce Jesus. John was teaching his followers how to come to love and serve the Supreme Being - to devote one's life to the Supreme Being.

To "prepare" for God means to get our heart and life in order so that we can return to the Supreme Being after the lifetime of this body is over.

How did John become empowered?

We can see this in Luke's description of John's empowerment by the Supreme Being:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all mankind will see God's salvation.' ". (Luke 3:1-6)

What is this "word of God" that came to John in the desert? This is certainly the Supreme Being's empowerment to become God's representative. We can see from his statements that the intention was to save people: "God's salvation" means re-establishing our relationship with the Supreme Being.

The interpretation of "prepare the way for the Lord" has been grossly mistranslated by some who miss the entire wisdom contained in John's and Jesus' teachings. To "prepare the way for the Lord" means to redirect our lives towards developing our relationship with the Supreme Being. To "make straight paths for Him" means to focus on God and begin to act in ways that are pleasing to the Supreme Being - by following His commandments.

In direct statements by John the Baptist, we can also see that John's focus was to save people by teaching them about re-developing their relationship with the Supreme Being:

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But One more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them. (Luke 3:15-18)

John is obviously referring to the Supreme Being here, as he describes His "barn" - the spiritual realm.

The ancient historian Josephus characterized John's life in his own historical writings:

[18.116] Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God as a just punishment of what Herod had done against John, who was called the Baptist.

[18.117] For Herod had killed this good man, who had commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, righteousness towards one another and piety towards God. For only thus, in John's opinion, would the baptism he administered be acceptable to God, namely, if they used it to obtain not pardon for some sins but rather the cleansing of their bodies, inasmuch as it was taken for granted that their souls had already been purified by justice.

[18.118] Now many people came in crowds to him, for they were greatly moved by his words. Herod, who feared that the great influence John had over the masses might put them into his power and enable him to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best to put him to death. In this way, he might prevent any mischief John might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late.

[18.119] Accordingly John was sent as a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Machaerus, the castle I already mentioned, and was put to death. Now the Jews thought that the destruction of his army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure with him.

What is baptism?

The word "baptize" comes from the Greek word βαπτίζω (baptizō), which means to "immerse" or "submerge" and "to overwhelm" according to the lexicon. This is a word that can be used literally, as in immersing in water (or even pickles, as the Greek word has been used to describe) - or may describe an immersion with the Supreme Being - surrendering oneself to the Supreme Being: Taking shelter of God.

The interpretation that John is referring to Jesus in Luke 3:15-18 - "One more powerful than I" is questionable. It is the Supreme Being who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is the Supreme Being moving within the physical world. In other words, God's baptism - or immersion - with the Holy Spirit and with fire - refers to taking shelter of God and establishing our unique loving relationship with Him. This type of "baptism" is given only by the Supreme Being.

Also, we know from the timing of John's statement, Jesus had already been baptized by John. Therefore, if John was referring to Jesus, he would have said that he had already come, because he had already been born by then and even had been baptized.

Thus John could not be referring to Jesus in Luke 3:15-18.

The Holy Spirit is not some kind of an object or trophy that can be handed to someone. The Holy Spirit is the communication mechanism of the Supreme Being, who is a Person. God is an Individual, with Whom we can have a relationship. Why would Jesus say that the first and foremost commandment is to love God if there is no prospect of a relationship between two individuals: ourselves and God? One cannot love a vague wisp of wind. There has to be a relationship for love to exist. This means that God must be an Individual.

Furthermore, God, the Supreme Person, cannot just be given away in a baptism by someone, like one might hand a person a trophy after winning a race. God must come out of His own volition. This means that the Supreme Being makes a decision to extend Himself to us. And what makes Him make this decision? Love. He is attracted by our love. If we come to love Him, He will open up to us, and His true 'baptism' will take place as He embraces us and brings us back to Him.

Many institutional teachers, beginning with the mistranslations and misinterpretations begun in Rome in the fourth century - when Emperor Constantine ordered Bishop Eusebius to put together and translate a collection of texts that fit with the politically-oriented positions of the Roman Empire - in the decade following Rome's legalization of Christianity.

Prior to its legalization in 313 AD, Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire. Anyone practicing it was subject to arrest and persecution by the Roman government. Now, suddenly, Christianity was the darling of the Roman Empire. And the Latin Bible - which fathered other Bibles - was put together for the eventual approval of Emperor Constantine.

This Bible was thus carefully manipulated to fit the agenda of the Roman Empire and Emperors - to define Jesus as God (via the Nicene Creed's Trinity's "God the Son") and minimize the Supreme Being that Jesus and John (and all the Prophets) were trying to teach us about.

Who was John referring to as the 'One greater'?

John was referring to the Supreme Being. He was telling the people that once they re-establish their relationship with the Supreme Being, they will have the ultimate salvation.

Consider for a moment those who might not have had the opportunity to hear from Jesus. Would John simply be preaching in order to tell people to go worship Jesus?

Just as every other prophet before John, including his father, and all the way up the lineage of teachers including David, Moses, Abraham, Jacob and many others, John was teaching his followers to re-establish our own relationship with the Supreme Being. They were not playing word games about the coming of some future savior of all humanity. The coming "Messiah" that they have been awaiting is the Supreme Being Himself.

All they have to do is hear the teachings of the prophets that have already appeared (come), and follow in their footsteps, to establish their own personal relationship with the Supreme Being. Awaiting a future "Messiah" is futile if those messengers of God who already appeared gave us the final solution to love and cherish the Supreme Being.

It is certainly ironic that the politically-oriented Pharisees of the institutional temple, whom Jesus was so critical of, were also proposing the future "messiah" concept, theoretically drawn from the sayings of the Prophets.

Consider the consequences of the only savior of the entire world coming at a future time, long after our lifetimes are over. How does that provide hope or resolution?

This is saying that God is impotent. Almost any man can have multiple sons and multiple messengers. But the Supreme Being can only have one? 

This means that, for most people, no one, not even Abraham, Jacob, David, Moses, Solomon and so many other Prophets who had an intimate relationship with the Supreme Being (all of whom "walked with God"), has been saved. It means that all their teachings - all their words - were in vain.

This would mean that all those billions of people who worshiped the Supreme Being before Jesus came were not saved. All of these billions of people, regardless of their faith and their spiritual progression, all have to wait for the savior to come? Where will they wait?

Do we have to wait in purgatory?

Some claim that no one can return to heaven (the spiritual realm) until Jesus comes again. They claim that everyone will have to wait somewhere after they die, until either the savior comes, or the savior comes again. Wasn't it enough that the messiah came the first time? (This proposition implies that Jesus' first coming wasn't enough. He will have to come again for people to really be saved.)

Where is this purgatory location? And how would we wait? In our bodies? What happens when our bodies decompose?

Yes, some also believe in Peter Pan and Santa Claus. Really - they really believe in them. It doesn't mean they exist though.

There are three types of "comings" described among the books of the New Testament - translated to "coming" from the word ἔρχομαι (erchomai) - which actually means "to appear" or "to make one's appearance."

This expression is used metaphorically to describe different spiritual scenarios.

One occurs when the physical body dies. At this point, our spirit-persons leave our bodies and appear in the spirit world and embrace our spiritual connections with God and His angels. At this point, we are judged for our lives. This is when the spiritual self comes out of the physical body and arrives in the spirit world.

The second type of "coming" is the appearance of the Supreme Being in our hearts. This takes place when each of us individually surrenders our lives to the Supreme Being. Upon this surrender, the Supreme Being "comes" into - appears in - our lives, and our lives become driven by this renewed relationship with the Supreme Being. In other words, when we surrender our lives to the Supreme Being, God comes into our lives.

Another type of "coming" relates to the Supreme Being empowering one of His loving servants to become His representative. Here the reference is derived from the notion of the Supreme Being sending someone to teach us His message. When the Supreme Being sends someone to teach, we are at the receiving end. Therefore we can refer to this empowered representative of God as "coming" (appearing) from the Supreme Being.

There are many disagreements between different sects about whether Jesus was the only "messiah" (the "coming") they have wordsmithed from the teachings of the prophets. These two sects are reading from the same books of the Old Testament, yet those who claim to follow Jesus say that this "coming" of the Messiah already took place (yet curiously, he still must come again) while Talmud priests teach that the Messiah hasn't come yet.

Both of these positions would mean that every prophet and teacher, from Jesus to John the Baptist, to Zechariah to Moses, to Abraham, to Noah, to David, Solomon and many others who tried to teach us and show us by example that our happiness lies in loving and serving the Supreme Being, has all been in vain.

Each of these teachers has been a messiah in the truest sense of the word. They have delivered to their time and society God's teachings - by their words and their lives, to encourage us to turn to the only real Messiah: God Himself.

What does 'Christ' mean?

The Greek word Χριστός (Christos) - used only four times in the four Gospels - also means "messiah." But it also means "savior" according to Thayer's lexicon. 

Ultimately, the Supreme Being is our Ultimate Savior. But those who represent the Supreme Being are also saviors, in that they can deliver God's invitation to us to return to Him.

John the Baptist was also a savior. And so was Moses. And so was David. And so was Abraham. Those messengers of God had developed a loving relationship with the Supreme Being and were empowered ("sent") by the Supreme Being.

With this in mind, we can better understand the question John's disciples asked Jesus and Jesus' answer.

The fact that John sent his disciples to ask Jesus the above question indicates that there was an expectation and hope by John that one (or more) of John’s followers would become an empowered representative of the Supreme Being.

This journey and question by John's disciples indicate that John was not sure if Jesus was empowered. He may have heard some things. This is why John asked his followers to visit with Jesus and ask this question. He did not want to go on rumor alone.

This also confirms that John was not preaching about Jesus in his teachings. It confirms that John was referring to the Supreme Being when he said:

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:11-12)

Besides, there is no evidence that Jesus would have a "winnowing fork" and a "threshing floor" where he would be "gathering his wheat." These are all metaphors used to describe how God separates those who worship Him from those who do not.

Periodically the Supreme Being sends us (or empowers) His messengers to teach on His behalf. Such an empowered person is typically also a follower within a lineage of teachers, illustrating the relationship between the Supreme Being and those with whom He has a relationship.

This forms a lineage of loving teachers throughout time. Each teacher has handed the Truth to followers, some of whom decide to take the teachings to heart and humbly submit themselves to the Supreme Being. 

Such submission may prompt the Supreme Being to empower those persons to teach on His behalf.

So the question being asked by John’s disciples is whether Jesus (as Jesus also was one of John's disciples) had become an empowered messenger of God, as John had been.

Jesus answers the question of John’s disciples by describing his trying to heal people and teach people “the good news” (as did John, remember the above?). He indicates the "dead are raised," and so on. This has a double meaning to some degree, as Jesus indicates that he is enlightening people by teaching the Truth. With respect to the "dead are raised," consider this statement of Jesus:

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matt. 8:22)

Then Jesus humbly states to John's disciples, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Why?

Jesus is saying here to his fellow disciples of John that he hopes his teachings will help people. This might be akin to the modern-day saying, “we’ll be lucky if I don’t mess things up.” This indicates that Jesus thought of himself not as the savior of the world, or as if he was God. But he thought of himself as a humble teacher, trying simply to do God’s will.

One final note about John. One might wonder why he was in jail. John was in jail because of his devotion and commitment to teaching this message. He too was telling people to love and serve God, and that we will never be happy without our relationship with the Supreme Being. 

For this reason, John was jailed and eventually beheaded. In other words, like Jesus, John sacrificed his physical life to bring us those teachings. He gave his life for God and for others, illustrating a tradition of service and sacrifice to the Supreme Being that was also illustrated in Jesus’ life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened ...” (Matthew 11:28-30)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

How will Jesus 'give you rest'?

Jesus is speaking to his followers and potential followers. "I will give you rest" means he is offering his followers refuge from the storm of material existence.

God's representative offers shelter for those of us who have grown weary of battling the complications of the material world. The Supreme Being is our ultimate refuge and God's representative provides that on behalf of the Supreme Being.

Now what is this shelter? As Jesus clarifies here, the refuge comes in the form of his teachings. Jesus clearly says “take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” This clearly communicates that the "yoke" or shelter Jesus is offering lies within his teachings.

Which teachings provide refuge?

All of his teachings provide refuge, but there is one that Jesus emphasized:

 "'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)

Jesus' teachings are to love and serve God. To do God’s will. To praise the Supreme Being and think about God. To give our lives to the Supreme Being. This 'first and greatest' teaching of Jesus provides the “yoke” that Jesus wants his students and disciples to come within.

It is because within love for the Supreme Being comes a relationship: A relationship with God. This relationship provides us with shelter. This relationship provides protection.

Notice also that Jesus describes himself as being gentle and humble in heart. While Jesus at times was critical of those who are offending the Supreme Being and His messengers, it is clear from this statement that Jesus sees himself as primarily a humble loving servant of God.

Was Jesus a servant of God?

Some might say that being God's servant is not enough for Jesus. They would like to promote him to a higher level. But Jesus says being a servant is the highest level:

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

As a surrendered loving servant of God, Jesus carries with him the Supreme Being’s compassion and the Supreme Being>’s love for each of us. Thus Jesus has become the Supreme Being>’s vessel of love and mercy. For this reason, this "yoke" that Jesus is offering is also full of God's love, kindness, and compassion.

Many do not appreciate this loving personal relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being, and thus they do not have this "yoke" or shelter given by Jesus. Why not? Because they have not carefully studied Jesus' teachings.

Instead of seeing Jesus' life as one of loving service to God, they have translated Jesus' life and sacrifices through a self-centered lens. They believe that Jesus' sacrifice was all about themselves. It was all about saving me.

Such a consciousness is the polar opposite of Jesus' teachings - and the refuge being offered by Jesus within those teachings: Selfless love for the Supreme Being. Caring about the Supreme Being and others more than we care for ourselves. 

This why the greatest teaching of love of God says, with all your heart.

“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven ...” (Matthew 13:11-13)

The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" He replied, "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. (Matthew 13:10-13)

What is the 'knowledge of the secrets'?

Jesus is explaining why his students and disciples were able to hear and understand the teachings of Jesus but others were not.

Jesus also explains the reason why he used so many parables.

We can see this effect today. We see many institutions may claim to teach people about Jesus, but because they seek to gain the power, respect, and admiration of others, they are unable to reveal the secrets of Jesus' teachings.

Some of these institutions were founded by those who sought many followers. So they set up an organization and appointed themselves the founder. Other teachers later followed as they also sought the income, prestige, and authority such a professional teaching position might bring.

Some of these institutions originally used government authority to force people to join the institution. But as these institutions sprung up over the centuries, they found enough followers to establish their independence. To this day, some of these institutions are threatening people with eternal damnation if they do not join their institutions.

Many of these institutions also oversaw the interpretation and translation of scripture and entrench the threatening stance. As if God needs to threaten us in order for us to come to love Him.

As a result, such institutions do not teach "the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven." Those institutions' teachers and leaders do not know this knowledge and thus their followers are not taught this knowledge.

Why are they secrets?

The secrets are "secrets" not because they are not being offered to everyone, but because many people are not serious enough to hear the message and take it into their hearts.

They do not want this knowledge. They want to impress their friends and family. They want to use religion to keep up appearances - not to discover who they are and why they are here.

In other words, they want to present the facade of being religious, without being serious enough to inquire about those teachings. Jesus described this:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. (Matthew 6:5)

Who is Jesus quoting?

This is quoted from Isaiah: The latter part of Jesus’ statement - "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand" - is drawn from the book of Isaiah:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
He said, “Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Then I said, For how long, O Lord? And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.” (Isaiah 6:8-12)

One might ask why God is telling His servant Isaiah to make the hearts of people in that society calloused. Why?

This explains that ultimately it is the Supreme Being who allows those who do not hear His message to not hear it: "Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes."

The Supreme Being is simply allowing those who want to be away from Him to remain away from Him. He doesn't want to force Himself upon us.

Why do we have these freedoms?

This is love. Love requires freedom. No one can be forced to love someone. As such, the Supreme Being allows those of us who do not love Him to remain away from Him.

If He didn't, then we couldn't ignore Him very well, could we? Because the Supreme Being is God, it is pretty hard to get away from Him. So how does He hide from us?

He has put us within this physical world and given us these physical bodies, which we falsely identify with. These physical bodies allow us to take on false identities in order to pretend that we are someone else for a while.

This is the illusory energy of the physical world. When we falsely identify with these physical bodies we can think that we are the greatest. We can remain within our self-centeredness and chase the forms and things of the physical world without having to face Him.

While the Supreme Being wants us back, He wants us to decide this for ourselves. Those who make a determined decision to come to know Him and return to Him are given an opportunity to hear from God's representative and be guided back to Him. Those who decide we want to continue evading the Supreme Being and attempt to enjoy ourselves - we are left alone.

And alone is right. This is a lonely venture. Those who are left alone in the physical world - misidentifying ourselves with these physical bodies - are perpetually lonely. We might be surrounded by a big family and lots of friends or adoring fans, but we will still be lonely if we do not have our Best Friend and Soul Mate - the Supreme Being.

This is because the Supreme Being created us for the purpose of loving and serving Him. This is our real identity. But because love requires freedom, He allows us the freedom to choose Him or not. Those who decide they don't want to assume their real identity as one of God's loving servants and friends become overwhelmed by self-centeredness. This results in our fall to the physical world.

However, for those who are driven to understand the true meaning of Jesus words: For those who do not care what others think, and have a sincere and humble desire to come to know the Supreme Being as He is, the Supreme Being gives them the understanding to be able to hear the teachings His representative.

“'You will be ever hearing but never understanding ...’” (Matthew 13:14-15)

“In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them’” (Matthew 13:14-15)

What is the 'prophesy of Isaiah'?

Jesus is referring to many among the crowds he is speaking to as he references the words spoken to Isaiah by God regarding the people of Judah in the Book of Isaiah. Here is the verse (bold) with the text surrounding it:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

He said, "Go and tell this people:
" 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'

Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed."

Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?"
And he answered:
"Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,

until the LORD has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken."
(Isaiah 6:8-12)

What is a 'calloused heart'?

"Calloused" indicates someone whose heart has become hardened. In such a state, there is a lack of empathy towards others. There is a lack of mercy towards others. There is a lack of understanding, and there is typically a pride in oneself and one's own abilities.

In this state, there is little or no ability to hear God's teachings, nor participate within a loving service relationship with the Supreme Being.

Jesus paraphrases Isaiah's text with, "Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them."

So why did the Supreme Being want Isaiah to harden the hearts of the people? Because in such a state, we cannot perceive the Supreme Being. In this state, we are unable to enter into our innate relationship with the Supreme Being.

This occurs should we want to avoid God. It occurs when we want to enjoy life independently. When we don't want to serve someone else but want to be served. This is why God says above, "until the LORD has sent everyone far away." Should we want to get away from God, He helps make that happen.

In such a state, we don't want to perceive the Supreme Being. So God simply accommodates that desire by hardening our hearts so we won't hear the teachings of His messengers.

This is the substance of Jesus' statement as well. He is stating that many of those who came to his sermons did not hear Jesus' teachings. Their hearts were covered. They were calloused.

Why do people become calloused?

The reason is self-centeredness. When a person's mission is to satisfy themselves, they see everything around them as tools to utilize for self-centered enjoyment. With such a myopic (narrow focus) view, there is no ability to hear God's teachings from the outside or from within.

Consider, for example, children sitting in class. The teacher is talking, but some of the children aren't listening because they are focused on what they will be doing after class is over. They are thinking about their baseball game or their new toy. While they are thinking about all this, will they hear what the teacher is saying? Certainly not. They might be sitting right there and seemingly listening, but their mind and consciousness are somewhere else.

This is similar to what Jesus is referring to. Many of those who came to hear Jesus speak were more interested in having some of their bodies' ailments healed. Or they were interested in the spectacle so they could talk about it later. They weren't interested in what Jesus was trying to teach them.

What does Jesus mean by 'be healed'?

As to the phrase “be healed,” could Jesus (and God to Isaiah) be talking about being physically healed? Rather, Jesus and God are talking about learning: Seeing, hearing and understanding is associated with learning something. Jesus wants to teach these people something, but they are not hearing or understanding him.

This is not referring to the physical body at all. In fact, the physical body is temporary, and any healing of the physical body would be futile in the long run. Every physical body gets old and diseased, and every physical body dies within a few decades. No body makes it out alive.

Jesus and the Supreme Being are referring to the spiritual person - the spirit-person who is wearing the temporary physical body. This spirit-person is eternal, whereas the physical body is temporary.

So how is the spirit-person healed then? Only when we redevelop our lost loving service relationship with the Supreme Being. This is the only thing that will heal each of us of our sickness of self-centeredness and ultimate loneliness - regardless of how many family members and fans we might have.

Yes, it is Jesus' teachings that have the effect of healing the spirit-person within. And what is the foundation of Jesus' teachings?

" '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)

“And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ...” (Matthew 15:3-9)

“And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ he is not to ‘honor his father or his mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the Word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” (Matthew 15:3-9)

Why is Jesus being challenged?

This statement by Jesus follows some "scribes and Pharisees" coming to Jesus to ask him:

“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” (Matt. 15:2)

Following this challenging and offensive question, Jesus made the above statement. Notice that Jesus turns the tables by illustrating the hypocrisy of their doctrines:

“And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"

The word "tradition" is being translated from the Greek word, παράδοσις (paradosis). This word can mean, according to Thayer's lexicon, "giving over" and "giving up" - "the act of giving up or surrender." It also means, "the body of precepts, especially ritual, which in the opinion of the later Jews were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession to subsequent generations."

Thus, "tradition" is an odd translation in this context. Jesus is speaking of them doing certain rituals or activities at the expense of other guidelines handed down from the Prophets. In particular, as shown later, Jesus is speaking of Temple priests conducting ceremonial offerings.

Jesus is illustrating that they have inserted a way in which a person can opt-out of following God's guidance. To honor someone is to render respect to that person. Yet the teachers of institutional temple law had created compromises with God's statement, to create an "either or" scenario between God and honoring one's parents.

What is 'a gift devoted to God'?

The term, "a gift devoted to God" means an offering. Temple priests - and Jesus - maintained the ancient custom of making offerings to the Supreme Being. But Jesus saw a contradiction in their teachings regarding this.

Jesus is criticizing a particular teaching of the Temple institution. This is that they would allow someone to not honor their mother or father if they are making offerings to God. This means a Temple priest who was making official offerings to God was exempt from honoring his mother and father.

It should be clear that Jesus is not criticizing making offerings to God here. Jesus also recommended making offerings to the Supreme Being:

“See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” (Matthew 8:4)

“Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)

So Jesus in no way was denying the importance of making offerings to the Supreme Being, which is something he practiced as well - mistranslated as "giving thanks."

But Jesus is speaking of using this as a means to escape from honoring one's father or mother.

In other words, it is not as if making offerings to God would exempt us from other practical recommendations, such as honoring one's parents. The mother and father of one's body can still be honored even if someone is serving the Supreme Being.

Jesus himself illustrated this. Even as he was being tortured on the cross, he instructed one of his students to take care of his mother:

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:26-27)

So we see that Jesus knew he was going to leave his physical body, and even in the pain of his body's torture - the ultimate service and sacrifice to the Supreme Being - he was still honoring his mother.

By adding this contingency to the Supreme Being's guidance, the Pharisees were essentially suggesting that their ritualistic services to God made them exempt from following other guidelines.

What does 'their hearts are far from Me' mean?

Here is the full text of the verse Jesus is quoting and paraphrasing from in Isaiah:

The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of Me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." (Isaiah 29:13)

This clarifies that the Supreme Being is not impressed by a person doing ceremonial rites or rituals by rote - without any dedication or consciousness of the Supreme Being - or following rules for materialistic purposes such as impressing others or rising within the ranks of some hierarchy.

Rather, the Supreme Being is pleased when we are caring about Him.

If a person doesn't care about someone, then one could say their hearts are far from them. They don't care, in other words.

This illustrates that the Supreme Being is most interested in our love. He wants us to love Him. And care about Him. Why? Because He knows this and only this will make us happy.

The bottom line is that caring for the Supreme Being stands above all. And caring for God means doing what is pleasing to Him.

Through Isaiah, the Supreme Being clearly communicates that simply following the ritualistic rules and regulations invented by men does not necessarily please Him. This is applicable today. By accepting professional sectarian teachers elected by councils of men, we abandon the prospects for a personal relationship with God.

By listening to those who have invented speculative interpretations and teachings with the intent to gain followers, we offend the Supreme Being who simply wants our love.

As we see with Isaiah's communications - just as we saw with Moses and other messengers of God - God's teachings often come through His messengers, whom He empowers personally. These representatives are humbly devoted to the Supreme Being, and have been empowered by Him to represent Him.

God spoke through Isaiah because Isaiah was lovingly and humbly devoted to the Supreme Being. Same with Moses. And Jesus is also in this same role as God's representative.

God's instructions coming through His empowered representatives may be directed towards a particular culture at a particular time and place. Therefore, it may be that an instruction given by God to one group or person may not apply to another - or it may, depending upon the instruction.

We have to understand that the Supreme Being is a Person. He is not a thunderous cloud, a burning bush or a loud voice. He may utilize these, but ultimately He is a Person, with a will and a personality. This is why Jesus emphasized doing God's will: Because only a person can have a will.

Now since the Supreme Being is a person, and He is, in fact, the Supreme Person, we have to accept that He is in charge. Nothing is out of His control, in other words. The reason He allows institutional teachers to hijack His past instructions and turn them into empty, ritualistic ceremonies is that He gives us all the freedom to choose to come back to Him or not.

Love, after all, requires freedom. And though it hurts Him to see us abusing His guidance, He is allowing us our freedom of choice.

What does Jesus mean by, 'rules taught by men'

Jesus is speaking of rules that have been issued - in this case - by the Temple institution and its officials.

This can also be applied generally to the various rules and rituals that have been created through the various sectarian institutions. These institutions have effectively created rules taught by men.

Why do people join these institutions?

Those who join an organized sectarian institution may do so for different reasons - for some, a mixture of reasons. Yes, some may join to learn more about God. Others may have other reasons, sometimes mixed with wanting to get closer to God.

Some may join to feel they are saved. They may want to escape responsibility for their past behavior. Others may want to feel saved so they can continue to live in a self-centered manner without guilt.

Others may join a sectarian institution to be accepted by others. Perhaps their friends or family are members. In this way they seek the love of these other members. Just as some seek fame in an attempt to receive love, some will join a sect to be appreciated and loved by others.

We all need love. When we reject the love that the Supreme Being offers us, we tend to seek that love elsewhere.

Still others may join a sectarian institution as a means to gain authority. They are exercising a desire to be respected and honored. This is also related to the desire to be loved, but has a different result.

The result is climbing the hierarchy of an institution in order to gain a position of authority.

Such persons may become deacons or go to a seminary in order to climb the ranks of their particular institution. They may engage in political activities to become appointed by the councils in order to gain a position of reverend, iman, rabbi, guru, priest, bishop, cardinal, even pope.

The insincere seeker of authority may trick people into thinking they are spiritually advanced through the use of robes and ritualistic activities.

Jesus was aiming his criticism in Matthew 15:3-8 to those of the latter group. They were using rituals and their political authority in the Temple and feeling they were exempt from following other guidelines of the Prophets.

This is one of the issues with the process of appointing institutional teachers. They are elected through a political process that allows those who seek authority a pathway to gain leadership positions in sectarian institutions.

Meanwhile, Jesus, Isaiah, Moses, and all of God's representatives have had a different purpose. They didn't seek authority. They were given authority by God. They were devoted to teaching us to come to know, love and serve the Supreme Being. This is why Jesus said the most important guideline (also taught by Moses) is:

" '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)

“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees ....” (Matthew 16:5-6)

When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (Matthew 16:5-6)

What does Jesus mean by 'yeast'?

Jesus is not talking about yeast per se. Jesus took the opportunity to draw an analogy using bread and yeast. So what is the analogy?

Jesus is comparing the teachings of the Temple institution's leaders to yeast. Why?

Because yeast ferments, and through this fermentation, the bread rises. The yeast spreads throughout the flour during the process of rising, and insidiously saturates the bread as it begins to take shape, becoming part of the bread.

Organized sectarian institutions and their officials - men who gain their positions through appointment by men after political maneuvering - poison their followers with misinterpretations of scripture intended to attract followers and bolster their coffers.

What about today's 'yeast'?

This same political positioning and misinterpretation of scripture that Jesus is speaking of also took place centuries after Jesus' disappearance. This is why Jesus warned about them.

Following Jesus' departure, a man who had been persecuting Jesus' followers on behalf of Rome suddenly claimed to have had a vision of Jesus. Within a short time, he began teaching a philosophy that departed from Jesus' teachings, yet he claimed that he was the true apostle of Jesus.

This was Paul, and Paul's philosophy has since become known as Pauline Theology. Paul's philosophy differed greatly from not only the teachings of Jesus, but the teachings of James, Peter, and other true disciples of Jesus who were passing on his teachings. Paul is said to have argued with James and Peter in public.

Paul's teaching, departing from Jesus' teachings, claimed that we are saved by accepting that Jesus died for our sins. Unlike Jesus' teachings about having a change of heart (being "born again") and coming to love the Supreme Being, Paul taught an easy process of deliverance - in order to attract followers.

But if Jesus wanted to attract followers with such an easy process of deliverance, why wouldn't he have simply taught, "wait until I am crucified and you will be saved"?

Remember that Paul was a Roman. Through political ambition to control Europe and the Middle East by controlling Christianity, Roman emperors organized the Councils of Nicaea in the Fourth Century to interpret the role and teachings of Jesus from a political perspective. The members of the council voted on these principles, creating the Nicene Creed.

Unsurprisingly, the principles of the Nicene Creed centered around Pauline Theology. And over half of the New Testament is about or written by Paul. This means that the books chosen by Eusebius for the first Roman Bible under the order of Emperor Constantine were primarily the letters and epistles of Paul or Paul's followers.

With this foundation, later in the Fourth Century, the Roman government organized and legitimized the Roman Catholic Church.  

The intent was political. To retain Rome's authority over the population. This allowed an ex facto Roman rule over Europe and the Middle East through the auspices of the Roman Catholic church for many centuries. This is why it was heralded as the "Holy Roman Empire" for many centuries.

Prior to the Councils of Nicaea, dozens of scriptural scrolls documenting Jesus' teachings had been circulating widely and translated into at least 500 languages. These were confiscated by the Romans. Most were burned or otherwise destroyed.

But the texts that Constantine appointed Eusebius to assemble into the Bible were retained. The others were lost until they were discovered buried in the desert in the 20th Century.

The Romans outlawed the reading or owning of scripture by common folk. And only their Latin version of the Canonized Bible could be read. And this could only be read by Roman Catholic priests.

Because Latin was the language of the elite, for over 1,000 years, practically no one could read the Biblical scriptures outside of the pope and the priests in assemblies.

This absolute monopoly over the scriptures enabled the Roman Catholic Church to control its interpretation as well. As a result, there is one generally accepted interpretation of Jesus' role and purpose even today - based largely upon the Nicene Creed written some 1,600 years ago for political expediency.

This is is most certainly "yeast", as Jesus is describing. And today, this yeast is baked in to many of the sectarian institutions that claim to represent Jesus.

Still, because God is in ultimate control, there is enough of Jesus' teachings to provide clarity and evidence for his true role as the loving servant and messenger of God. We see that the Supreme Being made sure this was not lost, and today with the findings of some of the lost scripture texts, we come to understand the brutal monopoly of the Roman Catholic yeast, and how it spread to other sectarian institutions.

We also find the Supreme Being made sure the essential teachings of Jesus made it through these political organizations and their manipulations of scripture:

" '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)

“... why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? ... ” (Matthew 16:8-11)

“You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:8-11)

Is this really about bread?

Jesus is repeating an analogy he used to warn against the "yeast" of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But the disciples did not understand this analogy. Jesus said this after hearing this:

They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread." (Matt. 16:7)

Following this statement, it is then confirmed:

Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matt. 16:12)

This clarifies at least the subject of Jesus' parable of the yeast. But there is a deeper message being taught by Jesus regarding the institutional temple teachers (Pharisees and Sadducees).

And then there is Jesus' recollection of the loaves-for-five-thousand miracle. What does the miracle of the loaves have to do with the Sadducees and Pharisees?

Why does Jesus say they have 'little faith'?

The phrase "of little faith" here is being translated from the Greek word ὀλιγόπιστος (oligopistos), which means according to the lexicon, "trusting too little."

Jesus is clarifying that his miracles relate to trust in the Supreme Being.

Jesus is not speaking of faith in himself. Why would he? Jesus' students can see him right in front of them. So this is not about having faith in Jesus' existence. 

It is also not about having faith in God's existence. Since they accepted Jesus as their teacher, they certainly also accepted the existence of the Supreme Being. 

So what is he referring to them?

Jesus is referring to trust - "trusting too little."

"Trusting too little" means not understanding that God is in control and that He will take care of us.

Are we alone?

We are not alone here. Yes, when we look around we see other physical forms and things of the physical world that are decomposing and degrading. We also witness many self-centered people around us that could care less about us. So most of us are quite leery of others and have little trust in others and the things around us.

But we cannot physically see the Supreme Being - who is also with us. An expansion of the Supreme Being is right next to us in this physical body - the Holy Spirit. He is right here, taking care of us, and watching over us.

We cannot see Him because our physical eyes aren't designed to see into the spiritual realm - where the Supreme Being dwells.

In fact, we can't see ourselves either. Each of us is a spirit-person - a living being who resided on the spiritual dimension. And we are currently driving this temporary physical body much as a person drives a car.

Just as a person will often begin to identify with their car, we are identifying with these temporary physical bodies. Even as they decay and slowly meet their death, we still think this body is me. We think our temporary roles - our job, our family and so on - define us.

Yet this is not true. These roles and this body are temporary. They will only last a few decades and then they are done. For some, our roles in terms of our job may only last a few years. Then we'll have to leave that job and get another or retire.

While our bodies and the forms and things of this world are temporary, the spirit-self within is eternal, and the Supreme Being is eternally our Best Friend and Protector. He is always there for us. This is the lesson Jesus is trying to impart.

With the miracles of the loaves, Jesus illustrated what he had been teaching: That we should focus our lives upon God and not the temporary things of the world. Jesus is teaching that we should trust that the Supreme Being will take care of us.

Will God take care of us?

Instead of worrying about whether or not we'll have enough to eat, our focus should be upon our relationship with the Supreme Being. This is where our permanent happiness lies. Our temporary body will soon be discarded. It will be burned or buried under the ground where it will decompose.

God will certainly take care of our real self - our spirit-self. This is who we really are underneath this physical body. This is the root of our personality and the maker of decisions in our life.

Those who do not understand the spirit cannot know the spiritual realm. They cannot see into the spiritual realm. This physical world and physical mind block us off from our spiritual self and the spiritual realm. This is the design of the physical world - designed perfectly by the Supreme Being to give us the freedom to ignore Him and live out our desires to be the center of the universe.

Were the blind leading the blind?

This is why Jesus said this about the Pharisees and Sadducees:

“If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

Unfortunately, the blind guides are claiming they represent God. This is why Jesus compared them to yeast - because they foment an incorrect interpretation of the scriptures. Rather than understanding the mission and intent of Jesus and the prophets, they insist that the goal of religious practice is following ceremonial rituals.

Rather, what Jesus and the prophets taught is coming to know, love and serve the Supreme Being. They taught doing the will of God within a loving relationship that is the goal of spiritual life.

Yes, the rules and rituals may provide assistance to this goal as long as we see their ultimate purpose - of re-establishing our loving relationship with God.

Ironically, many modern-day institutions and their ecclesiastical teachers that claim to be following Jesus have also missed this focus. Instead of focusing upon coming to know and love the Supreme Being and doing the will of God, these modern-day institutions focus upon various rituals intended to "being saved."

They also deny the existence of the very Supreme Being that Jesus came to introduce us to. They think that Jesus is the Supreme Being. In doing so, they completely ignore the very person Jesus was representing and relying upon:

"For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." (John 12:47-50)

God, the Father who sent Jesus, has been forgotten by many of the ecclesiastical institutions that claim to be following Jesus. This is despite the fact that Jesus instructed us to give our love to 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." (Matthew 22:37-38)

“... whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19)

“Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17-19)

Is Jesus pleased with Peter's response?

Jesus said this to Peter after Jesus asked:

"Who do people say the Son of Man is?" (Matthew 16:13)

Peter then replied to Jesus' question:

"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)

Why was Jesus so pleased by Simon’s (later renamed Peter by Jesus) response? Just saying that Jesus was the son of the living God? Why was this something that could not have been revealed to Peter by man? Certainly, as some sectarian teachers proclaim, it is pretty easy to answer that Jesus was the son of God. Why was Simon's statement revealed to him by God rather than man?

The two operators of Simon's statement are Jesus’ being the “son” or loving servant and child of God, and Jesus being the “Christ” or Messiah”.

Why is Jesus pleased with being called 'Messiah' and 'Son of God'?

As we have discussed with the previous verse, the translation of the Greek word υἱὸς can mean either "son" in the context of a physical family, or it can mean "one who follows or is dependent upon another," according to the Greek lexicon. This latter translation translates to being a follower or more appropriately, a loving servant.

But in the context of describing Jesus, the word υἱός (huios) would provide a further translation: specific to the loving servant teaching on behalf of God: This is being the representative of God. One who is dependent upon God and is serving God will also represent God in some situations. This was Jesus' role - he is representing the Supreme Being.

But when the context relates to one who is devoted to or a follower of God - then the relationship is one of service. Providing loving service to the Supreme Being.

In Luke 20:34-34, Jesus said:

“The people of this age…. And they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children…”

Here Jesus talks about people who grow in their spiritual maturity, and become elevated to the stature of becoming the Supreme Being's loving children - though "children" is also being translated from υἱὸς - and thus more appropriately translated to servants - "God's servants".

Regardless, we see the intimacy of such a relationship with the Supreme Being. Such was the intimate, devoted and loving relationship between Jesus and God.

In this we can also see that Jesus never configured that he was the only servant of God. This is a product of some sectarian interpreters who tried to create a monopoly among religious institutions. It is an illogical proposal anyway: Is God so limited (impotent) that He can have only one son?

To the contrary, Jesus also said:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons [servants] of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

and

"For they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons [servants] of God, being sons of the resurrection." (Luke 20:36 RSV)

Jesus also uses the word υἱὸς (mistranslated to "sons") to refer to "servant" or "devoted follower" elsewhere:

"while the sons [servants or subjects] of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." (Matthew 8:12 RSV)

and

"Can the sons [servants or attendants] of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast." (Matthew 9:15 ASV)

In all of these statements, we find the Greek word υἱός being used by Jesus, and none of them refer to a physical offspring. Among the different versions they are translated differently - we illustrated those translations using "son."

To this, we add other statements from and there are multiple references to "sons of God" among the English Bible translations:

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. (Genesis 6:2)

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6)

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. (Job 2:1)

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matt. 6:9)

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)

In the Old Testament, the word translated to "sons" is בֵּן (ben) - which can also be either translated to "son" or "a member of a guild, order, class" - in other words, a devoted follower or servant.

We can see clearly that the references above are not to a "son" - a male child of a particular parent. The context is broader. The context is a devotional context.

A more appropriate translation given the context, is, "devoted follower of God" or “loving servant of God" rather than "son of God."

What does Messiah mean?

In terms of “Messiah,” we must understand the origin and meaning of this word and separate it from the institutional interpretation.

The origin of the word from Aramaic means "the anointed” or “anointed one.” The related word used interchangeably is the word “Christ” which is most closely translated as “savior.”

The concept of an “anointed one” comes from the ancient Hebrew concept of a person being chosen by God to unite the tribes of Israel and usher in a day of peace and prosperity. This has become termed as the “messianic age.” However, we can see that "anointing" was performed between a priest and student:

So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David's mule and escorted him to Gihon. Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. (1 Kings 38-39)

Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.
(1 Samuel 16:1-13)

So we can see that many of the prophets were in fact, anointed. We can also see the usage of anointed and "savior" also indicates a reference for someone who would lead his followers into spiritual realization. If we consider the Bible as a resource for spiritual growth rather than a history book, we can see that so many teachers, such as Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jacob and others were all chosen by God to teach to those around them in hopes of delivering them or saving them.

Who is doing the saving?

As we investigate further, we find that the intended meaning of the word “messiah” or “anointed one” to be a person who was chosen by God to deliver or “save” a person spiritually by introducing them to God and teaching them in such a way that they become loving servants of God. 

Messiah was a general term used to describe God's loving servants who taught on His behalf. It was stated as an esteemed post or position because anyone God chose to represent Him would be honored due to having a devout relationship with the Supreme Being.

In other words, prior to Jesus, Judean priests had considered the Prophets to be Messiahs. Thus it was considered a role, rather than a single person.

And interestingly, the Judean priests also were awaiting the arrival of the next Messiah - even as Jesus was in their midst.

Because the Messiah was seen as the messenger of God, ultimately this makes God the ultimate Messiah.

Jesus also saw this clearly. He didn't want others to proclaim his glory unless they connected it to the Supreme Being. This is why he said:

"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. 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!' (Matthew 7:21-22)

Did God die?

The institutional doctrine offered from the First Council of Nicaea in 325 suggests that Jesus is “God the Son.” Other institutions and their teachers have expanded this doctrine to state that Jesus is quite simply God.

Accompanying this doctrine in many institutions today is the teaching that Jesus "died for our sins."

What is the problem with this doctrine? This doctrine has forgotten the very Person that Jesus came to teach us about. Instead of worshiping the Supreme Being that Jesus came to teach us about and doing the Supreme Being's will and loving the Supreme Being as Jesus taught, they figured that they would just slide Jesus in that role. Now Jesus is supposed to be the Supreme Being, and now they teach that "God became man (in Jesus) and God died on the cross."

So God died? This is what they are teaching. They teach that the Supreme Being died on the cross and then was resurrected in three days.

So they are saying that the Supreme Being, the Creator, and Controller of the universe, came down to earth and became a human being, and then died in order to save us.

First of all, why, if God was the Controller of everything, would He have to be beaten and suffer on a cross and die in order to save us?

And what happened to the universe between the time when God supposedly died and when He was resurrected? Who took care of the universe during that time?

These are, quite simply, falsehoods. God never became Jesus. The Supreme Being controls everything and He can save anyone with a simple thought. He doesn't need to subject Himself to any kind of sacrifice in order to save anyone.

Even the teaching that Jesus "rose after three days" makes no sense. First, because he was crucified on Friday and he supposedly "rose" on Sunday - two days later.

But secondly, the idea that Jesus rose in his physical body after that body was punctured and confirmed to be dead, and Jesus himself "breathed his last" and "gave up his spirit" according to the Gospels, indicates that Jesus left his physical body at the time of death:

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

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

These verses indicate that Jesus' "spirit" left his physical body. When the body "gives up the spirit" the physical body dies. This means that the "spirit" - the person who animates the body - leaves the physical body at the time of death.

Since Jesus then appeared to his close disciples two days later this indicates that Jesus was able to produce an apparition for their eyes to see - much as angels can appear in this world.

Otherwise, Jesus could not have appeared in his physical body before his disciples. How could he have come through the locked door? How could he have shown his wounds, which would have been oozing with blood, leaking all over the place?

This was accomplished through apparition. Jesus' spirit was able to appear in a form similar to his last human body so his disciples could recognize him.

But some could not. When he appeared to Mary, she didn't recognize him. He was walking beside her asking her questions. Why didn't she recognize him? Because he was changing his appearance to suit the situation. He was appearing as an apparition. As an angel. This is also why he could suddenly appear and disappear, without walking away or walking in.

Is this about a change of heart?

Jesus' body was brutally tortured and murdered. And his suffering is a testament to his love for the Supreme Being. And yes, should a person come to understand Jesus' total dedication to the Supreme Being, this has the ability to save that person.

But it is not an automatic process. There must be realization. There must be a change of heart.

If God became Jesus, then who was Jesus praying to when he said:

"My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39)

Jesus came to teach us to come to a loving relationship with a Person that Jesus himself had a loving relationship with: the Supreme Being. Jesus was the loving servant and child of God, who made great sacrifices in order to teach us to love God. This was his mission.

Yes, it is true, that the loving servant and representative of God can truly be perceived as connected with God. As the representative of God, they are connected with the Supreme Being. Thus they can and should be seen as a manifestation of God’s love for us. But they should never be confused with the Supreme Being Himself.

Jesus might be compared to an ambassador, or representative of a country, being in another country. The country treats this representative in the same way they would treat the country's president. Any disrespect of the ambassador would be offensive to the president. But at the same time, no one would say that this ambassador is the president or the government itself. It would be ridiculous to make that confusion.

The loving relationship between God and Jesus is the rock upon which one can build their own relationship with the Supreme Being. This is the essence of the spiritual world: Coming to love and lovingly serve the Supreme Being is our innate role and what will ultimately make each of us fulfilled.