“Who is my mother and who are my brothers? ...” (Matthew 12:48-50)

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50)

Was Jesus disavowing his family?

Jesus was not disavowing his mother and his brothers. He was using this example to make a teaching lesson that our spiritual lives and the spiritual lives of others are more important than the family of the physical body.

From other verses, we have seen that Jesus cared about his mother and his brothers. At least one of his brothers - James - also became a disciple of Jesus. And Jesus instructed one of his disciples to take care of his mother while he was being crucified:
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)
This also points to one of Moses' instructions, to honor one's mother and father. We know that Jesus quoted Moses on other occasions. It thus would make no sense if Jesus was dishonoring or disrespecting - or disavowing - his parents, or family.

Rather, Jesus is making a point of his relationship with his mother and his brothers to convey two important lessons to his students:

Are we these physical bodies?

The first lesson of Jesus' statement is that we are not these physical bodies:

We are each spiritual beings, wearing temporary physical bodies. Therefore, while we might love and respect the mother of this body, that body that gave birth to our body is being driven by a spirit-person who is also not their physical body.

Similarly, our brothers and sisters of this body are also spiritual beings temporarily residing in their physical bodies, which happen to have been born from the same physical body ours was born from.

So who are we, the spirit-person within this body, related to? Who is our real mother, father, brothers and sisters?

Is God our permanent parent?

According to Jesus' teachings, the Supreme Being is our real Father. He is also our Best Friend and our constant Companion.

Furthermore, there is a lost loving relationship that exists between ourselves and the Supreme Being. This loving relationship is the intimate relationship that we are each seeking as we look for the perfect mate during our lifetimes in these bodies. We seek the perfect mate - our "soul mate" - because we have a soul mate that we have lost touch with.

This is why everyone instinctively looks for our soul mate. Because instinctively we know we have one. This is why people will say stuff like, "I know [he or she] is out there somewhere." We know this because deep inside - deep within our spiritual consciousness - which is currently covered up by our physical consciousness - we know we have a relationship with the real perfect person: The Supreme Being.

Jesus confirms this loving relationship as he explains that his true mothers and brothers are those who are executing their spiritual relationship with the Supreme Being - as he pointed to his disciples, saying:
"Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Those of us who rebel against their innate relationship with the Supreme Being - as most on this planet have done - have disinherited ourselves from this loving family that Jesus is speaking of.

Where is our real family?

We are each constantly wanting to be part of a family. When we are young we cling to our family, and when we get older we want to have our own family. This desire for a family is innate within us because each of us already has a permanent family.

This is our spiritual family - headed up by the Supreme Being.

Jesus' statement, "whoever does the will of my Father" also means that each of us can become reunited with our real family at any time. At any time we can choose to resume our loving service relationship with the Supreme Being, and join our real family members in loving and serving the Supreme Being.

And what is the "will of my Father"? Jesus clearly teaches what will please the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being wants us to come back to Him. He wants us to return to His loving arms. What else would we expect from a loving Father?
" '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)

“A farmer went out to sow his seed ...” (Matthew 13:3-9)

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:3-9)

What does the parable of the farmer and the seed mean?

Jesus himself explains it to his disciples several verses later. Here is his explanation:
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. What was sown on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. What was sown among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:18-23)
Thus we can know from Jesus' own explanation what it means. But let's investigate these points a little further:

Who is the 'farmer' - or the 'sower'?

Since Jesus is comparing planting seeds to hearing "the message about the kingdom," we can understand that the farmer or sower is the Supreme Being and His representative, and "the kingdom" is the spiritual realm - that realm and consciousness where the Supreme Being is loved and worshiped.

Why not just Jesus? Isn't Jesus speaking of himself as the farmer or sower?

Yes and no. Just consider this statement by Jesus:
“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me." (John 7:16)
This clearly indicates that Jesus' teachings are coming from the Supreme Being. Jesus may be doing the preaching as God's loving servant, but what he is preaching is coming from God. Jesus is representing God.

Thus, the farmer or sower is ultimately the Supreme Being - in this case working through Jesus.

What is 'the message of the kingdom'?

The central message of Jesus' teachings is confirmed here:
"'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)
In other words, the "kingdom" is not a physical location. It is a particular consciousness.

Who is the 'evil one'?

Who is the "evil one" - who "comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart"?

This is a metaphor, describing the illusory energy of the physical world. Some may refer to this as satan or the devil. But it is an energy - illusion: that we are these physical bodies, and that this world is our permanent home and these things around us that we see are all permanent.

Furthermore, it is the illusion that the forms and things of the physical world will fulfill us. Jesus describes this with:
"the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth"
This illusory energy of the physical world actually supports our self-centeredness. Thus is supporting our desire for independent enjoyment - outside of our relationship with the Supreme Being.

This illusory energy has the ability to "snatch" away what we may hear from God's representative because as we seek our self-centered satisfaction and misidentify ourselves with these physical bodies, we chase those forms and things of the physical world, and this serves to distract us from what we might have heard from God's representative.

Once we are distracted, we can become forgetful. We can forget what we might have heard from God's representative as we chase the forms and things of the physical world.

This forgetfulness - and the illusory energy of the physical world - is actually designed by the Supreme Being in order to allow us our freedom. He doesn't want to force Himself upon us. He wants us to come to Him freely and without any coercion or force. This is because love cannot be forced. Love requires freedom.

This freedom comes in the form of forgetfulness. Just consider if a father cared about a son and the son cursed the father and said he wanted to get away from him and never see him again. What would a loving father do? The loving father would let his son go. He would grant his son some space and hope the son comes back to him one day. In the meantime he won't be getting in his son's face - he will leave him alone - and let him be.

The Supreme Being is doing something like this, except that He owns and controls everything - so how can we get away from God?

For this reason, the Supreme Being sets up the illusory energy to allow us to forget Him - and allow us to identify ourselves with this physical body so we forget who we are and how we are related with Him.

What do the 'birds' symbolize?

As to the birds who take the seeds away in Jesus' parable, these would represent envy and/or blaspheming of God's representative. This is a grave mistake that can immediately snatch away the seed of love for God before it can take root.

So what about the "trouble or persecution" Jesus speaks of? During Jesus' time, there were lethal threats for those who followed Jesus. Jesus' followers were persecuted, and of course, Jesus was persecuted.

In general, Jesus is describing the challenges that a person may face once he makes a commitment to loving and serving the Supreme Being with his life.

These include family members and so-called friends who don't want us to continue our spiritual path. For example, peer pressure. They also include non-believers who try to convince us that God doesn't exist or that we are all God.

These forms of persecution - just as are many other challenges we may face - are tests. They are testing our resolve to grow spiritually and return to the Supreme Being. Why?

Because the Supreme Being doesn't want us to whimsically return to Him. He wants us to be serious about returning to a relationship with Him. This not only requires commitment. It requires long-term dedication. A weathering through challenges, and taking shelter of the Supreme Being at every turn.

This latter point describes the final situation - the seed which grew into a crop and produced other seeds:
"But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
This crop and yielding of multiple times what was sown occurs when a follower of God's representative hears his teachings, takes them to heart, and then passes them on to others.

When such a person passes the Supreme Being's message as heard from God's representative onto others, there is a multiplying effect ("hundred, sixty or thirty times") because those who receive that message can then pass it on to still others.

“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)

“But blessed are your eyes because they see ...” (Matthew 13:16-17)

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)

'Blessed' are whose eyes?

Jesus is speaking directly at his students and disciples - who were following his teachings. For this reason, he says:
"But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."
Many who read Jesus' words try to read into them some kind of magical, mysterious meaning. Many try to use their imagination to understand the words “hear” and “see.” This is unfortunate.

The reality is that both “seeing” and “hearing” are done not simply using the sense organs, as all those around Jesus heard his words and saw his actions. Real "seeing" and "hearing" is done with the heart.

This deeper sense of "seeing" and "hearing" means that we must see that behind Jesus' words and actions is a relationship of love between Jesus and the Supreme Being.

This is a heartfelt relationship, one that cannot be dissected by the logic centers of the mind.

Why are they 'blessed'?

Jesus' teachings reveal a relationship of love, dedication, and service. This is confirmed with such statements as:
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:36)
Jesus was wanting to please the Supreme Being because he loved the Supreme Being.

Such a loving relationship with the Supreme Being is so rare in this physical world. It is so rare, Jesus points out, that even the prophets, who themselves served and represented God, yearn to be in the presence of one who is experiencing and expressing a loving service relationship with the Supreme Being.

Those who have a chance to hear from one with such a loving relationship with the Supreme Being are truly blessed. So is the person who actually can perceive the relationship that Jesus displayed with his life and words. A person who can peer into and understand even a portion of Jesus’ confidential relationship with the Supreme Being is blessed with one of life’s highest benedictions.

Why do so many disagree about Jesus?

Ever since Paul debated with James and Peter regarding who Jesus was and what his teachings meant, many have disagreed about Jesus and his role.

This is quite odd because while James and Peter had heard Jesus' teachings directly and had been guided by him, Paul was not a disciple of Jesus. Paul's claim to Jesus was that he had a "vision" of Jesus while he was walking along a road.

Note that no one else observed this vision, and the claim is that Paul only saw a light - not Jesus' body or otherwise.  Acts 9:3 states that there was "a light from heaven," meaning there was a light in the sky. And then in Acts 9:4, it states that Paul fell to the ground and heard Jesus speak to him. 

Yes, there was a voice, but how would Paul have recognized that the voice was from Jesus if he didn't see Jesus or know Jesus beforehand? Literally, anyone could have spoken to Paul - or the voice could have come from Paul himself for that matter.

There is significant evidence that Paul utilized this "vision" to advance himself as a spiritual teacher in the name of Jesus without having done the hard work of learning Jesus' teachings and following those teachings. Almost immediately upon advancing his "vision of Jesus" Paul began teaching in the Synagogues in Jesus' name, despite the fact that he had not trained under Jesus. Jesus himself spoke of such people:
"Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many." (Matthew 24:5)
Prior to this, Paul, a Roman with Jewish ancestry, worked for the Roman government and was active in persecuting Jesus' followers. Then he had this "vision" and began teaching things that Jesus didn't teach at all. He created his own doctrine loosely based on Jesus' life but did not strictly adhere to Jesus' teachings. For this reason, Paul was criticized by Jesus' teaching disciples Peter and James - for having departed from Jesus' teachings in order to attract the masses.

It would be one thing if Paul were to have been a close disciple of Jesus, then begin adapting Jesus' teachings for a broader audience. But this was not Paul's position. He had not been close enough to Jesus to really learn his teachings directly. He learned of them secondhand and modified them to appeal to a broad audience, setting himself up as the leader of the early church. 

Paul effectively watered down Jesus' teachings and made them about being saved by Jesus' crucifixion instead of about coming to know and love the Supreme Being.

James and Peter, and other disciples of Jesus, were "blessed" because they got to hear directly from Jesus about God and His mission. They got to hear Jesus' teachings directly, inclusive of being corrected by Jesus from time to time.

Jesus' teachings were clearly aligned with the teachings of the Prophets. This lineage of ancient teachers spoke of establishing a loving relationship with God through devotion, worship and offerings.

Paul tossed all of this out the window in lieu of establishing a religious philosophy that aligned with the Roman Empire, and made Jesus' role be all about his dying for our sins. Paul taught that Jesus' teachings were new, and departed from the teachings of the Prophets, even though Jesus quoted the Prophets throughout his teachings, including his 'first and foremost commandment' to love God and love others (quoted from Moses).

Paul's interpretation of Jesus' life and teachings was clearly aimed to attract followers, who sought an easy departure to heaven by focusing on 'the blood of Jesus.' Amazingly, this is despite the fact that Paul was not a follower of Jesus and did not hear directly from him when he walked the earth.

Was the concept of 'son of God' Roman?

As an example of the alignment of Paul's teachings with the Romans', we find that the title of 'son of God' was an important political role to the Romans. For example, the Roman Emperor Augustus was given the title of divi filius, which loosely means son of God.

Before and after Augustus, other Roman Emperors, along with other emperors in different regions, were claimed to be the son of a god. Then we find that Emperor Constantine "the Great" pushed for Jesus to be given the title of 'son of God.'

The Roman-driven theology was that Jesus would be part of a holy trinity, putting him at the level of God - not unlike the status of certain Roman emperors before.

This role was argued among early Christian theologians. Then the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD took place. Here the attending bishops argued amongst themselves and were pushed to vote to officially authorize Paul's teachings while disregarding the teachings of Jesus' true disciples - thus disregarding Jesus' own teachings.

In other words, Jesus' role as defined by Jesus' closest disciples like James, Peter, John and others was completely rejected, in lieu of the mystical role defined by Paul - out of context with Jesus' actual life and teachings.

This is why, for example, Jesus' adherence to the teachings of the Prophets has been virtually ignored by so many. And many of the references Jesus made to the teachings of the Prophets have been misinterpreted and mistranslated to seem that the role of the Prophets was to predict Jesus' arrival.

Jesus' closest disciples were 'blessed' because they understood Jesus' role as a great loving servant of God. He was thus God's representative. They saw the relationship between Jesus and God in an intimate way because they saw Jesus' life up close.

Today, the reason why so many people debate about Jesus, and reach all sorts of bent conclusions about the meaning of his life and teachings, is because they do not see this loving service relationship that exists between Jesus and the Supreme Being.
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)

What are the byproducts of blurring God's individuality?

One of the unfortunate byproducts of Paul's teachings and the Nicene Creed is that it blurred God's individuality. This in turn blurred the relationship between Jesus and God.

As a result, many sectarian teachings say that Jesus is the Supreme Being. This is unfortunate because when you eliminate the most important Individual of the relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being, you remove the loving relationship itself. There must be two individuals in order to experience love.

In other words, when Jesus, and Moses before him, instructed us to love the Supreme Being with all our hearts and souls, they were speaking of our developing a relationship with an Individual - the Supreme Being. There can be no love without there being an individual object of love - the individual that is loved.

(Someone can say they love an object, but that is not the same as true love. By definition, true love can only be given to an individual or a group of individuals.)

This doesn't negate the union that exists between Jesus and God. There is a definite union between Jesus and the Supreme Being. Jesus is representing the Supreme Being, and acting on behalf of the Supreme Being. So in that sense, the words he speaks are coming from the Supreme Being, and we can worship Jesus as God’s messenger.

But to confuse the loving servant with his master and Beloved is to make a drastic mistake. To ignore the Supreme Being, the Father, whom Jesus loves and sacrificed his physical body for, is to eliminate the possibility that one day, we too, may be able to have a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. And this was the very reason Jesus taught those around him. He wanted others to develop their own personal loving relationship with the Supreme Being.

And as for seeing the Supreme Being as a vague force or void - as many do: how can we love a vague force or void? And how can a vague force have a will? How can a void have a will? In order to love and do the will of someone, there must be an individual - a person with a will. A person - in this case, the Supreme Person: The Person that Jesus is loving and serving - and teaching about.

"When anyone hears the message about the kingdom ...” (Matt. 13:18-23)

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. What was sown on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. What was sown among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matt. 13:18-23)

What is Jesus describing?

Jesus is explaining the parable of the farmer and the seed discussed earlier.

The subject of Jesus' explanation - and the symbolism of "the seed" is the "word." What is the "word"? "Word" here is translated from the Greek word λόγος (logos), which means "doctrine, teaching" according to the lexicon. Jesus is speaking of his teachings here - his teachings that are ultimately coming from the Supreme Being:
“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me." (John 7:16)

What does 'Sown within the heart' mean?

What is 'sown'? To sow means to plant something that will grow. This is a reference to farming. When a seed is sown, it is planted into the ground. After the seed and the ground are watered, the seed begins to sprout. Once it sprouts, it begins to produce its own fruit and seeds, which then can be planted.

The word "heart" - translated from the Greek word καρδία (kardia) - isn't referring to the organ that pumps blood through the body. It is referring to the mind and the spiritual self within. Jesus is referring to this process of hearing and then understanding, and taking that teaching within the heart. This helps us make decisions about our direction in life.
"But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it."
Thus, when Jesus says, "what is sown within the heart," he is speaking of hearing and understanding those teachings from God, and taking those teachings into one's life and practicing them.

Who is the 'evil one'?

Jesus also describes the “evil one,” as one who takes away (or "snatches") what is "sown in the heart." Who is the "evil one" and how can he snatch what is "sown in the heart"?

Many assume there is a person who is out of God's control who influences us to do bad things. Many like to blame this person - calling him satan - for the decisions that we make in our lives.

It is important to understand that the Supreme Being never loses control. As has been described by some institutions and their teachers, God does not have an adversary that can interrupt His will. If He did, He would not be the Supreme Being

Therefore, we must accept that the “evil one” is not God's enemy. It is part of God's creation and design to allow us to challenge those teachings "sown in the heart."

The phrase “evil one,” is being translated from the Greek word πονηρός (ponēros) - which means "full of labors, annoyances, hardships;" and "bad, of a bad nature or condition."

In other words, Jesus is not describing a single person - "evil one" here - he is describing something "bad" or "evil" and "full of hardships."

What is Jesus describing? The physical world and the various illusions and hardships that exist here. He is also describing self-centeredness - which gives rise to greed and lust - as the physical world is a facility that permits us to exercise our self-centeredness.

How did we get stuck here?

We are not these physical bodies. These temporary bodies are simply vehicles we drive around for a while. And just as a car breaks down, after a few decades, our physical bodies break down and die, and then we leave them. And just as a computer icon allows a person to access the virtual world of a video game, our physical body allows us to access the virtual reality of the physical world.

And just as the video game is basically just a computer program made up of 0s and 1s, the physical world is an illusory field made up of floating molecules that go from one structure to another. And what we see with our eyes is simply light reflected off of these molecules.

In other words, while the physical world is real - and molecules are real - this physical world has the illusion of permanence. It is not stable. It is not permanent. Everything is changing all around us. It is like the ground is moving underneath us - but worse. Everything is moving. Molecules are being exchanged and rearranged around us constantly.

And those forms of this world - like the physical bodies of our family and friends - are also changing, just as our body is constantly changing. Within five years every molecule in the body has been replaced by a new molecule. As such, our bodies are recycling molecules as they head towards death.

But this illusory nature of the physical world has been programmed in by the Supreme Being. He created this illusion of permanence. Why? To allow the spirit-person - each of us - to exercise our desires for independence as well as provide a learning experience.

Why were we created?

The Supreme Being created each of us - as spirit-persons - to love and serve Him. We each have a unique and innate loving service relationship with Him. But because love requires freedom, we each also have the freedom to love Him or not.

So what happens to those who choose not to love Him? Those of us who decided not to love Him are given a facility to virtually be away from Him. Even though He's the Supreme Being and He is everywhere, He created a virtual dimension where those within it don't have to see Him.

So He gave us these physical bodies that are not able to see or perceive Him or the spiritual world. They are like blinders that prevent us from seeing what is around us. In this way, He has allowed us to escape Him and escape our real selves. With the facility of the mind and the senses, we are able to completely forget our identity as His loving servant, and pretend to be someone we are not.

One might compare this situation with a teenager having his own video game software and equipment. The teenager can be inside the parent's house. But when he turns on the video game he can completely forget where he is physically and immerse himself inside the video game.

In the same way, we are spirit-persons who are temporarily occupying a virtual physical body, which allows us to forget our spiritual self.

Using these facilities of this virtual world, we get to achieve mundane physical accomplishments and proclaim our own greatness. We can pretend that we are accomplished and skilled. We get to exercise our self-centeredness and see ourselves as the center of the universe. We get to pretend that we are the boss - of our children, our pets, our subordinates at work, or otherwise.

In other words, the facilities of the physical world allow us to pretend that we are the supreme being of our lives.

And many so-called religious philosophies accommodate this illusion. Some teach that God is just there to serve us and do whatever we want Him to do. Others teach that we are god. Either way, these are accommodating our desire to be the center of the universe, with everything revolving around us.

Interestingly, the philosophy that teaches we are god states that we created everything and everyone around us for our own enjoyment. This is actually the ultimate - or epitome - of our need to escape reality and the authority of the Supreme Being.

And this facility - this illusory facility of the physical world - with its various philosophies and grand illusion that the physical forms and things of this world will bring us happiness - is the thing that will "snatch" away the teachings that may be "sown within the heart."

In other words, the illusory nature of the physical world has the ability to dissuade us from understanding and/or practicing the teachings of Jesus. Why?

To continue to allow us to pretend that we are supreme. To continue to allow us to live in the illusion that this is our permanent home and we will be happy if we just get that one more thing.

In other words, we aren't ready to return to our loving service relationship with the Supreme Being.

So the Supreme Being accommodates our inner consciousness. The ability of the illusory nature of the physical world to snatch away our understanding of the teachings of Jesus is, in the end, our own inner desire not to return home.

Who is the 'sower'?

The sower in Jesus' parable is the messenger of the Supreme Being, who is trying to plant the loving message of God in our hearts. And what is this message? God is calling us back home to Him.

The Supreme Being wants us to return to Him out of our own free will. He wants us to freely decide to give up our rebellious nature and return to the loving relationships (with Him and His children) that we were created for and will fulfill us, instead of continuing our self-centered lives in this lonely physical world.

This is expressed in Jesus' most important teaching:
" '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)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed ...’” (Matthew 13:25-29)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from? ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:25-29)

How is this different from the previous farmer sowing seed parable?

Notice that Jesus told a similar parable in Matthew 13:3-9. Both of these discuss a farmer that sows seeds. What is the difference between these two parables?

This parable discusses an enemy that came when the farmer was sleeping and planted weeds. The farmer and seed parable in Matthew 13:3-9 - the first one - discusses the outcome related to planting seeds in different environments.

The first parable is comparing the nature of the soil to the nature of our heart when we hear the Truth. A person who hears the Truth with a calloused heart will not allow the Truth to grow within their heart. But a person who is soft-hearted and seeking the Truth will receive the Truth with an open mind and allow the Truth to grow.

In this parable, Jesus is discussing our choices in life and the consequences of our choices. Let's discuss this meaning further.

What does Jesus mean by 'the kingdom of heaven'?

When Jesus says “The kingdom of heaven is like ...” he is not speaking of a physical place.

The word "kingdom" here is being translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia). Here is what the lexicon states regarding its meaning: "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule: not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

Jesus is speaking of the Supreme Being's dominion - His ultimate authority. So the kingdom of heaven relates to the consciousness of accepting the ultimate authority and dominion of the Supreme Being. This means essentially taking shelter or sanctuary in God.

During ancient times, tribal kings fought with each other over territory and people. This meant that in order to be protected, a common person had to choose to take allegiance from a particular king - in order to gain that protection. This was essentially taking refuge of that particular king.

This is what Jesus is alluding to - except that he is requesting that people seek the refuge and protection of the Supreme Being: By accepting His authority and dominion.

This also means accepting our own position as one of God's loving servants.

Do we have freedom of choice?

Some teach that our fate is sealed and we have no choices in life. Others teach that life is chaotic and there is no ultimate meaning.

Rather, this life is a teaching opportunity. Physical reality teaches us. Here we have the freedom to make certain choices in life, and those choices, and the actions we take, have consequences. It is these consequences that provide learning experiences for us.

Ultimately, we have taken on physical bodies in this environment to learn about love and our innate loving relationship with God.

Our issue ("the enemy" in Jesus' parable) is that we have become self-centered. As a result, the Supreme Being allowed us to exercise our self-centeredness by taking on a temporary physical body and exert our self-centeredness onto others to be someone we are not. At the same time, this world is designed to teach us the futility of self-centeredness.

This is because most of us in the physical world want to be the center of the universe. So our loving Friend God gave us a place where we could play that out. He is allowing us to pretend to be the center. Now the question is, how do we return home, back to our loving relationship with Him?

What are the metaphors of Jesus' parable?

The “man” and “owner” of the field symbolizes the Supreme Being. The field is His, and this is His creation.

The "owner's servants" and "harvesters" are the Supreme Being's loving servants and messengers, such as Jesus, as Jesus himself admits:
"My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him Who sent me." (John 7:16)
We have to remember that God’s representative is doing God’s will. This is why the "servants" ask the "owner" what to do about the "weeds."

The “seed” is the teachings of God that originate from the Supreme Being, and are passed out by God's messengers. For those who desire to return home, these seeds plant within the heart and hopefully grow until they mature into the flower of love for God.

The “enemy” is our self-centered desires - and the attractions of the physical world that reflect these desires.

The “sleep” represents our forgetfulness of the Supreme Being, and have our own self-interest in mind.

The “weeds” represent those who follow their self-centered lives and the speculations of the mind - ultimately those who choose not to return to their relationship with the Supreme Being.

Those who choose to return to our innate loving service relationship with the Supreme Being are guided back to Him - symbolized by the "harvesters." How does that work? Jesus described it here:
"If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:17-18)
In other words, those who decide to return to their loving service relationship with the Supreme Being are given the understanding that allows them to determine who is speaking the truth. By following those teachings, they are guided back to Him.

Why didn't the owner pull the weeds?

Notice that in Jesus' parable, the "owner" didn't have the servants pull the weeds. He allowed them to keep growing.

This illustrates that the Supreme Being gives us the freedom to continue to grow, even if we are self-centered. We always are given the choice to love or not love, and to have a change of heart. This is freedom, because love without freedom is not real love, and the Supreme Being wants real love. This is why fanatical teachers and their institutions cannot represent the Supreme Being.

The burning of the weeds at harvest relates to the eventual outcome of our choices. Those who choose not to return to their loving service relationship with the Supreme Being will continue their self-centered existence.

But with that, they must also accept the hardships of the physical world in this lifetime and the next - that place where everyone else is also self-centered. This is a miserable and lonely existence - a place symbolized by "burning" because the emptiness inside (having lost our loving relationship with God) produces the burning of lust and greed, which can translate to anger and violence if stoked.

But for those who are serious about returning to our unique loving service relationship with the Supreme Being - His "harvesters" can teach us the tools to learn to love Him and serve Him again:
" '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)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed ...” (Matthew 13:31-32)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

Why a 'mustard seed'?

Jesus was likely referring to the black mustard seed here. While the yellow mustard seed will typically only produce a small bush-like plant, the black mustard seed will produce a tree. This tree - translated from the Greek σίναπι (sinapi) - was cultivated in the Middle East for centuries - Brassica nigra (black mustard). The seeds were used as a spice - called senafitch. The seeds were also considered medicinal.

These plants also grew profusely, even in the dryest regions. They are hardy and drought-tolerant.

This is why Jesus utilized the mustard plant in his analogy. He is speaking of something that will grow profusely within our hearts if we let it, and will readily grow even if there are weeds that surround. It will also grow into a large, strong tree.

Furthermore, this mustard tree will eventually become large enough to provide shelter to others who want to find shade from the sun. This completes the analogy because someone who lets the seed of love for God develop within their hearts will at some point be able to offer aid to others who need shelter from the challenges of the material world.

What does this have to do with the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus is comparing the development of a loving service relationship between the living being and the Supreme Being - which is the foundation of the kingdom of heaven.

The word "kingdom" is translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia), which means, according to the lexicon, "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

Jesus is not referring to a physical place here. He is referring to a particular consciousness: The consciousness relating to our relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is because love for God has a humble beginning, and starts with a simple introduction by God's representative. Here we see that Jesus is representing the Supreme Being as he taught his students.

What is the meaning of being the 'smallest' of seeds?

There are two aspects of the concept of the small seed to be compared here. One is the fact that the introduction to the Personality of the Supreme Being simply requires a humble process of learning. It is not a grand ceremony. While the baptism or initiation process is often considered ceremonial and symbolic, the real introduction to the Supreme Being takes place within our heart as we begin to open up our eternal relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is precisely what Jesus asked his disciples and students to do. He taught them directly through words, and set an example by his actions.

He then instructed them to follow in his footsteps and go out and teach others what he taught them. This is the process of passing on the teachings of love for God.

What is the 'largest of garden plants'?

Jesus' metaphor, the "largest of garden plants" refers to accomplishing the greatest task within the physical world - coming to know and love the Supreme Being.

Love of God is the "largest of garden plants"  because it accomplishes everything our heart is seeking. Love of God is fulfilling to us, and it also yields benefits for anyone that comes into contact, because love of God is infectious. 

Following the introduction to the Supreme Being, we can begin the practice of sincerely worshiping and serving the Supreme Being, following in Jesus' footsteps. Gradually, this allows us to develop our own relationship with the Supreme Being. This is the process of growth that Jesus discusses here.

What does it mean that 'birds come and perch'?

Naturally, as a person’s love for the Supreme Being grows, they also begin caring and loving others - the other children of the Supreme Being - our brothers and sisters.

Loving God and loving others provides shelter for others. This means others seek the shade and protection of having a loving relationship with God.

Because of the love the Supreme Being has for each of us, a person whose innate love for the Supreme Being begins to blossom will automatically begin to care about the other children of the Supreme Being.

They begin to care for the Supreme Being and what pleases the Supreme Being. As this care increases, the tree of loving service to the Supreme Being may cause the Supreme Being to empower that person to teach to others.

This teaching provides shelter to others because each of us is lonely and empty without our innate loving service relationship with the Supreme Being.

The original seed given by God and His messenger eventually sprouts into a plant within the heart of the student. Then - if properly watered and protected - this seed grows into the tree of love for God. This tree eventually offers fruit and shelter for others, because only the Supreme Being can truly give us shelter.


“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast ...” (Matthew 13:33)

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Matthew 13:33)

Why another parable about the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus is continuing with his parables regarding the nature of the spiritual realm.

Remember, the word "kingdom" is translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia), which means, according to the lexicon, "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

Jesus is not referring to a physical place here. He is referring to a particular consciousness. The consciousness relating to our relationship with the Supreme Being.

So we must ask, why would Jesus continually speak about the kingdom of God with parables? The answer lies in the fact that the subject matter - spiritual consciousness - is not easily understood by the physical mind. The mind maintains a collection of images, sounds, and other sensual information taken from the physical world. The Supreme Being is therefore not able to be perceived by the physical senses.

Therefore it is difficult to understand spiritual consciousness - one's relationship with the Supreme Being - with the physical mind. Using parables allowed Jesus to compare aspects of the spiritual realm with certain parts of the physical world.

What does 'yeast' represent?

Here Jesus compares the spiritual realm to the blending of yeast throughout a dough. Is he saying the spiritual realm is like bread? 

Certainly not. He is focusing on the action of yeast as it mixes into the dough. Yeast allows the dough to rise and expand in order to make bread. Without the yeast, there could be no bread. The dough would not have any activity - or life - to produce the dough's rise.

The “yeast” is the relationship of love that exists between God and each of His children. This is the essence of the spiritual realm and the driver for the growth of our own spiritual life.

In the spiritual realm - spiritual consciousness - the spirit-person (each of us is a spirit-person) is separate from our temporary physical body. And each spirit-person has a unique loving service relationship with the Supreme Being.

This relationship is reciprocated by the Supreme Being. In the spiritual realm, in other words, there is a reciprocation of love between God and His children.

Jesus is comparing this to the mixing of dough and yeast because this relationship gives rise to pleasing the Supreme Being, which pleases the living being who loves the Supreme Being.

This is an escalating situation because as our love increases, we increasingly please the Supreme Being. Pleasing God, in turn, pleases those who love God, which again pleases God.

In our original position, we were created by God to share this love with Him. This is why we are always chasing the perfect loving relationship here on earth.

What is the 'dough'?

The "dough" in Jesus' metaphor represents the essence of the soul. When considered from a societal perspective, it represents the culture or society.

In this way, Jesus is suggesting that just a little love for God will spread through the soul as we receive reciprocity from God. This love will then spread through our entire being and activities.

This metaphor can also represent all of society as well. When love of God is taught, it begins to spread within that society.

Real love of God requires the freedom not to. The Supreme Being gave each of us the freedom to choose to love Him or not. Those of us who chose not to love Him were sent to the physical world to allow us to exercise our freedom and to learn lessons about love and relationships.

Even in this overtly self-centered physical realm, we can see that love is the still most important aspect of each of our lives. All living beings need love. If we do not exchange a loving relationship with God, we seek our love within the temporary forms of the physical world. We seek loving relationships with our physical families, spouses, friends, social media accounts, fans, or fellow organization members.

All of these efforts are futile, however. We cannot be satisfied with these temporary physical relationships. This is why we keep looking for love outside of the relationships we already have. Even those with large extended families find themselves looking around for that perfect unconditional loving relationship. This is because the unconditional loving relationship we are looking for is our original loving relationship with the Supreme Being.

This loving relationship with God is the yeast of our dough. The yeast is the unconditional love that exists between God and His children. No living being can be happy without this unconditional love from the Supreme Being. Without our personal relationship with God, there is no happiness and no real life: just as there can be no real bread from flour without yeast.

“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man ..." (Matthew 13:37-40)

“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:37-40)

Who are the 'sons of the kingdom'?

Jesus makes this statement after the disciples asked him to explain the parable he told the crowd about the weeds in the field. Here Jesus confirms the relationships described previously.

Remember that we've shown that in this context, the Greek word υἱός (huios) is not best translated to "son", but, as taken from the Greek lexicon, "one who depends on another or is his follower." Thus “devoted follower” or even "loving servant" would be the most appropriate translation within this context. So when we see the translation "son of God" in the Bible, this is more appropriately translated to "loving servant of God" or "devoted follower of God."

This also fits with that puzzling translation, "Son of Man." How could someone be simultaneously the "son of God" and the "Son of Man," and what the heck is a 'Son of Man' anyway? Rather (using the correct translation of υἱὸς (huios) as "loving servant") we can properly translate Jesus' self-ascription as the “servant of humanity,” because he was devoted to the welfare of humanity, as well as being a loving servant of God.

This only makes sense. Jesus is God’s loving servant and representative. He is teaching humankind the Truth about God and life. As his mission is the welfare of humanity, he is thus humbly ascribing himself to be the servant of humanity.

This also explains why Jesus is using "Son of Man" [servant of humanity] in the third person. Who speaks like this? Does a person named John say, "the one who planted the field was John" when they planted it? No. They will simply say, "I planted the field."

Thus we can see that Jesus is referring to "Son of Man" [servant of humanity] as a role, rather than exclusively himself. Yes, he is saying - as confirmed elsewhere - that indeed, he is occupying this role. But he is also recognizing - as he often quoted Moses, David, and other prophets - that others have also occupied this role.

Jesus is planting the “seeds” of love for God and loving service to the Supreme Being. Here the translation says “the good seed stands for the sons [loving servants] of the kingdom.” This confirms the proper translation of “loving servants” rather than “sons.” How could anyone be a son of a kingdom? We are talking about those who are servants of God. A servant of God is one who loves and cares for God and all of God’s children. They are therefore being a “servant of the kingdom.”

Loving service to God and His children is the essence of the kingdom of God. The word translated to "kingdom" here is βασιλεία (basileia), which does not mean a physical kingdom. As described in the lexicon, it refers to "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom." Thus Jesus is speaking of God's authority or dominion and the consciousness that respects that authority and dominion.

Who is the 'evil one'?

The phrase “evil one,” is translated from πονηρός (ponēros), which means full of labors, annoyances, hardships" and "bad, of a bad nature or condition." Thus Jesus is not referring to a separate person. He is describing a particular consciousness. What is that consciousness?

It is the consciousness of rejecting our relationship with the Supreme Being. It is the consciousness of self-centeredness, resulting in greed, lust, and consequential hardships.

What is the 'end of the age'?

Sectarian interpretations would have us believe Jesus is describing someday in the future where Jesus will return and separate those who follow his teachings and throw the rest into a fiery hell.

Actually, the concept of the "end of the age" that Jesus is referring to is the moment of death. For each of us, this is the end of the time we have spent within the physical body - the end of the age. Our bodies age, and then there is the end of the aging - death.

When our body dies, the living being (or soul) leaves the body. This is why the body decomposes. After we leave this body we will continue on our educational journey as a soul. The "end of the age" of this lifetime is the time of death.

Each of us is on our own personal journey. The goal is to grow spiritually. This physical lifetime is meant to teach us lessons and help us to learn to love. Should we learn these lessons and learn to love we will progress. Otherwise, we will return to continue our learning experiences.

Where will they 'throw them'?

The concept of the 'fiery furnace' is metaphorical. Jesus is not referring literally to a furnace. It is not as if there is a big furnace somewhere where people are thrown into.

Actually, we will each leave these physical bodies at the time of death. But it is where we go and what happens to us that can be analogous to the concept of a fiery furnace.

Jesus is speaking about consequences. This physical world is designed for each of us to learn from our past through consequences. If we harm others, we must experience what we caused to others. This helps us learn.

If we do not suffer consequences during this lifetime, we will have to take on another body and suffer those consequences in another body.

This is why, for example, some babies are born into situations of suffering. A soul may be born into the body of a human or another type of body. Each body is subjected to a particular range of environmental exposure - good and bad - depending upon that soul's past activities.

These kinds of exposures can inflict the kind of painful response that Jesus is referring to. Jesus is referring to consequences - suffering as a result of harming others.

The "fiery furnace" that Jesus is referring to is the fear, violence, and bloodshed that could exist for any of us in a future lifetime of consequence.

The human form of life is a life of consciousness, and a bridge back to our relationship with God should we use it correctly.

At the point of death, the spirit-person rises out of the body (as confirmed scientifically by thousands of clinical death experiences). Where we go next is determined by our consciousness and our activities. We make the choice.

Have the early teachings of Jesus been corrupted?

There is a significant amount of evidence that Jesus taught the transmigration of the soul (living being) from the body. This is the meaning of resurrection. To resurrect means to rise up from the physical body. The spirit-self will rise from the body at the time of death. Where it does is determined by the consciousness and activities of that spirit-person.

There is undeniable evidence that this was also taught among the early Christian and Jewish philosophies. We find distinct writings of Origen Adamantius (185-254), an early Christian scholar and devoted theologian. Origen was favored and honored by early Christian bishops and even though he was murdered by the Romans in 250 AD, today he is recognized as one of the earliest fathers of the Christian Church.

Origin's many writings and translations of the ancient Hebrew texts and the texts of the new testament clearly expounded an accepted understanding that we are each a soul (spirit) who is evolving and transmigrating through multiple lifetimes of physical bodies. As we evolve, he taught, we either ascend towards a return to God or descend away from Him into the bodies of beasts and lower forms of life.

As the soul perfects its relationship with God, Origen wrote, the soul would return home to God. His writings illustrated that not only did he believe in the “pre-existence of souls” but gauging by his acceptance among early Christian society, many other Christian scholars of that time agreed with this teaching. Where did it come from if not the teachings of Jesus?

Origen also compiled the famous Hexapla, which was a translation of six versions of the Old Testament, compared side by side in order to elucidate the core meanings from these various versions. It is thought that the LXX and Septuagint evolved from the passage of one of Origen’s columns, which still makes up the backbone of many Old Testament translations used by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Origen’s perspectives were pervasively embraced within the early Church and throughout Alexandria during the third century, and even were reflected in many of St. Augustine's writings.

Did the Roman Emperor shut it down?

This all changed in the fourth century, however. The Roman Emperor Constantine organized the First Council of Nicaea with Bishop Eusebius. This politically oriented council is also referred to as the Synod of Nicene of 325 AD.

This and the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 put together by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II, led to the creation of the Roman Catholic Church.

These and other councils were organized by the Roman government to develop a political culture among the bishops and priests from churches throughout Europe and the Middle East. These councils were formed with political intention - to organize the Christian world under Rome.

They were designed to define the teachings of Jesus so the populace could be controlled. The councils voted on and established doctrines and interpretations of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. They defined who Jesus was and what his role was. As if Jesus' teachings could be defined through political negotiation.

The Romans also made the final approval on which "books" of the Bible were acceptable. They oversaw the creation of the "Bible" as we know it today. There were, evidenced by scrolls found in the desert centuries later, many other descriptions of Jesus' life and teachings. Yet under the management of the Romans, only certain manuscripts were accepted and others were destroyed and otherwise removed from the record.

The Roman Emperor Constantine appointed Eusebius to organize this process and select a team of translators, who edited the translations of the 'authorized' books of the Bible. They deleted some verses and manipulated others to achieve a final text known as the Vaticanus, laying the foundation for what we now know as the Bible.

This is why the life and teachings of Jesus often seem very curious, with many gaps and a narrow period of his life. The rest was excluded for political purposes.

Still, we can find that many of Jesus' statements still reflect at least part of his total teachings, even if they are a bit obscured by the translations. In other words, God made sure that enough of Jesus' real teachings were preserved, enabling those with the vision to understand their meaning.

While the politically-driven councils of sectarian institutions would like us to believe otherwise, the "harvest" Jesus refers to comes at the time of death - the end of our "age."
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
Jesus is saying that at the time of death, the sum of our consciousness will carry us to our next destination. Those who have lived lives focused upon God return to Him and His personal spiritual kingdom. This is the dimension of love and loving service, where there is no fear, and only love. This is our home. This is where we belong.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field... ” (Matthew 13:44)

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
The renewed relationship of love with the Supreme Being by the living being is likened to a treasure that is being hidden.

What does 'like treasure hidden' mean?

Remember that "kingdom" is translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia) which means, according to the lexicon, "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

This means that "kingdom" relates to the consciousness of perceiving the Supreme Being's greatness. This takes place as a person comes to know and love the Supreme Being. Once we rediscover and embrace our relationship with Him, we become fulfilled.

But why would a relationship with God be hidden?

Because our true identity and true relationship with the Supreme Being is hidden from those of us in the physical world. We are not these physical bodies. We are spiritual in essence, and we were created to be the Supreme Being's loving servants and playmates.

But because love is based on freedom, the Supreme Being gives each of us the choice to love Him or not. He never forces us. And those of us who chose not to love Him were given a physical body in the physical world in order to escape from Him. These bodies give us a false identity and this dimension combined with the nature of our senses and mind allows our true relationship with Him to be hidden from us.

Consider what Jesus said as he considered and wept over the people of Jerusalem:
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:42)
And how he praised God:
“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." (Matthew 11:25)
"Children" here refers to those who humbly wish to revive their relationship with the Supreme Being.

And when our true relationship with the Supreme Being is revealed, it becomes a treasure to us because it fulfills us.

Each of us is desperately looking for fulfillment and true love within the physical world. Yet we never seem to find it. Even our family and spouse relationships do not fulfill us. This is why we perpetually seek that perfect soul mate. And those who seem like our soul mate also don't fulfill our quest for the perfect person. We soon realize their faults, and even if we settle down with this person and learn to tolerate those faults, we know deep inside that we didn't find the person we were looking for.

This is why so many people mistakenly go outside marriage in search for the perfect person. They are still thinking they will find the perfect person in this world. They won't. They will only find others who are also full of faults, just as we have. They will basically trade one set of faults for another, producing heartache on the way.

The answer is simple: the Supreme Being is our soul mate. He is the perfect person we have been looking for.

He is everything we expect in a soul mate. He is loving, kind, generous, strong, and beautiful.

Why did the man hide it again?

Why would the man hid the treasure after he found it? When a person living within the physical world comes to realize His eternal relationship with the Supreme Being, he will need to hide it away from others in order to remain living within the physical world.

Once we have a taste of the spiritual fulfillment of loving the Supreme Being, we cannot get enough. We never get tired of it. We must return to it constantly, and we must protect it. So we hide it.

Such a relationship is a spiritual relationship, and the people of this world - who are scrambling for fulfillment within the forms and things of the physical world - will not understand this relationship. Thus it must be hidden from view.

What does 'in his joy' mean?

The word "joy" is translated from the Greek word χαρά (chara), which refers to "gladness" or "joy" specifically related to a relationship: "of persons who are one's joy" according to the lexicon.

Once a person has a taste of the joy derived from their relationship with the Supreme Being it is so complete that the person will give everything up in order to continue to embrace that relationship. It is completely fulfilling, so the forms and things of this world have little meaning.

Gradually, as our love for the Supreme Being increases, we become increasingly prepared to make sacrifices to please Him. In the perfect stage of love for God, we are ready to sacrifice everything to retain that relationship with the Supreme Being.

This level of commitment is rare indeed. Jesus illustrated this type of commitment as he was willing to give up his physical body. He was willing to sacrifice his physical body in order to please the Supreme Being. Consider Jesus' desire to please God:
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)
And consider what he prayed just before he was arrested (right at the time he could have run off and avoided the arrest):
“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)


“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking ...” (Matthew 13:45-46)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)
Jesus' continues his teachings regarding the spiritual realm and one's relationship with the Supreme Being. The word "again" - taken from the Greek πάλιν (palin) - means "again, i.e. further, moreover;" and "in turn, on the other hand" according to the lexicon. So Jesus is furthering this discussion to clarify the meaning of the "kingdom of heaven."

What does this parable mean?

"... the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant ..."

Remember that the "kingdom of heaven" is not a physical location. The word "kingdom" is translated from βασιλεία (basileia) - which refers to "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

This means it refers to the consciousness of accepting the dominion and superior nature of the Supreme Being. It means taking the refuge or sanctuary of the Supreme Being.

What does the 'merchant' symbolize?

A merchant in Jesus' times was a trader or a shopkeeper. A person who bought and sold stuff. So when a merchant is looking for fine pearls, he is looking for something exquisite: Something extraordinary.

This represents someone who is looking for spiritual happiness. The word "fine" is being translated from the Greek word καλός (kalos), which means "beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable; beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent" according to the lexicon.

Jesus is teaching that we are all looking for happiness, but we are looking in the wrong place. We think that the temporary forms and things of the physical world will bring us happiness, but they don't. They simply bring emptiness. Why don't they?

Because we are not of this world. We are not these physical bodies. We are each spiritual beings that occupy a physical body. We are eternal spirit-persons falsely identifying with a temporary physical body.

This becomes apparent as the body ages. When we look back at the body we see that it is changing, yet we feel like the same person. And science confirms that the physical body changes. 

It is estimated that within five years every molecule of the physical body will be recycled and replaced by new molecules. It is like looking at a waterfall. We might think it is the same waterfall but the water keeps changing. There is new water flowing all the time.

What is our constant?

So who is the constant person who occupied both the younger body and the body we have on now? This is who we are: Each of us is an individual spiritual being - originally created by the Supreme Being to love and serve Him.

But He also gave us the freedom to love Him or not. This is why some of us are here in this physical world - because we decided we didn't want to love and serve the Supreme Being. We decided we wanted to love and serve ourselves. We became self-centered, in other words.

So the Supreme Being gave us these temporary physical bodies and allowed us to forget Him - so that we could escape Him. This is the ultimate in love and kindness. The Supreme Being doesn't force us - He allows those who want to be away from Him that opportunity.

But because He is always around, He had to create a virtual reality - to hide Himself from us. This is the physical world.

This only means that as soon as we truly decide we want to return to our loving relationship with Him, we can return to Him in the form of renewing our relationship with Him.

This is what Jesus is speaking about with this parable. The merchant represents each of us - as we are 'trading' the goods of the physical world - but always looking for happiness.

What does 'great value' mean?

Finding a pearl "of great value" represents rediscovering our eternal relationship with the Supreme Being. This relation is always there, but currently it is covered up because of our self-centeredness.

Imagine seeing a new car completely covered in mud. Does it look new? Hardly. But the new car is still there under the mud. Once the mud is taken off the car looks new again.

Why did the merchant 'sell everything'?

The fine pears of Jesus' parable represent one's relationship with the Supreme Being. Once a person truly rediscovers this relationship, they become willing to sacrifice everything to grow that relationship and maintain that relationship.

This is the reason we find so much sacrifice by devoted saints and apostles through the centuries. Those who rediscovered their loving relationship with the Supreme Being (the kingdom of heaven) are willing to give up everything in order to pursue that relationship.

This is also the meaning of Jesus' own sacrifices. Jesus gave up everything to teach about God. He made the ultimate sacrifice and allowed his body to be killed on behalf of his teachings.

Some see the crucifixion of Jesus as a vehicle for our salvation - a self-centered proposition. This allows us to miss the real meaning of Jesus' sacrifice.

The misrepresentation of Jesus' sacrifice is quite obvious in some cases. For example, some have given the day that Jesus was tortured and persecuted the name "Good Friday." What is so "good" about the murder of the physical body of the Supreme Being's most beloved messenger?

A true follower of Jesus would be saddened on this day.

Easter has become a secular holiday that reflects on a history of spring celebrations. The Easter "holiday" is primarily based on a springtime holiday of a Teutonic goddess of fertility known as Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur and similar names. These names were derived from the word for springtime, "Eastre." 

The celebration of Easter is thus comingled and derived from this pagan holiday. Yes, the crucifixion verses about Jesus do appear to occur during a period known as the Jewish Passover. So there is evidence that the approximate timing is there.

Interestingly, the math may be confused regarding Jesus having "risen from the dead" on the third day. If Jesus was crucified on Friday, then Sunday would be the second day, not "the third day." 

Saturday is one day away from Friday and Sunday is two days from Friday. Sure, we can assume that Friday is the first day, but that is not typically how days are counted. With such a counting system, there would be eight days in a seven-day week.

Besides the date being at large, the typical Easter celebration is offensive. Easter egg hunts, chocolate Easter bunnies, and so many other materialistic rituals create a forgetfulness regarding Jesus' sacrifice.

Surely Jesus is offended with such celebrations, including his reappearance to his disciples.

The meaning of Jesus' allowing his physical body to be tortured is being described in this parable. Such a sacrifice is part of Jesus' loving service relationship with the Supreme Being. As such, His loving messenger will sacrifice everything to please Him. Consider how Jesus wanted to please the Supreme Being:
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)
Jesus illustrates how pleasing the Supreme Being was his life and soul. This is because Jesus was in love with the Supreme Being. Isn't this what motivated Jesus to teach, and motivated him to suffer due to those teachings.

This is because a loving relationship with the Supreme Being is so satisfying, so blissful, and so fulfilling, that a person becomes willing to give everything up to maintain that relationship once it is discovered.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net ...” (Matthew 13:47-51)

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:47-51)

What does the 'net' symbolize in Jesus' analogy?

Here Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a net let down to catch fish. Why a net? A net symbolizes the effort that the Supreme Being makes to bring us back to Him. 

In more practical terms, the net descends at the death of the physical body. Every physical body will die. At the time of death the soul, the spirit-person, will leave the physical body and ascend into the realm of the spirit.

It is here that our consciousness and activities during this lifetime are accounted for. This moment, also characterized as "judgment day" is compared by Jesus to the fishermen sorting out the fish.

Notice that the "bad" fish are "thrown away" in Jesus' parable. What does "thrown away" mean? 

Since the fishermen are on the shore, it means the fish are thrown back into the water.

This is particularly important because Jesus then compares the fishermen separating the fish with angels who will separate the "wicked from the righteous."

In this case, Jesus describes how the angels will treat the "wicked." He says they will, "throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

What does this mean from a practical standpoint?

How will the 'angels come and separate the wicked'?

Once we leave our physical body at the time of death, each of us is sorted according to our consciousness and activities carried out during our lifetimes, just as the fishermen sorted the fish in Jesus' parable: "Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away."

The concept of the fish being "thrown away" in Jesus' analogy means those fish were thrown back into the water. In the same way, those who have not attempted to develop a more spiritual, loving consciousness, and growing closer to God will need more development. This means we will be tossed back into the physical world to continue learning.

Yes, this physical world is set up for learning. We are each given a physical body that is equipt for experiencing physical pleasure and physical pain. This accompanies a mind that can experience psychological pleasure and psychological pain.

This physical world is designed as a place of consequences. This means consequences that reflect not only what effects we have had on others, (“as you sow, so shall you reap”) but also to our level of learning.

For example, a person may have committed a wrong against someone else and feels very sorry. They regret what they did. Such a person may still suffer consequences for that action. But the consequences will also be relative to the degree of learning they have experienced.

The purpose of consequences is not punitive. It is rehabilitative. A person who has empathy and understands the harm they have done and feels sorry, the consequences will reflect that.

But a person who commits a wrong against someone and does not feel they have done anything wrong will typically receive the brunt of the consequences. That is because they need to not only learn what they did was wrong. They will also need to learn what it was like bearing the brunt of what harm they caused to someone else.

This can also occur to some degree within many legal systems, as judges and juries will also take into account the remorse of the person on trial.

This is similar to the way consequences work on the physical world because this is a place designed by God to help us to grow spiritually - which means learning about love and how to love others. This is preparation for learning to redevelop our loving relationship with God.

If we have utilized our life to grow spiritually, then according to Jesus, we may not be "thrown away" - which means being put back into the physical world to begin another lifetime of learning.

What about the 'gnashing of teeth and weeping'?

What is the physics of this? The body is dead. The teeth are decomposing. How can decomposing teeth gnash? The eyes also decompose so there can be no weeping. 

The only way for this to occur is if the spirit-person is given a new body, complete with teeth that can “gnash” and eyes that can “weep.”

After the death of this body, the self-centered soul will be put back into another physical body in new circumstances. And what might those circumstances be? They will be specifically supplied in the form of a unique physical body and environment - designed precisely to learn certain lessons and face consequences for choices made in a previous lifetime.

This also answers that question posed by many about why there is suffering in the world. Why are some born into situations where they are subject to starvation, war, and rape, while others are born into wealthy families in relatively safe regions? Why are some born into healthy bodies and others born into sick or deformed bodies? Does this mean that God is not fair - they ask?

The Supreme Being is certainly fair. Those who are born into hellish situations are experiencing the consequences of what they inflicted upon others. They are experiencing suffering precisely as they caused others to suffer.

The Supreme Being set up a perfect system. We get put into precisely the situations we created for others when we had a choice. This is the true definition of "reaping what we have sown." This also allows the state of "gnashing of teeth and weeping" that Jesus is describing.

Each of us who occupies a physical body is living in a relative degree of hell, depending upon our consciousness and consequences from past activities. Our body is designed to teach us specific lessons. And whatever our body's physical suffering, it is caused by our previous choices and/or the lessons we need to learn.

But we are always offered a way out of this hellish dimension. This is Jesus' point.

Should we choose to use our lifetimes to re-develop our relationship with the Supreme Being, we will be like the "good fish" of Jesus' parable. 

What does the 'end of the age' mean?

What does Jesus mean by the “end of the age”? Many have speculated a point in time in the future where the world ends and everyone is judged and sent to their respective places. This "apocalypse" scenario has been predicted by preachers and priests for centuries yet the end of the world has not come yet. Were they lying to us?

The problem with this theory is: Where do all the people go who die before this "apocalypse" arrives? To cover this “end of the age” interpretation, ecclesiastical teachers and their institutions have conjured a speculative concept called “purgatory.” This concept assumes that people will just wait in a limbo state after they die, waiting for the “end of the age.”

This would mean, of course, that billions upon billions of people have been waiting in this limbo state for thousands of years (all the way back to the dawning of man?). This ridiculous postulation means that trillions of people are hanging out in this purgatory state, all waiting to be judged and waiting for the "second coming." What are they doing all this time? Is it like a big Cocoon movie or something? Does this really make sense? And where did Jesus (or any prophet) say this?

This concept of purgatory is simply speculation based upon mistranslated and misinterpreted text. The word "age" is translated from the Greek word αἰών (aiōn), which means, according to the lexicon: "period of time, age."

The "age" that Jesus is speaking of is the "age" related to the lifespan of those he is speaking to. What other "age" could he be speaking of? Isn't he speaking personally to people regarding their spiritual welfare? Certainly, Jesus is not a historian, speaking in terms of a certain future event in time, an event that would occur outside the timeframe of those he was speaking to.

Thus, the “end of the age” Jesus spoke of relates to that day each physical body dies. Each of our bodies have an “age” right? And there is a day and time when each body dies, right? At this point, it is the end of our aging, right? So it is merely logical to conclude that the “end of the age” for each of us is the day each of our bodies dies.

The event of bodily death is common to each of us. Every body must die. Therefore, each of us shares a common event: our bodies will die, and they will cease to age, and thus this is the "end of the age."

What takes place upon our leaving the body at the time of death? This has been confirmed among thousands of cases of clinical death: Once a person's body clinically dies, the person floats above the body, watching it as it lies at the deathbed. 

Jesus makes it clear in his statement that we are judged for our lifetimes and the angels will separate the "wicked from the righteous."

The word "righteous" comes from the Greek word δίκαιος (dikaios), which means "observing divine laws" according to the lexicon. The essence of "divine laws" according to Jesus and Moses is to love the Supreme Being with all our hearts and love others.

At the time of our body's death (the "end of the age") we will be able to leave this hellish dimension and return to the spiritual dimension. We will be carried back home by the angels into the loving arms of God, Who has been patiently awaiting our return to Him.

Why has this been misunderstood?

The key reason Jesus' statement has been misinterpreted is because of a lack of understanding regarding our identity. This is the key essence of Jesus' teachings:
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." (Matthew 10:27)

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

"The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 25:42 and Mark 14:39)

"But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke 12:5)
Jesus is clear: bodies do not dance on graves, nor do they wait in purgatory. They decompose. This is verified scientifically simply by digging up a buried body. In fact, during the body's lifetime, every molecule in our body is recycled at least every five years (also scientifically established).

This means the body we wear today is a different body we wore five years ago. What is constant? We still exist, yet our body is constantly changing composition. What remains unchanged is the living spirit - the person - the soul - who temporarily occupies the physical body for a temporary period of time (“the age”).

God knows that we will only be happy when we re-establish our loving relationship with Him. The net symbolizes His process of bringing us out of the physical world and bringing those who want to return to Him back home.

The kingdom of heaven is about our relationship with God. The word "kingdom" is translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia), meaning "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule; not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

Jesus is not referring to a physical location. He is referring to a particular consciousness. The consciousness of loving and serving the Supreme Being.