Today, though, you’ve got preachers and Bible scholars running around explaining Jesus’s teachings with biblical, historical, and allegorical references that you’d have to be a divinity student to understand.

Let’s get something straight . . . Jesus wasn’t preaching to Bible scholars and historians.  He expected the "average, everyday" guys and gals that heard him to understand exactly what he was talking about.

To get his point accross, he used parables and stories that even a dimwit like me could grasp.

But most Christian preachers and bible scholars can’t just keep it simple — ’cause if it was simple you’d get it in one sitting.  And if you got it in one sitting, you wouldn’t need to come back to the service every week.  And if you didn’t come to the service every week, you wouldn’t be around for them to keep collecting money.  And if they can’t collect money…

      …nuff said?

So you’ve got people who will do anything and everything they can to explain away the obvious; to complicate simple teachings ’cause the simple stuff just doesn’t make sense to them.

Of course, that’s nothing new.  The same stuff was happening in Jesus’s own time.  He called the scribes and pharasees "blind guides" ’cause they "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel" (you gotta just love this guy!).

The "camel" – the complicated, "hidden" teachings.

The "gnat" – the simple, straightforward, true understanding.

If I ever go on Fear Factor (a bizarre game show) and they have a stunt where I get to choose between eating a camel or a gnat, I’m doing the gnat thing.

How ’bout you?  Let’s be perfect.

"But, while the nature of THE ALL is Unknowable, there are certain truths connected with its existence which the human mind finds itself compelled to accept." The Kybalion

According to the Gospels (the Biblical books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Jesus spent a good part of his ministry trying to get people just like us – with closed minds and feet of clay – to open up their thinking and soar to knew heights. He came up with some great stories (scholars call ‘em parables) to illustrate the nature of God and the Kingdom of Heaven using the sort of common, everyday stuff our little brains can handle.

There’s also another tool we can use to "understand" the Unknowable. It’s got a fancy name – "intuitive reasoning" – but it works along the same lines as Jesus’ parables. There are some things that we intuitively know must be true – even when there’s no way anybody can prove ‘em. For instance:

• God is All Powerful (Omnipotent) There can’t be anything (or anybody) more powerful than God… period. Gotta be true – no question about it.  Now, this also means there can’t be any kind of power that isn’t God’s power ’cause – think about it – if you had power to do stuff outside of God’s power then it would mean you could do something God could not control. You’d have power "over" God which we’ve just figured out is a no-no.

• God is All Knowing (Omniscient) God has got to know everything there is to know.  If there was stuff God didn’t know then God would be ignorant – and I think we can all agree that ignorance is not a particularly godly trait.  So, by definition, God can’t be "surprised" by stuff ’cause that would constitute a "revelation" and there isn’t anything that God doesn’t know that can be revealed. Also, God must know everything that has happened (past), that is happening (present), and that will happen (future). If God didn’t know the "future", future events would come as a surprise or a revelation to God, which we’ve just said is not an option.

• God is Everywhere and Eternal (Omnipresent) God has to be everywhere because there can’t be anything that can limit, restrict, define, disturb, or condition God. If there was something that could do any of those things, that something would have power outside of God and we’d be in conflict with intuitive rule #1 – the All Powerful nature of God. God also has to be Eternal – everlasting - with no end.  God won’t have beginning either, ’cause if there’s a "before God", that would limit God by time, restricting God’s power, and again break the first rule of the All Powerfulness of God.

So there you have it – the nature of God:  All Powerful, All Knowing, Everywhere in space and time.

So?

Well, check out this next one… Sinful Perfection 

A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jerico (making him unquestionably Jewish) was attacked by thieves and left on the side of the road. Along comes a priest (Jewish) who sees the guy lying in the ditch, skips over to the other side of the road, and passes him by. Then a Levite (also Jewish) comes along and sees his homie bleeding to death on the side of the road and also passes him over. Finally, along comes this Samaritan who sees the victim’s plight, is moved with pity, picks him up, bandages his wounds, takes him to the nearest trauma center (a roadside inn) and promises the innkeeper that he’ll take care of the bill.

Most people know this as a great parable of love, compassion, and concern for our fellow man.

What most people don’t know is why Jesus told the story in the first place – and why he chose 3 Jews and a Samaritan.

See, a lawyer (yep, they were stirring things up back then too) asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life.

Jesus puts his teacher hat on and asks the lawyer "What is written in the law, lawyer?"

Now the lawyer’s all bent outta shape ’cause he’s on the spot, so he digs deep into his treasure of lawyer wisdom and replies with, "Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself." Adding under his breath, "Hot dang – I’m good!"

And Jesus answers, "Not bad, Brighteyes. You know the law – do what you already know it says and you’ll live forever."

Well, dang-it. That was an empty, unsatisfying no-win for the lawyer – so he goes in for the kill. "And, who is my neighbor?"

"Not a bad question", he thought; and you might think so too. But being who we are, we most often want to know who our neighbor is just so we can exclude anybody who isn’t. We need to know who’s "with us" so we can put up "no trespassing" signs for everybody else.

So, to answer the lawyer’s question, Jesus tells this really neat story – the one we know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Why the 3 Jews? ‘Cause he was speaking to Jews.

Why the Samaritan? ‘Cause Jews hated Samaritans. And Samaritans didn’t have too much love for Jews. It was a mutual hate-fest between the two.

The Samaritan that showed so much compassion to the Jewish stranger was stepping way, way, WAY out of bounds. The half-dead Jew wasn’t one of his own kind – not from his "hood". The crowd that heard this tale fully understood that the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable was showing love and compassion to a man that was, according to the standard wisdom, his enemy.

But, the teacher wasn’t done yet. He’d told a nifty story, but he was dealing a critical subject here – the "price" of everlasting life. Jesus took the lawyer’s question, spun it around, folded it up, flattened it out, and stood it on its head.

"Who then, of the three, was a neighbor to the guy that got mugged?"

It wasn’t the question the lawyer asked. For sure it wasn’t the one he wanted answered.

Lawyer-dude was looking for who his neighbor was so he’d know who to love – and who not to love.

This new question, with its answer so glaringly obvious, was about BEING a neighbor – not HAVING one.

And if you ARE a neighbor – then everybody is from your "hood".

Your next door neighbor. . . that’s your neighbor.

The guy behind you with the loud stereo. . . he’s your neighbor.

The woman with the strange accent, the guy with the thing wrapped around his head, the family that cooks the odd-smelling food. . . all your neighbors.

The idiot Republican/Democrat (you pick) that can’t seem to comprehend the obvious. . . your neighbor.

Tsunami, hurricane, earthquake victims. . . your neighbors.

Genocide victims in Darfur. . . your neighbors.

Terrorists, the Taliban, the insurgents in Iraq. . . yep, you got it.

If you really ARE a neighbor, it’s the only answer you can have to Jesus’ question.

So, it’s truly up to us: "Who is my neighbor?" or "Am I a neighbor?" Which question will you ask?

You choose, and Let’s be Perfect.

The second coming’s come and gone.

I know some of you are expecting a bolt of lightning to vaporize your screen ’cause that last statement is pure blasphemy.

But, it’s the only conclusion I can accept if I start with the assumptions that:

1. Jesus wanted the people he was talking to to understand exactly what he meant.
2. Jesus meant what he said and said what he meant

When all of the folks were marveling about the Temple and commenting on how beautiful it was, Jesus tells them that the temple will be destroyed.  His disciples pull him off to the side and ask for the real 411.

Now, there are a lot of preachers and Bible scholars that want you to believe that Jesus immediately lapses into what I call "hiddenspeak" where what he says really isn’t what he means.  And the only way to understand what he means is to understand the nuances of Jewish history and old testament eschatology.

es·cha·tol·o·gy - a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind

Did’ya know that?  Most folks don’t… and don’t care either.  So, why would Jesus, who hand picked a bunch of regular Joes – fishermen, tax collectors, tradesmen, etc. — to be his followers, explain things to these guys in "hiddenspeak"?  That’s what preachers and Bible scholars want you to believe.

Here’s what I believe. . .

The disciples ask ‘im and he tells ‘em — straightup, no pulled punches.

He talks about famines, and pestilences, and wars, and rumors of wars.

According to Matthew, he throws in the "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet".  Matthew has a habit of throwing in these obscure Old Testament references and he doesn’t disappoint here.  Our preachers and Bible scholars go wild on this one, but they can’t seem to agree on just what it means.

I don’t know what it means either. . . and I don’t really care.

‘Cause the J-Man ends it all with this"

"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled."

BAAAYM!!  I guess he darn well told us!

Now, regardless of the impression I might give, I ain’t stoopid.  I know that Christian preachers and Bible scholars want this phrase to mean "…the generation alive when all these things come to pass shall not pass away…"  They have to believe that, otherwise they’d have to admit that either Jesus was wrong (heaven forbid) or they missed his "second coming".

I, however, don’t buy that contrived explanation ’cause:

1. the language (including the original Greek) doesn’t give any indication that that’s what he meant
2. Matthew, who has another habit of "cleaning up" and explaining Jesus’s words, doesn’t add any "explanation" here
3. everything that Jesus says and everything Jesus does indicates that the Kingdom of Heaven is a present thing, not something that should happen way, way, way far in the distant  future
4. I believe Jesus wanted his hearers to understand exactly what he meant and that he meant what he said and said what he meant.
5. I don’t believe Jesus was wrong and as far as I’m concerned, the "second coming" ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. . . it’s more — much, much, more.

So, if the second coming’s already come and gone, what does that mean for me? For you? For the World?

It means only one thing. . . let’s be perfect.

I’ve heard a lot of sermons convering this scripture and all of them pretty much end up at the same place. Sooner or later (the way most preachers like to talk — it’s usually later), you’re gonna hear "Becoming like a little child means that you look at God as your father. You love Him, you trust Him, and you obey Him without question".

And my reaction is always the same, "Who the heck’s kids are these people talking about and what planet did they kidnap them from?"

C’mon! "Obey without question?" It’s not normal for any kid I know.

In fact, the most feared word in a child’s vocabulary is "WHY".

"Put your shoes on."
"Why?"

"’Cause we’re going out to dinner."
"Why?"

"’Cause mommie needs a break tonight."
"Why?"

"She’s tired from working all day long."
"Why?"

"Because that’s what mommies do."
"Why?"

"God made things that way."
"Why?"

"Why don’t you ask God."
"Why?"

Get my point?

Sorry, it ain’t about questions, or the obedience. It’s all about the childlike nature of children.

It’s not the actions of the child that Jesus is talking about – but the mentality of the child. The awe, the innocence, the curiosity, the willingness to accept things unseen.

When you get a chance, take a moment to watch a child lost in play. There’s a real good possibility that you’ll catch a glimpse of the face of God.

Oh, and one more thing – it’s not what adults see in children that counts. It’s not how we feel about them. What matters is what they see in us – how children feel about us.

So, let’s be perfect, folks – let’s be like children… for our kids.

I have read that God is Everything. . .
If I, therefore, become anything – I will be like God.
If I remain nothing, God and I are One.

If God is All Knowledge, I should be a fool.
                        (1 Corinthians 1:27)

If God is Eternal, I should have no future.
                       (Matthew 6:34)

If God is All Power, then how Blessed are the Meek.
                       (Matthew 5:5)

God. . . perfect. . . can’t screw up.

So everything God creates has to be exactly the way God wants it to be. . . perfect.

Now, let’s take the Genesis story. Adam, created by God, must have been created perfect.

If Adam was created perfect, the mankind’s basic nature can only be what God wants mankind’s nature to be.  Sorry, you can’t have it any other way.

That means that if there’s some kind of "imperfection" in mankind, then God must have put it there, meant for it to be there. Otherwise there would be some power outside of God that could restrict, alter, and overrule God’s desires. That would make God less than All Powerful – and, as we discussed before, that is just impossible.

So. . . Since mankind was created perfect, the ability to sin must have been necessary in God’s plan for mankind.

Genesis tells us that mankind was created in the image of God – to be "like" God – who is, of course, perfect. So, if we follow the logic we end up at the only place we can, that (hold your breath) the ability to sin must somehow make us like God!

There really wasn’t an apple. If you didn’t know it already, here’s the skinny . . .

In Genesis the first book of the Judeo/Christian and sorta Islamic tradition, God does a really mean thing. He takes the one thing that will supposedly be the downfall of mankind, The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and places it smack-dab in the middle of the Garden of Eden.

Now, here’s why that’s just so, so nasty. God, of course, knows everything so God certainly knew that Adam and Eve (or Eve and Adam to be more exact) would make a midnight snack of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

God also knew that the serpent would do his best Satan impression, tempting Eve, tripping up Adam and sending mankind into God’s doghouse.

As stupid as we are and with our fragile powers of prediction, can you imagine one of us building a beautiful play room for our child, furnishing it with every toy our kid could want, dropping a loaded machine pistol in the middle of the floor, then planting a subliminal message with "Oh, darling! We’re going out for a bit. Now, while we’re gone you can play with any other toy in the room except that shiny, new, gunlike toy thing we just bought. Never, ever, ever, ever touch that one, Ok? Ta-ta!"

We done yet? Nah. On top of that we go grab smarmy little Johnny – the mischievous neighbor kid with the really bad judgement (the serpent in the Genesis story) – and send this mini-demon into the room to start up a game of cops and robbers.

Would we do that? Of course not!

Even with our feeble understanding of future events it’s pretty obvious that this situation is just a really bad accident (sin) waiting to happen.

Now, ya gotta figure God is a way better and way more loving parent than any of us could ever hope to be. So, if we wouldn’t put our kids in situations where failure (sin) is a given, why the heck would God?

Unless. . .

Unless that very situation is necessary for the little rug rat’s full growth and developement.

As painful as the experience would be for Adam (mankind), God could only have wanted us to "partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil" – to "become like God" – as part of our spiritual rite of passage.

Bottom line, God wants us to know the difference between good and evil – just like God knows. If that wasn’t the case, then Adam wouldn’t have had that pesky Tree of Knowlege of Good and Evil stuck it in the middle of the garden complete with the serpent as the front man.

Think I’m streching this a bit? Well, you don’t have to believe me. But if you’re a Bible believer I’d suggest you take a look at the first part of Genesis 3:22, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil". Chew on that one for a while.

The questions seem so deep, so thought provoking. But the answer to the last question is obvious to anybody that has a clue about the true nature of God.

Figured it out yet? HINT: Go back to the first post in this series and take a look at the characteristics of God. Specifically the first one – that God is All Powerful.

Now have you figured out that the answer is. . . YES!! God can do it. It’s our only choice ’cause God is All Powerful, Omnipotent, and can do anything/everything – even this.

But instead of just relying on our "intuitive reasoning" to answer this question, we’ve got evidence! God not only can create a rock so big that even God can’t lift it. . .

  . . . it’s already been done.

According to Genesis, God created Adam. . . mankind. . . US! We’ve been created to be like God.

God is love – so if we are like God, then we must be "beings of love". . . creatures who can receive love, who can give love, who can BE love.

So, what gives? What’s that got to do with a @#$%! rock?

It’s that love cannot be forced. To truly be love – it must be freely given. To be freely given – there must be the ability to refuse. To be able to refuse – there must be a choice. To freely choose – there must be the possibility of choosing badly.

God cannot change that. "But" you say, "God is All Powerful and can do anything." Can’t do that.

Not because God is unable to or doesn’t have the power to but because God is Love and since God is All There Is, everything must be God. And if everything is God, then everything must be Love and must therefor adhere to the "law of Love" . . . that Love must choose freely.

It’s the ability to choose (some call it "free will") that is the seed of our "likeness" to God.

This ability to choose "allowed" Adam to sin. Adam made a bad choice, but that ability to choose was the perfection of God’s creation.

Now, once we’ve got the ability to choose, what do we need next? The guidelines for making good choices.

So, Adam needed to have the Knowledge of Good and Evil so that "good" might be chosen. Without that knowledge, making a right choice is just a 50/50 proposition. This is why what seemed cruel (the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden in the last post) is the key to mankind’s perfection.

It cannot Win or Lose For these both suggest the end of an event And beyond the Arch of Time there is no end … and no beginning.

It cannot be Destroyed or Die For beyond the Arch of Time, there is no Death … and no Birth

Beyond the Arch there is not what is beneath

But what is beneath is enveloped by what is not beyond – such that both is and is not…

   … ARE

This conversation came while reading one of the most engrossing series of books I’ve ever encountered. They’re called the Chronicals of Thomas Covenant – six great, thought provoking books about a leper (Thomas Covenant) who wields the power and Wild Magic of the White Gold (his wedding band) in an effort to save the Land from Lord Foul (with all his aliases).