The Final Days of Jesus – Part One
How Things Work – Consideration #118 (Book II Science & Religion)
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Tuesday, January 16, 2024
“The Bible is the story of two gardens: Eden and Gethsemane.”
– Max Lucado
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
It is comforting to hear the story of the baby Jesus who was born in a manger and becomes a forgiving savior performing miracles and sharing the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven on earth; however, for Jesus, all roads eventually lead to the garden of Gethsemane. In the garden of Eden “mankind” chose to disobey God’s will; transforming the unity of God and “mankind” into a never-ending separation resulting in an endless chain of choices called dualism. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus would choose to obey God’s will and re-establish that original unity.
“…the garden of Gethsemane represents a reset in the relationship between God and human beings…”
From a New Testament perspective, the garden of Gethsemane represents a reset in the relationship between God and human beings. In the final days the weight and consequence of that reset and the inevitable choice it involved became more tangible and existential for Jesus, and eventually unbearable for his followers.
CONSIDERATION #118 – The Final Days of Jesus (Part One)
When Jesus and his disciples first arrive in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover, he is treated like a king. Riding triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey, Matthew sees the fulfillment of yet another Old Testament prophecy.
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me...”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
Matthew 21:1-5
Jesus enters the Holy City to the sound of large crowds, cheering his name, and proclaiming him the Son of David.
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:9-11
Jesus had come to the Holy City of Jerusalem for two reasons. Ultimately, he would complete his earthly mission and suffer a cruel and tortuous death under the law of both Judaism and Rome. However, first he would preach and teach in the Holy Temple.
“Jesus begins his lesson by literally upending and overturning the entire corruption and hypocrisy that had become the Holy Temple.”
His main topics centered around the secrets related to the Kingdom of Heaven and the hypocrisy related to the Jewish leadership. Jesus begins his lesson by literally upending and overturning the entire corruption and hypocrisy that had become the Holy Temple. This was not appreciated by those in charge. The battle between Truth and Hypocrisy would take place in the holy city of Jerusalem through conflict, revelation, and death. Starting with conflict.
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
Matthew 21:12-15
As Jesus continues to teach in the Temple, the Jewish hierarchy question his authority as a prophet. Jesus uses these situations to demonstrate and show the nature of their hypocrisy.
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
Matthew 21:23-27
Despite the Jewish leaders’ constant attempts to “trap” Jesus in a verbal inconsistency, Jesus continually turns the trap back upon them. In this famous example, the elders want to trick Jesus with a question related to money. The apparent question is about using “engraved images” or “idols” as currency to pay an occupier’s tax. However, there is more to this question than first appears.
“…coins with an engraved image of Caesar on them are considered idols under the law…”
Because coins with an engraved image of Caesar on them are considered “idols” under the law, they must be exchanged for non-engraved “Temple coins” by the money changers, that Jesus threw out, before they can be used in the Temple for purchasing animals for sacrifice. However, Jesus cannot claim the coins are not “idols” because they are engraved with the head of an earthly “god,” or ruler on them. So, if the Roman coins are “idols under the law” that must be exchanged before they can be used in the Temple, why did Jesus throw out the money changers? Once again, they hope to use “the law” to trap Jesus.
Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
Matthew 22:15-22
POSTSCRIPT
Unlike the previous priests and elders who were forced to admit that they “didn’t know” the answer to Jesus’ question, Jesus gives the Pharisees an answer to theirs, one that is much deeper than the question they actually asked him. Jesus essentially argues that money, and other “physical” things belong to the physical world. The coin, for example, has an image of Caesar on it, demonstrating that it is the property of Caesar. Therefore, giving someone something that already belongs to them is not a problem.
“The money changers were focused on making a profit, not serving the will of God.”
However, what Jesus is really saying is, do what you need to do in order to live in the physical world; but focus on your spiritual needs first. The money changers were focused on making a profit, not serving the will of God. Things like money may be necessary. Things like taxes may be necessary. However, remember that God is the most important thing and pledge your spiritual life to Him.
Of course, the center of the lesson is that heavenly rewards are more valuable than earthly treasures. It might also be expressed, “Render to the world the things of the world and render to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”
Next week Jesus finally reveals to his followers why he is here and what is about to happen next…
This Week on “The Thread”…
Excerpt From This Week’s Podcast:
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• UNTANGLING THE KNOTS OF REALITY: Podcast #78 – “Untangling the Mystery of Light”
(“Why does the planetary model of the atom represent the end of an objective empirical approach to scientific investigation and inquiry?” “How does Max Planck’s discovery of energy quanta change our understanding of how light works?” “Why doesn’t quantum mechanics work without classical physics and Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity?” “How does a photon’s frequency allow us to determine the atomic structure of physical objects in the universe?” These are some of the knots we will attempt to untangle in this week’s podcast. That’s a lot of electromagnetic radiation for one podcast! So, let’s get started…)
• REALITY BY A THREAD: Aristotelian Artificial Intelligence (Excerpt) – “The roots of our reality are also the roots of AI’s reality because it was manifested into rational and physical reality by us. However, does that necessarily mean that it will experience or perceive the same reality we do? How would a digital intelligence based on quantum consciousness interpret Aristotle’s influence on Western rationalism, empiricism, and ethics?”
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“All Possibility is manifested from Potential Being (Rationalism). Example: You decide to build a house. Once that decision is made, the house moves toward potentiality in the empirical world. The idea, or potential house, will eventually become a ‘real’ house in ‘physical reality.’ It moves from a state of Potential Being (abstract idea) to a state of Physical Being as a ‘real house’ that you live in. Physical Being is a direct consequence of Potential Being.” – Book V (Quantum Consciousness)
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Book V considers the questions related to what Consciousness is, how it evolves through levels of Perception and Awareness, why each step in the process is important, where we are currently on the “Arch of Consciousness,” and how all of this connects to Artificial Intelligence. (166 pages)
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“Human beings have often been described as “meaning making machines” by psychologists and others who study human behavior. We recognize patterns and want to understand why they occur. We come to understand those patterns and want to know how we can use them to make predictions about the world. We combine thought with those predictions to produce complete systems of understanding based on logic and reason. This obsession with gaining more knowledge, more understanding, and more meaning in our lives has led to the creation of science and technology far beyond the imagination of our ancestors…” (Book II - Part I: SCIENCE – Substack Edition)
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“This is where the East and the West separated into alternative realities; with the East focusing on the ability to directly experience the nature of reality, and the West focusing on the ability to rationally understand and alter reality. In Book II we will come to recognize how important this distinction was in transforming the primitive experience of our ancestors into the modern world and the age of science that we know today.” (Book II - Part I: SCIENCE – Substack Edition) 224 pages