This article will be the beginning of a series of articles focusing on the teachings of Jesus as presented throughout the Gospel of Luke. This article (as well as the subsequent articles of the same topics) will be made available on the website on a dedicated webpage in time. To begin, we are not attempting to discuss the historical accuracy and validity of the Gospel of Luke. Such matters are not the concern of we who are not interested in dogma and religion. The interest and topic of examination here is the message of Jesus as presented in this Gospel. Knowing that the Gospels were not written while Jesus walked the earth and that they have been translated and edited many times, it must be understood that these documents cannot be seen as verbatim or perfect accounts. However, if we examine the teachings of Jesus as they were written and handed down we can still obtain a relatively clear picture of his overall message. This message differs greatly from what religion has attempted to assert. The message of Jesus is a message of self-empowerment and self-mastery. The message of Jesus is one of personal divinity and occult knowledge. Luke 4:1-13 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. This scripture is a story of Jesus being tempted by ‘the devil’ while he spent time in the wilderness (assumedly to meditate on the revolutionary tasks he was about to begin). Here, Jesus has reappeared after 18 years of silence in the historical records between ages 12 and 30. He has been baptized by John the Baptist and has retreated alone into the wilderness. At face value, it is a simple story of Jesus displaying dominance over the devil. However, this devil we understand to be a symbolic representation. Jesus, having great knowledge and therefore power, had to struggle with the same thoughts that any one of us would have if we possessed such knowledge and power. This struggle is highlighted in the temptations that ‘the devil’ offered to him. First, we find Jesus fasting and not eating anything. This may have been literal as a means of self-discipline and willpower building but it could also be entirely symbolic of self-discipline without intending a literal fast. Whatever the case, we find this devil tempting Jesus to set aside his self-discipline and turn a stone into bread so that he may eat. Jesus responds by saying that man cannot live by bread alone but by “every word of God.” Understood esoterically, this means that we must not live a purely material existence focused only on sustaining our physical needs but that we must also seek knowledge of a higher source. Self-discipline is most certainly part of that “word of God” and any true spiritual seeker knows the importance of the same. Next, we find ‘the devil’ taking Jesus up on a high mountain and showing him all the kingdoms of the world in what must have been a vision as it is said to have occurred in only “a moment of time”. What god would allow any devil to lead him up a mountain to begin with? Are we to believe that Jesus literally followed the devil up a mountain? Or are we to believe that Jesus was overcome by visions from the devil for a moment? The idea that Jesus is THE GOD embodied in flesh seems unlikely at best due to this observation. Would THE GOD be led by THE DEVIL or be overcome by any visions from him? This is only more evidence that Jesus was a man that was struggling with his own inner devil just as we all do. Continuing now, Jesus is on the high mountain and he sees a vision of all the kingdoms on earth. The devil then offers to give Jesus power over all of it if he just worships him. This is all symbolic of the inner struggle Jesus was having in regards to the next stage of his life. With the knowledge he possessed, he knew that he could either help fix the world or he could become very powerful within it. What Jesus said in response to this temptation is very revealing. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” This was Jesus acknowledging the flawed logic in serving a temporary master – the mortal, human life. No amount of earthly power or wealth matters upon death. Jesus, citing old Hebrew law, highlighted that one should only serve the higher, true and immortal reality. Serving anything earthly or mortal is inevitably futile and worthless upon death. Finally, we find that the devil brings Jesus to a high point on the temple in Jerusalem. Again, would THE GOD as imagined by religion be led by THE DEVIL and placed on a high point by him? Would the Divine Creator really allow himself to be willed around like that? Doubtful at best. The story continues to say that the devil tempted Jesus to jump from the high place of the temple to have angels catch and save him. Jesus responds very simply with, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” This is clearly Jesus asserting his dominance over the devil by claiming his place as God over that devil. Of course, this can be taken literally or it can be taken as symbolic of Jesus claiming dominion over his own mind rather than being led by his temptations and mortal human nature. This temptation to jump from the high place can even be interpreted to be Jesus contemplating suicide. I know, I know…..that is quite a claim. Let me make it clear that this is simply a possibility that I have toyed with in my mind and I do not claim this to be factual. I am providing discourse on this possibility simply as a possibility. Pressing forward, Jesus had just spent 40 days alone in the wilderness fighting his inner devil and mortal temptations for power and wealth. Those with Knowledge of Self are often tempted with suicide because we seek the experience of the immortal afterlife prematurely knowing it to be far greater. The pain of this temporary world and the finite nature of our human life often presses us to want to just move on and not ‘waste time’ here on Earth. However, nothing can be more lacking in self-discipline than suicide. Perhaps Jesus was tempted by his devil to jump and be carried away from his mortality and just skip the hardship that he knew was to come. Jesus, realizing that this was not a real option for him, simply commanded his devil not to tempt him with such thoughts. After all the temptation, we read that this devil departed from Jesus “for a season”. This seems to be further indication that Jesus went in to the wilderness to tame his devil, increase his self-discipline, and meditate on what he was about to do. Upon successfully completing his self-imposed training, his devil departed from him for a long period of time. This is a common theme of esoteric doctrine. Subjecting oneself to strenuous temptation and adhering to strict self-discipline decreases future temptations and makes self-discipline easier with time. This theme is not isolated to the occult as almost anyone would agree that self-discipline becomes easier over time and the more it is practiced the less the temptations are to violate it. If the story is interpreted in this manner rather than literally, it not only makes more sense but it satisfies some inconsistencies within the story such as the supposed Creator God being led by and influenced by the supposed Devil. It is much more relatable, logical, and sensible to believe that Jesus went to the wilderness to meditate, practice self-discipline, and prepare himself for the journey he was about to embark upon not as a God but as a man aware of his own connection with The All.
2 Comments
Ogunye Jones
10/24/2016 04:34:55 pm
This is nothing but the truth.
Reply
Christos
3/9/2017 01:14:22 pm
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