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Good morning bus riders!
Welcome to the third Sunday in Lent! Remember that to see this forty-day period as one of grief and sorrow is to admit one is a sinner, making Lent be like the Bataan Death March.
It is like listening to your college roommate who said, “Let’s go party” on the eve of a big exam; and, rather than diligently study for the exam, you went and partied.
The death march into a classroom … to almost certainly have your grade be based on how smart your brain is (hungover) … is why Lent gets a bad rap.
The whole of the liturgical seasons … there are three years that make one initial circuit … is not created to forever remind everyone what happened a long, long time ago, meant to tell the world that Jesus came, went, and will be back some day. It is to measure you and whether or not you have been reborn as Jesus.
Imagine having an exam that required you write an essay answer, to a question that asks, “What does it mean to be Christian?” To write that popular opinion that I just said (before I said everything is about you) tells the teacher [Jesus], “Sorry bro, but I was out partying hardy last night.”
The lessons today are all chosen to be discussed today, because Lent symbolizes each true Christian’s commitment to Yahweh; and, that means the big exam always asks the question, “Is the soul of Jesus resurrected within your soul?”
It requires a “Yes” or “No” answer that is truthful.
That answer has nothing to do with believing Jesus lived, or if you believe the Bible is true, or if you believe God is true.
Thus, the symbolism of Lent cannot be seen as one exam that lasts forty days. It is a test of your soul’s commitment to earn the grade of eternal life. Passing the big exam says the test begins now and lasts an eternity.
Thus, “Yes” or “No” is only about “You.” The grade given to your soul is either “Pass” or “Fail.”
That is woven into the readings today so well. So, I do hope everyone took some time to ponder them from a Lenten perspective; and, I hope you put some thought into how these four readings relate directly to yourselves (with a "self" meaning a "soul").
To begin with, it is important to see yourselves each as Moses.
This story has background, which says Moses was a sinner. He found out he was not Egyptian royalty, but of slave blood. He saw some Egyptian soldiers abusing some foreigner slaves living in Egypt – those who Moses found out he was related to by blood – so Moses killed the soldiers. He murdered them out of anger. When he was judged as guilty for murder and told he would be punished for his crimes, Moses ran away.
This means when we read today that Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, he was a sinner on the run.
Raise your hand if you considered that background when you saw Moses finding a burning bush that he went to investigate.
<Look for any raised hands.>
The Exodus reading is quite profound when one looks at the Hebrew text and finds that “Yahweh” is written three time, with forms of “elohim” written sixteen other times … all translated as “God.” The English translations take "Yahweh" and change that to "the Lord" and take all forms of "elohim" and change them to say "God."
Now, I have talked repeatedly about “elohim” being a plural word – with “el” the singular it expands from – and I have said that it reflects on “gods” or “angels” – “the host.” However, the "elohim" in human beings then reflects an ordinary soul being led by a spiritual presence.
Thus, when we read Yahweh telling Moses that He was the spiritual presence in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – each time shown as “elohe,” with each naming a Patriarch – that says Yahweh had made each of those be His divine possessions.
So, when we read that Moses saw “the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed,” that says Moses knew he was not some stupid rube who could not tell the difference between an angelic spiritual presence and a fire that consumes bushes.
When we read, “Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up,” the key term to grasp is “turn aside.”
The Hebrew used can mean “depart,” “remove,” “be taken away,” or even “behead.” To see Moses saying, “I must turn aside,” he was willingly allowing his soul to leave his body of flesh, so his soul could see Yahweh. This was not some natural form of inquisitiveness, because he was called by the "angel." Therefore, Moses said "I must turn aside."
When he saw a bright flame, that was the “angel of Yahweh” leading Moses to the portal to Yahweh; and, Moses said, “I must go there.”
Now, also in this reading selection is found many names. There are so many it is easy to read a name and think nothing about the meaning behind the names. All I have time to point out now, relative to the naming of the “-ites” – “Canaanites, Hittites, etc.” – is the translation that says “Israelites” is wrong. That is not written.
Instead, that written says “sons of Israel” (from “bene Yisrael”). That is important to see, because that makes “Israel” be a name, like “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
The difference between all the “-ites” named and “sons of Israel” is an “-ite” is a normal soul in a body of flesh. The name “Israel” was given to “Jacob,” because he defeated his demon “elohim” that controlled his flesh; and, that victory let himself be led by Yahweh – as “elohe Jacob.”
This means the “sons of Israel” were those descendants of Jacob, who had been taught to believe in One God and only recognize that One God as theirs to worship; and, over four hundred years they had been taught to follow certain practices (such as circumcision) that permanently connected them to that One God.
That taught devotion made those people be different than the polytheistic Egyptians.
When Yahweh referred to “my people” that did not refer to many “elohim,” but those descended from Yahweh’s Sons, who specifically were His “elohim..”
When verse six shows Yahweh telling Moses, “I am the God of your father,” that is really Yahweh telling Moses that his soul was at that time one of His “elohim,” meaning Moses could call Yahweh “Father,” like Jesus would.
Yahweh then told Moses, “I am your Father like I was to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Yahweh was not the physical father of Moses [that was a man named Amram], but his Spiritual Father. The "elohim" then named Moses was born of Yahweh.
Here, it is important to realize that ordinary common folk usually do not see “angels of Yahweh” or speak to Yahweh at all.
Raise your hand if you have heard the voice of Yahweh telling you what to do.
<Look for no hands raised.>
Simply because Moses willingly “turned aside” to face Yahweh, he became a Yahweh elohim.
One of the things I saw from this reading this past week was Moses not being so bold as to ask Yahweh, “Who should I say sent me?”
When it says, “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God,” that says all self-ego of Moses was left behind when he “turned aside.” Hiding his face says Moses fully submitted to Yahweh’s Will. Moses wore no self-ego on his face when he saw Yahweh.
What Moses expressed was concern that he might not know what to say, when he would go back to Egypt (remembering he was a wanted man).
Instead of asking, “Who do I say sent me?” the question was more in line with Moses saying, “What if I mess this up?” … because Pharaoh knew who Moses was and he wasn’t about to just give up slaves of his kingdom.
This is where Yahweh told Moses not His name, but what Moses should tell Pharaoh. He said you walk in there and say, “I Am” speaking for the One God of these people who you enslave.
That would be the truth, because Moses’ soul would step “aside” and let Yahweh do all the talking. Yahweh's name did not matter one iota; and, His name is unfathomable. The name “Yahweh” just says the One God can only be discernable in those human forms that are possessed by Him and speak what He speaks through them.
This is where it becomes important to realize that none of the ‘children of Israel’ knew anything; so, there was no need to explain anything to them.
The big view of Moses in this story is Yahweh called him to be the midwife that would deliver the newborn baby named Israel and take it from the womb of Egypt to the sugar teat where it would nurse and grow – the “land lowing with milk and honey.”
Thus, the test of Moses in the wilderness would begin that day and last until he had cared for that baby for forty years.
To pass that test, Moses had to “turn aside” and “hide his face.” That says everyone should be like Moses, if one's soul wants eternal salvation.
This leads us to Psalm 63, which was written by David, who was another like Moses – a Yahweh elohim. Thus, we should all try to do what David says.
In the first verse, which is the introduction that is not part of the translation, it announces: “A psalm of David in the wilderness of Judah.”
Now, the “wilderness of Judah” is some very rugged and sparse terrain that the road to Jericho goes through. It is steeply graded, from the highlands down to the Jordan River valley and the Dead Sea.
In the Exodus reading, we read, “he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” When I looked into that deeper, I found that verse in Exodus literally says, “and he drove the flock following the mouth , and came into the mountain of elohim , Dryness .”
The word that translates as “wilderness” can equally translate as “mouth” … meaning “the organ of speech.”
That then says Moses was letting the flock go where it found something to graze on; and, he listened for the sounds made by the sheep to follow behind them.
Thus, Moses was called to enter “into” the place where he saw an “angel of Yahweh,” which transformed his soul into a “mountain” of Yahweh, as one of His “elohim.”
Simply by seeing the Hebrew word “midbar” as “mouth,” not “wilderness,” expanded how I read those verses.
By having seen that in Exodus, I saw the same “midbar” in the introduction to Psalm 63, leading to the name “Judah.” Rather than an introduction that says, “David wrote this in the wilderness of Judah,” the same introductory words say, “a psalm of beloved in mouth let him be praised.”
“David” means “Beloved” and “Judah” means “Let Him Be Praised.”
By seeing that introduction, we then read David writing in verse three: “my lips shall give you praise.”
In verse five he sings, “and my mouth praises you with joyful lips.”
In verse seven it becomes easy to intuit that message from his writing, “and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.”
That verse could have been sung by Moses, after Yahweh told Moses, “You just go to Egypt and say “I Am here” and I’ll take it from there." Moses would have done that from “under the shadow of Yahweh’s wings, rejoicing” as the “mouth” of Yahweh.
When the concept of Moses being the midwife that carried the “sons of Israel” to where they would suckle and be fed by Yahweh elohim,” David was that for the people.
When David sings, “lift up my hands in your Name,” that not only says David was married to Yahweh, so he was truly in the “name” of “Israel,” but David, like Moses, became a teacher that “lifted up" those others in the name of Yahweh – as true Israelites – so all became His “hands.”
To truly be named Israel, one’s soul has to be married to Yahweh and become His teachers, so all become of like kind.
Just as the test of Moses lasted forty years, David was put to the same test when he was anointed by Samuel … at the same time Yahweh poured out His Spirit on David’s soul, making him be His wife, just like Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The test is about answering the question “Is the soul of Jesus resurrected within your soul?” and truthfully being able to say, “Yes.”
In David’s first verse he sings, “elohim, my el; eagerly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.”
David sought to be a “mouth” to “let him be praised,” and the name “Horeb” means “Dryness.” That “barren and dry land where there is no water” is when one’s soul answers that question, “No.”
Moses was "Dryness" from the guilt of his sins when he entered into the "mouth" of Yahweh and became a "mountain of elohim." David had experienced how Moses felt.
David was inspired to sing about a soul lost. His words target those souls listening for a call to follow. David sang of a soul like Moses, who had committed a great sin that weighed on his shoulders, such that Yahweh knew his soul thirsted for His presence.
This says one’s soul needs to truly seek Yahweh in marriage. When one finds oneself before the “burning bush” of Judgement – seeing one’s guilts becoming a debt that must be repaid – then one “must turn aside and see Yahweh.”
That can only come from a deep, heartfelt love that makes one’s soul beg to be filled with everlasting waters.
We need to reach that depth of thirst, as finding Dryness a void of spiritual drink, so we can feel David's song sings to us.
This then leads to the reading from First Corinthians, where Paul speaks of the need to be a recipient of that eternal presence within, because being a follower can only bring on dire consequences.
Paul wrote, “Our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.”
That says several things that need to be grasped.
First, it should be understood that Paul preached the truth to both Jews and Gentiles; so, for him to say “our ancestors” that cannot be read as him meaning “us Jews, who are the remnant of true Israelites.” It speaks of a divine lineage, where all who are “under the cloud, passed through the sea, baptized to become a Yahweh elohim like Moses, eating spiritual food and drinking spiritual drink” are equally Yahweh elohim and His “hands” on earth.
Second, it says “Christ,” which is a capitalized Greek word that means “Anointed” by Yahweh. It does not say Jesus left Egypt, following Moses. This is what Moses and David both experienced, from the outpouring of Yahweh’s Spirit upon their souls - Spiritual "Anointment." To call that “Anointment” “the spiritual rock,” that is like saying Moses became a “mountain of elohim,” so to follow Moses meant to also turn aside from self-worship and become like Moses.
Third it says that the common bond that all shared is having been sinners, who reached the depths of despair that they begged Yahweh for help; and, He gave them the test of commitment to take. They all became “mouths who let him be praised.”
That means following behind Moses is not what makes one a Yahweh elohim. The Yahweh elohim in Corinth, to whom Paul wrote, were never able to follow Moses. Each had to willingly and lovingly turn aside from self-importance and become a wife and servant to Yahweh … and only to Him.
The only bond of "ancestry" is Spiritual; and, that is why Paul addressed the true Christians in Corinth (knowing he left behind male and female "mountains of elohim") "brothers" (not weakening that statement by adding "and sisters"). Souls have no gender identity.
To make the point that simply being a follower of a Yahweh elohim is not good enough, Paul warned that it is most important to teach others how to submit fully to Yahweh. That includes always acting within the Law, by being led to righteousness. That includes explaining Scripture from divine insight, so others can be led to submit their souls fully by the truth (not innuendo). In some cases, it meant healing the sick and casting out demons, so demonstrations of amazing powers swayed believers to true faith.
But, just as ancestry that goes back to the descendants of Jacob living in Egypt, when Moses came saying, “I Am here!” that is meaningless IF one’s soul does not fully commit to Yahweh. No one but you can make that individual commitment.
When Paul then quoted Exodus 32:6b – “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play” – that returns one’s focus to the last Sunday after the Epiphany lessons, when the reading was from Exodus 34. That talked about the Israelites fearing Moses because his face shone after talking to Yahweh. He had to start wearing a veil.
Back then, I pointed out how I saw the whole story of Moses coming down with a second set of stone tablets as prophetic, not what really happened. The quote Paul used comes from that story; and, he was bringing out the meaning that says: To be a descendant of the Twelve Tribes of Israel – an ancestor Jew – says one is “Seated” [a capitalized word written by Paul], with the expectation to eat and drink spiritually, so when one becomes divinely elevated one becomes a “mouth giving Him praise.”
What happened was the opposite. The people turned away from Yahweh, and rather than studying for the big exam, they partied hardy. They played, which can be read as pretending to be something one is not, like children play.
The lesson of warning that Paul gave is death. He listed “twenty-three thousand in one day” died, which is a misreading that I explain in my commentary posted on my website. The point to be gained is this: When Paul wrote, “We must not put Christ to the test,” that means do not take the big exam without being a Yahweh elohim. Pretending will not get a "Pass" grade.
Paul warned those in Corinth, as equally as he warns us today: Do not think you are saved from eternal damnation because you are an ancestor of some tribe. If you pretend to be righteous, but then do sexually immoral acts, complain and grumble because Yahweh hasn’t given you what you think you need, then expect to meet the serpent of Satan and the Destroyer of souls.
Paul said being a Christ does come with tests. Those tests last the remainder of one’s life, once entering into the mountain of elohim. However, with Jesus resurrected within one’s soul-body, Yahweh will give His Son every ability he needs to pass all tests.
It is vital that each of us heed Paul's reminder, seeing him speaking to each of us today, as an extension of Yahweh to us.
This then leads us to the Gospel reading for today, from Luke.
The theme of death is immediately put back before us to contemplate.
In searching commentaries made available on this reading, both references to specific deaths - of Galileans and eighteen at the tower of Siloam – are unsupported by recorded history.
There is a general opinion that a man known as Judas of Galilee led a minor revolt against Jews paying a Roman tax, which took place about twenty years prior to this conversation between unnamed Jews and Jesus.
I believe Jesus left Galilee when he was a teenager and traveled east – to India, Nepal, and then back to Persia – before returning and beginning the preparations for his ministry. Thus, the event of Galileans being executed by Romans was old history, used to tell Jesus that he needed to be careful with his new ideas, because similar seditious suggestions have been met with severe punishment.
This past history being thrown in Jesus’ face – seen as a mild threat – makes this past event be prophetic of what Jesus would face within a couple of years. His blood would be "mingled with the sacrifices" of the Passover.
The Judas of Galilee character was said by Josephus to be the leader of a “fourth sect” that followed a zealous philosophy that believed God was the only ruler of Israel, not a Roman Caesar. Josephus blamed this philosophy as what would lead to the Second Jewish Revolt, which led to the destruction of the Second Temple.
In this, it is important to realize that Jesus was definitely not a Pharisee or a Sadducee, with whom he is regularly found in the Gospels debating philosophically. Because the Last Supper was in the upper room in the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem, it makes logical sense that Jesus was supported by Essenes; and, that support was probably mutually reciprocated.
Still, Jesus did not respond to this recalling of old news, as he simply asked a rhetorical question that asked if those sinner Galileans executed by the Romans accounted for all sinners in Galilee at that time. He did not give his confronters time to answer, as he quickly said, “No.”
That then led Jesus to say the central focus of this reading, which says everyone is a sinner. The key to cease sinning begins with repentance; and, Jesus told those self-righteous people bringing up old history, “Unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
There, the word translated as “perish” is mildly put. It more appropriately says, “killed” or “destroyed” … which echoes how Paul wrote about “the Destroyer.” That is relative to the ‘angel of death’ that took the souls away from all the firstborn males who were not protected by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.
That means Jesus told his confronters that Yahweh would judge their souls more harshly than the Romans had judged Galileans two decades prior, “unless you repent.”
When Jesus obviously saw them speechless, pondering the promise he just told them about their unrepentant souls, at death, Jesus then brought up more recent news. There he listed the specific number of “eighteen” Jews who were killed by accident. Those deaths occurred when a tower collapsed at “Siloam.”
That name, which means “Sent,” from the root verb meaning “to send or let go,” is all that Luke wrote. He did not mention a pool, which was where Jesus healed a man born blind. There is speculation as to what tower was there, which fell; but the pool of Siloam is just west of the western wall built by David, to surround his city (Old Jerusalem).
The lack of historic records about a tower collapsing says it was not big news. Due to some earthquake history, the wall was probably showing signs of being in need of repairs. Because that wall to the Old City had no strategic importance, the Roman had probably put those repairs well down on their ‘to do’ list.
It could be that repair construction was the cause of the collapse, with all of the people killed being Jewish laborers; and, those deaths were seen as just the costs of doing business.
This means their deaths were not because they rebelled against anything. They died in an accident; but death by execution and death by accident is still death.
Jesus mentioned “Siloam” because all eighteen were Jews who were “Sent” to be Yahweh elohim, but they were only pretending.
The pool of Siloam is said to be the starting point for Jews to purify themselves, before taking their sacrifices up the steps of the City of David, to the Temple.
Jesus then asked his confronters, “Do you think that they were worse sinners than all the others living in Jerusalem?”
That question says everyone Jewish in Jerusalem was a sinner, just as he had said all the Jews in Galilee were sinners. He knew that because he was the Son who was “Sent” to know these things.
Jesus knew who was repentant and who was not; so, he repeated: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
That is a prophecy that says unrepentant Jews are just like Gentiles; and, everyone is born to die, releasing their souls to come back and try again (reincarnation of souls in new flesh). To come back is to be "Sent" to find enough guilt to lead a lost soul to repentance. Then , after sincere repentance, one can begin to learn how to become a Yahweh elohim … and then be tested.
This is where Jesus then told the parable of the fig tree.
What is missed in that title is the whole truth that has Jesus setting up the story of a fig tree by saying, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard.”
This is all metaphor. “A man” is Yahweh. The “vineyard” is Israel. The “fig tree” is a Teacher … like Moses, like David, like Paul, and like Jesus. All Teachers are Yahweh elohim.
In my research of fig trees, I found that not all varieties bear fruit. Those that do bear fruit usually take about five years before fruit production begins. Then, once a fig tree begins producing good fruit, it will only do so for about thirty-five years. Then it becomes barren.
This is where one needs to see “the gardener” as Jesus. Jesus was “Sent” to train other gardeners how to be him. Keep in mind here that Adam is the epitome of a Gardener, being born in the Garden of Eden and put in charge of that Garden.
The vineyard that was Israel always needed one fruit-producing fig tree to make everything productive.
Three places in Old Testament writing is stated “under their vine and fig tree.”
1 Kings 4:25 says, “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and
under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” (KJV)
Zechariah 3:10 states, “In that day, saith Yahweh of hosts, shall ye call every man his
neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.” (KJV)
Micah 4:4 reads, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and
none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts hath spoken it.”
The two together reflect the duality of a whole. It takes both to be complete. The vine is the body with a soul; and, the fig tree is the Christ, the rock, the leader that is a Yahweh elohim.
The basically unnoticed metaphor told in this parable comes when Jesus said, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it.”
This is what Jesus was doing in this reading selected for today. He was digging around the hardened philosophy presented by barren leaders of Jerusalem, who had no clue about the truth. The “manure” he put on them is Scripture; but not the text that no one understands.
The fertilizer of Scripture is the spiritual food that 'wheat' contains. The bread of Scripture is fed to the people; and, after it has been digested down to the truth, that is reused as the truth all Teachers need. That truth then runs through the fig tree trunk by spiritual waters falling from heaven upon the soil. The "manure" of Scripture produces good fruit because the rock of the Christ has brought maturity to the fig tree Teacher. After years of learning from the Father, with special care from the Son, the fig tree begins to fulfill its purpose and become like Moses and like David and like Paul.
I see the bus down at the stop light, so I will end here.
Ask yourself how much good fruit you have produced. Who are you teaching to be a Yahweh elohim?
If the question, “Is the soul of Jesus resurrected within your soul?” is answered, “No.” then it might be time to do a little digging around your roots and begins applying some Scripture “dung.”
You’ll need some everlasting waters to feed that into your root belief system.
The lesson today says stop pretending you are able to take a test that your soul is not prepared for.
There is only so much time allowed for the production of fruit; and, you do not want to be cut down when the Destroyer passes over.
Until next Sunday, I hope everyone has a safe and productive week.
Amen