Jesus, the educator of souls

The Christian message was shortened, lopped, grafted by those who possessed it, as they built a religion which feared and saved,
based on mystic attitudes
 

The concept of religion was modified from its lessons. With Jesus, we learn that religion is not something magical to be carried out within the temples. Not more than that idea that religion is practice of mystique, contemplation, rituals, full of gifts and repetitive formulas within the so called "Houses of God".

Religion, as his teaching and, especially its examples, came to be, for he thought the lessons, a new way of living, to relate with the next, in all environments, at all times. Teaching that God is present in the entire universe, extended the limits of temples, having the universe as an immense temple: “In my Father's house are many mansions” (Jo, 14: 2).

Jesus was not a Master of large gestures, attitudes and mystic behavior, lived confined in environment religious, or in a remote place, isolated from his daily life, away from practice. On the contrary, the Master always lived together with the people, and, to prevent any misinterpretation, left a teaching stone, registered by two evangelists:

: “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves (...).” (Mt, 10: 16) and “Go your ways; behold, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves... (Luke, 10: 3). Nor was he a religious professional: lived as a simple carpenter, which caused astonishment to some, before what he spoke and did: “...Whence hath this man these things? And, what is the wisdom that is given unto this man, and [what mean] such mighty works wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended in him.” (Mark, 6: 2 e 3). 

Jesus was an educator of souls, which has always emphasized the need for the commitment of the creature to educate itself, of progress, as taught on the Sermon of the Mount:   “Even so let your light shine before men (...).” (Mt, 5: 16). All the message of the Master is religious-based on the effort of the creature to disclose this divine heritage that we all bring. No graces, in addition to the grace of life. No privileges: “(...) and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds.” (Mt, 16: 27).

He brought a new dimension to human understanding, through a message that is a real chal-lenge, to his disciples overcome the limits of the former law, which recommended "eye for eye, tooth for tooth": “(...) that except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt, 5: 20). “Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; (...).” (Mt, 5: 42 e 43).  

The rational faith, taught by Spiritism, began with Jesus 

Jesus did not wish disciples, delighted, in awe. On the contrary, he always sought to touch the feeling, together with the call for the creature to think, in order to know, and understand why they should act in this or that way. The Sermon on the Mount, which for many is only a hymn to the feeling, is, also, a strong message to the intelligence, the reasoning: “Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone; or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Mt, 7: 9 - 11).

Jesus led the understanding, understanding, the use of reasoning, to the field of the faith. The faith taught by Jesus goes beyond the limits of emotion, the feeling, by associating with an essential component: reasoning. Unquestioningly, rational faith, taught by Spiritism, began with Jesus. Kardec, such as deep cognizant of the Gospel – Free of damage caused by successive exegetes, throughout the times – He saw the objectivity and the rationality of the lessons of the Master. He saw that their lessons have always two directions: the sentiment and reason: “Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; nor your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they?”(Mt, 6: 26). By teaching the creature not to create fantasies about the faith, shows the borderline between what should be the object of the concern of man, and it must be delivered to God, asking: “And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?” (Mt, 6: 27). That’s why we read at the “Gospel according to Spiritism”: “Unshakable faith is that which can stand face to face with reason in all epochs of humanity.”

Religious education that Jesus provides man leads to awareness that will not be through re-peated prayer we please God: “And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” (Mt, 6: 7). Neither through gifts or compliment: “If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Mt, 5: 23 - 24).

In His educative work of the human spirit, Jesus showed the importance of good relations with others as a way to God, as well understood the Apostle John, who registered: “for he that lo-veth not his brother, whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen?” (I Jo, 4: 20).

Significant is the dialog between the doctor of law and Jesus, as reported in the Gospel of Luke (10: 25 - 37): “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” That is a man, who knew the law, to quote it by heart, as soon as inquired by Jesus:  “and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deu, 6:5 and Lev. 19: 18). Effectively, the Jews knew by heart these two higher commandments. However, when Jesus said: “Do it and you shall live”, That man didn’t understand, because for him there was no link between the religious precept, which embroidered his intellectual field, with the practical life, so much that he asked: “Who’s the next one?” For that man “next one” was a magical word, sacred, used in religious moments, in the temple, with no real meaning in the so-called profane life. So his amazement. It was strange for him that Jesus told him to apply the religious precept into his common life. Knowing the distance there was between the religious precepts and life in society, is that the Master told them the Parable of the Good Samaritan, showing that man – ignored by the Jews – made his offer to God, not before an altar, but through the most legitimate representative of God: our brothers!  

Never did the Master invite anyone to pray in a temple 

Jesus himself was the example in the service to God in the person of others. He always healed, laying his hands upon the sick ones, though he didn’t need so to heal (as shown in: Mt, 8: 5 - 13), but he did so in order to teach, recommending to do the same: “...They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mc, 16: 18). He left it clear, also, the gratuity of religious practice: “...freely ye received, freely give.” (Mt, 10:8).

We see, then, that Jesus brought to Earth a religious message that is one-of-a-kind. Simple, without being shallow; deep, but not complicated. A libertarian religious concept doesn’t please those who want to exercise the religious power. Those intend to keep religion as something magical, mystical, ecstatic, so complex as only the scholar may have access to it, as if they were special, who would be more able to intermediate the messages from the Creator to the creatures.

Jesus delivered the real manumission to Humanity, in relation to the sacerdotal intermediation, as telling the human creature that he/she has the legitimate right of But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.” (Mt, 6: 6). As we meditate on this teaching, we realize how much his message has been altered by theologians, who teach that there are certain people more prone to be heard by God, as if they were lawyers to take blessings or claim them, in a practice developed among strange rituals contrary to the examples of Jesus, and being paid to do so!.

Jesus also freed the human creature from attending the temple, in order to find God. Never did the Master invite anyone to pray in a temple. On the contrary, when the Samaritan woman wanted to worship God in the Temple of Jerusalem, the Master didn’t approve, saying: “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jo, 4: 21 and 24). To Jesus there were no sanctuaries, special places. His lessons, his blessings, his prayers always took place wherever he was. 

He was crucified because of his courage of going against the sacerdotal power, that true religious dictatorship. Unfortunately, as time went by, the axis of the Christian message has been deviated, going away from the area of study, meditation and service to the light of the conscientious heart, passing on to the outward examples.  

The Master came to make sure that God is Father, is Love 

Those simple religious truths, which could be taken by humble fishermen, widows and the like, have been, as time went by, relegated to a second plan, as the first plan has been of rituals, a solemnity, objects, candles, wine, smoke, plainsong, special outfit and other practices, sought in Judaism and Roman Paganism, which led the man farther from the self-improvement taught by Jesus.

The libertarian statements made by Jesus were not objects of study for theologians, who created the liturgies, sacraments, and even worse, the heinous theory of eternal punishment, making God not merciful, as stated by the Master.

The Christian message was shortened, lopped, grafted by those who possessed it, as they built a religion which feared and saved, based on mystic attitudes. The ecstatic worship to a dead-Jesus was emphasized, contrary to the effort of following an alive-Jesus.

The Master came to make sure that God is Father, is Love, Mercy, against the figure presented in the Old Testament, which portrayed the Creator as someone furious, revengeful, and able to have preferences for some people over others. Unfortunately, the merciful Father, so many times shown by Jesus, was denied by the theologians, as they created Hell. In fact, Jesus talked about suffering after death, but not in an eternal sense. On the contrary, he said: “Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.” (Mt, 5: 23) But, the Master, knowing of the human frailties, promised the Comforter: “But the Comforter, [even] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you.” (Jo, 14: 26)

Keeping his promise, he then sent us Spiritism, which is not only a Christian religion, but the Primitive Christianity, which emerges in its purity, power and original objectives, standing out from other religions, at least the ones from the Occident, by its highly educational aspect.

Bibliography:  

The Holy Bible.