October 29, 2023 – A

Believe whatever it takes
in order to do the right thing
at the right time
in the right place
in the right way
in each situation as it arises
all your life long
no matter what it means
for you personally.

That's what Jesus did,
and that's what Jesus calls us to do.

This nonsense about Jesus dying for us
so that we don't have to die
but can zip straight to Glory Land
when we die if we believe Jesus died for us, etc.,
completely denies and covers up
the truth of the significance of Jesus' death.

He died as an example to show us
what he had been talking about
all his life.

No one can die for us.
We each have to die for ourselves,
over and over again
until our actual, physical death.

This metaphorical dying is what Adam and Eve
(And all of us like them)
refused in the Garden of Eden,
in choosing to not do what they
most did not want to do,
and to do what they most wanted to do.

To not do what we most want to do,
and to do what we most do not want to do,
is like dying.
That is the death Jesus died
in the Garden of Gethsemane,
with his "Thy will, not mine be done."

That was him dying, again, metaphorically,
which, that time, meant dying actually, physically,
on the cross
which was arraigned by Joseph Caiaphas,
the High Priest of the Temple
during the life of Jesus,
with Pontius Pilate,
the Roman governor of Judea,
after Jesus turned over the tables 
of the money changers in the courtyard
of the Temple during the time of Passover.

Jesus knew the likelihood of that
in Gethsemane,
and died two deaths,
the metaphorical/symbolic death
of doing what was called for
that he most did not want to do,
and the actual/literal death on the cross.

Sometimes it works out that way,
but, usually, we just die metaphorically 
again and again until we actually die,
usually of natural causes.

This is also called "growing up."

Jesus' life and death were about growing up.
Doing what needs to be done--
doing what is called for--
in each situation as it arises
regardless of what it means
for us personally.

That was what Adam and Eve refused to do,
which lead to their "dying" long before
they were actually dead.

By refusing to "die," they "died."
Get it?

And "true life," "real life," "abundant life"
lies on the other side
of our metaphorical deaths.
Resurrection is about "rising to new life"
after every metaphorical "death."
Get it?

If you get it, good for you!
Now, go DO it!
Get it?

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