I. The Message of the Crucifixion, Paragraph 15.
15 These are some of the examples of upside-down thinking in the New Testament, although its gospel is really only the message of love. If the Apostles had not felt guilty, they never could have quoted me as saying, “I come not to bring peace but a sword.” This is clearly the opposite of everything I taught. Nor could they have described my reactions to Judas as they did, if they had really understood me. I could not have said, “Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” unless I believed in betrayal. The whole message of the crucifixion was simply that I did not. The “punishment” I was said to have called forth upon Judas was a similar mistake. Judas was my brother and a Son of God, as much a part of the Sonship as myself. Was it likely that I would condemn him when I was ready to demonstrate that condemnation is impossible?
I breathed a sigh of relief reading that Jesus was misquoted. The story of his life begins to make sense when we understand the purpose of the crucifixion and we see that he did not love his brothers one moment and blame them for his death the next, and that his purpose was always to teach love.
The crucifixion was about love as everything in his life was about love. Anything in the Bible that seems to point to anger or blame is a misquote or a misunderstanding. Considering the history of the Bible, this is understandable. Further, considering that the Apostles were not ready for the full message of his life, misunderstandings were inevitable.
Even now with A Course in Miracles to guide us to his true message, we misunderstand. I, for one, have studied and tried to live the message of the Course for over 30 years, and I have just recently embraced it’s teachings fully. There were many things in the Course that I did not grasp even though the concepts are simple and straight forward.
I don’t think that there is one place in the Course where Jesus equivocates. He does not say that for the most part you should not teach guilt, or that betrayal is mostly not true. He never says love the ones who deserve loving, or be kind to the ones who are kind to you. And yet, for most of the years I studied the Course I chose not to see that there is only love because that is what God is and that is what we are.
Even now I see judgmental thoughts in my mind all the time, but now I am absolutely certain that they are not the thoughts I think with God and I ask for the Atonement. I absolutely do not want to trade my Awakening for the “right” to think my sister should lose weight or that my brother is guilty for his behavior.
I used to argue the meaning of the ideas in the Course. Is this what Jesus intended? To believe that was a valid behavior I had to deliberately overlook the whole lesson he is trying to teach us. I want only to join with my brother, and I see no possibility of union if my opinion stands between us. God save me from the desire to be right.
I don’t know much, but this I believe to be true. If what I am saying or thinking or doing is not unconditionally loving, I have forgotten my purpose. My brother and I are one and everything in my life leads to our reunion. Guilt and blame have no place in our holy mind. Pain, suffering and death are not real and I deny their reality each time I experience them in any way.
I am willing to release the fierce grip I have on fear. I am through with dreaming of life and dreaming of death and repeating the cycle endlessly. Death is losing its attraction for me, and Love draws me close. I ask that my mind be healed of any fear of God that remains.
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