THE MYSTERIES OF THE FOUR GOSPELS
Lesson Two. Matthew 10.
Unity Interpretation of
Not Peace But a Sword
CHARLES and CORA FILLMORE
10/02/1941
CHARLES FILLMORE: Opening Songs
We are going to sing No. 12 with the words of No. 13. Last Thursday, we didn't think we sang so well. We didn't think it was any professional's fault or any of the professor's fault. Now today, we all want to sing. "Make a loud noise unto the Lord." We select songs that are the very antipodes of the weather. "If they say there is casting down, thou shalt say they are lifted up." We selected happy, sun-shiny songs — this nice sunshiny day. (Laughter because it was pouring down rain). Don't think about the drizzle and conditions, but think about "It's raining daffodils." Let's all rise and sing this song with all our hearts.
1.There is sunshine in my soul today.
It is glorious and bright
Every glowing in its brightest ray
For Jesus is my light.
CHORUS:
There is subshine, blessed sunshine,
As the peaceful, happy moments roll.
For I behold Hie smiling face
And there's sunshine in my soul.
2.There is springtime in my soul today.
I know the Lord is near.
The notes of peace sing in my heart.
The joys of grace appear.
3. There is gladness in my soul today
And hope, and love, and praise.
For blessings whlch he gives me now
Have brightened all my days.
Let's all join in the Lord's Prayer: (repeat) Amen.
CORA FILLMORE: Meditation:
I wish to say that all those who are working for credit shall turn in an essay of 250 words on each lesson.
As you all know, our subject is "THE MYSTRIES OF THE FOUR GOSPELS." This is the second lesson. Again today, our subject is based on the 10th chapter of Matthew:
10:34Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 10:35For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: 10:36and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 10:37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 10:38And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. 10:39He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
I will repeat that very first sentence. "Think not that I came to send peace on the aarth. I came not to send peace but a sword." (Matt. 10:39-39.) First we are to interpret this very first sentence: we must assume that ALL IS SPIRITUAL. All is spiritual and that the 'I' referred to is spiritual. It refers to the supermen, to superwoman; to the Christ man, the Spiritual Man.
Now of course we know that the Christ man doesn't enter into the human relationships. The Christ man has nothing to do with that. However, the language is of course in this text oriental. And we all know that the oriental language always uses very, very strong phrases. Today we don't find that we have to deny our human relationship, do we? The more we unfold the Christ in ourselves, the more the Christ is unfolded in families, among friends, the closer we will all draw together. But at the same time, we know that human relationship is temporary. Why? Because we have all lived thousands of lives upon the earth and no doubt we have had many different parents.
There is only ONE ENDURING RELATIONSHIP and that is among those who are related spiritually. "Call no man on earth your father. One is your father, even God," are Jesus' own words. This grand truth, of course, breaks up the idea of human relationships, because while the human life, while the human sense of life is the steppingstones to the spiritual, yet when the human becomes spiritually quickened he enters under spiritual law.
We can hear Jesus saying when he was told his mother was waiting without: "Who is my mother and who are my brethren?" We can see him stretching forth his hands toward his disciples as he replies: Behold my mother and my brethren, for whosoever doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and my sister and my mother. However we know that the whole Bible is the unfoldment of our soul from material to spiritual consciousness and that this really is unfoldment in his own consciousness.
We know man and son, mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law all symbolise related thoughts in our own soul, and many times — sometimes at least — these forces in us are working at cross purposes. There are cross-currents working at cross purposes and we must harmonise the soul. Harmony means mutual, means at-one-ment which means being not doing. We can really live the life in our own hearts. We can keep that root of love going regardless.
In the same Scripture we read: (Matt. 10:40-42)
10:40He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 10:41He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward: and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 10:42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Here is the law of sowing and reaping, giving and receiving. No man is greater than another, because we all have access to the One Source and in the sight of God, we are all equal. Of course we get results, soul unfoldment, the reward under the law of just compensation. Every good thought, every good act is founded in principle, is the fruit of spirit. A real prophet always demonstrates. The righteous man must always receive the righteous man's reward. This all hinges on one thing: we must adjust ourselves to Spirit and we are bound to receive the fruit of spirit. You remember Abraham's faith demonstrated unto him righteousness, step by step are we now entering into the new kingdom—the old things are passing away.
And this all leads up to one point and that is the unfoldment of the Christ man in us, the unfoldment of the Christ consciousness. This is attained through SOUL evolution — evolution — evolution, you know, operates under law, always under law, and in preparing for this evolution, let us get into the habit of looking upon God as both Father-Mother. Let us bear in Mind that Jesus said, "Call no man on earth your father." Everybody can. And let ue above all always get in the habit of making ourselves indispensable to God.
You know habit itself is stronger than nature. Let us get in the habit of making ourselves necessary to God. We may do thousands of things in the Silence. We may pour out healing blessings upon this one and that one—someone in need, no one else paying any attention to them, but the Lord always rewards. Let us remember that. If we are trying to unfold real spiritual qualities, let us do these things always for those [who] no one else is thinking about. We would reap a bountiful harvest. And what is the law of the harvest? Is it not that we always expect to reap more than we sow? That's the law of the harvest, to reap more than we sow. So when we have the law, we expect more then we do. What is our harvest hope, we might say? Is it not to gain spiritual unfoldment? Are not our real treasures, treasures of the heavens, our own spiritual realizations? I believe it is. We carry them in our hearts until the good unfolds to us.
Strong and beautiful soul-faculties, these are all trying to unfold. It is the grand object of the race on the path of spiritual unfoldment. Sometimes we get a down view. We attempt more than we can accomplish actually. However, occasionally we are thrown down in the life, we believe still this is the path of wonderful growth.
I think Emerson had that in mind when he said: but in the midst of the struggle for things there is always the common...?)
We reiterate, the silent prayer is the most perfect truth of heaven; it is in the silence we can grew wonderfully, get a new light. We are entering into a new kingdom here and now. Right now is our time for silent meditation. One presence, one power, one intelligence. The silent, scientific prayer is the very tool of heaven itself. We would make very definite union with the perfect Mind of God now ... We are taking the thought:
The forgiving love of Jesus Christ frees me from the sins of the flesh and I rest in the peace and security of God.
I will repeat it again: (repeat).
Let us feel the forgiving love of Jesus Christ; flowing freely through every part of soul and being. Let us know right now the Lord is pouring out upon us His blessedness. Our harvest hope is to unfold spiritually. We unfold through the power of the word to heal, to bless, to uplift. Father, for this realization, we thank thee. Amen.
CHARLES FILLMORE: LESSON
This review of the Mysteries of the Four Gospels is for the purpose of calling our attention to the teachings of Jesus in obscure passages. That is, they haven't been dwelt upon nor interpreted in our Unity literature.
You will find, however, as we go into this interpretation, that the same ideas are taught under different Scriptures, different illustrations, parables. Nothing really new is given in principle.
Now in our lesson last Thursday, I made four points in the first few verses of Matthew 10 and didn't have time to comment on the last point. So I am calling your attention to that today, because it is a very important part of the teachings, as I say, under different heads in the four Gospels and even in this Matthew—this is verse 32.
10:32Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 10:33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 10:32-33)
Now confession has always been looked upon as something having to do with the church ritual; that you had to confess before a priest for your sins. We have had to confess to God.
Now we would put that in a little different form. We would say everyone who shall acknowledge me before men him will I also acknowledge before my Father who is in the heavens. When we say that, we are dealing with spiritual principles, and that this man is talking to us from the standpoint of the supermind and he uses superlatives as orientals always do, and sometimes paralyzes that which might be rendered in a univereal sense. But understanding the action of the mind from the spiritual to the manifest and from the manifest back to the spiritual, we can see how the outer acknowledgment of an inner truth would open the way from the within to the without. Now we are applying this from—well—a rational consideration of man's mind and how it works.
You want to get the very best out of your mind-activity. Well, you can do that by acknowledging God, filling your mind full of God thoughts. And you must express those thoughts and make room for more thoughts. Now in the expression you give out all the time, you make room ... you make welcome—well—all thoughts from the one Divine Mind or the One Source.
Now, because I am that spiritual Man, I draw all my intelligence, my life, all my powers from that Spiritual Man. That's the acknowledgment before men. On the contrary, if we don't make any acknowledgment of our spiritual nature — "I am a mortal, I was born, I will die, I am not related to the spiritual realm at all" — would you get any benefit from that attitude? No.
That is what Jesus is teaching what we must acknowledge, we must confess that there is a spiritual man and that we are the offspring of that spiritual man and that we are doing — well — the work of the spiritual man — the more you express this in your public life, the more you acknowledge it, the larger returns you will get from the Great Source.
You can see logically how this would all come about, and that is the lesson that Jesus Christ is Divine us, that we must acknowledge, first, last and always, that we are spiritual beings.
Now we are told that the educational work (that is the secular education) are going to use ramifications, that they are not so well satisfied with results of their present teaching. They are looking for something new in the case, an expression of man's innate intelligence. Suppose that they would get this lesson today which Jesus Christ is giving here, that you acknowledge there is a spiritual man, that there is an infinite mind here and that you can draw upon that, and assuming that you have got it, acknowledge it before other teachers.
But in addition they would get the intelligence, the wisdom, the understanding of the child. In our teaching, we find in Sunday School, whenever a child gets that idea that they are really in the Presence of Intelligent Principle, Mind, Idea, presently they open their minds to it and get in contact with it and say that they know. This is something sooner or later our educational representatives and teachers of the world are going to grasp, and it will be applied scientifically.
So we are in the beginning of the opening up of great spiritual truths we find they have stored up, but they have been for ecclesiastical ages under the church and the church has assumed that they have the whole authority to express them, and you find them all in the church. If you could get then outside the church it right be better for the people because they are inclined in the church to certain limitations. This is what we think and that is what the Bible teaches and you read and get regular ideas to opening up in your own consciousness, open up that spirit in you that would tell you how to apply all those things.
Now this spiritual mind is something that will meet every application that you give it. Look at what you are working on, what you are doing, making Christmas cards or digging ditches — it doesn't make any difference, whatever you are doing, if it reaches into the one principle now. Now I will use Divine Intelligence here, Divine Intelligence in my work. It will add to my efficiency. I know I will do my work a little better. ... This is acknowledging it to man. The outer, everyday work and work, that is where man lives. You have something you can apply every day.
I spoke of Christmas cards: if you will use Divine Intelligence, instead of spending money and my intelligence for Christmas cards, I would send a dime or a quarter or even a dollar sometimes to someone you ordinarily send a card to. .... But if I could get even a dime for all the Christmas cards and birthday cards and greeting cards, you know I would have enough to pay my federal tax! (Laughter) because they pile up and pile up, the wastebaskets fill up, and we don't have time to do that (to sort and read etc.). We ought to appreciate that. And we pray for the Lord for appreciation, but we admit we can't read all the Christmas and birthday cards we get. Now if we all agree to listen to the Lord and find a practical outlet—let us quit sending greetings and cards—let's ask the Lord to send some other way. We would get an idea and find something a little different.
Several years ago, we were going on a trip and it was discovered by a friend of ours in Chicago. He sent us something new. Instead of flowers and baskets of fruit—and those things get stale you know—he sent us a nice little leather back book of quarters and dimes. He went to the bank and got at least fifteen dollars worth of quarters and dimes and sent to us a nice little leather backing for 'Tips'! Tips!!! that's all. You findout you use those for tips. Tips are seemingly very necessary in the present age ef the world. Yet John D. Rockefeller, the richest and most generous man we knew anything about, wouldn't give a tip. He was morally opposed to it. When he went on a journey, his son had to go along and he attended to the tipping.
I remember reading once of a boy who had rendered a service. The son said to him. He said, "Do you know that man!" "Did he give you a tip?" "No, sir." He didn't give me any tip. He gave me some good advice." "What was it?" He said, "son, do your duty and the Lord will reward you." Those are the kind of tips that, can be good for us. He was morally opposed to giving tips because he felt them out of place. But what is the standard of the world, and as Jesus said, "Suffer it to be so now."
This brings us up to that first paragraph in our lesson, that part of the 10th chapter in our lesson today that seems so hard to interpret. It is what Jesus said about bringing "not peace but a sword".
10:34Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 10:35For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: 10:36and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 10:37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
This is a hard nut to crack, isn't it? Now in the face of the great love of the man who always refuses to fight, even when they crucified him, is the keynote of love, forgiveness, non-resistance ... "Resist not him that is in you ... He who smiteth you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also"... what are you going to do with this chapter? "I come not to send peace, but a sword." First, then, we must resolve this into a spiritual principle. We know that Jesus was advocating the advent of a new kind of man, a man who would be above all of the conditions, all of the contentions, all of the selfishness and greed which we have in the natural world.
Let us notice, at first he doesn't say we are to use the sword; he just says we are to discriminate as to whether or not we will use it. But we do know when this higher principle, Spiritual Principle, begins to come into our consciousness, that there is contention between it and the old religion we have on the natural plane of family relations, fathers and mothers, the blood relationship that usually comes first. When Jesus' high spiritual principle begins to manifest in us, we see that that relation is not broadened. In other words, the new advent of new conditions of universal brotherhood of man, come into our life, we see at once that this narrow family relation can't fit into it, and then there is war and opposition.
But if you know how to handle the proposition, we can adjust ourselves, and that is: There is no enmity in God, therefore no enmity in the man of God, yet he knows the law. As I say, you must be adjusted yourself, with the law and to regard it. Really someone mentally in the world, they cannot see this great truth and adjust themselves to it. There will be more or less contention until men all understand more or less of the power of spiritual discernment. Go into spirit, understand spirit, adjust yourself to the spirit, and then all these contending things find, like a great mosaic, a place in the divine plan and its expression. So when we learn to adjust ourselves, we learn to handle all these propositions in their divine order. We don't go into it rushing. We don't follow the mob. Certain people preach certain thangs. This doesn't state it all. Another man might be right.
Jesus Christ was the only man preaching about the Kingdom right at hand. He was right. He was of the great minority. And yet people at large said, "Why, he's got a devil. Crucify him!" and they crucified him. Just as you some into truth, you must be careful not to accept what the world says.
I remember reading about Lincoln — he had a faculty of using homely illustrations. One day he was in court defending a man for stealing and the case was going against him because everyone said the man has got a bad reputation. He is a thief. Everybody said it. Lincoln stopped and said. "How many legs has a cow?" "Cow has four. Everybody knows that. "That's all right. Now, "he says, "supposing they say that the cow's tail is a leg, how many legs has a cow?" "Five." "That's where you're wrong." "How's that?" "Well, would our saying it was so make the cow's tail a leg?" "No, of course it wouldn't." "Well, that saying-so is where that whole thing hinges. You all say my client is a thief, but does that make him a thief? No. Not any more than their saying a cow's tail made a leg for the cow." Of course the jury saw the point right away and Lincoln won the case.
So you can see it is the way you look at things. Don't follow them because — don't follow [what] this person says ... this one says so-and-so; that one says so-and-so. KNOW for yourself. Understand the principle that man is good fundamentally; that he knows what the good is, and the high demonstration of all his powers and faculties is in the Spirit of God. Now we are always expressing God in some way.
I read of a little pudgy man who had no genteel ability. He didn't know how to handle himself in society, and was abused by a dominating wife who expressed her ideas ... when she had any! (Laughter) So whenever she had some ladies for company, he would see them to the car; and to show his innate gentility, he would slip a nickle in the lady's hand so she wouldn't have to bother about hunting in her bag for her fare. How gentile! Giving her a nickle to help out, not that she needed charity, but as a courtesy. So we find we can secure this inner spiritual mind in ways that satisfy us at least and are examples to the whole world in just little things. So let us resolve to give ourselves wholly to the inner spiritual man, to acknowledge God in us and in all our ways and then we will have the blessings poured out upon us.
I say to you, God is here present. You know the Hebrews gave us our religion, did you ever think we got our religion from the Jews. They gave us most of our morals. Most of our morals same from the Ten Commandments. They are teaching right today these great truths in synagogues; religious observances always have a basis in the old orthodox Jewish religion.
A little girl told me one time she carried around her neck a little secret book (?) called a 'shamog' (?) — she said it kept her reminded of Jehovah — Jehovah-jireh, God-Jehovah is our resource; Jehovah-shammah — God is present. In this little box were her prayers of Jehovah. It made her realise all the time that Jehovah is here. Jehovah is present. That is the meaning of Jehovah-sammah. She said all the children were taught to realize and acknowledge that Jehovah was always present. I thought what a good lesson that would be for all of us, to know that Jehovah-Mind, that God-Mind manifest in man, is always right here, and that Presence and that Mind is expressing through us just to the extent we acknowledge it and confess it. So the great lesson is, we shall more and more confess that Jehovah-God is here. Now we will have our healing meeting.
Offering
Cora: Offering — Charles: Oh, yes, our offering. Excuse me.
Cora: We know this is the time of giving our offering to the work of the Lord, and that the law of the harvest is that we reap more than we sow. As we take our offering in our hands let's know this seed is planted in good ground and will bring forth abundant harvest. Our harvest hope is to always make contact with that rich substance of Spirit. Always hold to Substance so that we can demonstrate according to the power of our word—mold substance with our thoughts. With this thought in mind, we are taking our regular consciousness:
Divine Love through me blesses and multiplies this offering.
Now the law of the harvest is that we must reap more than we sow — in the Name of Jesus Christ ... Now let us thank the Father for this generous outpouring of substance. In the silence, thank God for this generous outpouring of substance. The givers and receivers are blessed, In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Charles: Let's join in giving thanks to the Father that He is Present in Jehovah — Father-Mother of the race — as a great healing resource. "I am the law of my people." We acknowledge Thee as the source of our life, the source of our health, and we thank Thee not only for ourselves but for all people. We are right in the presence of Jehovah-shammah; God our Presence, and that Presence is filling us full of life. It is health. Now we will have the names of those who have asked for healing:
Cora: Let's take together the central thought:
Charles: "Jehovah-shammah is here restoring us to health."
Cora: Let us realize these dear ones who are asking help are healed every whit.
Charles: Each one of you who desires healing, just realize and give thanks to this Omnipresent Spirit. It is outpouring abundance of health, health, health. God truly is great. I am-Jehovah is now manifesting as life and the health of all His people.
Cora: Now in this healing pool, each speak his own name, our own names. Take the statement together: Jehovah-shammah is here pouring out upon each one of us Divine Health." Jehovah-shammah is pouring out upon me divine health, perfect wholeness. And now for Prosperity.
Charles: Jehovah-shamma is here as our resource, our prosperity. Acknowledge Him before me.
Cora: Speak your own name into the healing pool.
Charles: Let us all give thanks to Jehovah-Shammah, God, the ever-present I Am, for health and prosperity. Let's all stand.
Benediction
With our minds and our hearts lifted up in thanksgiving to Jehovah-shammah, we are going forth with a new understanding, new spiritual quickening in health and prosperity. Amen.
Transcribed by Mark Hicks on August 16, 2016.
