THE MYSTERIES OF THE FOUR GOSPELS
Lesson Ten. Luke 16.
Unity Interpretation of
The Defrauding Steward
CHARLES and CORA FILLMORE
March 12, 1942
CHARLES FILLMORE: OPENING SONGS
I suppose each one of you received this slip on which you find the words of "MARCH ON! MARCH ON TO VICTORY! the song Kenneth Jarman sang last Wednesday as a solo. (Author, Charles Fillmore)
God gives us freedom and the light — it is as a treatment we thought it would be good — a good idea to use it today, and everybody join in this SONG OF VICTORY; we are singing it is the victory for truth, justice, freedom, righteousness — victory for all good. We can realize that this is a prayer — a proclamation. All of our prayers are not silent, not going in the secret place. But they are wherever we can send out a true word in the Name of the Spirit. We are gathered here today to get in a little bit closer touch with the Source of all things for all good ... and to keep speaking the word, sending out the proclamation. Now as you sing this song, THINK about it. Our subject today is ... THE REFLECTlVE POWER OF THE MIND ... think about everything we do. As you sing this song, think about the meaning. Put SPIRIT in it. How we shall all join in and sing:
1. God gives me freedom and the light
To carry on, though dark as night
Satanic forces bar the way,
With one strong voice we all shall pray.
CHORUS:
March on, march on to victory!
"Ye allied arms of liberty!"
"Ye allied arms of liberty!"
2. Truth, crushed, again shall ever rise;
While error, wounded, always dies;
Lift up your hands, your hearts, your heads,
And hear our soldiers' royal tread.
3. In one united band we stand
Proclaiming peace to every land;
Where Freedom rears majestic head,
And hero hearts have freely bled.
Words by Charles Fillmore
We all will join in the Lord's Prayer: (In unison) ... Amen
CORA FILLMORE: MEDITATION:
This is the 10th lesson in this course THE MYSTERIES OF THE FOUR GOSPELS.
Our lesson today is based on the 16th chapter of Luke, verses 1 to 17 incl. In the Ferrar Fenton translation, we read:
(The Defrauding Steward) 1He (Jesus) also told His disciples that "There was once a rich man who had a steward, who was accused to him of embezzling his estate. So having called him, he asked, 'What is this I hear about you? Render me an account of your management; for you shall no longer be my steward.'
"'Now what shall I do?' said the steward to himself: 'for my master will take the stewardship from me. I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do; so that when I am dismissed from my position, some may receive me into their houses.'
"Then inviting separately the whole of his master's tenants, he asked the first, 'How much rent do you owe to my master?' 'A hundred baths (about 730 gallons) of oil,' was his reply. 'Take your lease' said the steward; 'sit down quickly, and write fifty.' He then asked another, 'And how much is your rent?' 'A hundred kors (about 1200 bushels) of wheat,' was his reply. 'Take your lease,' said ths other, 'and write fourscore.'
"And his master admired the rascality of the steward, because he had acted reflectively; for the sons of this world are for their own generation more reflective than the sons of the light.
"But I say to you make for yourselves friends beyond the world of villainy, so that when it departs they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. The faithful in a very little will also be the same in much; and whoever is unjust in little will also be unjust in much. If you are therefore dishonest with the unstable wealth, who will entrust to you that which is real? And if you have not been trustworthy in regard to what belongs to another, who will entrust you with anything for yourselves?
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will disregard the one, and cling to the other; or, he will respect the one, and despise the other, You cannot serve both God and mammon."
(Address To Money-Worshippers.) 14The Pharisees, who were levers of money, sneered at Him, however, when they heard all these remarks. To them he said: "As for you, you palm yourselves off as just in the presence of men; but God knows your hearts: for what is held up to human admiration is abhorred by God.
"You had the law and the prophets until the coming of John; from then the good news of the Kingdom of God has been preached, and all press into it. It is easier, however, for the heaven and the earth to pass away, then for the single hairstroke of the law to be repealed."
(Charles Fillmore: (interrupting) That isn't the King James, nor the Revised Version, but the Revised Translation of the New Testament direct from the accurate Greek Text of Drs. Westcott and Hort, by Ferrar Fenton. It is from Ferrar Fenton's translation.)
Cora Fillmore: (resuming):
Now the mean point in this lesson is most difficult to understand just from a glance. The master of the land admired the rascality — he admired the rascally steward. However, we don't think he admired his rascality so much, but no doubt it was the reflective state of mind he did admire — the power of the mind to sanely reflect and enact. He as sorrowful though at the illegitimate manner of just what he did.
"Now what shall I do since the master will take away my stewardship. I am not strong enough to dig; and I am ashamed to beg. I must do something. I know what I will do. I will place his tenants under obligation to me, and then when I lose my position, some of them will invite me into their houses." Then he called them separately, you know, one at a time. The rascally steward said he would settle for a much less amount than due his master. This surely was designing disloyalty.
The master admired this disloyal servant because he had a reflective mind — because he meditated and thought things through for himself.
You know, there is a solitary side to the soul, to every man's nature, which demands as man goes forward spiritually, demands time to reflect and meditate, — when we get to a certain stage of unfoldment, to pray. Therein we are gradually forming within us what we call spiritual judgment.
Then reading the bible, or reading some other deep metaphysical book, such as CHRISTIAN HEALING or TALKS ON TRUTH, we read perhaps a sentence or two. Then we stop and read it over again. Then meditate upon it. We reflect on this wonderful truth we find written therein. We gradually go forward. You see we pray and realize and get the good out of it.
Here is brought out the power of thought. The power to think for yourself. Jesus in himself admires this ability in every one of us, even to the dishonest person.
We are so created that we cannot go forward spiritually unless we set aside a certain part of each day for silent reflection, spiritual meditation so that we can hear the whispers of the spirit of Truth within. This is the law for every one of us.
Now is there a law back of proportioning an hour of Bible study with an hour of prayer and meditation? We believe there is, a wonderful law back of that. For as we study mind, we discover that there is a sure law back of mind activity whereby the higher Self, even the dishonest servant, is continually stamping on the soul its verdicts which make the soul long to do better, to act more nobly. We are so created that that law is working continually, goading every one of us on to do better. It is a sort of reasoning from cause to effect. We reap what we sow, and come to that place where realize the law.
In Truth, there in back of all things a mighty universal impulse that is endeavoring to teach this spiritual law to every one of us. We know we must have these times for reflecting, meditating on the wonderful laws of God. And there is the great — well — there is that great season of activity, and then there is that time for stillness. But the active soul on any plane of consciousness is not always going to express in an adverse way.
These laws are active and are continually goading the soul into instructive channels. Jesus must have considered this law, which he knew very well indeed, when he gave this parable. Then in calm moments of reflection, the very gods are given a chance to whisper their great truths into our ears. We take them into our hearts, meditate upon them and really appropriate and assimilate the wonderful truths.
Now Jesus in the Bible, of course, gives us this law very plainly for the redeemed or quickened seal. But here he says, "I say to you, Make for yourselves friends beyond the world of villainy, so that when it departs they will receive you into everlasting dwellings ... No servant can serve two masters; for either he will disregard the one, and cling to the other, or he will respect the one, and despise the other. ... It is easier, however, for the heaven and the earth to pass away, than for a single hairstroke of the law to be repealed. So we must always live up to the law, to be balanced.
Browning says: (NOTE: Not conformed to original.)
"To think is within ourselves. It takes not light from outer things. Whatever we may believe, there is an inmost center in us all, where Truth abides in fullness, and to know rather consists in often using.
"We seek the essence through implicit studies and escape then effective entry for a light supposed to be without." (Use space for correct insert)
Now is our time for silent meditation, and may we go deep within the silence and realize that our God is a living God. He has a living Mind a thrill with living ideas and the ideas are really a thrill with the intense urge of expressing through us — expressing through all creation. Let us meditate deeply upon the thought of the Divine Logos, the Word of God, and learn above all things, to think for ourselves, not follow the pattern of those who have gone before us, but hold for the co-operative Spirit with this indwelling Spirit of Truth, and think from an original viewpoint, let us think deeply on the power of the word.
First take this word: MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS. Together: (repeat). "I know the thoughts I think at all times to seek Jehovah, thoughts of peace and not of evil."
Listen to the voice of Jehovah speaking those words in the heart. "I KNOW THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK FOR YOU, THOUGHTS OF PEACE, AND NOT OF EVIL."
In conclusion, we will take this thought: I THINK GOD'S THOUGHTS AFTER HIM, FOR THROUGH THE CREATIVE POWER OF MY MIND, I AM BLESSED IN ALL MY WAYS." AMEN.
LESSON: CHARLES FILLMORE:
You all doubtless understand that in these lessons on THE MYSTERIES OF THE FOUR GOSPELS, we are selecting texts that have not been interpreted heretofore by us — not found in our literature. And if you study the literature of the orthodox churches, you find they have side-stepped a good many of them.
The text today has been rather a problem to many of us. That's why Jesus said that this landlord, the rich man, who had a villainous steward, should commend him, when he had seen the designing one.
You have heard the translation — you have just heard the modern translation by Ferrar Fenton of the text. I am going to read to you the original that is as it appears in the Bible that we use, and show you the contrast; show you how the right translation clears up the situation as we understand man and his mind. I will not read all of it, but this point in which he commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely,
for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light. 16:9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. 16:10He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. 16:11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 16:12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?
"And his master admired the rascality of the steward because he had acted reflectively; "for the sons of this world are for their own generation more reflective than the sons of light." That last is by Ferrar Fenton and makes quite a different statement. Instead of the sons of this world being wiser in their generation, he says they "acted more reflectively."
This is the gist of the lesson, that is, that we should use our minds, not just accept what some teacher has said, what the Bible recites, or what some church teaches about the truth. But, have you reflected upon it? Have you thought about it? Have you used your mind? In other words, we are told in the business world, "Use your head." That's a practical statement. And we would say, "Use your own mind." Think these propositions out for yourself. That's exactly what Jesus told or taught in this lesson. He didn't teach rascality. He didn't teach make friends of men of unrighteousness. He DID teach we should use the SAME IDEAS, the SAME MIND ACTION that people on the natural plane do; that when a proposition is set up, all business men consider it from many angles; think it over. But if you would say to him, "Here's a church. We believe so-and-so IN church, and we think it's true" doesn't mean you would be talked into joining the church on what that man says. And doubtless he talked scrlpture to him, also. He accepts without any reflection at all on his own part.
Ask nine-tenths of the people in church why they joined, and they say, "I don't know." But what a lot of people in Unity are members because it appealed to them as a good thing and would work out in health and prosperity demonstrations but haven't reflected, haven't got a real understanding of the fundamental reasons.
Now Jesus was a man of thought and understanding. He knew these principles and he expected his followers to know them, so we are told all through the Bible, and it is good to search out the different meanings.
We gave the text today as given by Ferrar Fenton, which is a great improvement on the old idea that the 'children of this world are wiser than the children of light.' They are not. But, they REFLECT more. They use their minds better. More people accept a doctrine purely because somebody said so.
If you look into the teachings of Jesus Christ, in his contact with the people, he had to overcome that tendency to accept the religion of the Jews as it was written in the law of Moses. 'Moses said so-and-so', they kept quoting him, as you see certain people do today, They have lived in their quotations from the Scriptures. They haven't gotten understanding, spiritual understanding. Jesus met with those persons. When they quoted Scripture to him, on certain points, he said, "You search the Scriptures because you think in them you are going to have eternal life. But they testify of me — they don't come to me." What does that mean? It is man's innate spiritual consciousness in every one of us — the real man.
Jesus Christ was of course that real man. He was warning against depending on the Scriptures with this idea, that everything in the Bible was true because it was in the Bible, therefore was authority. That wasn't what he taught at all. Jesus Christ taught Truth is in man. For "I AM the way through the door to this great kingdom" ... that's all.
If you think a certain thing is true because it is in the bible, you are NOT following Jesus Christ — as it is in the Bible because it is true, and as he taught, all the Bible is written around the great idea of the Spiritual Man. The Spiritual Man is the soul of Truth, and everything written in the Bible was written in testimonial by those who had an inkling of inspiration of what real man is, and wrote about it . That's what the Bible was, and you understand that we must develop our own spiritual Man, that innate Spiritual I AM that KNOWS OF ITSELF.
Jesus told his followers at one time, "Know ye not I am the open door?" . . . And he told them he didn't do marvelous work in a certain place because they didn't believe him. It is only the man having this spirit of understanding who believes.
Jesus Christ commended this unrighteous steward, not in his dishonesty, because he looked at the principal quality, the resource of the man. And do we look to our Inner Resource, or do we depend on external things? Your success will depend on whether you are of a reflective state of mind, whether you are logical, whether you use in your religion this great truth, or whether you are depending upon some scripture or some outside authority.
This innate power of man to develop the Christ in him and become spiritual is more clearly brought out in the first chapter of John. Here 'logos' translated 'the word' is given as the source of all. Man is all that the Christ is; all that any created thing is, in brought forth by the logos.
But what really is this logos? From what source do we draw that which we demonstrate as mind? Well, you might say it is the spiritual pattern for everything that appears, in the fluid sense for the invisible pattern of visible things. That's all the logos is. It is the pattern. That invisibles pattern that the Creative Mind brought forth.
Now Ferrar Fenton in this book we quoted from, says the correct translation of the very first chapter in Genesis is that "by breathing, God created that which produced," formulated, sustained and then produced the earth. Now this is very different, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." He didn't create anything. He didn't create the heaven and the earth. He created that which produced the heavens and the earth. Think about that, BECAUSE THERE IS THE KEY TO MAN. God has produced that which, if carried out by the qualities of mind, the so-called outer mind, will produce the real man.
Now we hold that God has created a perfect man. Some persons think that means He has created this physical man perfect. Not at all. But He has created a perfect pattern for the physical man, and that if the physical man will get his mind active, he will begin to think, reflect, reason. That's what logos means: to reason from cause to effect.
Are you reasoning about yourself from cause to effect? Or are you just drifting? Or taking somebody's ideas about the man? God didn't create man. He created a pattern, which we have got to make into a man. As you think from within, and you begin to reflect about these things, that Perfect Man Idea will begin to project his thought into your mind and if you take up those thoughts and use them you will become the Christ Man. But you will never become the Christ Man, the perfect man until you get all of this with your perfect mind that God created. God created that which solely produces the Christ Man. But that production is left to be proven of us. Are you reflecting, or just thinking, 'God don't want it for me. I will give up. I will receive what is created.' You know how to insist on that perfect creation. If you know how to relax your mind and enter into the divine Mind, you will have the key. That is logical.
Let's take this logical mind and unify with it. We can unify with it, that is our privilege, as we are really always one, as Jesus taught us in this parable. Reflect a little, think about its purpose. Are we bringing forth the REAL in us. If so, we will demonstrate and understand mighty truth that has puzzled every man that has become the brother of Jesus Christ. We are not really his brother in the great revelation until we demonstrate as he demonstrated.
We wonder why we don't do it. We don't get back to the original. We are told that he was a man of authority. "He spoke as one having authority. Not as the scribes and Pharisees who always quoted Scripture." "Moses wrote so and so." Forever referring to Moses, like our lawyers who go into court and point to book after book. Everybody understands these are precedents. This is what has been done. We are looking to you to determine this case on the basis of precedent.
Jesus didn't do that at all. Then he spoke the word of authority, they knew it came from something besides his outer mind. Now he knew with the wisdom within him. Some said, "How does this man get wisdom, never having been taught — never having been taught or [gone] to college [as] one translation has it:" How does this man learn wisdom, never having been to college?" That's rather a reflection upon our present colleges, but it is a fact, you can get wisdom without going to college. You get it from here, from the Perfect Man in you, the perfect Man in everyone. So you don't have to have outside authority to demonstrate that Man, to get at the real Truth. As you open up your inner consciousness, you find that man has been stamped. The Infinite Mind has stamped upon that man the Real Man for you.
And the lesson this morning is that we shall praise this ability in every one of us and logically get at the source of a thing and our relation to it and it will solve all our problems. As Shakespeare says: "Above all to thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, that thou canst no than be false to any man." (Repeat)
CORA FILLMORE: OFFERTORY:
It is now our opportunity to take our love offering, to take our offering in our hands and bless it with our usual work: DIVINE LOVE THROUGH ME BLESSES AND MULTIPLIES THIS OFFERING. Together please (repeat) ... In His Name. Amen. Blessing: Father, again we thank Thee for this offering end place upon it our word of blessing, and know it shall be returned to the givers with the usual increase. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
HEALING POOL.
CHARLES: Now we will give our attention to the power of the one who is Christ, knowing it shall be established unto us through the power of Mind backed up by Spiritual understanding. We don't ignore psychology, but we claim that it must be empowered by spiritually understanding the power of the word spiritually expressed.
So we are going to take for our healing word today, a good word, the word of VICTORY. Our mind is our kingdom. Your mind in your kingdom. And I AM the kingdom; a king in every inch, A king. In mind you are a king. — That's about the only place you are a king. That's the only place you want to be king. I don't want to be a king in England. In fact I don't want to be king any place [but] only in my own mind, as I like to be the ruler of my thought so when I speak to my thoughts they mind. They are obedient. How many of you can speak to your thoughts and bind them, or do they set up a kingdom? Especially it is a kingdom of your own, a kingdom of deep consciousness, of power, strong in all these things: Be that. Do that. And prevail. They are a kingdom.
We are told that we may be kings. That there is a kingdom right here waiting for us to take possession of it, and we can take possession of it in the name of Mind, Spiritual Mind, the Mind that is the Power of God. So your Mind today is a kingdom.
You are a king. You have been sending forth the word to attendants and it is obeyed, following your directive power. You know you are empowered by Spirit. Christ is here in you. Christ is your Jehovah. Christ is your Real Man. It is in the name of this Real Man we speak these words.
We are going to just realize for a moment that "I AM A KING" — the words a kingdom of health and property. That word prevails. You are unified in mind with the Kingdom.
Just realize for a moment we are here to speak the word of health and prosperity to those who are looking for our help. We must have have faith, faith in the kingdom right over us. Realize we are in the kingdom. Speak today silently. So we understand the power of silent thought. It isn't necessary always in speaking your word audibly. You can speak silent words. We are speaking the word of health and prosperity, speaking from the kingdom of God through us for all those who have asked for your authority. Say:
THE HEALTH AND PROSPRITY OF GOD PROCEEDS NOW, YOU ARE RECEPTIVE, AND IT IS FULFILLED IN YOU.
Some silent words like that.
We feel the great power, the great spiritual inrush coming to every one of you. God is Spirit. The Real Man in you and in me is Spiritual Man. His spiritual word is now going forward, going forth accomplishing that whereunto we are sending it.
Now in this consciousness of our spiritual power, the power of the Holy Spirit which fell upon these followers of Jesus Christ when they were in the upper room in Jerusalem — that means a high place in the spiritual consciousness — whatever you take into the secret place of the Host High is within. Speak the silent word. Now take any one of your friends you want to help, take them into this inner place of the Most High. Speak the word of HEALTH FOR THEM.
CORA: Health. Health, Prosperity, Illumination, Freedom, Wisdom, Speak the word.
Charles: Speak it for anything you want. "Ask whatever you will in my name, it shall be done."
Think of anybody you want to help. Some of our soldiers, some our politicians, some of those who need the spirit — doesn't make any difference — speak the word only and thy servant shall be healed. Speak it.
Now God is blessing you today with His spiritual baptism. We have departed from the outer expression and we are in the spirit and our spiritual power is welling up within us, flooding this room, this whole city, the whole world. We will flood it with peace, pour it out in the world.
"Where people are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them," said Jesus.
Jesus Christ said, "Where two or three are gathered together, ask whatever you will in my name, and it shall be done." Ask and he shall give the increase. Now give the whole world a spiritual baptism.
BENEDICTION:
Old things are passing away. A new world is coming into manifestation. Praise God. Amen.
Rise please. We are going forth in Spirit. We are going to give attention to the power of Mind in reflection upon divine ideas. Use our minds instead of reflecting on things material, reflect and think more about the good.
Go out with the consciousness. Carry it into everyday life.
You are dismissed.
Transcribed by Margaret Garvin on September 6, 2016.
