Ed Rabel - Words During Training of Disciples

We move now into another significant period and the personal ministry of Jesus as we consider “Words during training of Disciples.” With his personal feeling for this period once again, here is Ed Rabel.

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Transcript:

1. Help of the Spirit

Matt. 10:19 (00:00). Spirit does not provide help in hypothetical situations but rather provides help when and where it is needed.

These next words are concerned mainly with Jesus’ training of His disciples. His first statement has to do with something that is especially important for us today who are attempting to follow the truth as taught by Jesus Christ. It’s based on a metaphysical principle that Spirit doesn’t demonstrate itself in hypothetical situations but only in actuality, in real life situations. Jesus illustrates that point by these words to His disciples. “Be not anxious how or what ye shall speak. For it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak.” You see they were worried about what they should say when they got in trouble or the authorities pestered them. Jesus is telling them, don’t worry in advance about something that hasn’t happened yet. When something really does happen then Spirit will come through and give you what you need.

Hear His words again. He’s talking about if they get apprehended by the authorities and have to respond. “Be not anxious how or what ye shall speak. For it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak.” In other words, don’t worry about whether you’re going to receive solutions to problems for problems you haven’t got but when you actually have a problem, when it is a real life situation then Spirit will come through for you if you have been looking to Spirit for your help in every need.

2. The Body of Christ

John 6:35 (02:19). The ‘body’ of Jesus Christ are his teachings. He is ‘embodied in his teachings’ and we ‘eat his body’ by appropriating his teachings.

Jesus then next refers to Himself as this bread of heaven, this bread come down for heaven. He says, “I am the bread of life. He that cometh to Me shall not hunger and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” Then a few sentences further, “I am the living bread, which came down out of heaven. If any man eat of this bread he shall live forever. Yea and the bread, which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

When Jesus talks about bread come down from heaven, His body, which is this bread and we are to eat of this bread and eat of this body, He is definitely referring to His words, to His teachings. His body, the real body of Jesus Christ is the body of teachings that He gave to the world. Where did He get these teachings from to give to the world? From the Father in heaven. His words, His teachings are His body that we are to eat. He is embodied in His teachings. We eat His body by appropriating His teachings and incorporating them into the body of our own individual existence. He talks about this in many ways. Later on at the Lord’s Supper He says not just eat my body, but also drink my blood, which is symbolized in the wine, in the cup of wine. To drink the blood of Jesus simply means to live the life that His teachings teach. You learn the teachings, eat the body, the bread, you live the life, drink the wine, drink the blood. That is of course the whole message of the Lords Supper.

3. Words more than works

John 6:63 (04:22). The words of Jesus are far more important than the works. The works are ‘of the flesh.’ The words of Jesus are bread and wine to us.

Jesus says a lot of things about the potency of His words. Over and over and over again. He talks about the things He is doing and He says about His works, well yes the works speak for themselves. I can do these works, it’s no big deal. I can do these works because the Father has shown me how. Some day you’re going to do the same thing. It’s no big deal. When He comes to His words, it’s always a big deal. A big deal. Later on He says if a man abide in my words then the works that I do, he shall do also. His words are more important than His works but His works do prove the validity of His words. He says this, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profitith nothing. The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life.” The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life. The works that I’ve done are just manipulation of the flesh. See? They come and they go. They come and they go.

For example friends, as much as you and I may marvel and wonder at the works Jesus did during His three year ministry, be truthful. How really important are those works in your life? They’re not. They’re of historical interest, they are of awe inspiring grandeur but they don’t lower the price of eggs on your budget. His words are coming alive in us and His words are being taken into us as living bread and life giving wine and there is where our ministry of Jesus Christ is not in His words.

4. What defiles us

Mark 7:20 (06:24). It is not negativity going on in our world that can spoil us, but rather our reaction to it.

Jesus next speaks some words to reassure those in our life way who are deathly afraid of being exposed to negativity of any kind. Now we all know such very super zealous truth students who don’t want to hear a word of negativity, who are scared to death to witness anything of an unpleasant or even violent nature. They’re afraid to be contaminated by exposure to the negativity of our world.

Jesus knew this would happen so in His new age teachings He includes some reassurance about that. Listen to Him when He said, “That which entereth into the man cannot defile the man but that which proceedeth out of the man, that can defile the man.” It’s not negativity going on in our world that can spoil your or mine consciousness, it’s how we react to it that can do it.

If the negativity is not making an impression on us but is proceeding from us then who has to bear the consequences? We do, see? Don’t be afraid of television programs, folks or rock and roll or Ed Rabel’s cooking. It can’t defile you, but watch what you dish out as coming from yourself.

5. Great is thy faith

Matt. 15:28 (08:00). Jesus reads the soul of the Canaanite woman, declares ‘great is thy faith’ and gives her the chance to heal her daughter.

We come next to the second compliment Jesus gives to a human being. You already got the first one, the man said I also am under authority. This is said to a mother of a sick daughter. A Canaanite woman who has been pestering the disciples all afternoon to get an audience with Jesus and they’ve been holding her off because she’s obviously very nasty, very obnoxious. They try to keep her away from Jesus. She finally gets through, as they always do. Gets through and confronts Him and complains that she’s been trying to get to Him all day and His disciples wouldn’t let her. It says He answered her not a word.

Then she continues, will You please help my daughter? She is sick. Then Jesus said something shocking to her. She is a Canaanite woman, which is social outcast for the Jews. He says, “It is not right that I take the children’s bread, the Jews and give it to the dogs.”

Why did He say that to her? Because He knew what she was capable of. He was reading her soul, her mind, her heart. He knew what was beyond all that pushy behavior and He gave her a chance to let it out. He says it’s not right that I take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. He knew what she would do and she did. She came through with flying colors. Instead of getting negative and defensive she said, yea Lord, but even the dogs will eat of the bread that fall from the Master’s table. Here comes that second compliment, a very rare occasion. Jesus answered and said to her, “Oh woman, great is thy faith. Be it done unto thee even as thou wilt and her daughter was healed in that hour.”

Question number two, who healed that girl? The mother did. Jesus once again set it up. See? Do you see folks? He set it up and He gave them the chance to do what needed to be done in their consciousness because He knew they could do it and they would do it. Here we have a mother who heals her daughter with Jesus magnificent assistance.

6. Who do you say I AM?

Matt. 16:13 (10:38). ‘Who do you say I AM’ is the more important question and is best answered ‘you are the Christ.’

Jesus asks His disciples two questions. They are two different questions and are worthy of two different answers. Who do men say the Son of Man is? The second question, who says ye that I am? Son of Man is human being and the first question, what do human beings say about other human beings? Who do men, generality, say the Son of Man, generality, is? He gets a whole bunch of answers. Remember? Some say this, some say that, some say this, some say that. A bunch of answers and He makes no comment, which means the answers were neither right nor wrong because they were opinions. Human opinions about other human beings.

Notice the second question. Who do you say I am? That’s not generality, is it? That’s one to one. That’s asking for truth. You means, the real you. Your real self and I am is my name for my real self. The question who do you say I am is what does the real you say to be the truth about the real me?

They all don’t answer that with options. Peter is the only one who answers it with truth. Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. This is the only finality concerning human beings thought about other human beings. In the realm of opinions anything goes. You’ve heard it all, haven’t you and will continue to hear it all. We dish it out and we take it. It’s a game. Human opinions about other human beings is a game but the truth of each person’s individuality is serious. One answer, Christ, Son of God.

7. Keys to the Kingdom

Matt. 16:19 (13:00). The keys to the kingdom are affirmation and denial and faith is the faculty that must be present for both. Renunciation without faith accomplishes nothing.

Jesus says to Peter, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I ell build my church and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom.” The keys of the kingdom friends, which Peter possesses are our old friends, affirmation and denial. Peter represents faith. Faith has the power to either affirm or deny. It has the keys of the kingdom.

Now I do realize that the renunciation faculty is involved in denial but you can have the renunciation faculty working at full trot but if there’s no faith, come on. You can use your renunciation faculty, that says the words. But if there is not faith behind your words of denial, nothing will happen. Faith has to be present in both what? Denial and affirmation. That is the key to higher levels of consciousness. The kingdom of heaven.

8. Shall not taste death

Matt. 16:28 (14:01). Jesus may have said some ‘shall not taste of death’ to mean that some will ‘not have the experience of dying.’ Maybe death is ‘an experience’ and ‘not a finality.’

Jesus doesn’t talk much about death in His teachings because He had more to say about life. Once in a while He does mention death and this is one of the strangest things He has to say about death. He says, “Verily I say unto you, there be some that stand here which shall in no wise taste of death.” Isn’t that a strange remark? We wonder what it means. I really don’t know exactly what it means except it seems to be He’s saying some of you who are hearing my voice aren’t going to die. Why does He use that strange terminology, shall not taste of death? In other words, if I am killed I don’t taste death, I die. You understand what I’m saying folk? If I am killed by something it’s not a matter of tasting death. You’re alive or you’re dead. You don’t taste death, you die period.

What could He mean by that? I’m not sure but it might possibly mean a person being aware of dying. See a person actually having it as an experience and tasting it as an experience. Friends, in order to taste anything you have to not be dead or you can’t taste. You have to be alive in order to taste, even to taste death. Maybe death is not at all what we think it is. It may be an experience rather than a finality.

9. Focus on what works

Mark 9:29 (15:50). Explaining failure is not important. What is important is understanding success. ‘Why aren’t my prayers working?’ is the wrong question. The better question is ‘when can I get started again?’

Anyway, Jesus succeeds in healing a young boy whom nine of His disciples were not able to complete the boy’s healing. Jesus was away with three of His disciples. When He returns the father of the boy requests Jesus to take over where the disciples left off, which He does and the boy is healed. Now after that they go into the house and the disciples ask Jesus “Why could we not complete it?” In other words, they’re asking Him to explain failure. Jesus wasn’t in the business of explaining failure. He was in the business of demonstrating success. He does not answer their question, “Why did we fail?” He answers, “Here’s how you succeed.” He says, this kind can come out by nothing saved by prayer and fasting. Again, affirmation and denial.

Nobody needs to know what fails in prayer. Everybody needs to know what succeeds in prayer so keep on, keep on keeping on. The disciples should not have called their incomplete pass failure. They should have called it, we started the ball game. Now Jesus, You make the touchdown and He did. Did they fail? They only turned the game over to Jesus when He turned. By doing so they didn’t lose anything and everything was gained by the father and the boy. Don’t ever ask yourself why aren’t my prayers working? That’s the wrong question. The question is, when can I get started again? When can I get going again? That’s the right question. Success will be the outcome.

10. Error and God’s will

Matt. 18:14 (17:43). Things happen in this world that are not ‘God’s will.’ Error has crept into the world and it is not God’s will that any of ‘these little ones should perish.’

Next Jesus says something very interesting about God’s will on earth. You know a lot of people back then and even today think that anything that happens in the world today can happen only because God wills it. You all know such people. They believe this, that anything that happens is only able to happen because God wants it to happen. Jesus throws that in the trash can with this little statement, and I bet a lot of you have never heard this before.

“Even so it is not the will of your Father, which is in heaven, that even one of these little ones should perish.” Were little ones on earth perishing? Do they still perish? Therefore, things do happen in this world, which are not God’s will. Shall I read it again? “Even so it is not the will of your Father, which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” Little ones do perish, so something does happen in this world that cannot be called what? God’s will. Don’t blame God for things that are not according to what we call divine ideas or good. Error has crept in and done it’s dirty work again.

11. Forgive as long as it takes

Matt. 18:22 (19:19). We must forgive ‘for as long as it is needed.’

Jesus says in regard to forgiving. Peter says how long do I have to forgive? Seven times? That seemed like a lot to Peter didn’t it? Seven times? Wow. Ann Landers would say throw the bum out. Jesus doesn’t say that. He says, I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven. That’s seven seven zero zero zero on and on.

That’s purely symbolic number friends. That means for as long as it is needed. If it takes a millennium then that’s how long is needed. Didn’t Jacob Boehem say continuous forgiveness of sins, not limited quota of forgiveness but on, on, ongoing. As long as there is one sin being committed in this world forgiveness is needed or the race would perish and that must not be.

12. Seeing both good and evil

John 7:7 (20:23). Jesus saw both good and evil, but he worshipped only the good. He saw things as they are, but trusted only the good. In the next lecture, Ed reconsiders ‘the secret of Jesus’ power is that he saw only the good all the time.’ This clip has the next day’s clarification. In fact Jesus saw everything and chose to only worship the good. He saw things for what they were. And he branded much of it ‘evil.’

Jesus is talking to His disciples again about what’s going to happen in the future. Here He refutes another mistaken notion that you may have heard people say, “Jesus saw only the good and Jesus talked about only the good and that was the secret of His power.” Not so. Jesus saw everything, folks. He only worshiped the good and the good only but He saw everything and called it by it’s right name.

This is proved in these words to His disciples. “The world cannot hate you but me it hates already because I testify of it that it’s works are evil.” Does that sound like seeing only the good and talking about only the good? It means seeing things the way they are and naming what He sees. When it comes to worship and trust then He sees and talks about only the what? Only the good, only the good, only the good. When describing facts of the world He calls a spade a spade. I’ll quote Him again. I could see by your lack of response you had never heard that before. I’m not making this up, I’m quoting Jesus. “The world cannot hate you, but me it hates already because I testify of it that it’s works are evil.”

In other words, attempts are constantly being made to negate divine ideas. It’s all over the place. Have things changed very much since 2,000 years ago? Not very much, but enough that it’s significantly different.

[TruthUnity note: Note that Ed’s clothing has changed at this point in the video! That’s because this part of the lecture is actually from the following day and it was given as a clarification of what has just been said.]

I want to reiterate something at this point that we touched in our last lesson and I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t give it a little more reiteration here, emphasis because some of your reactions inferable later indicated to me that maybe I didn’t make that point as clear as I should have. I ask your indulgence as I return to it. I said in our last lesson that many people have voiced the opinion that the secret of Jesus’ power was He saw only the good all the time and spoke about only the good all the time. Now that is such a very idealistic thing. There is a grain of truth in it and I thought I brought up that grain of truth. It isn’t that He saw only the good, He saw everything and He only talked about the good, He talked about everything. Only the good is what He worshiped. It is only the good that Jesus worshiped. He says the Lord thy God only shalt thou worship.

He saw things for what they were in the position they were taking in human existence at this time. This is why He said this strange thing to His disciples. The world does not hate you now but Me it does hate because I testify of it that it’s works are evil. In other words, Jesus was not seeing only the good going on in our world but seeing all that was going on in our world and using the right word for it He branded much of it evil.

Again, what is the metaphysical meaning of the word evil? Does the word evil mean God’s mistakes? See, it means again any human attempt to negate any divine ideas. He says this is going on and I testify of the world that it is going on, the world resents it so I am being a target for a lot of hate and resentment. He didn’t make a big deal of it. He seemed to understand that is the way of the world, that is the way things happen but remember what Paul says later. Paul who was a devout follower of Jesus echoes Jesus in many many ways and he says “Be ye not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I can just see Jesus up in heaven applauding like mad when Paul said that.

13. Concern for sins of others

John 8:8 (25:22). Metaphysical advice for those who are overly concerned about the sins of others. Mentions Dr. Maurice Nicoll. Nothing makes me feel more righteous than the sins of others.

This next has a statement to make to those of us who are very worried about other peoples sins. There are such among us. Those of us who are very very much concerned about other peoples sins. He has this beautiful little bit of metaphysical advice for those of us in that predicament. “He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her.” There it is folks. I’m so worried about your sins, my husband’s sins, my children’s sins and Jesus says he that is without sin let him cast he first stone.

What’s the implication there? Who’s sins should we be concerned about? First foremost and final, our own. Take care of our own. Forgive of our own. Correct our own. There we will find that we are such a good influence on other people that we don’t have to go into tizzy’s about other people’s sins. Just like in the Dr. Maurice Nicole work system he says, nothing in this world is easier to bear than other persons misfortune. See?

Nothing makes me feel more righteous than other peoples’ sins. Well, I through away my stone. I hope I never pick it up again.

14. Other sheep have I

John 10:14 (27:10). ‘Other sheep have I that are not of this fold’ may imply that Jesus is speaking of other dimensions of life.

Our final statement for this section, “I am the good shepherd and I know mine own and mine own know me and other sheep I have which are not of this fold.” Now this particular statement of Jesus takes on significance when you know something that Charles Fillmore believed with all his heart and taught in the latter years of his teaching career. He said that Jesus came into our life way as a Messiah, from an advanced life way, from a higher level of evolution. He returned to this level to bring us to the gifts, the power, the insights that He had attained in prior evolutionary cycle. He came into our life wave as a good shepherd would come into a flock of sheep, to be with us temporarily, to infuse into our race consciousness that which was necessary to lift us out of the stagnation we had gotten into in our religious thinking at that time. [TruthUnity note: See Charles Fillmore’s Two Options and The Story of Jesus’ Soul Evolution]

He throws this really tantalizing remark out in this sentence, other sheep have I which are not of this fold, which seems to indicate that He was also aware and active in a life wave other than ours. He did not give us any information about this except that it tells us that we should not be so arrogant as to think that our life wave and our level of existence is the only level of existence of any importance in God’s whole creation. That there are other dimensions, other stratums, other life forms which are also life waves and that they are equally important to the Father as our present one and the one that Jesus had incarnated into. That completes ...

Personal Use Study Questions

  1. Explain why we need to remind ourselves not to “worry in advance” about solutions to future problems. Paraphrase the words of Jesus (Matt. 10:19) into an affirmative prayer that you can use the next time you are tempted to “worry in advance.”
  2. List two or three ways that you can begin right now to appropriate the “body of teachings” of Jesus Christ in your life. Write a brief explanation of how this is symbolic for “eating the bread of life.”
  3. Describe the important difference between Jesus’ works and His words as they relate to our lives today. Give some examples from your daily life experience showing how you would “carry on His ministry of words.”
  4. Why do you think it is important to know that negative conditions reported in the “news” can’t, of themselves, contaminate our consciousness? What is there inside of us that can contaminate our consciousness? Write an affirma- tion you can use to purify your consciousness.
  5. Explain how the Canaanite woman’s faith helped in the healing of her daughter. What does this mean about the way faith can help bring healing to you and those with whom you pray?
  6. How would you explain the difference between “our human opinions about other humans” and the truth about our Real nature? Why do you think knowing about our Real nature is so important?
  7. Review chapters four and five in Lessons in Truth by H. Emilie Cady. Explain in your own words the Unity process of denial and affirmation. What is it that we really deny? Whose attitude does an affirmation change? Give some examples of denials and affirmations.
  8. Describe how the instruction for success - prayer and fasting — can operate in your life when you feel that you have failed in some endeavor.
  9. How would you explain the “will of God” for every human being? Explain in your own words how something can happen that is “not the will of God.”
  10. What does it mean to forgive someone “until seventy times seven”? Who does forgiveness really help and bless?
  11. What in your own words is the difference between “seeing only the good” and “worshiping only the good”? What implications does this have for how you deal with “all” that you see in the outer world of appearance and facts?
  12. What is the message, for those who worry about the faults of other people, found in the words of Jesus recorded in John 8:7? Why is this message important for our spiritual development?
  13. How would you explain the way that the consciousness of Jesus Christ, here now, functions as a “Good Shepherd” in our daily lives?