Message of Jesus Back to Spiritual Writings
by LC
The recent announcement of the Jesus Tomb discovery has awakened fundamentalist Christians
into openly attacking the spectacular find, without even considering the evidence presented.
This is due to Christianity’s corporate teaching that Jesus’ physical body literally ascended up
into the earth’s atmosphere and disappeared. When one considers the magnitude of the
possible evidence of his body’s burial in a stone ossuary, to some it immediately implies that
traditional Christian teachings are erroneous and that Jesus’ message is being attacked. Is
Jesus’ message to the world of love, hope and peace being degraded through a potential find of
his remains, or is it actually being strengthened through archaeological evidence that supports
Jesus did in fact exist? To me, the greatest implication of the Jesus Tomb documentary is that
archaeology has most likely proven Jesus walked the earth some 2000 years ago.
What is interesting to note is how the message of Christianity evolved over two millennia. Even
more interesting is when one considers how Jesus’ true message seems to have been changed
over time by religious and political leaders attempting to create a state religion from his
teachings. To look at all this, we must first look at Jesus’ ministry as told in the four gospels and
identify what and to whom he spoke. See: Jesus Teaching
We are told that Jesus walked through villages and countryside with people flocking to hear him
speak. His words were delivered with power and amazed the common people, as he spent time
with them and demonstrated love to those who were spiritually broken by religious leaders.
Jesus did not attack these common people, otherwise they would most likely have never followed
him. He did, however, speak against religious leaders of his day who were burdening these
same people. Jesus taught in parables, so that spiritually dead, religious leaders who could only
interpret, teach and lead others through literal laws found in others’ writings, would not grasp the
true, hidden, spiritual message within his stories. Thus we are told in Matthew 13:13 that Jesus
stated, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing
they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Jesus’ message of truth was a spiritual message that
needs to be heard within one’s very being. He taught (in Luke 17, for example) that the kingdom
of God is within each of us and that it neither would be found outside of one’s self, nor could it be
seen with the physical eyes. God would and could speak within the heart of each individual.
Who needs a religion to interpret what God is saying to you, if God will speak to you directly?
This very concept was an attack against religion which relies on outward buildings, programs,
laws and purveyors of doctrines to control people, typically through fear. A message against
dogma such as this is what eventually led Jesus to his death by crucifixion.
After Jesus’ death, we are told in accounts that many people saw him. But this begs the
question, what did they see? There are numerous descriptions in the gospels of different people
not recognizing Jesus’ physical appearance. This means his body looked different. If his
physical body was the same as before, we could be quite certain that his followers who had
spent three plus years with him would have recognized him easily. Something was very different
with his appearance, as we are told he walked through walls, appeared and disappeared in the
midst of his disciples. This evidence, found in the Bible’s New Testament, readily supports the
idea that Jesus did not appear to followers in his old physical body after his death and
resurrection. His was a body that we are simply not familiar with, and what we may assume was a
newer, better, spiritual representation. Jesus simply demonstrated that death of his physical
body could not destroy who he was or his message. His old body was of no importance, as it
was cast aside for something better.
History shows that followers remained vigil in following Jesus’ teachings. They met in small
groups, while men and women visited them trying to establish some core beliefs and teachings
based upon the words of Jesus. Still, many varying beliefs existed and evolved over a few
hundred years until Roman Emperor Constantine (in 325 AD) formed the first Nicene Council in a
successful attempt to organize a state religion. A government led group of men decided over
subsequent years what canons (laws) would be taught, what texts would be destroyed (such as
the gnostic gospels), while buildings were erected and offerings collected. All of this was
designed to control the people under one state formed and controlled religion. Thus, organized
Christianity was born and today the many denominations and doctrines around the world can
trace their roots back to this first Nicene Council.
Over time and through councils of men, the true, spiritual message that Jesus taught appears to
have been forgotten. It is interesting to think that even Jesus’ tomb had also been lost until
recently. Most likely, Jesus’ story from a couple thousand years ago had been re-written by the
very thing he attacked: religion. Now, men such as Simcha Jacobovici, James Cameron, Dr.
James Tabor and others just might be revealing the greatest truth which has been buried by
more than just dirt and rocks.
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