Ways of Christ

Logo: drawed Christian cross and earth symbol

Main text part 1, The Gospels,
chapter :

Christ's Transfiguration on Mount Tabor (Matthew 17).

Drawing: the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor

Many of Jesus’ deeds are the symbolic external signs of the inner "transfiguration", starting from the conversation with Nicodemus (John 3), continuing with the Sermon on the Mount, right up to the cure of a person born blind and the feeding of the 5000 on the mountain. This transfiguration is partially related to the eastern term great enlightenment. The human spirit is enlightened. However, that refers here to a closer connection with God and his spirit. God is understood here not only as the absolute principle, but as a being too, being real for Jesus and those who follow on his way.

Just "positive thinking" - if not egoistic, not megalomaniacal and without technical manipulations - could indeed change thoughts into a state more close to what comes from God. It might open us for God this way. However, the literature of this school of thought has not discussed this carefully enough. and that can often lead to self-deception.

Anyway, this is not yet "Transfiguration". Transfiguration does not simply add positive affirmations to the confused variety of mental "programs" all people own, so that in total a surplus of positive ones arises - which is a possible exercise. But Transfiguration unravels everything by an ability to look at the spiritual origins, made free of distortions of the mind and of misleading emphasis. A higher divine order in everything becomes visible. Regarding this kind of maturity, it is a higher level of the psychological cleaning process mentioned in the chapter "The holy zeal". From a more basic level of insight everything becomes clear. Direct recognition or insight is not thinking; it just comes, with or without thinking. It cannot be forced and makes us free. The world of thought does not need to be suppressed any longer in order to achieve higher wisdom, as some other schools of thought have attempted.

Our thinking is freed from instinct-like reaction patterns and the controllable analytical and synthetic thinking becomes more easily a tool of higher reason. Then one understands too, which behaviour may be suitable in which circumstances.

One can assume that Christ himself did not have to eliminate all that dullness, which separated the normal human being from this level of consciousness. Nevertheless he must have also experienced an increasing level of clarity. Later, in the so-called high-priestly prayer, he asked for that clarity which he had had with God before creation.

Some theologians see the Transfiguration and the professing of Christ by Peter in the light of the simultaneous Jewish day of atonement or the subsequent Feast of Tabernacles. (The day of atonement was the only time in the year when the priest uttered the name of God in the inner sanctum of the temple.) Others saw a connection with Moses climbing Mount Sinai (2nd Moses 24:16).

Extra window: quote from the bible

Help: a self-examination for the work with the main text

Question:
Can God help me restructure my thoughts in accordance with reason?

 

To the next chapter of this part (Gospel)

Back to the index of this part of the main text: The Gospels

To the Homepage with more contributions: The Revelation, and many other topics

 

Reference to a complete version for print, and Copyright Ways of Christ™

e-mail