Introduction

It is written: “All these lessons Jesus taught in the form of parables. He spoke to them in parables only to fulfill what had been said through the prophets: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden since the creation of the world.’” (Matthew 13: 35) Why taught in parables that tax the mind, hard to the understanding and open to different interpretations? Because the work of discerning what is hidden falls under the work of the Holy Spirit, as God himself must be the one through the Third Person of the Trinity to unravel the mystery, similar to what Jesus did with his disciples in private. Jesus said: “This much have I told you while I was still with you; the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you in everything, and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14: 25- 26) The Holy Spirit continues the work of salvation by instructing and reminding men and women of the words of Jesus, enlightening his followers from every generation as to their authentic meaning, which sheds light amidst the prevailing darkness in any particular time; as this ever-changing darkness, which is deceptively moving with man‘s evolving consciousness is but the impetus to find answer in the words of Jesus; for the light of truth juxtaposed with the darkness of sin is the best experience of the liberating power of the Gospel; as this power that hell cannot overcome has again and again dispatched the lies that visited one generation after another, beginning with the many falsehoods that tried but failed to worm their way in the early Church. The present time is no exception, as issues central to the modern consciousness are tearing the very fabric of societies around the globe, even as these issues seem to fragment the unity of the Church founded by Our Lord. And so this work-assignment from Jesus that seeks to know and understand his teachings, under the guidance of the Paraclete, as this task gives vitality to the life of his disciples, continues at every time and season, for the Word is alive and moving with man’s evolving consciousness of his personhood and the changing realities around him. This should not imply that the revealed truth changes from time to time, for the Word of God is fixed on the unchanging truth. Rather, it is man who changes, just as the probing of the multi-faceted truth is but the recognition of the fact that this body of truth is not fixed for the sole consumption of a particular age or people, nor can it be solely defined by specific mindset or tradition, for after all, it is for all peoples of every tongue and persuasion, from ages past, to the present and beyond. It would be wrong to assume that the Word of God is only directed to the baptized, for the Spirit of God relentlessly moves in the world, seeking to convert the hearts of those whom he has created in his image and likeness; as the divine call to live in the truth as revealed by his only begotten Son abides and endures as long as there are hearts where it can grow and bear fruit. Jesus said: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must lead them too, and they shall hear my voice. There shall be one flock then, one shepherd.” (John 10: 16} And so through the ages, men and women, under the inspiration of the Spirit of Truth, carry on the work of probing the meaning of Jesus’ many teachings that effectively shed light on the darkness that confronts mankind on his journey to life everlasting. This darkness, which by its nature is always at war with the truth, cunningly exploits the shifting battlelines in man’s ongoing quest for a life that is founded on the pursuit of freedom, peace and fulfillment. These undeniable qualities of a meaningful life that answer best to the primal command issued at the dawn of time, that is to multiply and subdue the earth, are themselves evolving, in synch with man’s perception of the gift of life which is inextricably linked with free-will, as one without the other renders the gift worthless, for only the free-will can celebrate life to the fullest, delineating the myriad colors that paints its most profound meaning, which in its essence is supernatural and thus cannot be bounded by temporality; more so as this gift flows from the loving goodness of the Creator. Even though change is the constant in the passing sphere, and yet, it is never free wheeling, for this change must be grounded on the unchanging Word of God, for as Scripture has it, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Unchanging, for he is the perfect Man, but the creature made in his image and likeness whose being is founded on becoming, must constantly change in order to grow and mature and

as such, has to continuously discern between the spirit of the law, which he must abide at all times, and the extra-trimmings that generation after generation had placed upon it, with the deleterious effect of dulling the spirit, restricting its meaning, and worst, reducing it to mere ideology that enslaves instead of liberating man in order to experience the loving goodness of the Almighty God. A case in point was when the Pharisees protested at seeing the disciples on a sabbath pulled off heads of grains of wheat to eat for they were hungry. In response, Jesus said: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” (Mark 2: 27) Man is the imperfect physical manifestation of the God who created him, just as the divine laws that governs his life is for his wellbeing. It would be a grievous mistake if man is seen as a cut-out figure, made solely for laws that escape his understanding, or even going against the laws of his nature. Driven by hunger, the disciples were compelled to satisfy it by eating raw grains. They were faulted by the Pharisees, which Jesus corrected, reinstating the inherent dignity of man over laws and traditions that try to perverse it, which if successful will turn him to a mere caricature, depriving him of the glory of one who is at the pinnacle of creation; as he is the divine image and the appointed heir of the heavenly realm. This does not mean that he is above the law, for on the contrary, the laws serve to enhance his God-given status, as one judged to be very good at the time of his creation. Thus, the persisting challenge to this present generation and beyond is to find Jesus in the midst of the challenges of contemporary life, delving deeply on his words as allowed by the Spirit, finding the truth that can make sense of the current conversation of what is good and bad, and what affirms the Gospel that leads men and women to freedom and fulfillment instead of unnaturally tailoring the creature made in the image of the Creator in order to fit a preconceived notion, rigid as it is born of centuries-old tradition, of what affirms or denies Jesus’ teachings. People tend to do the latter for it is easier to subscribe to the idea that man is a creature whose nature had been irreversibly fixed from the moment of his creation and thus, will be best served by the Gospel that has been simplified, reducing its inexhaustible wealth to mere do’s and don’ts. This tendency denies man of his rightful place in the whole of creation, as its crowning glory, as the universe of matter came into existence for him, for without him creation does not make any sense; as this erroneous mentality makes him less than what he truly is, by advancing the idea that man’s ascend to the truth is nothing more than a carrot-or-stick choice, in a word, reward or punishment, as in heaven or hell. The truth revealed by Jesus is not a simple yes-no proposition but an invitation to discover the tenets of life that give it fullness despite its transitory nature; as seeing it as a unidimensional doctrine answerable merely with yes or no robs it of its immense power to bestow life, measurable by the level of peace, joy and fulfillment. Only the active acceptance of the Word of God, in thought, word and deed, can liberate man from the devil’s lies; as passivity or outright indifference defeats its power. Thus, the understanding of the truth of life as proclaimed in the Gospel needs constant engagement, for as was said earlier, man is not a fixed being, immune to change but a creature with an evolving consciousness of himself, the world around him, made more critical by climate change, and the Truth that gave him life; just as his mortal fiend whose one goal is to defeat him at any cost is himself continuously adapting to man’s evolving consciousness, changing his tactics to make his lies current, relevant and believable. This necessary interaction with the Word cannot be had if the Gospel is merely accepted as a black or white doctrine; for on the contrary, its message offers all men, regardless of creed or belief, a treasure throve of knowledge for righteous living that goes beyond the letter; as going beyond the letters by probing deeply into its spirit is the on-going work of Christians of every generation, which is only possible under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth. This journey to finding enlightenment in the Word of God is in itself immensely rewarding, like discovering the precious gem hidden in the hard to decipher revelations made by Our Lord Jesus. Thus, it is sad to note that a good number of Christians are not acquainted with the Holy Bible, preferring instead to be spoon fed by homilies, though good but limited in scope because of the time constraint imposed by the Holy Mass. Jesus said, “Blest is the man who finds no stumbling block in me.” (Matthew 11: 6) Amen to his words.

This chapter deals with the revelation made by the Incarnate Son of God. Jesus announced this good tiding in the synagogue in Nazareth where he was reared. This happened after he trashed Satan in the desert wilderness, a total reversal of fortune because long ago, Satan trashed man in paradise. Jesus read from the book of the prophet Isaiah where it is written: "’The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, Recovery of sight to the blind and the release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord.’ Then he said to them, ‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.’" [Luke 4: 16- 21] But as the title of this chapter suggests, it is a new way of seeing this same revelation without addition or subtraction, for the revealed truth is complete. Having said this, again as the title suggests, Jesus’ Gospel is seen in a new light by a contemporary man, which can only be done under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for only the Spirit of Wisdom can move the hearts of men to probe deeper into the truth, and to seek the hidden meaning in the words of Our Lord; just as He alone has the power to unravel the mystery of the Word of God. This is because the revealed truth is not unidimensional but a multi-layered doctrine that offers nourishment to anyone, regardless of the level of spiritual maturity, as no one leaves empty-handed when his words are taken to heart; as anyone can find nourishment in the truth proclaimed by Jesus. Thus, the need to better understand his teachings is an ongoing challenge for every generation, for forces are at work that will try to undermine them or worse, turn them to weapons against peoples of different beliefs, persuasions or orientation. This need to understand draws its power from faithfully adhering to Jesus’ proclamation, fearlessly following his word to the letter, straying not from the way of truth that leads to life, as Jesus is the shepherd, not only of Christians but all peoples. Jesus in unequivocal terms declared his centrality to the Father’s plan for his children when he said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father but through me.” (John 14: 6) This journey to knowledge began in the previous chapter, “A New Way of Being”, as man is the point of departure of this journey to the truth, not without aid, as the God-Man had revealed what was otherwise unknowable to man, unveiling the secrets that had lain hidden since the creation of the world; just as his Spirit guides men and women to know and understand his revelation, making it current and relevant for all times and seasons. This journey continues in the present chapter, “A New Way of Seeing” this truth, guided by the Spirit of counsel and understanding, as this revealed truth is the foundation of man’s relationship with God. Not all the facets of truth are examined, but again, the scope of this work is aimed in understanding man’s journey to God, touching on all the necessary steps to Him, as these steps ultimately progressed to the third and last chapter, “A New Paradigm”, which deals with a new way to Him, again, with the Word of God as the revealer of this truth, and guided by the Spirit of the Almighty to know this new way. The Old Testament is the story of creation and man’s disfigurement caused by sin and death, as this subject was dealt with in Chapter One. Man’s flight from the truth was so grievous for it is written: “When the Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved.” [Genesis 6: 5-6] On the other hand, the New Testament is the story of man’s redemption and the triumph of God’s loving mercy on his human image and thus, restoring him in his rightful place in the whole of creation as the appointed heir of the heavenly kingdom, the number of which is beyond counting, as God himself promised to Abraham. In Genesis, He said to Abraham “I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing." [Genesis 22: 17- 8] To the prophet Joel, God said, "Then afterwards, I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit." [Joel 3: 1-2] Truly, a year of favor from the Lord and the fulfillment of the promise spoken of old-- the redemption of man and his sanctification by the descent of the Holy Spirit on him. We are the children of the New Testament, the fulfillment of the promise spoken to Abraham, and the sign of God's fidelity to him, our father in faith. We have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in

us, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding; selectively given through the ages past but now poured on the elect, the children of the Resurrection. With his Spirit of truth, leading his people to all things true, we first have to wrap our heads around the greatest mystery, which is the Holy Trinity, as this knowledge is essential to our understanding of ourselves because we are created in the image and likeness of the Triune God. Thus, to know God is to understand ourselves, just as the understanding of ourselves is our take off point in our quest to understand our Triune God, as we are his human image. This task, difficult as it is, can only be approached through the words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the rationale behind the title of this book, JESUS SAID, as all the subject matters discussed in this work are purely based on the divine revelation made by the Son of God. The knowledge of everything we need to know, both in heaven and on earth are finally made accessible to us by the surpassing revelation made by the Incarnate Son of the Living God, Jesus Christ, the perfect revelation of the Father. So, with God's grace, let us take Jesus’ Way to the Truth and hope to arrive at the fullness of Life, as Jesus said: "I came that they might have life and have it to the full." [John 10: 10] Even now, more than 2000 years later, Jesus is challenging us to believe and to put our faith in Him, as everything he revealed is the truth, absolute and eternal, which was the same challenge he issued to Nicodemus when said, "If you do not believe when I tell you about earthy things, how are you to believe when I tell you about those of heaven?" [John 3: 12] With confident assurance, we proceed to deal with the task on hand, guided by the Holy Spirit and prove deeply the Word of God, beginning with the Blessed Trinity.