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“Around
the ninth hour, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, saying "Eli Eli lama
sabachthani?" which is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?”
- Mark 15:34, Holy Bible
It is written that these
words of Jesus were shouted in a loud voice. Of the seven sayings
of Jesus from the cross, this one stands out. It is the only saying
recorded in Matthew and Mark, and is the only one that appears in two,
parallel accounts. Each time I have read these words, I have felt
them in my heart with an intense feeling. And I believe that most
of us have had moments in our lives when these or similar words have
come into our minds ... and perhaps, we too, have shouted them out.
And, like Jesus, most of us have followed these words with a
"surrender" to God ... a knowing that God is our only hope.
What happened next for Jesus, and what has happened next for many of us,
is all a part of the "mystery" of our relationship to God.
Recently, someone asked the question, "how
would you explain the mystery of Creation to a group of small
children?" And my first thought, was that I would probably
explain it the same way I would to adults, for in truth, it is the same
mystery. I am reminded of the old "show and tell"
exercises that are done in grade schools ... or at least, used to be
done in grade schools. For this question, I would use an
"egg" ... and this time of year it could be an "Easter
Egg." And we can go back to the question, "what came
first, the chicken or the egg?" And in this question, we find
the "mystery of Creation." We don't know ... we didn't
know as children and we don't know as adults. And this simple
exercise exemplifies an even greater truth ... we are not supposed to
know everything ... we are "seekers of Truth" ... and I
believe that our finite human mind will never fully grasp the
Intelligence that rules this Universe and the perhaps infinite universes
beyond it.
In Jesus' statement, "MY God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?" ... we can know that even though Jesus is perhaps
one of the most highly enlightened individuals to walk on this planet,
he too, did not have the capacity to entirely understand his
relationship with the Infinite. And in this moment of knowing that
he did not have the capacity to understand, he felt a brief moment of
despair. And in this, we can all realize that our moments of
doubt, and perhaps even despair, are not signs that God is not with us,
but that we simply do not understand the "mystery" fully of
our eternal relationship with God.
Like Jesus, we have within us an
"invincible Spirit" ... we have the capacity to transcend the
material. This capacity goes beyond anything that we have
experienced, for this capacity cannot be limited by the human
mind. We can direct It by our choices and beliefs, but we cannot
limit it ... we can only limit our personal experience of It. For
many, the words spoken by Jesus, are surprising. After all, didn't
he say, "when you see me, you see the Father"? ... that is the invincible Spirit within him. And we know this as Jesus
later tells us, "I have overcome the world." Which could
have been said as, "this invincible Spirit within me has overcome
the world as me." This is the Truth.
The Great Joy of Easter is that we too, can
"overcome the world." We can overcome our illnesses, our
difficult relationships, our debts, our depressions, and our
sorrows. We have this infinite capacity within us ... this
"overcoming Spirit" that cannot be defeated. We can
overcome our lack and our self-imposed limitations ... but we must
affirm that this is so ... we must change our mind from, "my God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?" ... and open our mind to this
invincible Spirit within and declare, "I have overcome this
thing."
We can take a look around
us and see the mystery of God being revealed. Look at the Easter
lilies ... they are growing and blooming ... Infinite Intelligence took
the bulb that was planted into the fertile soil and is bringing it to
life. The Master Mind Jesus said, "see the lilies how they
grow" ... and so we know they grow intelligently. And this
same Intelligence is within us ... and works for us ... to give our life
a greater expression ... of beauty, of joy, of love and of all Good
things!
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev.
Dr. Henry Lee Bates
Visit Rev. Bates BLOG: Living
the Science of Mind
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