ALIVE: Chapter 168, Growth

In the year 1432 Anno Domini , the thoughtful child said to the teacher in a whining voice, “Why don’t you just tell me the answer? You know it. Why do you make me figure it out myself?”

The teacher replied, “But I did tell you the answer. Didn’t you believe me?”

The child cried, “When? I didn’t hear it.”

The wise teacher answered patiently, “I think you didn’t want to hear it. Some other thoughts were blocking the way between your ears and your mind.”

The ancient child giggled at the image.

The wise teacher continued, “The answers are simple; sometimes you think they should be harder. Now listen to me again.

I tell you that death is not what most people think it is. There are phases of life. The first phase started when you were inside your mommy’s womb. You started like a little fish, and then grew fingers and toes and muscles and you became a baby with lungs and when you were ready for the outside world, to breath air, and your muscles were ready to grow, you popped out of your mommy, and grew and grew and grew until some day you will stop growing.

But it isn’t just your body growing all that time, it is all of you. Your body growth has its own natural limits, but your mind, and heart and your spirit grow too, and they have no restraints on them at all. You are the Master of you!”

The child listened closely and was amazed to learn this. The wise teacher’s words opened a big new space in which to explore life.

The wise teacher, sensing the child’s receptivity continued, “When you grow old and your body is finished with this air and this soil with all its food for you, then you will go to live in a another different world. Just like mommy’s womb was very different than this world, but it was always the same you and you grew there; in the same way you are growing in the womb of this earth, with its soil, sky, and sea, then you will live in a whole new world that you have been preparing for, even though you weren’t aware of it and could have no idea what that world will be like, even as in your mommy, you had no concept of nature.”

Wide eyed the child said, “I see! Then what will happen? Finally, you are speaking clearly! You are the best teacher!”

Now it was the teacher’s turn to laugh. “No, I’m not. The best teacher in the world is the only one who knows what our next world is like because He came from there. He came to teach us the traits of a citizen of God’s ultimate world. If people learn them here the person becomes  the kind of person suited for the new universe. The more you know, and the more you practice what the Best Teacher taught us, the happier you will be, forever! Do you want to live happily ever after?”

The child solemnly nodded. “Of course I do.”

The wise teacher added, “I only know what I experience and learn from reading of people who lived through the centuries, and especially what the best Teacher who ever lived taught me, and still teaches me.”

“Who is that Best Teacher? How did He come from the place that nobody ever went to?”

The wise teacher replied patiently, “He is called the Messiah, or the Anointed One, or the Christ. He the one and only God who created the universe. He came to earth as a person and He was murdered, but He is still alive, because there is only death of the body, but not the person’s mind and heart, their soul. People leave their body here in nature, and are born into the next world, like coming from the womb of the earth. And so, since He is still alive and since He is God, He knows all the secrets of the different phases of life. The Best Teacher still teaches me in lots of different ways. The easiest way is when I read the Scriptures. I have them right here. Let me read to you.”

“Okay, yes. I want to learn and live happily ever after!” said the wisening child.

The child sat comfortably cross legged on the floor ready to listen carefully, while the sage read,

“And there came unto him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked Him, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote: If a man’s brother dies, and leave a wife behind him, and leaves no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. There were seven brothers: and the first took a wife, and dying left no child, and the second took her, and died, leaving no child behind him; and the third likewise: and all seven left no child. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife shall she be, for all the seven brothers had her as wife?”

Jesus said to the Sadducees, ‘This is why you people are wrong, you don’t know the scriptures, or the power of God? Because when people rise from the dead they do not marry and are as angels in heaven.’

And the teacher added, “See how smart He is? They tried to trick Him because they didn’t  believe that there is a resurrection, the next phase. But He just told them a little about it.  And He told us too. Child, know this, that someday, everyone whose bodies died will come alive again, because the most important part of us can’t ever die.

I will teach you one more very very important thing, that you will think about as long as you need to breathe this air.”

The child sat up straighter wide eyed ready to be filled with knowledge.

“God, made this big amazing world filled with Life in thousands of forms, and then He made us to be small images of Himself! God is Life. God cannot die. He doesn’t have a body, and He doesn’t need air. He is a pure and Holy (that means different, unique) Spirit. We people have bodies like animals, but we are not animals because we have the Spirit, the mind, the Life of God in us. This is why we are so smart and we can speak and write, and invent! Though the body will stay on earth with nature, who you and I really are inside, all that we know, all that we feel, will be born into another place, and then another place.

There will be a 4th last place. God will give us new bodies that conform to the nature of that ultimate world. Our new incorruptible healthy bodies will live in a brand new Earth where even our bodies will never die, and we will be able to see God. Our life will be complete, just like it was always meant to be.”

“Can I see my grandfather there? He loved God.” asked the child with yearning.

“Yes! Imagine that, child! We will be like angels some day! Both of us! And then we will be given new bodies!”

The child’s face looked bright and sweet, “I can’t imagine that!”

The wise teacher replied, “Think about it later and let’s continue to read.  ‘But about the dead and that they are raised; haven’t you (remember He was speaking to the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection) read in the book of Moses, in the place concerning the Burning Bush, how God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: you made a big mistake to think He is the God of the dead.” (The teacher changed a few words to help the child understand.)

“Wow” exclaimed the ancient child.

After a brief hesitation the teacher smiled and nodded in agreement with the child and continued. ‘And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that He had answered them well, he asked Him, What commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

The second is this, you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

And the scribe said to Jesus,  ‘Of a truth, Teacher, You  have said it well that God is one; and there is none other but He: and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is worth much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

When Jesus saw that the scribe answered discreetly, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask Jesus another question.’

“Why not?” asked the child.

“Well, because the foolish mean people wanted to trap Jesus and make Him say something wrong, but He never did. So those people gave up.”

The teacher continued reading, ‘But then Jesus saw some Pharisees standing around talking to each other and He went over to them and asked THEM a question.

He said, “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is He?”

One Pharisee quickly answered what he thought was a very easy question,  “The Messiah is the Son of David.”

Jesus replied, “How can that be if David, in the Spirit, called Him Lord, saying,

The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit Yourself on My right hand,
Till I put your enemies underneath your feet?

If David called Him Lord, how can the Messiah be his son?

And no one was able to answer Him, neither did anyone from that day on ask Jesus any more questions.’ They just walked away from Him.

Jesus watched them go and then turned to Phillip with a smile of satisfaction, then shrugged His shoulders in sympathy for their stupidity, and the disciples followed Jesus and Phillip out of the temple.”

The child giggled and the teacher chuckled. It was funny to imagine the men who made themselves to be so high and mighty but were actually so ignorant. Who were they fooling but themselves?

“I’m almost finished and then you had better go home. I’m sure your mother is wondering where you are.”

“Okay.” said the child obediently, wanting rather to stay with the teacher.

‘Jesus walked out of the temple. Looked around at the busy city of Jerusalem and sighed.’

The child cut in, “What’s a sigh?”

The teacher sighed long and loud.

“Oh yeah.” nodded the child.

‘Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killed the prophets, and stoned them that are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gatherers her own brood under her wings, and you would not let Me. Behold, your house is left to you desolate: and I say unto you, You will not see Me again, until you say, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.’

The teacher looked up at the child and closed his Bible, and said, “You had better go now.”

“Please, just one more.” begged the ancient child.

“Okay, but that’s all. I think I hear your mother calling.”

“No you don’t!”

The teacher picked up the Scroll and opened it, reading right where his eyes landed, ‘Jesus went back inside the temple, and sat down near the coin donation box. He watched as the  people dropped coins in the slot. Rich people came and dropped many coins in and went away feeling generous and good about themselves. Then a little old lady dress in ragged clothes dropped in two coins that were so small that they barely made a sound when they fell in.

Jesus called his disciples over and said to them “I’ll tell you that this poor widow gave more than all the rich people because they gave the extra money they had, and she gave what she needed for food’, “because she trusted God to take care of her. Okay, that’s all; you had better be going.”

“Thank you for reading to me! That was fun.” And the child got up, turned around and ran down the cobblestone road. If all the knowledge the child had just gained had weight, moving at all would have been impossible. But knowledge is like spirit, weightless and rich.

After the child was out of sight, the teacher read on silently to himself, ‘When it was time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t He coming to the Feast at all?” But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they could arrest him.’

The teacher stopped reading, lowered his head and wept.