John 3:5-8 and John 10:7-10

Question:

Yes! Desire to know the meaning of these scriptures; If Jesus is the only way to the Father, how then can I get to know Jesus? What do I do?

Comment:

It is not Jesus who is the only way to the Father. It is the Christ—the indwelling Father that lives in each of us—that is the only way. Jesus realized this for himself, and taught and demonstrated it for all of us. We 'know' Jesus when we trust his guidance and example, and surrender our lives to the Christ that is the truth of our own being. Let's take the two passages separately.   JOHN 3:5-8: "Jesus answered, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.' The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:5-8 RSV).   Jesus is speaking here to Nicodemus, who is confused about what Jesus means when he talks about being “born again.” Jesus explains that it isn't a literal rebirth, but a reawakening to spiritual Source. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). In other words, the rebirth is a surrender of human demands and limitations and a return to the Oneness with Spirit that is our true source and identity. This surrender can't be defined or justified to our mortal mind, any more than people at that time could define the wind, except by feeling its effects as it passed. When we are born of the Spirit, we express as the wind expresses, in the loving guidance and flow of Holy Spirit. This may seem to mortal mind like a loss of power and identity; in Truth, however, it represents a new dimension of freedom and empowerment.   JOHN 10:7-10: "So Jesus again said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:7-10 RSV).   As is often the case in the Gospel of John, Jesus is speaking as the Christ—the full expression of God that is the spiritual potential of each of us, which Jesus was able to perfectly and completely express as an example and challenge to us all to do the same. 

In the Gospel of John Jesus uses many analogies to help him communicate the nature of the Christ and the difference between his spiritual approach and past religious doctrine. "All who came before me were thieves and bandits." he says at John 10:8. By enforcing a judgmental religious structure they robbed individuals of any awareness of their own divine natures, and they stole any possibility for living lives of abundance and fulfillment.   On the other hand, embracing the Christ allows us to lead joyful and abundant lives as we make creative choices from that innate divine Power and lovingly support each other as we create together the new consciousness that Jesus calls the kingdom of heaven.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed