Knowing the Master through John; an interpretation in the light of modern thought and understanding
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All Rights Reserved Knowing the Master Through John Printed in U. S. A. ’WorwooD pre00 BERWICK & SMITH CO. Norwood, Mass. © C1A890715 FOREWORD The Gospel of St. John is the greatest of all Chris¬ tian writings. Nowhere else is there such an intimate presentation of the teachings of Jesus as is given by the ‘‘ Beloved Disciple.’^ Hence it is more profoundly mystical in parts than any of the other Gospels. It is true that all may draw great comfort from it, that the least learned re¬ spond to the divine love which pervades it as quickly and warmly as do the most scholarly, and are equally moved to all the depths of their natures by its sublime pathos. But only a teacher of great learning, tireless research, utmost sincerity, and exceptional spirituality can interpret all of it in its fullness. No other should attempt it ; few would even make the attempt. To those who knew him well, among whom I was numbered as his publisher, the late Aaron Martin Crane was the one qualified to make this contribution to Christian knowledge and Christian faith. Few have been the lives that have so moved many, in all rever¬ ence, to think of the life of the Great Teacher. Thus it was entirely natural that the ones who were privileged to be of Mr. Crane’s Bible Class should especially treasure the lessons given to the Gospel of 5 6 FOREWORD John; that these lessons should be carefully preserved by stenographic notes; and that there should grow a compelling demand they be given to the world as a book. With the teacher gone, it was a matter of great re¬ sponsibility to present these studies in a way to do justice to the one who gave so richly of himself in preparation for their outgiving in spoken form. This labor of love has been performed by a devoted mem¬ ber of the Class, who has given to her work many months of conscientious painstaking, assisted when necessary by an able teacher of Greek, in order that as much as possible of Mr. Crane’s scholarly helpful¬ ness might be retained. Each of the thirty-five chap¬ ters of this book represents what was given at a ses¬ sion of the Class, and combined to make a harmonious interpretation of the life and precepts of “ Him who spake as never man spake,” drawn from the highest source, they go out in the hope that those who read may feel their lives made better by the awakening of mind, heart, and soul, even as did those who listened while Mr. Crane taught. Warren Fenno Gregory. CONTENTS I. A Fundamental Principle in the Teach¬ ing OF Jesus . 9 II. Creation . 22 III. The Light that Lighteth Every Man . 31 IV. The Introduction of Jesus by John the Baptist . . . ... .41 V. The Miracle at Cana .... 32 VI. The Cleansing of the Temple ... 63 VII. The Interview WITH Nicodemus . . 88 VIII. Salvation and Damnation . . .100 IX. The Farewell OF John THE Baptist . .111 X. The Conversation with the Woman at the Well . 123 XI. The Father and the Son . . . .140 XII. The Bread OF Life FROM Heaven . . 135 XIII. The Feast OF Tabernacles . . .173 XIV. The Woman Taken in Adultery . . 193 XV. Freedom . 203 XV I . Conclusion of the Tabernacles Discourse 223 XVII. Healing the Man Born Blind . . . 242 XVIII. The Good Shepherd . 261 XIX. I AND THE Father are One . . . 277 XX. The Raising of Lazarus .... 290 XXL The Public Entry Into Jerusalem . . 308 XXII. Events OF THE Last Week . . *323 7 8 CONTENTS XXIII. Jesus Washing THE Disciples’ Feet . 338 XXIV. Judas AND His Motives . . . *3^2 XXV. The Way, The Truth, and The Life . 367 XXVI. The Abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit . j8i XXVII. The True Vine . 399 XXVIII. Love . 412 XXIX. Guidance of the Spirit .... 429 XXX. The Prayer . 443 XXXI. The Prayer That They All May Be One 466 XXXI I. Arrest AND Trial OF Jesus . . . 480 XXXI 1 1. Trial AND Execution OF Jesus . . 499 XXXIV. The Resurrection .... 523 XXXV. The Meeting AT THE Lake • 546 Knowing the Master Through John I A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE IN THE TEACHING OF JESUS In the last chapter of Luke is recorded an account of the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his crucifixion. The narrative sets forth the facts in the simplest possible form without attempting to empha¬ size the importance of the event. It concludes with the following declaration, which, coming at this time and under these circumstances, has peculiar signifi¬ cance : Then opened he their understanding {mind — R. V. ) , that they might understand the scriptures. And said unto them. Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: ‘‘ And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” It has seemed to be the fate of every great teacher to be misunderstood. As we look back through the 9 10 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN years since the time of Jesus’ teaching, it appears that he has not only not been understood, but that he has been greatly misunderstood. We remember that phrase of his, '' But I say unto you which hear” and also, “ He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” It is the hearer whom Jesus wishes to reach, the one who hears and understands. It has been said that the sayings of Jesus which we find in the Bible are merely detached statements ut¬ tered by him at various times, and that they are with¬ out connection, without relationship to each other. It has even been said that these utterances of his do not harmonize one with another. Every statement of truth must be related to every other statement, and each may be traced back to that truth which we shall find is the support on which the whole rests. This basic truth is the Absolute Truth, and every phase of this truth is always in harmony with every other phase of it. Every great religious or moral movement must have somewhat of truth in it. While the untruth divides, truth is indivisible. So we must look closely, must judge cautiously, and while we reject the untruth be very careful that we do not reject the truth. If what Jesus said is indeed true, it must stand in close rela¬ tionship with that underlying truth which is the Abso¬ lute Truth, and every statement which he uttered will A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE 11 bear relation to every other statement, as well as be in harmony each with the other. There is sound philosophy in Jesus' teachings. An underlying principle exists in all that he said, which, if we but look with open eyes and without prejudice, we shall see, and seeing, we shall understand. In¬ deed, in the very nature of things this must be so. The greatest fact that Jesus taught, the one of first importance, is the one which underlies all things, all truth, and to which all truth is related, — that every¬ thing refers back at last to God, the Supreme Being. And as we more clearly see and understand, we shall discern how close is the relationship between ourselves and this great First Cause, the Infinite Being, whom Jesus told us to call Our Father." Jesus taught in a most practical way an entirely new method of reform. Philosophers and psychologists of to-day tell us that mind is first, that mind action is the first action, and that without mind action there is no action of the physical body. And if we examine our¬ selves we shall find it to be true that our activities are all the result of mind actions, and that without mind action there is no bodily action whatever. What the psychologists tell us is therefore correct, that the bodily action, the action of the human being, is distinctly and definitely in accordance with the mental action which precedes it. In other words, the bodily action always 12 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN responds to the mental action. A certain kind of men¬ tal stimulation acts on the tear glands and we shed tears; a certain kind of mentality stimulates another kind of activity and we laugh. In a similar manner hate causes one kind of activity and love another. I lift my hand because I think to lift my hand; I move it to the right or left, all in accordance with my think¬ ing. These are but simple illustrations but we may go a little farther and observe the relation of this principle to morality itself. Every action which we perform is accomplished because we thought about it. The thief steals because he thinks about stealing; the liar lies because he thinks about lying; the murderer kills be¬ cause he thinks about killing. If the thief stops think¬ ing about stealing he cannot steal; if the liar stops thinking about lying he cannot lie; if the murderer stops thinking about killing he cannot kill. I may be so angry as to wish to kill the man I think is an enemy, but in the very heat of that anger, if I stop thinking about it, if I stop the angry thought, killing would be an impossibility for me. The thought must be in the mind first before the action can be performed. It needs no explanation to show the importance of this principle from the moral point of view. There is an element in the constitution of man, in the way man is made, which makes the consciousness A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE 13 of this principle an innate truth within himself as regards all moral living. What man ever contem¬ plated any wrong act who did not first within himself hear the “ still small voice ” of conscience protesting, , who did not first hear the divine prohibition “ Thou ' ' shalt not ” ? The recognition of this principle is evident through¬ out the whole of Jesus’ teaching. Perhaps in no place does he proclaim it more strongly than in what he says concerning lust: ‘'Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you. That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” ‘ John the Baptist when he was announcing the com¬ ing of Jesus, speaking metaphorically said, “And now the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” * This is a categorical statement directly in line with the principle we are discussing. The root of all action is thinking. Jesus therefore laid the axe at the root of the tree of adul¬ tery and destroyed it, that the tree no more might grow. It is the same with regard to killing, for he says, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, * Matt. V. 27, 28. “ Matt. iii. 10. 14 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.” Now anger is the root of murder; the angry thought has only to be culti¬ vated, enlarged, to result in killing, and Jesus knowing this applies the axe directly to the root of the tree for he adds, “ But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment,” ‘ thus referring to the thought which produces the out¬ ward action. He puts precisely the same penalty upon anger in the heart, — anger which has had no expres¬ sion whatever, — that the law places upon killing, mur¬ der ; while for anger which finds verbal expression, the penalty is even greater.* Thus we see that we are to stop thinking the thought which produces wrong re¬ sults. Again Jesus says, “ Judge not.” ^ We think that we have a right to judge, that we ought to condemn the man who has done wrong. But Jesus says, Judge not, — condemn not.” Condemnation is a mental con¬ dition; it is a mental action. There is a decided dif¬ ference between knowing the error, and condemnation because of that error. We most certainly are to know the wrong which presents itself to us and to beware of it, but that does not necessitate condemnation of the wrong-doer, of the person committing the sin or *Matt. V. 21, 22. Revised Version omits “without cause.” * Matt. V. 22. * Matt. vii. I. A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE 15 mistake. We see the erroneous act of our friend and know that it is erroneous, yet this does not necessitate a change of heart towards him. It is the error that we are to let alone; the error thought that we are to put away. So we may study any one of Jesus’ precepts and we shall find them all in harmony with this principle which we are discussing. Take that great ethical precept, ** Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” ^ This ap¬ plies to thoughts as well as to actions and to thoughts first of all because wrong actions are the result of wrong thoughts. Without the wrong thought, the wrong action would not occur. What would be the condition if the whole world complied with this one precept? If we should all of us immediately stop thinking wrong thoughts, if all thoughts of evil were to be excluded at once from the mind, there would be - left thoughts of truth only; heaven itself would be here f now. We find the same principle applies to forgiveness. When you wish to be forgiven, whether you are aware of it or not, your desire is that your friend shall put out of his thought, out of his consciousness, everything connected with the wrong which you have done. You wish him to put entirely away all recollection, all rec- ‘Matt. vii. 12. 16 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN ognition of this error which you have committed. In other words, you wish to be left in exactly the same position, in his thought of you, that you would have been in had you not committed the mistake. Indeed this is the true meaning of the Greek word which in the New Testament is translated forgive.’^ It means simply “ to put away ; to give up ; to be done with.” Then, too, we should remember that Jesus nowhere tells any one to hold back his forgiveness until for¬ giveness is asked. According to his teaching we are to forgive the moment we find anything to be for¬ given. There is also another thought in this connec¬ tion. You remember the question of Peter as to how many times he should forgive. As many as seven times ? And the Master replied, “ I say not unto thee. Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”* The extent of your forgiveness is to be complete and for all time. Here we touch again a question of humanity. We say it takes two to quarrel, it takes two to be angry; then if two are angry, and if one resolutely and suc¬ cessfully puts the angry thought away, — out of mind, — the other must ultimately give it up also. Let us not forget this when we repeat that central petition of the prayer we call “ Our Lord’s Prayer,” ‘‘ Forgive us ‘Matt, xviii. 21, 22. A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE 17 our debts as we forgive our debtors,” meaning, for¬ give us what' we owe to others as we have forgiven what others owe to us. This may sound prosaic and commonplace, but it is something that every one of us ought to practise if we are true to ourselves. But the teaching of Jesus does not stop with mere negative injunctions. We are not merely to refrain from condemnation, not merely to put away, — forgive, — the wrong. Jesus adds to this the positive behest to love our enemies, for he says, Ye have heard that it hath been said. Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you. Love your enemies.” Men from that day to this have said, ‘‘ I cannot love my enemy.” They have said this because they did not recognize their own peculiarities, did not know their own powers or capabilities. It is true that the human mind is so constituted that it cannot do two opposite things at the same time ; it cannot love and hate at one and the same time. Love and hate are diametrically opposed to each other, and we cannot love until we get hate out of the mind. It is well known that we can train ourselves to stop thinking any one thought and think another in its place.' And if we can exclude one wrong thought, that is proof that we may exclude all wrong thoughts. ^ For a fuller discussion of this subject, see Right and Wrong Thinking and Their Results, by the same author. 18 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN' It is but a question of training ourselves. It is not that we are to call wrong right, or black white; we are not to change our opinion regarding the error we see in the man, we are simply to change our own men¬ tal attitude towards the man and stop hating him. And when we have stopped hating our enemy, then we are in the condition to begin loving him. In like simple manner we can go on until we have learned to love even our worst enemy; he will then no longer be an enemy. Therefore Jesus says, ‘‘ Love your enemies, . .. That ye may be‘ the children of your Father which is in heaven.” From this he goes on to that final and supreme declaration, ‘‘ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” * or, as rendered in the Revised Version, “ Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We have our great example in Jesus himself who showed such divine love for enemies. As the records indicate, it was within a few moments after Judas had left the room to betray him, that Jesus, knowing for * There is no contradiction in Jesus’ meaning at this place. When he says, “That ye may be children of your Father” he means that you may manifest yourselves as such. We are the children of our Father now, but if we love our enemies, or when we love our enemies, we shall manifest that fact. In lov¬ ing our enemies, we shall the more truly express our relation¬ ship to the Father. * Matt. V. 43-48. A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE ' 19 what purpose he had gone, yet uttered these well- remembered words, ‘'A new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’* ’ Judas had gone with¬ out any interference from the Master who might have stopped him with a look. But had he not said “ Re¬ sist not evil ” ? And was he not always obedient to his own precepts? Jesus loved Judas at that moment, though all the Christian world has execrated him from that day to this. A little while afterwards Jesus told his disciples how he had loved them: ‘‘As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you.” * In such love as this there can be no wrong thinking, no discordant thinking of any kind whatsoever. Here we reach the heights of absolute truth, where is only perfection. Therefore, if we stop all discordant thoughts, all wrong or erroneous thoughts, we have reached the point where we shall begin to manifest perfection. And having reached the condition where every error has been put from the mind, we are then just enter¬ ing in at the door, we are just passing over the thresh¬ old into that place where we shall perceive the truth of God’s being, the truth of God’s creation, in all its infinite vastness. Here there are no restrictions, no prohibitions, but perfect, absolute freedom, and here ‘John xiii. 34. ‘John xv. 9. 20 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN we shall at last realize the truth regarding ourselves and our relation to Him. This is the simple, plain road by which we may approach perfection, and the farther we travel on this road now, the less distance we shall have to go by and by; each step is a step gained ; each step is a step taken forever. We are all striving for better things; every one is seeking for that unattained good which he sees just before him, and when each has accomplished that, there appears before him a good not before seen. And so he goes onward from one good to another. And no man nor child of God will ever be content until he has reached the great good of absolute perfection. This is because we are children of God, and have in our constitution that which necessitates this growth towards perfection. Thus it was peculiarly fitting that Jesus should say as quoted at the beginning of this chapter: ‘‘Repent¬ ance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” “ Repentance ” means simply “ a change of mind ” ; and “ remission ” means “ a putting away.” So it might read: “A change of mind, unto the putting away of all error, all sin, should be preached in his name.” This is the scientific principle which underlies Jesus’ teaching, and the glory of it is that we may each of us. A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE 21 by his help and through the recognition of the truth, go forward until we ourselves have become perfected even as he admonished us. This is within the scope and power of every one. f II CREATION (John L 1-5) The most sublime writings in all literature are to be found in the Bible, and there is nothing there that is more sublime, more pregnant with meaning, or of deeper interest than the opening verses of the Book of John. They contain a complete philosophy touch¬ ing all life, from God to the humblest manifestation. “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ** The same was in the beginning with God. ‘‘ All things were made by Him ; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. “ In Him was life ; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness ; and the dark¬ ness comprehended it not.” These passages are among the most difficult of translation of any in the New Testament. Hebrew scholars tell us that the phrase, “ In the beginning,” which opens the Book of John, is full of significance to the Jewish mind, being fraught with greater mean- 22 CREATION 23 ing than we generally attribute to the expression. The translation so far as words are concerned is accurate, yet it is difficult to express clearly the meaning intended to be conveyed by the original. It is the meaning which the Hebrews attached to the phrase that we desire to get at. The expression does not refer in itself specifically to time.‘ It is a phrase by which the Hebrews undertook to designate that mysterious, fleet¬ ing, and yet ever stable quality, without which a thing would not be. In other words, it refers to the centre of things, the substance of things. So here in this instance it means just that and, instead of being merely an introductory phrase, it relates to the whole of the sentence. Thus you see we have a meaning here of greater importance than at first appears, not merely. First there was the Word or Logos, but rather, Under¬ lying everything was the Word or Logos. In the beginning was the Logos.” The Greek word Logos ” which is translated “ Word ” in our Bible, is absolutely untranslatable into English if we wish to obtain its full meaning. “ Logos ” is generally understood to mean the spoken or written word, and that translation is accurate so far as it goes, but it is incomplete. The word Logos ” includes in its mean¬ ing the thought in the mind before it found expression, *The phrase “In the beginning” is sometimes translated “In the original or originally ” ; or “ In the essential, — essentially.” 24 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN and also the expression of that thought in every form in which it may be made. But that is not all, for, in the vastness of its mean¬ ing, the word “ Logos ” goes even behind the thought and includes the mind itself. Therefore it includes within its meaning, the mind, the thought, and the expression of that thought. Thus you see it is im¬ possible properly to translate this word into English. Our best scholars regret that the translation was ever attempted and wish that it had been brought over into the English unchanged. In the beginning was the Logos.” In the begin¬ ning was Mind; mind action, or thinking; thought, the result of mind action; and the expression of that thought in the spoken or written word, or in any form whatsoever. Or, expressed in a different form, we might say: In the essential of things was Mind and its action and results and consequences of all kinds. The immensity of the idea is overwhelming; it is be¬ yond our comprehension. “And the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God.” The Logos was God, the Infinite Mind, without which not anything is. We say sometimes that “ God is Mind,” but there is nowhere in the English lan¬ guage or in any language, a more wonderful form of expressing this idea in its fullness than is found in CREATION 25 this first verse of the Gospel of John. It touches the very pinnacle of sublimity. This Infinite Mind is infinite in all its particulars, pervading all that you can imagine of infinite space, infinite existence, and it stands as the unchangeable foundation upon which all science is built. It was, and is, and ever will be, because it is infinite. There¬ fore, in the beginning was God, the Essential ; He who is the All-Present, the Everywhere-Present, and who in His infinity includes all that is. With Him, in Him, is contained all that mind ever expressed, all that mind ever conceived, all that mind ever will conceive, or express. If the idea seems beyond our power to grasp, let us remember that it is impossible for us to com¬ prehend in its fullness this Infinite Mind, this Infinite Being, which is God. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” The word that is translated “ were made ” occurs many times in the New Testament and has fifty different ren¬ derings, according to the places where it is found. For instance, in the words of Jesus already re¬ ferred to: ‘‘ Love your enemies,. that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” The word that is translated “ may be ” is from the same Greek word as “ is made ” and “ was made,” and also “were made” in the place we are 26 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN here considering, that is, they are but different forms of the same word. ** Were made ” as used in the original Greek means simply, to be born, to become, to come into being.’' The word ‘‘ made ” as used in this passage is not used with the meaning generally attributed to it, — that of something physical or ma¬ terial made with the hands. But it is used in a spiri¬ tual sense and with the meaning of, — “ to create, to produce, to cause to be ” ; or as one dictionary has it, — to be the author of ; to cause to exist ; to call into being or distinct existence.” ‘‘All things were made by Him,” that is, were ex¬ pressed or manifested by Him and through Him. All things were made by God, or, were expressed into being out of Himself. Here is the source of all ex¬ istence; everything that exists is not only in God but from Him. Thus all things were in the Infinite Mind and were disclosed or revealed, were expressed’ or made manifest ’ by that Mind, the Logos, God.* **And without Him was not any thing made that was made.” A difficulty in translation occurs in this sen¬ tence. The complete quotation from the marginal rendering in the Revised Version is as follows: “All things were made by Him (or through Him) ; and without Him was not any thing made. That which hath been made was life in Him ; and the life was the light of men.'’ “ That which hath been made was life in God ” ; was life in the Eternal and Infinite Logos. This is in exact harmony, you see, with the first words of the declaration, that the Logos, — which is the Infinite Mind or God, — contained within itself, all mind and all mind action. There was in all infinity, no other substance but this Infinite Mind, this Infinite Life, which is God. Thus we see that all existing creation * For example, in the original Greek the word order for this passage is as follows: “and without Him was made nothing which hath been made in Him life was.” In the Authorized or King James Version these words have been divided into two sentences, the first one ending with the second “made,” leaving the second sentence as our familiar, “In Him was life.” In the Revised Version the division into sentences is made after the word “nothing,” and, — “which hath been made in Him life was,” is rendered, “ That which hath been made was life in Him.” 28 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN was made out of God’s own life. Every living being is of that Infinite Life. Therefore your life is of the substance of His life; your origin, the origin of each individual, is in God. Jesus recognized this when he told us to call God "" father/' God is our Father, and when we repeat the wonderful words of “ Our Lord’s Prayer,” we can say with absolute truthfulness, Our Father.” But He is even more than our Father. Closer than any possible human relationship is the relationship which you and I, every one of us, bear to God. All things were created by Him, and without Him was not anything created. That which hath been brought into being by Him was out of the Infinite, Divine Life. And because of this, our lives are indeed sacred and divine, and not only that, but the life which God has given us is eternal. ''And the life was the light of men.” This life is the light that shines in and through you; it is your life, your very existence. Therefore when troubles assail, when grief afflicts, when the trials and tribula¬ tions of the world assault, step into the silence of your inner self, which is your real self, and recognize that, as enduring as God Himself, is your own life, your own individuality, which is of Him and is not touched by external appearances. CREATION , 29 ‘‘And the light shineth in darkness ; and the darkness comprehended it not.” " This light of which John is speaking is the light of the Infinite Mind and it shines everywhere. It shines in the darkness of the world of materiality but that world of materiality knows not of it. What is dark¬ ness? Darkness in the physical world is merely the absence of light; that is all. According to the testi¬ mony of our material senses we think we feel and recognize darkness as a reality with the same kind of recognition we give to light, but darkness is in itself absolutely nothing, merely the absence of light. Through all the ages of the world men have set dark¬ ness in opposition to light but light is the reality, and the light of you, the light of your intelligence, the light of your mind, is that which constitutes you. We have here the answer to the great question that is asked by all humanity ; the question of the child, and of the old man ; the question that is asked by every one all the way along. “ Whence am I ? ” “ Whence did I come ? ” I am from God, and that which within me * The Revised Version gives the word “ apprehended ” rather than “comprehended,” and the Revised Version, Margin gives the word “ overcame.” We might say, “ The darkness under¬ stood or recognized it not.” Or, “The darkness did not over¬ come the light, it did not prevail.” The same Greek word in John xii. 35 Revised Version, is there translated, “that darkness overtake you not.” The word in the original really means “seize” like our “grasp.” 3Q KNOWING THB MASTER THROUGH JOHN is the true, the real, and the enduring, is of God's own life, and I therefore, in the essential of myself, am divine. This is our grand origin and each individual may thus truthfully say of himself, “ I am from God." These wonderful declarations found at the beginning of John's Gospel refer to something which has always existed and which Jesus came to reveal to us more perfectly and more clearly than we had ever before perceived. He showed the way by which every one might come into a fuller recognition of the true spir¬ itual being of himself. Ill THE LIGHT THAT LIGHTETH EVERY MAN (John I. 6-14) The principal thought discussed in the previous chapter was, — “All things were made by Him, God, the Logos.” We should remember that the personal pro¬ noun as used in these verses in the first part of the Book of John refers distinctly to the Word, the Logos, the Infinite Mind or God. Let us also remember that the words “ were made ” are not used in the sense of making as we generally understand that word, but rather in the sense of manifestation or expression. All things were expressed or revealed by the Infinite Mind, as you, for instance, express to another the thought which is in your mind. All things were expressed by Him ; and without Him was not anything made, mani¬ fested, or expressed. That which hath been made, that which hath been expressed, or made manifest, was life in Him and is an expression of that life, an ex¬ pression of the Infinite Mind, — as your thought which you express to another is an expression of your own mind. And in a similar manner we might say that as your thought is an indivisible and inseparable part of your mind, so are all these expressions which God 31 32 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN has made manifest, inseparable and indivisible parts of His own Mind, of His own Life. Life and Mind are here used interchangeably as we speak of any of the essentials of God. Whether we speak of Him as Mind or Life, as Truth or Love, or by whatever characteristic we may wish to designate Him, we are but referring to the different conceptions which we may have of the one Infinite Life or Mind which is God." This Life is the light of men. It is your light; and your intelligence, your perception of truth, is from that inner life of your own being which is of God’s Life. The next verse in order is a sort of parenthetical statement introducing John, the Baptist. * There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ** The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He (John) was not that Light (the Logos, or God), but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ‘‘ That was the true Light, which lighteth every man * that cometh into the world.” All things were made by Him, the Logos, our Fa¬ ther, and the light of His truth lighteth every man * And this idea may be enlarged to include every essential or characteristic which we may attribute to God. See “A Search After Ultimate Truth,” Part Three. ^ The Greek word here translated “ man ” is the generic word, meaning human being, — ^man, woman or child. THE LIGHT THAT LIGHTETH EVERY MAN 33 that cometh into the world. It is the light of every human being, the essential of each intelligence. Jesus, in complete harmony with this, gave us his ethical rule whereby we may bring the kingdom of heaven, which is the kingdom of God, right here on earth now if we will, for he said, ''As ye would (as ye would) that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” ' He showed us the lofty standard for all human action, and the issue is left, not to the Bible, nor to any writ¬ ten law, not to any outside authority, not even to the Father Himself, but to the light of truth which shines in every man. It is not to be wondered 'at if we stand in awe of this sublime fact regarding ourselves, but once we really comprehend the idea in its fullness we shall find that no task is really too great for us. This Infinite Light is the " true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” It shines throughout all existence. It can never go out for it is eternal, — the Everlasting Light It shines even in the darkness, but the darkness perceiving it not, or understanding it not, denies it, or is in opposition to it, and just in proportion to our realization of this, will the darkness of which we seem so conscious be overcome. " He (the true Light, or God) was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew (recognized) Him not. ‘ Luke vi. 31. 34 KNOWING THE MASTER THROUGH JOHN ** He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” As we look back over the history of the world and upon conditions as they exist to-day, how much does the world of materiality recognize God? How much does it recognize Him as the Infinite Light, the One Infinite Mind? ** But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become ^ the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” But as many as received Him,” that is, as many as received or recognized the Light (and it is only light that recognizes light) ; as many as perceived the truth, to them gave He the power to manifest them¬ selves as the sons of God. The Greek word is not “ sons ” at this place, and the passage in the Revised Version reads, But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God.” Think of it! It is to you, in so far as you each accept, recognize, or perceive this truth of the light which shines within you, that the ability is given by which you may become a child of God, or may mani¬ fest yourself as such. For it means, “As many as * Here again we have in the expression " to become,’* the same verb which in translation has so many different renderings. See a parallel illustration in the use of the verb “may he” in Matt. V. 45. THE LIGHT THAT LIGHTETH EVERY MAN 35 received Him, to them gave He power ” to show that they are the sons of God; the children of God. We are children of the Highest now, and we have only to manifest that fact and to let the light shine. We have been taught to look to Jesus as peculiarly the Son of God, and he was the Son of God, mani¬ festing that relationship to a greater degree than any other being, but simply because he let his light shine, and did not hide it when there was opportunity after opportunity for its hiding. Look at the temptation that came to him in the wilderness when he might have hid his light and have become a ruler of the material world, and at those other occasions where he was tempted to become an earthly king, and see how he escaped from the temptation. Look, too, at that last great temptation, a few days after his entrance into Jerusalem. The people wished to make him king, and because he would not, but departed from them, they lost faith in him and rejected him, and later, crucified the man, Jesus. But his light did constantly shine, and it continued to shine brighter and still brighter as in the resurrection, and it shines throughout the world to-day. 