Gospel Talk #1

The beginning of the comentaries on the Gospels, which were given during Sunday morning satsangs at Sant Bani Ashram between April and December of 1991. John 1:1-18: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (The Gospel of John is considered to be the key book in the Bible from a spiritual point of view.) - Concerns and preoccupations of many Christians are often not those of Christ. - The emphasis is more about the person of Jesus rather than what Jesus really cared about. - The Gospels are very clear about what Jesus' life was like ("He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not... He came unto His own and His own received Him not"). - "As many as received Him, to them gave them power to be the sons of God". - During His lifetime, Jesus was not a rousing success. Most people rejected Him. He had only a few disciples. One of them betrayed Him. His whole life was one of uncomprehension. He couldn't find a house to born in and died a common criminal's death. - Some of the same things could be said by the world about disciples and the living Master of today. - When Peter denied Jesus 3 times, there was a reason for it; the humiliation of the Master is implicit in the fact the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us. - The concept of "Word" as light and sound is a Greek concept and also found in the Old Testament. - In Proverbs 8, "wisdom" is a synonym for "word" and described as the creative power of God which is in everybody. - In the last 4 - 5 hundred years, the teachings of Christ have been altered. e.g. "baptism" was originally considered the same as initiation and was usually postponed until late in life. - Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic gospels, meaning they are similar. John is different and was written as a corrective to the other 3 since they were incomplete. - Jesus' public ministry lasted 3 years or less.