7.2 - Beyond Credentials: Embracing Spiritual Intuition and True Wisdom
In our last segment, we watched Jesus deal with his brothers and face their rejection by "following the flow of his spirit.” He used his internal clock and compass to determine when and where to go. We are encouraged to do the same. In this segment, we see Jesus "living from the center" in the face of rejection and personal attacks.
14 About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” 16 Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. 17 Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. 18 Those who speak on their own seek their own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing unjust in him.Two streams of thought flow from this passage: our exaggeration of the importance of credentials and learning to speak from the spirit. Let's do each one separately.
Exaggeration of Credentials
Remember, we are in the middle of a religious festival in the temple, the center of religious higher education and home to the religious elite. It's safe to imagine that others have taught in the temple before Jesus. Maybe there was a lineup of speakers, or people could stand and speak impromptu. Either way, we walk in while Jesus is teaching and hear the others, perhaps some who have just finished talking and are now discussing Jesus' credentials.
Some of the listeners are amazed; others are threatened. This represents how human nature shows up in others and ourselves. There is a deep desire in “the hearts of the guardians of the status quo” to control the truth instead of letting it be a “spring gushing up” in anyone, anywhere.
We look for credentials and ask questions like, “Who was your teacher?" Or “Where did you go to school, and what degrees do you have?" We can expect the same reaction from others when we speak from our spiritual consciousness and beyond the borders of our education and their expectations. "Without the free flow of the Holy Spirit,” Richard Rohr says, “religion becomes a tribal sorting system, spending much time trying to define who's in, and who's out – who's right and who's wrong. And surprise, we're always on the side of the right! What are the odds?”
We are naturally captivated when individuals display intelligence beyond their formal education, as depicted in films such as “Goodwill Hunting” and “Phenomenon.”
In both these movies, the educational system displayed confusion and resistance. However, the most significant danger lies in doubting oneself, which can hinder growth. I remember a time when I was feeling deeply insecure about my lack of formal education, and a counselor instructed me to look into those who had made significant accomplishments without a college degree. I was surprised and motivated to find names like Steve Jobs of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Bill Gates of Microsoft, Larry Ellison of Oracle, Henry Ford, Daniel Elk of Spotify, and Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines.
Don't misunderstand; this is not an endorsement for dropping out of school. In fact, one of our most significant sources of pride is that all of our children have college degrees, some advanced. I hope our grandchildren and their children will do the same, but if life causes one to take a different path, I want them to feel secure in their choice.
Let the Spirit Speak
Speaking from the spirit, Jesus was comfortable being a mere conduit through which the truth of the universe was expressed in words” and “seeking the glory of him who sent him.” But for most, this is a blow to the ego because we want to be known for who we are and how much we know. Jesus would call it “seeking our own glory.”
He was skilled in taking what he saw/heard in his consciousness and putting it into words. Charismatic circles call this a spiritual gift, a word of knowledge, or a word of truth. In a way, it's like our computers receiving a digital transmission and then converting it into words and pictures for us to understand. I am convinced it is a skill we should develop by listening deep within and saying what we hear. Will we make mistakes? Certainly. Will we get better over time? Certainly. How will we know when we are on target? It will “bring life" into the situation or relationship.
Let’s imagine a simple, hypothetical example: Someone tells you about their friend going through a rough time. First, you “check in” with what you hear within and sense the word “compassion.” You might say, "Thanks for sharing that. I can tell just by listening that you are truly affected by this. You are a kind and compassionate person.” Wouldn’t this transform our conversations?
The Irish poet and priest John O'Donohue suggests that many of our interactions today can be described as “intersecting monologues." This means that instead of having actual conversations, we often wait for an opportunity to discuss our experiences. In the previous example, we are tempted to quickly respond about our friend having a similar or tougher time. We tend to listen superficially, only looking for something we can relate to ourselves. Don't believe me? Just mention an ailment or your doctor to someone my age and see if it doesn't ring true.
A Warning to Myself
I received some excellent training throughout my sales career, which tainted my business conversation with manipulation. How can I lead my prospects in the direction I want them to go? How can I ask simple questions where the answer is “yes” so that when I ask the closing question, they are in the habit of saying yes? I have to watch for things like this creeping into my conversations - efforts to convince or persuade. Jesus was adamant that there was to be no manipulation. “Yes must be yes, and no must be no.”
“Pot Calling the Kettle Black”
In the following few verses, let's jump out of the frying pan into the fire, where confusion breaks out in the crowd. Like a good novelist, John hints that there will not be a happy ending for Jesus's physical life. He wants us to know that Jesus is beginning to see this, too.
19 “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” When I read these two verses together, I had to ask myself, "Is Jesus paranoid or an expert on human nature?” Then, I reread them with a slightly different emphasis and chose expert. Listen, “None of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” In this way, Jesus highlights a common human tendency to punish those who fail to meet standards we do not uphold.
I see it in me, most often, when driving. The speed limit is 70 mph. I’m doing 75 mph. Someone passes me at 85 mph, and I immediately think, "I hope they get a ticket!” I want to use the law that I am breaking to punish them. Jesus reminds them and me that we’re the "pot calling the kettle black.”
Finding Fault Creates a Barrier
This propensity to “find fault in others” prevented the crowd from recognizing Jesus' divine nature and, therefore, the divine within themselves. The same is true today. It hinders us from seeing others and ourselves as individual expressions of the divine spark of life, a human being created in the image of their creator. Instead, it promotes duality, erecting barriers between ourselves and others. It is so prevalent that it has become institutionalized in our thinking, creating diverse labels for people. The same duality has fostered our belief in God as an unreachable heavenly being.
It's impossible to “love my neighbor” and hope he gets a speeding ticket simultaneously. Remember, religion wants to cast out the person with a demon; Jesus wants to cast the demon out of the person.
“Let’s Think This Through”
Back in the temple, Jesus calmly teaches this agitated, confused crowd. He expertly uses the law they want to use against him to prove his innocence and explain a principle. I almost hear Jesus say, "Let's think about this a minute, fellas…”
21 Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. 22 Because of this Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”Jesus guides his listeners by explaining the trait causing a separation between them and their God. It’s our natural inclination to look for external rules and regulations to follow rather than tuning into the fluid guidance of our spiritual consciousness. Even if somebody wrote everything out in point-by-point instructions, we would not obey but expect others to. And as in this case, one law may pit itself against another law.
Which Law Do We Obey?
The Torah states that a male infant should be circumcised on the eighth day of his life, which sometimes falls on the Sabbath. The Torah also says you shall not work on the Sabbath. So, what do we do? Do we break the law to keep the law? The Torah also states that we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Wouldn't that include healing our neighbor? Should we not love our neighbor on the Sabbath?
We recognize this dilemma today through the Good Samaritan law, which protects people from liability when they provide emergency care to others. If someone acts in good faith by rendering emergency aid to someone in trouble, the law protects them from legal action.
As a teacher, he is not arguing with them or defending himself but seeking to help them gain this insight. Notice that he does not say judge not, but judge correctly. May we appreciate not the diversity in others but rather their divinity.
Key Takeaways:
Jesus reacted to his brothers’ rejection by "following the flow of the spirit” and using his internal guidance. We should "live from the center" and use spiritual intuition to determine our actions.
There is a broad human tendency to feel threatened by unconventional wisdom and exaggerate the importance of credentials.
Speaking from the spirit involves being a conduit for divine truth, which often clashes with the ego's desire for recognition.
Genuine conversations require listening deeply and responding compassionately, avoiding self-centered "intersecting monologues.”
We tend to punish others for the faults we possess.
Instead, try to"judge with right judgment," looking beyond appearances and understanding deeper spiritual truths.
Seeing the divinity in “our neighbor” instead of external differences promotes unity and understanding.
