Treasure

The words of Jesus in modern verse

paraphrased and annotated by Donivan Bessinger

---

5. Spiritual Mystery

[Sections 75-92]

75. A Thanksgiving.

Beloved Creator
Lord of heaven and earth
I thank you.
 
You have hidden the truths of Spirit
From those who are wise a
From those who are full of knowledge
 and yet
You have revealed them to babies.
That is the way you work.
 
All my understanding has come 
 to me from you
 my Beloved Creator.
No one knows the father
 except the father's son,
No one knows the father b
 unless the son reveals him.
 
  [75] [T] 

76. An invitation.

Come to me
All of you who work so hard
All of you who carry such a heavy load.
I will give you rest.
 
Let us pull together.  a 
Learn from me.
I am gentle. I am humble.
Your soul can rest here.
Working with me is easy.
This load you lift is light.
 
  [76] [T] 

77. Who is my mother?

Who is my mother?
Who are my brothers and sisters?
Here! You yourselves.
Whoever lives within the will
  of the Beloved Creator
Is my mother
 my brother
 my sister.
 
  [77] [T] 

78. Yeast When Jesus talked about yeast, the disciples completely missed the point.

Keep alert.
Watch out for the yeast
 of the religious leaders. 
 
 ** [R(D): Why is he talking about bread?]
 
Oh, you have so little insight! a
How could you think
I was talking about bread?
Do you still not understand?
Do your eyes not see?
Do your ears not hear?
 
Don't you remember how much 
 was left over
When I fed the five thousand?
 
Don't you remember how much 
 was left over
When I fed the four thousand?
 
How could you miss the point? b
I didn't say anything about bread!
I said, Watch out for the `yeast'
 of the religious leaders!




 
 
 
  [78] [T] 

79. Peter's great insight.

Who do people say that I am? a
Who do you say that I am?
 
 ** [R(Peter): `The Christ, Image of the Living God']
 
Peter, son of Jona  b
You are happily fulfilled. 
That isn't something c
 you can learn from daily life.
That is something
 revealed by the Beloved Creator.
 
Peter, you are a Rock  d
But here is a rock
Not even death can overcome,
The rock on which
I will gather my people.  e
 
Peter, I will give you  f 
 the keys
To the spiritual realm --
 
What you allow in your daily life  g
 follows the divine order of creation.
What you require in your daily life  h
 follows heavenly rules.
 
   [79] [T] 

80. Jesus predicts his death. Peter objects and Jesus twice repeats the warning.

I must painfully endure many things a
And be rejected by the religious leaders
And be murdered,
And on the third day be raised.
 
 ---
 
Peter! Satan!  b
Be off with you!
You are blocking my way!
You aren't thinking in God's terms, 
You are thinking in human terms.
 
If you want to follow me c
You must give up your ego ways.
To follow me,
You must endure your own cross every day.
 
If you want to save your psyche 
 You must lose it
But if you lose your psyche
Because of me
 You find it.
 
What value is it 
To buy up the whole world
If you forfeit your life?
What would you
Give for your life?
 
If you deny me and my words    d
 in this very evil time
Then the Image-of-God denies you
The glory of the Beloved Creator's
 timeless realm.
 
For the Image-of-God  e 
Is soon to come
 in the full force of spirit,
 in the glory of the Creator,
Rewarding everyone
According to what each has done.
 
But yes, it's true. 
Some of you here
Will see the Image-of-God
 before you die.
You will see
The power of the spiritual realm
 
  ---
 
Listen hard. Let this sink in  f
The Image-of-God
Will be turned over to the people
 and will be killed
 and will be raised on the third day.
 
Pay attention. 
We are going to Jerusalem. g
The Image-of-God
Will be turned over
 to the religious leaders,
Will be sentenced to death
And then be turned over
 to the foreigners. h
 
They will mock him 
 spit on him
 kill him.
After three days he will rise.
 
 ---
 
Destroy this temple  i
 and in three days
I will raise it up.
 
 ---
 
You know that Passover comes    j
 in two days.
After that, the Image-of-God
 will be turned over
 to be crucified.




 
 
 
  [80] [T] 

81. Transfiguration. After seeing a vision of Jesus standing with Elijah and Moses, the disciples asked why the scribes had said that Elijah must come.

Get up, do not be afraid.
 
Do not tell anyone
 of this vision
Until I am raised from death.
 
The scripture says 
Elijah would come first
To put everything back in order.  a
I tell you, 
`Elijah' has already come. b
The literalists did not recognize him.
They treated him with contempt.
 
Scripture also says 
The Image-of-God
Will suffer the same fate
 from them.
 
  [81] [T] 

82. Healing by trust. When the disciples could not heal a boy's seizures, the father turned to Jesus; the disciples asked why they failed.

What a skeptical generation!
How mixed up!
How long can I put up with it?
How long can I be with you?
 
Bring the boy to me.
How long has he had seizures?
 
What do you mean 
`If I can help?'
Everything is possible
 to one who trusts.
 
Spirit of the seizures, 
You cannot speak or hear but
Do not bother him again. 
 
 ** [R(D): Why could we not heal him?]




 
 
 
You failed 
Because you didn't trust completely.
It's true,
If you have even enough trust  a
 to fit within
 a grain of mustard seed
You could tell a mountain to move
 and it would.
You could even tell this tree
 to plant itself in the sea
 and it would.
Nothing would be impossible for you.
 
 ---
 
This kind of spirit    b
 can only be turned away
 by prayer and fasting.




 
 
 
   [82] [T] 

83. A vision, related when his followers returned reporting their successes with healing.

I saw Satan
Falling from the sky
 like lightning.
 
Look here.
I have given you power
 over all the enemy
 over serpents
 over scorpions
Nothing shall hurt you.
 
But don't be glad 
 that you control
 the spirits.
Be glad that your names
 are written
 in the spiritual realm.
 
  [83] [T] 

84. Temple tax. The collectors pressed Peter for the temple tax.

What do you think, Peter
Do sovereigns tax their own families,
 or strangers?
 
Yes, their own families are free 
 from the tax
But we must not offend the collectors.
 
Go to the sea and cast a hook. 
Open the mouth of the first fish you catch.
Give the coin you find there
To pay the tax for you and me.
 
  [84] [T] 

85. The Judge.

There was a judge
 in a certain city
Who did not care about God
 or even respect people.
 
A widow of the city 
 kept coming before his court.
`Decide for me against my neighbor.' a
 
The judge kept refusing 
But then he thought
`I don't care about God
 or even respect people
But if I don't give her the judgment
She will worry me to death!'
 
If that's what 
 an irreverent judge said
Will not God give fair judgment
To those choice people b
  who keep coming,
 praying night and day?
Will God delay?
I say, no.
God will give fair judgment
 speedily.
 
Well then, 
Now that the Image-of-God c
 is here on earth
Will he not find persistence too? 




  [85] [T] 

86. James and John requested to sit beside Jesus in his kingdom.

You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink from the cup I drink from?
Can you be plunged into the same waters  a




 
 
  I am plunged into?
 
Yes, you will drink from the cup I drink from. 
You will be plunged into the same waters b
 I am plunged into, 
But it is not for me to decide
The seating arrangement in the spiritual realm.
That has already been decided.
 
You know how it is in foreign nations.  c
They have a particular ruler governing them
But that's not how it is to be for you.
 
Whoever wants to be great among you  d
 must be your servant.
Whoever wants to rank first among you
 must be your slave. 
 
Not even the Image-of-God 
 comes to be served.
The Image-of-God
 comes to serve
 and to pay with his life e




 
 
 Buying back many from their bondage. 




 
 
 
  [86] [T] 

87. Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus pass by.

Zacchaeus, Hurry!
Come down! Today I want
 to stay in your house.
 
Today true health  a
Has been restored
 to this house.
Zacchaeus is also
One of God's people. b
 
The Image of God came  c
 to heal
 to fill your emptiness.
 
  [87] [T] 

88. Investing the shares.

The spiritual realm is like this.  a
A certain prince was to travel
To take possession of another country.
 
Before traveling 
He entrusted a share of his property b
To each of ten servants.
 `Trade with these shares until I come back.'
 
The citizens of the other country hated the prince.
They sent a delegation following him, calling
 `We do not want you to rule us.'
 
Back at home, 
The prince called the servants to account
For their trading with the shares.
 
The first said, `Here, Lord, 
Your one share has produced ten.'
He answered, `Very good!
Because you were so trustworthy 
 with a small share
You will rule ten cities.'
 
The second servant said, `Here, Lord, 
Your one share has produced five.'
He answered, `Very good!
You will rule five cities.'
 
Another servant said, `Here, Lord. 
This is your one share.
I wrapped it carefully in a cloth and kept it.
I was afraid of you.
You are a harsh man.
You claim more than is your own.
You harvest fields you did not sow.'
 
The prince answered 
`Your own words condemn you!
Wicked servant, if I am a harsh man
Claiming more than is my own
Harvesting fields I did not sow
Then why did you not at least
 deposit the share
 and earn some interest?'
 
To the others the prince said 
`Take his share,
Give it to the one with ten.'
 
The others said, `But, Lord, 
He already has so many!'
 
The prince answered, `I tell you    c
If you have very much
 more will be given you.
If you have little,
 the little you have
 will be taken away.
 
As for my enemies  d
Who do not want me to rule over them
Bring them here to me and kill them.'
 
  [88] [T] 

89. Entering Jerusalem. Jesus instructed the disciples to bring the donkey on which he would ride into Jerusalem; some Pharisees objected that the crowd hailed Jesus as `the King coming in the name of the Lord'; Jesus responded, then wept again over the city.

Go there into the village. a
Just inside you will find a donkey
 and her colt.
Untie them and bring them to me.
 
If anyone objects say
 `The Lord needs them'
And the owner will send them immediately.
 
 ---
 
I tell you if these people were silent  b
The stones themselves would do
 the shouting.
 
 ---




 
 
 Jerusalem 
If only you had known your day of peace.
 Jerusalem
Your peace now is hidden from your eyes.
 
There will come a day when your enemies
 will surround you with a rampart
When your enemies will surround you
 on every side.
 
They will level everything    c
They will knock your childrento the ground
They will leave no stone upon a stone
Because you missed your opportunity
Because you did not even realize
Your Caretaker had come. 
 
  [89] [T] 

90. The tenants and the son.

An estate owner planted a vineyard a
Fenced it
Built a winepress in it
 and a watchtower.
He leased it out to sharecroppers
 and went off to another country.
 
When the grapes were coming into season 
He sent his servants to claim his share. b
One of them the tenants beat
One of them the tenants killed
One of them the tenants stoned.
 
The owner sent still other servants.
The same things happened to them
 as well.
 
Then the owner sent his own son 
 saying
`Surely they will respect
 my son.'
 
When they saw the son 
The tenants said
 `This is the heir.
 We will kill him
 and take his property.'
 
They threw him out of the vineyard 
 and killed him.
When the owner of the vineyard comes
What will he do with those tenants?
 
Have you not read this in scripture?
`The stone rejected by the builders c
Will become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord's doing
It is marvelous in our eyes.'
 
Yes, I tell you this     d
The spiritual realm
 will be taken from you
And given to a people e
 who will harvest its fruit.
 
Whoever falls on this stone 
 is broken.
This stone grinds to dust
 anyone
 on whom it falls.
 
  [90] [T] 

91. Destroying the temple. A prophesy of the destruction of the temple. The disciples asked, What will be the sign that it is about to happen?

Do you see these great buildings?
There will not be a single stone
 left upon a stone.
Every one will be cast down. 
 
Be careful. 
There will be many
Who use my name and say
`I am the one.'
`This is the time.'
 Do not be misled.
 Do not follow them. 
 
When you hear of wars 
 of riots
Do not be worried.
Such things have to happen first
But that is not the end.
 
Peoples will turn against each other  a
Nations will turn against each other
There will be great earthquakes
There will be famines
 and epidemics.
There will be all sorts of
 terrifying sights
And strange occurrences in the sky.
 
Before all that 
People will abuse you.
They will haul you
 into the religious councils
 and the prisons
They will bring you
 before the courts
Because of my name.
 
Do not worry about what to say. 
I will give you voice
 and wisdom
Which your opponents
Will not be able to answer
 or resist.
 
Even your family and friends 
 will betray you.
Some of you will be killed 
You will be hated by everybody
Because of my name.
 
Not a hair of your head  b
 will be harmed.
By patiently enduring
You will acquire your psyche. c
 
When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies 
You will know that her destruction
 is soon to come.
 
Those in Judea should flee to the mountains.
Those in the city should leave it.
No one near the city should be let in
For these are the days of punishment, d
For everything will play out its purpose
Just as has been written.
 
But it will be sad 
For those who are pregnant
 in those days
For those who are nursing their babies,
For there will be great misery in the land
And a great rage among the people.
 
The people will fall by the point of the sword 
They will be led captive into all the nations.
Jerusalem will be trampled down by foreigners  e 
Until the time of the foreigners
 has run its course.
 
There will be omens 
 in the sun
 the moon
 the stars.
There will be anguish and confusion
 upon the earth.
There will be great storms at sea
 and giant waves.
 
People's hearts will stop from fear 
 from dread
Of what is happening to life on earth f
For the forces of the cosmos 
 will be energized. 
 
Then they will see the Image-of-God 
 in a cloud
Coming with power
 and great glory.
 
When you see all that 
 look up
 take heart g
Because then
Your deliverance is near.
 
Consider the fig tree 
 and other trees.
When you see the leaves sprout
You know summer is coming.
When you see all these things
 it will be like that.
You will know that the spiritual realm
 is near.
 
It's true. 
All this will happen
While this generation is alive.
Heaven and earth will pass away
But my words will not pass away.
 
Be careful about yourselves.
Don't let yourselves be bogged down
 in drunken partying
Or in the daily worries of life.
Don't let yourselves be surprised
By the coming of that day
For it will be like
 the springing of a trap    h
For everybody
On the face of the earth.
 
Be on the lookout.
Keep praying all the time
So that you may endure, i
Escaping all these things
Which are about to happen,
So that you may bravely
 prayerfully
Face the Image-of-God. j




 
 
 
  [91] [T] 

92. The evil and the righteous.

When the Image-of-God comes in glory
With all the holy messengers a
Sitting in glory
 upon the seat of power
Then shall all the peoples
 be gathered around.
 
The Image-of-God will separate the people (7)
 one from another
As the shepherd separates sheep from goats.
The `sheep' will be placed on the right hand (10)
The `goats' on the left.
 
Then the Ruler (12) b
Will say to those on the right
 `Come.
You are happily fulfilled
 by the Beloved Creator.
Inherit the realm prepared for you
In the creation of the cosmos c
 for
I was hungry and you fed me
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink.
I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
I was naked and you gave me clothes.
I was sick and you took care of me
I was in prison and you visited me.
 
Those good people will ask  (26)
`When did we see you
 hungry and feed you
 thirsty and give you a drink?
When did we welcome you as stranger
 or clothe you
 or visit you
At your bedside or in prison?'
 
The Ruler will answer  (34)
`I tell you truly
Whatever you did for the least
 of my brothers and sisters d
You did to me.'
 
Then the Ruler (39)
Will say to those on the left
`Get away from me.
Go into the spiritual fire e
Which was prepared for you by the Devil
 and the Devil's messengers
 for
I was hungry and you did not feed me.
I was thirsty and you did not give me a drink
I was a stranger and you rejected me
And sick and in prison
 and you did not come. f
 
They too will ask (51)
`When did we see you
 hungry, thirsty
 a stranger
 or naked
 or sick or in prison
And did not serve you?' g
 
The Ruler will answer (58)
`I tell you truly
Whatever you did not do
For the least of my brothers and sisters
You did not do to me.'
You will go to the spiritual punishment h
But the good,
 to eternal life.'




 
 
 
 [92] [T] 

---

[TOP]
Next chapter
Table of contents
Introduction
Commentary, Sources