Matthew 25-28 and the Future
Lorin Friesen, June 2022
I suggested in a previous long essay that the gospel of Matthew is a detailed prophecy of Western civilization. That analysis stopped at the end of chapter 24 because the rest of the Matthew deals with our future. Since then, Acts 1-12 has been analyzed, which appears to be describing the near and medium-term future. This essay will attempt to look at the remaining four chapters of Matthew, guided by the analysis of Acts. The previous essay was supported by extensive quotes from Wikipedia about Western history. Obviously, it is not possible to quote from Wikipedia when dealing with the future. This essay will be using the Berean Literal Bible. Previous essays have quoted from the NASB, but I came to the conclusion when writing the essay on Acts that the BLB is closer to the original Greek than the NASB.
I should warn that the analysis of these last four chapters will sound increasingly like science fiction and/or fantasy. However, when Matthew was originally written, the technical breakthroughs of modern society would also have sounded like science fiction and/or fantasy. While the topic of discussion will extend beyond the material to include the spiritual and supernatural, the cognitive analysis will remain the same. And when one compares how Greek words in this prophetic section are being interpreted with how these same Greeks words were interpreted when used previously in the historical section, one finds that there is a consistency of interpretation between the prophetic societal situation and the historical societal situation. I should add that the essay on the first 12 chapters of Acts should probably be read before looking at the analysis of chapters 26-28, because Acts provides the context for the interpretation in this essay. I have also put together a tentative prophetic timeline that lines up previous prophetic essays with this essay.
The primary theme of these chapters is transforming the Son of Man into the Son of God. I am not suggesting that the historical Jesus started off as a human, and then became divine. Instead, my general hypothesis is that Jesus always knew at the level of Teacher and Server thought that he was divine but went through a cognitive progression within Perceiver and Mercy thought of experientially grasping what it meant to be God in human flesh. That hypothesis is explored in the essay on the Gospel of John. However, most Christians today form a concept of incarnation by reading about the historical Jesus and then extrapolating from there to a larger concept of Christ. Thus, for the average person today, Jesus is viewed as a Son of Man and not as the Son of God. Viewing Jesus as the Son of God means understanding the character of God in Teacher thought and recognizing how incarnation is an expression of the divine character. One of the goals of mental symmetry is to discover—at least cognitively—what it means to view incarnation as the Son of God, rather than as the Son of Man.
Table of Contents
Part 1 Matthew 2-10
Part 2 Matthew 11-17
Part 3 Matthew 18-24
25:1-5 The Ten Virgins
25:6-13 The Bridegroom Appears
25:14-18 The Parable of the Talents
25:19-23 The Master Returns
25:24-30 The One Talent
25:31-34 The Sheep and the Goats
25:35-40 A Sequence of Helping Incarnation
25:41-46 A Sequence of Ignoring Incarnation
26:1-5 A Plot Against Incarnation
26:6-13 The Anointing of the Woman
26:14-16 Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
26:17-19 Preparing the Passover
26:20-25 Discussing Betrayal
26:26-30 The Last Supper
26:31-35 Predicting Peter’s Denial
26:36-39 The Garden of Gethsemane
26:39-44 The Prayers of Jesus
26:45-49 The Betrayal of Jesus
26:50-52 Jesus Reacts
26:53-56 Angels and Crowds
26:57-60 Jesus before the High Priest
26:60-64 Destroying the Temple
26:65-68 Christ and Blasphemy
26:69-75 Peter’s Denials
27:1-2 Jesus is Bound
27:3-5 Judas Hangs Himself
27:6-10 The Potter’s Field
27:11-14 Jesus before Pilate
27:15-18 Choosing Jesus or Barabbas
27:19-20 Influencing the Decision
27:21-23 Deciding between Jesus and Barabbas
27:24-26 Blood Guilt?
27:27-31 Soldiers Mocking
27:32-34 Crucifying Jesus
27:35-37 Guarding Crucifixion
27:38-44 The Audience of Crucifixion
27:45-49 Darkness and Conservatism
27:50-54 The Death of Jesus
27:55-56 Women Observing
27:57-61 Joseph of Arimathea
27:62-66 Guarding the Tomb
28:1-4 An Angel Descends
28:5-8 The Angel and the Women
28:9-10 The Women meet Jesus
28:11-15 The Guards Report
28:16-20 Jesus Instructs the Disciples
Luke Luke’s Account of the Crucifixion
The Ten Virgins 25:1-5
Matthew 25 contains three parables. The first parable focuses upon female thought and the second upon male thought. The first parable portrays the start of spiritual technology. The second parable describes how existing segments of Western society are affected by spiritual technology. Verse 1 begins “Then the kingdom of the heavens will be likened to ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom.” The word likened means ‘to make like’ and is in the future passive. Then means ‘then, at that time’. Thus, the first parable is not a description that applies at all times but rather a prediction that the kingdom of heaven will acquire a certain character at this point in time. The phrase ‘kingdom of heaven’ was last used in 23:13 which accused the scribes and Pharisees of shutting off the kingdom of heaven from people. Matthew 24 mentions both kingdoms and heaven several times but there is no reference to the kingdom of heaven. Thus, the parable of the ten virgins describes people waiting for something to reappear which vanished in 23:13. The kingdom of heaven was shut off in 23:2 when the scribes and Pharisees seated themselves in the chair of Moses. This transformed a kingdom based in the heaven of Teacher thought into the organizational structure of human authority. Virgins are mentioned three times in this parable. The word virgin means ‘a woman who has never had sexual relations’ and only occurs one other time in Matthew in 1:23 to describe the birth of Jesus. In chapter 23, integrated understanding in Teacher thought became taken over by systems of technical specialization based in organizational structures of institutional authority. Moses represents a system of law taken from the water of Mercy thought. Thus, sitting in the chair of Moses would mean that universities, official institutions, and academic journals have became the new and approved source of absolute truth. This has led to the development of significant male technical thought. But this thinking tends to be objective and specialized, avoiding both Mercy feelings of subjective identity and Teacher feelings of general understanding. The result is that those who want to follow female thought with its Mercy emotions and Teacher theories are essentially faced with the two alternatives of prostituting themselves to the system or else remaining virgins.
A lamp is ‘a hand-held torch’. It is only mentioned in Matthew in this parable, where it is found five times. A sun provides the light of Teacher understanding to all of society. This is not present because verse 6 says that the parable happens at night. Instead, each virgin has a lamp of personal light. This is significant because in verse 8 the lamps of the foolish virgins go out. A lamp would be a Teacher understanding that guides personal behavior in Mercy thought. In other words, there is no longer any accepted Christian theology or worldview of civilization. What remains is some Teacher understanding of personal character development. The ‘virgins’ are using this personal Teacher understanding to keep themselves separate from the system of official religious and academic authority. I should add that ‘being a virgin’ does not mean withdrawing from society and living in some isolated community. Instead, it describes how one relates to the system at the deepest level of core mental networks. Does one sell one’s soul to the system or does one interact with the system at a contract level? Is the primary goal to pursue a career and move upward through the system of established authority, or is the primary goal to walk in the lamp of personal character? Verse 1 emphasizes the connection between the virgins and their lamps because it is the lamp that makes it possible for a person to mentally remain a virgin. Went forth means ‘to go or come out of’. Meet means ‘to meet face to face’ and is used four times as a noun or verb in Matthew. Two of these times were in Matthew 8:28-34 which was interpreted as Western civilization attempting to export its violence through the Crusades. Similarly, the virgins are going out to try to find an alternative to the system of the scribes and Pharisees. This search is happening at the deepest level of personal interaction because the virgins are going out to meet the bridegroom. Notice the reference to a single bridegroom. However, there is no mention of a bride, and these virgins are not marrying the bridegroom. Cognitively speaking, many individuals who are refusing to prostitute themselves to the system are looking forward to a new integrated system of male thought to which they can give their allegiance. However, these individuals have not coalesced to the point of forming a ‘bride of Christ’.
Verse 2 explains that there are two kinds of virgins. “And five of them were foolish, and five wise.” Were means ‘to be’. Thus, these two adjectives refer to the core mental networks or fundamental nature of these people. People are refusing to ‘marry’ the system for one of two primary reasons. Foolish means ‘dull, stupid, foolish’ and is the source of the English word ‘moron’. It was previously used in 23:17 to describe a mindset of regarding the gold of the temple as more important religiously than the temple itself. The modern equivalent would be regarding the institutions of Christianity and democracy to be more important than the mindset that makes Christianity and democracy possible. For instance, a recent article summarized that “being antiscience is now part of many rural Americans’ identity.” A ‘foolish virgin’ is a moron who instinctively rejects science and the ‘technological establishment’ while clinging to the buildings and symbols of religion and democracy. Such an individual is not intelligent but rather uses arguments that can accurately be described as ‘dull, stupid, foolish’. This kind of individual typically uses a personal ‘lamp’ of common sense to guide personal behavior. But when it comes to larger and more technical issues, then this common sense becomes replaced by foolishness. It may be significant that the foolish virgins are mentioned first because this is the instinctual reaction against the system, suggesting that the wise virgins acquire much of their wisdom by observing and learning from the response of the foolish virgins. Wise means ‘personal opinion fleshing itself out in action’ and ‘combines the visceral and cognitive aspects of thinking’. It was previously used in 24:45 to describe the ‘faithful and wise servant’ who gave the other servants food in season. This describes a combination of intelligence and emotional response. The foolish virgins are rejecting institutional knowledge because it is objective and specialized. In contrast, the wise virgins go beyond institutional knowledge to include the subjective and a larger understanding. The result is a technical knowledge backed up by gut feeling and placed within a larger perspective. Notice that both kinds of virgins are staying away from the system, but for different reasons. The reference to the five foolish and five wise virgins implies that these two responses will be fairly equal in number and will also reflect a diversity of viewpoints. In addition, notice that the foolish and wise virgins form a single group, implying that it may be difficult at this initial stage to distinguish between these two responses.
Verse 3 describes what the foolish virgins lack. “For the foolish, having taken their lamps, took no oil with them.” Oil means ‘olive oil’ and represents the Holy Spirit. It is only used in Matthew in this proverb, where it is found three times. The foolish virgins have lamps—they have a Teacher light of personal understanding. But they do not have the oil of the Holy Spirit. Looking at this cognitively, a Platonic form is an internal image of simplified perfection that emerges when Teacher thought understands factual information. A concept of the Holy Spirit emerges when a general understanding ties together various Platonic forms. Thus, lacking the oil of the Holy Spirit would mean not using Teacher thought to understand the underlying issues behind specific situations. For instance, the oil of the Holy Spirit would focus upon character qualities such as justice, democracy, honesty, integrity, gentleness. Using Christian language, this describes the fruit of the spirit, which is ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control’. Following a lamp without this oil will focus upon secondary elements such as ‘Do not make me wear a mask’, ‘I want to preserve my freedom’, or ‘Do not shut down my church’.
Verse 4 says, “But the wise took oil in vessels with their lamps”. The word vessel is used twice in the New Testament and means ‘vessel, flask’. Verse 4 does not say that the virgins themselves are ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. Instead, there is oil in vessels and these vessels accompany the lamps. This suggests that the wise virgins have not yet progressed to the level of having an integrated understanding of the subjective—a sun that shines upon their entire identities. Like the foolish virgins, all they have is a lamp of personal understanding. But this lamp is backed up by some Platonic forms of the Holy Spirit which have been placed together within some vessel. In other words, they have an internal vision within Mercy thought of a better society, and this internal vision of a better society is providing light for personal behavior. At this point, the wise and foolish virgins probably appear externally to be part of the same group. But the wise virgins have an internal motivation that is lacking with the foolish virgins.
In verse 5, all the virgins fall asleep. “And the bridegroom tarrying, they all became drowsy and were sleeping.” Tarrying is a verb based in the word for clock time. It is used one other time in Matthew in 24:48 where the servant says that his master is tarrying. In other words, time is passing and the bridegroom is not arriving. Applying this to current society, things are happening but the expected subjective breakthrough is not occurring. Using evangelical Christian language, Jesus is not returning. Using cognitive language, there is no breakthrough beyond the system of technical thought into an integrated concept of incarnation. Drowsy is used twice in the New Testament and means ‘to fall asleep’. Sleeping means ‘to fall asleep’. Using both of these words emphasizes the falling sleep. When a person sleeps, then conscious thought stops, physical action stops, and the mind functions autonomously and passively within some alternate reality. Nothing can be done in this state to change a situation and there is no conscious control of thought. Thus, falling asleep would probably represent going passive and merely responding to the environment. All means ‘each part of the totality’ which means that both the wise and the foolish virgins reach the end of their rope. This implies that the system of scribes and pharisees gains complete control over society, the idea of God reaching down from heaven becomes a dream, and church itself becomes an escape into an alternate reality that has no hope of changing society.
The Bridegroom Appears 25:6-13
In verse 6 something finally does happen. “And at the middle of the night, there was a cry.” As the italics indicate, the original has no ‘the’. In ‘the middle of the night’ gives the impression of a definite point in time. However, the original Greek merely states ‘middle then night’, conveying the idea that there are no reference points and there is no illumination of Teacher understanding. The word cry is used once as a noun in Matthew and means ‘clamorous screaming that it is extremely boisterous, like a wounded person admitting unearthly types of sounds’. This describes an existential crisis. Was means ‘to come into being’. Verse 6 does not say who is crying, what they are crying about, or what has prompted the crying. This brings to mind many of the protesters of 2022. They do not really know what they are protesting about and they do not have any specific goals. However, they feel at the core of their being as if something is very deeply wrong. This existential angst has come into existence as a result of the extended time of tribulation (which means ‘squeezing’) that has been experienced by society.
This is followed by something more specific. “Behold, the bridegroom! Go forth to meet him!” Behold indicates that something new has suddenly appeared. What has appeared is ‘the bridegroom’ and ‘the’ is specifically mentioned’. This suggests that the ‘second coming’ is finally taking place. A positive alternative based in male technical thought is finally apparent. Go forth is the same word that was used in verse 1 to describe the virgins going forth to meet the bridegroom. However, now it is in the imperative. In verse 1, ‘meet face to face’ was combined with ‘hupo’, implying ‘under authority’. In verse 6, it is combined with ‘apo’, which means ‘away from’, a combination that is only found once in Matthew. This implies that a new potential source of authority has emerged. In verse 1, people were attempting to come face-to-face with the bridegroom within existing systems of authority. In verse 6, the bridegroom has appeared but one has to leave the existing system in order to come face-to-face with the bridegroom. ‘Him’ is probably not in the original Greek, suggesting that it is clear that one has to leave the existing system, but it is not yet clear what one is joining, consistent with this happening in the middle of the night.
Verse 7 describes the response. “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.” Arose means ‘to awaken, to raise up’ and is also the normal word used to describe raising from the dead. Thus, the appearance of the bridegroom causes new life to emerge in all of the virgins. For instance, imagine what would happen if the various protesters against the system suddenly saw that there really was an alternative to the existing system. Trim means ‘to order, arrange’ and comes from the word ‘cosmos’. It is also related to the word ‘cosmetics’ and is used to describe the order of the physical world. This describes a Teacher response based upon Teacher feelings of order and structure which goes beyond protesting the existing system to setting up a new system. However, the focus is still upon appearance and natural order rather than upon an internal ordered understanding. What is being ordered and arranged is personal lamps. Each virgin is focusing upon the structure of their personal behavior. It is still the middle of the night. There is still no sun of general understanding. Instead, the appearance of the bridegroom is causing individuals to ‘put their personal lives in order’. Stated bluntly, behaving in a moral fashion suddenly becomes regarded as significant.
A distinction between foolish and wise virgins emerges in verse 8. “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’” Virgins were mentioned in verse 7, but there is no mention of virgins in verses 8-10. In other words, the focus has shifted away from not marrying the existing system to underlying characteristics of wisdom and foolishness, from ‘I want to be free of the existing inadequate system’ to ‘do I have the character that is required to participate in the new system?’ The foolish respond by speaking to the wise. This suggests that they are getting their understanding secondhand from human experts—they are expecting others to do their thinking for them. The word give is in the imperative, indicating that these followers demand to be supported by their leaders. Going out means ‘to quench’ and is the same word used in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 to describe quenching the spirit. I suspect that 1 Thessalonians 5 is describing a period of time just before the theoretical return of Jesus. What is happening is that the foolish virgins are losing the Teacher light of personal understanding because they lack the ‘oil’ of internal Platonic forms. Therefore, they do not have sufficient internal character to carry them through this transition. Thus, they are responding by demanding internal character from those who have it. But internal character is not something that can be demanded or transferred. The very fact that one is turning to experts for internal character indicates that one lacks internal character. The result is a vicious circle, because the more one turns to the experts for internal character the more it becomes obvious that one lacks internal character.
The wise respond in verse 9: “And the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest it might not suffice for us and you.’” The word lest occurs once in the New Testament as a single word and means ‘never, lest ever’. This is combined with a no and a not even. Suffice is used once in Matthew and means to ‘be enough, suffice’. In other words, it becomes apparent to the wise at a deep gut level that they cannot set up any system of church or institution for character development. I suspect that this is because surviving the appearance of the bridegroom will require all the internal character that a person has. Any attempt to set up some external system based in demands from foolish followers who are looking for instant character will cause those who are wise to lose the internal content that they need to survive this transition.
The wise respond by pointing out how the foolish can gain character. “Go rather to those selling, and buy for yourselves” (v. 9). Go is also in the imperative and means ‘to transport, moving something more from one destination or port to another; to go or depart, emphasizing the personal meaning which is attached to reaching the particular destination’. Notice that the movement is from one country to another, this movement has personal meaning and is accompanied by goods. Thus, this word is interpreted as movement that generates change and transformation. In other words, the foolish can only acquire internal character by going through some process that involves time and personal transformation. Selling means ‘to exchange or barter, to sell’. The idea is that one is giving up one thing in order to acquire something else. However, this cannot be done immediately. Instead, the foolish virgins have to go through a journey of personal transformation in order to reach the point where they are capable of exchanging. Buy means ‘to buy in the marketplace’. For yourselves implies that each person must do their own buying, consistent with the idea that internal character is required.
Verse 10 supports the idea that the foolish virgins have to learn how to buy and sell. “And while they are going away to buy, the bridegroom came.” Going away means ‘to go away, go after’. And buy refers again to ‘buying in the marketplace’. In other words, learning how to buy and sell requires moving away from going to meet the bridegroom. Looking at this cognitively, the focus has shifted from preparing for the bridegroom to going out to meet the bridegroom. This is a shift from internal character development to external application. The only way to acquire internal character then is to move away from application to learning. But while this is happening the bridegroom comes. In other words, one has to do one’s homework ahead of time.
Verse 10 continues, “And those ready went in with him to the wedding feast. And the door was shut.” Wedding feast means ‘a wedding celebration’. This word was used eight times in the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22, but this is the only other occurrence in Matthew. Matthew 22 was interpreted as technical infrastructure substituting for integrated understanding. Matthew 22 mentioned the king who invites guests to the wedding feast but there was no reference to either a groom or a bride. A groom was mentioned twice in Matthew 9:15 which talked about the groom being taken away. That was interpreted as medieval scholasticism being replaced by modern science. Here modern science itself is being replaced by a new alternative that is related to medieval scholasticism with its focus on holy texts. Saying this another way, the objective, specialized mindset of science took away the bridegroom. This bridegroom has now returned through a focus upon subjective identity and general understanding. Ready means ‘ready because prepared’. It was used in 22:8 to describe the wedding feast being ready and in 24:44 to warn about being ready for the Son of Man to return at some unknown hour in the middle of the night. Notice the contrast between ‘ready because prepared’ and ‘ordering the cosmos’. The first builds internal character and understanding ahead of time. The second beautifies external appearance in order to clean up for the actual event. Both the wise and the foolish can ‘put on cosmetics’. But in order to go in with the bridegroom one has to be ‘ready because prepared’ which can only be done ahead of time. Door means ‘door’ and was previously used in 24:33 to warn that Jesus is ‘at the door’. In verse 10, the door is shut. It does not say that some person shuts the door but rather uses the passive tense to describe the door being shut. I strongly suspect that this is because the visible appearance of the bridegroom and the wedding feast will close the door of opportunity for gaining internal character. Building upon internal character means choosing to follow internal understanding despite what one sees. As Paul says in Romans 8:24, “In this hope we were saved; but hope being seen is no hope; for does anyone hope for what he sees?”
Verse 11 refers again to the other virgins. “And afterward, the other virgins come also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’” Afterward means ‘afterwards, later’, indicating that the door of opportunity has now been shut. Other means ‘the rest, the remaining’, referring to the virgins who were left behind. Lord means ‘lord, master’. This term is repeated, emphasizing that they are approaching the bridegroom from a Mercy viewpoint of personal status. This is the same attitude that was shown in verse 8 when they demanded oil from the wise virgins. In both cases, they are getting their content indirectly from human authorities rather than acquiring an internal understanding. The verb open is in the imperative, similar to the way that the request for oil in verse 8 was in the imperative. In contrast, the shutting of the door in verse 10 was in the passive. The door shut itself because the time of opportunity was over. In contrast, they think that opening the door is something that is done by the lord, again indicating a mindset based in the Mercy status. But the door closed itself because of cognitive principles; it was not closed by a person.
This cognitive interpretation is emphasized by verse 12. “And answering he said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’” Notice that the bridegroom responds to their demand. But the answer he gives describes core mental networks of identity that are deeper than statements made by authorities. Truly is the word ‘amen’. It was previously used in 24:47 to say that the master would truly put the good slave in charge of all his possessions. In both cases one is dealing with facts about personal identity. Know means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’ and is interpreted as empirical evidence. This word is used three times in chapter 24, in verses 36, 42, and 43, each time to say that no one knows the day or hour of the second coming. The point is that one cannot use empirical evidence to determine when the bridegroom will return. In verse 12, the bridegroom is saying that empirical evidence reveals that he does not know the foolish virgins. This strongly suggests that what was unseen before the second coming has now become seen. What took faith because it was invisible is now part of the visible realm. This explains why the door of opportunity has closed. Going further, the distinction between wise and foolish virgin has now become visibly obvious in public behavior. ‘You’ is explicitly mentioned twice in verse 12, indicating that the focus is upon the nature of personal identity.
Verse 13 ends with a warning. “Therefore watch, for you do not know the day, nor the hour.” Watch means to ‘stay awake’ and was used previously in 24:42 and 24:43 to warn about staying awake. Staying awake means being consciously aware of what is happening. Verse 5 seems to indicate that everyone eventually ends up sleeping. The critical difference appears to be the oil of the Holy Spirit. Does one stay awake long enough to build and follow internal Platonic forms or does one go passive immediately and submit to the system? Does one pursue Platonic forms to the point of being able to go no further, or does one become internally shaped by the world system? Verse 9 indicates that whatever internal content one can develop during the time of waiting will be essential for personal survival when the invisible becomes visible. And verse 12 indicates that if this internal content is not present, then one will not be the type of person who is capable of participating in the marriage feast. Know is the same word for empirical knowledge. The point is that focusing upon physical evidence before the second coming will lead to the wrong type of thinking. Both day and hour are mentioned, similar to the warnings in chapter 24. A day represents an era of society that is lit by the sun of some Teacher understanding. An hour represents some substage within this era. Eras normally last many years. However, the eras of modern society have recently been coming and going rather quickly. For instance, the world changed completely after the fall of the twin towers on 9/11 in 2001, and it is now in the process of changing completely again as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Every time such a crisis happens, a new crop of prophecy books is written predicting that this will be the era of Jesus’ return. Matthew 24 and 25 repeatedly state that one cannot empirically determine the day. Similarly, some people think that Jesus will return at the beginning of a new era, while others predict his return when some era comes to an end. That also cannot be determined empirically. The basic point is that looking for physical evidence creates the type of mindset that will be incapable of participating when Jesus does return.
One final point: This first parable does not say anything about being judged or going to hell. Instead, the emphasis is upon qualifying for a reward. My general hypothesis is that there will be a theoretical return of Jesus followed by a spiritual gifting. The return of the bridegroom would refer to the return of Jesus while the marriage feast would describe being rewarded by some sort of spiritual gifting. The parable mentions a wedding feast and the same word was used in Matthew 22. However, 24:4 specifically described this as ‘the meal eaten anytime before the main meal. Revelation 19:7 also mentions a wedding feast, but Revelation 19:9 describes it as ‘an afternoon or evening meal’ and the focus of that chapter is upon the bride. Thus, Matthew 25 is describing an intermediate event in which people are receiving a partial, intermediate reward, consistent with the idea of spiritual technology being started. A similar spiritual gifting is described in Hebrews 2:4.
The Parable of the Talents 25:14-18
The second parable is about the talents. The first parable talked explicitly about women, consistent with the idea of receiving a spiritual gifting that impacts the realm of mental networks. The second parable talks about trading, suggesting a more general focus. Verse 14 begins, “For it is like a man going on a journey who called his own servants and delivered his possessing to them.” Like means ‘just as, even as’ and indicates an analogical similarity. It was previously used in 24:37 to say that the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah. Man is the generic word for human and refers to both genders. Journey means ‘to be or go abroad’. It was used once previously in Matthew in 21:13 to describe the owner of the vineyard going on a journey, and the same word indicating ‘human’ was used in that parable as well. The implication is that one is dealing with human reality and not with anything supernatural or angelic. Called means ‘to call’ and indicates a focus upon words in Teacher thought. This also is an indication of normal humanity that uses words but does not attach supernatural power to these words.
Deliver means ‘to deliver over with a sense of close involvement’. It is used to describe the betrayal of Jesus but it also has a positive sense. The idea is that any major transition has to be enabled by some person or group. This can be done in a positive way by personally breaking through to the new system, or it can be done in a negative way by betraying the existing system. This word is used three times in this parable in verses 14, 20, and 22. Thus, what is being described is the process of moving from the system before the second coming to the system after the second coming.
A servant is ‘a slave’ and this word was used four times at the end of Matthew 24 to describe the good and the evil slave. The implication is that people are following truth at the level of obedience to authority. Possessing means what ‘is already under one’s discretion’ and combines the two words ‘under’ and ‘begin, go first’. This describes what one owns within the existing realm of physical reality. It is not at the level of being but rather at the secondary level of having, and it is what one already has as a result of being a human. The spiritual gifting that introduces spiritual technology will introduce a new form of having that is based upon personal character. Presumably, the purpose of the ‘delivering’ is to make a transition from pre-existing physical ownership to a new form of spiritual ownership. The general point is that God cannot simply choose to make this transition. Instead, some group has to take ownership of what God has created and then ‘deliver’ this so that it is capable of becoming something new.
Verse 15 describes the giving of talents. “And indeed to one he gave five talents; and to one, two; and to one, one; to each according to his own ability.” The word talent is used 14 times in the New Testament, 13 times in this parable. It refers to a certain weight (about 35 kg) of silver or gold. This goes beyond specific trading to having enough coinage to set up a local economy. It seems to me that the Greek can be translated as the five talents being given first, then the two talents, and then finally the one talent. This makes sense cognitively. It may also be significant that the verb give is only used with the first five talents. We will be interpreting talents as cognitive modules. Mental symmetry suggests that the mind is composed of seven interacting cognitive modules. Five talents would mean following some path with five cognitive modules, two talents would mean following with two cognitive modules, and one talent would mean devoting one cognitive module to the message. Science and technology emphasize five cognitive modules, suppressing the emotional module of Mercy thought by remaining objective and suppressing the emotional module of Teacher thought by remaining specialized. Culture and religion focus upon these two emotional modules of Mercy and Teacher thought. Scientific and technology have guided progress for the last several centuries while culture and religion have then added the emotional components that science and technology suppress. This would describe the five talents and the two talents. This interpretation will make more sense when looking later at the one talent, which I suggest represents the mindset of absolute truth.
Each means ‘each unit viewed distinctly’ and his own means ‘uniquely one’s own’. These two words suggest that one is dealing with three distinct alternatives each with unique characteristics. Looking at this cognitively, science and technology, religion and culture, and absolute truth are each distinctive mindsets with their own characteristics. Ability is the word for ‘power’ which describes using Perceiver thought to amplify the actions of Server thought. Technology demonstrates the power of science, because technology has been used to create many powerful machines. Religion and culture also have power, but this is an emotional power to manipulate the mental networks of society. More specifically, Teacher emotions of religion can be used to amplify Mercy mental networks of culture by turning personal feelings into universal statements, leading to the power of ideologies. Absolute truth has the power of conservatism which will be described in verse 18.
Verse 15 finishes, “and he left the region immediately.” Left the region means ‘to be or go abroad’ and this word was used once previously in Matthew in 21:33 in the parable of the vine-growers. Presumably, the owner who left in that parable is the same as the bridegroom who returned in the first parable and the Son of Man who returned in the previous chapter. Cognitively speaking, this would refer to a concept of incarnation. That is why I refer to a theoretical return of Jesus. I do not think that Jesus will return physically as a person. Instead what will return is an integrated concept of incarnation and this will have physical overtones. A concept of incarnation goes beyond the objective thinking of science to bring salvation to personal identity and it goes beyond the specializations of science to follow a concept of God in Teacher thought. Immediately means ‘at once, directly’. A concept of incarnation ‘went abroad’ when the five talents of science and technology become split off from the two talents of culture and religion. One of the goals of mental symmetry is to reintegrate these two major aspects of Western society and this has required going beyond the mindset of absolute truth.
Verse 16 describes what happens next. “The one having received the five talents, having gone, traded with them, and made five more.” The Greek begins with the word having gone, which means ‘to transport’ and is being interpreted as movement that generates transformation. Received means to ‘actively lay hold of to take or receive’. Traded means ‘a deed that carries out an inner desire’. And with actually means ‘in the realm of’. Thus, a more accurate translation would be ‘Having transported, the one with five talents having aggressively taken hold of, pursued self-initiated behavior in the realm of them’. This describes how science has behaved. Science became a secular pursuit of knowledge driven by individuals who were motivated to take hold of the laws of nature. Made is used four times in this parable and means ‘to exchange what is mediocre for the better’. Similarly, science exchanged existing medieval theories of Nature for superior alternatives as well as existing traditional methods for new technology. The word more means ‘another of the same kind’ and is used five times in the parable. This suggests that the trading of each slave remained within its own domain. Science has come up with better theories but it has stubbornly remained within its realm of studying physical world in an objective, specialized, technical manner. It has come up with five different talents but these are of the same kind. Notice that we are not dealing here with the intellectual wealth of specific knowledge but rather the accumulated wealth of a body of knowledge—a talent of precious metal.
Verse 17 describes the behavior of the slave with two talents. “Likewise, the one with the two gained two more.” Likewise means ‘in the same way as’. Thus, the first slave is being internally motivated to behave in some manner and the second slave is then following the example of the first slave. Similarly, modern culture and religion have acted as if they are the driving forces of society, but if one takes a closer look one concludes that science and technology come up with breakthroughs which are then emotionally exploited by culture and religion. Gained is the same word as ‘made’ in verse 16 and means ‘to exchange what is mediocre for the better’. And more means ‘another of the same kind’. Thus, culture and religion have become transformed while remaining within the realm of emotional comfort and manipulation. For instance, medieval religion used towering churches with stained-glass windows to add Teacher feelings of grandeur to the Mercy rituals and stories of Christianity. The contemporary church service uses the technology of sound and light to add Teacher feelings of grandeur to Mercy feelings generated by songs of praise and worship. The methodology has changed but what remains the same is using Teacher feelings to emotional amplify Mercy feelings in an ideological manner. In the same way that the five talents of objective, specialized science have not extended into the realm of culture and religion, so the two talents of culture and religion have not extended into the realm of rational thought. However, one is again dealing with talents of wealth—systems of culture, religion, and ideology. Self-initiated behavior is not mentioned with the two talents. That is because one of the major premises of modern culture and religion is that one must deny individual desire in order to submit to the larger feelings of God, the group, or the universal.
Verse 18 describes the behavior of the slave with one talent. “But the one having received the one talent, having gone away.” ‘Talent’ is not explicitly mentioned the original Greek, suggesting that there is no integrated system of knowledge here. What is mentioned is receiving, which means to ‘actively lay hold of’ and going away. Cognitively speaking, absolute truth gives great Mercy status to some source of truth and then accepts the facts of this source as absolute ‘truth’. This ‘truth’ is then regarded as special and different than normal information. Thus, there is a receiving and a going away. For instance, ‘Every word of the Bible is true because it was written by God and the Bible is a special book that is unlike every other book’. I should emphasize that these essays are making it clear that the Bible is unlike other books. More specifically, if the Gospel of Matthew is a detailed prophecy of Western history, then the author had to be a supernatural being who extends beyond time and can manipulate human history. What is being described in verse 18 is a mindset of absolute truth, which uses emotional status assigned to some person or institution to overwhelm Perceiver thought into ‘knowing’ what is ‘true’.
This mindset is illustrated by the behavior of the slave. Verse 18 continues, he “dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.” Dug means ‘to dig’. Ground means ‘the physical earth; the arena we live in which operates in space and time’. This is interpreted as rational thought with its Perceiver facts and Server sequences. Modern absolute truth does not ignore rational thought. But it also does not build upon rational thought. Instead, it takes a leap of faith from rational thought. In other words, it does not build upon ‘the earth’ but rather ‘digs in the earth’. This can be seen, for instance, in apologetics. Apologetics starts with a peripheral framework of rational thought. It then uses this as a starting location within which to place blind trust in the Christian message of salvation and personal faith. I have found from repeated personal experience that the primary goal of apologetics is not to find universal principles that can shine as a sun upon society but rather to find some location within rational thought within which to place personal faith. Hid means to ‘hide, conceal’. Similarly, personal faith is seen as something personal and private which one conceals from normal social interaction. Likewise, absolute truth is regarded as different than normal factual information which must be hidden from normal factual information and protected from coming into contact with normal information.
Money means ‘silver, a piece of silver’ and this is the first use of this word in Matthew. It will be used again in verse 27 and then in chapter 26 to describe the 30 pieces of silver with which Judas betrays Jesus. Master means ‘lord, master’ and was previously used in verse 11 when the foolish virgins said ‘lord, lord’. This reflects the mindset of absolute truth which bases Perceiver ‘truth’ in the personal status of some personal authority. Notice that the slave does not regard the lord as his master but rather views the money as belonging to the master. This tends to describe the form that absolute truth takes in modern society. Absolute truth is no longer viewed as something to which one personally submits. Instead, one pursues secular goals and is emotionally manipulated by culture and religion. Absolute truth becomes a precious heirloom that one hides and preserves in order to maintain feelings of meaning and significance. One preserves absolute truth rather than allowing it to guide life. Notice also the reference to individual money. When absolute truth is hidden then there will be no desire to integrate this ‘truth’ to form some talent of understanding. Instead, absolute truth becomes a list of beliefs to which one ascribes, and one aspect of preserving the individual ‘coins’ of absolute truth is to stop them from coalescing into the talent of either culture or religion.
The Master Returns 25:19-23
These three ways of thinking then develop over extensive time. “And after much time, the master of those slaves comes and takes account with them.” Much ‘emphasizes the quantity involved’ and time refers to physical clock time. In other words, many years pass and each of these three ways of thinking matures into its final, stable form. Master means ‘lord and servant means ‘slave’. ‘Those’ is explicitly mentioned. The idea is that all three of these systems remain functioning at the level of master and slave. Science and technology may gain mastery over the laws of nature, but this expertise remains a slave susceptible to being ruled by other forces. Religion and culture may manipulate religious feelings, but the assumption here is that individuals are slaves of religion and culture who can be manipulated by religion and culture. Similarly, absolute truth views truth as information to which one submits. However, a concept of incarnation is composed of these three elements. The master who returns does not emerge out of nowhere but rather is based upon the underlying foundation of these three slaves who having been working with the talents of the master.
Looking at this cognitively, the five talents of science and technology use technical thought. The two talents of culture and religion use mental networks. Absolute truth is a stillborn version of normal thought. An integrated concept of incarnation forms when Perceiver thought emerges from the mesmerized state of absolute truth, connects with Server sequences, and then uses analogies and metaphors to integrate the various specializations of technical thought and mental networks of culture and religion. This can be seen in the phrase ‘takes account with them’. Take is found three times in the New Testament, here and twice in the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 18. It combines ‘closely identified together’ with ‘to raise, take up, lift’. Moving up is interpreted as heading in the direction of Teacher generality. Closely identifying together indicates the integrating work of Teacher thought. Thus, Teacher thought is being used to integrate these various fragments. This happens when building a general theory upon analogies. For instance, mental symmetry uses the analogies of normal thought to construct an integrated theory of cognition that includes science, technology, culture, religion, and absolute truth. Account is actually ‘logos’ which is being interpreted as the Teacher paradigm that lies behind some technical specialization. It was previously used in 24:35 when Jesus said that heaven and earth would pass away but his ‘logoses’ would not pass away. In verse 19 the existing heaven of Teacher thought and earth of rational thinking has passed away as a result of the second coming, but the paradigms of incarnation remain. One of the primary results of spiritual technology would be to integrate the objective specialized thinking of science and technology with the mental networks of culture and religion. And using absolute truth in a logical manner would completely overturn any existing mindset of absolute truth. However, paradigms of incarnation would remain intact, and cognitive principles would become of primary importance. This already happens to some extent with mental symmetry at a cognitive level.
Verse 20 begins, “And the one having received the five talents, having come, brought to him five other talents.” The Greek starts with having come, which means ‘to approach, to draw near’. This verb was previously used in 24:1 and 24:3 where the disciples approached Jesus to ask about the end times. Brought means ‘to bring to, to offer’. This bringing is done by the one who received five talents, who offers five talents of the same kind. This suggests that science and technology will be the first to respond to the theoretical return of Jesus. However, this response will require a drawing near. That is because science and technology are objective and specialized. They have to draw near to incarnation by adding the subjective in Mercy thought and the universal in Teacher thought. ‘The same kind’ suggests that this drawing near will not involve going back to the religious thinking of the pre-scientific era but rather will be an extension of modern science and technology. In other words, a spiritual component will be added to existing technology, resulting in spiritual technology.
Verse 20 continues, “Saying, ‘Master, you did deliver to me five talents. Behold, I have gained five talents more.’” Saying indicates that this drawing close will not be a mystical encounter but rather involve the language of rational communication. Deliver is the word that means to either deliver or betray. Thus, there will be an explicit recognition that science and technology have enabled a transition into a new age. Some of this transition has taken the form of a betrayal, but whatever the personal motivation, one can still state in Teacher thought that a transformation has happened. Gain means to exchange for something better and more means of the same kind. Behold indicates that something will become obvious which was not previously apparent. My guess is that the theoretical return will make it obvious that there is a spiritual and subjective side to physical science and technology. Science and technology will suddenly realize that they have only been looking at one side of the coin.
The response in verse 21 is positive. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! ’” Say comes from ‘shine’ and means to ‘produce an epiphany’. This verbal epiphany comes from the master. In other words, the light of Teacher understanding will suddenly go on and it will become apparent that there is another dimension to science and technology. Well done is the adverb of ‘good’ and good means ‘intrinsically good’. Thus, there is an intrinsic goodness to science and technology. But this only becomes apparent when science and technology draw close to incarnation in order to add the personal and divine element. Faithful means ‘persuaded’. This does not mean clinging to beliefs in the nature of absolute truth but rather being willing to be persuaded by rational thought. Notice that the slave does not declare himself to be good and faithful. Instead, the master sheds the light of Teacher understanding upon the slave leading to an understanding that there is something intrinsically good and inherently rational about science and technology.
Verse 21 continues, “You were faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’” Few things means ‘few, little, small’ and faithful means ‘persuaded’. And one can accurately state that science and technology have been willing to be persuaded by rational thought within the limited realm of physical reality. Set over means to ‘put in charge’. The word ‘things’ is implied and not explicitly mentioned. ‘Things’ gives the impression that the faithful slave is acquiring more physical stuff. However, the distinction is between little and much. The implication is that existing science and technology will require a spiritual dimension that substantially increases its realm of applicability. Enter is in the imperative which indicates that science and technology will have to choose to enter this expanded realm. Joy is one of a family of similar words that all refer to various aspects of Teacher emotion. Science claims to be driven by a search for general Teacher theories, but modern science is actually highly specialized. This joy is ‘of the master of you’. Thus, entering into this extra dimension will be emotionally driven by Teacher feelings of generality but it will also require submitting personally to the lordship of incarnation. Instead of merely pursuing some specialization, the scientist will be uncovering and submitting to an aspect of God’s created order. Summarizing, the end of verse 21 is typically interpreted as some divine reward that is automatically acquired, but a closer look at the Greek text indicates that it will require a major shift in the mindset of science and technology. Science and technology will have to choose to enter into the Teacher emotions of submitting to the lordship of incarnation.
Verse 22 describes the slave with two talents coming. “And the one with the two talents, also having come said, ‘Master, you did deliver to me two talents. Behold, I have gained two talents more.’” The language in verse 22 is the same as verse 20 with the following differences. The second slave comes also and he is not described as having taken hold of the talents. ‘Also’ suggests that religion and culture are following normal practice by copying the example set by science and technology. The text also does not say that the second slave actually brings two similar talents. Science and technology have actively taken ownership of natural law and have used this to transform physical reality. Culture and religion, in contrast, have dealt more with feelings and appearance rather than reality. However, modern culture and religion have mutated into a new form as a result of science and technology. The culture and religion of today is quite different—and generally much more civilized—than that of prescientific eras. This has become obvious during the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, because Russia is behaving the way countries used to behave and most of the rest of the world is recoiling in horror at such barbaric behavior.
The words of the second slave in verse 22 are identical to those of the first slave. Thus, there is an explicit recognition that culture and religion has been transformed into something new and that the new version has become similar to science and technology. The response of the master in verse 23 is also identical to the response in verse 21, suggesting that modern culture and religion are also being rewarded. This leads to the obvious question: Why would the master reward religion such as the insipid worship of contemporary praise and worship, or culture such as the championing of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle? Surely those would not be regarded as ‘good and faithful’ by the incarnation of Christianity, would they? I suggest that the answer lies in understanding the text more carefully. The master is throwing the light of Teacher understanding upon the situation and this is implicitly changing the standard to intrinsic goodness and rational persuasion. In other words, the solution to the liberal shortcomings of current religion and culture is not to attack them from the viewpoint of absolute truth but rather for them to have an epiphany in which they realized that the real standard is intrinsic goodness and rational persuasion guided by Teacher understanding. For postmodern thought to have such a realization would be a mind-blowing epiphany. In contrast, attacking postmodern thought simply reinforces its assertion that all theories are merely ideologies backed up by power groups. Going further, culture and religion like to think that they are guiding society, but in actual fact they are the ‘tail’ that is being ‘wagged’ by the dog of science and technology. If science and technology acquired a spiritual dimension, then culture and religion would have no choice but to face this spiritual dimension as well. That explains why the response of the master is the same. The key to saving current culture and religion is to treat them the same way as science and technology are being treated. Current culture and religion think that they are exempt from the standards of rational thought. Extending science and technology to the subjective and the spiritual would make it obvious that culture and religion are also subject to a similar set of rules. Consistent with this, I found that the most effective way of understanding biblical and cultural principles is to understand how science and technology function and then extend this to the religious and the subjective.
Finally, I should add that this reward would be simultaneously a judgment. First, the inadequacies of many scientific theories become apparent when one applies the theory to the scientist himself. Similarly, the typical scientist applies much higher standards to his research than he does to his personal behavior and character. Second, the inadequacies of modern culture and religion would become immediately apparent if they acquired a spiritual dimension. The average person views culture and religion as a temporary escape from reality and would not actually want to live within this alternate reality. In contrast, one of my major priorities over the years has been to develop an alternate reality based in mental symmetry in which I would actually want to live. My goal is not to escape temporarily from reality, but rather to lay the foundation for a better version of reality that is full of lasting, intrinsic goodness. Thus, ‘entering into the joy of your master’ would be simultaneously a reward and a punishment. In essence, God would be calling people’s bluffs by answering their prayers. My understanding is that incarnation will initially give an open invitation to participate in spiritual technology and that this will be followed by many aspects of society withdrawing from this participation as they discover that they have been playing escapist games and don’t really want their prayers to be answered. The general principle is that God blesses everyone and people judge themselves by responding to this blessing in inadequate ways. This interpretation is consistent with the warning in 24:13 that “the one having endured to the end, he will be saved.” Thus, the primary goal is not to correct other sinners but rather to save oneself, and endure means ‘to remain under’, which implies accepting the intolerable situation without trying to impose truth upon others. That is because society has to go through certain transformations and any attempt to deflect the path of society will end up being futile anyway.
The One Talent 25:24-30
The man with one talent responds in verse 24. Unlike the second slave, he does not repeat the words of the first slave. Instead, he describes the character of the master. “And the one having received the one talent, having come, also said, ‘Master, I knew you, that you are a hard man.’” As with the first two slaves, this verse starts with having come, which means ‘to approach, to draw near’. And the slave with one talent is described as having received. Thus, the mindset of absolute truth does take hold of a system of truth. But while the first two slaves referred to the talents that they had received, the third slave focuses upon the character of the master. This is a characteristic of absolute truth which does not evaluate information itself but rather accepts information because it comes from the right source. This is not ‘what is right’ but rather ‘who is right’. Know means ‘to know, especially through personal experience’. It was previously used in 24:50 to describe the master returning at an hour which the evil slave did not know. Knowing through experience describes the mindset of absolute truth which bases Perceiver truth in emotional Mercy experiences. This type of knowing is expressed in the classic hymn which says, ‘You asked me how I know he lives, he lives within my heart.’ And ‘you’ is explicitly mentioned, emphasizing the focus upon the personal source of truth. The master explicitly used the word ‘you’ when telling the first two slaves to enter into the joy of your master, indicating that a personal element needs to be added. The third slave is the only one to start with this personal element.
Hard means ‘hard because dried out’ and this is the only use of this word in Matthew. Solidness represents Perceiver stability while liquid represents Mercy experiences. Thus, hard would mean acquiring Perceiver stability by removing Mercy experiences. This is another characteristic of absolute truth, which starts with Mercy feelings of personal authority and defining experience and moves from there to solid Perceiver stability. Saying this another way, absolute truth is very serious business. Notice the juxtaposition of knowing through experience and hardness that suppresses experience. It is also interesting that the third slave refers to the master as a man, which means ‘human being’. This is not mentioned by the first two slaves. Looking at this cognitively, absolute truth is a human perspective because it views truth as based in some human-like being in Mercy thought. Science may be materialistic but it is not a human perspective because it is rooted in general Teacher theories. Similarly, both modern culture and religion recognize the power of Teacher thought to amplify Mercy emotions.
The third slave continues in verse 24, describing the master as “reaping where you did not sow, and gathering from where you did not scatter.” Reap means ‘to reap’ and this is the second use of this word in Matthew. Where means ‘where, whither, in what place’. This describes location in Perceiver thought, another indication that one is thinking in terms of human beings who live in physical locations. Sow means to ‘sow seed’ and the same word was used in the parables about sowing. Gathering means ‘to lead together’. From where is another reference to location in Perceiver thought. This is the first use of scatter in Matthew, which combines ‘thoroughly’ with ‘scatter’. Looking at this cognitively, a concept of incarnation combines concrete technical thought with abstract technical thought. Concrete technical thought is based in cause-and-effect, and sowing and reaping is a more personal version of cause-and-effect. Abstract technical thought is based in precise definitions, and the goal of defining something more precisely is to gain a better understanding in Teacher thought. This could be described as thoroughly scattering followed by leading together. Putting this together, absolute truth accurately recognizes fundamental aspects of incarnation. But there are limitations to this recognition. First, incarnation is being described from the vantage point of human identity in Mercy thought. A person sows and then the crop springs up in some different location. The reason that the location is different is because sowing is connected with reaping through Teacher understanding. The sowing builds a Teacher understanding which applies to many locations making it possible to reap within some other location. Similarly, ‘thoroughly scattering from some place’ describes what it feels like to question the hard nuggets of absolute truth. This results in a ‘leading together’ of Teacher understanding because general definitions are being reformulated. Thus, absolute truth can describe how incarnation functions but does not understand why this happens. That is because the Mercy fixation of absolute truth blinds it to the functioning of Teacher thought. Another characteristic of late-stage absolute truth is that the focus turns from the content of absolute truth to the mindset of absolute truth. Using the language of this parable, the absolute truth itself gets buried. This can be seen in the third slave who focuses upon the personal nature of incarnation while burying the talent given by the master.
Verse 25 describes the attitude of the third slave. “And having been afraid, having gone away, I hid your talent in the ground.” Afraid means ‘to fear, withdraw from, avoid’. Absolute truth is emotionally convinced that I am nothing compared to my source of truth. This will express itself as a feeling that I dare not analyze the content of truth too thoroughly because God’s ways are obviously incomprehensibly higher than my ways. Notice the juxtaposition of peripheral rational thought and central withdrawal. Technical thought can develop upon a foundation of absolute truth and that technical thought can be used to analyze peripheral topics, but it dare not analyze the absolute truth upon which it is based, because that is mentally like sawing off the branch on which one is sitting. Basing truth in Mercy status also leads to the mistaken idea that one can run away from the source of truth. A Teacher mindset would realize that this is ridiculous. For instance, one cannot run away from the law of gravity. However, a Mercy mindset will think that one can run away from God by living in the secular realm. This response of avoidance is emphasized by the word gone away. Hid means to ‘hide, conceal’. The third slave may be ignoring the content of absolute truth, but he can accurately describe how he is treating absolute truth. He is not just reacting instinctively but also making conscious choices.
The underlying problem is that maintaining absolute truth within modern society becomes a vicious circle. The mindset of absolute truth will mean that any attempt to analyze absolute truth will feel like blasphemy. ‘Who am I to try to understand the Word of God?’ Meanwhile science and technology continue to learn more about the natural world while culture and religion learn more about psychological principles. When I insist that it is impossible to learn while others continue to learn, then I will eventually end up looking stupid compared to others, even if my starting point is the very Word of God. The only alternative is to hide truth in a hole in the ground and protect it as a precious heirloom. The third slave says that he hid the talent of the master in the ground, but the description in verse 18 says that he actually hid coins. Thus, the third slave will think that he is protecting a system of truth, but he has no system. Instead, all he has is a collection of disconnected coins of truth. This has become increasingly apparent to me as I analyze the Bible in the light of mental symmetry. Most Christian thinkers have no concept of context or sequence, but rather continually pull verses randomly out of context.
The order is also slightly different. Verse 18 said that the third slave dug a hole in the ground and then hid the money. In verse 25, the third slave says that he hid the talent in the ground. Cognitively speaking, the first step taken by absolute truth is to make a distinction between normal truth and absolute truth. This creates a hole within the landscape of rational thought which is separate from the ‘earth’ of rational thinking. Absolute truth is then placed within this hole. Notice that this is a hole within the earth—absolute truth claims that absolute truth is a form of truth even though it is disconnected from other truth. Because this hole is disconnected from the earth of rational thought, the coins of absolute truth do not become integrated into a talent of intellectual wealth. However, absolute truth interprets this as hiding a talent within the ground. But absolute truth has no talent and there is no direct connection between absolute truth and the ground of rational thought.
Verse 25 finishes, “Behold you have what is yours.” Behold indicates that something invisible has become visible. We are seeing in these essays that the ‘absolute truth’ of the Bible actually has a deep meaning and if these essays are accurate, then this meaning will become apparent when the master returns. Thus, there will be a beholding of absolute truth. Have means to ‘have, hold’ and indicates ownership rather than identity. In other words, the third slave is saying, ‘I preserved your holy book. It is sitting here on my bookshelf. I found emotional comfort in your words.’ But the third slave does not say anything about having taken ownership of absolute truth or using it to shape personal character.
The master answers in verse 26. “And his master answering, said to him, ‘Wicked and lazy servant!’” Wicked means ‘pain-ridden, emphasizing the inevitable agonies that always go with evil’. Absolute truth is inherently pain-ridden because the fundamental assumption is that I must deny myself for God. Lazy is used once in Matthew and ‘refers to shrinking backward, because unready’. Consistent with this, we have seen that the mindset of absolute truth shrinks back from analyzing truth because it lacks the intellectual tools. Summarizing, the master is pointing out that the lifestyle of the third slave itself illustrates fundamental principles of moral sowing and reaping. Thus, the third slave described the concept of sowing and reaping while ignoring principles of sowing and reaping.
The master then repeats verbatim what the third slave said in verse 24. “You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter.” It was suggested earlier that this accurately describes the character of incarnation and the master’s response in verse 26 indicates that this knowledge is accurate. However, verse 26 uses a different word for know which means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’, which was interpreted earlier as empirical evidence. This suggests that it is possible to escape from the mindset of absolute truth by appealing to a different kind of knowing. The third slave emphasized knowing based in personal experience, the type of knowing that is used by absolute truth. But the third slave lives in an environment that has been transformed by empirical knowledge. Thus, absolute truth is capable of using empirical knowledge to transform its accurate, experiential knowledge of incarnation. This describes the method that I have used. I grew up in a strict Mennonite home ruled by absolute truth. I have escaped this mindset by 1) looking empirically at the psychological outcomes of following certain moral paths, an approach that I learned from my mother, and 2) looking for analogical relations between the empirical thinking of science and technology and the subjective realm of culture and religion, a method that I developed while working with my older brother. I should add that attempting to fight or reject a mindset of absolute truth is not a solution. One primary reason is that the absolute truth of the Bible does accurately describe moral principles. Thus, one has to indirectly challenge absolute truth by approaching the same content from a different perspective.
Verse 27 describes what the third slave should have done. “Therefore it behooved you to put my money to the bankers.” Behooved means ‘what is absolutely necessary’. This word was used previously in 24:6 where Jesus described what things must take place before the second coming. Therefore means that this is a rational connection. The owner is not commanding the slave what to do but rather pointing out what the slave had to do given the circumstances. Put means ‘to throw, cast’ and throwing is interpreted as moving through the ‘air’ of Teacher thought. Thus, the third slave had to move from a fixation upon personal status in Mercy thought to the ‘air’ of Teacher theory. Money refers to ‘a piece of silver’. Thus, ‘throwing money’ would mean taking the individual facts of absolute truth and passing them through the air of Teacher thought. A person who follows absolute truth is not emotionally capable of rationally analyzing the entire system of absolute truth. But it is possible to take individual facts and subject them to the analysis of Teacher thought. The word banker is used once in the New Testament and comes from a word that means ‘a table, dining table’. That is because a banker would perform his business upon some table. Looking at this cognitively, a table on which one performs money exchange would represent some limited forum within which specific facts of absolute truth are being discussed and exchanged into rational facts. And one does see this sort of exchange happening these days in which religious and secular experts get together in order to discuss some limited aspect of absolute truth.
Verse 27 continues, “And having come, I would have received my own with interest.” Having come simply means ‘to come, go’. Presumably this would refer to the future time of re-evaluating absolute truth in the light of incarnation. ‘I’ is explicitly mentioned in the Greek, indicating that this would have personally helped incarnation. Receive is used once in Matthew and means to ‘receive what has belonged to myself but has been lost’. Looking at this historically, the development of modern science caused incarnation to go to a different country and lose what it previously owned. Following a mindset of absolute truth did not preserve this knowledge but rather buried it in a hole in the ground. This knowledge can be returned to incarnation by taking pieces of absolute truth and turning them into cognitive and psychological principles. With means ‘together with’. Interest is used twice in the New Testament (the other time is in the parallel passage in Luke 19:23) and is actually the noun form of a verb that means ‘to beget, bring forth’. This verb occurs 18 times in the New Testament and is never translated as having anything to do with money. Thus, the master is actually saying that discussions where specific moral issues are ‘tabled’ would have caused something to come to birth within the mindset of absolute truth. What would have come to birth is an alternative to the mindset of absolute truth. Speaking from personal experience, I have found that my limited interactions with secular institutions and conferences have played a major role in birthing a new way of thinking about the Bible. The primary benefit of such interactions is not necessarily to convince secular audiences of absolute truth but rather to birth a new form of rational analysis within the minds of those who pursue absolute truth. In contrast, defending a mindset of absolute truth will cause a person to become susceptible to dictators, substitute proclaiming for rational thought, quote from friendly ‘experts’ in a non-reflective manner, and become rejected from normal society as irrational. This alternative can be seen already in current society.
The master delivers his verdict in verse 28. “Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to the one having the ten talents.” Take means ‘to raise, take up, lift’ and moving upward is interpreted as heading in the direction of Teacher generality. From means ‘from, away from’. Therefore is the same word that was used at the beginning of verse 27 which indicates a logical consequence. In verse 27, the third slave was told that he should have thrown individual facts of absolute truth through the air of Teacher thought. Because the third slave has not done that, his entire talent will be lifted away from him. In other words, the content of absolute truth will eventually be regarded as a subject of rational analysis, whether those who preserve absolute truth choose to think rationally or not. The recipient is the one who now has ten talents. This is the first indication that five additional talents have been added to the five original talents. This suggests that it will eventually become apparent that there is an entire spiritual side to materialistic science which has until now been ignored. It also implies that the extension from the material science to spiritual science will still attempt to downplay Mercy and Teacher emotions. Giving the one talent to the new science and technology suggests that science will become the new interpreter of religious absolute truth. Something similar happened with the birth of science because the textbooks from Greek and Roman authors became replaced with textbooks from modern scientists. The mindset of absolute truth survived but the content and source changed. Looking at mental symmetry, I have found that understanding scientific principles makes it possible for me to understand the Bible and write these essays. Thus, it makes sense that in the future scientific thought will have an inside track to deciphering the absolute truth of the Bible.
Verse 29 states the general principle. “For to everyone having will be given, and he will have in abundance. But the one not having, even that which he has will be taken away from him.” Everyone means ‘each part of a totality’ and ‘he’ is implied. Abundance means to ‘go beyond the expected measure. Therefore, it seems to me that the first sentence should be translated as ‘having, all the pieces will be given, and there will be abundance’. Saying this another way, whoever has assembled the framework of the puzzle will be able to put all the pieces together, and having a completed puzzle will lead to unexpected benefits. That describes my experience with mental symmetry. Studying cognitive styles has provided the essential framework of the picture, making it possible to fill in the details and come up with a meta-theory of cognition.
Taken away means ‘to raise, take up, lift’ which is interpreted as heading in the direction of Teacher generality. In other words, isolated facts will become viewed as aspects of general Teacher theories. Anyone who has only a few isolated puzzle pieces will lose control over these pieces as they are added to the puzzle. Notice that this verse talks (three times) about having and not being. This implies that one is dealing with the initial stage of spiritual technology where spirituality is being added to existing technology guided by Teacher theories of rational understanding. At this point the spiritual component has not matured to the point of requiring extensive personal involvement. That will happen later on.
The only punishment in the previous parable was the absence of a blessing. Verse 30 describes a punishment which can also be interpreted as being unable to participate. “And cast out the worthless slave, into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Worthless is used twice in the New Testament and means ‘useless’. Cast out means ‘to throw, cast, put out’ and involves moving through the air of Teacher thought. Throwing out the useless slave would mean rejecting the methodology of absolute truth for theoretical reasons. Stated bluntly, the secular researcher will look at the thinking of absolute truth and conclude that it is useless for building Teacher understanding. I know what this means because I encounter the occasional nugget when reading through theological books and commentaries, but the vast majority of times I find nothing of either cognitive or theoretical significance.
Going the other way, those who are used to thinking in terms of absolute truth will find that they are incapable of thinking clearly. Darkness represents the lack of Teacher understanding. Into means ‘to or into’. Outer is used three times in the New Testament, only in Matthew, where it is always part of the phrase ‘cast into the outer darkness’. The first occurrence was in 8:12 which was interpreted as the descendants of those who build civilization being cast into outer darkness. The cognitive problem there was that these descendants were doing the right things for inadequate reasons. They were following certain principles because it was done by their ancestors. This describes a mindset of absolute truth which gives emotional status to the ‘truth’ of some set of ‘founding fathers’. The second occurrence was in 22:13 which was interpreted as those who cannot understand modern technology finding themselves excluded from society. That describes the other side of the problem which is being able to use the new scientific method of thought that will be emphasized when science and technology become the new source of absolute truth. Weeping means ‘bitter grief that springs from feeling utterly hopeless’. This describes the feeling that would happen if absolute truth became reality and those who preserved absolute truth found that their way of thinking made them incapable of participating in this new reality. If this were the case then there would be no hope left. The phrase ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ is used seven times in the New Testament, six times in Matthew. The word gnashing means ‘a gnashing of teeth’ and always occurs within this phrase. Teeth are also explicitly mentioned. Food is interpreted as intellectual food. Therefore, teeth would represent breaking intellectual food into bite-size chunks which can be digested. Gnashing of teeth would mean an inability to break up intellectual food into chunks that can be digested. The problem with absolute truth is that it focuses upon authorities and sources of truth rather than nuggets and bite-size chunks of information. For instance, absolute truth discovers ‘truth’ by comparing the opinions of Luther with the writings of Augustine and the pronouncements of the pope. An expert who becomes proficient at this sort of comparison would find it very difficult to learn the new method of breaking information into bite-size chunks. He would find that he instinctively thinks the wrong way. I know what this means because I have reached the point now where it is almost impossible to interact with theologians because the way I think is so different than the way they think. These theologians are currently convinced that they are using the right form of thinking, but if incarnation appeared in some manner then it would become apparent that the theologians were using the wrong kind of thinking.
The Sheep and the Goats 25:31-34
The third parable is about the sheep and goats. Verse 31 sets the scene. “And when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His throne of glory.” When means ‘whenever a specified condition is fulfilled’. Thus, the rest of the verse describes the conditions that have to be met before the third parable becomes applicable. The first condition is that the Son of Man has to come ‘in the realm of his glory’. Glory is being interpreted as external results that reflect internal attributes. The word ‘glory’ appeared previously in 24:30 which described the Son of Man coming with power and great glory. The second condition is ‘all the angels with him’. Angels were also mentioned in 24:31 which talked about sending his angels to gather together the elect. Thus, it might seem at first glance that verse 31 is referring to the same event as 24:30-31. However, I suggest that there are several differences which indicate that verse 31 is referring to something that goes beyond 24:30 which happens after that event.
In 24:31 the angels were being sent out to gather together the elect, whereas verse 31 says that all of the angels are with the Son of Man. The word angel means ‘messenger’ and angels appear to live within what humans regard as the messages of abstract thought. 24:31 used the word gather together, which combines ‘fitting’ with ‘gather together’. I have learned from developing a meta-theory that it takes significant time and effort to gather together a number of theories in a ‘fitting’ manner. If this process is difficult when working with verbal theories, I presume that it would be significantly harder when dealing with the theories of angelic life. A similar comparison was made in 23:37, the only other place in Matthew where the word ‘gather together fittingly’ is also used. Jesus said there that he wanted to gather the students of the pharisees but wasn’t able. Therefore, he had to go through the process of Matthew 24. Consistent with this, while 24:31 talked about coming in great glory, only verse 31 describes this as the glory of the Son of Man. This suggests that the sending out of the angels in 24:31 started a process of constructing an integrated concept of incarnation which has become complete in verse 31. First, all the angels are now with the Son of Man. Second, he is now sitting on a throne. Sitting was last used in 23:2 to describe the scribes and pharisees seating themselves in the chair of Moses. That was interpreted as academic thought appointing itself to be the source of truth for society. A chair of Moses would represent a source of empirical truth drawn from the waters of Mercy experiences. A throne of glory is much greater, because it implies ruling and producing results. In the previous parable, absolute truth became obsolete. In this parable, academic authority is becoming superseded. The term ‘incarnation’ will be used to describe this integrated combination of abstract technical thought and concrete technical thought that interconnects both the angelic and the human realm.
Verse 32 adds, “And all the nations will be gathered before Him.” This is also different from Matthew 24. In 24:31 the elect were being gathered together from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens. Thus, a select group of people was being brought together within the Teacher realm of heaven. In 24:31, there was a fitting gathering together, in verse 32 it is simply a gathering together. Thus, there is less Teacher order to the gathering together in verse 32. But in 24:30 the tribes of the earth were only mourning, while in verse 32 all the nations are being gathered together and there is no mention of earth. A tribe refers to ‘the descendants of a common ancestor’. A nation means ‘people joined by practicing similar customs, and culture’. Mourning means ‘to mourn with a cutting sense of personal, tragic loss’. Putting this together, Matthew 24 described the emotional realization that the existing materialistic system has come to an end as a result of some unveiling within Teacher thought. In verse 32, MMNs of human culture and identity have become predominant and are now gathered together before incarnation. It was suggested that verse 29 at the end of the second parable describes an initial stage of spiritual technology in which the mental networks of spirituality have just started to develop. My general hypothesis is that the spiritual realm empowers mental networks. Thus, the reference to nations in verse 32 suggests that the spiritual side of mental networks is now more evident and prominent. All means ‘each part of the totality’. This adjective is used both for the angels in verse 31 and the nations in verse 32, indicating that incarnation has now matured to the point of impacting all beings within both the angelic realm of Teacher thought and the human realm of Mercy thought.
Looking at the bigger picture, the primary message of this parable is a re-defining of acts of self-denial. Helping the helpless is redefined by the Son of Man as helping incarnation and is given a reward. A similar redefining of religious self-denial happens in Acts 3 where Peter and John heal the lame man in the temple. In both cases, religious self-denial becomes an aspect of a new spiritual economy. Economic thought with its buying and selling is an expression of the Contributor thought which forms the basis for incarnation. A spiritual economy would extend economic thought to the spiritual realm with its mental networks. This is consistent with the imagery of all the angels as well as all human tribes being gathered around the throne of incarnation.
Verse 32 continues by describing a polarization. “And He will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Separate means ‘to mark off by boundaries’. This word was used once previously in Matthew in 13:49 which looked forward to such a separating being carried out by angels. ‘He’ is implied, suggesting that this separating happens implicitly as a result of cognitive mechanisms. This separating is happening ‘one from another’, implying that the members of each group will become attracted to each other by similar mental networks while repelled from the other group because of incompatible mental networks. As means ‘just as’, which refers to an analogical similarity. Shepherd was used once previously in 9:36 where the people were described as sheep without a shepherd, and that was interpreted as medieval academic thought developing with inadequate rational reasoning. That described the period of time before the rise of modern science when technical thought and mental networks were still connected. These ‘five talents’ and ‘two talents’ have now become re-integrated but, unlike the previous time, there is now a shepherd of incarnation to guide society. The word ‘separating’ is then repeated. In other words, society will now start to separate into two opposing groups. Each group will still have substantial freedom but these two categories will remain intact.
Looking again at the bigger picture, the book of Acts suggests that the groundwork will now start to be laid for the kingdom of the beast. One segment of society will follow incarnation while the other segment of society will oppose incarnation. Looking at a related point, the general principle seems to be that God blesses everyone equally in Teacher thought and then people judge themselves by how they respond personally to this blessing in Mercy thought. The divine blessing of everyone happened in the previous parable of the talents. The human sorting will happen in this parable of the sheep and the goats.
Jesus refers several times to his followers as sheep, and sheep are highly social creatures who stay within boundaries and who follow the leader. The word goat means ‘a young goat’ and is only used twice in the New Testament. Goats will eat anything, they are more independent and curious than sheep and they have a natural tendency to try to escape confinement. This distinction may initially give the impression that God wants passive followers of absolute truth, but verse 33 suggests a different interpretation.
Verse 33 says, “And indeed He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left.” ‘He’ is implied, suggesting that this sorting happens naturally as a result of cognitive mechanisms and not because incarnation is deciding to accept or reject someone. Set means ‘to make to stand’ and this is being interpreted as acquiring Perceiver stability in some system or set of beliefs. Biblical references to parts of the body consistently make sense when interpreted cognitively. Thus, right would refer to left hemisphere thought, while left would indicate right hemisphere thought. The phrase ‘On his right hand’ was previously used in 22:41 where the followers of Christ were told ‘to sit at his right hand’. That was interpreted as submitting the technical structure of religious organizations to a concept of incarnation in left hemisphere thought. The word on actually means ‘from out of’. This implies that the nature of being a sheep comes ‘from out of’ emphasizing the left hemisphere nature of incarnation while the nature of being a goat comes from out of emphasizing the right hemisphere. The sheep are explicitly described as being on ‘his’ right hand, indicating that their behavior is an expression of incarnation. In contrast, ‘his’ is implied with the goats, indicating that this is more a reaction against incarnation.
Looking at this cognitively, the left hemisphere side of incarnation uses Teacher and Server thought. The focus is upon being guided by rational understanding to build a better society, guided by the angels. It should be emphasized that this does not mean submitting to some inhuman system ruled by alien hybrids. Incarnation saves humanity and verse 32 emphasized that this separating is being carried out by a shepherd and not by a tyrant. The inherent humanity of incarnation can be seen in the name ‘Son of Man’. A son is a male offspring and man is the generic word for mankind. Thus, Son of Man would emphasize the male side of what it means to be human. This is different than preserving MMNs of human culture. Preserving cultural mental networks behaves in a way that does not offend people and groups—regardless of whether this behavior actually helps people or not. A son of man uses male technical thought to behave in a way that protects and enhances what is required to thrive as a human being. Thus, a better analogy would be the way that modern technology has improved the quality of life for the average person. The right hemisphere emphasizes MMNs of human existence within physical objects and locations in Perceiver thought. A ‘goat’ would feed indiscriminately from the supernatural in a way that avoids any restrictions upon human behavior. The goal is not to improve human society but rather to satisfy curiosity and to escape from restrictions while stubbornly holding onto existing human mental networks. Comparing this with the book of Acts, a group starts to emerge motivated by a desire to ‘preserve humanity from alien influence’. Again, it should be emphasized that incarnation is not trying to destroy humanity but rather save humanity from itself. Thus, ‘preserving humanity from alien influence’ would actually mean attempting to preserve current human society in its semi-barbaric, materialistic, amoral, exploitative form. But that will come in the future. In this parable, these two groups are just starting to form.
Verse 34 uses the word ‘king’. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, those being blessed of my Father’. The word king was used previously in Matthew 22 in the parable of the wedding feast, and that was interpreted as the development of modern technical infrastructure. Verse 34 would be describing the development of a spiritual economy based in a supernaturally enhanced technical infrastructure. The point is that this is not the absolute reign of some despot, but rather the rule of a system that uses technical thought. Such a system would automatically bless those who use Teacher understanding and who focus upon Server sequences. This can already be seen with the current technical infrastructure which requires a knowledge of procedures and systems and rational sequences. In contrast, those who cling to MMNs of culture and identity find that they are unable to function within modern infrastructure. Similarly, those who tried to cling to cultural MMNs in the future would find themselves unable to function within the new spiritual economy. Notice that one is dealing with the initial stages of a spiritual economy. This would be analogous to the early stages of the computer revolution in the 1970s to 1990s when a modicum of technical knowledge was required to use a computer.
Come is in the imperative and was previously used in 22:4 when the king told guests to come to his wedding feast. The idea is that people will have to choose to participate in this new spiritual economy. Blessed combines ‘well, good’ with ‘logos’ and means ‘to speak reason which confers benefit’. A logos is interpreted as the paradigm behind some technical specialization. This blessing comes from ‘my father’, and father was previously used in 24:36 which said that only the Father knew the time of the second coming. Technical thought is currently divided into specializations each ruled by some ‘logos’. In verse 34, the technical specializations are now aspects of incarnation and are integrated by a concept of God in Teacher thought. This is similar to the way that mental symmetry acts as a meta-theory to integrate various technical fields, guided by a concept of God in Teacher thought that is consistent with the God of the Bible.
Verse 34 continues, “Inherit the kingdom having been prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Inherit means ‘to assign inheritance by lot-casting’. This word was previously used in the Sermon on the Mount in 5:5 which talked about the meek inheriting the earth. Inheritance is different than wages in three primary ways: First, inheritance is based upon who one is while wages are the result of what one does. Second, inheritance happens after the death of the previous owner. Third, the exact nature of the inheritance is not known but rather determined by casting lots. Spiritual technology began as an addition to existing technology. It has now matured to the point of involving MMNs of personal and cultural identity. Going further, the previous materialistic system has now come to an end and been replaced by a new spiritual economy. Finally, Teacher understanding involves general theories that can be applied in many different specific ways. As far as I can tell, this is the only time in the New Testament that the word ‘inherit’ is in the imperative. This again indicates that people will have to choose to take advantage of their inheritance.
The word kingdom was previously used in 25:1 which referred to the ‘kingdom of heaven’. A kingdom is a domain ruled over by some king. A kingdom is more personal than some system of order. The idea is that incarnation will acquire the power to personally affect reality in a new way. Verse 34 describes the nature of this kingdom. Prepared means ‘ready because the necessary preparations are done’. And ‘you’ is explicitly mentioned. This combination is important because the general feeling today is that the Teacher structure of science and technology has a harmful impact upon MMNs of culture and identity. What is being described here is Teacher structure that is designed to help people within Mercy thought. One can see this partially illustrated by the personal convenience of modern infrastructure.
World is ‘cosmos’ which refers to the ordered system of physical reality. This describes materialistic order that ignores the supernatural. Foundation means ‘cast according to a blueprint’ and is used one other time in Matthew in 13:35 where Jesus said that he will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world. Matthew 13 talked about the development of normal science and this was followed by a looking forward to a future harvest by the angels. This looking forward was introduced in 13:35 by Jesus saying that he will spit out things hidden since the foundation of the world. ‘Spitting out’ is only used once in the New Testament and implies adding some of the moisture of Mercy experiences to Teacher words. In verse 34, humans are inheriting a kingdom that has been prepared from the foundation of the world. The idea is that the new spiritual reality will be a fuller expression of current natural law rather than a contradiction to it. Modern science has discovered many of the principles of the natural universe which has allowed it to ‘spit out’ technology. The new spiritual economy will involve a deeper understanding of these universal principles which will extend beyond the natural universe and will lead to a kingdom of spiritual technology. Applying this to personal experience, I have consistently gained the impression over the years that my spiritual progress has primarily activated existing entities and tapped into existing principles rather than creating new spiritual entities or fabricating new spiritual principles.
A Sequence of Helping Incarnation 25:35-40
Verse 35 then describes how incarnation came to sit upon the throne of glory surrounded by angels and nations. “For I hungered, and you gave Me to eat; I thirsted, and you gave Me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in.” This is typically interpreted as helping the down-and-out and there is something to that interpretation. But religious self-denial is being reinterpreted as personal service to incarnation. Remember that incarnation is based in technical thought but goes beyond technical thought by saving people in Mercy thought and following an integrated concept of God in Teacher thought. In verse 32 the nations were gathered before the Son of Man, indicating a focus upon people in Mercy thought. And in verse 34 the king talked about being blessed by the Father, indicating a Teacher concept of God.
As usual, this list will be treated as a cognitive progression. Hunger is a desire for food, which is being interpreted as intellectual food. Thus, the first step in helping incarnation is to start with intellectual food. One feeds incarnation by building bridges between technical specializations. That is because incarnation goes beyond the divisions of technical thought to follow an integrated Teacher understanding of the Father. Acquiring intellectual food is not typically regarded as religious self-denial, but giving food is the only item in the list that explicitly includes the verb give. And I have learned from repeated personal experience that building bridges between technical specializations is a form of self-denial in today’s hyper-specialized world. Today’s typical career path focuses upon some specialization and then advances within this specialization. Any attempt to bridge specializations in a serious manner will require foregoing advancement in some career. It should also be emphasized that this parable happens after the theoretical return of Jesus. A universal concept of incarnation now exists and is publicly known. But the revealing of this concept caused great mourning to the nations. Therefore, it will be emotionally difficult to go beyond existing specializations to give intellectual food to this new emotional challenge from heaven. This emotional difficulty will reinforce technical specialization, because the easiest way to hide from Teacher emotions is by focusing upon the ‘tree’ of some specialization in order to ignore the ‘forest’ of integrated understanding. Turning to the two talents, feeding incarnation does not mean worshiping in an emotional fashion but rather thinking carefully about what has been revealed from heaven in a way that includes technical thought. These essays illustrate what that entails.
Thirst represents a desire for the liquid of Mercy experiences. Thirst was used once previously in Matthew in 5:6 where Jesus talked in the Beatitudes about those who ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness’. The same order can be seen there. It is important that intellectual hunger is satisfied before thirst. One starts by extending technical understanding and then one applies this understanding. Religious self-denial typically reverses this order by helping the down-and-out within the ‘liquid’ realm of Mercy experiences and then attempting to build a doctrine of self-denial within abstract thought. Gave to drink is a single word which means ‘to furnish drink’. As Jesus pointed out in Matthew 6, religious self-denial is often done in a way that receives the reward of public approval and when that happens then there is no reward from God. Similarly, starting with Mercy experiences would not necessarily qualify as satisfying the thirst of incarnation in the future because that would be using supernatural power in a way that does not challenge or offend existing human culture. In contrast, starting with a concept of incarnation that uses this new integrated way of thinking to meet personal needs would strangely qualify as a form of self-denial—because it would go against existing societal norms regarding religious self-denial.
Stranger means ‘foreign, a foreigner, guest’. When one starts with incarnation and then meets human needs, it will feel as if one is dealing with a foreigner, because human needs are being met in a non-human manner. Notice that one is dealing with a stranger and not an enemy. Incarnation is a guest, but it will feel as if this guest comes from a different and strange culture. Took in means ‘to lead together’ and was previously used in verse 26 where the third slave said that the master gathers where he does not scatter. The idea is that one should approach the foreign culture of incarnation from a Teacher perspective of finding integration. This does not eliminate the feeling of strangeness or reject those who are strange. Instead, it uses Teacher thought to determine how to bring existing culture together with the strange new culture. Order is again significant. It will be easy to incorporate new supernatural elements into existing culture if one applies supernatural elements in a manner that does not question existing culture. But incarnation came to save humanity and not just to support humanity in its unsaved condition.
Verse 36 continues, “Naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” Naked usually means ‘wearing only the undergarment’ and this word is only used in Matthew within this parable. Clothing is interpreted as the fabric of social interaction. Inner garments refer to private social interaction, whereas outer garments would represent public social interaction. If angelic and spiritual beings started to interact with humanity then one would have to come up with social conventions for this interaction. Social media provides a partial illustration of this principle. Technology has transformed the way in which people interact and new social conventions have had to be developed to ‘clothe’ this interaction. Clothe means ‘to throw around, put on’ and throwing involves the air of Teacher thought. In other words, social conventions will have to be developed that are compatible with the Teacher nature of incarnation and angelic beings. Again, the order is important. One starts by building internal bridges of fundamental compatibility before adding social convention, because this will form social conventions that respect the nature of angelic and spiritual beings. In the same way that legitimate human needs need to be met, so the legitimate needs of angels and spirits also have to be met. In contrast, if one starts with ‘clothing the naked’, then the primary goal will be to prevent aliens from behaving in a way that offends humans. For instance, the average person today has no clue about what an angel or spirit actually requires and the very idea of socially interacting with such beings is regarded as preposterous. I have gradually been acquiring a sense of what this means as I continue to interact with my ‘imaginary friends’. I do not know for certain if there is any reality behind my imaginary interaction, but I have found that it can be rationally analyzed using the theory of mental symmetry, consistent with the idea of starting the process by feeding incarnation.
Sick means ‘to be weak, feeble’. The previous steps have established a viable alternative to existing human culture. It is now possible to use this new alternative to bring health to that which is weak and feeble. Again, the order is important. Starting with this option will merely strengthen the original human culture which needs to be transformed rather than strengthened. Going further, the weaknesses of existing human society will only be cured if supernatural and spiritual powers are allowed to change existing human conventions. Visit means ‘to inspect, to go to see’. Inspecting implies rational analysis. Inspection is normally not enough to cure weakness, but it would be sufficient if this inspection came from a system of supernatural help. Inspection would also be necessary. That is because angelic powers live within messages and not within human space and time. Angelic power would naturally have the ability to use supernatural power to cure human weakness, but this would only happen if the supernatural realm became connected with the specific human experiences that needed strengthening. And the underlying assumption is that humans and angels are capable of interacting in a way that benefits them both—a requirement that was met in the previous step. Notice that visiting the weak would be a display of supernatural power but it would exhibit this power in a way that met human needs rather than sought human approval. Prison means ‘a guarding, guard’ and in means ‘in the realm of’. A weak person lacks the ability to function. A person in prison is being prevented from functioning. Thus, ‘in the realm of prison’ would mean extending the new kingdom of incarnation to the final holdouts. Again, the order is important. One does not start by focusing on prisons because that leads to war and revolution. Instead, active resistance must be handled at the end. Come simply means ‘to come’ and ‘to towards’ is explicitly mentioned. The implication is that simply heading towards an imprisoned individual at this point would be sufficient to free that individual. At this final stage, the socially popular option would probably be leaving such individuals behind and moving on to the exciting, new kingdom of the Son of Man. But Teacher thought feels bad when there are exceptions to the general rule. Therefore one serves Teacher thought by visiting these outliers in their bondage.
The spread of computer technology provides a partial illustration of this progression. The first step was to develop computer architecture and computer operating systems. This was a theoretical step that occurred primarily in the 1960s. The second step was the development of the personal computer starting in the 1970s which made it possible for the average person to experience having a computer. The third step of leading strangers happened with the spread of the Internet in the 1980s and 90s. This was followed by the development of a new social culture of online interaction. This new culture gave voice to those who were weak as well opening up the world to those who were socially imprisoned. This is only a partial example because the Internet is increasingly fragmenting and being controlled. The spread of spiritual technology would have a much deeper impact, but we will see in the succeeding chapters that it also will be followed by both fragmentation and control. What matters is that the spread of spiritual technology will not be something magical or hyper-religious, but rather follow a sequence that is similar to the sequence that has just been experienced with the spread of computer technology.
The sheep respond in verse 37. “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungering, and fed You? Or thirsting, and gave You to drink?’” Righteousness ‘describes what is in conformity to God’s own being’ and is interpretive cognitively as performing Server actions that are emotionally guided by a general Teacher understanding. Human actions are normally motivated by MMNs of culture and personal reward. However, a Server action will become connected with a concept of God in Teacher thought if it is motivated by a TMN of a concept of God and not by human MMNs. This principle is described in the beginning of Matthew 6 which says that one receives no reward from God if performing acts of righteousness before men. One can only behave in a righteous manner if one has a concept of a God who behaves. This concept of God became evident in the theoretical return of Jesus. Since then, many people have received spiritual gifts but they still have to learn how to use these gifts in a righteous manner. And that can only be done by using the gift in a way that follows a concept of God rather than MMNs of human approval. This two-stage process appears in other biblical passages. God first rewards people based upon meeting some requirement. However, this is not the final step. Instead, this is followed later by a second sorting based upon how people have used their rewards.
We have seen that each step in this list extends incarnation in a manner that meets the requirement for righteousness, which is serving God in Teacher thought rather than seeking human approval in Mercy thought. Righteousness has been mentioned several times in previous chapters but all of these references have been either to the appearance of righteousness or to righteousness practiced by someone else. The last time that some group of people was referred to as righteous was in 13:49, the passage which looked forward to a future sorting of the righteous from the unrighteous by angels.
The list in verses 37-38 is almost the same as the original description in verses 35-36 but there are some differences. The verb fed, which means ‘to make to grow, to nourish, feed’, is used instead of ‘gave to eat’. Thus, what initially appeared to be giving isolated crumbs of information to a new way of thinking is being interpreted retrospectively as giving nourishment to growing incarnation. In verse 38, the extra word saw is added, which means ‘to see with the mind’. Thus, the initial experience of encountering a stranger is being interpreted retroactively from the cognitive perspective of requiring a paradigm shift rather than just a change in behavior. This same verb saw is used to talk about seeing weakness, again recognizing retrospectively that weakness is a cognitive problem of being disconnected from the life of incarnation. Finally, weakness and prison are both combined into a single entity solved by ‘coming toward’. The previous mindset viewed weakness as part of the ‘five talents’ of science and technology and being in prison as part of the ‘two talents’ of culture and religion. The righteous are realizing that the same solution applies to both options. In both cases the answer is to bring incarnation closer because incarnation combines technical thought with personal interaction.
These differences can also be seen in the partial illustration of spreading computer technology. The initial development of computer technology and operating systems is now interpreted retroactively as the first stage of a computer revolution that has spread the technical thinking of computers to all of society. Similarly, what was initially viewed as interacting with strangers over the Internet is now seen as the start of a paradigm shift in social interaction. An inability to use online social media is now recognized as a cognitive problem that requires a change in thinking. And the spread of the Internet to social outliers is now seen as an irresistible force that connects everyone together.
Verse 40 then mentions explicitly the principle of self-denial. “And the King answering, will say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me.’” Notice that practicing self-denial is being equated with functioning within the kingdom of incarnation. A similar connecting happens in Acts 3 with the healing of the lame man. Truly is the word ‘amen’. It was previously used in verse 12 where the bridegroom said that truly he did not know the foolish virgins. The previous ‘truly’ determined who was not qualified to receive a gifting. This ‘truly’ determines who is qualified to use this gifting. ‘To the extent’ combines ‘on, upon’ with ‘how much, how many’. Did is the verb ‘to make, do’ which refers to Server actions. Righteousness performs Server actions guided by the TMN of a concept of God. ‘Did’ emphasizes the Server component of righteousness. Notice that this is not ‘salvation by works’ in which one is performing Server actions in order to obtain some Mercy reward. Instead, one is choosing to apply Teacher understanding through physical action in the absence of a Mercy reward. This would be especially significant after the theoretical return of Jesus, which began in 24:31 in the heavens of Teacher thought and has now turned into a kingdom on earth. An essential aspect of this expansion would be applying heavenly understanding through Server actions, similar to the way that technology applies the Teacher theories of science through Server actions. ‘To the extent’ indicates that this is not just a matter of choosing once to do some Server action but rather choosing continually in many contexts to act in a way that expresses the revealed Teacher understanding. As the italics indicate, ‘it’ is not in the original Greek. Therefore, the focus is not upon some ‘it’ within Mercy thought but rather upon how one behaves in Server thought. The general principle is that heavenly processes can be applied to many kinds of human Mercy experiences and humans have significant freedom in choosing these Mercy experiences.
Brother literally means ‘from the same womb’ and was previously mentioned in 23:8. Thus, this is not a matter of helping the down-and-out. It is also not a matter of preserving existing culture. That is because ‘of mine’ is explicitly stated. Thus, one is helping those who have been born into a new form of existence guided by incarnation. Spiritual technology began with ‘having’, and normal technology functions primarily at the level of having. A transition has now been made into ‘being’. One is explicitly mentioned. This is important because Teacher thought thinks in generalities. The temptation is to apply general principles in some generic manner. Mercy thought, in contrast, deals with individuals. Descending from Teacher thought to Mercy thought means moving from general to specific. One does not just help one’s brother in some generic manner but rather helps some individual brother. Least means ‘the very least, smallest’. The cognitive principle is that Server actions become connected with the TMN of incarnation to the extent that they are not motivated by MMNs of culture of identity. Notice that two principles need to be balanced. On the one hand, specific people with the right character in Mercy thought need to be helped. On the other hand, this help should focus upon individuals who do not have personal status in Mercy thought. This does not mean that everyone should focus upon helping the current helpless poster-child, because that such behavior is actually being guided by MMNs of society. Instead, it means focusing upon individuals who currently need help and lack status. As individuals are helped, they will gain in status causing new individuals to become ‘the least’. To the extent that one follows these two principles, to that extent one is doing Server actions for incarnation. Incarnation goes beyond technical thought to be guided by general understanding in Teacher thought and to save people in Mercy thought. Thus, one is saving people in Mercy thought but doing so in a way that emphasizes righteous behavior of being guided by Teacher understanding. Finally, I should add that there is a time and place for practicing self-denial, and there is also a time and place for enjoying and seeking personal benefits. The self-denial discussed in this parable is required when one wants to gain access to a higher level of functioning in Teacher thought.
Verse 41 turns to the goats. “Then also He will say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, those being cursed, into the eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels.’” The word for left is actually a euphemism that means ‘of good name’. Left hemisphere thought emphasizes Mercy experiences and Perceiver facts. Being ‘out of the left’ would mean following incarnation in a manner that regards human facts and experiences as preeminent. This treats incarnation as an ideology to amplify existing MMNs of culture and identity. ‘Of good name’ is also the opposite of ‘the least’ which implies that incarnation is being followed in a way that is societally approved. The sheep in the previous verses were not necessarily violating the standards of society but rather focusing upon specific people who lack societal status. Thus, the violation of societal standards was a byproduct and not the primary goal. Depart means ‘to transport’ which is being interpreted as movement accompanied by transformation. The idea is that these two groups may appear fairly similar at this point in time. But there will now be a growing separation and this separating will cause the goats to acquire a different character. Notice that the king is not forcing the goats to submit but rather telling them to go away, giving them freedom to function somewhere else. Cursed combines ‘according to, down’ with ‘a prayer for evil’. It is used one other time in Matthew in 5:44 where Jesus instructs to bless those that curse you. Bless combines ‘good’ with ‘logos’. The king does not explicitly curse in verse 41 but rather talks about ‘those being cursed’.
Humans currently live in a physical universe and have to believe that an invisible, supernatural realm exists. The third parable is dealing with a future time when the supernatural has become visible and many humans have acquired spiritual gifts. Thus, the question is no longer whether the supernatural exists but rather how the natural will be integrated with the supernatural. In such an environment, being cursed can be interpreted cognitively as the opposite of righteousness. Righteousness integrates the natural and the supernatural in a way that submits to God in Teacher thought and meets legitimate human and angelic needs. Being cursed integrates the natural and the supernatural in a way that preserves existing, inadequate human culture in Mercy thought with its implicit assumptions of human decay, death, and depravity. for instance, human decay, death, and depravity are central assumptions of the theory of biological evolution.
Into means ‘to or into’. Fire is a burning that consumes. Fire also represents energy being released that has no positive benefits. Thus, heading into a fire could be interpreted cognitively as following a lifestyle that experiences continual frustration because it is fighting how things work. This is already true to some extent because sin contradicts itself. However, it is currently possible to use physical reality to mask many of the negative results of sin. The third parable is talking about a future time in which the supernatural is being used to override the natural. On the one hand, this makes it possible to experience more complete blessing. But on the other hand, this would also make the self-contradiction of sin more thorough. Summarizing, the goats are following a path that experiences continual frustration and consuming of itself because it is fighting the laws of creation. Eternal means ‘age-long’ and is traditionally interpreted as eternal. The idea is that this frustration will not end because it now involves a combination of natural and supernatural. Frustration today can end because it can be re-channeled through physical laws or else transformed by supernatural help. However, the third parable describes a future time when this has happened and the supernatural help is being either misused or rejected. When the cure arrives and it is rejected, then there is no further cure.
Having been prepared is the same verb and tense that was used in verse 41 to describe the kingdom prepared for the righteous. However, that kingdom was described as prepared from the foundation of the world, indicating that one is behaving in a way that is supported by the structure of creation. There is no mention of ‘the foundation of the world’ in verse 41, consistent with the suggestion that unrighteousness fights the structure of creation. Instead, the eternal fire is being described as having been prepared for the devil and his angels. Devil means ‘slanderous, accusing falsely’. It was previously used in 13:39 in the parable that looked forward to this angelic judgment. Slander describes Teacher words that attack people in Mercy thought. The word angel means ‘messenger’. Thus, an angelic system of slander would mean supernatural power that continually uses messages in Teacher thought to attack personal identity in Mercy thought. This can be seen in an ideology, which uses Teacher theories to support some group in Mercy thought at the expense of other groups. In other words, protecting the MMNs of some culture or person always implies attacking the MMNs of other cultures and people as well as assuming that all verbal interaction is ultimately a struggle between cultures and identity.
Looking at the bigger picture, many people received spiritual gifting in the previous two parables. This gifting is not being taken away from those who have used it inappropriately. Instead, they are being sent away to a system in which they can continue to exist and function while also being continually frustrated. I do not think that this system will start as the classic image of demons wielding pitchforks. Instead, Acts seems to indicate that for a while this will be the dominant system. However, Acts also indicates that it only achieves temporary success because it continually finds itself fighting the structure of creation. And in each case the slanderous system is defeated by breaking through to a deeper level of spiritual and/or supernatural power. Finally, Acts 7:42 seems to indicate that this group eventually becomes integrated with aliens—the aliens of current society who abduct humans and treat them as slaves.
A Sequence of Ignoring Incarnation 25:41-46
Verses 42-43 then apply the goat’s lack of self-denial to incarnation. “For I hungered, and you gave to Me nothing to eat; and I thirsted, and You gave Me nothing to drink.” The wording is almost identical to that of verses 35-36. The primary difference is that each verb is preceded by a not. Thus, both the sheep and the goats faced the same sequence of situations but responded in a different manner. Looking at this more closely, the first stage is hunger. The question here is whether one will go beyond some technical specialization to feed incarnation with general Teacher understanding. I have repeatedly found that academic experts are seldom interested in interdisciplinary theories and will refuse to look at anything that goes beyond their discipline. They may talk about interdisciplinary research and research does occasionally cross disciplines, but starting from an interdisciplinary theory in Teacher thought will be instinctively rejected. In contrast, whenever I study some new field I start by connecting it with the general theory of mental symmetry. The second stage is thirst. This involves going beyond objective research to personal experience. Science typically separates research from researcher and I have been surprised at the number of theories that fall apart when one attempts to apply them to the people doing the theorizing. In contrast, I found that a major step in analyzing some theory is to uncover the personal biases of the researcher. And I have consistently tried to apply new insights to my personal identity. The order is important because postmodern research does look at the personal bias of the researcher. But it starts with personal bias and insists that theories are only ideology. In contrast, incarnation starts with theory and then adds personal application.
The third step is to lead together a stranger. Objective research leads naturally to a mindset of studying cultures as an outsider, while postmodern research typically leads to the opposite of embracing some personal viewpoint and advocating for it. Leading together a stranger, in contrast, places both my culture and the culture that I am studying within the framework of a Teacher understanding. This can only be done if one has a general Teacher understanding and if personal identities are placed within this understanding—which means following the first two steps. For instance, mental symmetry takes strange theories and cultures and places them within a meta-theory. Universal tolerance starts with this third step and tries to bring all cultures together. But it does so by overgeneralizing because it skipped the first two steps of constructing a concept of incarnation. The fourth step is to clothe the naked, which means focusing upon social interaction. Postmodern research focuses upon social interaction but does so in a manner that ignores cognition. That is because science ignored social interaction in the previous three stages. Therefore, instead of adding social interaction to the cognitive, social interaction is treated as an alternative to the cognitive. To clothe means ‘to throw around’ which implies using Teacher understanding to guide social interaction. A social perspective takes the opposite approach, building Teacher theory upon social interaction. In contrast, I have tried to use mental symmetry to come up with intelligent social interaction that actually meets the needs of each group rather than merely separating one group from another and glossing over legitimate requirements.
The fifth step is to inspect the weak. If the goal of social interaction is to advocate for some group or else buffer one group from another, then bringing groups together will naturally lead to one group crushing another. In order to avoid this, one needs an understanding within which to place each group and one also needs to develop social rules so that help is brought in an acceptable manner. I have found that mental symmetry leads to an understanding of the legitimate needs of each group, making it possible to understand how these legitimate needs can be met in legitimate ways. Weakness typically results from attempting to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate or inadequate manner. The final step is to inspect those in prison. When one starts with social advocacy, then visiting the weak is seen as different than freeing the prisoners, because one goes beyond passively observing in a scientific fashion to standing up for some oppressed group. However, inspecting the weak is actually similar to inspecting the imprisoned. When some group discovers how to meet its legitimate needs in a legitimate manner, then this also gives it power to free itself from imprisonment, because the guards are usually taking advantage of inherent contradictions within the imprisoned group in order to keep that group under control. This type of approach enables a group to free itself from prison. In contrast, advocating for the oppressed typically replaces one master with another while leaving the underlying problems unaddressed.
In verse 44, the goats are surprised by this application, indicating that this is a new connection that did not exist before. “Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?’” Notice that the spiritual economy started with those who are blessed and is now being extended to those who are cursed. Those who are cursed then find themselves sent away because they cannot participate in the economy and have to live within an alternative system characterized by slander and abuse. This distinction has become clear in the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia has traditionally controlled its Empire through slander and abuse. The general response of the world is that Russia can no longer participate in the Western economy because its behavior is fundamentally destructive to the modern economy. Russia has to be quarantined in order to save Western society. The third parable is describing something similar happening at a higher level that includes the supernatural.
Verse 37 began, ‘then will answer him the righteous’. Verse 44 begins ‘then will answer also themselves’. The verb ‘answer’ is the same, suggesting that both groups are using similar forms of thought. But in verse 37, people who had the character of being righteous were interacting with incarnation. In verse 44, incarnation is not mentioned and those who are answering do not have any character. Instead, the response is coming from the personal emotions of the individuals, implying that what is happening is not rational interaction with incarnation but rather a rationalization of personal bias. Verse 44 continues, “Lord, when did we see You hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?’” The same six terms are used, but there is no concept of sequence. Instead they are all lumped together into a single category. The implication is that no personal progress has been made but the same methodology has been applied throughout. Minister means ‘to serve, minister’ and is the source of the English word ‘deacon’. Ministering uses Server actions but it is not guided by Teacher understanding the way that righteousness is. In other words, in each of these situations, the goats have applied the same methodology of behaving in a professional manner. Academic research is currently guided by standards of professional behavior and will assume that these standards will suffice when dealing with future spiritual technology. Thus, the goats will think that they are behaving properly.
Verse 45 applies the standard of righteousness. “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, neither did you to Me.’” This is quite similar to the response in verse 40 but again there are some differences. In verse 40 the answer came from ‘the king’, whereas in verse 45 ‘he’ is implied. Thus, the specialized thinking of the goats will mean that they do not grasp the nature of incarnation as king while the objective methodology of the goats will lead to an impersonal response. This suggests that incarnation is not imposing itself upon objective methodology but rather responding within the framework of objective specialization. Verse 40 referred to the least of ‘my brothers’, whereas neither ‘my’ nor ‘brother’ is mentioned in verse 45, which suggests that there is no concept of building a community. Instead, all the goats know is that they did not focus upon individuals who lack status and importance. Instead of attempting to build an integrated understanding, they studied the topic that was currently popular. Instead of applying their research to needy individuals out in the world, they did their research within the academic community. Instead of welcoming other paradigms and cultures, they focused upon climbing the ladder of success within their specialization. Instead of finding cultural expressions for their research, they clothed their work with the garment of academic prestige and respectability. Instead of attempting to help disciplines that were struggling, they abandoned forms of thought that had lost academic respectability, and instead of attempting to understand forms of thought that were being quarantined as unacceptable, they preserved their academic reputations by avoiding contact with such fields. All of this was motivated by a desire to remain a good slave of academic thought. But the end result is that they did not become servants of incarnation. Notice that a spectrum of choices is being described here. To the extent that this mindset is being followed, to that extent incarnation was not being helped.
Verse 46 concludes, “And these will go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous into eternal life.” Notice that this is not a judgment but rather a description of a future path. The goats ‘will go away’. Going away means that the goats will gradually cease to do valid research. Matthew 13:29 described the start of modern research and how the tares got mixed up with the wheat, which was interpreted as scientific research becoming intertwined with personal arrogance. In the third parable, personal arrogance is becoming separated from following incarnation. It is interesting that those who try to preserve their personal status end up referred to as merely ‘these’. That is because they have not actually become anyone. Punishment is used twice as a noun in the New Testament. The verb is ‘used of punishing slaves to incapacitate them’. This same verb is used in 2 Peter 2:9 which says that God knows how to ‘keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment’. My guess is that the passage in 2 Peter is referring to a similar period of time in the future. Into means ‘to or into’. Thus, the judgment is not happening right away, but rather people are following a path that will lead towards judgment, consistent with the description in 2 Peter 2:9. It was previously mentioned that evil continually frustrates itself by fighting the laws of creation. Verse 46 describes something more personal, which is being punished by becoming physically crippled. Verse 46 does not say that the king cripples the goats, but rather that they go into eternal crippling. I have found that this is already true at the cognitive level because those who become part of the system become mentally crippled. They may be brilliant within their own specializations but they have become crippled as servants of incarnation. If supernatural power affected human reality, then this cognitive crippling would become more extensive. Verse 46 describes this as an eternal crippling. Similarly, I have found that the same cognitive principles apply to history, current society, and prophecy.
Verse 46 mentions the unrighteous first and then the righteous. The idea is that the arrogant are policing the current system and using their status to entrench their form of thought. Thus, the arrogant have to leave the system before it is possible for the system to flourish. Life refers to both physical and spiritual life and was previously used in 19:29 where Jesus told Peter that those who deny themselves for the sake of the name of Jesus will be rewarded and will inherit eternal life. That passage was interpreted as the rise of Christian evangelicalism with its focus upon religious self-denial. Religious self-denial is now inheriting eternal life, but this happened after the mindset of absolute truth was replaced by righteousness. Absolute truth focuses upon denying personal identity. Righteousness, in contrast, follows God rather than men. The behavior may look similar but the motivation is quite different.
A Plot Against Incarnation 26:1-5
Verse 1 begins by moving from words to experiences. “And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples.” Came to pass means ‘to come into being’, which describes a transition that naturally occurs. The third parable ended with the goats being separated from the sheep. This will naturally lead to the goats starting to act differently than the sheep. Finished means ‘to complete’ and was last used in 19:1 which uses almost exactly the same sentence as in verse 1. That was interpreted as post Second World War society splitting into the West and the Soviet bloc. That was also a separation, known as the Iron Curtain, which was followed by two different societies developing in two different ways. In both verse 1 and in 19:1, what is being finished is ‘logoses’ in the plural, and logos is being interpreted as the Teacher theory behind some technical specialization. And in both passages, Jesus is described as the source of these words. Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves’ and refers to the concrete side of incarnation. When the goats become separated from the sheep, then it becomes possible to bring the salvation of Jesus by moving from abstract technical thought down to practical application. Saying this another way, the goats focus upon personal status and have been policing the technical specializations to ensure that their standards are followed. Jesus, in contrast, focuses upon bringing beneficial results to people in Mercy thought. One will only focus upon saving people if one stops being motivated by personal status, and one can only focus upon saving people if those who are focusing upon status are stopped from excluding those who do not care about status and are attempting to save people. Something similar happened at the end of the Second World War, because the focus shifted from trying to defeat the enemy to improving the personal well-being of citizens, leading to substantial postwar prosperity. Even in defeated Europe, the goal became to restore prosperity through the Marshall Plan. In 19:1 Jesus finished these words, whereas in verse 1 Jesus finishes all these words, and all means ‘each part of the totality’. Thus, verse 1 is describing a more complete version of what happened in 19:1. Postwar prosperity used technical thought to bring substantial material prosperity. In verse 1, a much fuller concept of incarnation makes it possible to bring a far more complete personal prosperity. However, in the same way that the world split into two blocs after WWII, with each bloc pursuing prosperity in its own way, so the division between sheep and goats strongly suggests that society at this point in time will also split into two blocs, with each bloc attempting to follow its method to using supernatural power to bring prosperity. (The Soviet bloc also pursued prosperity after World War II, but the primary goal was to increase the prosperity of the nation in order to improve national prestige.) Jesus then speaks to his disciples. The implication is that the sheep will experience personal blessing from the words of incarnation, while the goats will not. Something similar happened after World War II, with most of the personal benefits happening within Western society while the Soviet bloc ended up falling behind and copying the West.
In verse 2 warns his disciples what will happen. “You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man is delivered over to be crucified.” Know means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’ which is interpreted as empirical knowledge. In other words, a physical distinction will emerge, making it possible to predict what will happen, similar to the way that a physical Iron Curtain emerged in post war society. A day represents an era that is lit by the sun of some general Teacher theory. Days have been discussed a lot in the previous verses, suggesting that people are studying various eras of society, but this is the first time since chapter 22 that people are actually living in some day. What is new is an understanding of future days. People can look at what is happening and predict where this will lead not just in the next day, but also the day after this. This is the first mention of Passover in Matthew. Passover celebrates Israel leaving the ‘world’ of Egypt to follow God in the wilderness. Takes place means ‘to come into being’. The phrase ‘Son of Man’ suggests a concept of incarnation based in the experiences of humanity. For instance, mental symmetry leads to a concept of incarnation that can be described as a ‘Son of Man’ because it extrapolates from being a complete human being. This human-based concept of incarnation needs to be delivered over, a word that can be translated as either deliver or betray.
Looking briefly at the big picture, in verse 63 the high priest demands that Jesus tell him if he is ‘the Christ, the Son of God’. In verse 64, Jesus responds by saying that from now on the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of power, which is interpreted by the high priest as blasphemy against God. The term ‘Son of Man’ is then no longer used in Matthew, but the term ‘Son of God’ is found three times in chapter 27. In other words, the coming Passover will involve a human-based concept of incarnation being turned into a divine-based concept of incarnation. This will not change the nature of incarnation, but will change its source. If incarnation represents the sum total of technical thought, then this means that the materialistic theories of science will be replaced by a technical understanding of the nature of God. This will not change the existing theories, but it will change their source. Mental symmetry does something similar cognitively by replacing the theory of biological evolution and ‘Nature’ with a cognitive concept of mental wholeness and a Trinitarian God. The coming Passover will make this transition at the deeper level of human existence itself. Making this transition from Son of Man to Son of God will require a crucifixion. Death by crucifixion happens slowly because one gradually loses the ability to breathe because of being immobilized on a cross. This describes how mental networks fall apart, because they will gradually disintegrate one layer as time if they are prevented from expressing themselves. In other words, a human-based concept of incarnation will find itself continually frustrated, leaving no option but to appeal to a divinely-based concept of incarnation. I know from personal experience what this means, and I am also starting to sense what it means for a human-based concept of incarnation to be replaced by a heavenly-based one. In verse 2, it will become obvious to the followers of incarnation that this transition will happen in two days. There will be an initial time of prospering, this will be followed by a second era of being forced to call upon divine help as a result of opposition based in human MMNs, which will then be followed by a third era of being forced to call totally upon divine help as a result of opposition based in a combination of human and supernatural MMNs. Turning to the book of Acts, the initial prospering happens in the beginning of chapter 5 which is followed by some opposition. A much fuller prospering happens in chapter 6, exemplified by the success of Stephen. This is then followed by the supernaturally controlled kingdom of the beast in chapter 8 (and in Revelation 13), which temporarily blocks the work of incarnation through the control of alien power. Standard Christian theology says that the death of the historical Jesus on a Roman cross 2000 years ago has universal implications, but this is typically treated as an overgeneralization in which a leap of faith is taken from the historical crucifixion of Jesus to the universal theological implications of this crucifixion. But a concept of incarnation is based upon technical thought, and technical thought does not take leaps of faith. Instead, the expansion from the specific death of the historic Jesus to universal implications has to go through stages, and each stage involves setting up a complete system of technical thought which then becomes transformed by going through some form of crucifixion. Each of the four crucifixion stories in the Gospels appears to describe a different cycle of crucifixion. Today’s society is going through such a crucifixion involving cognition and science, which is coming from the Great Tribulation or ‘great squeezing’ described in Matthew 24. That will lead to the ‘resurrection’ of the theoretical return of Jesus followed by spiritual technology. The current cycle of crucifixion is described in the crucifixion story in the gospel of Luke (that hypothesis is explored at the end of this essay). The crucifixion story in the gospel of Matthew appears to describe the next cycle of crucifixion, which will involve a transformation of the spiritual economy. This does not mean that Jesus is being ‘crucified afresh’ as described in Hebrews 6:4. Instead, that passage describes people attempting to go back to a previous stage by ‘crucifying’ the mental networks of the new stage, an attempt to ‘put the genie back in the bottle’ after the bottle has been opened.
Verse 3 turns to the goats. “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the courtyard of the high priest, who is called Caiaphas.” Gathered together means ‘to lead together’ and was previously used in 25:35 to describe what the sheep did for incarnation and in 25:43 to describe what the goats did not do for incarnation. Chief priest combines ‘preeminent one’ with ‘sacred because belonging to the temple’. An elder is ‘a mature man having seasoned judgment’. People is the source of the English word ‘laity’. This same phrase ‘chief priests and elders of the people’ was used previously in 21:23 to describe experts who no longer believe in absolute truth leading followers who still believe in absolute truth. This juxtaposition can also be seen in verse 3, because those who have maturity are separated from the common person and those who live within holy experiences have acquired personal status. Belief in absolute truth will only survive as long as much greater status is given to the source of truth than to personal identity. In verse 3 those who are regarded as experts in absolute truth have themselves acquired personal status, which will cause them to doubt the absolute truth that they are transmitting to their followers.
This is a different mindset than the absolute truth of the one talent. The religious expert described here regards religion as a useful myth, which means that religion performs useful social functions, but there is nothing really there. Such a mindset would not write a detailed analysis such as this essay on Matthew, but would probably write an academic tome comparing the myths of various tribes and religions, quoting extensively from established experts. One primary doctrine of such religion is the practice or at least the appearance of self-denial. This became swallowed up by the spiritual economy in the third parable of the sheep and the goats. Thus, religious leaders will attempt to use their religious wisdom and status to try to ‘restore’ religion to its ‘legitimate’ role of providing social structure and personal comfort through myth and ritual.
A courtyard is ‘an open-air interior courtyard of a mansion or palace’. Open to the air implies the use of Teacher thought while an interior courtyard indicates that this Teacher thinking is happening within the confines of some restricted system. This courtyard is ‘of the high priest’ which tells us that the Teacher thinking is happening within the confines of holiness defined by religious experts. This is a religious version of goat behavior, because Teacher thought is being used but the underlying assumption is that existing religious structures and hierarchies need to be preserved. In other words, the assumption is that God will work through my church. Caiaphas probably comes from a word that means basket or tub. Caiphas is mentioned once in Acts in 4:6 in the context of a religious conference right after the healing of the lame man. A basket or tub would represent a flimsy container, consistent with the idea of being open to the air of Teacher thought within the confines of the walls of some religious palace. ‘Called Caiaphas’ means that this religious system has been explicitly formulated using words in Teacher thought.
Verse 4 describes the focus of this conference. “And they plotted together, in order that they might seize Jesus by guile and kill Him.” Plotted together is used once in Matthew and combines ‘identify with’ and ‘a resolute plan’. Guile is also used once in Matthew and means ‘using bait to hook people’. Seize means ‘to place under one’s grasp’. And kill means ‘to kill’. Putting this together, instead of following an integrated theory in Teacher thought, the experts are joining together. A plan is an expression of technical thought, because one is using abstract technical thought to put together a collection of actions within concrete technical thought that can be used to reach some goal. This is an alternative to a concept of Jesus, which uses the abstract technical thinking of ‘the logos’ to put together a collection of actions within concrete technical thought that can be used to save people. Jesus submits to the TMN of a concept of God. The religious leaders are planning to place everything under the control of their MMNs. The goal of Jesus is to meet legitimate needs in a legitimate manner. The goal of the religious leaders is to pretend to meet needs, while actually using this as a hook to control followers. This type of bait-and-switch is consistent with the character of a religious leadership that does not believe in absolute truth being regarded as interpreters of absolute truth by the laity. Notice that at this stage the religious leaders only care about maintaining their position and they have no concept that there is any spiritual reality behind the new system of incarnation. In other words, the religious leaders can still portray existing religion as better and more authentic than the new spiritual economy. The spiritual economy may be capable of producing amazing gadgets, but this will be viewed as having no relationship to real topics such as God, heaven, and eternal salvation. That, of course, begs the question of what relationship there is—if any—between God, heaven, and eternal salvation and the religious rituals being carried out by a religious priesthood that doubts the existence of God, heaven, and eternal salvation.
Verse 5 makes it clear that the laity still believe in absolute truth. “But they were saying, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be a riot among the people.’” Feast means ‘a feast, a festival’ and this is the first use of this word in Matthew. Riot means ‘trouble that throws things into disorder’ and is also being used for the first time in Matthew. Be means ‘to come into being’, among means ‘in the realm of’, and people means laity. Notice that the religious leaders are not worried about following God in Teacher thought, but rather are concerned about maintaining the Teacher order of the religious system. The laity are currently enjoying significant religious experiences. This is not the time for the religious leaders to speak out, because the leaders need to maintain the illusion that their emotional status is related to religious experience. Thus, the religious leaders need to pretend that they are supporting this religious experience as long as it lasts. However, this is actually a religious charade—the type of charade in which the religious authorities have become experts. They have perfected the skill of appearing genuine in front of the laity while harboring secret doubts.
The Anointing of the Woman 26:6-13
Verse 6 says that Jesus is within quite different surroundings. “And of Jesus having been in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper.” Been means ‘to come into being’ which indicates that Jesus naturally ended up in this location. Bethany means ‘house of affliction’. Thus, Jesus is behaving like the sheep and focusing upon situations of need. Simon means ‘to hear’. A house is a personal dwelling. Putting this together, Jesus is meeting the personal needs of those who are willing to hear the words of incarnation in Teacher thought. Leper comes from a word that means the scales of a fish, presumably because a leper has scaly skin. However, a fish represents a person who lives within the water of Mercy experiences. The skin is the primary source of the feelings of pain and pleasure that provide the initial emotional labels for Mercy experiences. This suggests that the initial benefactors of the spiritual economy will be the down-and-out of society, those who are so messed up in Mercy thought that only supernatural help will suffice.
Verse 7 happens within this context. “A woman came to Him, having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and poured it on His head as He is reclining.” Came means ‘to approach’ and was previously used in Matthew 25 to describe the slaves with the talents coming to their master. Looking at this cognitively, even though supernatural help is happening within the context of the dregs of society, what approaches emotionally is something else. The slaves in Matthew 25 did not come to him, but in verse 7 ‘to him’ is explicitly mentioned. Woman specifically means ‘woman’ and is being interpreted as a reference to female thought. This would relate to the two talents of culture and religion. Having indicates ownership, but not identity. Thus, the woman possesses this item of value but it does not describe personal identity. Alabaster flask is mentioned once in Matthew and refers to ‘a vial or bottle’. Alabaster is a soft stone that is used primarily as an ornamental stone. This suggests a container composed of reasonably solid Perceiver truth, stronger than the basket of Caiaphas, but not strong enough to build upon. Fragrant oil is ‘an ointment made of olive oil and other spices’. This word is only mentioned in Matthew in this context, but olive oil was mentioned previously in the parable of the ten virgins. This oil is described as very costly, a word used only once in the New Testament, which combines ‘heavy, weighty’ and ‘perceived value’. Olive oil represents Platonic forms of the spirit. Very costly oil would indicate Platonic forms that deal with weighty subjects that have great subjective value. For instance, mental symmetry is based upon the Platonic forms of the ideal mind, a topic that is of great subjective weight and value because my mind is my most valuable possession and the way I treat my mind will affect me very deeply.
Poured means ‘to pour down upon’ and is only used in this verse and in the parallel passage in Mark 14:3 where a vial of perfume is also poured over the head of Jesus. Pouring indicates the realm of Mercy experiences. The head is the source of intelligence and control for the body, and Christ is described as the head of the church. Pouring perfume down upon the head of Jesus would mean covering the intelligent thinking of male technical thought with the emotional fragrance of a general Teacher theory. This is not a rigorous technical theory because it can be poured, it is contained in a container made of soft stone, and it is being delivered by female thought. Reclining describes reclining at a dinner table and was previously used in 22:10-11 to describe the guests at the wedding luncheon. In other words, this anointing is happening within an academic context of consuming intellectual food in a social manner.
The disciples respond in verse 8. “And the disciples having seen, became indignant, saying, ‘For what purpose is this waste?’” Seen ‘means to see with the mind’ which means that the disciples are thinking of the cognitive and spiritual implications. Indignant means ‘to grieve much, hence to be indignant’. In other words, the disciples are experiencing a feeling of loss which is causing them to respond emotionally to the woman. Waste ‘does not imply annihilation, but instead loss of well-being’. This word is used one other time in Matthew in 7:13 to describe the loss of well-being that comes from following the broad path rather than the narrow path. ‘What purpose’ is more literally ‘to or into what?’ Putting this together, the disciples are starting with the assumption that what the woman has done is harming her personal well-being. In verse 9, the disciples explain the basis for this starting assumption. “For this could have been sold for much, and have been given to the poor.” Could means ‘to have power’. Power is being interpreted as using Perceiver thought to multiply Server actions. In the future realm of angelic power, this would mean gaining access to angelic power. Sold means ‘to export for sale’. Poor means ‘to crouch or cower like a beggar’. In Matthew’s version of the story all the disciples are complaining. What has happened is that the disciples have learned to function within the new spiritual economy. They have learned at an emotional level that one can acquire supernatural wealth and power by practicing religious self-denial. Successful religious denial requires both a Teacher and a Mercy component. The Teacher side requires a concept of God in Teacher thought. The Mercy side requires significant human need. These two attributes are present in the ‘house of hearing’ (Simon) within the ‘house of affliction’ (Bethany). The woman has come up with significant Teacher understanding. The disciples reason that significant spiritual power could be acquired by combining this Teacher understanding with helping the needy in Mercy thought. But it appears that this Teacher understanding is being squandered.
Jesus responds in verse 10 by looking at the bigger picture. “And Jesus having known, said to them, “Why do you cause trouble to the woman? For she did a beautiful work to Me.” Known in this case describes experiential knowledge. Trouble is used once in Matthew and describes ‘a strike that is so hard, it seriously weakens or debilitates’. And woman is specifically mentioned. Religious self-denial has been made a part of the spiritual economy, and an economy is based in male technical thought. The disciples are using male thought in a strict manner that is debilitating to the use of female mental networks. Notice that the knowing of Jesus is coming from the female realm of Mercy experiences. Cause is used once in Matthew and combines ‘from close-beside’ with ‘have’. Putting this together, the spiritual economy has caused the ‘having’ of economic thought to come ‘close beside’ to the emotional knowing of female mental networks. The disciples are so busy carrying out spiritual business that they have crippled the emotional side of what it means to be spiritual. This inadequate version of the spiritual economy can be seen in Acts 5 in the story of Ananias and Sapphira.
Work means ‘a deed that carries out an inner desire’. Beautiful means ‘attractively good’. And did is the verb form of ‘a deed that carries out an inner desire’. In other words, both the goal and the method of the woman are being internally motivated to perform something attractively good. Female thought wants to take the spiritual economy and make it nicer and more attractive. This is being poured on the head of Jesus. In simple terms, female thought is being internally motivated to turn religious self-denial into something more pleasant than the ‘Bethany’ of helping the down-and-out in the gutter. This is being done ‘to me’, which means attempting to transform the entire system of religious self-denial. For instance, one of the earlier breakthroughs of mental symmetry was realizing that patience provides an alternative to the path of suffering. If one is willing to practice patience, then one can learn the same cognitive lessons that are taught by responding to suffering without bitterness. Patience is much nicer than suffering.
Jesus explains in verse 11, “For the poor you always have with you, but not always do you have Me.” Always means ‘at all times’. It is only used in Matthew in this verse, where it is used twice. Poor is the same word that was used in verse 9, which means to ‘crouch or cower like a begger’. In other words, poverty is relative. No matter what the economy, some individuals will have wealth and status, causing others to ‘crouch and cower’ in their presence. ‘Have with you’ means that such individuals will always be present. In contrast, Jesus will not be present at all times. Stated historically, Jesus only lived physically on earth during a certain period of time. Similarly, society goes through cycles and a concept of incarnation that is based in the concrete salvation of Jesus will only be occasionally present. This awareness of societal cycles was seen earlier in the reference to two days in the future. A focus upon the concrete salvation of Jesus resulted from religious self-denial being incorporated into a concept of incarnation. As Jesus mentioned in verse 2, a concept of Jesus that is based in the Son of Man is incomplete and needs to be transformed into a concept of the Son of God. The incompleteness is illustrated by the fact that the disciples are fixating upon religious self-denial. Religious self-denial can always be practiced. However, an opportunity to transform the Son of Man into the Son of God only happens occasionally. For instance, most Christianity is now post-theological and has become reduced to the level of spiritual experience based in self-denial (or at least the appearance of self-denial). This provides a unique opportunity to reformulate Christianity from a cognitive perspective based in Teacher understanding. Such an opportunity is rare, and I have tried to take advantage of this opportunity and view it as an opportunity.
Verse 12 emphasizes that the woman is assisting in a reformulation of incarnation. “For this woman, in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, did it for My burial. ‘Woman’ is not mentioned and pouring means ‘to throw, cast’, which is being interpreted as moving through the ‘air’ of Teacher thought. A different word for pouring was used in verse 7. Notice that Jesus is reformulating the behavior of the woman by interpreting the pouring as using Teacher thought. The same word fragrant oil is used meaning that the emotional attraction is still present. However, the internal motivation of the woman to do things nicer is being interpreted by Jesus as a desire to be guided by a Teacher emotion. A similar transition happened with mental symmetry. It began as a desire to pursue mental wholeness in order to improve the way that people behave and interact. It turned into a meta-theory that could be used to bring Teacher order to both mental networks and technical specializations.
Body means ‘the physical body’ but is also used to refer to the body of Christ. Throwing oil on the body of Jesus would mean adding Teacher understanding to the physical expression of incarnation. Burial is used once in Matthew and combines in the realm of with ‘a burial’. Both the body and the burial are described as ‘of me’. And did means ‘to make, do’ which refers to Server actions. When Server actions are guided by Teacher understanding, then this describes righteousness. But this is a positive form of righteousness. The woman is not becoming righteous by the ‘not following Mercy status’ of helping the down-and-out but rather is exhibiting righteousness by using Server actions to build the Teacher understanding of incarnation. The disciples are defining righteousness as not seeking human status in Mercy thought. The woman is making it possible to redefine righteousness as following God in Teacher thought. Burial takes a dead body and places it within some location within the earth of rational thought. A mindset can only be buried when a better alternative comes along and the existing mindset is no longer followed. The anointing of the woman makes it emotionally possible to let go of the existing inadequate mindset of religious self-denial.
Jesus then makes a universal statement in verse 13. “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be proclaimed in the whole world, that which this woman did also will be spoken of, for a memorial of her.” Truly is the word ‘amen’ which indicates a solid Perceiver fact. Wherever refers to some location in Perceiver thought. Proclaim means ‘proclaim, herald, preach’. And gospel means ‘good news’. Proclaiming is not based in Teacher understanding but rather in Mercy authority. And good news describes words in Teacher thought that benefit personal identity in Mercy thought. Proclaiming the good news describes an intermediate form of thought, in which one recognizes that words in Teacher thought can have a positive impact upon experiences in Mercy thought. One is moving from a fixation upon Mercy experiences to focus upon Teacher words. World is ‘cosmos’, which refers to the order of the physical world. Whole means ‘where all the parts are present in working as a whole’. Thus, one is attempting to use words to go beyond a system of natural human order. Spoken means ‘to talk’ and did refers again to Server actions. Memorial is used once in Matthew and means ‘to call to mind’. Putting this together, whenever society goes through a similar transition, this concrete behavior of female thought will be consciously remembered. Consistent with this suggestion, this essay will return several times to the story of the anointing of the woman, calling it to mind as the counterpart to the betrayal of Judas. Judas will perform the negative task of betraying Jesus to crucifixion. The anointing of the woman does the positive task of preparing for the burial of Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus must happen. There must be a betrayal/handing over. But will this process be dominated by the negative role played by Judas or by the positive role played by the anointing of the woman?
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus 26:14-16
This is when a fundamental split happens within the new spiritual economy. Verse 14 sets the scene. “Then one of the Twelve, the one being called Judas Iscariot, having gone to the chief priests.” The Greek starts with having gone, which means ‘to transport’ and is being interpreted as a journey that produces a change. I am not sure what ‘one of the twelve’ exactly represents, but it suggests that one facet of following incarnation moves away and becomes transformed into something different. Judas means ‘praised’ and Iscariot means ‘man of a city’. We saw earlier that the goats pursue personal status. A mindset of praise assigns status to people and institutions. We also saw that the spiritual economy is based upon an inadequate Mercy foundation. The end result is that some individuals within the spiritual economy will become tempted to seek spiritual gifts and supernatural power for the personal status that it brings. This summarizes the error of Ananias and Sapphira, described at the beginning of Acts 5. Those who are ‘of the city’ would be more susceptible to such an error. That is because a person who lives in a city acquires most goods through social interaction and has only limited contact with natural cause-and-effect. Being called indicates that this error extends to the realm of Teacher theories and words, consistent with the idea that the spiritual economy has been built upon an inadequate theoretical foundation. To means ‘motion towards to interface with’ and chief priest is the same word that was used in verse 3, which combines ‘preeminent one’ with ‘priest’. Interpreted cognitively, the new spiritual economy will develop a new set of experts who will view themselves as divinely approved official arbiters of spiritual truth. This expands upon the concept of ‘transport’. The movement from ‘praised’ to ‘chief priest’ will change the personal character of those who make this transition.
In verse 15, Judas speaks to the chief priests. “What are you willing to give me, and I will betray Him to you?” Willing means ‘to desire, wish’ and give was previously used in verse 9 to describe the self-denial of ‘giving to the poor’. Thus, Judas is actually trying to perform a spiritual transaction. Going further, Judas explicitly uses the word betray, which means either to deliver or to betray. Thus, both the woman and Judas are attempting to transform the spiritual economy into something different. The woman is trying to move beyond Mercy status to Teacher understanding while Judas is attempting to fit the new spiritual economy within the existing religious system. I am certain that almost every religious leader today would recoil in horror at being compared with Judas, but I am also certain that most current religious leaders would instinctively respond to a spiritual economy by consciously trying to reshape it so that it fits within existing religious concepts of holiness and priesthood, probably expressed as a desire to behave in a more dignified and socially appropriate manner. Such a desire to ‘tame’ spiritual gifts can also be seen in the beginning of Acts 4.
Verse 15 describes the response of the chief priests. “And they appointed to him thirty pieces of silver.” Appointed means ‘to make to stand’ and is being interpreted as acquiring Perceiver stability in some area. Pieces of silver is the same word used to describe money in the parable of the talents. Thirty pieces of silver would represent a substantial amount of intellectual wealth, but not a full talent. The implication is that part of the new spiritual economy becomes accepted as a legitimate facet of existing religion with a legitimate institutional standing and substantial intellectual wealth.
Verse 16 describes the ultimate goal. “And from that time, he was seeking an opportunity that he might betray Him.” The same word betray is used and ‘him’ is a generic pronoun that refers to he, she, or it. Thus, the goal is to transform all of the spiritual economy to become compatible with existing religious structure. Seeking means ‘to seek by inquiring’ which indicates that this is an active topic of research and study. Opportunity is used twice as a noun in the New Testament, here and in the parallel passage in Luke 22:6. It combines ‘good’ with ‘time as opportunity’. This is a significant cognitive development. In 24:45 the good slave was supposed to give food to his fellow slaves at the opportune time. And in verse 18, Jesus himself will refer to the opportune time. Thus, the existing religious structure is now thinking in terms of cognitive principles and cognitive opportunities. But the underlying assumption is still that ‘God always works through my church’.
Preparing the Passover 26:17-19
In verse 2, Jesus said that the disciples knew that the Passover would happen in two days. Verse 17 describes preparation for the Passover. “And on the first day of the unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where do you desire we should prepare for You to eat the Passover?’” First means ‘first, chief’ and day is implied. The focus of the previous verses was upon personal status, the existing priesthood, and time as opportunity. The disciples are also thinking in terms of pre-eminence and order. But while Judas is thinking in terms of personal status and who comes first, the disciples are focusing upon necessity and what comes first. Desire is the same word that was used in verse 15. (If the Greek word is the same then why do both the NASB and the BLB translate it as different words in English? This happens often, even though both of these translations claim to accurately translate the words of the original Greek text. The only answer I can come up with is that biblical translators do not believe that technical definitions can be given to the words of the Bible. But one of the basic principles of science is that scientific words are given precise definitions and these same words with the same definitions must be used consistently.) Judas asked the high priests what they wanted. In verse 15, the disciples are asking Jesus what he wants. In other words, Judas is being driven by the emotions generated by a religious priesthood, whereas the disciples are being driven by the emotions generated by saving people. In verse 14, Judas ‘transported’ to the chief priests, changing in character as a result of his leaving the twelve. In verse 15, the disciples approach Jesus, indicating that this does not alter their fundamental character.
Unleavened is mentioned once in Matthew, but leaven was mentioned previously in 16:11-12 where Jesus warned against the leaven of the Pharisees and that was interpreted as the development of liberal Protestantism in the 19th-century. Bread represents intellectual food, while air represents Teacher thought. Leaven is a living organism that introduces pockets of air into the bread. Cognitively speaking, mental networks are introducing little Teacher theories into the bread of intellectual food. Leaven is mentioned five times outside of the Gospels. Four of these times are in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 which describes Christ as ‘our passover’ and emphasizes celebrating the Passover without leaven. The cognitive principle is that human rationalization needs to be minimized when going through some major societal shift. This would apply to all such cycles, but would especially be true of the major cycles being portrayed in the Gospels. The original Passover was celebrated in preparation for the Hebrew people to leave the ‘world’ of Egypt in order to follow God in a new supernatural manner in the wilderness. This relates to the suggestion made earlier that each cycle of crucifixion unveils a new aspect of the Teacher generality of incarnation.
The general principle is that it is easy to come up with small theories based in existing MMNs when one is facing a major societal transition. For instance, this could be seen in the 19th century development of liberal Protestantism in which many supposed religious experts decided that their puny little theories carried more weight than centuries of theology. The challenge is to eat unleavened bread, which means treating all intellectual food at face value, simply accepting that it means what it says. It may appear at first glance is if these essays are full of intellectual leaven, but I suggest that this is not the case. First, none of the moral implications of the biblical text are being minimized, which suggests that we are not rationalizing from personal experience. And we are respecting both the meanings of the Greek words and the order of the biblical text in excruciating detail. Notice that the disciples are including Mercy experiences because they are talking to Jesus, the concrete side of incarnation. But talking to Jesus implies focusing upon what saves people, not what makes people feel better about their inadequacies or what preserves the existing religious establishment. Prepare is the same word that was used in 25:34 to describe the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world. The disciples are doing the preparing but they are preparing it for Jesus and Jesus is also choosing where the Passover will be eaten. In other words, organization is required, but the focus of organization should be saving people within a factual context of personal salvation. Notice that the disciples talk about eating the Passover, indicating that this major shift is being driven by intellectual food. In contrast, Judas is focusing upon religious status and holiness.
Jesus gives instructions in verse 18. “And He said, ‘Go into the city unto a certain man and tell him the Teacher says, “My time is near; I will keep the Passover with you with My disciples.”’” Go means ‘to lead away under someone’s authority’. This is significant because the high priests are assuming that they are the authorities. In contrast, the disciples are supposed to go under authority. When one is part of a kingdom that ‘has been prepared since the foundation of the world’, then one will naturally behave in a manner that is under the authority of these cosmic principles. In fact, the way that one overcomes the enemy is by uncovering and submitting to more cosmic principles that have been prepared since the foundation of the world. This can be seen in Acts, which repeatedly describes the sheep overcoming the goats by submitting to cosmic principles at a deeper level. The city was the center of civilization in Roman times. Cities were previously mentioned in 23:34 which talked about the prophets being persecuted from city to city. Iscariot also means ‘of a city’. However, Jesus is telling his disciples to go ‘into the city’. Certain man is used once in the New Testament and probably comes from a word that means ‘terribly, vehemently’. (The parallel passages in Mark and Luke refer to a human carrying a pitcher of water and there is no mention of opportune time.) An academic paper on the Greek origins of this word suggests that it started out as ‘something strange’, became ‘something or other strange’, and then ‘something or other’. The disciples are instructed to go into the city towards ‘something strange’. Teacher means ‘an instructor acknowledged for their mastery in their field of learning’. Comparing Judas with the disciples, Judas is preserving the traditional religious authority of the city. The disciples are also heading to the city, but they are heading towards what the city regards as terrible, vehement, and strange. However, their goal is not to preserve this strangeness but rather to inform it of the presence of a system of expertise. Speaking from personal experience, I have found more than once that my journey with mental symmetry has involved dealing with topics that religious acceptability would regard as strange. However, my goal is not to embrace the strangeness, but rather to place it within the structure of the theory of mental symmetry.
Going further, time means time as opportunity. Near means ‘near in place or time’. This disciples are supposed to tell the strangeness in the city that the opportune time of salvation is close. Notice that this is a more general version of using Teacher understanding to help the needy in Mercy thought because one is bringing an established system of religious Teacher understanding to the elements of society which the current establishment rejects as strange. In addition, remember that we are dealing with a future society in which natural and supernatural have become interrelated. Thus, this strangeness probably includes supernatural strangeness. Looking at this more carefully, standard Christian theology states that angels cannot be saved. When 1 Peter 3:20 says that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, this is interpreted either as Jesus preaching salvation to human spirits or as proclaiming eternal damnation to angels. But Colossians 1:20 says that the purpose of God is “by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace by the blood of His cross through Him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.” This clearly states that the death of Jesus is capable of bringing salvation to both humans and supernatural beings. This does not mean that all aliens will be saved. But it does mean that some aliens will be saved and that aliens are not all demons condemned to eternal damnation. I do not know how far verse 18 extends, but I suggest that what I have just mentioned is one aspect of how verse 18 will be applied. Angelic beings are messengers who live within what humans regard as verbal sequences. Thus, they would be sensitive to a message of salvation based in opportune time. Going further, I do not think that a Christianity based in absolute truth is capable of providing salvation for angels. However, I have become convinced that reformulating Christianity in terms of cognitive mechanisms makes it possible to extend the message of human salvation to the angelic realm. Even then, it appears that angels are mentally less flexible than humans. This lack of flexibility can be seen in stories about aliens because they describe most aliens functioning almost like mindless robots.
A Passover would provide a rare opportunity for angels and aliens to make major shifts, because when humans make a transition into living within the supernatural in a new way, then this also provides an opportunity for angels and aliens to leave their existing structure in order to become part of the new movement. This would be like a government bureaucrat changing allegiance when a new government forms. A mindset of absolute truth would probably condemn my suggestion as ‘angels leaving their first estate’ (Jude 6). However, mental symmetry has now been used to analyze over half of the New Testament looking verse by verse at the original Greek text. When one builds so extensively upon the original message of the Bible, then one is providing messengers with an alternative that does not leave the first estate of the revealed divine message of the Bible. In contrast, I suggest that both the liberal Christian who regards the Bible as merely myth and the conservative Christian who preaches about absolute truth while ignoring what the Bible actually says are guilty of ‘leaving the first estate’ of the message of the Bible. These may sound like strong words, but I suggest that it illustrates the type of questions that will be raised at this time. However, this level of deep theological questioning will also make it possible for messengers to become saved by choosing to leave those who claim to follow the Bible in order to become part of those who actually follow the Bible. This also provides a possible explanation for why the disciples are supposed to head into the city. In the same way that scientific thought provides cognitive tools for re-analyzing the biblical text, so I suggest that being connected with the ‘city’ of science and technology will provide both humans and messengers with tools for changing their allegiance.
Verse 18 finishes, “I will keep the Passover with you with my disciples.” This translation is not totally accurate. Keep means ‘to make, do’ which is being interpreted as Server actions. Verse 17 talked about eating the Passover. Verse 18 mentions doing the Passover. The BLB uses the word ‘with’ twice, but two different words are used in the Greek. Jesus says that he will do the Passover towards the strangeness, but in company with his disciples. (The NASB adds the phrase ‘at your house’ but ‘house’ is not in the original Greek.) Thus, the religious salvation of Jesus is not turning into some alien cult. Jesus is still in company with his disciples and merely heading towards the strangeness. Doing involves a path and a path heads in some direction. The strangeness defines the direction in which the path is heading. One might think that the disciples of Jesus would never head in the direction of alien strangeness away from traditional religion, but that is precisely what happened during the first Passover. The children of Israel left the land of Egypt with its established religious authorities in order to be saved by following a new and alien form of strangeness in the wilderness. For instance, the Israelites in the wilderness were fed with manna every morning. Exodus 16:15 explains that it acquired this name because “When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’”
Verse 19 describes the response of the disciples. “And the disciples did as Jesus directed them, and prepared the Passover.” Did refers to Server actions. Directed means ‘to arrange together’, and as means ‘as, like, as’, which indicates analogical similarity. ‘Arranging together’ indicates a focus upon Teacher order-within-complexity. This Teacher structure is being guided in an analogical manner by the personal salvation of Jesus. In other words, the disciples are approaching the strangeness in the city from a Teacher perspective the way that Jesus would. Prepare is again the same word used to describe the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world. Preparing the Passover would mean extending the salvation of Jesus in a manner that will lead out of the traditional religion of Egypt into a new supernatural form of existence in the wilderness.
Discussing Betrayal 26:20-25
The Passover meal begins in verse 20. “And evening having arrived, He was reclining with the twelve disciples.” A day represents a period of time illuminated by the sun of some Teacher theory. Evening indicates the end of the day. The start of the spiritual economy indicated the beginning of a new day. That day is now coming to an end probably because the development and expansion of the spiritual economy is making it increasingly apparent that it was started upon an inadequate foundation. Arrived means ‘to come into being’, consistent with the idea that the inadequacy is revealing itself naturally. Reclining was previously used in verse 7 where Jesus was reclining when his head was anointed by the woman. Notice that there is no mention of the strangeness. Instead, Jesus is reclining in company with his twelve disciples. The implication is that the strangeness may describe the location but the content of incarnation remains unaltered. This will happen naturally when one is following a kingdom that was prepared from the foundation of the world. Any apparent strangeness will eventually reveal itself to be another aspect of this kingdom. This does not mean that one can approach alien strangeness from any perspective. But I suggest that one is safe if one follows eternal principles as a disciple of an integrated concept of incarnation. That has been my experience so far.
Jesus speaks in verse 21. “And as they were eating, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.’” Notice this comment happens as they are eating, which is being interpreted as intellectual food. We looked at two different mindsets. A mindset of the high priest focuses upon holiness and Mercy status while Jesus emphasizes personal salvation. This difference will become apparent when acquiring intellectual food, because a mindset based in Mercy status will learn in order to pass exams, whereas a mindset based in salvation will learn in order to achieve understanding and generate results. Truly is ‘amen’ which refers to a solid fact in Perceiver thought. Perceiver thought gains confidence in a fact as connections become repeated. Thus the two mindsets of a high priest and Jesus will lead to consistent differences that will make it possible for Perceiver thought to distinguish these two categories with great confidence. Betray is the word that means to hand over or betray. In verse 21 all that is known is that one of the disciples will betray Jesus. In other words, two mutually incompatible viewpoints have emerged. This is probably because thinking about the implications of a spiritual economy is leading to conclusions that cannot be supported by the inadequate foundation. Thus, a fundamental shift must happen which will be caused by one of the elements of the spiritual economy. However, it is not yet certain which element will cause this shift and whether this will be a negative betrayal or a positive delivering.
This leads to self-questioning in verse 22. “And being grieved exceedingly, they began, each one, to say to Him, ‘Is it I, Lord?’” Grieved means ‘to experience deep emotional pain’. And exceedingly means ‘done to the max’. This describes an extremely emotional response. These same two words were previously used in 18:31 to describe the response of the slaves to the behavior of the ungrateful slaves, which was interpreted as the response of other countries to Nazi Germany’s treatment of the Jews. Such strong emotions would emerge in this situation because one is trying to rethink the nature of God and eternal salvation. I have gone through this process cognitively and the result is excessive self-questioning. My hypothesis is that verse 22 describes this sort of deep rethinking happening in the presence of angelic beings. (In 25:31 all of the angels came with the Son of Man.) Both humans and angels are asking what leads to eternal salvation and what does not. One might think that angels who ‘serve in the presence of God’ would not have to go through such self-questioning, but such beings would be performing the right behavior for inadequate reasons, and a new spiritual economy that included the supernatural would lead naturally to extensive self-questioning for such beings, resulting in questions such as ‘Why am I serving God? Is there anything in it for me?’ Begin means to ‘commence, rule’, suggesting that this questioning is becoming the preeminent topic that rules the mind. Each means ‘each unit viewed distinctly’ indicating that each aspect of following incarnation is being examined individually. Is it means ‘not perhaps’, which indicates a questioning and re-evaluating of fundamental concepts. This is happening at a verbal level, because they are all ‘saying to him’. As suggested earlier, this type of verbal rethinking would provide a rare opportunity for both angels and aliens to change allegiance. Note that this self-questioning is not threatening the concept of incarnation. They are all addressing Jesus as Lord and questioning themselves. Speaking from personal experience, pursuing mental symmetry has led to extensive self-questioning, but throughout this entire process the theory of mental symmetry has continued to remain solid. The big question has not been ‘is mental symmetry accurate’, but rather ‘What impact does following mental symmetry have upon the salvation of my soul?’. In verse 22, the disciples would be experiencing something similar accompanied by real aliens and angels.
Jesus gives an answer in verse 23 which may sound vague but makes sense cognitively. “And answering He said, ‘The one having dipped the hand in the dish with Me, he will betray Me.’” Dip is used only in this verse and in the parallel passage in Mark and combines ‘in the realm of’ with ‘to dip’. Hand represents ‘the instrument a person uses to accomplish their purpose’ and is interpreted as technical thought. Dish is also used only in this verse and in the parallel passage in Mark and means ‘bowl, dish’. ‘Dipping with the hand’ would represent using technical thought with the liquid of Mercy experiences. Dipping ‘in company with me’ would mean using technical thought with the Mercy experiences of incarnation. Doing this ‘in the realm of the dish’ would mean doing this with the Mercy experiences that are associated with consuming intellectual food. This describes a method of extending from technical thought to the subjective. Science and technology use technical thought. A concept of incarnation is based in technical thought, but Jesus goes beyond technical thought to save people in Mercy thought. Verse 23 describes an alternative way of extending technical thought to include subjective Mercy experiences. Instead of using technical thought to improve Mercy experiences, technical thought is being used to manipulate the Mercy experiences involved in acquiring truth and understanding. Stated simply, Judas is marketing incarnation. Marketing can be separated from research and development when dealing with the objective truth of science and technology, but when one is following incarnation, then marketing will, by its very nature, betray Jesus.
I should emphasize that I am not referring to describing the attributes and benefits of some product, or demonstrating the benefits of some product. That still focuses upon the personal salvation of Jesus. Instead, I am talking about using technical thought to create an ambience that makes people emotionally susceptible to some message. One can see such ‘dipping in the bowl’ in the following quote from Wikipedia. “The most important element of advertising is not information but suggestion – more or less making use of associations, emotions and drives in the subconscious, such as sex drive, herd instinct, desires such as happiness, health, fitness, appearance, self-esteem, reputation, belonging, social status, identity, adventure, distraction, reward, fears such as illness, weaknesses, loneliness, need, uncertainty, security or of prejudices, learned opinions and comforts. ‘All human needs, relationships, and fears – the deepest recesses of the human psyche – become mere means for the expansion of the commodity universe under the force of modern marketing.’” Notice how technical thought is being used to manipulate Mercy experiences in order to affect the consumption of information. Jesus predicts in verse 23 that this sort of mindset will betray him.
Jesus adds in verse 24, “Indeed the Son of Man goes as it has been written about Him.” Go means ‘to lead away under someone’s authority’. As means ‘according to the manner in which’, a word used only three times in Matthew that indicates an analogical relationship. Written would refer to abstract thought, as recorded in absolute truth. This indicates that Jesus in concrete thought is guided by words in abstract thought, and also that there is deep meaning to the content of revealed truth. This is significant for the context, because messengers would be asking deep questions about what it means to be true to their message. Jesus is saying that the original message itself states that a betrayal must happen. Note also that Jesus is being led under the authority of someone else. A high priest is a source of authority for religious truth. Jesus dare not act as a source of authority, but rather has to submit to authority. Jesus is viewing the betrayal by Judas as an opportunity to make a transition into submitting to truth instead of being regarded as a source of truth. Notice also that it is the Son of Man that has to be led under authority. That is because a Son of Man may have accurate content, but this content is still based upon an inadequate function. A transition has to be made to basing the same content upon a concept of God in Teacher thought. Finally, notice that this is an analogical relationship. The written revelation does not state directly what has to happen. Instead, what is written is a detailed description that is analogically similar to what must happen, implying that the written text has to be interpreted analogically in order to gain this deeper meaning. And we have been seeing in these essays that interpreting the biblical text analogically does lead to a deeper meaning that specifically addresses the transition from Son of Man to Son of God.
Verse 24 then turns to the one doing the betraying. “But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for him if that man had not been born.” Woe ‘is an expression of grief or denunciation’. Man refers to a human, implying that only a human can do such betraying and not an angel or spirit. By means ‘by the instrumentality of’ when followed by the genitive. ‘Son of Man’ and ‘betrayed’ are then both repeated. On the one hand, when one performs Server actions that are guided by a concept of God in Teacher thought, then one becomes righteous. On the other hand, when one performs Server actions that attack God in Teacher thought, then one also acquires a character. We have seen that this transition from natural to supernatural would provide a rare opportunity for angels to repent. It also would provide a rare opportunity for humans to mess up really big. This explains why all the disciples were questioning their motives in verse 22. They knew that the stakes are very high. Notice that this man is not referred to as the betrayer of Jesus but rather as the individual through whom the betrayal happens. The focus is not upon how evil Judas is in Mercy thought, but rather that he will be ground to a pulp by getting caught up in the cosmic gears of God’s plan.
Better means ‘good that inspires’ and this word was previously used by Jesus in verse 10 to describe the anointing of the woman. Him is a generic pronoun that means ‘he, she, it’. Born means ‘to beget, to bring forth’. And man means ‘mankind’. Verse 24 is typically interpreted as a sort of rhetorical question because Judas obviously existed. However, I suggest that, prophetically speaking, the question is not rhetorical. A betrayal has to happen. A spiritual economy based upon the Son of Man has to be transformed into a system based upon the Son of God. But betrayal has a dual meaning. It can be driven positively by the ‘carrot’ of the woman anointing the head of Jesus, or it can be driven negatively by the ‘stick’ of Judas denying Jesus. Jesus is saying that it is ‘attractively good’ if a Judas is not birthed. I am not just posing this as a theoretical option. Instead, one of my deepest desires is to find out if there is a positive alternative to the coming nastiness. The Son of Man has to be betrayed, but maybe there is a better way to achieve this transition. One of my life goals is based upon the assumption that Jesus is not just saying a rhetorical question in verse 24 but actually describing a real possibility. This does not mean that there will be no Judases, but rather that the anointing of the woman will have a greater cosmic impact than the betraying of Judas. This suggestion is backed up by verse 13. The Bible emphasizes following a concept of God in Teacher thought that is not contaminated by human experiences, and also states explicitly that salvation comes only through the name of Jesus. However, in verse 13, Jesus explicitly said that what the woman has done will universally become part of the gospel message. This indicates that what the woman is doing represents something of great significance. This topic is discussed further in the section on the red heifer in Hebrews. This suggestion is also supported scripturally by the description in Revelation 12 of the woman as a great sign in heaven who gives birth to a new ruler and leads to the great serpent being cast out of heaven.
Judas responds in verse 25. “And Judas who was betraying Him, answering, said, ‘Is it I, Rabbi?’ He says to him, ‘You have said.’” The verb tense indicates that Judas is in the act of betraying Jesus. In other words, the mindset of Judas governs his thinking even when he is interacting directly with Jesus. Judas asks exactly the same question that all the disciples asked in verse 22. But instead of saying ‘Lord’, Judas says ‘Rabbi’. Rabbi means ‘my great one; my honorable sir’. This word is used four times in Matthew. Matthew 23:7 said that the scribes and pharisees love to be called Rabbi while Jesus said in 23:8 that one should not be called Rabbi. And Judas will call Jesus Rabbi in verse 49 when he betrays him. In other words, Judas is viewing Jesus as an esteemed source of truth, compatible with the concept of a high priesthood, while the disciples are viewing Jesus as the Lord to whom one submits. Judas is focusing upon the status of Jesus while the disciples are submitting to the content of Jesus. This provides a possible explanation for Jesus’ answer ‘You have said’. Judas may have posed the same self-questioning as the other disciples, but he spoke this from the mindset of viewing Jesus as Rabbi rather than Lord.
The Last Supper 26:26-30
In verse 26, Jesus tells his disciples to view him from a different perspective. “Now as they were eating, Jesus, having taken bread and having blessed it, broke it, and having given it to the disciples, He said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’” ‘As they were eating’ indicates that this is happening during the consumption of intellectual food. Bread means ‘bread, a loaf’ and was previously used in 16:12 where Jesus warned against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Taken means to ‘actively lay hold of’. On the one hand, Judas is interpreting information from the perspective of personal authority. On the other hand, Jesus is taking hold of information, which means interpreting it from the perspective of personal salvation. For instance, as I have worked with mental symmetry I have been simultaneously guided by the abstract goal of understanding the mind and the concrete goal of developing as an individual. And I have found that this combination is critical for continuing to make progress. Similarly, writing these essays has been motivated simultaneously by an abstract desire to understand prophecy as well as a concrete and personal desire to find a way out of my current narrow situation. Saying this another way, my concept of Jesus has been cognitively ‘taking hold of’ the bread that I have been eating. Bless combines ‘well, good’ with ‘logos’. In other words, adding personal growth to abstract understanding leads to good paradigms. I have discovered that this is an accurate statement. Stated crudely, I keep finding that those who do not personally apply their theories end up with rotten theories. Broke is used three times in Matthew, each time with Jesus breaking bread. Looking at this cognitively, abstract technical thought comes up with precise definitions that subdivide the loaf of knowledge into pieces. A major aspect of understanding some subject is to use the right chunks. I have found that adding personal application to abstract theory causes one to subdivide a topic into chunks that work; it ‘breaks the loaf’ in a manner that leads to blessing. These chunks are then ‘given to the disciples’. In other words, sharing knowledge to everyone is dangerous. Instead, knowledge needs to be shared with those who are willing to apply it. But notice that this knowledge is given. The master does not tell the follower what to do. Instead, the disciples themselves decide how to apply the knowledge within a mindset of personal salvation.
This transfer of knowledge is indicated by the word take, which means ‘to actively lay hold of’. Jesus took hold of the knowledge in order to interpret it in terms of personal salvation. Jesus then gives this knowledge to the disciples who actively make it their own by using it to generate some personal result. The first ‘taking’ is a prerequisite for the second because one can only personally apply knowledge that is capable of being applied personally. Both ‘take’ and ‘eat’ are in the imperative, which means that one has to choose to take hold of information and choose to chew on it. Jesus then adds that ‘this is my body’. Body means ‘the physical body’. Transubstantiation interprets this phrase as the bread turning into the body of Christ. But that interpretation is not supported by this verse because ‘this’ is a generic pronoun and ‘bread’ occurred eleven words back. Instead, I suggest that Jesus is heading in the opposite direction. Instead of moving from his physical body to physical bread, he is moving from the concrete body of Jesus to the abstract body of digesting intellectual bread. In other words, when one consumes intellectual food in this manner by adding personal salvation to abstract information, then one is constructing a mental concept of Jesus. And this mental concept of Jesus based in abstract information is capable of replacing an inadequate concept of the Son of Man. I have learned what this means cognitively, because I no longer view Jesus as merely a historical person described in the Gospels. Instead, I view Jesus as a concrete expression of an abstract theory of personal salvation and see the Jesus of the Gospels as a specific illustration of this concrete expression.
Verse 27 continues, “And having taken the cup and having given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you.’” A cup is ‘a drinking cup’ and the same word will be used next in verse 39 where Jesus will pray for the cup to pass from him. Liquid represents Mercy experiences. Therefore, a cup represents some context of experiences, such as the experiences of going through crucifixion. A similar sense was used in 20:22 where Jesus asked his disciples if they were able to drink the cup that he was about to drink. That was interpreted as the development of psychology and cognitive science and I have found that the path of using psychology and cognitive science to develop mental symmetry has led to a cup of personal experiences that resonate emotionally with the transformation of Jesus being described in these chapters. Giving thanks is the word Eucharist, which is used to describe the ritual of communion. It combines ‘good’ with ‘grace’ and grace indicates help from God. It is used one other time in Matthew in 15:36 where Jesus gave thanks for the bread and the fish. That was interpreted as romantic science attempting to bring integration to scientific, technical thought. The idea is that God in Teacher thought is bringing unity to various technical specializations. Notice the order. The previous verse used abstract information to construct a concept of incarnation. Personal Mercy experiences and Teacher understanding are then being added to this concept of incarnation. This is different than a ritual of communion which starts with the Mercy experiences of a religious ritual, uses Teacher thought to amplify these Mercy experiences, and then attempts—hopefully—to add some rational content to this religious experience. This cup is then given to the disciples, implying that they are being given freedom as to how they apply these principles. In contrast, there is no giving with a ritual of communion, because the participants must celebrate the ritual in the prescribed manner without exhibiting any personal freedom. For instance, a Catholic priest recently resigned after finding out that thousands of baptisms that he had performed were invalid because he had said ‘we baptize you’ instead of ‘I baptize you’. Notice that this distinction reflects the idea of a holy priesthood, which insists that a baptism does not come from both priests and laity, but rather from the priest who is regarded as a mouthpiece of God who is separate from the laity.
Drink is in the imperative, of means ‘from out of’, and all of you means ‘each part of a totality’. ‘Drink’ and ‘all’ are both in the plural, which means that each disciple is supposed to drink. Speaking from personal experience, I have found that making some intellectual breakthrough is usually followed by a cup of personal experience that applies this intellectual concept. And I have to choose to view this personal experience as an application of the abstract concept. ‘All of you’ seems to indicate that one should view this personal experience not as some isolated situation, but rather as part of a totality, an aspect of a bigger picture.
Verse 28 talks about forgiveness of sins. “For this is My blood of the covenant, being poured out for many, for forgiveness of sins.” Blood means ‘blood, especially as shed’. Liquid represents Mercy experiences; blood is being interpreted as MMNs of personal identity falling apart. This blood is ‘of Jesus’. Looking at this cognitively, an inadequate concept of Jesus as the Son of Man is being replaced by one of Jesus as the Son of God. This will only happen if the old concept of Jesus falls apart, and when that happens it will be experienced as the ‘blood of Jesus’. In other words, each time one goes through the process of verse 27-28, some aspect of the old concept of Jesus will fall apart. Covenant means ‘testament, will, covenant’ and this word is only used once in Matthew. The cup that is drunk is described as ‘my blood of the covenant’. Thus, when applying some principle of incarnation causes an inadequate concept of Jesus to fall apart, then this needs to be mentally connected with covenant: God is not abandoning me, I am not going crazy, I am not destined for eternal damnation. Instead, God has made promises, but these promises involve death. One might think that this interpretation is belittling the historical sacrifice of Jesus, but remember that we are dealing here with historic Christianity attempting to redefine itself in a way that includes supernatural entities. And we are also dealing with a universal cognitive principle that applies to other lesser situations in a similar manner. This goes far beyond drinking from a cup of wine held by some priest wearing fancy clothing who claims to represent God and claims to be dispensing grace from God. I am not suggesting that there is no spiritual meaning to the celebration of the Eucharist, but rather that one is dealing with something much bigger than physical bread and wine—and using universal principles of salvation to redefine the ritual of the Eucharist is itself an example of the principle being described here.
Poured out means to ‘gush forth, pour out’. For means ‘about, concerning’ when followed by the genitive. Many ‘emphasizes the quantity involved’. The idea is that these personal experiences of an inadequate concept of Jesus falling apart will have a widespread impact. This makes sense cognitively, because coming up with a new technique of personal salvation makes it possible to save many people. In the words of a common saying, one becomes capable of teaching others how to fish rather than merely providing them with fish. The second for means ‘to or into’. Forgiveness means ‘something sent away’. This word is used often as a verb in Matthew, but only once as a noun. Forgiveness is typically interpreted as some person saying ‘You are forgiven’ but that views people as sources of truth. Instead, something becomes sent away when nothing brings it back to mind. Forgiveness means moving on, and one can only truly move on when old methods die. What is being forgiven is sins, which means ‘missing the mark’. Concrete technical thought uses a knowledge of cause-and-effect to reach some goal. Sinning means that one is aiming for some goal and failing to reach it. This indicates an inadequate concept of Jesus, because Jesus means salvation, and salvation takes somebody from where they are and brings them to some better location. Sin means the salvation is failing, which will naturally happen when one has an inadequate concept of Jesus. However, if an inadequate concept of Jesus falls apart and is replaced by a more complete concept of incarnation, then it will be possible to move on from the previous inadequate methods. That is what it really means for Jesus to bring forgiveness of sins. Except, what is being described here is something even deeper, which is an inadequate concept of Jesus dying and being replaced by a more complete concept of Jesus that is more capable of bringing forgiveness of sins. This happened historically to some extent when Christianity replaced previous religions. It also happens personally to some extent when a person becomes a Christian by asking Jesus to forgive their sins. That is because a mental concept of Jesus is more capable of creating a feeling of forgiveness than either rituals done by people or words performed by people. Matthew 26 appears to be speaking prophetically about replacing the concept of a human Son of Man with a divine Son of God who brings salvation to both humans and angels.
Verse 29 describes this transition to a future society. The beginning of the verse describes the end of the existing Jesus. “And I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now.” ‘Not’ is a double negative that includes both no and not. Drink is the same verb that was used in verse 27 to describe drinking from the cup. Fruit means ‘offspring’ but can also be used to describe fruit. Vine is used once in Matthew. ‘From now’ indicates that this is something new that starts from this moment. A vine is a source of wine. A liquid represents Mercy experiences and wine would represent pleasant experiences of culture. The goal of Jesus is to bring salvation to people. Verse 29 is saying that the existing method of salvation will stop working in the sense that it will no longer succeed in giving birth to positive cultural experiences. For instance, one can see this transition happening with evangelical Christianity. Following evangelical Christianity used to lead to positive cultural experiences, but this is no longer the case. Instead, being an evangelical Christian is increasingly associated with being unable to enjoy the benefits of society. Similarly, Acts 7 seems to indicate that the initial spiritual economy will reach a dead end where it stops working.
The end of verse 29 describes the beginning of a new Jesus. “Until that the day when I drink it anew with you in the kingdom of My Father.” A day represents a period of time lit by the sun of some Teacher theory. Verse 20 described the arrival of night. Verse 29 is referring to a future day. Verse 2 said that the Passover will take place after two days, suggesting that the day mentioned in verse 29 is not the next day but a day after that. Similarly, ‘that’ indicates that more than one day is involved. And Acts 8 seems to indicate that the kingdom of the beast (of Revelation 13) will occupy an entire ‘day’ during which the functioning of a healthy spiritual economy will be stymied. When means ‘at the time when the condition is met’. The rest of the verse describes the conditions that have to be met. ‘Drink with you’ implies that this will be a cooperative effort rather than a hierarchy with priests and laity. New means ‘not found exactly like this before’. Notice that the ‘drink with you’ will be of a new quality. At the very least, this means that it will be something different than the existing religious ritual of Eucharist. Stated more generally, a new concept of incarnation will guide society to generate Mercy experiences in a totally new way, similar to the way that tools and gadgets are constructed in a totally different way by modern technological society than the way that they were constructed in Medieval society. In means ‘in the realm of’. The ‘kingdom of the Father’ was mentioned once previously in Matthew in 13:43 in the parable which looked forward to this time. In 25:34 the king called the sheep ‘blessed of my Father’ and told them to inherit the kingdom. However, in verse 29 Jesus talks about ‘the kingdom of my Father’ and this is the last mention of a kingdom in Matthew. The ‘kingdom of my Father’ means that incarnation will have become an expression of God the Father in Teacher thought, which describes a transition from the Son of Man to the Son of God. I am not suggesting that Jesus was not God and became God, but rather that a concept of Jesus is going through a version of the progression described in Philippians 2:6-11.
Verse 30 ends with what sounds like a religious service. “And having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Having sung a hymn is used once in Matthew and comes from a word that means ‘to celebrate’. Jesus has just made some very depressing remarks. The natural tendency would be to fixate emotionally upon the sufferings of Jesus, and that describes how most Christianity has treated the crucifixion over the centuries. However, that programs Teacher thought with a general theory of persecution which leads to the nasty result that Teacher thought will only feel good when Mercy thought feels terrible. Singing a song of celebration means approaching this topic with a positive attitude. I can say from personal experience that it is very easy when one finds oneself in this sort of situation to submit mentally to the general Teacher theory that ‘God hates me. My life will always be miserable. God wants me to suffer.’ However, I have found so far that if one chooses to focus on the positive, then there will always be sufficient positive results somewhere to make it possible to sing a song of celebration. Went out would mean encountering the wider world. A mountain is a high point of land which represents a pragmatic theory from which one can see the surrounding region. And an olive represents the oil of the Holy Spirit. Cognitively speaking, one is viewing the surrounding society from the vantage point of the Platonic forms of the Holy Spirit, which is possible if one has a general understanding of what God is doing and if one chooses to have a positive attitude. Instead of saying ‘things are terrible’ one views history as a process of acquiring Platonic forms of possible heavenly perfection. For instance, mental symmetry makes it possible to analyze the behavior of people. One can do this negatively by focusing upon the shortcomings of individuals, or one can do this positively by constructing a composite mental image of how nice people would be if all the parts of their minds functioned in harmony. That is an example of a Mount of Olives. I suggest that verse 30 is describing something similar happening in the future with spiritual and supernatural overtones. In other words, society would be wonderful if angels, spirits, and humans cooperated in a manner that preserved and enhanced mental wholeness. I am starting to get a sense of what this means as I continue to use mental symmetry to analyze my ongoing internal interaction with ‘imaginary friends’. I do not know for certain if there is any actual spiritual or supernatural reality behind these imaginary friends, but even if these imaginary friends are merely mental networks within my head, I am still learning how one would interact with such beings in a mentally whole manner, and I am also finding that interacting with these imaginary friends in an intelligent and respectful manner leads to greater mental wholeness.
Predicting Peter’s Denial 26:31-35
Verse 31 then predicts that the disciples will fall away, similar to the statement made previously that all of the virgins fell asleep. “Then Jesus says to them, “You all will fall away because of Me during this night. For it has been written:” Fall away means ‘to put a snare in the way’ and is the source of the English word ‘scandalize’. It was previously used in 24:10 to say that the Tribulation would cause many to fall away. That is currently happening right now which makes it easy to interpret. What is happening is that the mindset of absolute truth is acting as a snare to cause many evangelical Christians to reject scientific thought and ignore the content of the Bible. Similarly, I suggest that verse 31 is saying that there is a fundamental flaw in human thought that will lead the disciples astray. I think that this flaw involves assumptions about what it means to be human. 24:10 said that many would fall away, whereas in verse 31 says that all will fall away. I think that this is because several hundred years of science and technology have provided an alternate way of thinking to the current mindset of absolute truth. In contrast, those in verse 31 will have very little personal experience about what it really means to be other than human.
Because is actually ‘in the realm of’ as is ‘during’. Thus, a more accurate translation would be ‘fall away in the realm of me in the realm of this night’. In other words, the scandal will come specifically from functioning within a Son of Man as opposed to a Son of God. ‘In the realm of this night’ means that there will be no Teacher theory to understand what is happening. However, written indicates that the content of absolute truth will remain solid.
Verse 31 continues, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” Strike means ‘to beat of the heart, to strike’ and is used one other time in Matthew in verse 51, which talks about one of the disciples striking a slave of the high priest on the ear. ‘Shepherd’ was previously used in 25:32 describe the shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. Notice that the shepherd himself is being struck indicating that the flaw lies in the nature of the Son of Man. Scatter combines ‘thoroughly’ with ‘scatter’. It is used two other times in Matthew in 25:24 and 25:26 where the slave with the one talent described the nature of Jesus. That was interpreted as absolute truth recognizing moral cause-and-effect but having no understanding of how it functions. In verse 31 it is the sheep themselves that are scattered and sheep were last mentioned in the parable of the sheep and goats. Thus, the very ones that were rewarded by the shepherd will be scattered by the striking of the shepherd.
Acts 9 appears to be discussing the nature of this fundamental flaw and it involves ideas that are currently regarded as part of science fiction rather than religion. (Thus, if the explanation in this essay seems inadequate, please read the corresponding sections in the essay on Acts.) Stated as simply as possible, current society faces a cognitive struggle to move beyond absolute truth to rational understanding. Rational understanding will eventually break through in the theoretical return of Jesus and this cognitive transformation will lay the foundation for spiritual technology. But all of this assumes that there is a religious world that deals with the mind and spirit and a secular world that deals with the physical body. This assumption is reflected in the term Son of Man, which is literally ‘son of a human’. However, all biological life is actually ‘word made flesh’ because the messages of DNA are transcribed into sequences of amino acids, which then fold in on themselves to become the three-dimensional building blocks of biological matter. This is standard biochemistry. In other words, biological life is literally ‘word made flesh’. That needs to be repeated. The connection between biological life and the Christian concept of ‘word made flesh’ is not just symbolic. All biological matter is literally the words of DNA transcribed into sequences of amino acids, which then fold in on themselves to form what we call flesh (and bones and blood cells and so on). However, I have looked on the Internet and have not found anyone who has connected the ‘word made flesh’ of protein folding with the ‘word made flesh’ of John 1. This connection only became apparent to me recently. The word ‘angel’ means messenger. In a very real sense, humans are biologically messengers because they inhabit physical bodies composed of transcribed messages. I repeat that this is not an analogy but an actual description. Now imagine interacting as a human with angels as a result of a cognitive transformation and then realizing—really realizing—that the human physical body also has a deep angelic connection. That would be enough to cause the disciples of the Son of Man to stumble. The word flock is found once in Matthew and is closely related to the word ‘shepherd’. Scattering happens when the force that held something together is replaced by a totally different force that functions in a different manner. Realizing the implications of the biological side of incarnation would cause the flock to scatter, because ‘human’ in ‘son of a human’ would cease to be a single entity and become something widely scattered. I should add that merely talking about this may be theologically controversial but most people today do not really believe in theology and everyone knows that the physical body and physical reality are solid. But people in verse 31 would believe strongly in theology and interactions with angels would make it clear that intelligent beings can live without physical bodies and that there is more than just physical reality. In fact, the more that the spiritual economy would develop, the more apparent this would become. Thus, it is not a matter of ‘if’ the flock of the Son of Man would scatter, but rather ‘when’.
I suggest that we are looking here at two related topics. The first topic is questioning what it means to be a human being. It may seem like a stretch to suddenly bring up this topic, but one can state with certainty that extended interaction with angels would cause humans to question what it means to be human. The establishment of a spiritual economy would cause this question to become of central importance. The second topic involves the angelic design of human DNA. That topic will come up later in Matthew 27. This second question is currently swept under the rug by the magical thinking of either saying that human DNA evolved by chance or by believing that God snapped his fingers to create life. Biochemistry does meaningful work, but saying that human DNA evolved by chance is pure magical thinking.
Verse 32 continues, “But I, after being raised, will go before you into Galilee.” Raised means ‘to waken, to raise up’. It is the word used to describe Jesus rising from the dead, but it also describes a new form of mental networks emerging after some major transition. Go before means ‘to lead forth, to go before’. Galilee comes from a word that means ‘to roll’ and is being interpreted as the various cycles of society. For instance, church groups tend to swing between charismatic freedom and doctrinal renewal. Similarly, societies tend to swing between freedom and stability. The realization that incarnation is also connected to the physical body would lead to cycles between emphasizing the cognitive and emphasizing the physical. This is currently viewed as going between religious and secular, but after the raising of incarnation, it would be interpreted as going between one form of rational religion and another form of rational religion. The implication is that incarnation will head there first and then the disciples will recognize that this is the resurrected form of incarnation, similar to the way that science and technology have developed first and Christians are only starting to realize now that science and technology is one aspect of incarnation.
Peter responds in verse 33. “And Peter answering, said to Him, “‘If all will fall away because of You, I never will fall away.’” Peter uses the word fall away twice, which means ‘to entrap’. And because is again the word ‘in the realm of’. Thus, Peter says, ‘If every part of the totality is scandalized in the realm of you, I will never be scandalized’. Peter represents Perceiver thought. Perceiver thought has already gone through two major transitions. The first is the transition from absolute truth to rational thought. The second is the transition from functioning passively within the physical body to being able to use angelic power to impose facts upon the environment. Perceiver thought has had to build considerable confidence in truth in order to survive these various transitions. Thus, Perceiver thought may think by this point in time that it can handle anything. However, Perceiver thought is still thinking of itself as unique. ‘If all others fall away, I will never fall away’, and ‘I’ is specifically mentioned. And I think that this may describe the weakness of Perceiver thought. Perceiver thought builds connections and thus naturally counteracts scattering. But what holds Perceiver thought itself together? Similarly, a human functions within the Perceiver object of a physical body. But what will hold the human mind together if one can no longer treat the physical body as a fundamental object? These are very deep questions. It may also be that Perceiver thought will be driven to make this response precisely because people will start to sense that their physical bodies are derived entities and not fundamental objects. Thus, Perceiver thought within human minds will be screaming ‘But I am a single object. You cannot pull me apart’. This stress may even involve a version of the quantum shift from particle to wave.
Jesus answers in verse 34. “Truly I say to you, during this night, before the rooster crowing, you will deny Me three times.” ‘During this night’ is more literally ‘in the realm of this the night’ implying that the lack of integrated Teacher understanding will be particularly troublesome. And truly means ‘of a truth’. Thus, Jesus is actually saying to Perceiver thought that it is a solid Perceiver fact that Perceiver thought will fall apart during this dark period, not just once but three times. Deny adds the prefix ‘away from’ to the word ‘deny’. It is found four times in Matthew: three times in this chapter, and once in 16:24 where Jesus said that those who follow him must deny themselves, and that was interpreted as traditional society being replaced by the modern consumer society. In both cases, a form of human society that has existed since the beginning of civilization is vanishing and being replaced, never to return. In 16:24, it was possible for people to deny themselves in order to participate in the new society. In verse 34, Jesus says that Peter will deny him three times. In each case, Perceiver facts about what it means to be human will cause followers of incarnation to deny the plan of incarnation. During this time, progress will be driven by some other force such as the kingdom of the beast. A rooster is a male chicken. It is mentioned twelve times in the Bible, always in connection with Peter’s betrayal of Jesus. In each of these twelve instances, the rooster is crowing, which simply means ‘to call out’. A rooster crows to announce the dawn, and a bird flies through the air of Teacher thought. Thus, the crowing of a rooster describes abstract theory recognizing the development of a new integrated Teacher understanding. For instance, these essays could be interpreted as the crowing of a rooster.
In verse 35, Peter insists, “‘Even if it were necessary for me to die with You, I will never deny You.’ And all the disciples said likewise.” Notice that the stakes have now been raised. Necessary means ‘it is necessary’ and describes what must happen because of how things work. Die ‘focuses on the separation that goes with the dying off’. Looking at this cognitively, technical thought is controlled by Contributor thought and is based upon content that comes from the rest of the mind. Jesus is saying that the dying of Contributor thought will be accompanied by denial from Perceiver thought. I think that this is cognitively significant, because something will have to put Contributor thought back together after this transition. Perceiver thought in the human mind builds facts based upon what it means to live within the object of the human body within the objects of the physical world. This knowledge needs to be preserved during the upcoming transition, which can be done by separating Perceiver thought from Contributor thought. Thus, it seems that it is cognitively necessary both for Peter to deny the Son of Man and for Peter not to die with the Son of Man. But Peter gets it backwards thinking that it is necessary for him to die while insisting that he will not deny. That is one of the results of a Son of Man, which builds a concept of incarnation upon the Perceiver facts of what it means to live as a human within physical reality. The assumption is that only humans can protect humanity. But after this transition the same concept of incarnation will become based in Server actions of righteousness, guided by an integrated concept of God in Teacher thought. Likewise means ‘likewise, in like manner’, which indicates analogical similarity. In other words, Perceiver thought is acting as the ultimate source of truth for the other disciples, consistent with the suggestion that the concept of a Son of Man is based in Perceiver facts of human existence.
The Garden of Gethsemane 26:36-39
In verse 36, the disciples arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane. “Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He says to the disciples, ‘Sit here until that having gone away over there, I shall pray.’” Place means ‘a confined piece of ground’ and is used once in Matthew. This is interpreted as some limited context within Perceiver thought. The same word is used in Acts 1:18-19 to describe the field purchased by Judas, which was interpreted as religious mysticism being recognized as a legitimate academic topic. Gethsemane is used twice in the New Testament and combines ‘winepress’ with ‘oil’. This is an interesting combination because wine represents pleasant cultural experiences, while oil represents Platonic forms. The idea is that Platonic forms are being derived from the pleasant experiences of culture. This is not normally the case, but it will happen if pleasant cultural experiences start to fade away and become memories. For instance, this is happening today with many people looking back with nostalgia at the culture that existed before the development of modern infrastructure and social media. ‘Do you remember when we actually used to go outside and play games instead of staring at our cell phones?’ If this is already happening as a result of normal technology, imagine what would happen as a result of spiritual technology. A growing spiritual economy that interacted with angels would start to erode what it meant to be human. (Revelation 14:14-20 describes a ‘harvest of the earth’ being done by angels which may be related.) A ‘place called Gethsemane’ implies that this study of human culture has become an accepted specialization within academic research. But notice that the disciples are coming to this place accompanied by Jesus. Thus, this is not just a matter of trying to preserve the past in some conservative manner, but rather trying to intelligently apply the spiritual economy in a manner that preserves the best of human culture.
In verse 36, the disciples provide stability while Jesus goes on ahead. “Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He says to the disciples, ‘Sit here until that having gone away over there, I shall pray.’” Sit was previously used in 25:31 to describe the Son of Man sitting on his glorious throne. Here means ‘self’ or ‘the same’ and is only used once as an adverb in Matthew. In other words, the existing location of the disciples is being used as a source of stability and authority, which would mean attempting to preserve what it currently means to be human. Gone away means ‘to go away, go after’. And there is a place that is not ‘here’. Pray means ‘to exchange wishes’. This describes how a ‘Son of Man’ would behave. What it means to be a human is providing the source of stability and incarnation is moving forward from this source in order to interact with God in Teacher thought. This is not moving towards some goal, but rather stretching forward from some source of stability.
Jesus moves forward with some of the disciples in verse 37. “And having taken with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.” Take means ‘to take by showing strong personal initiative’. Peter means ‘a stone’ and represents Perceiver thought. Thus, incarnation is finding stability in Perceiver thought, consistent with the idea of the Son of Man finding stability in the Perceiver facts of humanity. For instance, mental symmetry started with the study of human personalities, but it has gradually turned into a cognitive model that is independent of human existence which can also be used to analyze spiritual and supernatural beings. Zebedee means ‘Yah has bestowed’. The two sons of Zebedee were previously mentioned in 20:20, which was interpreted as psychology and cognitive science wanting to become the sources of truth for incarnation. In 20:20 they were accompanied by their mother who spoke on their behalf, implying that psychology and cognitive science have their foundation in MMNs of culture and personal identity. Verse 37 describes something quite different, because psychology and cognitive science now have their stability in the facts of Perceiver thought. This would describe mental symmetry as a purely cognitive model.
Began means to ‘commence, rule’ and was previously used in verse 22 to describe the self-questioning of the disciples. Thus, something is becoming the predominant concept that rules the mind. Sorrow means deep emotional pain and was also used previously in verse 22. Deeply distressed means ‘to be distressed’ and is used once in Matthew. It comes from a word that means ‘uncomfortable, as not at home, German unheimisch’. In verse 22, emotional pain was leading to self-questioning in the disciples. In verse 37, this emotional pain is becoming the ruling emotion within incarnation accompanied by a feeling of alienness—a feeling that I am not myself which is described in English as uncanny. Stated cognitively, the limitations of a Son of Man are becoming the primary focus. It is becoming apparent that bringing supernatural salvation to humanity may be helping humans in specific ways, but the overall result is to question what it means to be a human. In other words, acting as the Son of Man is questioning the existence of being a Son of Man.
In verse 38, this feeling becomes verbalized in Teacher thought. “Then He says to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with Me.’” Then means ‘then, at that time’. Thus, this uncanny feeling becomes the focus of incarnation. Very sorrowful is used once in Matthew and combines ‘encompassing’ with ‘pain of body or mind’. This goes beyond being the primary topic to being an inescapable condition that is present wherever one goes. Soul means ‘a person’s distinct identity’ and is interpreted as the integrated mind. It was previously used in 22:37 which instructed a person to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind. Jesus used the word until in verse 36 to tell the disciples to ‘sit until he went over there’. In verse 38, Jesus is ‘over there’ and his integrated mind is experiencing all-encompassing pain to the point of falling apart.
Remain means ‘to stay, abide, remain’, ‘Remain here’ would mean cognitively that the Son of Man is trying to find mental stability in the solid principles of cognitive science and psychology based in Perceiver truth. Watch means ‘stay awake’ and was previously used in 24:43 and 25:13 to warn about staying awake while waiting for the second coming. Jesus is asking the three disciples to ‘stay awake with him’, again indicating that the Son of Man is trying to find mental stability in the facts and understanding of human existence.
Jesus moves forward slightly in verse 39. “And having gone forward a little, He fell upon His face, praying, and saying.” Gone forward means ‘to go forward’ and is only used once in Matthew. Little means ‘small, little’. Thus, finding stability in the Perceiver facts of cognitive science and psychology makes some progress possible. Notice that Jesus is still heading forwards and has not turned around. Thus, it is clear that the solution lies in going ahead and not in turning around to preserve humanity. Fall was previously used in 24:29 to describe the stars falling from heaven, which was interpreted as people questioning the existing theories of society. Face was previously mentioned in 22:16 where Jesus was described as someone who did not look on the face of humans. That was interpreted as technicians and engineers recognizing that technological decisions cannot be based in personal status and face. In verse 39, Jesus is ‘falling upon his face’, which implies that technical expertise is dissolving into personal status. In other words, the spiritual economy cannot make any further progress because all that is left is ‘because I said so as a human’. This focus upon subjectivity can be seen in the rest of the verse. Pray means ‘to exchange wishes’. Jesus is praying to his Father, which indicates an exchange of wishes between personal identity in Mercy thought and a concept of God in Teacher thought. I know to some extent what this feels like because all that is left in such an existential crisis is a personal appeal based upon deep emotional need. One has to move on, but it is impossible to do so, and thus one screams to God.
The Prayers of Jesus 26:39-44
Verse 39 then describes what Jesus prays. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless not as I will, but as You.’” ‘My Father’ was previously used in verse 29 where Jesus said that the next time that he drank wine would be ‘drinking it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’. In verse 39, Jesus is appealing to ‘my Father’. Possible means ‘power’ which is interpreted as active Perceiver thought. In other words, Jesus is looking for supernatural help via angelic Perceiver thought. Let pass means ‘to pass by’ and was previously used in 24:35 where Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away, but not his words. Cup was previously used in verse 27 to describe the wine cup taken by Jesus in the Last Supper. It was also used in 20:22 where Jesus said that the two sons of Zebedee would drink his cup, which was interpreted as the development of cognitive science and psychology. In verse 37 Jesus took these two sons of Zebedee with him. A cup represents some context of experiences within Mercy thought. Putting this together, Jesus, expressed through the developing spiritual economy, is going through increasingly uncanny experiences that are questioning the very nature of what it means to be human. At the beginning of verse 39, Jesus was able to make a little progress supported by cognitive science and psychology. Thus, these two are drinking from the cup of Jesus to some extent. Historically speaking, Jesus’ request of his Father was merely rhetorical. But I have consistently found that supposedly rhetorical questions in the Bible actually means something when approached from a larger perspective. That brings us back to the anointing of the woman. If cognitive science and psychology could be expressed as a fully integrated theory based in the mental networks of female thought, then this might have sufficient power to let the cup pass from the Son of Man.
Jesus makes a partial emotional shift at the end of verse 39. Nevertheless means ‘yet, except’. Will means ‘to desire, which’. And but means ‘otherwise, on the other hand’. In other words, Jesus is recognizing another source of emotional desire that is different than personal identity in Mercy thought. Jesus is not submitting yet to this alternative source of emotions but is recognizing that it exists as an alternative to the Mercy emotions of humanity. Theoretically, if the anointing of the woman were sufficiently strong, then this could provide an alternative source of emotional desire. Looking at this in more detail, for most of my life I have been excluded, minimized, and belittled by Contributor-controlled technical thought. As I continued to develop mental symmetry, I gradually realized that one could live in an alternative system of thought based in mental networks and Perceiver connections. Instead of using the goal-oriented behavior of technical thought to formulate goals and reach them, I used cognitive science and psychology to understand the deepest mental networks of human existence, and then used Perceiver thought to interconnect these various mental networks, leading to an emotional landscape for personal identity. I then functioned intuitively within this landscape. Instead of aiming consciously for goals, I allowed myself to be emotionally pushed and pulled by the internal landscape of how the mind works—guided by the Teacher emotions of the theory of mental symmetry. I have found that one can function in this manner, even when Contributor thought falls apart and is incapable of functioning. Using an analogy, Contributor thought is like the rider on a horse who uses reins to control where the horse goes. The alternate method guides the horse by altering the landscape upon which the horse is traveling.
In verse 40 the disciples stop functioning. “And He comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping.” To means ‘to, towards’. Find means ‘to find, especially after searching’. And sleeping was previously used in 25:5 to describe all of the virgins falling asleep. In verse 39, Jesus made a little progress and then fell on his face. But this also led to the realization that there was an alternative form of existence based in Teacher emotion. In verse 40 Jesus returns to the disciples with this alternative perspective and finds them asleep. In other words, a purely cognitive approach would be overwhelmed by any actual transition to Teacher understanding. This is consistent with my experience, because I have found that psychology and cognitive science are fundamentally opposed to the very concept of starting with a general theory in Teacher thought—even if this theory is consistent in detail with existing findings and theories. The fundamental assumption is that one must start with empirical human evidence; one does not start with a meta-theory of the mind.
Perceiver thought also proves inadequate. “And He says to Peter, ‘So, were you not able to watch with Me one hour?’” So is actually ‘in this way, thus’ which indicates analogical similarity. Jesus has just made the breakthrough into recognizing an alternative form of personal desire based in Teacher understanding. Jesus is asking Perceiver thought if it can function within this alternative perspective. Able is not the word for ‘power’ but rather means ‘embodied strength’. One hour would represent a smaller transition within some era of society. Watch means ‘to stay awake’ and was previously used by Jesus in verse 38. Jesus is not saying that Peter lacks power in Perceiver thought but rather that he is unable to apply this power to the embodied strength of normal human existence. In other words, adopting an alternate strategy based in Teacher understanding caused Perceiver thought to flip from concrete to abstract, from human to supernatural. Stated bluntly, Peter became so heavenly minded that he was no earthly good. Speaking from personal experience, as I continue to make theoretical progress with mental symmetry, I find it increasingly difficult to remain connected with the concrete experiences of normal society around me. (And then the covid pandemic arrived and the entire world had to adopt a lifestyle that was similar to mine. I was okay, but most of my evangelical Christian friends and family members couldn’t handle it.)
Jesus gives a warning in verse 41. “Watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the flesh weak.” Watch means ‘to stay awake’ but this is now combined with pray, which means ‘to exchange wishes’. In other words, focusing upon God in Teacher thought does not mean abandoning personal emotions in Mercy thought. Instead, one continues to exchange emotions between personal identity and general understanding, even when focusing emotionally upon God in Teacher thought. Enter means ‘to go in’, into means ‘to or into’, and temptation is a negative word. (The distinction between temptation and testing is examined elsewhere.) The basic idea is that focusing upon God instead of personal identity will lead a person in a direction that is inherently harmful and negative. Jesus means ‘salvation’; focusing upon God as opposed to personal identity inherently heads away from personal salvation. The solution is to ‘exchange wishes’ between God in Teacher thought and personal identity in Mercy thought, while focusing upon God in Teacher thought. Applying this to the future context of human and angelic interaction, the standard interpretation within current stories about aliens is that one can contact aliens by suppressing thoughts about humanity and human existence. This will succeed in contacting aliens—but these aliens will not care anything about human salvation. That is the type of temptation that is being described in verse 41. It is not nice.
Jesus then makes a distinction between spirit and flesh. Willing means ‘enthusiastically willing’. My hypothesis is that the spiritual realm interacts with the human realm through mental networks. Speaking from personal experience, I have recently sensed my spirit starting to function as an independent entity with its own potent emotional desires, and I sense that my spirit can ‘see’ this possible future reality and enthusiastically wants to be part of it. Flesh means ‘merely of human origin or empowerment’. And weak was previously used in 25:44 to describe the ‘sheep’ visiting those who were weak. Speaking again from personal experience, at the same time that I internally sense a growing, independent spirit, I find myself stuck within the physical experiences of the flesh. This describes another breakthrough. In verse 39, Jesus recognized an alternative source of emotions in Teacher thought. In verse 41, an alternative, internal aspect of personal identity is finding emotional pleasure in this alternative existence. Notice that Jesus does not say that the disciples’ spirit is willing and their flesh is weak. Instead, he states it as a general principle that presumably applies to him as well. That is also a characteristic of Teacher thought, which comes up with general principles that apply equally to many kinds of personal existence. For instance, it has become clear to me that the flesh is also weak in both angels and aliens, because they find it difficult to go beyond their realm of messages to live within physical reality.
Jesus then returns to prayer in verse 42 with this new perspective. “Again for a second time having gone away, He prayed, saying.” Gone away is same word that was used in verse 36. In verse 39, Jesus fell on his face praying. In verse 42, he is simply praying. In other words, the emergence of an independent spirit is making it possible to pray without falling apart. That is because the spirit lives apart from physical reality and provides an alternate perspective to physical reality. Applying this to spiritual technology, ‘spiritual’ has now become an independent noun and not just an adjective of technology.
However, the prayer of Jesus in verse 42 is different. “My Father, if this is not possible to pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Jesus still addresses ‘my Father’, suggesting that the concept of God in Teacher thought has not changed. Looking at this personally, my sense of an emerging independent spirit has not led to a change in the theory of mental symmetry. But the nature of my prayer is different. Possible is the word for ‘power’ but ‘not’ is mentioned twice. In verse 39, the request was about the possibility of having the cup pass. In verse 42, the reference to a cup is replaced by ‘this’, and the situation is being described as something that ‘is not possible to pass’. In verse 39, the goal of Jesus was to avoid drinking the cup. In verse 42, Jesus is viewing the current situation as something that he is powerless to avoid. Speaking from personal experience, my realization of an independent spirit has not solved my predicament. But I have discovered that the well-being of my spirit affects me at a very deep emotional level and I have also discovered that the state of my spirit depends upon which goal I am pursuing. If I choose to pursue the goal of trying to escape my predicament, then my spirit is not okay, and I sense that heading in that path would lead to the despair of verse 38. However, if I accept the path that I am on as my plan, then I find that my spirit is okay and I am even able to have joy about my current situation. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the spiritual realm empowers mental networks. The end result is that I am discovering that I am powerless to avoid following my path. Similarly, Jesus now describes his path as something that he is now powerless to avoid.
In verse 39, Jesus talked about what he willed and viewed God as providing an alternative to personal desire. In verse 42, it is God who has the will, which is described as ‘coming into being’. Stated cognitively, the spirit is finding pleasure in the desires of God the Father and this is unfolding itself in a spontaneous manner. Technical thought is no longer choosing to follow some path, but rather being emotionally driven to head in some direction. Finally, Jesus uses the verb drink, which was previously used in verse 29 when Jesus talked about drinking anew in his Father’s kingdom. Drinking represents going through a set of Mercy experiences. A cup views these experiences as some hypothetical situation, whereas drinking thinks about actually going through this situation. Applying this to a future spiritual economy, instead of viewing angelic help as something inhuman to which one is forced to submit, angelic help is being regarded as being guided by the desires of God the Father in Teacher thought, something which is spiritually exciting that a human could actually endure. I strongly suspect that any angels who are providing help would also be learning about human desires. This two-way emotional learning can be seen in the word ‘prayer’, which is an exchange of wishes. Each side is learning more about what the other side really wants. Speaking from personal experience, my interaction with ‘imaginary friends’ has gradually allowed me to gain a sense of what angels and spirits really want—what makes them really tick. I have no idea how the ‘bodies’ of angels or spirits function, but I do have a growing sense of how their minds function and interact with their ‘bodies’.
In verse 43, Jesus returns to the disciples. “And having come again, He finds them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.” The same words ‘find’ and ‘sleeping’ are used as in verse 39. What is new is that Jesus is now able to describe the situation rather than calling upon Peter for help. A human uses the eyes to scan the physical environment in order to build up a mental map for Perceiver thought. Heavy is used once in Matthew and means ‘to weigh down’. Weight means ‘a weight; (figuratively) real substance (what has value, significance)’. In other words, weight represents Mercy significance. Cognitively speaking, Perceiver thought within the disciples cannot accurately determine the Perceiver facts of the situation because the Mercy emotions that are involved are too weighty. Stated bluntly, humans who live in physical bodies are being freaked out by encountering angels and aliens who do not require physical bodies. Thus, Jesus realizes that he can no longer gain emotional support from Perceiver facts about human existence.
Jesus prays again in verse 44. “And having left them again, having gone away, He prayed for the third time, having said the same thing again.” Left means ‘to send away, release’ and was previously used in 24:41 to describe one being taken and one left in the second coming. In verse 44, Jesus ‘leaves them again’ indicating that there is no longer any emotional attachment to the Perceiver facts of cognitive science or psychology. That is because Jesus has found an alternate source of stability in the spiritual realm. ‘Gone away’ and ‘prayed’ are the same two words that were used in verse 42. And verse 42 specifically says that the same prayer is repeated. However, thing is actually the word ‘logos’ which is interpreted as the Teacher theory that supports some technical specialization. ‘Logos’ was previously used in verse 1, which talked about Jesus finishing all these ‘logoses’. Thus, Jesus is now finding emotional support from a paradigm in Teacher thought, making it possible to ‘send away’ the disciples. This ‘logos’ is described as ‘the same’, implying that the content has not changed but rather the emotional basis. The Son of Man has acquired a Teacher paradigm that is independent of the humanity of ‘man’. Speaking from personal experience, I have recently been realizing that human experts appear to be incapable of actually helping me because their eyes are too heavy with the Mercy emotions of human existence. However, I can still continue to make progress with mental symmetry without this assistance because I have a paradigm. This does not mean that I ignore everyone else. I still find it helpful and useful to interact with others. But I will not fall apart, and my plan will not fail, if others do not help me.
The Betrayal of Jesus 26:45-49
Jesus describes this new attitude in verse 45. “Then He comes to the disciples and says to them, ‘Sleep and take your rest later on.’” Later on is used once in Matthew and means ‘something that remains’. Take your rest means to ‘give intermission from labor’ and is used one other time in Matthew in 11:28 where Jesus says that he will give rest to those who are heavy-laden. A footnote in the NASB provides the literal meaning ‘keep on sleeping for the time remaining’ which seems more consistent with the original Greek. This is typically interpreted as Jesus being exasperated or sarcastic, but it is also possible to interpret this as Jesus saying something meaningful. In order to understand this, we first have to look at the rest of the verse.
Verse 45 finishes, “Behold, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Behold indicates that something new has become visibly apparent. But a person or situation has not appeared. Instead, an hour has drawn near. We have been interpreting an hour as some period within a larger era of society. This interpretation is obvious in the statement of Jesus. But Jesus’ statement is strange. That is because humans do not see time. Humans see objects and locations. However, my best guess is that angels are ‘physically’ aware of time and sequence in a way that humans are not. This must be the case because of all the stories of angels stepping in to rescue humans from disastrous events. In some way, an angel must be able to sense that such an event is about to happen before it happens. Jesus’ statement that ‘the hour has drawn near’ illustrates this angelic awareness. It also illustrates that Jesus has successfully gone beyond being just a ‘Son of Man’. In fact, Jesus says precisely that: ‘and the Son of Man is betrayed’. The word betrayal combines ‘from close beside’ with ‘to give over’, and as was mentioned before, this can happen as a result of someone leading a transition to something new or else someone giving the old possibility no alternative but to make a transition to something new. Jesus is saying that a concept of incarnation based in humanity is about to make a major transition into something else. The final phrase indicates that this is the negative alternative, because the betrayal is ‘into hands of sinners’. Hands represent technical thought and a sinner is someone who shoots at a target and misses.
It is now possible to put ‘keep on sleeping for the time remaining’ into the larger picture. Our general hypothesis is that this passage is prophesying about the development of a future spiritual economy. Such a development has an inherent weakness which can be seen in a university. A university has the two primary functions of teaching and research. The goal of teaching is to spread intelligent knowledge to disciples. The goal of research is to make personal progress in understanding. Jesus would represent research and development motivated by a desire to bring salvation to humanity while the disciples would represent teaching others how to function within the spiritual economy. A high priestly system makes a sharp distinction between priests and laity. Academically speaking, this views students as a laity who acquire their truth from an academic priesthood. Today’s academic system can head in such a direction, but the tendency would be much greater in a future spiritual economy that included angelic power. On the one hand, research would lead to personal benefits that included superhuman powers, providing a strong motivation to focus upon research. On the other hand, it would become increasingly difficult to acquire the personal character required to function within the spiritual economy. Thus, the system would eventually split into superheroes and mortal humans. Initially, the powers of the superheroes would be fairly minimal. But as research continued to progress, true superheroes would eventually emerge with legitimate powers and the gap between superhero and normal human would become increasingly difficult to bridge. Verse 37 describes the first stage of attempting to make progress guided by Perceiver principles of cognitive science and psychology. The result of this was a feeling of depersonalization along with the recognition that an alternate form of human existence was possible, guided by God in Teacher thought. However, in verse 39 research ‘falls on its face’ and turns into authority based in personal experience, and in verse 40 Perceiver thought in the disciples goes passive. In other words, individual researchers are coming up with inhuman results that are freaking out the human-based thinking of their students. Research then responds by telling the students to remain rational. Verse 42 describes the second stage in which research becomes spiritually guided by Teacher thought. This new focus upon the spiritual realm causes Perceiver thought in human students to go totally passive, because they can only think in terms of human reality. In verse 45, the split between research and teaching becomes unbridgeable. It is now useless to exhort the students to use critical thinking, because the gap between researcher and student has become too great. Thus, the best alternative is to stop emphasizing critical thinking and allow the students to acquire truth passively as absolute truth so that they have something solid in Perceiver thought that can give them stability during the time of betrayal. (This throws some light on the earlier comment that is necessary for Peter to deny Jesus in some manner.)
Verse 46 looks forward to this transition. “Rise up, let us go! Behold, he who is betraying Me has drawn near!” Rise up means ‘to awaken, to raise up’. It was previously used in verse 32 to predict Jesus going ahead to Galilee after being raised from the dead. Go means ‘to lead, bring, carry’. This describes becoming personally involved with objects, and is interpreted as the type of personal exchange that is required by a spiritual economy. It was previously used in 21:7 to describe bringing the donkey and the colt, which was interpreted as the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s. That movement proclaimed information in a personal manner that involved substantial personal commitment. The idea is that a new kind of spiritual economy is emerging that requires a deeper level of personal commitment, one in which spiritual is the noun and technology is the adjective. The ‘he who’ gives the impression that something visible is now being revealed in Mercy thought, but the original Greek says ‘the betraying me’. Thus, the focus is upon the transition and not upon the person of Judas. It was suggested earlier when looking at verse 24 that it might be possible to fulfill this prophecy in a way that does not require the birth of a Judas. We have now seen how this might come about. Suppose that the spiritual economy makes so much progress that it becomes essentially impossible for new students to bridge the gap. Judas means ‘praised’. A mindset of Judas will still emerge as normal, mortal humans start to praise researchers as superheroes. But Judas is now the byproduct rather than the guiding force. There will still be hero worship, but it will become a byproduct of personal transformation, instead of individual heroes attempting to fight an entire priestly system of religious hero worship. In other words, either the Teacher emotion of continuing to make breakthroughs can be the driving force or the Mercy emotion of being superior to the common person; the first is driven by the anointing of the woman, while the second emphasizes the praise of Judas.
Verse 47 describes the characteristics of the system of Judas. “And as He is still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the Twelve, came, and with him great a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.” ‘Rise up’ in verse 46 was in the imperative indicating that people had to choose to follow this new perspective. ‘As he is still speaking’ indicates that the same words are now being interpreted from a different perspective. Judas is referred to as ‘one of the twelve’, which means that an attitude of hero worship will emerge from among the disciples. Crowd means ‘crowd, multitude, the common people’. It was previously used in 23:1 to describe Jesus saying to the crowds that the scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses, which was interpreted as academia regarding itself as the legitimate source of truth for society, leading to a division between academia and the common people. This division has now reappeared, because an aspect of the new academia has decided to think in terms of priests and laity and is accompanied by a crowd from the laity. This crowd is described as great, which means that a significant portion of society will be involved.
A sword is ‘a short sword or dagger mainly used for stabbing’. A sword is made out of metal, and metal is a strong material that has been purified through fire. Cognitively speaking, metal represents truth that has been tested by fire and found to survive. A sword uses such truth to stab opponents. This views truth as a weapon to destroy others. Jesus has told the disciples to stay awake, which implies testing truth and holding on to what is solid. A sword takes this solid truth that is meant to bring lasting change and uses it to attack others. This is like using Bible verses as weapons to try to prove doctrinal points instead of using these verses as guides for personal transformation. One can imagine people in the future doing something similar with supernatural principles. Club is actually the word ‘wood’ and is only used in Matthew here and in verse 55. A tree is interpreted as the tree of academic thought, guided by the idea of the birds of various specializations nesting in the branches of the tree. Wood would represent using specializations to club opponents. ‘I am a legitimate expert, because I trained in this specialization’. Chief priest was previously mentioned in verse 14 when Judas went to the chief priests. Elder means ‘a mature man having seasoned judgment’ and was previously mentioned in verse 3, along with the chief priests. This group decided back then to betray Jesus, but they also decided that they would wait for the right moment. This moment has now arrived because a significant portion of the spiritual economy has now acquired a character that is compatible with the idea of a religious priesthood being regarded as the source of truth for the laity. The great crowd is described as from the chief priests and elders. Stated academically, a new kind of student will emerge that no longer views education as a path to personal transformation. Instead, education will be seen as a way to acquire swords of truth which can be wielded upon opponents as well as clubs of specialized expertise with which to bludgeon others. Both verse 3 and verse 47 describe the chief priests and elders as ‘of the laity’. Thus, while the chief priests and elders claim to be messengers of God, their real master is the laity, illustrated in verse 5 by the fact that the supposedly priests of God allowed their actions to be dictated by the feelings of the laity, and in verse 47 by the fact that the betrayal is being spearheaded by a crowd of common people from the laity.
Verse 48 makes it clear that the laity are incapable of analyzing truth. “And the one betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, ‘Whomever I shall kiss, it is He; seize Him.’” A sign is ‘a sign, typically miraculous, given especially to confirm, corroborate, or authenticate’. Looking for a sign indicates that one is basing Perceiver truth in defining Mercy experiences. This sign is being given by the ‘betraying him’. In other words, focusing upon a sign is a key aspect of betraying Jesus, because it changes the focus from personal salvation to defining experiences. Saying indicates that this becomes a conscious aspect of understanding in Teacher thought. Whomever is a generic pronoun that could refer to anything. Kiss is actually the word for phileo love, which means ‘affectionate friendship’. It is used 25 times in the New Testament and is always translated as love, except in the three parallel passages that talk about Judas betraying Jesus. Phileo love describes someone with whom I am comfortable and like to be around. Thus, the sign is any form of thought that is compatible with a mindset of Judas, or hero worship, any kind of thinking or behavior that is comfortable functioning within an atmosphere of priests and laity.Is means ‘to be’ which indicates that anything that has the flavor of hero worship has the right kind of being. Seize means ‘to place under one’s grasp’. It was previously used in verse 4 with the chief priests and elders plotting to seize Jesus. However, we just saw that the leaders of a system of priesthood are actually under the grasp of the crowds, because their power depends upon being regarded as experts by the masses. Thus, being seized by the crowds could also be interpreted as being regarded as religious experts and superheroes.
Verse 49 continues, “And having come up to Jesus immediately, he said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi,’ and kissed Him.” This is typically regarded as mockery, but it is possible to interpret this verse in a way that gives it real meaning. (We have now seen several cases of supposedly facetious or rhetorical remarks having legitimate interpretations when interpreted from a prophetic perspective.) Immediately means ‘at once, directly’. The idea is that emotional ‘knowing’ happens instantly. It only takes a single defining experience to overwhelm Perceiver thought into ‘knowing’ what is true. Having come up means ‘to approach, to draw near’. Critical thinking tries to maintain some emotional distance in order to avoid becoming emotionally overwhelmed. Emotional ‘knowing’ embraces the source of truth in order to fully overwhelm Perceiver thought. This mindset comes to Jesus, which means that experiences of salvation are being regarded as defining experiences. One sees this, for instance, in the testimonial, in which people reinforce feelings of blind faith by describing how Jesus has saved them. One can tell that the focus is upon using Mercy emotions to overwhelm Perceiver thought if the most desirable testimonial is one which describes being saved from the most loathsome sins in the most dramatic manner.
Greetings means ‘to rejoice’ and is usually translated as ‘rejoice’. It is one of several similar words that all refer to Teacher emotion from God. Rabbi means ‘my great one; my honorable sir’ and we saw earlier that it focuses upon the Mercy status of a source of truth. These two words describe the essence of a high priesthood, because certain individuals are being regarded as religious experts in Mercy thought and the words of these priests are then being regarded as coming from God in Teacher thought. For instance, ‘This is a priest of God who can translate the transcendent words of God into the common language of laity’. Translation: ‘This important person will put words into God’s mouth.’ Kiss is used once in Matthew and adds an intensifying ‘down’ to phileo love. Jesus means ‘Yahweh’ saves’. In other words, a mindset of Judas believes that any salvation that comes from God in Teacher thought to save people in Mercy thought should be regarded especially fervently as an example of the division between priest and laity. This brings to mind Arthur C Clarke’s third law, which states that ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’. Incarnation is an extension of technical thought. The spiritual economy of incarnation has now become sufficiently advanced to become indistinguishable from the magic of the religious system of priesthood. In other words, following Jesus has returned to its current state in which miracles are regarded by most as divinely ordained magic. This is regarded today as normal. Thus, the statement by Judas has to be treated currently as facetious. However, returning to such an attitude in a future spiritual economy would be a betrayal. That is why I use the word spiritual economy. The word ‘economy’ is a secular term that implies rational thought and not religious mumbo-jumbo. The Judas of the future will betray the spiritual economy by returning to religious mumbo-jumbo.
Jesus Reacts 26:50-52
Jesus responds in verse 50. “And Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, for what are you come?’” The word friend means ‘clansman, cousin’ and is only used in Matthew where it appears three times. It was previously used in 22:12 to describe the person entering the wedding feast without a garment. That was interpreted as uneducated individuals attempting to act as experts within modern technical infrastructure. Here too, being able to quote the experts is being passed off as legitimate understanding. Unfortunately, most current theology is nothing more than quoting the right experts. That is the natural outcome of assuming that the Bible contains religious mumbo-jumbo that is incomprehensible to mortal humans. One of the goals of these essays is to demonstrate beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt that the Bible needs to be treated as a divine textbook that has technical meanings and precise structure. However, I have found that people actually get offended if I refer to the Bible as a textbook and that even a 640 page essay that presents the book of Matthew as a detailed prophecy of Western civilization will be ignored. That is why I am trying to push through to a spiritual breakthrough. I want to experience the salvation of Jesus and that goal is far more valuable than being recognized as a religious expert by some religious or academic system. Thus, when I read about the anointing of the woman and Jesus’ suggestion that it would be better if Judas was not born, then I have a personal reason to take these words as legitimate descriptions and not just as religious mumbo-jumbo.
Come means ‘to be near’. ‘You’ is not in the original Greek, which is more literally, ‘For what near?’ In other words Jesus, which means ‘salvation’, responds by focusing upon salvation. What motivates Judas to be near Jesus? What is his goal? What is he getting out of it? Acquiring religious status may be nice but there is no personal salvation in it.
Verse 50 then describes the response of the crowd. “Then having approached, they laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.” Then means ‘then, at that time’ which indicates a response caused by the current situation. Having approached means ‘to approach, to draw near’ and is the same verb that was used in verse 49 to describe the behavior of Judas. Laid means ‘to throw over’ and is interpreted as moving through the air of Teacher thought. It is used one other time in Matthew in 9:16 to talk about putting new cloth on an old garment, which was interpreted as attempting to add Teacher understanding to Medieval scholasticism with its focus upon sources of academic authority. In verse 50, the crowds are attempting to perform a similar juxtaposition between rational Teacher understanding and appeal to authority. Hands represent technical thought. This word was used previously in verse 45 to describe Jesus being betrayed into the hands of sinners, and before that in verse 23 to describe Judas dipping his hand in the bowl. This implies that the sinners who are betraying Jesus have technical expertise. One can already see this to some extent with Christian praise and worship, or any sort of modern entertainment. It gives the impression of emotional spontaneity and fervor, but it is actually being performed with significant technical expertise. Similarly, modern marketing uses principles of psychology and cognitive science to maximize its emotional impact. The goal in each case is to allow some ruling elite to maintain emotional control over hoi polloi. If a ruling elite currently goes to great lengths to control a normal economy, one can imagine that it would view a spiritual economy as the ultimate prize.
Verse 50 describes a ‘throwing over of the hands upon the Jesus’. In other words, the concrete salvation of Jesus is being placed within the theoretical framework of the technical thinking of a priestly system. Remember that a ‘Son of Man’ is based in what it means to be human. This may lead to accurate content, but it has an inadequate theoretical basis in Teacher thought, making it possible to place the Son of Man within the well-developed Teacher structure of a priestly system. Seized means ‘to place under one’s grasp’, which means that a system of priests and laity, or ruling elite and hoi polloi successfully manages to take control of the spiritual economy with its focus on personal salvation.
In verse 51, the disciples try to defend themselves, but in so doing, they stoop to the level of their adversaries. “And behold, one of those with Jesus, having stretched out the hand, drew his sword.” Jesus means salvation. Thus, ‘one of those with Jesus’ would refer to some aspect of personal salvation. ‘Behold’ would mean that this aspect is suddenly leading to visible results. Stretched out means ‘to extend’ and hands represent technical thought. ‘Stretching out’ was used previously in 14:31 to describe Jesus stretching out his hand towards Peter when he attempted to walk on the water. That was interpreted as science and technology extending its ‘hand’ to practical skills during the Industrial Revolution through the development of engineering. In this case, technical thought is again being used to lend assistance to a practical problem, but in this case the results are counterproductive. Draw means ‘to draw away’ and is only used once in Matthew. (The parallel passage in Mark 14 uses a more normal word for drawing a sword.) Sword is the same word that was used in verse 47 to describe the crowd coming with swords. Thus, the followers of incarnation are descending to the level of the priesthood. This is a ‘drawing away’ because it violates the primary nature of Jesus which is to save people rather than attack them. However, a Son of Man is susceptible to such a weakness because a primary assumption of being human is that people inhabit distinct physical bodies making it possible to defend one person by attacking another. This vulnerability is suggested by the phrase ‘the sword of him’ which implies that the sword belongs to this disciple. In contrast, a Son of God is based in Teacher thought, and Teacher thought feels bad when the order-within-complexity of some functioning human is disrupted. Summarizing, the technical principles of incarnation are being ‘drawn away’ from the fundamental goal of saving people in order to protect one person by harming another.
Verse 51 continues, “And having struck the servant of the high priest, cut off his ear.” Struck means ‘to beat of the heart’ and is used one other time in Matthew in verse 31, which talked about striking down the shepherd. Thus, the action of striking attacks the heart of the concept of Jesus as shepherd, and using technical thought as a sword to attack an enemy descends to the level of a priestly system. Servant means ‘slave’ and this is a slave of the high priest. This is a strange juxtaposition, because the high priest has the greatest social status, while a slave has the lowest. What happens in practice is that those who have high social status will think that they are above the law and will view the law as something that they use to control others. Thus, a slave of the high priest will continually be helping someone with great social status to break the law while pretending to follow the law. In other words, such an individual is continually facilitating religious hypocrisy. I have discovered over the years that mental symmetry is very effective at recognizing and attacking hypocrisy within systems. Similarly, a spiritual economy that extended technical thought to the subjective would also be very effective at recognizing and attacking hypocrisy. Thus, a slave of the high priest would be an obvious and easy target. But the end result is actually counterproductive. Cut off means ‘to take from, take away’ and is used once in Matthew. Ear is the diminutive of ‘an ear’ and is used only in this verse and in parallel passages in the other Gospels. The idea is that the slave of the high priest is listening to the commands of his master with his normal ear but is also hearing these commands through a second smaller ear that is observing and noting the repeated hypocrisies. Attempting to defend incarnation in some violent manner takes away this second smaller ear. The slave of the high priest might be willing to listen to a message of personal salvation that was followed consistently. But attacking the hypocrisy of the slave actually has the unintended effect of making the most receptive element of the religious hierarchy unreceptive to change.
Jesus addresses this problem in verse 52. “Then Jesus says to him, ‘Return your sword into its place; for all those having taken the sword, will perish by the sword.’” Return means to ‘turn away from’. It is used one other time in Matthew in 5:42 where Jesus instructed not to turn away from those want to borrow from you. In verse 52, Jesus instructs to ‘turn away from your sword into its place’. On the one hand, the disciple needs to turn away from viewing the sword as a weapon to attack others. On the other hand, a sword has its place, because technical thought analyzes a theory by using well-tested knowledge to cut that theory into pieces. But that use of the sword is always within a larger perspective.
All means ‘each part of a totality’, which indicates that the principle being mentioned applies to both general and specific. Taken means ‘to actively lay hold of’. Actively taking hold of a sword would mean adopting a combative mindset. By means ‘in the realm of’ and perish means to ‘fully destroy, cutting off entirely’. In other words, it may win the battle, but it will very definitely lose the war. That is because humans live within objects in physical space. Saying this another way, human salvation requires the connections of Perceiver thought. A sword attacks connections. Thus, adopting a sword as the primary tool attacks the very basis for human salvation, resulting in full destruction.
Angels and Crowds 26:53-56
Jesus points out the bigger picture in verse 53. “Or do you think that I am not able to call upon My Father, and He will furnish to Me presently more than twelve legions of angels?” Think ‘means to have an opinion’. It was previously used in 24:44 to say that the second coming would happen ‘when you do not think’. Able means ‘power’ and in this case, it would specifically refer to angelic power because Jesus talks about angels wielding power. Call means to ‘make a call from being close and personal’. This word is used nine times in Matthew but this is the only time that it refers to Jesus calling. Jesus began in the garden of Gethsemane by bringing Peter and the sons of Zebedee with him. However, they kept falling asleep while he broke through to the spiritual realm and the will of the Father. In verse 53, Jesus contrasts his close connection to God the Father with the opinions of his disciples, indicating that what was regarded as a source of support in verse 40 is now being regarded merely as personal opinion. Going further, the will of the Father was regarded in verse 39 and 42 as something that threatened personal existence. In verse 53, the Father is being regarded as someone close who is capable of protecting personal existence. Notice that this happens after someone has drawn a sword. Instead of having to choose between defending myself and being a pacifist, a third option has opened up of appealing to God for supernatural assistance.
Furnish means ‘to stand close beside’ and is used once in Matthew. Presently means ‘just now’. Legion is used once in Matthew and referred to ‘a division of the Roman army numbering about 6000 infantry’. ‘More than twelve legions of angels’ is typically interpreted as a hypothetical superlative but it may actually mean something. There are also twelve disciples, suggesting that there may be a relationship between a disciple and a legion of angels. Saying this more carefully, human actions provide substance to angelic movements; there is an interplay between humans paying the price to acquire new messages and messengers moving within the realm of messages. The relationship between angelic power, warfare, and messages can be seen in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. “For walking in flesh, we do not wage war according to flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but divinely powerful toward the demolition of strongholds, overthrowing arguments, and every high thing lifting itself up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought into the obedience of Christ.” Notice the combination of human ‘walking in flesh’, warfare, ‘overthrowing arguments’, and ‘taking captive every thought’. Notice also the reference to Christ, which is the abstract side of incarnation. Verse 53 is describing the start of a transition into a kingdom ruled by Christ. Summarizing, if each disciple represents one aspect of following incarnation, then each disciple would also be accompanied by a group of angels. The reference to a legion of angels suggests that the angelic realm has order, structure, and rank, as opposed to the humans who are behaving as a crowd. Finally, the assumption is that angels did not show up to rescue Jesus. But a distinction has to be made between angels functioning within the human realm and humans cooperating with angels in the angelic realm. A Son of Man will naturally assume that if angels do not show up within the human realm then angels have not showed up. But the goal is to replace a human-based Son of Man with a heavenly-based Son of God, which means cooperating with angels within the angelic realm and not just demanding that angels exhibit themselves within the human realm. Angels are messengers who live within a realm of messages, and I am just starting to get a sense of what this means. When I am writing an essay such as this, then angels are probably helping me. When doors of opportunity are opened or closed, then this is probably the result of angels manipulating sequences. And when I am struggling to interpret a situation from a new perspective, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, then this actually is a ‘physical’ struggle within the angelic realm.
Verse 54 describes standards that need to be followed when behaving within the angelic realm. “How then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” How means ‘how, in what manner, by what means’. Fulfilled means ‘to make full, to complete’. Scripture means ‘writing’ and always refers to the written Bible. That means ‘that, because’. So means ‘in this manner, in this way’. Must means ‘it is necessary’. And be means ‘to come into being’. Putting this all together, the Bible provides a landscape for angels, a sequence of messages within which angels move, somewhat like a book of regulations and procedures. However, these regulations and procedures are not arbitrary, but rather describe how things must come into being. We have been seeing in these essays that the scriptural sequences make cognitive sense. They describe how the structure of the mind causes things to come into being. Going further, the regulations are written as general procedures that can be fleshed out in different ways. Cooperating with angels means figuring out which scriptures apply and how one can behave in this manner. This makes the Scripture full by adding three-dimensional human substance to the string of words. If one wants help from angels, one has to figure out where one is within the scriptural landscape and then behave in a manner that is similar to the scriptural message. The scriptural message cannot be altered. In the same way that it is necessary for humans to submit to the laws of physics, so it is necessary for angels to submit to the scriptural message. An angel that does not submit to the scriptural message ‘leaves its first domain’ and becomes a fallen angel. However, the scriptural message can be ‘filled full’ in different ways. Thus, humans can ask for a scriptural message to be fulfilled in a way that is nicer for humans. And if this human request is backed up by personal character, then this request acquires power. This describes the ultimate purpose for writing these essays. I hope that humans will read the essays, but humans are not my ultimate audience, because humans cannot save me. Instead, my goal is to get help from angels. But in order to do that, I have to function within the angelic ‘landscape’ of Scripture. And as I am writing this essay, I am sensing that angels are helping me to understand their ‘world’, and I am gaining the ability to request help from angels in a legitimate manner that does not ask them to ‘leave their first domain’. Going further, each biblical book that I analyze adds an extra dimension to my understanding of the angelic landscape.
Jesus turns to the crowd in verse 55. “In that hour, Jesus said to the crowds, ‘Did you come out with swords and clubs, as against a robber, to capture Me?’” ‘In that hour’ implies that Jesus is functioning within an angelical landscape, basing his response upon the current ‘place’ within the sequence of Scripture. Notice also the distinction between the organized angelic legions of verse 53 and the chaotic human crowds of verse 55. As means ‘like as, even as’ which indicates behaving according to some pattern. Against actually means ‘on, upon’. A robber is someone who ‘steals out in the open, typically with violence’. Knowledge has a cost, especially when one is dealing with knowledge that has spiritual implications. Someone who appropriates knowledge without paying the price is a robber. That is why I refer to a spiritual economy, because in an economy items are bought and sold, as opposed to anarchy where items are stolen. A sword represents using tested truth to attack an opponent. A spiritual ‘sword’ reveals internal contradictions and lack of ownership; it is effective against spiritual robbers. In contrast, a person who has legitimately purchased truth is not susceptible to spiritual swords, because tested truth will reveal that this individual really has purchased the knowledge. A club uses the wood of specialized expertise to ‘club’ the opponent with authority. But a concept of incarnation legitimately ties together all specializations. Thus, attempting to use specialization against incarnation will simply reveal another area where incarnation applies. This principle has become clear to me with mental symmetry. Capture is used once in Matthew and combines ‘together with’ with ‘actively lay hold of’. In other words, the human crowd is attempting to put the elements of the spiritual economy together in a way that allows them to remain in control. But the angelic realm with its scriptural landscape describes how things really fit together. And I can state this with considerable confidence after having written thousands of pages of cognitive analysis on over half of the New Testament, with most of this analysis including a coherent, prophetic interpretation. Notice how Jesus has started to behave in an angelic manner, supporting the idea that he is now being helped by legions of angels. From this angelic perspective, Jesus observes the behavior of the crowds and concludes that they are treating him as a robber. Following angelic procedures defines how one purchases knowledge and power in a legitimate manner, as opposed to the religious priesthood which is actually stealing truth by submitting to human status rather than functioning within the angelic landscape.
Verse 55 then describes what it means to behave in a legitimate manner. “Every day in the temple I was sitting, teaching, and you did not seize Me. And all this is come to pass, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Every day is more literally, ‘according to the day’, suggesting that Jesus behaves in a manner that respects the ‘sun’ of current understanding; he is functioning within the context of the current worldview. Temple refers to ‘the entire temple complex’ and was previously used in 24:1 when Jesus predicted that every stone of the temple complex would be dismantled. Sitting means ‘to sit down’ and is used once in Matthew. Teaching means to ‘cause to learn’. And seize means ‘to place under one’s grasp’. Jesus is saying that religion is behaving in a manner that is different than how it behaved in the past. It is trying to seize the concept of personal salvation in a manner that it has not done previously. I think that I understand what this means, because something similar is currently happening to evangelical Christianity. Evangelical Christians used to preach the absolute truth of the Bible, but that is no longer their primary focus. Instead, the content of the Bible has been largely forgotten and the goal is to seize control of society in order to reimpose a mindset of absolute truth. This is because the mindset of absolute truth is going through an existential crisis, and when core mental networks become threatened, then preserving the integrity of the threatened mental network will take precedence over everything else. Verse 55 says that Jesus used to be sitting in the temple teaching, but that is no longer the case. This suggests that an even deeper core mental network is being threatened, which is the assumption that God, angels, and angelic help occupy a holy realm that is separate from the human realm of physical need. This assumption is a fundamental premise of religion. If angels started to interact with humans, then this fundamental assumption would be questioned, causing humans to instinctively attempt to gain control of the interaction between angels and humans. Acquiring help from Jesus would no longer be emphasized. Instead, the goal would be to maintain human control of the process of acquiring help from Jesus.
In verse 56, Jesus points out that this too is part of the angelic landscape. “And all this is come to pass, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Come to pass means ‘to come into being’. Fulfilled means ‘to make full’ and was used in verse 54. All means ‘all the parts are present in working as a whole’. In other words, a number of factors are coming together to cause the response of the crowd to come into being. One can see something similar with current evangelical Christianity. No single factor is responsible for their behavior. Instead, it is the sum total of factors working together which is leading to a response of existential angst within much of the evangelical community. (And other societal groups are responding in a similar manner.) Jesus referred in verse 54 to the Scriptures. Verse 56 refers to the Scriptures of the prophets. Thus, Scripture is not just a guide for behavior but also predicts how societies will behave. And we are seeing in these essays that this goes far beyond a few proof texts about future events to entire biblical books acting as symbolic outlines of future history. Prophecy indicates that the angelical landscape of Scripture has an impact upon human activity, consistent with the suggestion that Jesus is being assisted by legions of angels.
Verse 56 concludes, “Then the disciples all, having forsaken Him, fled.” Forsaken means ‘to send away, leave alone’. In verse 44, Jesus ‘sent away’ the disciples while praying in the garden of the Gethsemane. In verse 56 all of the disciples are ‘sending away’ Jesus. Fled means ‘to flee’ and was last used in 24:16, which was interpreted as fleeing from organized religion to the mountains of psychological understanding as a result of intense, postmodern questioning. Presumably, Jesus represents those who are attempting to break through to a new level of human salvation—which the book of Acts refers to as the apostles. And the disciples would represent followers who are attempting to become a part of this movement. These two groups were discussed earlier when looking at the tension between research and teaching in a university. In verse 44, research started making breakthroughs that left the human students behind. In verse 56, the breakthroughs have reached the level of causing an existential crisis within the minds of any potential students. For instance, I have attempted to share the essay on Matthew 2-24 with others because it deals with human history, even mentioning this analysis in an academic paper. This essay goes far beyond human history to enter the realm of science fiction. Talking about science fiction is fine, but actually living the science-fiction would be another matter. However, at this point the fleeing is not necessarily a bad thing. That is because the ex-disciples will bring some rational understanding to those who are attempting to defend humanity from alien intrusion. One sees again a beneficial side-effect to Peter denying Jesus.
Jesus before the High Priest 26:57-60
Jesus meets the high priest in verse 57. “And those having seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.” Seized means ‘to place under one’s grasp’ and was used in verses 50 and 55. Notice that it is the crowd that does the seizing and not the high priest, consistent with the suggestion that a religious priesthood is really controlled by the feelings of the laity. Notice also that the crowd brings Jesus to the high priest, indicating that the crowd is unable to think for itself and finds its truth in religious leaders with emotional status. Led away means ‘to lead away’. This word was used previously in Matthew 7:13-14 to describe the broad road that leads to destruction as well as the narrow road that leads to life. This gives the impression that a path is being followed that will lead to major consequences. The destination in verse 57 is Caiaphas, and we saw earlier that Caiaphas probably comes from a word that means basket or tub. This is not the integrated understanding of a Teacher theory or the order of a legion of angels, but rather the flimsy tub of a container based in religious authority. Caiaphas is the high priest. My experience is that such a system can use highly technical thought, but the goal of much or most of this technical thinking is to define the nature of ‘the tub’ of a high priesthood, which means clarifying the boundaries between religious and secular in careful detail, such as what is blind faith and what is reason, what precisely is controlled by religion, the limits to lay freedom and participation, and how a novice is transformed into an official priest. Where means ‘in what place’ and indicates a focus upon Perceiver facts of human existence. Thus, the high priest occupies a certain location in Perceiver thought, both physically and cognitively. Righteousness, in contrast, is independent of location and comes from behaving in a manner that is consistent with the character of God in Teacher thought. An elder is ‘a mature man having seasoned judgment’. This can be interpreted as preserving MMNs of culture, but a ‘mature man’ has also acquired the ‘seasoned judgment’ from years of living within a human body inside a human world. Notice that this seasoned judgment does not necessarily come from an understanding of what a human requires or how human needs could be met in a better manner, but rather from years of experiences of living as a human. A scribe means ‘a writer, scribe’ which relates to books and written revelation. A book takes angelic messages and places them within the container of some physical volume. A book takes the place of an integrated Teacher theory. A righteous person embodies words in acts of righteousness; a scribe takes words and records them in a book. Scribes were previously mentioned in Matthew 23, which described the seven woes of the scribes and Pharisees. The addition of scribes to elders suggests that progress has been made in two directions. First, being a human has progressed from something that one does intuitively to a conscious understanding that is being discussed and recorded using the Teacher words of abstract thought. Second, theology has once again become popular. The religious system has realized that it is both valid and important to use rational language to discuss how humans and angels should interact. This is a major step forward because I have repeatedly found that very few people regard theology as something meaningful today. Instead, the primary goal is to pursue spirituality without theological content.
Verse 58 indicates the presence of factual content. “And Peter was following Him from afar, even to the court of the high priest.” Peter represents Perceiver thought. The progress of Jesus overwhelmed Perceiver thought back in verse 40. In contrast, Perceiver thought is able to follow this human-controlled version of Jesus. Follow literally means ‘walking the same road’ and was previously used in 21:9 to describe the crowds in the triumphal entry. That was interpreted as the counterculture of the civil rights era in which the protesters actually lived out their words. From afar is only used twice in Matthew. It has been mentioned several times that a high priestly system uses Mercy emotions to overwhelm Perceiver thought. What usually happens is that a core of blind faith is surrounded by a shell of rational thought and the boundary between these two is policed by the various rules separating sacred from secular. ‘Following from afar’ would mean that religious truths start as defining experiences but then turn into rational principles after gaining some emotional distance. This again is a change from what is currently the case. Religion currently acquires its rational thinking from science through cognitive science and psychology, while religion itself attempts to preserve some leap of faith. In this case, rational thought is actually flowing out—at a distance—from religion.
Even means ‘till until’. Court means ‘interior courtyard, an uncovered, walled area’. It was used previously in verse 3, where it was interpreted as the Teacher theories within the walls of the religious system. The same phrase ‘court of the high priest’ was used back in verse 3 and would refer to the core doctrines of the religious system. Perceiver thought, symbolized by Peter, is extending even to this inner sanctum of religious thought. This is also significant, because the current assumption is that the rational thinking of Perceiver thought does not apply to the inner sanctum of core theology. I know from repeated personal experience that this is the case because mental symmetry uses rational thinking to analyze the core doctrines of Christianity, including the Trinity and personal salvation. The conservative Christian accepts these doctrines blindly as divine mystery that is incomprehensible to humanity, while the liberal Christian rejects these doctrines as mythology that has no rational meaning for humanity. Both are convinced that Peter does not belong here.
The end of verse 58 describes the extent to which Peter enters. “And having entered within, he was sitting with the guards to see the outcome.” Entered means ‘to go in’ and was previously used in verse 41 where Jesus warned Peter to pray so that he would not enter into temptation. Within means ‘within’ and is used once as an adverb in Matthew. This makes it clear that Perceiver thought is being applied even within the inner sanctum of core religious theology. ‘Sitting’ will next be used in verse 64 to describe the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power. The implication is that Perceiver thought is being treated as a source of authority. However, Peter is not alone. A guard is ‘a subordinate executing official orders’ and is used twice in Matthew. In other words, Perceiver thought is accompanied by a hierarchical system of authority. This concept of delegated spiritual authority is discussed in Acts 8. One can see this combination in a professional army. Personal status, as indicated by military rank, still reigns supreme, but subordinates are expected to use rational thought within some limited realm in order to carry out their orders intelligently. See means ‘to see with the mind’, another indication that intelligent thought is being used. Outcome means ‘consummation, the end goal, purpose’ and was previously used in 24:14 to say that the end will come after the gospel of the kingdom is preached to the whole world. Thus, it appears that theology is being reformulated from a system of blind faith to a system of hierarchical rational thought similar to a professional army. Notice how Peter has successfully been led into temptation. The goal of temptation is to put pressure upon some person or system so that it will fail. Peter was supposed to ‘exchange wishes’ with God in Teacher thought within the ‘winepress of culture’. Peter is now ‘exchanging wishes’ with the high priest within the inner sanctum of religious thought. In other words, Perceiver thought has won the wrong battle. It has become a respected element of human opinion rather than a guide to human enjoyment and need. And this has happened within the context of angels providing supernatural help to humanity.
Verse 59 describes where this leads. “And the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false evidence against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.” Chief priest has been seen before and represents a system that divides between priest and laity which is ruled by some elite priesthood. Council is the word Sanhedrin and means ‘a sitting together’. It was previously used back in 10:17 to talk about being handed over to the courts and scourged, which was interpreted as the medieval Inquisition. The implication is that religious authority is going to use force to impose its version of official doctrine. Whole means ‘all the parts are present and working as a whole’. Thus, the entire religious system is responding in a unified manner. The nature of this response is easy to predict, because in verses 48-49 anything that was comfortable with the ‘praise’ of Judas was being treated as a religious authority—and the betrayal is being led by Judas. Seeking means ‘to seek by inquiring’ and was last used in verse 16 to describe Judas seeking an opportunity to betray Jesus. What is being sought here is false evidence, literally a pseudo-martyr, which means ‘false testimony’. This word is used one other time in Matthew in 15:19, which was interpreted as objective science becoming corrupted by untransformed subjective identity. In other words, the religious system is recognizing that religious understanding has to be accompanied by personal application. But personal application becomes false or pseudo- when it occurs within the artificial environment of a religious hierarchical system. One thinks, for instance, of various religious heroes who died in order to preserve the religious system with its separation between priest and laity. This false testimony is being sought ‘against the Jesus’. So that ‘emphasizes the method involved to accomplish the objective’ and the objective is the death of Jesus. In other words, the goal is to replace a mindset that is motivated by saving people with a mindset that is motivated to maintain the split between priest and laity. This can be done with a human system of religion because ‘saving people’ can be postponed to some future nebulous time when heaven finally reaches down to save people on earth, making it possible for religious authorities to assert that one acquires personal salvation by denying oneself for the religious system. However, it is no longer possible for the priesthood to claim to be the voice of heaven because heaven itself has now started reaching down to save people on earth. Experiencing such salvation would implicitly undermine a system that distinguishes between religious and secular.
Verse 60 describes this failure. “But they did not find any, of many false witnesses having come forward.” Find means ‘to discover, especially after searching’. ‘Find’ is preceded by ‘not’, which means that this search is unsuccessful. Come forward means ‘to approach’ and was previously used in verse 50 to describe the crowd coming forward to Jesus to arrest him. What is coming forward is ‘many false witnesses’. In other words, many pseudo-martyrs of the religious system are attempting to eliminate a focus upon the personal salvation of Jesus. This can be done as long as most of the salvation happens in some hypothetical future. But people are now starting to experience real salvation as a result of real interaction with real angels. Any attempt to impose a religious priesthood upon this salvation would have the unintended effect of re-imposing a division between the angels who are providing the help and the humans who need the help, causing the laity to reject the concept of a religious priesthood in order to experience salvation. This already happens to some extent with religious believers turning their back upon religious belief in order to experience the temporal benefits provided by secular technology. It would happen to a much greater extent if people started to experience more lasting benefits as a result of supernatural help. Summarizing, the more that the religious priesthood attempts to assert its authority, the more it loses control over the laity.
Destroying the Temple 26:60-64
A ‘solution’ is finally found at the end of verse 60. “And at last, two having come forward.” Last means ‘afterwards, later’ and the same word ‘come forward’ is used. We will see in verse 61 that this final approach is at the meta-level. The priesthood has been attempting—and failing—to impose its authority at the level of specific situations. Eventually, it is forced to approach the problem at a more general level. This is implicitly a ‘betrayal’ in the positive sense, because it shifts the attention from Jesus within concrete thought to Christ within abstract thought. This will lead to a fixation upon Christ in verse 63.
Verse 61 describes the nature of this new approach. “They said, ‘This man has been saying, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.”’” ‘Man’ is implied and only the generic pronoun is used. ‘Said’ and ‘saying’ are different in the original Greek. Said means to ‘bring word, command’. Saying means ‘to bring forth into the light’ and was previously used by Jesus in verse 34 to say that Peter would deny him. Looking at this cognitively, the two witnesses are speaking in terms of delegated authority, whereas Jesus is using words to bring the light of Teacher understanding. Able means ‘to have power’ and is interpreted as active Perceiver thought. Humans have strength while angels have power. Destroy means to ‘loosen thoroughly’. This word was previously used by Jesus in 24:2 to predict that every stone of the temple system would be ‘loosened thoroughly’. And postmodern thought has effectively dismantled all of the Perceiver ‘stones’ of traditional religious belief. However, there are some significant differences between what the false witnesses say in verse 61 and what Jesus said in 24:2. Jesus referred to ‘the entire temple complex’ and this word is derived from a word that means ‘sacred, holy, set apart’. Thus, Jesus was predicting the downfall of the division between sacred and secular. In contrast, verse 61 uses a word that means ‘shrine’ and refers to ‘that part of the temple where God himself resides’. And this is specifically referred to as ‘the temple of the God’. The word ‘God’ was last used in 23:22 where Jesus said that he who swears by heaven also swears by the throne of God. That was interpreted as scientific methodology being regarded as more significant than scientific thought. Here too, the religious system of holiness is being equated with the divine presence of God. The basic assumption of a religious system of priesthood is that the high priest has the right to put words into the mouth of God. But this actually reflects a fundamental mistake about the nature of God, which can be seen by looking at the final difference between verse 61 and 24:2. In chapter 24, Jesus predicted that this would happen. In verse 61, the false witnesses claim that Jesus used angelic power to make it happen. A religious system of holiness assumes that God inhabits some specific location in Mercy thought. But God is a universal being who reveals himself through general principles about how ‘things work’. For instance, these essays are showing that the Bible is the word of God, not because it is a special book that has been given great Mercy status but rather because it describes with great accuracy fundamental cognitive principles of how things work. ‘Three days’ would refer to three major cycles of societal illumination. The initiation of spiritual technology was one day and that day has now come to a close. Rebuild means ‘to build a house’ and a house is fundamentally different than a shrine. God—supposedly—lives in a shrine; humans live in a house. Stated simply, the false witnesses are accusing Jesus of using supernatural power to dismantle a house of God that is distinct and separate from human life and replace it with a house in which humans can live. Something similar happened when ben Yehuda reinvented the modern Hebrew language. Quoting from Wikipedia, “Many devoted Jews of the time did not appreciate Ben-Yehuda’s efforts to resurrect the Hebrew language. They believed that Hebrew, which they learned as a biblical language, should not be used to discuss mundane and non-holy things.” Notice how Hebrew was transformed from a religious language used to describe God and religion to a common language used to describe the normal experiences of human existence. Finally, notice that these are not described as witnesses but rather simply as ‘two’. In other words, the very concept of dividing existence into two ultimately comes to the rescue, because everyone within the system agrees that such a division exists.
The high priest then accuses Jesus in verse 62. “And the high priest having stood up, said to Him, ‘Answer you nothing? What do these witness against you?’” Stood up is the word that is used elsewhere to describe resurrection from the dead. Verse 62 starts with ‘the high priest having stood up’, which indicates a revival of the concept of a priesthood based in a division between religious and secular. This revival of religious authority causes the high priest to command to him. Nothing means ‘no one, nothing at all’ and answer simply means ‘to answer’. Cognitively speaking, such a question cannot be answered, because if Jesus verbally claims that there is no division between priests and laity, then he is acting as a priest who is revealing truth to the laity.
Notice that the high priest claims that ‘these bear witness against you’. Bear witness against combines the word ‘against’ with ‘witness’ and is only used three times in the New Testament, twice by the high priest, and once by Pilate, each time by a voice of authority against Jesus. ‘Bearing witness against Jesus’ is a strange concept. Imagine someone dying of cancer saying, ‘I tried this new cure and I am happy to report that I personally reject the idea of being cured from cancer’. The only people who would make such insane statements are those who have deluded themselves into thinking that they are not sick. Similarly, the sources of religious truth within a religious system have deluded themselves into thinking that God is on their side and that they are not religiously sick. Notice that this statement is being made by someone at the top of the pecking order who is living in the lap of luxury supported by many underlings (the guards of verse 58) who are supporting the leader in his delusion of personal well-being. Thus, if Jesus tries to defend himself verbally against this accusation, then he is implicitly supporting the division between priest and laity, a division that contradicts the very nature of Jesus. Jesus responds in verse 63 by not responding. “But Jesus was silent.” In other words, speaking at this point will support the system of priest and laity, while saying nothing will allow the inherent contradictions of the system to become apparent, because the ongoing salvation of Jesus continues to call the legitimacy of the religious system into question.
Christ and Blasphemy 26:65-68
One can tell that Jesus’ strategy is working because the high priest pulls the ultimate appeal to authority. “And the high priest said to Him, ‘I adjure you by the living God, that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.’” Said again means to ‘command’. But notice that the high priest is no longer commanding based upon his own authority. Adjure is used once in the New Testament and combines ‘out from’ with a word that means ‘fence, enclosure’. The New Testament uses two words for ‘oath’: Omnuo means to swear by some higher power. Horkos refers to some ‘fence or enclosure’. (This distinction is discussed in the essay on Hebrews.) Both of these are present in a system of priesthood. ‘Truth’ is established by swearing by some higher authority, while the distinction between sacred and secular leads to the concept of a fence or enclosure. By appealing to the ‘two’ as the ultimate ‘witness against’, the high priest is elevating a fence or enclosure above his own personal authority as high priest. Going further, the high priest puts ‘the living God’ on the other side of the fence. This phrase ‘the living God’ is used one other time in Matthew in 16:16 where Peter makes his famous confession of faith. That was interpreted as the birth of the Humboldtian University system with its focus upon integrated understanding. Here too, fragments of spiritual understanding are coming together. On the one hand, the repeated failed attempts to squelch the salvation of Jesus have made it clear that something new has come to life that involves the heavenly realm of God. On the other hand, because these repeated failed attempts have come from the religious system, it has become clear that the religious system is on the other hand. On the one hand, there is a living God, while on the other hand, there is an impotent priesthood, and the priesthood now regards the living God as the ultimate source of authority. The high priest himself is now part of a new laity. In 16:16, Peter stated that Jesus ‘was the Christ, the son of the living God’. In verse 63, the high priest demands to know ‘by the living God if Jesus is the Christ, the son of God’. In 16:16 Peter was progressing from Jesus to Christ to son of the living God, consistent with a human system of learning that starts with the concrete evidence of Jesus, moves to the abstract understanding of Christ, and then attempts to integrate this with a Teacher concept of a living God. In verse 63, the repeated and failed attempts to impose religious control upon supernatural help have made it clear that a living God exists who is above—and different from—human religion. The high priest is then asking if all of this divine help is actually an expression of an integrated concept of incarnation. A similar demanding can be seen in Acts 7:1 where the high priest asks Stephen a legitimate question about the authority of Jesus.
Jesus answers in verse 64. “Jesus says to him, ‘You have said.’” Says is the normal word for ‘say’, while said means ‘to command’. ‘You’ is explicitly mentioned. This may sound like an oblique statement by Jesus but it is the only way that he can answer. If Jesus directly claims to be the Christ, then he is acting as a supernatural religious authority who is proclaiming truth to the human laity, but that will open up a division between angels and humanity, breaking the link that makes the salvation of Jesus possible. However, if the religious system that supports the division between angels and humanity comes up with the idea that Jesus is the Christ, then Jesus can agree with this statement, indirectly supporting the assertion that Jesus is the Christ while continuing to behave as an integrated incarnation based in the living God who bridges all the divisions of creation.
Jesus adds in verse 64 that this will lead to a greater revelation of heavenly power. “But I say to you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming upon the clouds of heaven.” Say is the normal word for ‘say’ which means that Jesus is not making a command based upon his authority. ‘From now on’ indicates that the situation has just changed. This is not some prediction involving the distant future but has started right now. See means ‘to see with the mind’ suggesting that the priestly system has just had a paradigm shift. The Son of Man refers to a concept of incarnation based in humanity. The religious system used to place this within the confines of a human religious system. But the nature of this religious system has just changed. It used to be ‘unknown and distant God-given content by a human priesthood’ on the one hand and ‘human laity’ on the other hand. It is now ‘supernatural power from a living God delivered through supernatural beings’ on the one hand and ‘all humans including human priests’ on the other. And the Son of Man now resides on the supernatural side of this split. Power refers to supernatural, angelic power. ‘Hand’ is implied. Thus, ‘out from right of the power’ would indicate the Server sequences and Teacher words of left hemisphere thought expressing angelic power. The phrase ‘coming upon the clouds of heaven’ is identical to the Greek phrase in 24:30 which talked about the second coming and that verse also referred to the Son of Man. However, in 24:30 the Son of Man was ‘coming with great power and glory’ while in verse 64, the Son of Man is now ‘sitting at the right hand of power’. Notice how the Son of Man has been promoted from accompanying angelic power to a place of authority over angelic power.
The word cloud was previously used in 24:30. It does not just refer to a physical cloud but actually is the name of a Greek goddess and ‘cloud’ has angelic and/or supernatural implications every time it is mentioned in the New Testament. Cognitively speaking, a cloud represents a Platonic form. A cloud can be seen, but it is not solid. A cloud looks like an object, but it resides within the air of Teacher thought. Similarly, a Platonic form is an internal image that does not come directly from physical reality. Instead, it forms within the mind indirectly as a result of the heaven of Teacher understanding. Supernaturally speaking, a cloud appears to be an aspect of the supernatural realm that is compatible with human reality, but is also an idealized form of human reality. Something similar can be seen whenever solving a problem of physics because real life situations will always be translated into idealized simplifications that can be plugged into the mathematical equations of abstract thought. Verse 30 seems to be indicating that the interface between humanity and the angelical realm just became significantly larger. I have experienced similar expansions with mental symmetry because several times religious leaders have responded to my attempt to share mental symmetry with them by giving me some book to read. Their goal was to shut me up but I responded by using mental symmetry to analyze the book. Each analysis made it more obvious that mental symmetry is a meta-theory that rules above existing religious thought.
The high priest responds in verse 65 with a cry of blasphemy. “Then the high priest tears his garments, saying, ‘He has blasphemed.’” Tear is used once in Matthew and means ‘to tear asunder’. Garments refer to ‘an outer garment’, which would represent the fabric of social interaction. This tearing means that the split between religious and secular consciously becomes a fundamental aspect of the social fabric of how the system of priesthood interacts. The priesthood will behave one way when dealing with humans while behaving in another matter when interacting with supernatural entities. This conscious split is evidence in the words of the high priest who accuses Jesus of blasphemy. Blasphemy means ‘to speak lightly or profanely of sacred things’. ‘Coming on the clouds of heaven’ would do precisely this because it would suggest that one can move between the heaven of godly perfection and the earth of human need. This word was used once previously in Matthew in 9:3 where the scribes regarded Jesus ‘saying your sins are forgiven’ as blasphemy. That was interpreted as Church promises of divine forgiveness colliding with the general improvement of society during the high Middle Ages. There too, a system of religious authority was colliding with spreading experiences of actual salvation.
Verse 65 continues. “Why do we have any more need of witnesses? Behold now, you have heard the blasphemy.” Need means ‘need, business’ and is related to the word ‘make use of’. ‘It is necessary’ has been used previously and gives the impression that some external force is generating the need. Similarly, have refers to ownership, which is more peripheral than identity. What is no longer needed is witnesses. The system of religious worship no longer has to be backed up by some form of personal application. ‘Behold now’ indicates that something new has become evident. Heard means to ‘comprehend by hearing’ which means that intelligent thought is being used, which goes beyond the blind faith of absolute truth. What has been heard is the blasphemy. Looking at this cognitively, the religious system has repeatedly attempted to place the supernatural salvation of Jesus into its system. But each attempt has merely showing up the inadequacies of the religious system and led to the development of a new facet of the salvation of Jesus. The entire system of a spiritual economy is now being regarded as an affront to the mindset of regarding God as special and different. This is similar to the way that most evangelical Christians currently regard all aliens as demons from hell. This current conclusion is somewhat true because most aliens do act as demons from hell. However, this essay suggested earlier that a shift will occur and many aliens will become saved by Jesus (and some angels may turn into evil aliens). In verse 65, a similar conclusion is being reached, but the verdict of ‘they are all demons from hell’ by the religious system will be applied to the group of angels and ex-aliens who are implementing the plan that is helping humans in meaningful ways.
Verse 66 makes it clear that this verdict is based in personal opinion and not fact. “‘What do you think?’ And answering they said, ‘He is deserving of death.’” Think means ‘to have an opinion’ and was previously used in verse 53 where Jesus said ‘do you think that I cannot appeal to legions of angels’. In verse 66, the religious system is having precisely such an opinion. Comparing this with the book of Acts, it appears that the church with its priesthood will eventually acquire legitimate supernatural power. It will do this by setting up a system of holiness that includes both humans and angels. My hypothesis is that aliens currently acquire their power by an implicit separation between the supernatural and the human. Humans live within a world of physical reality while aliens remain hidden within the supernatural. Such a split enables a religion of mysticism—both for humans and for aliens, which turns its back upon physical content in order to worship a transcendent God of cosmic unity. The current system can only continue to work as long as most humans do not believe in aliens. Verse 66 appears to be describing a revival of this system, this time backed up by the explicit belief that aliens and their supernatural realm are fundamentally different than humans. Said is ‘command’. Thus, the council responds to the request from the high priest for a personal opinion with a verbal command. Deserving means ‘held in, bound by, liable’. This is not a conclusion based in actual need or assistance but rather a consensus decision made by those who have religious authority. Is is specifically mentioned. Thus, the religious experts have come together and they have decided as a group that the spiritual economy needs to be killed. This is not because of anything that this economy has done, but rather because of its fundamental nature. That is because the spiritual economy by its very essence minimizes the distinction between sacred and secular.
This is followed in verse 67 by intense personal disapproval of Jesus. “Then they spat in His face and struck Him. And others slapped Him.” Then means ‘at that time’ which indicates that verse 67 is describing the behavior at that time. Spit on is used twice in Matthew. The mouth is usually the source of words in Teacher thought. Spitting uses Teacher to generate the liquid of Mercy experiences, which describes using Teacher thought purely to affect Mercy experiences. This spitting is ‘towards the face of him’ and the face represents both verbal and nonverbal communication. Thus, religious doctrine becomes replaced by using religious status to personally attack any form of communication from the spiritual via the spiritual economy. This is similar to the current war between Russia and Ukraine, because the very existence of Ukraine as a Westernising nation is being interpreted by Russia as a threat to the traditional Russian view that Russia deserves to control its neighbors. This is not because of anything that Ukraine has done to Russia, but rather because Ukraine exists. The very fact of Ukrainian success threatens the Russian dogma of cultural and military imposition. And any attempt by Ukraine to continue to exist as an independent country is being labeled by Russia as the ultimate blasphemy of Nazism. The fundamental assumption of the Russian mindset is that an elite has the inherent right to impose its will upon a poverty-stricken and compliant peasantry. Strike is used once in Matthew and means ‘to strike with the fist’. The same word is used in 2 Corinthians 12:7 to describe Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’. Hands represent technical thought. Thus, striking with the fist uses technical thought to attempt to deal a body blow to the opposition. For instance, Russia has responded to the ‘blasphemy’ of Ukraine with the ‘fist’ of a military invasion carried out using the technical thought of modern weapon systems. ‘Others’ is simply ‘the and’ which indicates an additional response. Slap means ‘to strike with a rod’ and is only used twice in the New Testament. A rod is a ‘staff of authority’. Striking with a rod would mean using official authority to suppress an opponent. For instance, Russia’s military attack on Ukraine is accompanied by setting up a system of government and official procedures within occupied Ukrainian territories that has the explicit goal of wiping out Ukrainian identity. (I am not suggesting that all Ukrainians are good and all Russians are evil, but Ukraine has been consistently attempting to pursue goodness while Russia has been consistently heading in the direction of being more purely evil.)
Verse 68 describes what accompanies the slapping. “Saying, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ, who is the one having struck You?’” Prophesy means to ‘assert by elevating one statement over another’. And this command to prophesy is specifically addressed to Christ. This is typically interpreted as mockery, but it also has a legitimate cognitive interpretation. Prophecy is associated with Perceiver thought. Humans have no control over what will happen, but Perceiver thought is active within angels. Angels work with messages and angels can presumably alter the course of events by using Perceiver power to elevate one statement or trend over another. Christ refers to the abstract side of incarnation that works with the angelic realm. Striking Jesus with a rod in order to get Christ to prophesy would mean using human authority to control human events through the application of angelic power. That would be the ultimate weapon. Verse 68 gives the impression that the religious system has not gained sufficient power over incarnation to be able to control future events, but has gained sufficient access to use this as a means of gathering information, especially information about how human authority is attempting to manipulate angelic powers. (The current Russian invasion of Ukraine has made it clear that gathering information is a key to victory.) Notice how in verse 68 the priesthood viewed the living God as separate and more powerful. But in verse 67 the priesthood is now viewing itself as separate and more powerful than the Jesus of the spiritual economy.
Peter’s Denials 26:69-75
It is at this point that Peter denies Jesus three times. Verse 69 begins, “And Peter was sitting outside in the court, and one servant girl came to him, saying, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’” We last saw Peter in verse 58, where he had entered into the court of the high priest and was sitting with the underlings. Peter is still sitting in verse 69, which indicates that Perceiver thought is still being used. In fact, my general hypothesis is that angels can only function as long as Perceiver thought is enabled, just as humans can only move physically if Server thought is enabled. Thus, any system that uses angelic power has to include Perceiver thought to some extent. And the word court is the same word that was used in verses 3 and 58, which refers to the open area in the middle of some mansion or palace. But verse 58 described this location as within the courtyard of the high priest, while verse 69 describes Peter as being outside, in the realm of the court. Peter has not changed location, but the location that used to be part of the inside has now become part of the outside. The implication is that Perceiver thought is now on the other side of the religious/secular split. In verse 58, religious doctrine was being reevaluated using Perceiver thought. In verse 69, Perceiver thought is no longer used to evaluate what is holy. This is consistent with the suggestion that the division between holy and secular has changed, with the holy now occupying a supernatural realm that is regarded as beyond human rational thought. Come means ‘to approach’ and servant girl is the feminine diminutive form of ‘a child under training’. Thus, this young girl is not necessarily a slave. This is a personal interaction, because both ‘one’ and ‘him’ are explicitly mentioned. The girl refers to ‘Jesus the Galilean’ and Galilee is being interpreted as the cycles of society. Female thought combines Mercy experiences with Teacher generality in an intuitive matter. This is significant because mysticism also combines personal identity in Mercy thought with a universal Teacher overgeneralization of God in an intuitive manner. Thus, the little girl is making the obvious intuitive observation that mysticism is not a constant state. Instead, the mystic leaves normal life in order to have a mystical experience and then returns from a mystical experience back to normal life. But every leaving and returning implicitly violates the division between secular and religious. And journeying between natural and supernatural is actually an aspect of the spiritual economy of Jesus. Consistent with this, Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 as he is returning from the worship of Jerusalem back to his home and the description given here corresponds to the interpretation suggested by the story in Acts.
Peter responds in verse 70. “And he denied it before all, saying, ‘I do not know what you say.’” Denying means ‘to deny, say no’. Before means ‘in front, before the face’. All means ‘each part of the totality’. In other words, Perceiver thought is denying that there is any connection between human and supernatural, even though the practice of mysticism continually crosses this supposedly uncrossable barrier. This is a universal denial that is being made to all people. Notice that one cannot change the facts, but one can agree universally to reject the facts. Know means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’ which is interpreted as empirical knowledge. Thus, Peter is saying that physical evidence contradicts what the little girl is saying. And Peter is technically correct because humans live within physical reality while angels and aliens do not. Thus, physical evidence indicates that there is a strict separation between these two realms. In contrast, the basic premise of mental symmetry is that humans and angels have similar minds. But a mindset based in empirical evidence has problems believing even in the existence of the mind.
Peter changes location in verse 71. “And having gone out to the porch, another saw him, and says to those there, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’” Having gone out means ‘to go or come out of’, suggesting that Perceiver thought has been relegated to the periphery. The porch is ‘the passage which led from the street through the front part of the house to the inner court’. Perceiver thought is now performing a gatekeeping function on the periphery, deciding what will be allowed into the inner sanctum and what belongs outside, similar to the way that empirical evidence is now used as the guide to determine what is accepted as rational and what is regarded as irrational. Saw means ‘to see with the mind’. Another means ‘another of the same kind’ which suggests another intuitive insight. This person states that ‘this was with Jesus of Nazareth’. The name Nazareth means ‘separated, crowned, sanctified’. The intuitive insight here is that a mystical encounter leads to some form of separation, crowning, and sanctification. This is obvious when Perceiver thought is in the entrance that leads from human existence outside into the supernatural mystical experience inside. I should emphasize that we are not talking here about the mysticism of today in which a person merely has some transcendental emotional experience but rather about a supernaturally charged mysticism in which the mystical experience leads to the acquisition of actual supernatural power. What happens today is that a person has a mystical experience and then retroactively uses human rational thought to try to make sense of this experience. Perceiver thought will naturally tend to be used when exiting from the mystical experience back to normal life. Similarly, verse 71 describes Peter having gone out from the courtyard to the entrance and the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts happens on the journey from Jerusalem back to Ethiopia. And when one returns from a mystical encounter back to normal life with supernatural empowerment, then this is related to the salvation of Jesus.
Peter responds strongly in verse 72. “And again he denied it with an oath, ‘I do not know the man.’” Denied is the same word that was used in verse 70. But it is accompanied this time by an oath, which refers to a ‘fence, enclosure’. In other words, Perceiver thought is denying the connection while at the same time standing in the doorway. This may sound like a contradiction, and it is. But a similar contradiction is made by the mindset which states categorically that there is no absolute truth. In both cases, Perceiver thought is being used to shut down Perceiver thought. Know is again the word for empirical evidence. And man, which is ‘the generic term for mankind’, is explicitly mentioned. Peter says that he has no empirical evidence of the human who is Jesus of Nazareth. In other words, the supernatural encounter in which one feels ‘separated, crowned, sanctified’ and then experiences personal benefits has no connection with the normal experiences of mankind. In contrast, I have found that mental symmetry can be used to provide a simple cognitive explanation for the mystical encounter. The mystic who claims to contact the supernatural is actually playing a trick on his mind that can be analyzed using cognitive mechanisms. Stated succinctly, mysticism enables Teacher overgeneralization by suppressing Perceiver thought. However, when I say this to those who practice mysticism, it is categorically denied, even if the individual practicing mysticism claims to be a Christian who believes that Jesus is both God and man. Logically speaking, if Jesus is both God and man and if Jesus lived within human reality while remaining God, then this means that there is a rational interaction between the divine nature of God and the physical experiences of humanity. Even though this argument seems to me as plain as the nose on my face, I have found that it falls flat whenever I attempt to use it. If today’s mystic so stubbornly separates between human rational thought and divine irrationality, one can imagine that the mysticism of the future would be at least as stubborn.
The third statement in verse 73 comes from a group of people. “And after a little while those standing by having approached, said to Peter.” Little implies that the third statement follows naturally from the second. Standing means ‘to make to stand’ and is interpreted as gaining Perceiver confidence in some solid facts. ‘By’ is implied. Said means to ‘command’. The idea is that Perceiver thought is acquiring confidence in related subjects and is using that confidence to try to influence beliefs about the entrance between human and supernatural. A similar connecting happens in Acts because Philip is told to join the Ethiopian eunuch as he is traveling on the road from Jerusalem back to his home.
Verse 73 then describes what these people say. “Surely you are of them also, for even your speech gives you away.” Surely means ‘reflecting true reality’. It was used once previously in Matthew in 14:33 when the disciples declared that Jesus surely was the Son of God after he stepped into the boat and calmed the storm. That was interpreted as early engineers recognizing during the Industrial Revolution that the natural world really is governed by mathematical equations. Verse 73 describes a similar fundamental realization. Of means ‘out from’, them means ‘the same’, and are, which is the verb ‘to be’, is explicitly mentioned. In essence, Perceiver thought is being used to assert the existence of Perceiver thought. Speech is used once in Matthew and refers in classical Greek to chattering. Give means ‘to make, do’, which is interpreted as Server actions. Away means ‘plainly evident’. Thus, a more literal translation would be, ‘True reality reflects that Perceiver thought is from the same, and even the chattering of Perceiver thought makes Server sequences plainly evident’. Stated more simply, if one goes from one human location in Perceiver thought to another, then one has performed a Server sequence. Using the language of natural and supernatural, one does not leave the human realm of Perceiver objects, enter the nothingness of holiness for a supernatural encounter, and then return to the human realm of Perceiver objects. That may be how human Perceiver thought interprets this. But one is actually leaving the human realm of Perceiver thought, entering the Server sequences of angelic thought, and then reentering the human realm of Perceiver thought. This may sound like strange thinking, but exactly the same thing happens at an atomic level with quantum tunneling. A small particle such as an electron can vanish from one side of a barrier and reappear upon the other side. This is known as quantum tunneling. It has recently been discovered that this does not happen instantaneously but rather takes a certain amount of time. In other words, quantum tunnelling is not magic. Instead, a particle turns into a wave and then exists for a short while as a wave as it is tunnelling. This may sound like a totally irrelevant interpretation, but the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch ends in Acts 8:39 with Philip teleporting away from the eunuch—performing a human scale version of quantum tunneling. This provides a possible explanation for the comment of verse 73. If humans functioning within the banned spiritual economy acquired an ability to teleport, then this would reveal the alien religious empowering ceremony as a version of teleporting, making a mockery of the claim that it involved supernatural magic inaccessible to human logic. This relationship is not revealed automatically in Acts but becomes apparent when Philip joins himself to the Server journey of the eunuch as he is traveling from Jerusalem back home. The eunuch responds to the rational explanation of Philip by briefly exiting the journey at his current location in order to be baptized. The implication is that the angelic sequences of the spiritual economy have become connected in the angelic realm with the angelic sequences of mystical worship, making it obvious to humans that both of these involve the same form of rational thinking within angelic thought. Using the language of alien encounters, the mystical experience puts humans to sleep, takes them aboard a UFO, gives them a power-inducing mystical experience, returns the UFO to earth, and then wakes up the humans. This describes the standard current abduction scenario. A spiritual economy could make a mockery of this by having conscious humans within a KFO (known flying object) come alongside a UFO that is performing a mystical sequence and waking up the sleeping humans in the UFO. That is what the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch seems to be representing, because the eunuch gains mental awareness from Philip as the two of them are traveling together on a chariot.
Something that has deep religious emotions is being deflated because Peter responds vehemently in verse 74. “Then he began to curse and to swear, ‘I do not know the man!’” Began means to ‘commence, rule’ which means that some concept starts to rule Perceiver thought. Curse is used once in the New Testament and is an intensification of anathema, which means ‘to devote to destruction’. Swear does not refer to a fence or boundary but rather means to swear by some higher authority. The statement ‘I do not know the man’ is the same as what Peter said in verse 72. Thus, the thinking of Perceiver thought has not changed, but the basis for this thinking has. Perceiver thought is no longer using Perceiver thought to suppress Perceiver thought. Instead, Perceiver thought has become overwhelmed by a strong desire to call upon a higher power to utterly destroy the opposition. I am not exactly sure what this means but it could describe what would happen if humans became awake in the midst of a supernatural mystical recharging. I suspect that it would lead to a short-circuit between divine energy and human existence. This seems to be indicated in the book of Acts, because the story of the Ethiopian eunuch is immediately followed by Saul being blinded by the divine light while attempting to destroy the church, and that blinding brings an end to the persecution of the church.
I suggested earlier that there is a positive side to the denials of Peter. Peter thinks that he is making statements about Jesus, but he is actually describing the nature of the religious system. First, Peter is accurately saying that the religious system is emotional and spiritual escapism that remains separate from normal human existence and does not cross the barrier into normal human life. Second, the religious system spends excessive effort enclosing its religious escapism within fences that separate holy from secular. Third, the religious system does not move between religious and secular through means of heavenly righteousness. Instead, it uses environment clues in the physical environment, such as holy buildings, holy clothing, holy objects, holy smells, holy rituals, and holy words to cause worshipers to mentally jump between the contexts of religious and secular. The general cognitive principle is that denying truth does not leave the realm of truth. Instead, the one who denies truth is still ruled implicitly by the truth of cognitive mechanisms. The one who is deceiving himself may not recognize that his self-deception is being guided by cognitive mechanisms, but those who are observing will notice and learn. Applying these three denials to alien-guided mysticism, the first denial places human religion within the alien realm, the second denial separates human religion from human contact, while the third denial eliminates any righteousness that might protect human existence within the alien realm. eventually, it will become clear to Perceiver thought that the religious system is threatening human existence and not saving it. This excessive divine energy is brought out in Acts 8 by the word Ethiopian, which means scorched in the face.
Verse 74 adds, “And immediately a rooster crowed.” Immediately means ‘at once, directly’. The crowing of the rooster indicates the coming of a new day. The implication is that the Perceiver thinking of the religious system burns itself out, allowing the spiritual economy to reemerge at a higher level. Saying this in more detail, a lot of expertise and experience has been acquired about interacting with angelic powers. But this has all been shoehorned into the inadequate structure of a hierarchical religious system empowered by aliens. This system has finally been overthrown and the beginning of Matthew 27 describes the demise of Judas. A new day has dawned, but as Jesus pointed out in 26:1, the Son of Man will be crucified after two days.
In verse 75, Peter comes to his senses. “And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, He having said, ‘Before the rooster crowing, you will deny Me three times.’ And having gone out, he wept bitterly.” Remember means to to ‘actively remember’. Word is ‘the spoken word made by the living voice’. Verse 75 gives the impression that Perceiver thought is suddenly waking up from a state of mesmerism. And that may be an accurate description. Stories about alien abductions make it clear that aliens have the power to control the minds of their human subjects. Presumably, an alien-enhanced religious system of mysticism would possess such power on a massive scale. Consistent with this suggestion, both the extreme emotional response of Peter in verse 74 and the description of Paul being blinded by light from heaven in Acts 9 (as well as the bowls of wrath in Revelation 16) suggest that this system is not defeated by overcoming the power, but rather by short-circuiting it. Peter’s realization is closely connected with the crowing of the rooster. The rooster crows right after Peter’s third denial in verse 74. Peter then remembers the words of Jesus, and what he remembers is Jesus saying that the crowing of the rooster will be preceded by three denials.
Going out was used as a single word in verse 71. This same word is repeated in verse 75, but outside is explicitly added. The implication is that Perceiver thought finally exits the priestly system with its mystical worship. And over the years I have come to the conclusion that mysticism is fundamentally incompatible with Perceiver thought. That is because the practice of mysticism goes beyond attacking specific facts in Perceiver thought to demanding that Perceiver thought cease functioning. Saying this bluntly, mysticism practices genocide upon me as a Perceiver person. But leaving mysticism is also emotionally painful. Weep is used twice in Matthew and means ‘expressing uncontainable, audible grief’. Bitterly means bitter, sharp’ and is used twice in the New Testament, here and in the parallel passage in Luke. Obviously, the historical Peter would have felt distraught about betraying the real Jesus. But ‘uncontainable’ is consistent with the idea of a mental short-circuit, while ‘audible’ involves Teacher thought. My general hypothesis is that creation began with God as transcendent energy. God has then been adding structure step-by-step to this formless energy in Teacher thought until finally creating humans with their Mercy experiences and Perceiver objects. Mysticism derives its power by going back to the primal energy of God. This is like the growing child crawling back into the mother’s womb. But mysticism only works if it does not work. Suppose that Buddhist Nirvana did exist and that it was possible for humans to become reunited with cosmic unity. The end result would be human annihilation. Thus, there can only be episodes of mysticism in which one has a glancing encounter with the divine unity and then immediately withdraws. Peter’s first two denials were expressed as fences, and a fence can separate the divine energy from normal human existence. Peter’s third denial was an emotional blowout, which would remove any fence between personal identity and divine unity. The mystical experience would then turning to a form of Buddhist Nirvana, threatening the religious participant with annihilation. The sharpness of the weeping probably comes from the realization that one can never return to the womb. If one wishes to continue existing, then one must grow up and interact with God as an independent adult.
Jesus is Bound 27:1-2
The next day arrives in 27:1. “And morning having arrived, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.” Morning is used twice in the New Testament and means ‘early morning’. Arrived means ‘to come into being’. Thus, it is clear that a new era has arrived but where this will lead is still uncertain. Counsel combines ‘together with’ and ‘determined plan’. Took means ‘to actively hold of’. In 26:59 they were seeking false evidence against Jesus but in verse 1 the verdict has already been reached. The phrase ‘chief priests and elders of the people’ is the same phrase that was used in 26:3 and 26:47. Thus, the religious system with its combination of religious authority and cultural preservation still exists. What is different is that the word death is being used as a verb. This verb form of ‘death’ was used once earlier in Matthew in 10:21 which was interpreted as the crisis of the late Middle Ages which included the Great Famine, the Great Schism, the Black Death, and the Hundred Years War.
But verse 2 makes it clear that the religious priesthood has lost its dominance. “And having bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.” Bound means ‘to tie, bind’. The previous chapter talked about gaining control over Jesus, suggesting that the religious system was trying to incorporate elements of personal salvation within its structure. Binding implies that the idea of personal salvation is now being carefully controlled. Lead away was previously used in 26:57 to describe the crowds leading Jesus away to Caiaphas, because the crowds had to get their religious convictions about Jesus from religious authorities. Deliver is actually the word ‘betray’. In chapter 26, Judas was betraying Jesus. In verse 2, the religious system is betraying Jesus. Betrayal is a major shift enabled by some close agent, ‘to deliver over with a sense of close involvement’. This betrayal is to Pilate the governor. In other words, what was regarded as belonging to religion will now be regarded as part of government. This is the first reference to Pilate in Matthew. Quoting from the essay on Acts, the name Pilate means ‘skilled with the javelin’, and Pilate was the Roman ruler of Israel during the time of Jesus. A javelin is a weapon thrown through the air. This is cognitively interesting, because the three stages of personal transformation leave the human realm of Mercy experiences, travel through the air of Teacher thought, and then return to the human realm of Mercy experiences. The difference is that when throwing a javelin, only the object travels through the air while the human remains unchanged. In contrast, in the path of personal transformation, the person travels through the ‘air’ and becomes transformed. This similarity of path makes it possible to find partial illustrations of Christianity within science and technology. However, Pilate was a Roman governor, and government uses science and technology to impose force upon people. Similarly, a javelin travels through the air in order to impact people in a forceful manner. A governor means ‘a governor or official who leads others’. This is different than a priest who is regarded as a source of truth because of his emotional status. A priest uses Mercy emotions to overwhelm Perceiver thought. A governor sets the direction for Server thought by his personal actions.
The previous section talked about alien-enhanced mysticism and related this to teleporting. When a human is taken out of physical reality into a UFO in order to participate in some alien procedure and then returned back to earth, then that is a case of teleporting. And Acts 8:39 describes a literal case of teleporting. The three stages of personal transformation also line up with the idea of teleporting, because that is also a case of temporarily leaving the human realm of Mercy experiences in order to travel through the Teacher air of the supernatural realm. If the spiritual economy reached this level, then controlling the spiritual economy would become a matter of national security. That is because most human laws are based upon the premise that people cannot teleport. Walls and prisons become meaningless if people can teleport. Bringing Jesus to Pilate would be consistent with attempting to regulate this aspect of religion. I know that teleporting currently belongs to science fiction and not religion, but that is precisely the point. If individuals within the spiritual economy acquired the ability to teleport, then it would become clear that one was no longer dealing just with a matter of religion. Jesus is being delivered over from religion to secular government in verse 2, implying that some major breakthrough has happened in the spiritual economy which requires government intervention. I do not know what this breakthrough would be, but I do know that teleporting is consistent with the text. Looking at this more generally, religion deals with peoples’ spirits while government deals with people’s bodies and government has a monopoly upon deadly force. The spiritual economy began as a spiritual addition to technology and this spiritual addition placed it within the realm of religion. The spiritual economy has now extended to the physical body to the extent that it is being delivered over from religion to government.
Judas Hangs Himself 27:3-5
In verse 3, Judas regrets his betrayal. “Then Judas, the one having delivered Him up, having seen that He was condemned, having regretted it.” Having seen means ‘to see with the mind’. And ‘then’ means that Judas has this mental insight after Jesus has been delivered over to secular authority. Judas is described as ‘the one having delivered him up’, using the same word ‘betrayal’. Thus, the betrayal of Judas is being viewed from the perspective of a new day and is being recognized as a betrayal. The average person during the previous day of Matthew 26 probably thought that Judas was doing the right thing by trying to place the new spiritual economy of Jesus within the structure of organized religion. But the spiritual economy is now too big to be contained within organized religion. It needs to be bound and controlled and that requires secular government. Condemned means ‘to give judgment against’. Judas means ‘praised’. Judas thought that Jesus would be praised if he was placed within a religious system of praise for religious authority. But Jesus ended up being condemned because following the path of actually saving people supernaturally is fundamentally incompatible with a religious system that praises some aspect of existence as holy. Regret means ‘to experience a change of concern after a change of emotion’. Compare this with repentance, which means ‘to think differently after a change of mind’. In other words, Judas is being emotionally convinced, because what led to praise is now being condemned. This is consistent with the suggestion that a fundamental shift has happened with mystical worship. What used to generate intense praise is now being condemned.
Verse 3 continues, “He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.” Return means ‘to turn, to change’. Thus, the emotional shift is causing a change in direction. Thirty pieces of silver were interpreted previously as a significant collection of intellectual wealth. This wealth is returned ‘to the chief priests and elders’, the same combination mentioned in verse 1. Giving money to the religious leadership is spiritually significant because the spiritual economy developed in Acts 4:32-35 with people selling their possessions and laying the money at the feet of the apostles. Thus, Judas is actually attempting to apply the principles of the spiritual economy to the religious priesthood.
Judas admits failure in verse 4, “saying, ‘I sinned, having betrayed innocent blood.’” Sin means ‘to miss the mark’. And Judas describes how he has missed the mark. The word ‘betray’ is again used. Blood is interpreted as MMNs of personal identity, especially as they fall apart. Innocent is used twice in the New Testament and means ‘unpunished’. Looking at this cognitively, the method of praise is realizing that it misses the mark. So it is trying to come up with a higher strategy by giving its wealth to the leadership, thus following the general principle is that one can receive a reward from God if one does not receive a reward from people. ‘Unpunished blood’ is an example of a problem in Mercy thought that has not been made right. Looking closer at the cognitive mechanism, an apostle comes up with some breakthrough. This breakthrough acquires Teacher generality as people give up their wealth to the apostle, and the people are rewarded by being able to live within the breakthrough of the apostle. This is like a legislator coming up with some new law. This law acquires potency as people choose to submit to this law. Judas is trying to take praise and make it function at a higher level of Teacher generality by giving the knowledge and wealth of praise to the high priesthood. In essence, the praise of Judas is attempting to function at the level of the apostles. Related to this, in Acts 8 Philip manages successfully to create a subsidiary, spiritual economy within Samaria.
Verse 4 finishes by saying that Judas’ attempt is unsuccessful. “And they said, ‘What is that to us? You will see.’” Said means ‘command’ which implies that the high priest is still thinking in terms of personal authority. ‘What to us?’ indicates that the gift of Judas is not working; it is not bringing any spiritual generality to the priesthood. ‘See’ means ‘to see with the mind’, implying that Judas needs an understanding but does not currently ‘see with the mind’. The problem with praise is that it is fundamentally unintelligent, because it looks to leaders for answers and understanding. Judas recognized the Mercy side of the spiritual economy: Higher solutions can be found to unresolved Mercy problems by giving these problems to those who function within Teacher generality. In other words, it is possible to come up with more general solutions by bringing the problem to legislators who can pass some law to address the situation. But what is missing is Teacher understanding. Judas is practicing religious self-denial, but he does not know the Teacher righteousness that gives substance to the self-denial. Mysticism has no Teacher understanding, because the fundamental premise is that one is accessing primal divine energy that ‘transcends all rational understanding’. Similarly, praise uses emotional Mercy experiences to overwhelm Perceiver thought into ‘knowing’ what is true. This mindset will think that the facts of a situation can be magically overturned by simply saying ‘I am sorry’ with sufficient emotional intensity. But truly making things right requires Teacher understanding.
In verse 5, Judas gives up. “And having cast down the pieces of silver into the temple, he withdrew, and having gone away, hanged himself.” Cast down means ‘to throw, cast’ and throwing is interpreted as moving through the air of Teacher thought. This verb was previously used in 15:30 which was interpreted as people bringing their problems to the new German research universities to be solved. Similarly, Judas is bringing his wealth to the religious system in order to receive a theoretical solution. The word temple means ‘that part of the temple where God himself resides’. Thus, Judas is going beyond the temple system to the aspect of the temple that actually deals with God in Teacher thought. Withdraw means to ‘go back, withdraw’ which means that Judas is separating himself personally from the pieces of silver. He is associating his knowledge with God in Teacher thought and he is regarding himself as separate and distant from this knowledge. Having gone away means ‘to go away’, emphasizing that Judas is separating himself from his knowledge. Hanged himself is used once in the New Testament and combines ‘away from’ with ‘to throttle, strangle’. Physically speaking, the historical Judas committed suicide. Cognitively speaking, hanging breaks the connection between head and body, implying that the intelligent thinking of the head is being separated from the actions of the body. This separation is emphasized by the prefix ‘away from’. Summarizing, Judas turns into a form of revealed truth, in which intelligent thinking stops, and intellectual content is separated from the mind and associated with God in Teacher thought. The implication is that praise turns into magic formula. And in the case of a spiritual economy, one would be dealing with real magic formulae.
The Potter’s Field 27:6-10
The priests respond in verse 6. “And the chief priests, having taken the pieces of silver, said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.’” Having taken means to ‘actively lay hold of’. In other words, the priestly system finds these magic formulae useful. This makes sense because religious incantations play a major role in the ceremonies of a priestly system. Imagine a priestly system in which the incantations actually worked. Lawful means ‘it is permitted, lawful’ indicating the priesthood is now thinking in terms of rules and legitimacy. Put means to ‘throw, cast’, which was interpreted as moving through the air of Teacher thought. Treasury means ‘a gift dedicated to God’. Price means ‘value, weight, honor’ and blood refers to personal MMNs falling apart. Thus, a distinction is made between personal self-denial combined with magic formulae and interacting with a concept of God in Teacher thought. Summarizing, the religious system takes the praise of Judas and turns it into a sideline of practical magic which is viewed as something separate from actual religion. Notice how the religious system is betraying Jesus by transforming ‘saving people’ into something new and different in which Jesus is ‘bound’ to a collection of approved magical rituals and incantations.
The theology for this is worked out in verse 7. “And having taken counsel, they bought with them the potter’s field, for a burial place for strangers.” Counsel is the same word that was used in verse 1 to describe the chief priests and elders taking counsel against Jesus. Bought means ‘to buy in the marketplace’ and was previously used in 25:10 to describe the foolish virgins going to buy oil for their lamps. That was interpreted as exchanging external principles for internal ideals. The appearance of the bridegroom prevented the foolish virgins from acquiring this internal content. However, in verse 7, the chief priests are successful. With means ‘from out of’ which means that the intellectual wealth of Judas is acting as the source for something else. Praise is turning into something new. Field means ‘a field, especially as bearing a crop’. This is interpreted as a source of the various grains of intellectual food. Potter is used three times in the New Testament and comes from a word that means ‘to mix’. Mixing is the opposite of purity. A potter also makes pottery, which is a fragile container for food and other goods. A magical ritual is a mixture which acts as a fragile container for supernatural power. It is a mixture of intelligence, blind faith, supernatural power, human need, salvation, and economy. For means ‘to or into’. Burial place is used once in the New Testament and comes from a word that means ‘to bury’. In the parable of the talents, the slave buried his one talent in a hole in the ground. There is no mention of a hole here. Instead, burial takes entities that have been alive and places them within the ground of rational thought. Supernatural power is based in living entities. Burial waits until these entities have lost their life and then places them within the ground of rational human thought. Acts 7:42 describes a similar sort of worship, with spiritual life being sacrificed once it grows to the point of offending human sensibility. Such a system might be attractive to human consumers, but it would not be nice to spirits, similar to the way that Third World factories produce the continual flow of gadgets and products that fuels today’s consumer economy. (Building a factory in the Third World is not automatically wrong, but it is much easier to mistreat employees who look foreign and work in foreign factories located halfway around the world.) This burial place is for foreigners, emphasizing the idea that this spiritual life is offending the human sensibilities of high priests.
Verse 8 implies that this field becomes connected with sacrifice. “Therefore that field was called Field of Blood, to this day.” Called means that it acquires a label in Teacher thought and becomes known as the specialization of fragmenting personal MMNs. ‘To this day’ implies that this practice will survive paradigm shifts. I do not know exactly how far this sacrifice goes but Acts 7:42 says that God delivers this group over to worship the host of heaven. My best guess is that the ‘host of heaven’ refers to the aliens of today, who interact with humans in a manner that involves fragmenting MMNs of personal identity and who appear to behave almost like robots, consistent with the idea of carrying out magical incantations. This pairing makes sense because my best guess is that these aliens currently acquire their power by worshiping primal energy in a form of mysticism. This is often described in stories about alien encounters. If mysticism became short-circuited, then these aliens would have to find a new source of energy, which presumably could be found in the magical incantations of this passage.
Verse 9 views this as fulfillment of biblical prophecy. “Then was fulfilled that having been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.” Fulfilled means ‘to make full’. Spoken was last used in 26:75 where Peter remembered the words spoken by Jesus that he would betray him. Jeremiah means ‘Yah loosens’, and Jeremiah prophesied before the destruction of Jerusalem, when the Jews were taken into exile in Babylon. Jeremiah is only mentioned three times in the New Testament and all three times are in Matthew. The previous time was in 16:14 where the disciples said that some people were regarding Jesus as Jeremiah. That was interpreted as a form of education that tries to preserve religious thought and avoid secular trends. Similarly, Judas has turned into a system of supernatural help that tries to preserve religious thought and avoid the shift from religion to state. Prophecy means ‘elevating or asserting one idea over another’. Putting this together, alien-enhanced magical incantations describe where one eventually ends up if one follows a path of religious education that is trying to avoid secular trends. That is what ultimately happens when this trend is made full. I am not saying that this describes current religious education, but I do observe that the character of evangelical Christianity with its focus upon Christian education has recently been betrayed into something that is starting to resemble this final trend.
Verse 9 then describes the prophecy of Jeremiah. “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One having been priced, whom they set a price on by the sons of Israel.” The starting point is actively taking the thirty pieces of silver. ‘They’ is implied. Thus, the emphasis is upon taking hold of some quantity of intellectual wealth. Price means ‘perceived value, worth’ and priced is the verb of the same word. The idea is that a group of people is assigning some arbitrary value to certain knowledge instead of basing this value in any inherent qualities of the knowledge. ‘One’ is implied, which means that this process of arbitrarily assigning value is being emphasized. This value is being assigned by ‘sons of Israel’. Israel means ‘God strives’ and is being interpreted as the human group through which God interacts with humanity. Israel was previously mentioned in Matthew in 19:28, which was interpreted as the rise of Evangelical Christianity after World War II. Notice how the human group that God is currently using is using its own status to arbitrarily assign value to certain information. This describes a key characteristic of religious education which passes secular knowledge through a filter that assigns value to knowledge that is related to ‘God’s chosen group’ while filtering out other knowledge as ‘secular’. I am not suggesting that all ‘secular’ knowledge has equal value to ‘religious’ knowledge. But mental symmetry suggests that knowledge should be filtered based upon a paradigm of mental and societal wholeness. This is not an arbitrary assigning of value based upon the sensibilities of some religious group. Instead, it is using the standard of Jesus by assigning value to information that brings salvation to people.
Verse 10 finishes the quote. “And they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.” Gave means ‘to give’, and was previously used in 26:48 where Judas the betrayer gave a sign to the crowd. In verse 10, knowledge that has been assigned religious value is being given to acquire ‘the field of the potter’. A field indicates some region for growing the grain of knowledge while potter comes from a word that means ‘mixed’. In other words, there is some intellectual growth, but one notices that the knowledge is mixed, and like pottery, this mixture is not very strong and can be broken. Similarly, I have noticed with religious education that it contains a mixture of rational thought and blind faith, with quotes from the Bible being mixed in with paragraphs about science. Notice that these essays are also jumping between scientific and cognitive principles and quotes from the Bible, but this is being done in integrated, rigorous manner that respects the thinking of science. The conclusions may utterly violate the current materialistic bias of science, but the same cognitive principles apply everywhere, even when talking about aliens. And this discussion includes many topics that would not pass the current filter of ‘Christian education’. As means ‘according to which’ and is only used once in the New Testament. It combines the two very common words of ‘according to’ and ‘who, which, that’. Directed means ‘to arrange together’. It was previously used in 26:19 to describe the disciples preparing the Passover as Jesus had directed them. Lord means ‘lord, master’ and ‘me’ is explicitly mentioned. In other words, information is being arranged together in a manner that expresses Teacher thought. But this arranging has the intellectual flavor of personal obedience to some lord. It is not ‘according to’ which would mean arranging the information itself, but rather ‘according to who’, which adds a personal component to this arranging. The end result is a strange mixture of rational thought and submission to divine authority. And if real supernatural power were to emerge, one could see this ending up as religious incantations, a mixture of blind obedience to the supernatural and intelligent power from the supernatural.
Jesus before Pilate 27:11-14
In verse 11, Jesus stands before the secular authority of Pilate. The personal salvation of Jesus has now been successfully delivered over from church to state. Pilate asks if Jesus is religious. “Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’” Stood means ‘to make to stand’ and is being interpreted as acquiring Perceiver confidence in some set of facts. Before means ‘before the face’. And a governor is a secular leader. Thus, the personal salvation of Jesus is now standing before the face of secular government. The spiritual economy is now being viewed as something fully secular. However, ‘secular’ is the wrong word because that term reflects the current split between subjective and objective and several ‘betrayals’ have happened since then. A more accurate statement would that be that the spiritual economy has now fully entered the realm of government which focuses upon the physical needs and physical safety of people. Standing before the governor implies that the spiritual economy no longer feels that it has to bow to secular authority. Such a shift would happen if some individuals within the spiritual economy reached the level of acquiring the ability to teleport, or if individuals acquired the ability to protect themselves supernaturally from physical attack.
Question means to ‘ask appropriately, done by someone on preferred footing’. Thus, the governor is acting as an authority but is also requesting information. The question involves the nature of Jesus. King means ‘ruler’ and was previously used in 25:40 to describe the king separating the sheep from the goats. A king implies some kingdom. The word Jew has the same meaning as the word Judas, which means ‘praised’. This word was used once previously in Matthew in 2:2 where it also occurred in the same phrase ‘king of the Jews’. There too, the non-Jewish magi asked about the nature of Jesus in a secular context. A ‘Jew’ is interpreted as a religious believer based in absolute truth. King of the Jews is a strange title. King is a secular title, whereas a Jew is a religious group. This confused title describes how secular leadership would view a religious entity that has acquired secular power.
Verse 11 continues, “And Jesus said, ‘You say.’” Said means to ‘bring to light’ which means that Jesus is using Teacher understanding to reveal physical authority rather than brute force in Mercy thought. Say is the normal word which means ‘laying it to rest’. Thus, the governor is coming to this conclusion and not Jesus. We saw in 26:64 that Jesus could not simply declare himself to be Christ but rather had to be recognized as Christ by the religious leadership. Similarly, a spiritual economy that simply exerted physical power could turn easily into a nasty dictatorship. The solution is for existing secular authority to recognize that the spiritual economy has physical power.
The religious leaders interject in verse 12. “And in His being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.” In means ‘in the realm of’. Accused combines ‘against’ with ‘to speak in the assembly’ and is used twice in Matthew. The other time was in 12:10, which was interpreted as early science developing under the censorship of the Catholic Church. Here too, the spiritual economy is developing into a new form that affects the physical world while being harshly attacked by the religious system. ‘Accused’ assumes that truth can be determined by a group of official experts, and these religious experts are deciding that the salvation of Jesus does not meet their standards of religious value. This behavior is consistent with the interpretation that was just given to the prophecy of Jeremiah. This accusation is coming from the familiar religious group of ‘the chief priests and elders’. However, Jesus is answering nothing. Answer means ‘to answer, reply, take up the conversation’. That is because organized religion has now become irrelevant. It has some supernatural power, but this is coming from an aspect of the supernatural realm that has just been superseded by something new. Similarly, early science was the start of something totally new, while the accusations of the medieval Catholic Church were a relic of an old way of thinking that was in the process of becoming obsolete. At the moment, the newly expanded spiritual economy is being accused ‘in the realm of’ the chief priests and elders, but that predicament will soon change. In the case of early science, persecution from the Church forced the early scientists to pay a price for their knowledge, preventing them from building a system policed by academic arrogance. This academic arrogance re-emerged once science successfully replaced medieval thought. Similarly, accusations from the remnants of the religious system will play an essential function of propelling the spiritual economy on to the next stage.
Pilate comments in verse 13. “Then Pilate says to Him, ‘Do You not hear how many things they witness against You?’” Hear means to ‘comprehend by hearing’. Many things is simply ‘How much? How great?’ And witness against was previously used in 26:62 when the high priest told Jesus that the two were witnessing against him. Jesus was silent there as well. In chapter 26, the religious system was trying to find a way of applying the salvation of Jesus in a way that preserved the mindset of a religious priesthood. It failed to do so, but eventually realized that the spiritual economy as a whole threatened the structure of the religious system, which was interpreted as blasphemy. In verse 13, the religious system is successfully coming up with many ‘witnesses against’, suggesting that it is now managing to generate legitimate supernatural power in a way that preserves the religious system. For a government, reality is the ultimate argument. Whoever controls the physical land ultimately has the right to establish the laws. Thus, as far as government is concerned, the magical incantations of the priesthood would be quite convincing.
But Jesus still does not answer in verse 14. “And He did not answer him, not even to one word, so as to amaze the governor exceedingly.” Answer means ‘reply, take up the conversation’. Word refers to ‘a spoken word’. Thus, even the normal conversation of the priesthood is being ignored. So as means ‘with the result that’. Thus, the silence of Jesus to the religious leaders is causing the governor to respond in a certain manner. Amaze means ‘astonished out of one’s senses’ and was previously used in 22:22 to describe modern rational technicians becoming willing servants of propaganda. Similarly, the physically-based rational thinking of government is coming into contact with the supernatural propaganda of the religious system. And the spiritual economy has nothing to counteract the legitimate magical powersof the religious system. Exceedingly means ‘to the max’, which suggests that the religious system is performing much more potent magic than the spiritual economy. Part of the shock is probably coming from the fact that until now the growing spiritual economy has managed to thwart every attack by the religious system. Thus, it may feel as if Jesus at this point is managing to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.
My best guess is that this is because of the nature of God and creation. I suggested earlier that creation started with the primal energy of God and has gradually added facets of structure until reaching human existence in Mercy thought. Alien power and mysticism appear to reach back to the primal energy of God. Every episode of reaching back to acquire divine energy must be followed by an extended period of repairing this breach. One could compare this to building upon permafrost, because any building will naturally tend to melt the foundation on which that building is built. Thus, extended effort is required to keep the ground solid. The spiritual economy does not go back to primal energy but rather functions in a righteous manner that expresses the character of God. Any attempt at this point to mix the spiritual economy with methods that reach back to the primal energy of God would lead to a tear in the fabric of creation. I do not know exactly what this entails, but I think that it describes a fundamental characteristic of creation. A government assumes that physical reality will always exist. But this would no longer be a valid assumption if the spiritual economy reached the level of performing activities such as teleporting. At this point, the continued existence of humans living in a physical reality independent of God could no longer be assumed. Instead, such existence would have to be consciously maintained, which would mean deliberately refraining from any direct interaction with supernatural entities that derived their energy by going back to the primal source. In the short term, this would mean allowing magical incantations to give the appearance of being more effective than the spiritual economy. Verse 14 does not say that the spiritual economy ceases functioning, but rather that it does not answer the accusations from the religious system. I think that this is because cognition and free will are at a maximum when people live in a society in which two worldviews are battling it out. That described the late 20th century, in which postmodernism was battling against traditional morality and cultural standards. Today’s window of free will has now largely closed because most people have lost the ability to think independently and are being driven by the strong mental networks of some group within society. Thus, secular thought would find it amazing if the power of the spiritual economy was obviously greater than the magical incantations the religious system, if the religious system directed its incantations against the spiritual economy, and if the spiritual economy did not use its power to squelch the religious system.
Choosing Jesus or Barabbas 27:15-18
Verse 15 describes a period of free will within society, because society is being asked to make a choice. “And at the feast, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the multitude, whom they were wishing.” Feast means ‘a feast, a festival’ and occurs one other time in Matthew in 26:5 where the religious leaders decided Jesus should not be arrested during the feast. A feast implies that good things are happening to the people. In 26:5, the good results were coming from Jesus. In verse 15, good results are also coming from the revitalized religious system. Accustomed is used once in Matthew and means ‘behavior based on tradition or custom’. Release means ‘to set free, release’ and is also the standard word for ‘divorce’. This word was previously used five times in 19:3-9 where the topic of divorce was discussed. That passage was interpreted as post Second World War society pursuing material prosperity rather than personal well-being. Here too a choice is being made between the partial salvation provided by religious incantations and the fuller salvation of the spiritual economy. Jesus was bound in verse 2 by the religious authorities and prisoner in verse 15 is this same word ‘bind’ in noun form. This word for prisoner is only used twice in Matthew, in verse 15 and in verse 16. In verse 15, the secular authorities are reconsidering the verdict of binding Jesus. This releasing is happening to the crowd, and this word was last used in 26:55 where the crowd arrested Jesus with swords and clubs. Wishing means ‘to desire, wish’. One could compare the situation to Western society in the late 20th and early 21st century. On the one hand, there was traditional morality. On the other hand, there was the universal tolerance of postmodernism. At the beginning of this period, government legislation placed restrictions upon universal tolerance while giving the people freedom to practice traditional morality. The situation has now changed, with government laws placing restrictions upon the practice of traditional morality while giving official freedom to universal tolerance. This shift in legislation has been the result of the wishes of the people.
Verse 16 describes what people can choose instead of Jesus. “And at that time they were holding a notable prisoner called Barabbas.” Holding means ‘to have, hold’ and refers to ownership rather than identity. At that time indicates that a certain phase of society is being described. Prisoner is again the word ‘binding’. Notable is used twice in the New Testament and combines ‘upon’ with ‘to give a sign’. A similar word was used in 26:48 when Judas gave a sign to the crowd to indicate whom he would betray. Barabbas means ‘son of father’ and some manuscripts add the name Jesus, which means ‘salvation of God’. Barabbas is only mentioned in the New Testament in the context of this story. Culture could be described as ‘daughter of women’, because it is transmitted through the mental networks of female thought. Barabbas, in contrast, implies that information is being transmitted through the technical thinking of male thought. This describes a system of academia, but one that is based upon seniority and not upon empirical evidence. One could refer to this as academic tradition. If the spiritual economy reached the level of affecting the physical world, then empirical evidence would cease to become a reliable standard and another standard would have to be found. One option would be to be guided by the personal salvation of Jesus. Another would be to give preeminence to personal salvation—as interpreted by academic tradition. Academic tradition has the advantage of being guided by a sign. In essence, the crowd is trusting the academic experts to do their thinking for them. The support of experts provides a sign for the masses. Barabbas is described as ‘being held’, which indicates that academic tradition exists but is not regarded as a prime source of authority. Instead, the power of academic tradition is currently being ‘bound’ by government legislation, similar to the way that legislation exists today to limit the power of corporate monopolies.
Society faces these two options in verse 17. “Therefore of them being gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom want you that I shall release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?’” Gathered together means ‘to lead together’ and was previously used in 26:57 to describe the scribes and elders gathering together after seizing Jesus. In verse 17 the crowd is gathered together, indicating that power has shifted away from the religious leaders to the masses. Thus, there is a functioning democracy in which the average person has a choice. Western society was in a similar situation at the end of the 20th century because postmodernism had successfully challenged the hegemony of traditional religion and culture, giving the average person freedom to make moral choices. Pilate is now mentioned by name rather than using the generic term ‘governor’. This suggests that the focus of government has shifted to the process of transformation, moving through the air of Teacher thought and then returning to the human realm of Mercy thought in order to have some concrete impact. Such a focus would emerge if teleportation became possible, because teleporting moves through the ‘air’ of the supernatural in order to return back to the ‘ground’ of human reality. More generically, in the same way that today’s society deals with problems by turning to the Teacher realm of science for a solution, so the society of verse 17 would turn to the Teacher realm of the supernatural for solutions. That is also a form of ‘teleportation’.
Pilate asks which of these two should be released, indicating that one option will be legislatively restricted and the other given freedom. One option is ‘Jesus the Barabbas’ (Jesus is only mentioned in some Greek manuscripts) and the other option is ‘Jesus called Christ’. Remember that the ultimate goal of these chapters is to transform a human-based ‘Son of Man’ into a divine ‘Son of God’. Pilate refers to Jesus as ‘called the Christ’ and Christ refers to the abstract side of incarnation. Thus, it has become apparent to government authority that the salvation of Jesus is based in a concept of Christ that is more general, more abstract, more divine, and more supernatural than the human-based Son of Man. This is consistent with the idea that Pilate represents passing through the abstract realm of Christ (in an objective manner) in order to bring superior salvation to the concrete realm of Jesus. Such a realization would also explain why government would be limiting academic tradition. This would be similar to the way that freedom is currently given today to academic research. Today’s government realizes that the best solutions emerge if individual scholars are given freedom to move through the ‘air’ of Teacher thought.
Verse 18 indicates this attitude. “For he knew that they had delivered Him up through envy.” Know means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’ which is interpreted as empirical evidence. Delivered means ‘to betray’. Envy is used once in Matthew and means ‘displeasure at another’s good without longing to raise oneself to the level of him whom he envies, but only to depress the envied to his own level’. In other words, the religious incantations of the religious system are coming up with inferior results to the spiritual economy, and the religious system is responding not by attempting to reform its ways, but rather by attempting to get the government to pass laws that restrict personal exploration of the supernatural. The goal is to ‘betray’ the existing spiritual economy. Government knows that this is the case because government leaders can see empirically that the spiritual economy generates better results than religious incantations. A similar situation exists in today’s society, with many religious groups attempting to get governments to pass legislation that ‘turns back the clock’ on postmodern thought. However, it is clear that ‘turning back the clock’ does not lead to a better society but instead ends up supporting dictators. r/p>
Influencing the Decision 27:19-20
In verse 19, female intuition speaks up. “And as he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying...” Sitting is being interpreted as occupying some position of authority. Judgment seat comes from a word that means ‘step, ascend’ and is used once in Matthew. Notice that government has made a transition from listening to the wishes of people to imposing decrees as a voice of authority. Sent means ‘sent on a defined mission by a superior’ and was previously used in 24:31 to describe the Son of Man sending forth his angels during the second coming. Wife means ‘a woman’ and was previously used in 26:10 to describe the woman anointing Jesus. Thus, when Pilate adopts an attitude of authority, his wife speaks up as the true authority. This is not a matter of some domineering wife. First, there are now well-developed, intelligent mental networks as a result of the spiritual economy, because the spiritual realm interacts with the human realm through the mental networks of female thought. (Even today, significantly more women attend church than men.) Second, this woman is the wife of Pilate. If Pilate represents moving through the supernatural in order to gain natural results, then such a process would generate significant mental networks related to personal transformation, because the path of personal transformation can be summarized as a three stage path that leaves the physical, learns within the abstract, and then returns to the physical. Third, we turn once again to the idea of the woman anointing Jesus and this anointing acting as a possible alternative to Judas. We see here that female thought is acting as an authority over male secular thought, leading to the question of whether Pilate should behave as a male authority in line with the Barabbas of academic tradition, or as a Jesus anointed by the woman.
Verse 19 continues, “Nothing to you and that righteous man; for I suffered many things in a dream today because of Him.” Nothing means ‘not even one’ and was previously used in 17:9, which was interpreted as 19th century Christianity focusing in an inappropriate manner upon visions of heaven with John Darby and his teaching about the rapture, and Ellen White and her visions of the Great Controversy. In both cases, the scriptural warning is ‘Don’t go there!’. Jesus is then referred to as ‘that righteous’ (‘man’ is implied). Righteous was previously mentioned in 25:46 at the end of the parable of the sheep and the goats to talk about the righteous going into eternal life. Righteousness means following Server actions that reflect a Teacher understanding of God. A path that leads through the air of Teacher thought to return to human reality in Mercy thought is inherently righteous, because it is behaving in a manner that is consistent with a fundamental characteristic of God. But notice that Pilate himself is not described as righteous. Instead, the female intuitive side of ‘Pilate’ is recognizing the presence of righteousness in the spiritual economy. It may seem strange to associate secular government with a concept of righteousness, but one finds exactly this kind of combination in Acts 10:22 which describes the centurion Cornelius as righteous and God-fearing. This suggests that religious morality really has made a shift from religion to government. Government is about to pass legislation that places limits upon the spiritual economy, and government is being intuitively warned not to step in. Many means ‘much in number’ and ‘things’ is implied. Suffer means ‘to feel heavy emotion’ and was used in 16:21 and 17:21 by Jesus to say that he would suffer many things in Jerusalem. Today would presumably refer to that era of society in which the spiritual economy has shifted to a secular focus. Dream is only used in Matthew where it appears six times. The other five times all involve either Joseph or the Magi being warned supernaturally in a dream. One does not normally associate a dream with suffering, but it is a common thread in alien literature that one experiences the supernatural realm in a dreamlike state and it was hypothesized in 26:73 that alien-enhanced mysticism was delivering supernatural power in some sort of dreamlike manner. The term ‘many’ indicates that numerous emotionally intense experiences of this kind have led to the intuitive conclusion that government should not go there.
In verse 20 the religious leaders manipulate the crowds. “But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas, and should destroy Jesus.” ‘The chief priests and the elders’ is the standard phrase representing a system of religious tradition based upon a system of priesthood. Persuade means ‘to persuade’ and is the verb of the noun ‘faith’. Notice that the religious system is now using rational thought to persuade ‘the crowd’. Ask means ‘to ask, request’ and was previously used in 21:22 where Jesus said that you will receive whatever you ask in faith—and a version of this same word ‘faith’ is used. The crowds that called for the death of Jesus are typically viewed as a screaming mob, but verse 20 conveys a quite different impression of religious leaders using rational thought to convince the crowds to make a request. Destroy ‘implies permanent destruction’. The crowd is asking for the freedom of Barabbas and the permanent destruction of Jesus. I suspect that the religious system is using the following logic: ‘Dealing with supernatural beings is too dangerous to leave to the laity. This interaction needs to be controlled by academic professionals who will ensure that everything is done safely.’ Notice that this advice is not coming from Pilate but rather from the religious system. The implication is that the spiritual economy is actually being too successful, leading to the conclusion that this activity needs to be regulated by some sort of official priesthood. A similar transition happens today whenever some technological breakthrough occurs. Initially, people have freedom to pursue this technology as they wish, but as the implications of this new power become apparent, then people will ask the government to step in and regulate this new field.
But the religious leaders are not just asking the governor to bind Jesus but rather are using logical arguments to convince the people that Jesus should be permanently destroyed. This language is not used in the two parallel passages in Mark and Luke. Instead, in those versions the priests stir up the crowds who call for Jesus to be crucified. This implies that Luke’s version is referring to some realization that is so threatening that it must be eliminated forever. As I am writing this, the world is currently in a similar situation, because we are three months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bottom line is that NATO cannot send troops into Ukraine, because that would trigger a nuclear response from Russia. And nuclear weapons are unthinkable because they would lead to the end of civilization. Similarly, the response of the religious leaders in Luke suggests that the spiritual economy has just made a breakthrough that threatens the very existence of humanity and the religious system has just personally experienced this threat.
The book of Acts suggests a possible scenario, one which only became apparent to me recently. Biochemistry has discovered that all biological matter starts out as strings of DNA words. Sections of the DNA message are transcribed into RNA strings which are then translated into strings of amino acids, which then fold in on themselves to form functioning three-dimensional objects. This was mentioned previously and is standard biochemistry. Standard theology says that God created this by snapping his fingers in some magical fashion, while the theory of biological evolution says that this all evolved through the mistakes of mutations. The religious answer replaces thinking with blind faith, while the biological theory of evolution replaces thinking with delusional stupidity. The only reasonable alternative I can come up with is that God created primal beings to work with strings of information. These primal beings formulated the DNA words of biological life outside of physical space and time and then assembled these various fragments within a short period of physical time within space and time to form living biological entities. Such primal beings would naturally interact with the primal energy of God because they were created by God as one of the first steps to separate created life from the primal energy of God. It would be physical suicide for humanity to interact directly with the makers of biological life, because such beings would live within a realm that naturally denatures biological life because it codes the messages that are responsible for biological life. This sort of encounter would motivate the religious leaders to rationally conclude that interaction with the supernatural would have to be carried out by professionals. This hypothesis is explored in the passage in Acts on the vision of Peter which is preceded by Cornelius, a government officer, receiving a vision from an angel. As far as I can tell, it is not possible for humans to interact directly with primal beings. However, it does appear that the theory of mental symmetry can be used to analyze such beings and that it is possible to interact indirectly with primal beings in a spiritual manner that does not require using some sort of professional system to regulate the spiritual economy. I say this both from a theoretical perspective and from the personal perspective of what I am sensing spiritually. I should add that this adds an extra twist to mystical worship. In essence, mystical worship attempts to reach back to the realm of primal energy where primal beings live, primal beings who were responsible for designing the DNA of biological life. I know that this hypothesis feels more like science fiction than theology, but the story in Acts 10 of Peter’s vision of a great sheet descending from heaven is consistent with this hypothesis, and this vision is also mentioned in Acts 11.
Summarizing, a human being is a mind (or soul) that lives in a physical body and has a spirit. Current aliens appear to interact with humans primarily at the level of the physical body by manipulating DNA without caring about the spirit. Similarly, modern science and technology deal with the physical body and the physical world, while ignoring the spirit. An extended period of developing a spiritual economy will be needed to force humans to develop their spiritual side. All of the expertise about physical existence that currently exists will give the impression that it is possible to continuing developing this spiritual economy without having to worry about physical existence. However, eventually the spiritual economy will reach the point of threatening physical stability, forcing government to get involved. The religious establishment will think that the solution lies in regulating the spiritual economy. But the real solution is to discover the spiritual basis behind physical existence—which means coming to terms with primal beings at a spiritual level. Persecution from the religious establishment will force the spiritual economy to break through to this higher level. Nuclear power provides the best illustration from current society, because nuclear weapons are capable of physically destroying civilization. Thus, the very idea of using nuclear weapons has become unthinkable, and the nightmare scenario is for small groups to gain control of nuclear weapons. The solution has been to highly regulate the possession of nuclear material. Now imagine the spiritual economy reaching the level of individuals interacting with primal beings at the level of genetic manipulation. Genetic manipulation has the potential to fundamentally alter what it means to be human. The natural response would be to conclude that interaction with primal beings needs to be highly regulated by religious authorities. And an unregulated spiritual economy would probably be viewed the way that current society regards terrorist groups with nuclear weapons.
Deciding between Jesus and Barabbas 27:21-23
The governor poses the question in verse 21. “And the governor answering said to them, ‘Which of the two do you desire that I release to you?’” And they said, ‘Barabbas.’” Notice that this statement comes from the governor and not from Pilate. Answer means ‘to answer’ and indicates verbal interaction. This word was previously used in verses 12 and 14 which stated that Jesus did not answer the religious leaders. In verse 21, the governor is answering. The governor has to answer because the government has to make a decision. The phrasing of this question is interesting because the governor is not asking which of these two should be bound, but rather which of these two options the crowds desire to be ‘released to them’. Said means ‘to command’. The governor is commanding the crowd to make a decision and the crowds are commanding the governor that they want ‘son of father’, which means that the people are choosing voluntarily to lift any restrictions upon academic tradition.
Pilate asks a further question in verse 22. “Pilate says to them, ‘What then should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?’ They all say, ‘Let Him be crucified.’” Notice again the reference to ‘Jesus called Christ’, indicating a recognition of the abstract and divine side of incarnation. The parallel passage in Luke, in contrast, refers to Jesus as a ‘human’ while both Mark and John mention ‘King of the Jews’. Do mean ‘to make, do’ and refers to Server actions. Government functions primarily within the physical realm of ‘doing’. Government is asking what sort of policies should be implemented regarding the spiritual economy. ‘Called’ and ‘say’ are both the same word, which is the normal word for ‘speech in progress’. Pilate refers to Jesus in abstract thought as Christ and the crowds are responding by referring to Jesus in abstract thought as crucified. That is the name that they want to assign to Jesus in abstract thought.
All four Gospels describe the crowds calling for Jesus to be crucified. But in the other three Gospels this is in the active imperative: ‘Crucify!’ In verses 22 and 23, it is in the passive imperative: ‘Let be crucified!’ Physically speaking, it does not make sense to talk about crucifixion being a passive process. There is nothing passive about the physical act of crucifying someone. But this does make sense when referring to a concept of Christ that is in the process of emerging. I have learned through decades of personal experience what this means. The standard response when I talk to someone about mental symmetry is that they will show initial interest, but then drop the subject and refuse to talk about it any further when the theory starts to form a Teacher mental network. Crucifixion kills through asphyxiation and immobilization. A new concept that is not generally known can be passively crucified if listeners choose to avoid the subject when it is encountered. Similarly, my guess is that using the spiritual economy to interact with primal beings has just started. At this initial stage it is possible to prevent this dangerous interaction from going any further if everyone avoids the subject. This universal avoidance can be seen in the word all which means ‘each part of a totality’. Everyone is instinctively agreeing that Jesus has become ‘that which shall not be named’. I have read about a similar logic applying to aliens. (I have looked for a source on the Internet and cannot find it.) The basic principle is that aliens cannot openly appear on earth as long as humans do not believe in the existence of aliens. Such a defense would stop functioning if humans ever did become convinced that aliens exist.
Pilate responds in verse 23. “And he said, ‘For what evil did He commit?’” Said in this case means ‘to bring to light’. Thus, Pilate is trying to bring Teacher light to the topic. Evil means ‘inner malice flowing out of a morally rotten character’. And commit refers to Server actions. In other words, as far as concrete thought is concerned, the spiritual economy of Jesus has always functioned from healthy motives within Mercy thought. It is not just doing good works but behaving from an internal character that is good. The word ‘evil’ was used previously in 24:48 to describe the evil slave beating his fellow slaves while waiting for the second coming. The idea there was that waiting for a second coming that did not come was causing a flawed internal character to become revealed. However, even though the spiritual economy is being bound by an obviously inferior religious system with its magical incantations, it still is behaving in a manner that reflects a good internal character.
Verse 23 describes the response of the crowd. “And they kept crying out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified.’” All the more means ‘extraordinarily, exceedingly’ and is found once in Matthew. Crying out means to ‘cry out loudly with an urgent scream or shriek’. It was previously used in 21:15 to describe the children in the temple shrieking ‘Hosanna to the son of David’, which was interpreted as the counterculture protests of the 1960s demanding instant solutions. The goal in both cases is not rational interaction, but rather outshouting the opponent. That is because any intelligent discussion performs the unforgivable action of naming that which must not be named. A person who is trying to avoid thinking about pink elephants, for instance, will not discuss why pink elephants should not be mentioned, because such discussion brings pink elephants to mind. Instead, any attempt to discuss pink elephants has to be shouted down. This expresses itself as ‘extraordinary shrieking’ to passively ‘let be crucified’.
Blood Guilt? 27:24-26
Pilate gives up in verse 24. “And Pilate having seen that it availed nothing, but rather a riot is arising.” Seen means ‘to see with the mind’, which suggests that Pilate is going beyond the physical circumstances to an understanding of what is happening. Nothing means ‘no one, nothing at all’. And avail comes from a word that means to ‘heap together’. It was previously used in 16:26 where Jesus asked what it would profit a man if he gained the whole world and forfeited his soul, which was interpreted as the rise of the modern consumer society. Rather ranks ‘the more important over the less important’. Riot means ‘trouble accompanied by noisy upheaval’. It is used one other time in Matthew in 26:5 where the chief priests and elders wanted to avoid a riot among the people. Arising means ‘to come into being’. In 26:5 the religious leaders were trying to avoid a riot because they wanted to incorporate the spiritual economy into the religious system. Here they are trying to instigate a riot because they want to fragment any mental networks associated with the spiritual economy. Pilate, in contrast, is trying to put things together, but failing. As with the rise of the consumer society, people are choosing between peripheral wealth and fundamental change. The consumer society was chosen because the average person assumed that subjective morality would survive intact. Barabbas is being chosen because the average person finds deeper change too scary to contemplate. Verse 24 gives the impression that government is attempting to regulate the spiritual economy and finding that nothing works. Instead, new examples of spiritual breakthroughs continue to emerge that frighten the average person. Looking at the parallel with nuclear weapons, producing weapons grade nuclear material can only be done by large organizations and countries. Thus, it is difficult for individuals to get their hands on nuclear material. In contrast, spiritual breakthroughs are made primarily by individuals, especially when they will you and youbeing persecuted by society. Thus, attempting to officially control interaction with primal beings would create the ideal conditions for individuals to interact in new ways with primal beings.
Pilate then washes his hands of the problem. “Having taken water, washed the hands before the crowd.” Water represents Mercy experiences that lack the ‘flavor’ of emotions. This water is ‘actively laid hold of’. The name ‘Pilate’ suggests that government has been exploring supernatural solutions to human problems. This is a reasonable hypothesis because the standard view in UFO literature is that governments are currently secretly exploring supernatural solutions to human problems. ‘Actively taking hold of water’ would mean deliberately avoiding the exotic and choosing to stick with normal experiences. Water was previously used in 17:15 to describe the lunatic falling into the water and this incident happened when Jesus came to the crowd. That was interpreted as a tendency to become destructively immersed within the experiences of modern technology as illustrated by the trench warfare of World War I. Here too the crowds are realizing that handling new breakthroughs in inadequate manner can lead to horrifying results. Wash is used once in the New Testament and combines ‘away from’ with ‘wash’. Hands represent the application of technical thought. Before is used twice in Matthew and combines ‘away from’ with ‘in the presence of’. And crowd means ‘crowd’. The current equivalent would be governments opening up all their secret laboratories of alien artifacts to the public in order to prove to the public that none of this research would continue. Governments would only be willing to take such a step if it became crystal clear to the people that continuing with this research would lead to some unthinkable horror for humanity. Such a step today would mean totally avoiding the supernatural and staying with normal technology. In the future, it would probably mean sticking with aspects of the supernatural that are deemed to be ‘safe’. Looking at a current example, the START treaty between the US and the Soviet Union led to a major reduction in the number of nuclear weapons and was accompanied by extensive public verification.
Pilate continues in verse 24. “Saying, “I am guiltless of the blood of this man. For yourselves you will see.” Guiltless is the same word ‘unpunished’ that Judas used in verse 4 and this word is only used in these two verses in the New Testament. In verse 4, Judas described Jesus as unpunished. In verse 24 Pilate refers to himself as unpunished. In both of these verses there is a reference to blood. And in both verses the phrase ‘you will see’ is used, with see meaning to ‘see with the mind’. In verse 4 the religious leaders said it to Judas while in verse 24 Pilate says it to the crowd. A spiritual transaction places some Mercy experience of loss within a larger framework that requires understanding. In verse 4, Judas tried to place the ‘unpunished blood’ of Jesus within the understanding of the priesthood and it did not work. In verse 24, Pilate is pointing out to the crowds that he is undergoing an experience of loss that will have a spiritual impact. Looking at this more generally, one finds repeatedly in the book of Acts that whenever the spiritual economy is shut down for some unjustified reason, then it re-emerges at a deeper level. Pilate is pointing out this principle in verse 24. And this principle is an example of the symbolic meaning of the name ‘Pilate’, because one is defeating one’s foe by traveling through the air of Teacher thought.
The people respond in verse 25. “And all the people answering said, ‘His blood be on us, and on our children.’” Answering indicates that the people are responding to what Pilate is pointing out. The word people means ‘laity’ and is different than the word ‘crowd’ that has been used in the preceding verses. This word was previously used in verse 1 to refer to the ‘elders of the laity’. In other words, the crowds have applied their own advice and now view themselves as a laity that is governed by some ‘Barabbas’ of academic tradition. This is followed by the infamous blood curse sentence, which has been used as an excuse for Christians to persecute Jews over the centuries. This sentence is only found in Matthew as is Pilate’s reference to being guiltless. These references indicate that Matthew is referring to a transition in which people are consciously aware of the impact that guilt and motivation have upon spiritual transactions.
Applying this sentence to the physical Jews, the spiritual principle only functions if humans do not take justice into their own hands. If humans decide to persecute Jews for ‘having killed Jesus’ then these humans lose the right to ask God to make things right. Thus, the Christians who have used this passage as an excuse for anti-Semitism have had no concept of the spiritual principle behind this passage. Instead, they were being motivated by their cultural mental networks to persecute the Jews for being different and were using this passage as a rationalization for their xenophobia. Going further, when Christians inflict unjustd persecution upon Jews because of this passage, then the spiritual principle being described by this passage will mean that God will reward these Jews.
Looking now at the passage, the laity accept this verdict of blood guilt and they accept that it will apply also to their children who are ‘living in willing dependence’. The only rationale I can come up with is that the people have come face-to-face with some horror that threatens human existence to such an extent that they are willing to implement a permanent solution no matter what the spiritual cost. Acts 12 provides a possible explanation. The passage seems to indicate that genetic manipulation is becoming widespread and everyone recognizes that a major shift is about to happen within human society. This leads to the worship of ‘sons of heroes’ by the laity accompanied by a resurgence of the mindset of absolute truth. Society decides that humans need to be genetically modified in order to ensure that the laity will willingly submit to their leaders. Using genetic modification to create a placid, servant class would be a form of blood guilt that would extend to one’s children.
Pilate acts upon that decision in verse 26. “Then he released Barabbas to them; and having flogged Jesus, He delivered Him up that He might be crucified.” Notice that the name Pilate is not mentioned, suggesting that the path of transformation is no longer guiding behavior. Released means ‘to set free’. ‘Releasing Barabbas to them’ would mean removing all legislative restrictions upon academic tradition. All research will now be in the hands of the ‘experts’. What this entails can be seen in today’s shift towards corporatism. Governments have largely stepped back from attempting to legislate corporate activity, giving international corporations the freedom to operate without restriction. Flogged is used twice in the New Testament, here and in the parallel passage in Mark. Flogging used a whip with pieces of metal embedded into it and was inhumanly nasty. Flogging rips open the skin on a person’s back. Cognitively speaking, people are inflicting sufficiently horrible Mercy pain upon an individual to cause that person’s MMNs of personal identity to fragment. Presumably, any personal salvation being delivered by following the spiritual economy is being overwhelmed by personal punishment from government authority. This obviously has a fundamental impact upon the spiritual economy because delivered is the word that means ‘to betray’. In this case, it is government that is doing the betraying. And this betraying is to crucifixion, which means that the purpose of this punishment is to permanently end any expression of an independent spiritual economy. Consistent with this, Acts 12 talks about Herod killing one of the leaders of the church and imprisoning Peter.
Physical flogging is inhuman, but this very inhumanity causes a positive aspect to emerge when one includes the supernatural. In order to make a transition from a Son of Man based in the Mercy experiences of humanity to a Son of God based in a Teacher understanding of God, a spiritual economy has to become connected with God in Teacher thought and disconnected from humanity in Mercy thought. The flogging disconnects from humanity in Mercy thought making it possible to be more completely connected with God in Teacher thought. Notice that flogging comes from people. A Son of Man has the right content; it contains the personal salvation of Jesus. Flogging uses personally induced pain to overwhelm the natural salvation provided by the content. It might seem bizarre to put any positive spin upon flogging, but Hebrews 12:2 does exactly that. “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who in view of the joy lying before Him endured the cross, having despised its shame.” Endure means ‘remaining under’ while despise means to think a little of’. Notice how Jesus is belittling the Mercy pain of the cross by focusing upon the positive joy from God in Teacher thought that results from sticking with the process. This is quite different than the typical Christian memorial service of the crucifixion which wallows in the physical trauma and suffering experienced by Jesus. Masochism focuses upon pain and trauma and wallows in it. Masochism is sick. Jesus is able to go beyond masochism in Hebrews 12:2 by having something positive to focus upon in Teacher thought.
Soldiers Mocking 27:27-31
Jesus is sent to the soldiers in verse 27. “Then the soldiers of the governor, having taken Jesus into the Praetorium, gathered the whole cohort before Him.” Soldier is used three times in Matthew. The previous time was in 8:9 where the centurion described himself to Jesus as a man under of authority with soldiers under him. That was interpreted as Charlemagne founding the Carolingian Empire, which laid the foundation for Western civilization. This suggests that the choice made by Pilate will also have the long-term impact of founding some form of human/angelic civilization. The mention of both humans and angels makes cognitive sense because both angels and human soldiers function in a structured manner under authority. Consistent with this, the word army is related to ‘soldier’ and is used twice in the New Testament to describe a ‘heavenly army’. Having taken combines ‘from close alongside’ with ‘aggressively take’. It was previously used in 26:37 to describe Jesus taking Peter and the sons of Zebedee into the garden with him. The idea is that Jesus is playing a supporting role to the soldiers, similar to the way that the military is allegedly currently attempting to weaponize alien technology. We saw earlier that Pilate recognizes that Jesus is called the Christ. Thus, it would only be possible for government to overpower the spiritual economy if government went beyond the concrete salvation of Jesus to include abstract elements of Christ, which would mean humans cooperating with angels in a structured manner, similar to the way that a concept of incarnation combines concrete human thought with abstract angelic thought in a structured manner. Aggressively taking ‘from close beside’ suggests that this new military structure shares many common elements with a concept of incarnation. Praetorium is used once in Matthew and means ‘the official residence of a governor’. Aggressively taking Jesus from close beside to the governor’s official residence suggests that core mental networks are being reshaped. What was a spiritual economy based upon personal character and initiative is going to be transformed into a military structure. Gathered means ‘to lead together’ and was previously used in verse 17 to describe the people gathering together before Pilate. Whole means ‘where all the parts are present and working as a whole’. This emphasizes the idea that a complete military structure is being imposed upon the spiritual economy of Jesus. Cohort is used once in Matthew and refers to the tenth part of a legion, but it literally means ‘anything wound up or coiled’. This is significant because angelic beings deal with strings and sequences of messages. Going further, DNA is an example of a coiled up message and strings of amino acids that are transcribed from DNA turn to living tissue as they become ‘wound up or coiled’. (This is not just a surface analogy. Proteins cease functioning when the coiled strings of amino acids become uncoiled. This is called denaturation.) Thus, ‘wound up’ implies angelic sequences coiled up to function in human form.
Verse 28 is typically interpreted as mockery, but I suggest that it also has a legitimate interpretation. “And having stripped Him, they put a scarlet robe around Him.” Strip is used twice in Matthew and combines ‘from out of’ with ‘to sink into’. Clothing represent social interaction. One ‘sinks into’ clothing that fits naturally and comfortably. This is being taken away from Jesus, which means that the natural social interaction of a spiritual economy is being deliberately eliminated. A robe is ‘a short cloak worn by soldiers’ and is only used in this verse and three verses later. Scarlet is used once in Matthew and scarlet was the color of royalty. Put around means ‘to place around’. Thus, the natural social interaction of the spiritual economy is being eliminated and replaced with an abbreviated military style of social interaction based in authority. This describes the initial stage of taking over some system. The old system is still allowed to function and it is given respect but it is placed within a new social structure that reflects the new way of thinking. At this point, no pain is being inflicted upon Jesus. Similarly, when there is a regime change, it often feels at the beginning as if everything will be okay as long as one adapts to the new way of interacting.
The pain starts in verse 29. “And having twisted together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.” Twisted together means to ‘weave together, plait’ and is only used in the New Testament in this verse and two parallel passages. Weaving together suggests that Server sequences of angelic messages are being intertwined to form a stronger sequence. A crown is a ‘wreath awarded to a victor’ and is used once in Matthew. However, this crown is made out of thorns, which means ‘a prickly plant’ and the same word was used in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, which was interpreted as focusing upon detailed knowledge at the expense of generalization. Put means ‘to lay upon’. Head was previously used in 26:7 where precisely the same Greek phrase ‘on the head of him’ was used. In 26:7 the woman poured ointment ‘on the head of him’ whereas in verse 29, a crown of thorns is being placed ‘on the head of him’. A crown of thorns describes the second stage of regime change when the various regulations and procedures of the new regime start to come together and start poking existing worldviews and ways of thinking. What typically happens is that, as in the parable of the sower, these thorns gradually choke the existing mindset, causing a person to adopt the mindset of the new regime in order to avoid the continual feeling of being poked in the head. Notice again the parallel with the anointing of the woman. A woman also places Teacher structure upon human Mercy experiences but does so in a manner that is graceful, beautiful, and attractive. This suggests that the anointing of the woman might provide a positive alternative to a negative crown of thorns. A Son of Man has to be transformed into a Son of God by submitting to some Teacher-based structure. Being anointed by a woman would also be regarded by male technical thought as a form of poking, but being anointed by a woman is far more pleasant than wearing a crown of thorns. A reed is ‘a reed; a reed-pen, reed-staff, measuring rod’. This combination represents a set of standards that are written with a pen, control others as a staff, and are used as a standard of measurement. This describes behavior being guided and evaluated by a written set of regulations. This defines the method by which a professional army functions; everything is done ‘by the book’. The ‘right’ indicates left hemisphere thought, which means that this written set of regulations is guiding the Teacher words and Server actions of left hemisphere thought. This describes a third stage of regime change in which a new set of written procedures is formulated which everyone is now expected to implement.
Verse 29 continues, “And having bowed the knees before Him, they mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” Bowed the knee means to fall on the knees’ and is used one other time in Matthew in 17:14, which was interpreted as Victorian society wanting moral solutions that preserved the existing mindset of absolute truth. Before him means ‘before the face of’. Here too, Jesus is being asked to provide solutions in a manner that does not disturb a mindset of structure and revealed truth. Now that the spiritual economy has been ‘tamed’ with a new cloak of social interaction, a crown of thorns of new guidelines, and a reed of comprehensive new procedures, the new system is quite willing to submit to the spiritual economy for ‘personal salvation’. Those who used to function within the old regime have been ‘re-educated’ and can now be trusted to function within the new system. Mock combines ‘in the realm of’ with ‘to play as a child’. This provides a more subtle meaning to the word ‘mock’. In essence, a concept of incarnation that is meant to transform creation is being harnessed to play a set of political games, somewhat like using the global telecommunications infrastructure to send videos of cats. Hail means ‘to delight in God’s grace’ and was previously used by Judas in 26:49 when he betrayed Jesus. ‘Saying hail’ would mean intellectually treating cat videos as a legitimate general application of global infrastructure. Not only is the divinely awesome machinery of incarnation being squeezed into some military structure and being used to pursue petty goals, but it is then being forced to verbally act as if these petty goals are truly general Teacher plans of divine significance. Adding insult to injury, this universal Teacher understanding is being treated as the ‘King of the Jews’—a system of authority that rules over religion. In verse 11, the first question that the governor asked Jesus is whether he was ‘the king of the Jews’ and Jesus answered by saying that this was the governor’s idea. In verse 29, the governor’s idea of what Jesus is is being imposed theoretically upon Jesus. But a spiritual economy is based upon apostleship and not kingship and it goes far beyond the subculture of some religious ghetto.
The treatment becomes actively abusive in verse 30. “And having spit upon Him, they took the reed and kept striking Him on His head.” Spit upon is used one other time in Matthew in 26:67 where the religious leaders spit in Jesus’ face after deciding that he committed blasphemy. Spitting provides the moisture of Mercy experiences from a source that normally generates Teacher speech. This turns communication into personal rivalry and cultural imposition. For instance, one of the premises of postmodern thought is that all apparent theories are merely ideologies based in struggles between power groups. Stated symbolically, all speech is merely spit. Similarly, when a new regime gains sufficient control, then merely following the rulebook is insufficient. Instead, one must now follow the regulations with the right Mercy feelings, and if these Mercy feelings are not evident, then one will be ‘spit upon’. Going further, the ‘reed’ of regulations now becomes a weapon that can be wielded. Take means to ‘actively lay hold of’. Strike means ‘to strike, smite, beat’. It is used one other time in Matthew in 24:49 where the evil slave began to beat his fellow slaves while waiting for the second coming. The idea there was that one was becoming impatient with God’s timing and attempting to impose truth upon others. I have often felt tempted to do this and I do occasionally lose control, but my desire to achieve lasting results is deeper than my feelings of impatience. In verse 30, the spiritual economy of Jesus is being ‘beat over the head’ with the reed of regulations, attempting desperately to force the spiritual economy to think in a ‘proper military manner’. A partial parallel from current society can be seen in the behavior of the Chinese soldiers during the Chinese cultural revolution of the 1960s.
Verse 31 suggests that Jesus is being regarded as an incorrigible member of the old regime who is incapable of ‘re-education’. “And when they had mocked Him, they took off Him the robe, and they put His garments on Him and led away Him to crucify Him.” Mocked is the same word used in verse 29, which means ‘in the realm of childish play’. Took off is the same word that was translated as ‘stripped’ in verse 28. And robe refers to a ‘short cloak worn by soldiers’. Put on has ‘the sense of sinking into a garment’. And garments refer to the ‘outer garment’, which represents social interaction. Having failed at behaving successfully in a military manner despite being ‘beaten over the head with the reed of regulations’, the spiritual economy is permitted to resume its normal, natural mode of social interaction. That is because it has now been successfully socially belittled. Using an analogy, now that everyone agrees that the ultimate purpose of the Internet is to send cat videos, those who use the Internet to do real research can be safely permitted to continue as before, because everyone now knows that this research is worthless because it is incapable of fitting into the system. I know from personal experience what this means, because the theory of mental symmetry is generally considered to be worthless because it is essentially incapable of fitting into the academic system of peer review and publishing. That is because everybody within academia ‘knows’ that publishing some miniscule fact about some fragment of a specialization is far more ‘significant’ than coming up with an integrated theory of an entire field. It is now possible to lead Jesus away to be crucified. The spiritual economy can be given freedom to do whatever it wants and it will be ignored because everybody knows that it is worthless. Similarly, I can write about mental symmetry as much as I want because everyone ‘knows’ that general theories are worthless.
I suggested previously that a Teacher mental network that has just formed can be ‘crucified’ by ensuring that the offending theory is never discussed again. That was the method used by the crowd in verse 23. The soldiers have come up with a more effective method of crucifixion: 1) Place the unwanted theory within a system that violates its internal structure. 2) Ask this theory to carry out functions which it regards as trivial. 3) Punish the theory when it fails at carrying out these trivial functions. 4) Allow the theory to exhibit its true nature, which people will now associate with failure to carry out even trivial functions. The unwanted theory can now be successfully ignored.
Looking at this from the other side, what positive benefit would the spiritual economy gain from such blatant ridicule? I suggest the following as a possible answer. A spiritual economy adds a spiritual element to science and technology. This means transforming mental networks, because the spiritual realm interacts with the mind through mental networks. This leads to the conclusion that there is a dichotomy between mind and matter, between spiritual and physical. Mysticism appears to acquire power through brief encounters with the primal energy of God. The mysticism that is practiced today by humans may be primarily emotional, but stories seem to indicate that current aliens are capable of tapping into the divine energy through their version of mysticism. However, that method has ceased functioning because it has become short-circuited. The military being described in this section appear to be using a different path of accessing divine energy that interacts with primal beings in a structured manner. The spiritual economy has to learn how to utilize this alternative path. That is because being a human seems to involve bridging two different ways of interacting with God: One interacts spiritually at the level of mental networks, and one interacts physically using technical thought at the level of DNA. I should add that we are only looking here at the two aspects of what it means to be human within the context of what is means to be a living person. There is also the created structure of the physical, spiritual, and angelic realms, which is a totally different subject. I have attempted to examine that topic by looking at physics and have how come to the conclusion that there appear to be significant analogical similarities between the deep structure of the physical universe and the structure of the mind.
Crucifying Jesus 27:32-34
Verse 32 mentions Simon of Cyrene. “And going forth, they found a man of Cyrene, named Simon. They compelled him that he might carry His cross.” Going forth means ‘to go or come out of’. Found means to ‘discover, especially after searching’. Man means ‘human’. Thus, now that the spiritual economy has been sufficiently reduced, it can be placed within a human framework. Simon means ‘to hear’ which indicates a focus upon the words of human speech. Normally the word ‘called’ is used, but verse 32 uses the word name, which represents ‘the manifestation of revelation of someone’s character’. ‘Name’ was previously used in 24:9 where Jesus said that his followers would be hated by all nations because of his name. Thus, ‘a human named Simon’ would refer to a human perspective that naturally uses human speech, as opposed to a supernatural perspective that adds angelic power to the messages of human speech. This would be like regarding mental symmetry as a purely cognitive theory with no supernatural or spiritual implications. This can be done fairly easily given the current materialistic, scientific, human world. It would be much harder to do in a future society that bridged human and supernatural existence.
Cyrene is mentioned once in the New Testament. Cyrene was a Greek colony but many Jews lived there. It had famous schools for medicine and philosophy. The name probably means ‘of high social standing’. This conveys the idea that the supernatural power and integrated nature of Christ is being replaced with high-class human culture and learning. This would be possible if normal human society included elements of the supernatural. The current equivalent would be to regard Christianity as a social gospel that is useful for improving the economic and social well-being of some group. This may be true but it also trivializes the impact of the cosmic significance of incarnation. For mental symmetry, that would be like discussing these essays in polite circles rather than following the principles in order to hasten the second coming and the founding of a spiritual economy. Compelled is only found three times in the New Testament. ‘Couriers had authority to press into their service, in case of need, horses, vessels, even men they met.’ A courier delivers official messages and an angel is a messenger. Thus, the angelic messages of the spiritual economy are being attached onto the words of educated human society; human society is being compelled to carry these messages. Carry means to ‘raise, take up, lift’, which is interpreted as heading in the direction of Teacher generality. A cross is the ‘transverse beam... carried by the criminal’. A tree represents ‘the tree of knowledge’ with its various branches of specialization. A cross would be a piece of wood from a tree, representing the knowledge of some specialization. Coins would represent the intellectual wealth of specific facts, whereas a beam would refer more to the integrated knowledge of some specialization, knowledge which began as the living mental networks of some growing body of knowledge.
One can put this all together by looking at a similar transition that mental symmetry has recently gone through. I have been using mental symmetry as a meta-theory to analyze a diversity of specializations. These connections make it possible to go backwards and describe most of the elements of mental symmetry using the accepted language of various specializations. In fact, one can use the various accepted verbal theories of ‘Cyrene’ to intellectually carry the theory of mental symmetry, effectively transforming mental symmetry into a cognitive theory supported by cognitive findings. For instance, my previous project was to use mental symmetry to explain most of the core theories of second language acquisition. This works well because learning a second language involves most areas of human thought, which means that all of the major aspects of mental symmetry can be presented within an analysis of second language acquisition. Using the language of verse 32, second language acquisition is being used as a human ‘Simon of Cyrene’ to carry the ‘cross’ of mental symmetry. However, even though this paper is well-referenced, explains the topic naturally in an unforced manner, and refers extensively to neurological evidence, I am finding it difficult to get it published. I think that is because the ultimate goal of current science is to ‘crucify’ the premise that one can start with a rational general theory in Teacher thought.
Verse 33 describes the destination. “And having come to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull.” Place was previously used in 26:52 where Jesus instructed to put the sword back into its place. Specific tools such as swords have their place. In contrast, a universal concept of Christ does not have a place but rather transcends human concepts of place. Finding a ‘place’ for Jesus means reducing universal Teacher understanding to some specialization of human knowledge. Golgotha comes from a Hebrew word that means ‘a skull, head’ which is related to the Hebrew word ‘to roll’, presumably because skulls are round and can roll. Skull is the Greek word for ‘skull’ and the word ‘place’ is explicitly used again. Hebrew was the language of religion, while Greek was the language of science. Therefore, providing the name in both Hebrew and Greek suggests that both religion and science are coming to the same conclusion. Going further, in both cases a ‘place’ is being ‘called’, which means that both religious and scientific language are treating the topic as some specialization with its place. For instance, mental symmetry can be used to analyze both religious and scientific topics, and in both cases, this analysis can be treated as a specialization that is discussed in well-educated circles.
In verse 34, this leads to mixed results. “They gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall; and having tasted, He was not willing to drink it. Drink is being interpreted as going through some set of Mercy experiences. It was previously used in 26:42 where Jesus talked about drinking the cup from his Father. The only other time that wine is mentioned in Matthew is in the parable of the wine and the wineskins in Matthew 9, which was interpreted as scholasticism being an inadequate framework for the ‘new wine’ of science. (The Last Supper talked about the fruit of the vine in 26:29 but did not mention wine.) Wine is being interpreted as pleasant cultural results. Thus, treating the spiritual economy as some religious and/or scientific specialization is generating some cultural benefits. Gall is used twice in the New Testament and is a ‘bitter herb’. The other reference in Acts 8:23 specifically refers to ‘the gall of bitterness’ and that passage was interpreted as a spiritual economy functioning within a system of delegated authority. In both cases, the bitterness comes from limiting universal principles to some specific ‘place’. There are pleasant results, but they could be so much bigger and universal. Mingled is used once in Matthew and means ‘to mix’. A similar word was seen previously when looking at pottery. ‘Mingled’ in verse 34 means a mechanical mixture whereas potter comes from a word that refers to a chemical mixture (which chemistry refers to as a compound). In other words, elements are being intermingled in verse 34 that do not belong together. For instance, it is possible to use mental symmetry as a general theory to explain various specializations, but this is a mingling because mental symmetry is based in a different set of fundamental assumptions than most current specializations. One must continually suppress the larger implications of mental symmetry in order to ensure that one does not violate the implicit assumptions of the specialization that is being analyzed. Tasted means ‘to taste, eat’, and is used one other time in Matthew in 16:28 where Jesus said that some would not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. ‘Tasting death’ was interpreted as becoming cynical in an era of partial application. Verse 34 also describes being forced to live with partial application. Willing means ‘to desire, wish’. ‘Not willing to drink’ would mean not wanting to enter into the Mercy experiences of this partial application. Verse 34 does not say that there is no drinking, but rather that drinking will be avoided because it is a mixed application that is generating mixed feelings.
Guarding Crucifixion 27:35-37
Verse 35 describes the actual crucifixion. “And having crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots.” ‘Having crucified’ means that the spiritual economy has now been successfully integrated as a specialization into existing religious and scientific thought. For mental symmetry, this crucifixion is purely academic and social. In the future era of verse 35, it would mean successfully reducing spiritual technology and heavenly guided genetic manipulation into a new form of consumer society. Divided means ‘to distribute, to divide’ and is only used in Matthew in this verse where it appears twice. Garments referred to the ‘outer garment’ which represents social interaction. ‘Dividing the garments’ would mean successfully splitting an integrated spiritual economy into various specializations that do not interact with one another. This is an effective way of hiding from God in Teacher thought because one avoids the concept of a forest by focusing upon one of the trees. For instance, I have had some success in publishing specific facets of mental symmetry and I have been advised that I might be able to publish my paper on second language acquisition if I split the paper up into two or three papers that each focus upon one specific aspect of mental symmetry. Cast means ‘to throw, cast’ and is being interpreted as moving through the air of Teacher thought. Lots are only mentioned in this verse in Matthew. Jewish society distributed inheritance by casting lots, guided by the assumption that God would guide the random element. The idea here is that no one is consciously choosing how to split up the garments into various parts, but rather that this splitting is happening as a result of external factors. This is cognitively significant, because any conscious attempt to split up the garments would require acknowledging the unified nature of incarnation and the spiritual economy. Some manuscripts add that this was a fulfillment of prophecy, using the same Greek words that have just been discussed. One could interpret that as verse 35 being a fuller version of what has happened in the past.
In verse 36 the job is finished. “And sitting down, they were guarding Him there.” Sitting down is being interpreted as resting in some position of authority. Guard means to ‘maintain, preserve’. Looking at this cognitively, once knowledge separates into different specializations, then each specialization will develop its own technical vocabulary, its own collection of established literature, and its own set of policemen who ensure that the technical standards of that specialization are maintained. The end result is that it becomes extremely difficult to become an officially recognized expert in more than one field. Notice that the splitting of clothes happens first and is followed by ‘guarding him there’. The establishment of different specializations makes it possible for the policemen of each specialization to keep understanding in a fragmented form, ensuring that the divided clothing remains divided.
Integrated understanding is replaced in verse 37 with an official reason. “And they put up over His head the written accusation against Him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Put up means ‘to place upon’, which would mean assigning Perceiver confidence to some information. It was previously used in verse 29 to describe putting a crown of thorns ‘on the head of him’. This is being placed ‘over the head of him’ and over adds ‘up above’ to ‘on’. Thus, the label is now regarded as more general than the person, indicating that verbal thought has successfully overcome angelic messages. The topic is now ‘safe’ for humans to discuss. ‘Over his head’ indicates that the rational content of the spiritual economy has been successfully neutered. Accusation means ‘cause, reason’. It was used previously in 19:10 to describe the relationship between a man and wife in the passage of divorce, and that was interpreted as 1950s society concluding that if personal well-being meant dragging along mental networks with technical thought, it was better to pursue material prosperity without including mental networks. Verse 37 describes a similar conclusion, because human society is deciding that it is better to place angelic help within a human framework than to attempt to interact meaningfully with angels and primal beings. Written is used ten times in Matthew. The previous nine times referred to the writings of Scripture. This final reference is to something that government has written. This suggests that the label of Teacher generality that is applied to the neutered spiritual economy will be treated as a form of written revelation that has equal status to Scripture—a sort of ‘Newer Testament’. All four Gospels mention the inscription ‘King of the Jews’, but Matthew adds a word that is not mentioned in the other three Gospels, the word is. Is can be implied in Greek or explicitly added. In verse 36, it is explicitly added. These essays have been making a distinction between ‘having’ and ‘being’. ‘Having’ involves Perceiver facts of ownership. Being goes deeper to involve mental networks of personal identity. In verse 37, the spiritual economy has not just been neutered at the level of possessions and having, but rather at the deeper level of essence and being: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Matthew and John are also the only two Gospels to specifically mention the name Jesus. The Gospel of John is interpreted as a cognitive analysis of the historical Jesus. A king rules over some domain. Jew means praised and represents a religious system of worship. Thus, the neutered spiritual economy will be viewed as the epitome of praise, the system of praise that rules over other systems.
What is happening cognitively is that Teacher generality is being interpreted as Mercy importance. A theory that has great generality is not being viewed as ruling over all of life, but rather as one that is given great status over other theories. The standard model of physics provides a current example. It is the closest thing that humans have to a universal theory because it can explain all particles and forces except for gravity. However, the standard model is essentially useless for normal life because it analyzes everything at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles, while human behavior occurs at a vastly larger scale. In addition, the standard model is mathematically far too complicated to be understood by the average person. However, theoretical physicists who work with the standard model are given great emotional status and everyone verbally acknowledges the great Teacher generality of the standard model. The standard model does guide the thinking of researchers who are attempting to make breakthroughs into manipulating matter in new and marvelous ways. But as far as the average person is concerned, the standard model is a system of revealed truth that has nothing to do with normal human existence.
The Audience of Crucifixion 27:38-44
Verse 38 mentions that Jesus is not alone. “At the same time two robbers are crucified with Him, one at the right hand, and one at the left.” A robber is someone who ‘steals out in the open, typically with violence’. (Luke and John do not use the term ‘robber’ to describe the two who are crucified with Jesus.) A robber takes possessions without paying for them. It was suggested that ‘being’ goes deeper than ‘having’. Robbing is even less than having. I have learned over the years that all information about the mind has a cost. If one is not willing to pay this cost, then one will end up deceiving oneself. Most experts on the mind are cognitive thieves who think that one can study other people’s minds without having to pay a personal price within one’s own mind. This thievery is not done secretly but rather out in the open, often doing violence to the principle of cognitive ownership. If two robbers are crucified along with Jesus, then this suggests that people are realizing that intellectual thievery has to stop. The phrase ‘one at right hand and one at the left’ is found one other time in Matthew 20 where the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked if her sons could sit on the right and the left of Jesus. Jesus replies that these two would drink the cup of Jesus but only God the Father could decide who sits on the left and the right. Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane made it clear that the cup was crucifixion and Jesus is now drinking this cup. Matthew 20 was interpreted as the rise of cognitive science and psychology. The implication is that these two have been revealed to be robbers and are now being crucified along with Jesus. While there are individual exceptions, I can conclude from personal experience that cognitive science and psychology as disciplines exhibit the characteristics of intellectual robbery, because they assume that cognition can be studied in an objective manner that ignores the personal maturity of the researcher. The request of Matthew 20 is also mentioned in Mark 10, but the version in Mark does not mention the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Notice that one finds again a curious reference to female thought playing a role in the nature of the crucifixion. Matthew seems to be indicating that cognitive science and psychology will eventually be crucified as robbers, but what if some aspect of cognitive science and psychology does not practice robbery? Might that have an impact upon the decision of God the Father in Teacher thought? This question has personal significance for me because mental symmetry began as an aspect of the postwar cognitive revolution and has been guided over the years by research in cognitive science and psychology.
Verse 39 describes the general response. “And those passing by kept railing at Him, wagging their heads.” Passing by is used once in Matthew and combines ‘close beside’ with ‘to transport’. Transport is interpreted as movement that is accompanied by change. A concept of Christ ties together many similar general processes. However, in verse 35 these various implications were all subdivided into specializations when the garments of Jesus were divided. But these similarities still exist and will be noted by those who are following a process of personal transformation within some specialization. Railing is the source of the English word ‘blaspheme’ and means ‘to speak lightly or profanely of sacred things’. This word was previously used in 26:65 where Jesus was accused of blasphemy. Putting this together, whenever interdisciplinary similarities are noticed, they will be emotionally belittled in order to remove any concept of divine universality in Teacher thought.
This type of response can be seen currently in the theory of biological evolution. Nature—with a capital ‘N’—is continually given personal attributes that can only be described as divine, but abuse will be hurled at anyone who dares suggest that Nature should actually be viewed as a concept of God. Wagging means ‘to move’ and ‘head’ refers to intelligent thought. Something similar can be seen when currently discussing Nature. Heads may started moving, but there is no intelligent thought. I should add that the Big Bang theory is based upon rational thought and mathematical analysis. That is why I refer specifically to biological evolution. Intelligent research is being done by biologists who believe in biological evolution, but I have yet to find any aspect of the theory of biological evolution itself that goes beyond ‘wagging the head’. I have also come to the conclusion that the theory of biological evolution is intrinsically opposed to mental symmetry.
Content is added to this head-wagging in verse 40. “And saying, ‘The One destroying the temple and building it in three days, save Yourself!’” This same phrase occurs in Mark but not in the other Gospels. Notice that rebuilding the temple is being described as a fact, and not as something hypothetical. Destroying means to ‘loosen thoroughly’ and temple ‘refers to the part of the temple where God himself resides’. Build means ‘to build a house’. This same phrase with the same three words was used in 26:61 where Jesus was accused of saying that he had the power to ‘loosen thoroughly’ the shrine of God. The same word ‘loosen thoroughly’ was also used in 24:2 by Jesus, but he predicted what would happen and he referred to the temple complex. As was mentioned previously, Jesus predicted that the solid Perceiver facts of the existing religious system would become dismantled. And that has come to pass in today’s postmodern society. Verse 40 is describing something a little different. Jesus is being recognized as having replaced a ‘house of God’ with a ‘house for humans’. In other words, Jesus successfully tore down existing concepts of God and replaced this with an updated version of the consumer society. This would be like viewing mental symmetry as a cognitive replacement for religion. The reference to ‘three days’ indicates that people understand that this has been a process that has happened over several societal ages. This goes beyond postmodernism which views itself primarily as a reaction against modernism. ‘Jesus’ comes from the Hebrew and means ‘salvation of God’. Save is the Greek word for ‘save’. These two words were connected back in 1:21 where the angel told Mary to ‘call her son Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’. People now realize clearly that the goal of the spiritual economy is personal salvation, but this salvation has been reduced to a consumer version that safe for humanity. I have mentioned several times that many cognitive and psychological theories fall apart when they are applied to themselves. In verse 40, this test is being applied to Jesus. Is the spiritual economy capable of saving itself? If it does not apply to itself, then it is not a legitimate theory.
That is a legitimate question. However, when the crowds chose Barabbas over Jesus, they interpreted salvation as stepping back from any deep involvement that would threaten humanity. And that is how salvation is being interpreted in verse 40. “If You are the Son of God, also descend from the cross!” ‘Son of God’ means that the concept of a Son of Man has now been changed fully into the concept of a Son of God. And ‘is’ is explicitly mentioned, indicating that the question involves being and not just having. What is being asked is an updated version of the question of intelligent design. Today’s version is ‘The Teacher order of the universe implies the existence of a real God of Teacher order.’ The version of verse 40 would be ‘The Teacher order of the extended human and angelic universe implies the existence of a real God of Teacher order.’ This question would be especially apparent if a consumer society version of human-angelic interaction managed to incorporate most of the aspects of current religion. Today’s consumer has no answer to the question ‘But what will happen to you after you die?’ The consumer of verse 40 would have a reasonably adequate answer to this question. Descend means ‘to go down’ and was interpreted as heading away from Teacher generality. ‘Descending from the cross’ would mean embracing fragmented consumerism by moving away from Teacher generality. But a ‘Son of God’ is—by definition—based in Teacher generality. A Son of God does not step back from any deep involvement, even if this potentially threatens humanity. That is because lasting salvation can only be found by going through a process and not by avoiding the process. It is possible to find better versions of the process, but the general sequence still has to be followed.
In verse 41, the religious system adopts this new version of humanized salvation. “Likewise also, the chief priests with the scribes and elders, mocking, were saying.” Likewise means ‘in like manner’ which indicates that the religious leaders are now copying the secular mindset. A similar situation exists today with many religious leaders thinking that they are following the latest from God, when in actual fact, they are merely echoing what happened in the world a few years earlier. Chief priests indicates that the system of religious hierarchy is still intact. Mocking combines ‘in the realm of’ with ‘to play as a child’. In other words, the religious priests are still carrying out their religious rituals, but these have been reduced to the level of child’s play. This would be like performing medieval reenactments in the modern era. Everyone knows that something much more powerful now exists, but it is still fun to go through the rituals. However, the chief priests are no longer connected by an ‘and’ with the elders, suggesting that priesthood is no longer intertwined with religious and cultural tradition. Instead, one finds ‘scribes and elders’ together. Scribes were previously mentioned in 26:57 where they also were combined with elders. Scribes focus on the written text. Thus, the combination of scribes and elders indicates an emphasis upon revealed truth and holy books, consistent with the suggestion made earlier regarding religious incantations.
The religious leaders speak in verse 42. “He saved others. He is not able to save Himself. He is King of Israel!” Notice that the religious leaders are recognizing that Jesus saves. They also recognize that truth has to apply to self as well as others. Able means ‘power’, which in this context would definitely refer to angelic power. In some way the spiritual economy loses its power when it attempts to protect itself. I think that this relates to the principle of apostleship, which is discussed in the essay on 1 Corinthians. An apostle is like a legislator. A legislator can pass some law, but that law only acquires power to the extent that people submit to this law. Going further, a law can only apply to the legislator if people submit to the law and the legislator then submits also to the law as a fellow citizen. However, there has just been a regime change in the previous verses and the citizens no longer recognize the legislator as a source of law. What remains is the memory of the spiritual economy, similar to the way that Western society at the end of the 20th century was guided by the memory of traditional ethics. This memory of the spiritual economy can still function for the average person, but it can no longer function for the apostles, because the apostles would have to act like dictators rather than apostles in order to restore their power. Christian leaders found themselves in a similar predicament in the late 20th century: they could either give up, turn into dictators, or else support dictators. The sign referred to Jesus as ‘King of the Jews’. But the religious Jews say that Jesus is the King of Israel, and the word ‘is’ is again explicitly included. Israel means ‘God strives’ and is interpreted as the people through whom God interacts with humanity. Thus, the spiritual economy is being equated with the concrete expression of the religious system. This is a kind of social gospel in which the purpose of religion is to help people in the here and now.
Verse 42 continues, “Let Him descend now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.” ‘Descend from the cross’ is the same phrase that was used in verse 40, and it was pointed out that descending implies heading away from Teacher generality. Believe means to ‘be persuaded’. This is consistent with the idea of a social gospel. The religious leaders will be rationally persuaded if Jesus descends from Teacher generality and embraces concrete improvements. For instance, I sometimes receive the suggestion that mental symmetry would be more believable if I focused upon concrete applications for the theory. However, whenever I attempt to do so, I find myself colliding with the underlying assumptions of current practice, causing me to return to an analysis of these general assumptions.
God is specifically mentioned in verse 43. “He trusted on God. Let Him deliver Him now if He wants. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” God was previously mentioned in 26:63, where the high priest demanded to know ‘by the living God’ if Jesus was the Son of God. Trusted is the same word as ‘believe’ in verse 42. On the one hand, Jesus was rationally persuaded by a concept of God in Teacher thought. On the other hand, the religious leaders will be rationally persuaded by concrete results. Similarly, the starting point for mental symmetry is a meta-theory in Teacher thought that corresponds to the God of the Bible, while the starting point for cognitive research is the concrete results of empirical evidence. Deliver is used twice in Matthew and means ‘to draw to oneself’. The other reference was in The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 in the phrase ‘deliver us from evil’. Wants means ‘to desire, wish’. In the Greek, ‘him’ is after ‘wants’. Thus, a more literal translation would be ‘let him deliver now if he wants him’. (The words in italics are implied by the conjugation of the verbs.) What is being described is emotional attraction. What does God want to draw to himself? If the spiritual economy describes what God really wants, then God will draw it to himself. Similarly, the Lord’s Prayer asks for God to ‘draw to oneself’ away from the evil; one does not fight the evil but rather overcomes the evil by being drawn to God. In the words of James 4:7-8, “Therefore subject yourselves to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” Said means ‘to command’ and ‘I am the Son of God’ is literally ‘of God am son’, with ‘am’ explicitly mentioned. In other words, Jesus declared that his being comes from God in Teacher thought. One could view this theologically as a statement that Jesus is God. But within this context it would mean that the spiritual economy by its inherent nature reflects the character of God in Teacher thought. For instance, I have known for decades that I must personally apply the cognitive principles that I discover in mental symmetry in order to avoid deceiving myself. I have done this for so long that I can now accurately state that my being has become an expression of the general theory of mental symmetry. Whenever I try to violate these principles, I find that something deeper pulls me back. Notice again the demand for empirical evidence. If Jesus really is the Son of God, then prove it.
The robbers speak up in verse 44. “And likewise even the robbers, those having been crucified with Him, were upbraiding Him.” Likewise means ‘self’ or ‘the same’ and does not indicate similarity. Even means ‘and’. This makes sense because intellectual robbers do not purchase truth for themselves, but rather ‘steal’ their truth from others. Even in the process of being crucified, these two forms of thought still insist upon stealing truth from others. Crucified with is a single word that is only found once in Matthew. The same word is used in Galatians 2:20 which talks about being crucified with Christ. The implication is that cognitive science and psychology are being eliminated as disciplines together with the spiritual economy. I think that this is because cognitive science and psychology both look at the internal world. But now that the supernatural can express itself in physical form, there is no need for any more thinking about cognition. This is similar to the way that a study of cognition has been replaced in second language acquisition by a focus upon social interaction. Studying social interaction is not viewed as an extension of cognition, but rather as a replacement for cognition. Upbraid means ‘viewing someone as culpably guilty and therefore deserving punishment’. (Luke, in contrast, says that one of the robbers regards Jesus as innocent.) This would be a natural response from a form of thinking that uses empirical evidence to study other people. Jesus is ‘guilty’ because he is not producing empirical results and personal character is regarded as irrelevant because one is studying other people.
Darkness and Conservatism 27:45-49
In verse 45 people start to experience negative results. “And from the sixth hour, darkness was over all the land, until the ninth hour.” Darkness means ‘darkness’. The three previous uses of this word in Matthew used the phrase ‘cast into the outer darkness’. Such a darkness has now ‘come into being’ from noon until 3 PM. Land refers to ‘the physical earth’. Darkness indicates the absence of the sun of a general Teacher understanding. Jesus is being crucified because of claiming to be God. The idea that the spiritual economy has any connection with God in Teacher thought is being rejected both by secular and religious authorities. The inevitable result is to cause a darkness to come into being. If one insists upon only empirical evidence, then one will eventually find that one has no light of understanding to shine upon empirical evidence. For instance, science, with its demand for physical evidence, can only continue to function adequately as long as scientists believe that there is a source of Teacher order that lies behind physical evidence. Science by itself is an inadequate basis for practicing science. Similarly, the darkness of verse 45 demonstrates that a spiritual economy by itself is an inadequate basis for a spiritual economy. This is happening in the middle of the day, which suggests that the revitalized consumer society is still running fine and producing new personal benefits, but there is no longer any general purpose or meaning to all of this activity. Because an integrated concept of incarnation has been split into many specializations, the resulting darkness will be over all the land.
This is followed in verse 46 by Jesus crying out. “And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’” Notice that Jesus cries out around the same time that the darkness leaves. Cry out is used once in the New Testament and combines ‘upwards’ with a ‘visceral sound of intense exclaiming’. In other words, Jesus is being drawn up to Teacher thought by a gut level need. We saw previously that the people like Jesus and want the salvation of Jesus. But they do not want to connect the salvation of Jesus with a concept of Christ that is based in God in Teacher thought. This is similar to the way that people today love the practical benefits of technology but reject the idea that a concept of God in Teacher thought lies behind the science that makes technology possible. Voice means ‘voice, sound’ and loud means ‘great’, which is being interpreted as Teacher generality. Thus, people are recognizing that something is missing in Teacher thought, but they do not have anything coherent to fill this lack. A similar situation exists today because many authors accurately describe the malaise of current society but have no solution. The quoted phrase is in Aramaic, which is similar to Hebrew. ‘El’ is a word for God that means ‘high’ and ‘Eli’ means ‘my God’. Lama means ‘why’ and sabachthani adds to personal suffix to ‘leave, let alone’. The use of Aramaic suggests that this gut level response involves mental networks of personal existence that go beyond religion or science. Verse 46 then translates this phrase into Greek. “That is, ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?’” Forsaken means ‘to leave in the lurch, abandon’. This same phrase also occurs in Mark, but Mark describes the Greek as being translated, whereas Matthew says ‘that is’. This implies that an existential crisis is happening, first in the personal domain of Aramaic and then within the academic domain of Greek.
A similar transition has happened in current society, with a focus upon consumer prosperity being replaced by various groups crying out at a gut level that they feel forsaken by their superiors. On the one hand, this causes light to return to society. The darkness ends as people find meaning for their personal existence by standing up for the marginalized who are feeling forsaken by higher powers. On the other hand, this is a cry of anguish for incarnation, because following God has now been redefined as advocating on behalf of the latest group to feel abandoned by society. This transition has happened both within normal society, and within the social sciences. Attempting to be guided by some concept of God in Teacher thought becomes essentially impossible when everyone is either fighting or promoting propaganda. That describes the situation today. Imagine what would happen if people started to feel abandoned by the latest supernatural power or genetic improvement being promoted by some institution or corporation. Looking at this cognitively, a concept of God comes from universal principles that apply everywhere. A concept of God can survive when many people violate these universal principles, because the negative consequences that are experienced demonstrate the validity of these universal principles. But the insanity has now invaded the realm of universality; experiencing painful consequences is now causing people to make universal statements in Teacher thought. If one group feels forsaken by society, then everyone within society is supposed to emotionally embrace the pain of that group. It becomes a crime against society merely to assert that something or someone universal exists in Teacher thought that is independent of the latest marginalized group. Today this is happening cognitively and socially. In the future, it would be supported supernaturally by an entire system that spanned human and angelic. The translation from Aramaic to Greek suggests that this feeling will start with daily culture and then spread to academic thought. Notice that this is not just a case of a few individuals feeling oppressed by the system. Instead, the system that is supposed to bring salvation to people has been immobilized and crucified for so long that it feels forsaken by God in Teacher thought; the very system that has the job of using Teacher understanding to help people is declaring that there is no such thing as using Teacher understanding to help people.
Verse 47 describes how many will respond to this existential crisis. “And some of those who were standing there, having heard, began saying, ‘This man calls Elijah.’” Some means ‘a certain one, someone’, which indicates that this response will emerge spontaneously at the grassroots level. Standing is interpreted as holding on to some solid Perceiver facts. Hear means to ‘comprehend by hearing’. Thus, this response will not come from everyone, but rather from those who are still able to use Perceiver thought to analyze words in a rational fashion. Say means ‘command’, which means that this response will happen at the level of proclaiming Perceiver truth rather than Teacher understanding. Elijah means ‘Yah is God’ and was previously mentioned several times in chapter 17 in the Transfiguration. That was interpreted as the revival of Christian morality during the Victorian era. This implies that many who follow truth in Perceiver thought will interpret the situation as a call for a revival back to previous Christianity. ‘We need to repent and follow the traditional Faith of our Fathers.’ But notice that this group says nothing about Jesus and the word ‘man’ is implied. The Greek is more literally, ‘Elijah calls this’, with the emphasis upon Elijah. Similarly, the focus today tends to be upon restoring a mindset of ‘Yah is God’ rather than actually examining the content that God revealed.
This leads to an immediate response in verse 48. “And immediately one of them, having run and having taken a sponge, and having filled it with vinegar and having put it on a reed, gave Him to drink.” One of the characteristics of absolute truth is that it acquires certainty immediately. It only takes one defining experience to overwhelm Perceiver thought into ‘knowing’ what is ‘true’. ‘Immediately’ was previously used in 26:74 to describe the cock crowing immediately after Peter’s third betrayal of Jesus. In both cases, an emotional situation is causing an instant change in belief. Run means ‘running wide open’. It is used twice in Matthew, here and in 28:8 to announce the news of Jesus’ resurrection. In other words, there is no concept of righteousness or of following some divinely ordained path. Instead, people are trying to reach some goal as quickly as possible. Saying this another way, the assumption will be that the end justifies the means. Looking at current politics, ‘Conservative political leaders need to be elected by whatever means’. Verse 48 says that ‘one out of them runs’, indicating that only some will act, but this action will express the desires of the others within the group, and the focus will be upon achieving certain ends regardless of the means. Sponge is mentioned three times in the New Testament, only in the context of this event. A sponge grows in the water and can be used to hold water. Thus, a sponge would represent something that looks like a solid Perceiver object but actually comes from the liquid realm of pure Mercy experiences. The current analog would probably be interpreting a revival of absolute truth as returning to the Mercy experiences of the 1950s, when the average person still believed in absolute truth. This sponge is being taken, which means that individuals are actively laying hold of this ‘sponge’ of Mercy experiences. Filled up means ‘fill to the maximum’. It was used one other time in Matthew in 22:10 to describe the wedding feast filled with guests, which was interpreted as technical infrastructure being filled with social media and other forms of modern culture. The current filling of technical infrastructure has become worldwide and has spread to all facets of society, but the conservative mindset fills up this technical infrastructure with social interaction from the past. Similarly, people in verse 48will probably try to fit traditional Mercy experiences into the new framework of the spiritual economy. Vinegar is used once in Matthew and means ‘sour wine, given as a cheap painkiller to people condemned to crucifixion’. Put means ‘to place around’ and was previously used in verse 28 to describe putting a scarlet robe around Jesus. That was interpreted as placing the spiritual economy within a military-like social setting. Here the sponge with the vinegar is being put around a reed, and the same word reed was previously used in verses 29-30 to describe first putting a reed in the hand of Jesus and then beating him with it. That was interpreted as forcing the spiritual economy to carry out certain regulations and then using these regulations to ‘re-educate wrong thinking’. In verse 48 some reed of ‘do’s and don’ts’ is being encompassed by a sponge filled with the ‘sour wine’ of bygone culture that is past its expiry date. Jesus is being given that to drink, and give to drink is a single word that gives the impression that Jesus does not have any choice in the matter. ‘You will drink this conservative culture that is wrapped around a set of conservative rules and procedures!’
Verse 49 describes the more common response. “And the rest were saying, ‘Let it be. Let us see whether Elijah comes to save Him.’” ‘The rest’ was previously used in 25:11 to describe the foolish virgins attempting to come in after the door was closed. Saying means ‘command’, which suggests that confident words are being spoken. Let be means ‘to send away’ and is normally translated as ‘forgive’. Using the language of current society, ‘The world moves on. Don’t hold on to the past. Let go of the past and embrace what is happening’. See means ‘to see with the mind’. Come simply means ‘to come, go’. This group is not holding onto anything solid internally, but it is willing to mentally embrace the conservative movement if it succeeds in rescuing society.
The Death of Jesus 27:50-54
In verse 50 Jesus finally dies. “And Jesus, having cried again in a loud voice, yielded up His spirit.” Cry is a different word than the ‘cry’ of verse 46 and means ‘to cry out loudly with an urgent scream or shriek’. It was previously used in verse 23 to describe the crowds crying out for Jesus to be crucified. The goal there was to prevent deeply unwanted mental networks from being triggered. Verse 50 also involves a response from a fundamental mental network. The same phrase ‘loud voice’ is used as in verse 46 which means a sound of great Teacher generality. The previous cry was caused by the societal focus upon championing the oppressed. That cry attacked a concept of God in Teacher thought. This cry is caused by the futility of conservatism combined with the apathy of the average individual. The response is to ‘yield up spirit’. Yield up means ‘to send away’ and the same word, which is usually translated as ‘forgive’, was used in verse 49 by the average individual. Spirit was previously used in 26:41 where Jesus said that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. In verse 50, spirit separates from flesh. My hypothesis is that spirit does not have any inherent shape or form, but rather acquires its content from the content of mental networks. In contrast, structure and form can be acquired from living in the physical universe. Thus, the spirit of a person acquires form from living in the physical universe, but it will only start to function as an independent entity if a person is prevented from expressing core mental networks within the physical universe. For instance, I have recently began to sense my spirit functioning as an independent entity. This is the result of years of developing mental symmetry and making it part of my identity without being able to express these mental networks within physical reality.
The spirit leaves the body when a person dies and that would have happened to the physical Jesus who was physically crucified on a physical cross. But many claim that the spirit can leave the body temporarily and travel while a person is still alive. This is known as astral travel and Wikipedia says that “The idea of astral travel is ancient and occurs in multiple cultures.” I am not suggesting that one should pursue the paranormal, largely because the vast majority of methods that are currently used involve some form of mysticism and one does not want to go there. If the spiritual realm acquires its content from the content of mental networks, then the type of spiritual experience that one will have will be determined by the type of person that one has become before having the spiritual experience. In verse 50, a spiritual crisis is being triggered in a fully developed spiritual economy that is attempting to function at the level of a Son of God. Going further, the spirit will separate from the body if the body is deprived in some way for an extended period of time. This happens in the extreme at physical death. However, triggering a spiritual crisis by deliberately depriving the body is dangerous, because the traumatic experience of deprivation will end up warping one’s spirit. That is why it was very important for Jesus to ‘fix his eyes on the joy set before him, despising the shame’ (Hebrews 12:2).
At this point the careful theological reader may be wondering if I am promoting some sort of heresy regarding God or Jesus. Is Jesus merely a social construct or mental concept? We saw in the previous verses that precisely these sorts of questions are going to be asked: What exactly is the relationship between a fully developed spiritual economy and the real Incarnation of God? The best answer I can come up with is that Jesus Christ the Incarnation of God existed within eternity before creation and functioned as the bridge between God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. However, it appears that additional facets of incarnation can be constructed by created beings, and the power of these constructed forms of incarnation will depend on the extent to which they connect with the various aspects of Jesus Christ the Eternal Incarnation. Constructing such a concept of incarnation gives form to spirit, and this concept of incarnation acquires power when the spirit separates from the flesh. One of the central goals in the plan of God appears to be to guide created beings to construct a concept of incarnation that extends all the way from human reality to God in Teacher thought. My hypothesis is that this goal is being achieved in Matthew 27. John 10:16 describes this concept of incarnation acquiring additional facets by going through death and resurrection. Jesus also refers to a multi-faceted expression of incarnation in the high priestly prayer in John 17.
Looking at this separation of spirit and body from a different perspective, a human being is a soul that combines spirit and flesh. This combination is described in Genesis 2:7. The spiritual economy has revitalized the spirit. My hypothesis is that the DNA of the flesh was designed by primal beings, guided by God. Current day aliens appear to be extending from the flesh, using physical abduction to create hybrid beings through DNA manipulation, gaining power through mysticism by extending back to the primal energy of God. This method is not nice. The other option is to extend from the spirit. But that option is only available if the spirit has sufficient content to provide an alternative to the flesh, and if the spirit exists independently of the flesh. This second spiritual option becomes fully available in verse 50. The spiritual option already exists to some extent today but not at the level of providing a full alternative to aliens who are deriving their energy through mysticism.
Verse 51 describes the immediate results. “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom.” Behold indicates that something new is appearing within reality. Veil is used once in Matthew and literally means ‘that which is spread out downwards’. It is only mentioned in this incident and three times in Hebrews. The physical veil was a curtain that separated the holy from the secular in the temple. Cognitively speaking, this would refer to the division between religious and secular, which starts with a fundamental split between two types of knowing and is then ‘spread out downwards’ to affect a vast array of objects, experiences, and rituals. Temple refers to ‘that part of the temple where God himself resides’. Torn is the word ‘schizo’. It is used twice in Matthew, both times in this verse, and means to ‘cleave, split’. This happens ‘from the top to the bottom into two’. This is typically explained theologically as being able to have a direct personal relationship with God, rather than having to go through Old Testament sacrificial worship. That may be an accurate interpretation, but verse 51 is not emphasizing the fact that one can now traverse the barrier, but rather that the curtain is split into two. (Hebrews 6:19 and 10:20 emphasize entering through the veil.) In other words, what matters here is not that one can pass through the curtain, but rather that the curtain has become ‘schizo’.
Looking further at this idea of ‘being schizo’, one of the claimed symptoms of a spiritual experience is bilocation, in which a person occupies two locations at the same time. Generally speaking, one of these occurrences is described as non-substantial and not physical. One might think that this has nothing to do with Christianity or a concept of incarnation, but consider Ephesians 2:6. “He raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” This is a form of bilocation because one is spiritually in heaven while remaining physically on earth. As before, I suggest that the real question is not whether one can astrally project but where one is projecting to and with what sort of content. In Ephesians 2:6 the content is coming from an integrated concept of Christ Jesus—with Christ mentioned first, and the projecting is leading to the integrated stability of a ‘seated together’. Verse 51 seems to be emphasizing that there are now two curtains and not just one. The real problem of Matthew 27 was not that a curtain exists between secular and holy but rather that a short-circuit formed between divine power and humanity, making further progress too dangerous to contemplate. Thus, the religious leaders rationally convinced the people in verse 20 to control the spiritual economy because it was too dangerous to function in an unregulated manner. The unregulated spiritual economy was then crucified. But in verse 51, regulating the spiritual economy caused the spirit of the spiritual economy to separate. The result was two forms of ‘spreading out downwards’, one ‘religious’ and the other ‘secular’. These two veils make it possible to safely develop the spiritual economy further. Consistent with this, the first reference in Hebrews (in 6:19) to entering within the veil uses strong words to emphasize that it is now safe to do so.
This may sound like a strange interpretation, but that is because most current religion is fixated upon smashing through any spiritual veils in order to have a mystical encounter with the primal energy of God. However, if humanity ever succeeded in becoming reunited with God in some sort of Nirvana then it would become crystal-clear that this path leads to personal annihilation. The average mystic may talk in glowing terms about ‘becoming united with God’ but that is only because the mystic has only the occasional glimpse of divine energy. Consistent with this, Revelation 16 describes mysticism being defeated by burning it out.
Verse 51 continues, “And the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split.” Earth refers to ‘the physical earth’ and shake means ‘to shake’. ‘Shake’ was previously used in 21:10 to describe the city of Jerusalem being stirred during the triumphal entry, which was interpreted as the moral and societal shaking of the 1960s and 70s. Verse 51 describes a much deeper shaking that involves the facts of physical reality. It was suggested in previous verses that people were trying to limit the spiritual economy to the human realm of physical existence. This crucifixion eventually led to a spiritual breakthrough. Normally, the physical is solid. In verse 51, the physical is being shaken by something within the spiritual that has acquired stability and independent existence. Rock means ‘a mass of connected rock’. This word was previously used in 16:18, where it was compared with the ‘stone’ of Peter. Split is the same word ‘schizo’ that was translated as ‘torn’ earlier in the verse. Rock would represent the bedrock of solid Perceiver facts, which currently comes from the solid Perceiver facts of physical reality. This bedrock has now split into two, suggesting that there are now two independent sources of fundamental stability. The other Gospels mention the darkness and the tearing of the veil, but only Matthew talks about the earthquake and the rock.
At this point it may seem that I am reading something unwarranted into the Biblical text. But the next two verses literally describe the sort of weirdness that we have been discussing. All this strangeness is only mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, suggesting that it is unique to this cycle of crucifixion. Verse 52 says, “And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints having fallen asleep arose.” A tomb is ‘a memorial, a monument’. Open was last used in 25:1 where the foolish virgins asked the bridegroom to open up the door. Many means ‘much in number’ and body refers to ‘the physical body’. Fallen asleep is used twice in Matthew and is often used in the New Testament as a euphemism for death. Saint is the word for ‘holy’ and means ‘different from the world because like the Lord’. And arose means ‘to awaken, to raise up’, but is also used to describe physical resurrection. The opening of tombs indicates that a new path has opened within the spiritual realm. ‘Saints’ indicates that this new path is only available for those who have spiritual content. If many bodies arise, this indicates that this new path from the spirit can give substance and form to dead humans. And ‘fallen asleep’ suggests that physical death is being viewed as something secondary to personal existence. Thus, both a symbolic interpretation and a literal reading of verse 52 are consistent with the interpretation that has just been given.
Summarizing, individuals made spiritual breakthroughs, but they eventually died without having any spiritual environment within which to express their spiritual breakthroughs. A spiritual city has now separated from the spiritual economy that can provide an environment for these individuals. This provides a possible explanation for the current heaven of Christianity. The Old Testament does not talk about heaven the way the New Testament does. Instead, it appears that when the physical Jesus died, then a spiritual split occurred which led to the formation of the current heaven. This also throws some possible light on 1 Peter 3:19, where Jesus preaches to the spirits in prison after he dies, as well as Jesus’ statement in Luke 23:43 that the repentant thief would be with him that day in paradise. In each of these cases, a spiritual environment is emerging as a result of crucifixion, but the specific kind of environment and the specific individuals who benefit varies depending upon the form of the crucifixion. During the real death of Jesus, the idea of a Jewish nation based upon righteousness was crucified by a Jewish fixation upon a physical kingdom based in military might. Today, the idea of mental wholeness is being crucified by a fixation upon material prosperity,embodiment, and empirical evidence. In Matthew 27, a fully developed spiritual economy will be crucified.
The strangeness continues in verse 53. “And having gone forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.” Resurrection is used once in the New Testament and means ‘a rousing, a rising’. The verb form, which is the normal word for resurrection, is used many times. In verse 52, a new path was opened. The heavenly realm of God the Father deals with sequences and messages while the Holy Spirit expresses this through the experiences of Mercy thought. A ‘rising’ views resurrection as a state and not just as a process. This spiritual state becomes possible when spirit becomes independent of flesh. Gone forth and enter are same Greek word with different prefixes. The first is ‘come’ with the prefix ‘from out of’ and the second is ‘come’ with the prefix ‘into’. ‘From out of’ and ‘into’ are also added as separate words. This describes a shift in Mercy thought out of one state into another state. The exit happened when spirit separated from the spiritual economy. But the revitalized spiritual economy has to experience a rousing before the ‘entering into’ happens. Holy is the same word as ‘saints’ in verse 52. A city represents civilization. A ‘holy city’ was only mentioned once before in Matthew in the temptations of Jesus. Holiness has existed at the level of individual holy people. But holiness is now emerging at the level of a city, consistent with the idea that the spiritual economy is now functioning at a new and integrated level that provides an alternative to the structure of the physical realm. If the holy people in verse 52 do not live in the physical world, then it is reasonable to suggest that the holy city mentioned in verse 53 is also not in the physical world. Appeared is used once in Matthew and means ‘to exhibit, appear’. Many indicates that only some people saw this appearance. Verse 53 does not describe a general resurrection of people from the dead. It also does not necessarily say that these holy people became physically resurrected. Instead, I suggest that it describes spiritual individuals who are dead moving into ‘the holy city’ and it says that this transition is physically observable to many living humans.
The centurion responds in verse 54. “And the centurion and those with him keeping guard over Jesus, having seen the earthquake and the things taking place, feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was God’s Son.’” A centurion is a Roman military officer and was previously mentioned in 8:13, which was interpreted as Western civilization being founded in a military manner by the Carolingian Empire. A centurion also plays a central role in the story of Acts 10. In verse 29, the military system attempted to reduce the spiritual economy to childish games of human superiority. In verse 54, the military system is getting a taste of the true power of the spiritual economy. Guard means ‘maintain, preserve’. This word was previously used in verse 36 to describe Jesus being kept crucified. Verse 54 does not say that the centurion is harmed, implying that the military system itself remains intact. Instead, what is mentioned is the earthquake and what is ‘coming into being’. See means ‘to see with the mind’. A military structure focuses upon acquiring and holding on to physical land, guided by the assumption that people can be controlled if one physically controls the land on which these people live. This physical stability is being shaken, leading to the mental realization that there is now a spiritual landscape that can affect the physical landscape. Fear means ‘to fear, withdraw from’. Greatly means ‘exceedingly, greatly’ and was previously used in 26:22 to describe the disciples being deeply grieved at the suggestion that they might betray Jesus. The idea is that fundamental assumptions are being questioned. What was assumed to be a bedrock of stability is now being revealed as vulnerable. Truly means ‘in accord with fact’. Notice that the military system is not realizing factually that Jesus is the Son of God, but rather that this was God’s son. What is being experienced factually is not a new kingdom, but rather the shaking of existing physical reality, leading to the mental realization that killing the spiritual economy has divine implications. Stated crassly, the centurion is saying, ‘Oops, we shouldn’t have done that’. A current illustration would be if Russia decided to use nuclear weapons in its current war on Ukraine and there was a nuclear exchange. Russia is currently convinced that it can ignore all laws and restrictions and use physical force with impunity to control its neighbors. If nuclear war happened, then Russia would wake up from its insanity and realize, ‘Oops, we shouldn’t have done that.’ But it would then be too late. That explains the massive fear: ‘What sort of divine terror have we unleashed?’
Women Observing 27:55-56
Women are mentioned in verse 55. “And many women were there, looking on from afar off, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.” Women represent the presence of female mental networks. ‘Woman’ was last mentioned in verse 19, where the wife of Pilate told him to leave Jesus alone. A spiritual revitalization would empower mental networks of female thought and the intense fear of verse 54 implies that the existing male structure of military technical thought is now being overwhelmed by the mental networks of female thought. Matthew’s passage on the crucifixion ends by devoting two verses to women, suggesting that mental networks of spiritual existence have become dominant. ‘Many women’ indicates a multiplicity of mental networks, and these are described as far away. Looking is used twice in Matthew and means to ‘gaze on for the purpose of analyzing’. (The other occurrence is in 28:1, which talks about Mary examining the grave of Jesus.) In other words, this is intelligent female thought, consistent with the suggestion that the spiritual is now functioning in a new, independent, intelligent manner. Speaking from personal experience, I have mentioned that I sense my spirit functioning independently of my mind. I often get the impression that my spirit is observing and analyzing, attempting to make sense of what is happening within the realm of core mental networks.
Follow comes from the word ‘road, way’. These women followed Jesus. In other words, mental networks of female thought acquired content by following the path of the personal salvation of Jesus. Galilee represents the cycles of society. Thus, these women followed personal salvation within the context of the cycles of society. Minister means ‘to serve’ and indicates functioning at the level of Server thought. Mental networks do not naturally function intelligently. But mental networks become intelligent as they are shaped by the process of saving people within the various cycles of society. Verse 55 is consistent with the suggestion that the spiritual realm acquired intelligent content from the spiritual economy and is now functioning independently. That brings us back again to the woman anointing Jesus. The more intelligent and extensive that initial anointing, the more it could ‘minister’ to incarnation as it is going through this process of crucifixion.
Verse 56 presents a list of names. This is unusual, because it is a list of female names. “Among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” The name Mary comes from Miriam, the sister of Moses, and means ‘beloved’ in Egyptian and ‘rebellion or bitterness’ in Hebrew. Egypt is a picture of the world, while Hebrew indicates a religious mindset. Thus, Mary conveys the idea of viewing worldly loves as rebellion against following God, combined with a feeling of bitterness which assumes that following God implies turning one’s back upon worldly pleasures. A mindset of Mary would naturally emerge if one attempted to follow the spiritual economy in the society of Matthew 27. The word ‘Mary’ was previously used in 13:55, which was interpreted as the enlightenment taking hold in pre-revolutionary France with its juxtaposition of modern science and medieval culture and religion. Magdalene means ‘of Magdala’ and Magdala comes from a word that means ‘tower’. The idea is that intelligent mental networks are being viewed as a refuge that can protect a person from the nasty outside world. I know from personal experience what a mindset of ‘Mary Magdalene’ means. James comes from the Hebrew name ‘Jacob’ and means ‘heel, hind part’. This implies something new following on the heels of the initial spiritual breakthrough. Joseph means ‘he increases’. ‘Mary the mother of James and Joseph’ would mean that the underlying feeling of having to turn one’s back on the world in order to follow Jesus is still present, but it has now given birth to two new ways of thinking. There is a feeling that some major transition is happening as well as the feeling that it may be possible to move out of the tower and start to experience some growth. With the third name, Mary is no longer mentioned, meaning that this feeling of denying the world for God is no longer predominate. The mother of the sons of Zebedee was mentioned in 20:20 where she asked for her sons to sit at the left and right of incarnation. That was interpreted as psychology and cognitive science thinking that they could lead humanity through personal transformation. This feeling has now returned, but this time it is the mental networks of the mother that are being mentioned, suggesting that cognitive science and psychology can now function within an intelligent framework of spiritual mental networks. Notice that Jesus is still dead and has not yet been buried. These female mental networks are the first signs of a revitalized spiritual economy.
Joseph of Arimathea 27:57-61
In verse 57, the day comes to an end. “And evening having arrived, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself also was discipled to Jesus.” Evening would represent the end of the current day. It has become obvious within society that the current limited framework of a spiritual consumer society is coming to an end. But it is not yet apparent what will replace it. Man means ‘human’. Rich means ‘abundance’ and was previously used in 19:23 where Jesus said that it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. That was interpreted as the path of personal transformation being replaced by the academic path of getting a degree. Arimathea is mentioned once in Matthew and means ‘height’. Moving upward is interpreted as Teacher generality. This combination suggests that human academic thought is turning the path of personal transformation into an academic program. The mention of the mother of the sons of Zebedee at the end of verse 56 implied a renewed focus upon psychology and cognitive science. Joseph of Arimathea suggests that this focus is being turned into academic programs. Named is used once in the New Testament and combines ‘the’ with ‘name’. Joseph means ‘he increases’. Discipled is a verb form that is only used three times in Matthew. It was previously used in 13:52 to describe using Perceiver thought in an analogical manner to build Teacher understanding. This type of analogical thinking is both necessary and effective when knowledge has split into different technical specializations. Mental symmetry uses Perceiver thought in an analogical manner to develop a meta-theory of cognition. Verse 57 seems to describe a similar form of thinking happening in the future which will tie together the various pieces into which the spiritual economy has been fragmented. However, the future version will include the various Perceiver powers of angelic thought, also bringing unity to various angelic messages in an analogical manner. This method is by its very nature a form of ‘increasing’, because one is continually adding new facets to an existing theoretical structure. As I have found out, this is not a normal form of thinking, and I have published a short article describing this method of thought. Therefore, it would acquire a specific name in Teacher thought.
It appears that humans are most capable of doing this sort of thinking, because humans live in physical bodies that are capable of integrating the various streams of Server thought. Looking at this cognitively, I have found over the years that Server persons are not capable of analyzing Server thought. Instead, Perceiver thought has to be used to analyze Server thought in analogical manner. ‘Discipled to Jesus’ suggests a form of thinking that is becoming a disciple of Jesus. Similarly, using mental symmetry as a meta-theory treats various technical specializations as aspects of following the personal salvation of Jesus.
This method becomes officially approved in verse 58. “Having gone to Pilate, he asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up.” Gone to means ‘to approach, to draw near’. And Pilate represents using the path of personal transformation in an objective manner. Something similar can be seen in current academia. Getting a degree is a form of objective personal transformation, because one has to leave the real world of Mercy experiences in order to temporarily live within the Teacher realm of study and research. And this academic path has official backing from the government; getting a degree is officially recognized as a valid way of becoming qualified in some area. Verse 58 implies that the research of Joseph is also becoming officially recognized. Body means ‘physical body’. The physical body of Jesus would refer to the human aspects of the spiritual economy. A physical body can be safely studied when a person is dead. Similarly, the spiritual economy would be safe for humans to study academically after the death of incarnation. My guess is that the spiritual economy lost most of its power when Jesus gave up his spirit in verse 50, making it possible for humans to study safely without being threatened by angelic power. Given up means ‘to give up, give back, return’. It was previously used in 22:21 where Jesus said to give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. That was interpreted as technicians confusing technology that ultimately comes from God with the hero worship of Caesar. These two need to be kept distinct. Similarly, in verse 58, expressing the character of God in Teacher thought is being confused with being given official approval by human authority. One should not study the spiritual economy because it has become officially approved curriculum, but rather because it reflects core principles of how creation functions. It would be possible to confuse these two when the body of Jesus is dead.
Verse 59 continues. “And Joseph having taken the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth.” Taken means ‘to actively lay hold of’. Thus, Joseph is actively taking hold of the spiritual economy as an integrated entity. But this is being done to the body of Jesus, which means analyzing the human aspects of a spiritual economy that has lost its spiritual power. It is possible that a ‘dead’ version of the spiritual economy would still be capable of delivering significant supernatural benefits, but the spiritual life would be absent. On the one hand, an integrated Teacher understanding is being acquired and learned. On the other hand, this analysis is being applied to a safe version of the spiritual economy from which the spiritual side has departed. This would probably be quite similar to the kind of cognitive analysis that we are doing here in these essays. I do sense a spiritual realm as I am writing, but I sense this as the presence and movement of invisible entities that have intelligence but lack the power to be experienced within physical reality. Wrap is only used in this verse and in the parallel passages in Luke and John. It combines ‘in the realm of’ with ‘to twist’. A similar word was used in verse 29 to describe braiding a crown of thorns. Linen cloth is used once in Matthew and means fine fabric. Clean means ‘without admixture’. We have seen several examples of mixed thinking, in which incompatible elements are being mixed together. Unmixed fine fabric would describe a social environment with pure motives. For instance, I have attempted to pursue mental symmetry in a pure and unmixed fashion in which content matches motivation matches interaction. In doing so, I have discovered that most research and activity today is mixed. The motives are mixed; the research does not match the mindset; and the understanding suffers from internal inconsistencies or even cognitive disconnects. Verse 50 describes this sort of pure research becoming officially supported. ‘Pure research’ is interpreted today as research that remains within the realm of abstract theory, the assumption being that real life cannot match the research. The pure research of verse 59 would include all aspects of human existence, and such purity would only be possible if it became possible to supernaturally affect aspects of human existence that are currently unchangeable because of human physical limitations. But notice that this is still a pure cloth which is being applied to the dead body of Jesus. ‘Wrapped’ suggests that this pure interaction is composed of many different disciplines becoming twisted together. One might think that such ‘wrapping’ would lead to impurity, but the success of mental symmetry as a meta-theory indicates that interdisciplinary purity is possible if one connects various disciplines in analogical manner.
A resting place is found in verse 60. “And placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut in the rock.” Place means ‘to place, lay, set’, which implies finding some location where this fits within the earth of rational thought. New means ‘not found exactly like this before’ and was previously used in 26:29 where Jesus talked about drinking the fruit of the vine new in his Father’s kingdom. In other words, the research of Joseph is leading to a new kind of specialization that did not exist before. Similarly, mental symmetry uses a new kind of thinking that I have not encountered in exactly this form anywhere else. This location is described as ‘his tomb’. On the one hand, it is a tomb, which implies that dead knowledge is being catalogued after-the-fact; scholars are looking back at what happened in the past. It was noted in verse 54 that the centurion spoke of God’s Son in the past tense, implying some sort of ‘Oops, we should not have done that!’ Placing the body of Jesus in a tomb is consistent with the idea that the spiritual economy will be viewed as something that used to exist in the past. Something similar would happen in the present if there was a nuclear exchange. On the other hand, this is the tomb of Joseph. Thus, Joseph is also burying something that applies to himself. On the one hand, this means that research is being combined with personal application, but on the other hand, this means that something that is dying is being analyzed. Similarly, I have mentioned several times that mental symmetry combines abstract research with personal application, but mental symmetry is also an example of me growing older studying a civilization that is in the process of dying. Thus, the tomb of incarnation is also the tomb of Joseph. Cut is only found in this verse and in the parallel passage in Mark and combines ‘stone’ with ‘to cut’. Rock means ‘a mass of connected rock’ and was previously used in verse 51 to describe the rocks split in two. Rock represents solid Perceiver facts and a massive connected rock would indicate the fundamental Perceiver principles of existence. Joseph is not just digging a hole in the earth as the slave with one talent did. Instead, he is working with the fundamental truths of existence in order to find a place for the body of the spiritual economy. Similarly, mental symmetry works with Perceiver truths that are generally regarded to be fundamental, untouchable, and/or incomprehensible.
Verse 60 continues, “And having rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, he went away.” Roll means ‘to roll to’ and is only found in this verse and in the parallel passage in Mark. We saw elsewhere that Galilee means ‘to roll’ and is interpreted as the cycles of society. Stone was previously used in 24:2 where Jesus said that no ‘stone upon stone’ would remain of the temple complex. Rolling a stone suggests a fundamental Perceiver truth based in the cycles of society. Great means ‘large, great, in the widest sense’ and is interpreted as Teacher generality. A great stone would describe a solid Perceiver fact of great generality. This is being ‘rolled to the door of the tomb’. ‘Door’ was previously used in 25:10 to describe the door being shut for the foolish virgins. The idea is that a spiritual economy, like any economy, is based upon a window of opportunity. The cycles of society occasionally align themselves to open a door of possibility into a functioning spiritual economy. The spiritual economy is dead because this door has now closed. This concept of doors of opportunity being opened by the cycles of society is one of the fundamental themes of these essays on history and prophecy. Went away means ‘to go away, go after’. The implication is that nothing more can be done because the door of opportunity is closed. The topic has been fully researched and this conclusion has been reached as a fundamental principle. Thus, all one can do is walk away. For instance, a similar sentiment was felt by scholars after the fall of the Roman Empire. Eventually, they had to stop studying the empire that was now gone in order to focus upon living in the present.
Verse 61 describes the mindset that forms. “And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.” Mary Magdalene was the first of three women mentioned in verse 56. The name Mary comes from Miriam, the sister of Moses, and means ‘beloved’ in Egyptian and ‘rebellion or bitterness’ in Hebrew. ‘Sister of Moses’ implies that this mindset is ‘drawn from the water of Mercy experiences’. The combination of beloved and bitterness means that this is a bittersweet emotion. On the one hand, one has the intellectual joy of secular understanding. But on the other hand, there is also a religious feeling that ‘we rebelled from God’ and ‘we want to cling to the religious past’. This type of mindset becomes prominent whenever society experiences some significant loss. One thinks longingly about the past that has been lost and one finds an emotional refuge from the present in these mental networks of a world that is now gone. Other means ‘another of the same kind’. And this ‘other’ is also a ‘Mary’. Thus, there are several variations on this theme of ‘Mary’, just as this paragraph has presented a variation on the previous interpretation of Mary. But the primary Mary is a ‘guarding’ in which one is attempting to preserve what is valuable against external forces.
Sitting means ‘to be seated’ and is interpreted as a position of authority. Before means ‘over against’ and is used one other time in Matthew in verse 24 where Pilate washed his hands before the crowd. Thus, this bittersweet attitude of ‘Mary’ becomes the ruling mental network for any who come to the tomb. And the word tomb means ‘a burial’ as opposed to the word ‘memorial’ used in verse 60. In other words, one has gone past the stage of mourning to one of acceptance. The spiritual economy of the past cannot be restored. It is gone.
Guarding the Tomb 27:62-66
The final section of Matthew 27 is not found in the other Gospels. Thus, what is being discussed in the following verses applies to this cycle of crucifixion and not to other societal cycles. What will be said in this section indicates a deep understanding of spiritual principles by the religious leadership.
A new day begins in verse 62. “And the next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together before Pilate.” Next day is a less common form that is only used once in Matthew which combines ‘upon’ and ‘tomorrow’. The implication is that everyone knows that a new era has started, but there is no sun of a general understanding. The sun of the previous day was too bright and society has now entered a sort of ‘dark ages’. Preparation is used once in Matthew. This day is after the ‘preparation’. The implication is that society has had to rebuild after the loss of the previous day. Gathered together means ‘to lead together’ and was previously used in verse 27 to describe the soldiers gathering together before Jesus. As usual, the chief priests are there, which indicates that a system of priesthood and laity is still dominant. But the chief priests are now accompanied by the Pharisees who last showed up in 23:29. Pharisee means ‘a separatist, a purist’. Thus, the priesthood is no longer just claiming to be separate and different from the laity, it is now actually acting as if it is separate and different from the laity. What happens cognitively is that the past tends to be remembered through rose-colored glasses. The facts of the past which are gone turn into Platonic forms as one remembers an idealized version of the past. The religious hierarchy is now living in a memory of the past, presumably because it would still be possible to access some remaining supernatural power by living within these memories of the past. This religious system is coming to Pilate for official backing. The topic is that of death and resurrection—a path that the name Pilate represents.
Verse 63 reports their words. “Saying, “Sir, we have remembered how that deceiver, while living, said, ‘After three days I arise.’” Sir is the normal word for ‘lord’. When religious leaders refer to the secular leader as ‘lord’, this implies that religion has lost much of its power. Remember means to ‘actively remember’ and was previously used in 26:75 to describe Peter remembering the words of Jesus after the cock crowed. Deceiver is used once in Matthew and means ‘to go astray, get off course’. The implication is that the Pharisees are themselves following the right course. This is a major step forward, because until now the religious leaders were not following any path. Similarly, I have found that the very concept of a path of righteousness tends to be absent with most religious leaders today. The Pharisees are obviously following a different path than Jesus because they refer to ‘that’ deceiver. Said means to ‘command’ and living describes both physical and spiritual life. Thus, it is recognized that the spiritual economy used to have a life which it no longer has. The fact that the spiritual economy died obviously proves to the Pharisees that they are following the right path while the spiritual economy was not. However, the priesthood is mistaken in thinking that Jesus commanded the spiritual economy. Arise means ‘to awaken, to rise up’ and is also the standard word for resurrection. The reference to three days indicates that the religious system now has an accurate understanding of paths and sequences that transcend societal eras, and they are using this knowledge to predict what could happen in the future. This is consistent with the idea of an understanding of the fundamental principles of the cycles of society mentioned in verse 59. The religious system is using this knowledge to try to control what will happen in the future.
Verse 64 continues, “Therefore command the tomb to be secured until the third day, lest ever His disciples having come.” Command was previously used in verse 58, where Pilate ordered the body to be given to Joseph. Thus, the religious leaders want official backing for their suggested path. Secure combines ‘not’ with ‘totter, cast down’ and is only used in Matthew in verses 64-66 where it is found three times. Notice that this is a negative definition of stability. One is not recognizing what is inherently stable, but rather making something that naturally totters stable. Tomb refers to ‘burial’. Thus, the goal is to ensure that this dead system remains dead. ‘Until the third day’ indicates that a window of opportunity currently exists. Thus, there is no need to fight eternal principles over the long-term, because major changes only become possible during windows of opportunity. Instead, this control only needs to be maintained until the window of opportunity closes. This unwanted path will come about if ‘the disciples come’ (‘his’ is only in some manuscripts). This reasoning can be explained using the concept of legislator mentioned earlier. An apostle gains power as he gathers disciples who apply his principles. This principle was used in Acts 4 to jumpstart the spiritual economy. The priestly system is recognizing that a combination of apostles and disciples could manage to restart the spiritual economy if this were done sufficiently soon.
Verse 64 continues by describing the possible unwanted scenario. “Steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He is risen from the dead.’ And the last deception will be worse than the first.” Steal means to ‘steal secretively’ as opposed to a robber who steals openly. Say means ‘command’ and people means ‘laity’. Stated cognitively, a group of disciples might take the content of the spiritual economy and turn it into a ‘living country’ by using it as a ‘constitution’ in which the disciples become leaders over some laity. Risen means ‘to awaken, to raise up’, and dead comes from a word that means ‘a corpse, a dead body’. Remember that the spiritual economy is an economy. An economic exchange gives up what one has in order to receive something better. A spiritual economy incorporates religious self-denial into this process: one gives up something in Mercy thought in order to receive something more valuable from Teacher thought. The same principle would apply to the spiritual economy as a whole. It is now dead and buried. But it could be resurrected in a very powerful form if leaders declared it to be resurrected and were able to attract a laity who believed them. Notice that we are dealing here with a resurrected entity that combines natural and supernatural but is not necessarily divinely ordained. The religious leaders are presenting this as a possible scenario based upon an understanding of how a spiritual economy functions.
Be is explicitly included, which means that we are dealing here with existence. The religious priesthood is not just viewing this from a theoretical perspective. They have become Pharisees who practice what they preach. But they are still functioning within a religious hierarchy. Last means ‘last, final’. The idea is that the religious system might not be able to defeat a resurrected spiritual economy. Deception means ‘to deviate from the correct path’. It is related to the word ‘deceiver’ in verse 63 and is used once as a noun in Matthew. Notice the emphasis upon Server paths. The religious priesthood understands how to set up a spiritual economy, but they think that the spiritual economy that just died was doing things the wrong way and deviating from the correct path. Worse means ‘worse’ and was previously used in 12:45 where the unclean spirit that was cast out of a man returned to him with seven other spirits more wicked than itself. That was interpreted as objective science casting out the magical thinking of medieval thought and then leaving a vacuum in the subjective that became filled with all sorts of subjective nastiness. Here too, the religious leaders fear that the spiritual economy may return in a form that is much more difficult to control. The sentiments of current academia make it possible to guess why the religious leaders would regard the spiritual economy with such malevolence. Teacher thought likes order and structure. Abstract technical thought really likes order and structure. A system of abstract technical thought that included angelic messages would really, really like order and structure. A resurrected spiritual economy of Jesus would feel messy, disordered, unprofessional, sloppy, unpredictable, and inelegant. The priestly system would feel that a ‘decent’ spiritual economy needs to be regulated by an officially appointed academic/religious system that will ensure that everything is done in order with sufficient rigor.
Pilate responds in verse 65. “Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard. Go make it as secure as you know how.’” Said means to ‘bring to light’. Pilate is bringing the light of Teacher understanding to the situation. Have refers to ownership rather than identity. Guard is only used in Matthew in this story and means ‘custody’. Go means ‘to lead away under someone’s authority’. Secure means ‘built on what does not totter’ and was used in verse 64. As means ‘like as, even as’. And know means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’ which refers to empirical evidence. Pilate is pointing out that spiritual control requires personal involvement. That is because a spiritual economy deals with the personal realm of mental networks. The religious leaders have custody because they have become personally involved as Pharisees. But if the religious system is to impose itself upon the religious economy in a way that remains solid, then empirical evidence will have to be used. In other words, the physical world will have to be changed and controlled in a way that ensures continued submission to authority. That is because any spiritual solution will simply re-energize the spiritual economy that has been crucified. Acts 12 appears to be describing a worst-case scenario in which some elite group of humans and angels is planning to use genetic manipulation to transform the rest of humanity into genetically engineered servants who will be driven by the ‘empirical evidence’ of their altered DNA to respect the leadership of the elite. That would definitely qualify as ‘as secure as you know how’.
This is done in verse 66. “And having gone with the guard, they made the tomb secure, having sealed the stone.” Having gone means ‘to transport’, which is being interpreted as movement that induces transformation. Thus, carrying out these steps alters the character of the religious system. Made secure is the same word that was used in verses 64 and 65 which means ‘built on what does not totter’. Notice that this is an artificially generated stability. A human organization does not have inherent stability but will naturally totter. The goal is to build an organization that will not totter. The alternative is to find deep structures of creation and function in a manner that is consistent with those deep structures. However, attempting to stabilize an organization so that it does not totter will change the nature of that organization. Tomb means ‘burial’. Part of the problem is that this organization now has the negative goal of attempting to continue suppressing something that might naturally emerge. What is being made secure is not the organization but rather the burial. Like any system of elite authority, the focus shifts from guiding the people to ensuring that the people will not acquire a life of their own and revolt from authority. Sealed is used once in Matthew and signifies ‘ownership and the full security carried by the backing of the owner’. Stone means ‘a stone’ and was used in verse 60 to refer to the stone at the entrance of the tomb. This stone was interpreted as factual evidence that the spiritual economy was dead and gone. This factual evidence is now acquiring official backing. The official story is that the spiritual economy is dead and gone and will never return.
Guard is the same word used in verse 65 that means ‘custody’. One possible interpretation would be genetically modifying the average person to be more placid under the control of the religious hierarchy. I should add that I am not referring here to just human DNA manipulation, but rather to officially approved human leaders cooperating with some of the primal beings who originally designed DNA. If primal beings were the first to be created out of the primordial energy of God in Teacher thought (hence ‘primal beings’) then it would make sense that such beings would naturally cooperate with humans who had a ‘proper sense’ of the Teacher order and dignity of the messages of God. I know that such an interpretation sounds more like science fiction than Christianity, but this kind of scenario would become reality if the current aliens with their plan of genetic manipulation became the rulers of human society. One might also think that such aliens would never be associated with God in Teacher thought, but Revelation 14:3 describes the followers of the Lamb singing a new song before the four living creatures and the elders which no one else is able to learn. And this happens right after the fall of the kingdom of the beast in Revelation 13. In other words, followers of Jesus are coming up with a new form of worship that goes beyond the worship of primal beings who stand before the presence of God. This is consistent with the idea that some primal beings would naturally be attracted to a form of worship that has now become inadequate and needs to be replaced by a ‘new song’. (The real problem is not that I am treating the Bible as science fiction but rather that most theologians are scientifically illiterate and treat the Bible as mythology. One of the primary byproducts of mysticism is that one becomes emotionally driven to insist that intellectual content must not be associated with God or religion.)
An Angel Descends 28:1-4
A new day begins in verse 1 of chapter 28. “And after the Sabbaths, it being dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.” After occurs three times in the New Testament and is translated as ‘in the evening’ the other two times. Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word that means ‘cease’ and describes a day of rest in which one ceases personal activity in order to focus upon God. Cognitively speaking, a day of Sabbath is guided by Teacher thought rather than by Mercy experiences. Sabbath is in the plural, which indicates a focus upon Teacher thought in many areas. 27:62 talked about preparation, which was interpreted as building a new Teacher order of society in order to replace the dead spiritual economy. Similarly, the beginning of Acts 12 describes a time of preparing for an upcoming major transformation in society. Such preparation qualifies as a Sabbath, because one is using Teacher thought to construct the infrastructure for a new society. This time of societal preparation has now come to an end; ‘the sabbaths are in the evening’. The word dawn is only used in this verse and in the parallel passage in Luke 23 and combines ‘upon’ with ‘light’. In other words, this will not be a normal day. Instead, everyone knows that society will be guided by the light of some Teacher understanding. But what sort of light will this be? Will this be the light of a religious hierarchy or the light of a resurrected spiritual economy?
Toward means ‘to or into’. First means ‘one’. And week is precisely the same word ‘Sabbath’ that was used at the beginning of the verse. Thus, a more literal translation would be ‘the light toward one Sabbath’. ‘Toward one Sabbath’ also means ‘first day of the week’ and the same phrase occurs in all four Gospels, but only Matthew uses the word ‘upon light’ to describe the dawn. Thus, a major transition is about to happen in which society will become lit in a new way by the light of some integrated Teacher understanding, but in Matthew this dawning will be especially characterized by Teacher light. (For instance, the resurrection of the historical Jesus led to the Teacher light of theology, which was a totally new method of basing religion in a systematic collection of Teacher words rather than in Mercy rituals and people.) ‘Mary Magdalene’ was interpreted earlier as a mindset that turns its back upon the world in order to find refuge in following God. ‘The other Mary’ indicates that other versions of ‘following God by leaving the world’ will also exist. If a religious system is attempting to pacify the laity through genetic modification, then there would be a strong motivation to follow Jesus in order to escape the coming world system. (Acts 12:5 says that people are praying fervently while Peter, representing Perceiver thought, is in prison.) See means to ‘gaze on for the purpose of analyzing’ and is used one other time in Matthew in 27:55 to describe women watching the crucifixion from afar. In both cases, one is dealing with intelligent mental networks. What is being analyzed is the burial. The ‘burial’ was the end product of Joseph of Arimathea analyzing the content of the spiritual economy. This rational human analysis is now being viewed from a female perspective. Acts 12:12 describes something similar with many gathering together to pray at the house of Mary. However, when Peter actually appears at the door, then no one believes that their prayers have been answered, consistent with the idea of a mindset of ‘Mary Magdalene and other Marys’.
In verse 2, something happens. “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord.” Behold means that something new becomes visible. ‘Earthquake’ was previously mentioned in 27:54, which mentioned the centurion seeing the earthquake when the spirit left the body of Jesus. The other three Gospels do not mention anything about an earthquake, but the earthquake in Matthew is referred to as great, which is interpreted as Teacher generality. Notice that the religious system was able to seal the stone but it could not prevent the entire landscape from quaking. The other Gospels mention angels and/or shining clothes, but only Matthew refers to an angel of the Lord. An angel of the Lord is also mentioned twice in Acts 12: In verse 7 an angel of the Lord shines light upon Peter in his cell, and in verse 23 an angel of the Lord strikes Herod dead. An angel of the Lord would imply supernatural authority as opposed to the organizational structure of the religious system.
Verse 2 continues, “Having descended out of heaven and having come, rolled away the stone and was sitting upon it.” Descended means ‘to go down’ and was previously used in 27:40 and 27:42 where Jesus was being told to come down from the cross. In verse 2, the angel of the Lord is coming down ‘out of heaven’. Heaven was previously used in 26:64 where Jesus said to the high priest that he would see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. Having come means ‘to approach, to draw near’. Rolled away is found four times in the New Testament, here and in the parallel passages in other Gospels. It combines ‘away from’ with ‘roll’. Rolling is being interpreted as the cycles of society. However, in verse 2 the rolling away is being done by angelic power descending from heaven. There was no mention of heaven in chapter 27. This implies that heaven also goes through cycles of opportunity. The stone that was sealed by the religious system is being rolled away by a heavenly cycle. Sitting is interpreted as a position of authority. Upon is actually ‘above, more than’ and was previously used in 27:37 to describe the sign placed above the head of Jesus. Thus, in the same way that the crucified spiritual economy of Jesus was placed under another higher human authority, so the stone is being placed under the higher authority of an angel of the Lord. ‘Angel’ was previously mentioned in 26:53 where Jesus said that he could appeal to his Father for twelve legions of angels. It was suggested there that angelic power has to go through divinely ordained processes and sequences. This heavenly process is now causing an angel of the Lord to descend and exert authority.
Looking at this more carefully, rolling combines two forms of movement. For instance, a rolling wheel is spinning in a circle but it is also moving along some surface. On the one hand, there are cycles that are repeating. But on the other hand, each repetition happens after some progress has been made since the previous occurrence. (In other words, history is a spiral and not a line or a circle.) This can be seen in the way that the crucifixion of Jesus is being interpreted. On the one hand, Jesus’ crucifixion is a pattern of history that is repeated. But on the other hand, each Gospel describes this crucifixion in a manner that portrays a different era of history. This does not mean that Jesus is being ‘crucified afresh’. (Hebrews 6:6 appears to be describing people attempting to go back to a previous stage of society.) Instead, it means that each cycle is adding a new layer to the historical crucifixion of Jesus. The Gospel of John appears to be describing the cognitive development within the mind of the historical Jesus. The crucifixion of Matthew describes the crucifixion of the spiritual economy. The crucifixion of Luke appears to describe the current crucifixion that is happening cognitively within society as a result of postmodern thought. (That hypothesis will be explored at the end of this essay.) One could think of this as a snowball rolling downhill. Each time the snowball makes a revolution it is bigger and it has moved further downhill. Humans live within time. Thus, what matters for humans is how ‘far’ through time the snowball has traveled. In other words, humans view prophecy as fulfillment—an event that was predicted beforehand finally happening. The angelic realm appears to exist outside of time. What matters to angels is the size of the snowball. In other words, angels view prophecy as filled-full-ment. Each time the cyclical pattern reappears, the snowball has been filled fuller. Looking at this further, if one examines some point on the surface of a rolling wheel, one notices that this point touches the ground only at certain times while either moving away or toward the ground at other times. Similarly, it appears that angelic assistance touches the ground of human existence at certain times of opportunity. Jesus may have asked the Father for twelve legions of angels back in 26:53, but it was only in verse 3 that an angel of the Lord finally descended out of heaven as the heavenly ‘rolling’ caused the appropriate part of the ‘rolling wheel’ to touch the ground of human existence. This does not mean that one has to wait passively for the ‘heavenly wheel’ to reach the right part of the cycle. Instead, one needs to become the sort of person that is capable of experiencing angelic help at the appropriate time. Using the analogy of the snowball, the right kind of snow is needed to stick to the rotating snowball. In Acts 12 an angel of the Lord strikes Peter in verse 7 and strikes Herod in verse 23. The word ‘strike’ is the same in both cases. The same word was also used in 26:31 to describe the shepherd being struck down and the sheep scattered. Peter was the right kind of ‘snow’ to attach to the ‘snowball’ of angelic help. Herod in verse 23 was the wrong kind of ‘snow’ who ended up destroyed by angelic visitation. 26:31 described a partially developed spiritual economy being fragmented by a heavenly striking.
Verse 3 describes the angel. “And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.” Appearance means ‘external appearance’. Lightning is used twice in Matthew, here and in 24:27 to describe the second coming as being just as lightning. Lightning normally ‘flashes forth’, but in this case, the momentary flash is being seen as a lasting, external appearance. Clothing comes from ‘sinking into a garment’. This describes social interaction that expresses one’s nature. White was previously used in 17:2 in the Transfiguration. Snow is only used twice in the New Testament. The other occurrence is in Revelation 1:14, where the hair of the Son of Man is described as ‘white as snow’. Snow is frozen water, which would be interpreted as Mercy experiences made solid due to an absence of the ‘warmth’ of Teacher understanding. This describes absolute truth. But lasting lightning implies the presence of intense heat. This combination implies that the social interaction of the angel is being guided by fundamental heavenly absolute truth of a very pure nature. My best guess is that this would refer to the Mercy experiences associated with primal beings assisting in constructing biological life. Angelic power is descending from heaven to examine this new system of genetic modification in the light of the primordial purity of God. Acts 12:23 indicates some sort of angelic judging because the angel of the Lord strikes Herod because he does not give glory to God when being viewed by the people as the voice of a god, indicating that a system of religious hierarchy is being judged. Peter is also struck by an angel of the Lord in verse 7, but that leads to Peter waking up, implying that Perceiver thought is being revitalized at a fundamental level.
Verse 4 describes the response of the guards. “And those keeping guard trembled from fear of him, and they became as dead men.” Keeping guard means ‘to watch over’. It will be used one more time in the final verse of the book to say to observe all that I commanded you. Thus, fundamental truths are being described to which believers are holding. Tremble means ‘to shake’ and was previously used in 27:51 to describe the earth shaking at the death of Jesus. In other words, fundamental truths being preserved by the religious system are being shaken. Fear means ‘to flee, withdraw’. It is used one other time as a noun in Matthew in 14:26 where the disciples cried out in fear at seeing Jesus walking on the water. That was interpreted as the disruptive effect of the early Industrial Revolution. In both cases, humans are experiencing something new that is driven by Teacher thought which has never before been experienced in history. During the Industrial Revolution, scientifically-based technology replaced craftsmanship based in common sense. Similarly, verse 4 is describing a new form of heavenly ordained authority replacing the authority of human organizations. Dead is the same word that was used in 27:64 by the priests to describe the scenario of Jesus rising from the dead. ‘Men’ is implied. As means ‘like as, even as’. In other words, human organization still exists, but it becomes incapable of functioning within the presence of angelic authority.
The Angel and the Women 28:5-8
The angel then speaks to the women in verse 5. “And the angel answering said to the women, ‘Fear not; for I know that you seek Jesus, the One having been crucified.’” Said means ‘command’, which means that the angel is speaking with authority. Women were last mentioned in 27:55, where women were watching the crucifixion from a distance. Women represent the mental networks of female thought. Thus, the angel is addressing mental networks. Fear is the same word that was used in noun form in verse 4. The religious watchers in verse 4 were quaking from fear and becoming as if they were dead, implying that mental networks were totally overwhelmed. In contrast, the women are being told not to fear, indicating that their mental networks now have freedom to function, but a choice has to be made to use these mental networks. However, notice that the angel is also giving the women a reason not to fear. For indicates a logical relationship. Know means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’. Seek means ‘to seek by inquiring’ and was previously used in 26:59 to describe the council seeking to obtain false witness against Jesus. The council was looking for ways to fit the salvation of Jesus into existing religious structure. Verse 5 describes Jesus as ‘having been crucified’. Thus, the women are not trying to study some buried dead truth. Instead, they are searching for ways to connect living mental networks with the spiritual economy that was immobilized and asphyxiated. Using the snowball analogy, they are trying to figure out what sort of mental networks are required to become the right kind of ‘snow’. This is not a childish escapist infatuation but rather a detailed search as to what sort of person I have to become in order to be capable of receiving God’s blessing. Saying this another way, the angel is validating the mental networks of female thought, acknowledging that they are compatible with the structure of the previous spiritual economy.
The angel clarifies the search of the women in verse 6. “He is not here, for He is risen as He said! Come, see the place where He was lying.” The first clarification is that identity has moved on. More literally, ‘not exists here’. In other words, one will not find the resurrected form of the spiritual economy in the burial place of the previous version. Saying this another way, the ‘being’ of the spiritual economy is not found in the academic research that has studied the previous version of the spiritual economy. Applying this to theology, one does not discover spiritual life by studying academic analysis of previous examples of spiritual life. That is the wrong place to look. The ‘rising’ happens somewhere else. This is because angelic sequences take the form of general equations that can be filled-full in different ways. This does not mean that one ignores academic analysis. As means ‘according to the manner in which, in the degree that’ and said means ‘command’. Come is an imperative, see means ‘to see with the mind’, and place refers to a Perceiver location. Where means ‘in what place’ and laying means ‘to be laid’. Putting this together, one needs to approach the commands of the previous cycle from the analogical perspective of ‘according to the manner in which’. One should not ignore the previous version. In contrast, it is imperative to come close. But when one does so one needs to go beyond visual experience to seeing with the mind, and one needs to focus upon the Perceiver facts of location rather than emotional Mercy events. This describes the approach being used in these essays. We are not ignoring the real Jesus, but rather examining the commands of Jesus from an analogical perspective, emphasizing how to mentally ‘place’ these various events within a map of cognition. However, what is being described in these essays is sufficiently different from traditional Christian experience to require validation from an authoritative angelic source.
Looking at this further, the angel is asking the women to do something which the angel cannot do. The angel can descend to the human realm at appropriate times in the cycle. But human women have to do the ‘sticking’. Humans have to use Perceiver thought to work out how the previous cycle is related to the current cycle. These connections ensure that the ‘snow’ will stick to the growing ‘snowball’. For example, these essays interpret biblical books as historical sequences, but they also attempt to build connections between the various sequences of different biblical books. And we have repeatedly been using today’s cycle described in Matthew 24 to attempt to understand the next cycle of Matthew 27. This connecting of one cycle with the next ensures that the new ‘snow’ will stick to the ‘snow’ acquired by the ‘snowball’ in the previous cycle. Saying this a totally different way—and each different way of saying something is itself another form of Perceiver analogy, angels live within the sequences of Server thought. The Server person finds self-analysis very difficult. Humans live within the objects of Perceiver thought. The Perceiver person has a strong self-image and finds it easy to observe and analyze self. On the one hand, Perceiver thought needs help from Server thought when it comes to actually carrying out Server sequences. On the other hand, Server thought needs help from Perceiver thought when it comes to connecting Server sequences and putting them in their proper places.
The angel tells the women what to do in verse 7. “And having gone quickly, say to His disciples that He is risen from the dead and behold, He goes before you into Galilee; you will see Him there. Behold, I have told you.” Gone means ‘to transport’, which means that taking this step will change the nature of female intuition. Quickly means ‘without unnecessary delay’. It is found three times in Matthew and two of these times are in this verse and the next verse. On the one hand, the resurrection of a movement typically starts with the mental networks of female thought sensing intuitively that something is happening. But this intuitive beginning needs to be followed quickly by a movement that will change the nature of female intuition. Female intuition needs to command discipleship. (Say means ‘command’.) A disciple means ‘mental effort needed to think something through’. This command to the women is only in the Gospel of Matthew. Women are mentioned in the other resurrection stories, but only in Matthew are they told officially to inform the disciples. This suggests that mental networks have acquired a level of intelligence and completeness that was not present in previous cycles.
Female intuition is supposed to command discipleship in four major ways: First, there is the nature of Jesus, ‘He is risen from the dead’. The same Greek phrase was used by the religious leaders in 27:64 to predict what might happen. But the religious leaders thought that the disciples would choose to say this to the people. In contrast, the women are being told by the angel to say it to the disciples. And the angel is not just saying words. Instead, the angel has terrified the life of the guards while encouraging the life of the women. Thus, the women are reporting a genuine shift within the realm of living mental networks. That brings us back again to the anointing of the woman. If the angel relays the message to the disciples through intelligent female thought, then it makes sense that the entire process should begin with Jesus being anointed by the highest level of intelligent female thought possible. The alternative is to be betrayed by the praise of Judas. Being betrayed by the praise of Judas means not thinking for oneself, but rather delegating thinking to experts who are given emotional status. This combination of praise and not thinking for oneself will express itself as unintelligent mental networks.
Second, this involves the location of the resurrected Jesus. ‘Behold, He goes before you into Galilee’. Behold indicates that something new has become visible. Go before means ‘to lead forth’. This same word was used in 26:32 where Jesus predicted that he would go ahead of the disciples into Galilee after being raised. In other words, one should not try to start a new religious movement in some church. Instead, one should look for the resurrected Jesus in the current cycles of society. The reason for this is that resurrection transforms Jesus into Christ. What began as a movement within some group of people in Mercy thought has been transformed into a general Teacher theory that applies to all of society. For instance, the resurrection of the physical Jesus transformed the semi-tribal religion of Judaism into the universal religion of Christianity. Following the resurrected Jesus into Galilee requires a major shift in mental networks, because one has to let go of the mental networks of one’s group in order to look at the bigger picture of what God is doing.
Third, this will lead to results. ‘You will see Him there’. The Greek phrase starts with the word there, which means ‘in that place’. See means ‘to see with the mind’. This again involves a shift of mental networks. Will one recognize what is happening in the cycles of society as a genuine expression of the risen Jesus? Seeing with the mind implies that it will not be visually obvious. Instead, one will have to form a mental concept of incarnation in order to recognize the identity of risen incarnation. For instance, Christianity was culturally quite different than the Judaism that had preceded it. One had to look at internal character in order to notice the similarity. Fourth, the disciples got this information from female intuition. ‘Behold, I have told you’. Told means ‘command’. The angel did not command the disciples but rather commanded the women. Saying this cognitively, a paradigm shift is required and not just more technical thought, which means changing the mental networks of female thought.
The women respond in verse 8. “And having gone out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples.” Gone out means ‘to go away’ and was previously used in 27:60 to describe Joseph going away from the tomb after burying Jesus. Joseph left because nothing more could be done at the tomb. The going away of the women indicates a shift in mental networks. It is now time to move on. Quickly means ‘without unnecessary delay’. The women were told in verse 7 to go quickly and in verse 8 they go quickly. Tomb means ‘a memorial, a monument’ and was previously used in 27:60, when Joseph buried Jesus. This describes a shift in mental networks from remembering the Jesus of the past to looking for the Jesus of the future. This movement is accompanied with mixed emotions. Fear means ‘to flee, withdraw’ which describes a Mercy feeling of wanting to avoid some dangerous person or situation. But this is accompanied by great joy. Joy describes Teacher emotion and great is interpreted as Teacher generality. Matthew is the only gospel that talks about the women having joy, which indicates that this cycle contains a level of Teacher generality that is not present in the other cycles. In other words, this cycle ends with a strong level of anointing by female thought. Tell means ‘to report, announce’. ‘Running to tell’ indicates that mental networks are carrying out this task with speed and confidence. However, notice that female intuition is not functioning on its own. The women do not go out to tell the world. Instead, they announce to the disciples, which means that a shift in female intuition is followed by a rethinking in male thought—a paradigm shift is followed by technical thought.
The Women meet Jesus 28:9-10
The women meet Jesus in verse 9. “And behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Greetings!’ And having approached, they took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.” Met means ‘to meet face-to-face’ and is used one other time in Matthew in 8:28 where Jesus met two demon-possessed men coming out of the tombs. That was interpreted as medieval Europe coming face-to-face with its violent character after the defeat of the Viking raids. That was also an ‘emerging from the tomb’ because the Viking raids almost brought an end to European civilization. Behold indicates that something new has become apparent. Thus, verse 9 indicates that female thought is coming face-to-face with the salvation of Jesus in some obvious manner. Greetings means ‘rejoice’, which indicates a focus upon Teacher emotions. This was said in 27:29 by the soldiers to Jesus and in 26:49 by Judas to Jesus. In verse 9, Jesus himself is ‘saying rejoice’ and this is the first thing that the resurrected Jesus says, indicating that Jesus the Son of Man has made the fundamental shift to starting with God in Teacher thought. Approach means ‘to approach, to draw near’. Notice that the women respond to Jesus’ focus upon Teacher thought by coming closer to Jesus. In contrast, whenever I share mental symmetry as a Teacher theory, the normal response by people is to go away rather than to approach. Took hold means ‘to be strong, rule’ and was previously used in 26:57 to describe the crowd seizing Jesus in the garden. Feet support the weight of the body and are interpreted as the mental networks that support the mind. ‘Seizing his feet’ would mean that the mental networks of female thought are taking control of the core mental networks that support the mind. The spiritual realm interacts with the physical realm by empowering mental networks. The spirit left the body of Jesus when Jesus died. This same spirit is now functioning in an independent manner by empowering the mental networks of female thought. I sense something similar happening within my mind because it feels as if my spirit is functioning independently in a manner that is intimately connected with my core mental networks and it increasingly feels as if my spirit has taken hold of these mental networks. (This does not mean that I have lost control of my mind because I still control the content and context of my core mental networks. Therefore, I have to protect my spirit by maintaining a healthy emotional mindset.) Worship means ‘to kiss the ground when prostrating before a superior’. It was previously used in 20:20 where the mother of the sons of Zebedee worshiped Jesus when making her request.
One sees here the reciprocal relationship between female and male thought. On the one hand, female thought ‘seizes the feet’ by ruling over core mental networks. In verse 9 this is happening in an intelligent manner because of the focus upon Teacher thought. On the other hand, female thought ‘worships’ male thought, because mental networks become intelligent as they submit to the technical content of male thought. ‘Kissing’ implies positive emotions related to the words of Teacher thought. Thus, this submission is not being motivated by Mercy feelings of dominance and submission, but rather by Teacher feelings of order and understanding. This needs to be repeated because current postmodern thought is convinced that all submission involves Mercy feelings of power and domination. When intelligent female thought submits to intelligent male thought, then female thought becomes superior to male thought, because it can follow the technical principles of male thought in a way that is more integrated and more sensitive than what male thought can do. In contrast, when postmodern female thought focuses upon ‘escaping male domination’, then the end result is stupid female thought. I say this after having read many stupid academic papers written by unteachable, belligerently ignorant, postmodern female thought—much of it being generated by biological males.
Jesus responds in verse 10. “Then Jesus says to them, ‘Do not fear. Go, tell My brothers, so that they should go into Galilee, and there will they see Me.’” Fear means ‘to fear, withdraw from’. This is a Mercy response. Go means ‘to lead away under someone’s authority’. It was previously used in 27:65, where Pilate told the religious leaders to go and make the tomb secure. In both cases, the response to fear and uncertainty is to submit to authority. Looking at this cognitively, female thought becomes empowered as it submits to the authority of male thought. That is because this submission changes the nature of the struggle from ‘I am trying to impose my mental networks upon you’ to ‘I am submitting to an accurate understanding of how things work’. The religious leaders tried to function in a manner that preserved Mercy feelings of status and holiness. Jesus, in contrast, refers to his followers as ‘my brothers’. Jesus defined ‘my brothers’ in 12:50 as ‘whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven’ and that was interpreted as the rise of scientific societies during the enlightenment. What united the members of a scientific society was a common search for the Teacher principles that rule the physical universe. This relationship between ‘brothers’ and following God in Teacher thought can be seen in John’s version (20:17) where Jesus tells Mary to go to his brothers and tell them that he is ascending to his Father and your Father, to His God and your God. Tell means ‘to report, announce’. The women ran to report to the disciples in verse 8 and in verse 10 Jesus officially commissions them to report under his authority. Thus, worshiping Jesus is not followed by female thought concluding that ‘I am nothing compared to Jesus. I have no right to report or announce anything.’ Instead, Jesus reinforces the existing role of female thought, telling it to redirect the focus of male discipleship to the societal cycles of Galilee. See means to see with the mind. In verse 6, the angel told the women to mentally see the place where Jesus was lying. In verse 7, the angel told the women to tell the disciples that they would mentally see Jesus in Galilee. In verse 10, Jesus tells the women to tell the disciples that they will mentally see Jesus in Galilee. Notice how female mental networks are grasping this paradigm shift and have to inform the male thinking of discipleship of this paradigm shift. (Disciple refers to ‘the mental effort needed to think something through’ which implies a substantial use of male technical thought.)
The Guards Report 28:11-15
In verse 11, the guards report. “And while they were going, behold, some of the guard, having gone into the city, reported to the chief priests all the things having been done.” Going means ‘to transport’ which is interpreted as movement that is accompanied by transformation. Gone means ‘to come, go’. While the women are transporting, some of the guards go. Guard comes from the word ‘custody’ and was used two other times in Matthew. The guards go into the city, which represents civilization. ‘City’ was last mentioned in 27:53 where holy ones entered the holy city. The guards do not enter a holy city, but instead they report to chief priests who are regarded as holy people. ‘Report’ is the same word that has been used in the previous verses. Notice the guards do not try to stop the women. Instead, the transformation of female thought has the byproduct of re-enabling the guards from their previous dead-like state. It also elevates the role of the guard from custodian to reporter. A similar transition happened when science replaced scholasticism. Scholasticism was primarily a custodian of the dead body of knowledge recorded in the Bible and in Greek and Roman manuscripts. The discoveries of science led to a shift and the custodians became announcers of the new discoveries of science. The academic system with its official priesthood (many of the professors of scholasticism were actual priests of the church) then acquired its truth from the announcements of science. All means ‘each and every part of making up a complete unit’ and is used three times in Matthew. It was previously used in 24:39 to describe the flood of Noah taking all away. This is consistent with the idea of the priesthood finding an integrated, detailed source of truth in the reporting of the custodians. Notice that this is happening in the city. This suggests a relationship similar to the current one between research and development in which development within ‘the city’ provides an inspiration for the research of academia.
The priests respond in verse 12. “And having been gathered together with the elders, and having taken counsel, they gave many silver pieces to the soldiers.” Gathered together means ‘to lead together’ and was previously seen in 27:62 where the chief priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate in order to keep Jesus dead. In other words, the priests are again trying to create a Teacher system using human organization. However, this time they are accompanied by elders and not by pharisees. The focus is upon preserving tradition and not upon applying the rules. Counsel combines ‘identified closely with’ and ‘determined plan’ was used previously in 27:7, where the chief priests took the silver of Judas and used it to buy the Potter’s field. Silver pieces were also mentioned previously in the decision involving the money of Judas. Many means ‘adequate, sufficient’. It was previously used in 8:8 where the centurion said that he was not worthy for Jesus to come into his house. That was interpreted as the Carolingian Empire being an inadequate container for the wealth of Greek and Roman knowledge. Soldier comes from the word ‘army’ and was previously used in 27:27 when the soldiers mocked Jesus. The one other time it appears in Matthew is in 8:9 where the centurion said that he has soldiers under him, which was interpreted as the Carolingian Empire emerging out of a military structure. Putting this together, giving sufficient coins to the soldiers would mean creating sufficient academic specializations to handle all of the various aspects of the revived spiritual economy. The fundamental principle of these academic specializations is one of military-like hierarchy. This would be similar to the way that the Catholic Church is currently organized into a military-like hierarchy. Giving money to the soldiers implies that authority is being delegated. One sees this in a professional army. Junior officers are supposed to submit to the orders of their superiors, but they are also given real responsibility to carry out these orders in an intelligent manner. Saying this another way, the generals of a professional army do not micromanage. Instead, they establish objectives and give junior officers the freedom to pursue these objectives in an independent manner. However, this is still a hierarchical system.
Verse 13 says that this hierarchical system is based in deliberate deception. “saying, ‘Say that His disciples, having come by night, stole Him—we being asleep.’” The first saying is the normal word for ‘say’. The second say means ‘command’. (The NASB translates this as ‘and said, you are to say’ which transmits the flavor of this distinction. I switched from the NASB to the BLB because the BLB is more consistent with the original Greek text. But even the BLB has its inadequacies.) In other words, the leadership will regard this as a matter of theory, while underlings will treat this interpretation as authoritative. The official authoritative version is basically a restatement of the feared scenario from 27:64. Notice that the religious leaders are commanding to their followers precisely what they warned that the disciples would command to their followers. But verse 13 adds two additional elements. First, this stealing happens ‘by night’ and night indicates the lack of a general Teacher understanding. Notice that this is being stated as official doctrine by the various specializations that have been set up to report on the various breakthroughs of the revived spiritual economy. What is being implied is that the current hierarchical specializations are responsible for the current daylight while the fundamental transition happened during some previous ‘dark ages’ that was characterized by less rigorous and less organized thought. Second, the various specializations are supposed to say that they were asleep. This is a different word than the one used to describe the disciples falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is used one other time in Matthew in 27:52 to describe the saints who had fallen asleep being raised and leaving their tombs. This is similar to the way that current scientific specializations view pre-scientific thought as a form of mental sleeping and think of the birth of science as an awakening from the ‘dark ages’. In the words of Thomas Kuhn, a scientific specialization will naturally reinterpret history from the perspective that the current paradigm has always ruled thought.
Looking at the bigger picture, today’s science can take this perspective because it acquires its rational understanding from the structure of the physical universe. This physical structure would become unstable if a spiritual economy became sufficiently well-developed, because people would acquire the ability to temporarily and locally modify the laws of nature. The people were rationally convinced to crucify the spiritual economy in 27:20 because they thought that the survival of humanity was at stake. The spiritual economy has now become resurrected in a powerful form that is capable of maintaining the stability that humanity requires to survive. Because the resurrected spiritual economy is dealing with existential issues, it is possible for a revitalized religious system to ignore these existential issues and assume that they will continue to be dealt with. Saying this another way, every system of specialized thought is based upon some collection of assumptions. As long as the resurrected spiritual economy is maintaining these assumptions, technical thought can assume these assumptions. This does not mean that the resurrected spiritual economy is being ignored. Many specializations are teaching about aspects of the resurrected spiritual economy, but they are doing so in a fragmented manner that is locally rational, similar to the mindset of a professional army. The existence of humanity itself is being ‘delegated’ to the spiritual economy, which is being treated officially as a sort of alchemy from the pre-scientific dark ages. In other words, it is within the nature of technical thought to belittle anything that does not meet its standards of excellence. That attitude of intellectual arrogance will continue. The difference is that it is now possible to escape the system and find life beyond the system. And this continued professional, intellectual arrogance will actually be a good thing because it will give true disciples an opportunity to follow God rather than men.
Verse 14 brings up the problem of the governor. “And if this is heard by the governor, we will persuade him and will keep you out of trouble.” Heard means ‘comprehend by hearing’. The governor would refer to secular government. Persuade means ‘to persuade’ and is the normal word for ‘believe’. Out of trouble means ‘free from care’ and is used twice in the New Testament. It combines ‘not’ with ‘separated from the whole’. Keep means ‘to make, do’. In other words, this is being done in order to protect subordinates from the existential problem of fragmentation. I have mentioned in other essays that human existence is currently characterized by matter-over-mind. Stated simply, no matter what a person thinks, the physical world will not fall apart. However, it appears that the spiritual economy will eventually develop to the point where mind will start to rule over matter. When this point is reached, then how a person thinks might cause the physical world to fall apart, at least locally. (This is similar to my growing internal sense that I have to protect my spirit by maintaining a healthy mindset.) The technical specialists are being kept free of these existential crises by ensuring that they only have freedom to function within their specialization combined with treating this form of specialized thought as normal civilized behavior. Saying this another way, the hierarchical organization of a professional military is not required when living within normal civilization. However, it becomes the only organization that is left when attempting to function within the chaos of war. If matter-over-mind turned into mind-over-matter, then some sort of military-like hierarchical structure would be required to maintain a system of civilization. However, behind this hierarchical structure would be the living, integrated, mental networks of the resurrected spiritual economy which would be capable of intelligently manipulating the underlying assumptions of the hierarchical system. A secular system of government could only continue to exist as long as some hierarchical academic/religious system continued to generate the simulation of physical normality. It is easy to explain to someone why they should leave you alone when their continued existence depends upon them leaving you alone. ‘Doing’ indicates that the Teacher words of the religious system would have to be backed up by Server actions in order to ensure that principles of righteousness are maintained.
I know that we are discussing topics of existence which I have not found mentioned elsewhere. Instead, I find that theology is too busy clarifying how God is special and different from everybody else and can hold everything together by magic. Science is too busy mythologizing about biological evolution to think that cognition has any cosmic significance. Psychology and politics address some of these topics but only in a peripheral fashion. Science fiction occasionally addresses this topic in movies such as The Matrix, but the underlying assumption is usually that all humans are inherently evil. I cannot watch such movies because they are too dark. In contrast, a disciple of the resurrected spiritual economy would live within these topics of existence that everyone else assumed.
Verse 15 concludes, “And having taken the money, they did as they were instructed. And this report is spread abroad among the Jews until the present day.” Taken means ‘to actively lay hold of’. Taking hold of the ‘pieces of silver’ would mean actually owning this mental wealth, similar to the way that soldiers in a professional army have legitimate skills and expertise. Did means ‘to make, do’ which indicates Server actions. This is another characteristic of a professional army, which focuses upon pragmatic skills and the application of knowledge through physical action. As means ‘like as, even as’. Instructed is the passive of ‘instruct, impart knowledge’. This again is like a professional army. One does not do things simply the way that one wishes. Instead, one is instructed and one receives imparted knowledge. This does not mean that no initiative is permitted. Instead, one behaves similar to the way that one has been instructed.
Report is ‘logos’, which is interpreted as the Teacher theory behind some technical specialization. Spread abroad is used three times in the New Testament and combines ‘through’ with ‘bring to light’. It is used one other time in Matthew in 9:31 where Jesus told two blind men to which he gave sight not to tell others. That was interpreted as the semi-sanity of alchemy spreading through Medieval Europe. Here too, a form of semi-sanity is spreading. In both cases an incomplete light of Teacher understanding is being spread. Thus, this hierarchical methodology is spreading as a paradigm that can be applied to the study and application of spiritual knowledge. But this methodology does not spread everywhere. Instead, it spreads ‘among Jews’ and Jews represent a religious mindset of absolute truth. I was raised as a pacifistic Mennonite. Thus, I find it hard to get my head around a militaristic Christian mindset. But I know that Christianity can be quite common in the military and I increasingly see evangelical Christians behaving in a militaristic fashion. ‘Until this day’ indicates that this is a stable combination. In other words, as long as a significant portion of society is making actual progress, it is possible for a subset of society to treat this knowledge as a source of absolute truth and teach it in a hierarchical manner.
Jesus Instructs the Disciples 28:16-20
The final verses focus upon the disciples. “And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus assigned them.” Went means ‘to transport’, which is interpreted as movement accompanied by transformation. Similarly, I have found that my analysis of various cycles of society in these essays has transformed my concept of what it means to be a disciple. A mountain is a height of land that represents a pragmatic Teacher theory. The previous mention of a mountain was in 26:30 which referred to the Mount of Olives. Assigned is ‘primarily a military term meaning to draw up in order, arrange in place, assign’. It is used one other time in Matthew in 8:9 in the story of the centurion’s servant, which was interpreted as the militaristic Carolingian Empire. Thus, one finds that Jesus is also adopting a military-like structure, because Jesus is assigning the disciples to a mountain in a manner that resembles the Teacher order of a military organization. That brings to mind the obvious question. Why doesn’t Jesus assign the disciples to a more spiritual mountain like the Mount of Olives? I suggest that a possible answer can be found in the concept of mind-over-matter. Matter currently rules over mind. One byproduct is that one can be internally motivated by invisible Platonic forms that are different than physical reality. But if mind started to rule over matter, then there would no longer be a sharp distinction between the mental and the physical because the physical would inevitably be altered to reflect the mental. Thus, one could no longer view spirit as the antithesis of flesh. This provides a possible explanation for why Revelation 21-22 mentions God the Father and the Lamb being in the New Jerusalem but not the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit is not there, but rather that the Spirit is present in the Mercy experiences of humanity. This can be seen in Revelation 21:10 where John is ‘carried away in the spirit to a great and high mountain’ in order to see the holy city.’ The Holy Spirit inhabits the holy city, and one has to be in the spirit to see the holy city. That is one aspect of what it means for ‘God to tabernacle with humans’ (21:3). There is no longer a sharp distinction between material and spiritual. This also explains why a spiritual interpretation was given to the holy city in 27:53. Returning to the disciples, it would still be possible for them to gain a larger Teacher understanding by getting a big picture of the cycles of society. That is because Platonic forms will also emerge when the past is remembered in an idealized manner. While this paragraph is conjecture, it is consistent with the idea that the crucifixion and resurrection of Matthew prophetically describing a fundamental shift that will result in mind starting to rule over matter.
Verse 17 suggests that this is partially successful. “And having seen Him they worshiped; but some doubted.” Seen means ‘to see with the mind’. ‘ Seeing him’ would mean constructing a mental concept of personal salvation that goes beyond physical reality. Worship was previously used in verse 9 to describe the women worshiping Jesus. Doubt is used twice in the New Testament, both times in Matthew, and combines ‘double’ with ‘standing’. The other occurrence was in 14:31, where Jesus asked the sinking Peter why he was doubting. That was interpreted as the pioneers of the early Industrial Revolution holding on simultaneously to the two different mindsets of Mercy-based common sense and Teacher-based mathematical analysis. Here too, some of the disciples are being torn between focusing upon physical reality and being guided by internal understanding.
Verse 18 describes the extent of the resurrected spiritual economy. “And having come to them, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to Me.” Having come means ‘to approach, to draw near’. It was previously used in verse 9 to describe the women coming close to Jesus. The worshiping followed the women coming close in verse 9 while it precedes Jesus coming close in verse 18. Looking at this cognitively, the starting point was intelligent mental networks because the angel knew that the women were looking for Jesus. These mental networks recognized the resurrected Jesus and submitted to it. This was followed by pragmatic observation and study of society, submitting to the principles that were discovered. It was at this point that the salvation of Jesus drew near. Spoke means ‘chatter in classical Greek’ and is interpreted as spontaneous speech. Saying is the normal word for speech. This is interesting because it is followed by the ultimate statement of authority. One would think that such a statement would be spoken as a command or a proclamation. Instead, it is stated in a throwaway manner using normal speech. Given means ‘to give’. In other words, this authority was not grabbed or imposed the way it is normally done in Mercy thought. All means ‘each part of a totality’. Authority means ‘delegated power’. This is not an overgeneralization, but a universal statement that includes the details. It is also not a pronouncement that was made to a group of followers. Instead it is a passing reference to how things currently function. In means ‘in the realm of’. Heaven refers to the Teacher based realm of angels. And earth indicates the human realm of rational thought with its Mercy experiences. ‘Heaven and earth’ implies that these two are now functioning together. Saying this more carefully, a concept of incarnation combines abstract and concrete technical thought. A single system of technical thought now covers all aspects of the angelic and human realms. A unified theory has now been achieved.
Verse 19 says how the disciples should respond to this statement. “Therefore having gone, disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Having gone means ‘to transport’. Thus, there is a sense in which the authority becomes actualized as it acquires followers. But the actualization does not come by worshiping Jesus. Instead, as one journeys, one recognizes the extent and nature of this authority. The disciples are supposed to disciple, not setting up some hierarchical system but rather teaching and training others to function in a similar manner. This discipling is possible because the authority of Jesus extends everywhere. Following the principles of Jesus will be effective at every scale and in every discipline. For instance, mental symmetry can be used to analyze a vast range of topics because the same cognitive principles apply in all of these areas. All means again ‘each part of a totality’. Nation means ‘people joined by practicing similar customs or common culture’ and would refer to mental networks of culture. It was previously used in 25:32 to describe all the nations gathered before the Son of Man. The implication is that this universal authority functions best at the group level of some culture. Jesus is not saying that a specific culture should be imposed upon all groups, but rather that the message of incarnation can be applied in a cross-cultural manner. But discipling every culture suggests that some group is required to effectively apply these principles.
Saying this more carefully, the authority of Jesus requires some Teacher structure with apostles and disciples. But such a structure can be set up in two different ways. The religious system is setting up a hierarchical system of authority similar to the ranks of a professional army or the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. Jesus is setting up a fractal system of authority in which each group submits in a similar way to fundamental principles of Incarnation. A partial example can be seen in the way that the Western world currently functions. Most countries are independent, but they still cooperate and follow similar sets of laws because there are all guided by similar principles of economic and political well-being. This distinction is discussed in the essay on Acts.
Baptize means ‘to immerse’ and was previously used in 20:33, where Jesus said that the two sons of Zebedee would drink his cup and be baptized with his baptism. Thus, baptism means going through some process of death and resurrection. Name means ‘the manifestation or revelation of someone’s character’. Thus, ‘baptizing in the name of Jesus’ does not mean saying the word ‘Jesus’ while dunking a person in some water. At best, that describes functioning at the level of magical incantations. Instead, it means allowing a Teacher understanding of the character of Jesus to affect personal identity to the point that it causes a person or group to go through death and resurrection. Baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit also does not mean saying these three names and waving one’s hands in a special manner as one gets a person wet. Building a church structure upon such an interpretation is pure magical thinking. Such magical thinking can have an actual result if getting dunked or sprinkled in some religious ceremony is followed by becoming socially identified with some persecuted group or narrow path. The actual baptism is the death and resurrection of personal identity that happens as a result of either being persecuted for being a follower of Jesus or following some narrow path of personal transformation as a follower of Jesus. The ‘name of the Father’ means that general Teacher theories need to be regarded as sources of life. The ‘name of the Son’ means that technical thought should be viewed as an expression of Teacher understanding and not as a set of independent technical specializations. The ‘name of the Holy Spirit’ means that one should be guided by a set of integrated Platonic forms in Mercy thought.
Verse 20 adds the educational content. “Teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age.” Teaching means to ‘cause to learn’. Observe does not mean ‘to observe’; it is not related to Server actions. Instead, it means ‘to watch over, to guard’. Cognitively, it means to hold on to the facts in Perceiver thought, even when these facts make a person or culture feel bad. ‘Observe’ is precisely the opposite of political correctness, which suppresses any Perceiver facts that make some person or culture feel bad. All means ‘each part of the totality’ and ‘things’ is implied. Thus, one is teaching people to hold on to the entire structure in Perceiver thought. Command means ‘to command, emphasizing the end-objective’. Therefore, one is not making definitive statements to impose authority but rather to reach some goal. Whatever means ‘how much, how many’. Thus, one is limiting authority to whatever commands are required to reach the goal. One is not adding to these commands or treating the giving of commands as an opportunity to impose personal status. This relates to the concept of fractal Teacher structure. One is imposing just enough structure to be similar to the pattern set by Jesus. One is not adding to this structure by setting up some hierarchical system. Going the other way, one is not limiting knowledge to some specialization in a ‘need to know’ fashion. Instead, one is teaching everyone to hold on in Perceiver thought to the entire pattern set by Jesus.
‘I am with you’ means that the salvation of Jesus will be present at the level of ‘being’ and not just at the peripheral level of ‘having’. All again means ‘each part of a totality’ and a day represents some era of society. Thus, the general principles of Incarnation will apply to any age of society both at the level of generality and at the detailed level. Similarly, we have seen that the cognitive principles of mental symmetry can be applied to current society, the Roman society within which the historical Jesus lived, and even some future society that would be regarded today as science fiction. Completion combines ‘close together with’ and ‘complete, consummate’. In other words, everything is working together to reach the goal. This word is used six times in the New Testament, always in the phrase ‘end of the age’. Thus, the ultimate goal is for all the parts of creation to work together in harmony. Similarly, the goal of mental symmetry is mental wholeness in which all the parts of the mind work together in harmony. I do not know exactly when ‘the end of the age’ is or if it is even appropriate to apply the adjective ‘when’ to the end of the age. But the end of the age is being defined functionally. It is not the end of existence when everything ceases functioning, but rather the end of school when everything starts functioning properly.
Conclusion
That ends the book of Matthew. However, this is not the end of God’s plan. Instead, my best guess is that we have arrived at Revelation 15 and Acts 13. The instruction to baptize every ethnic group suggests that the plan to transform people is now complete and functions adequately at the group level. What remains is extending this salvation to the rest of creation. My guess is that this extension is being described in Acts by the missionary journeys of Paul, which start in Acts 13. At this point I do not think that I have the tools that are necessary to interpret those journeys. Similarly, Paul’s epistles of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians appear to form a single connected sequence that describes a future period of existence after the end of the Gospel of Matthew.
The first 24 chapters of Matthew dealt with Western history. Thus, it was possible to back up a prophetic symbolic interpretation with extensive quotes from Wikipedia. What has been discussed in this essay can only be described as wild and crazy. However, it is unfortunately plausible. First, the spectre of genetic manipulation being used to control people and enhance human powers is currently being discussed. Second, it has now become officially acceptable to discuss UFOs and the existence of aliens. These are scary topics. Going further, this essay has used the same methodology that was used to analyze the rest of the gospel of Matthew. And we have seen numerous times that when we look back at the previous use of some Greek word in Matthew we find it being used within an episode of Western history that dealt with a similar situation to the event being described prophetically. Thus, there is a continuity of interpretation from history to prophecy.
It is quite possible that many of my details are inaccurate. But there are too many threads of consistency and plausibility to reject the interpretation of this essay out of hand. I strongly suspect that most evangelical Christians would regard the development of a spiritual economy as the Kingdom of the Beast. That is because the bottom line for evangelical Christendom has become maintaining the mindset of a leap of faith, which requires rejecting any attempt to organize the world at a global level as a work of Satan. Such a leap of faith can be seen explicitly in the doctrine of the Rapture, which states that God will step in magically at a global level to allow all Christians to take a leap of faith to heaven. (And many other segments of society perform similar leaps of faith from local rational thought to universal overgeneralization.) But it has now become clear that this evangelical Christian mindset of a leap of faith has no theological, moral, psychological, cognitive, scientific, or intellectual basis.
Luke’s Account of the Crucifixion
I have suggested that the crucifixion story of Matthew applies to a future cycle involving the rebirth of the spiritual economy. My hypothesis is that the crucifixion story of Luke applies to today’s current cycle involving the rebirth of cognition. I say this because Luke wrote Acts as a follow-on to the gospel of Luke. Acts appears to start with the current era and Acts 12 corresponds approximately to the end of Matthew. The implication is that the Gospel of Luke ends with the present time. This hypothesis will be briefly explored by comparing the crucifixion story of Luke with that of Matthew. This will not be a detailed analysis but rather an overview.
In Luke 22:24 the disciples argue over who is the greatest after being told by Jesus that one of them will betray him. This indicates that the disciples are still functioning at least partially at the Mercy level of personal status. Similarly, 22:31-32 indicates that Perceiver thought is only partially functioning. “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have all of you to sift like wheat. But I begged for you, that your faith may not fail.” Simon means ‘to hear’ and was the original name of Peter, who represents Perceiver thought. ‘Simon, Simon’ indicates that Perceiver thought is functioning at the level of words. Satan means ‘adversary’. Demand is used once in the New Testament and means to ‘totally hand over’. Sift is used once in the New Testament and means ‘to sift, shake in a sieve’. And wheat is ‘a generic term for any edible grain’ A sift uses shaking to get rid of one item while retaining another. In other words, there is a strong danger that the shaking of society will cause Perceiver thought to function exclusively at the level of using verbal truth to attack others. The only intellectual food that will remain is that which supports an adversarial mindset. This can be seen in the judgmental tendencies of fundamentalism as well as the growing tendency for ‘holding on to truth’ to be equated with embracing conspiracy theories and rejecting ‘fake news’. Beg means ‘to feel pressing need because of lack’. Fail means ‘to leave out’ and faith means to ‘be persuaded’. Thus, there is a distinct possibility that Perceiver thought may leave out the concept of being persuaded by the facts. This has happened, because I have found that most evangelical Christians who have adopted conspiracy theories refuse to be persuaded by the facts. Going further, the average Christian does not know that the word ‘faith’ means to ‘be persuaded’ but rather defines faith as verbally asserting some set of words despite any evidence to the contrary. ‘Beg’ implies that the personal salvation of Jesus is really suffering because of these tendencies. Consistent with this, Jesus talks in verse 37 about being ‘reckoned with the lawless’. Lawless is used once in Luke and adds the prefix ‘not’ to ‘the law’. Reckoned is used once in Luke. It is the source of the English word ‘logical’ and is related to logos, which is interpreted as a paradigm of technical thought. In other words, rational people who use technical thought will equate being a Christian with being irrational and illogical. This has become the general consensus in today’s era of Trumpian ‘fake news’. I am speaking here from personal experience, because many of my friends and family have followed this path.
In verse 43, an ‘angel from heaven mentally appears’ to Jesus as he is praying in the garden. The implication is that supernatural help is coming in the form of specific messages rather than a general understanding. There is no mention of any specific disciples. In contrast, Matthew 26:37 describes Jesus turning to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee for help when praying, implying that a system of rational understanding exists that is capable of partially supporting incarnation. Luke 22:44 talks about sweat like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. Sweat is used once in the New Testament. It is a liquid that emerges from the body. Great drop is also used once in the New Testament and comes from a word that means ‘enlarge, fully developed, because adequately nourished’. Blood represents mental networks of personal identity, especially as they fall apart. Falling down means ‘to go down’ and would mean moving from Teacher generality to specifics. Putting this together, the personal identity of what it means to be a Christian is falling apart as fully developed experiential systems that were regarded as major facets of Christendom are losing their Teacher generality and becoming absorbed into the ground of rational thought. That accurately describes what is happening today.
In verse 52, chief priests and elders are part of the crowd that comes to arrest Jesus. This indicates a direct attack by religious leaders upon the salvation of Jesus, which can be seen in the many Christian leaders who are at the vanguard of questioning the truth that they are supposed to be preaching. This used to be true of only liberal Christians but a similar questioning can be seen in most branches of Christianity these days. Matthew 26:53 says that Jesus could call on twelve legions of angels, implying that angels and humans are interacting in a significant manner. There is no mention of any legions of angels in Luke, consistent with today’s materialistic era in which supernatural help is limited to the occasional angel. Matthew 26:55 says that Jesus was sitting in the temple and teaching, indicating the presence of an authoritative, rational understanding of incarnation. Luke 22:53 merely talks about Jesus being in the temple with them, suggesting that religion is functioning at an experiential level that does not regard any system of teaching as authoritative. That describes the current era in which people are searching for spirituality without content. Luke 22:53 also talks about the ‘authority of the darkness’, describing a system of organized authority that deliberately suppresses the light of Teacher understanding. That describes the current era in which religiosity is associated with the suppression of rational understanding. More generally, it describes postmodern thought, which uses academic status to undermine the functioning of academia.
The three denials of Peter are also subtly different. In the first denial in Luke 22:56 a servant girl is sitting next to the light and says that ‘this one was with him’. There is no mention of any content. Instead, the light of Teacher understanding is being used in an innocent manner to assert that Perceiver connections are possible. Peter responds by saying that the knowing of empirical evidence is not possible, basically saying that scientific evidence with its Teacher theories should not be ‘confused’ with faith. The first denial is made to a woman, representing the mental networks of female thought. This turns religion into a specialization that is distinct from scientific thought. In the second denial in verse 58 mental seeing is used to bring to light the idea that truth can come ‘out of them’ by looking for Perceiver similarities. Peter responds here with the Teacher light that ‘not human is’. In other words, religious truth should be ruled by the general Teacher theory that religious truth transcends the rational thinking of human thought. That describes the intellectual assertion of modern mysticism. The third statement is made in verse 59. It happens after some time and is ‘thoroughly, combatively strong’. This statement is true to fact based upon the knowledge that Peter is also a Galilean. In other words, extended observation over time indicates that religion is not something special and different but is also guided by the cycles of society. One can see this illustrated by the cognitive science of religion as well as various research being done by cognitive science and psychology on religion. (The experimental findings of the cognitive science of religion are consistent with mental symmetry, but this field insists upon using the theory of evolution to hold everything together.) Peter responds by denying this human evidence. The cock then crows. Putting this together, the denials in Luke describe religious belief becoming increasingly irrational and transcendent in the face of increasingly accurate analysis of societal and cognitive processes. Jesus is not mentioned anywhere in this section, implying that Peter does not have a concept of Jesus but is denying the use of Perceiver thought at a more fundamental level.
Matthew, in contrast, starts with Peter denying any connection to ‘Jesus the Galilean’. He then denies with an oath that he is related to ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. The final denial is a more general denial that leads to cursing and swearing. The implication is that a concept of Jesus exists in Matthew which does not exist in Luke. And the swearing suggests that this concept of Jesus has acquired emotional and spiritual power which is not present in Luke. In other words, Peter in Luke is making a cognitive denial about the nature of Perceiver thought, while Peter in Matthew is making an organizational denial about the nature of the personal salvation of Jesus.
The mocking of Jesus by the soldiers is much shorter in Luke than in Matthew. In Matthew, the soldiers place Jesus within a childlike system of authority, implying that a spiritual economy exists that is capable of being treated as a system of authority. This is not mentioned in Luke and the description in Matthew is traditionally interpreted today as mocking, implying that current Christianity does not have any concept that incarnation could function as a system of authority. Instead, the structure of incarnation is equated today with the organizational structure of religious institutions. Luke 22:63 refers to ‘the men who are holding Him’. Holding means ‘to hold it together... lest it fall to pieces’ and men refers specifically to males. The idea is that male technical thought is attempting to prevent mental networks of female thought from falling to pieces. That describes current society in which a significant portion of female thought can be described as ‘falling to pieces’. Consistent with this, there is no mention in Luke of Jesus being anointed by a woman. Luke 22:64 says, “Having blindfolded Him, they were questioning Him, saying, ‘Prophesy, who is the one having struck You?’” Blindfolded is used three times in the New Testament and combines ‘around’ with ‘to cover, keep secret’. This accurately describes the current approach of end-time prophecy. The Bible is treated as some hidden book of secret knowledge. This secret knowledge is then used to try to predict how the world is attacking Christianity. There is no concept of God having an intelligent plan that involves the whole world such as is being described in these essays. But many books have been written that use ‘secret knowledge’ in the Bible to prophesy how the Antichrist will ‘strike Jesus’ during the Great Tribulation.
In Matthew 26:63 the high priest adjures Jesus by the living God to tell him if he is Christ the Son of God. This strong language indicates that Jesus represents a powerful system of personal salvation that is threatening to overturn the existing concept of incarnation. The language of Luke 22:67-68 is quite different. “‘If You are the Christ, tell us.’ And He said to them, ‘If I should tell you, you would not believe. And if I should ask you, you would not answer. ’” Believe means to ‘be persuaded’. Ask means ‘make an earnest request, especially by someone on special footing’. That describes the situation today. Nobody really cares about Christ, the abstract side of incarnation. Instead, the average person does not even distinguish between Jesus and Christ, regarding one as a synonym for the other. Going further, no one today is interested in a rational analysis of the abstract side of incarnation. I know that from personal experience, because I have written thousands of pages of analysis on the abstract side of incarnation and almost no one is interested. I also know from personal experience that essentially no one will answer a request about this topic, even if it is made on special footing. Looking at this more specifically, I do not know a more ‘special footing’ for Christianity than analyzing over half of the Greek text of the New Testament. But when I point this out to Christians, it means nothing and there is no answer (except from a handful of individuals). In Matthew 26:65 the high priest responds to the blasphemy by tearing his garments. In Luke, the high priest calmly states that this has been ‘heard from his mouth’. In other words, connecting a rational analysis of human activity with a concept of Christ leads automatically to rejection. There is no need for an emotional response because everyone ‘knows’ that this is ‘wrong’.
The accusation of Jesus before Pilate is different in Luke 23:2. “We found this man misleading our nation, and forbidding tribute to be given to Caesar, and declaring Himself to be Christ, a king.” Misleading means ‘opposite from the shape it should be’ and is usually translated as ‘perverse’. Nation refers to the mental networks of culture, and ‘our nation’ would refer to the culture of religion. Thus, any rational analysis of religion is condemned as twisting the culture of religion, indicating that religion is functioning at the cultural level of mental networks. That describes the current era. Forbid means ‘to hinder’. What is being hindered is ‘tribute to Caesar’ and Caesar represents secular power. Stated bluntly, the current religious culture makes it possible to worship God on Sunday while paying tribute to secular existence the rest of the week. Using rational thought to expand the specific example of Jesus into the general principles of Christ means that one can no longer play this religious game because a concept of Christ applies to the entire week. This takes Jesus out of the religious ghetto and declares him to be ‘Christ a king’ who rules over all of existence.
In Luke 23:7 Jesus is taken to Herod. Herod means ‘son of a hero’ and is not mentioned in Matthew’s account. Herod is happy to see Jesus because he wants to see ‘a sign, typically miraculous’. Herod inquires of Jesus using many different logoses, but gets no response. This makes it clear that Jesus in Luke represents a form of incarnation that does not include supernatural power. That describes the current era. Christianity makes many claims to deliver miracles, but these claims always seem to fail when they are analyzed using the paradigms of scientific thought. I am not saying that no miracles happen today, but rather that scientific analysis of miracles always seems to end up with nothing. Luke 23:12 adds that Herod and Pilate become friends that day. We saw that Pilate represents some objective application of the path of personal transformation. This friendship implies that these scientific analysis of miracles will lead to the conclusion that real heroes have to follow some path of personal transformation. Miracle working televangelists may be fake heroes, but one can find real heroes who perform superhuman tasks within the secular world.
Luke 23:19 describes the character of Barabbas, which is not mentioned in Matthew. “Who was one having been cast into the prison on account of a certain insurrection having been made in the city, and murder.” Insurrection means ‘standing, place, dissension’ and comes from the word ‘a standing’, which is interpreted as some source of Perceiver stability. This describes holding to Perceiver facts that are opposed to the Perceiver facts of government authority. This was done in the city, which represents civilization. This would describe a method of attempting to change government law through organized protest and civil disobedience. Murder means ‘intentional, unjustified homicide’. Cognitively speaking, this would correspond to cancel culture, in which a group of people decide that some individual needs to be boycotted or shunned. This mindset has been put into a guarding, which means that it is being officially limited. Pilate calls to the crowd to release Jesus in verse 20, but they call out crucify in verse 21. Thus, a government system that is thinking in terms of helping people is being outshouted by a public that wants to protest and cancel. Pilate points out in verse 22 that Jesus has done nothing worthy of death but instead needs to be instructed by training, using the same word used to train a child. In other words, the policies of the past may have been misguided and uneducated, but the solution is to come up with more intelligent policies and not to kill the very idea of helping people. But the people ignore the facts and keep insisting in verse 23 and eventually Pilate gives up. The group that is opposing Pilate is not specifically mentioned in verses 15 to 25 but rather is referred to vaguely as ‘them’. Similarly, it is uncertain today who exactly is protesting and canceling. Instead, this is all being done in some vague manner by ‘them’. All that is known is that people have decided that the idea of taking some group or person from where they are to someplace better needs to be crucified. That is because nobody should be made to feel that their current state is in any way inferior. Instead, ‘they’ should be given freedom to protest and cancel anyone who attempts to make some person or group ‘feel marginalized’.
Verse 27 describes a large group following Jesus. “And a great multitude of the people were following Him, and of women, who were mourning and lamenting for Him.” People means ‘laity’ and there is a multitude of laity accompanied by women. Mourn means ‘to mourn with a cutting sense of personal tragic loss’. Lament means to ‘cry out loud’. This describes the various conservative groups who feel that critical aspects of their culture are being cut off and lost because postmodern thought is crucifying Jesus. In addition, those who value mental networks are bemoaning the loss of traditional culture. However, these conservative groups are powerless to stop the process of crucifying Jesus, and are incapable of even voicing their concerns in a rationally coherent manner. In verse 28 Jesus turns to conservative culture and warns them of impending disaster. “And having turned to them, Jesus said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’” Daughters of Jerusalem would refer to the next generation of religious mental networks. Jesus adds in verse 29 that “Days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren.’” In other words, a time will come when the mental networks of conservative culture and religion will implode to the point where people will conclude that it is more blessed not to grow up in a conservative religious culture. This point has essentially been reached in many areas of Western society as of the time of writing this essay.
In Luke 23:34 Jesus makes the well-known statement, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This is not mentioned in the other Gospels. This statement makes it clear that a rational Teacher understanding is lacking. Know means ‘seeing that becomes knowing’, which is interpreted as empirical evidence, and do refer to physical action. In other words, people are incapable of learning from their actions. When one makes a transition to a Teacher understanding, then it is important not to base this understanding upon painful Mercy experiences. Thus, Jesus is asking God the Father in Teacher thought not to build upon the painful experiences of crucifixion. In Luke, those who are watching point out that Jesus cannot save himself. In Matthew, the bystanders point out that Jesus destroyed and rebuilt the temple in three days and they also say that Jesus should descend from the cross. This implies that the destroying and rebuilding of the temple is happening in Luke’s version, while Matthew’s version describes a future crucifixion after this has happened. In addition, the focus upon descending from the cross indicates an understanding of Teacher generality in Matthew that is not present in Luke. Consistent with this, Luke does not mention Judas hanging himself. (That is mentioned later in the book of Acts.) People can only let go emotionally of a Judas of ‘praise’ if a Teacher understanding exists that is capable of replacing Mercy feelings of personal status. This exists in Matthew but not in Luke. In Matthew, Jesus says ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’, suggesting that a strong concept of God exists in Teacher thought from which one can feel forsaken. Luke does not include this statement, implying that the concept of Jesus that is being crucified is not yet based in Teacher understanding.
Looking at the death of Jesus, Luke 23:46 relates, “Jesus said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last.” Matthew 27:50 simply says that Jesus ‘yielded up spirit’. Luke describes a spiritual shift from a concept of Jesus based in Mercy experiences to one based in a Teacher concept of God the Father, which leads to the expiration of the existing limited concept of Jesus. Similarly, mental symmetry replaces a concept of Jesus based in the Gospels with a concept of Jesus based in universal cognitive mechanisms. This does not mean that the historical Jesus did not exist but rather that the historical Jesus was a human expression of the incarnation of God. The statement in Matthew implies that the existing concept of incarnation is not being replaced as inadequate, but rather that it is acquiring a new spiritual dimension.
In Luke 23:47 the centurion glorifies God and recognizes that ‘this man was righteous’. Righteousness describes Server actions that reflect Teacher understanding. In Matthew, there is an earthquake, tombs are opened, and the centurion says ‘Truly this was God’s Son’. This describes a much larger shift involving the relationship between spiritual and physical.
Luke describes Joseph of Arimathea in glowing terms, referring to him as ‘good and righteous’ and ‘waiting for the kingdom of God’. Matthew simply describes Joseph as ‘discipled to Jesus’. The implication is that the research of Joseph in Luke’s cycle is cutting-edge thinking being done in preparation for the kingdom of God, whereas in Matthew’s cycle it describes a form of ‘wrapping up’ being done to a kingdom of God that has just been crucified. In Matthew 27:62 the priests and pharisees come to Pilate and ask that the tomb be made secure to stop the movement from reviving. There is no mention of this in Luke, implying that no living spiritual movement existed that might be capable of reviving itself.
Instead, Luke 23:56 describes the women preparing spices and anointing oil for the body of Jesus and the same women are mentioned at the beginning of chapter 24. Thus, mental networks of female thought are focusing upon remembering the past in a meaningful manner. In Matthew 28:5 the angel says that he knows that the women are seeking Jesus, indicating the existence of intelligent mental networks. There is no mention of an angel in Luke. Instead, Luke mentions two men and the women are described as perplexed in Luke 24:4, a word which adds a negative prefix to the word transport. In other words, female thought in Luke has tried to follow a path of change and has failed, requiring it to be assisted by male thought, which describes the current era. Going further, these two men ask the women why they are ‘seeking the living among the dead’, indicating that male thought has to redirect the focus of female mental networks from the past to the future. And these two men specifically remind the women in verse 7 that Jesus has to go through the process of death and resurrection. That message applies to today’s postmodern mindset, which is emotionally convinced that ‘salvation’ means coddling existing cultural mental networks and preventing them from feeling bad or falling apart.
In Matthew 28:8 the women leave with a combination of great joy and fear and they are met by Jesus who tells them to announce the resurrection to the other disciples. This again describes intelligent female thought that is being guided by the ‘great joy’ of Teacher understanding. Luke, in contrast, describes the women attempting to tell the apostles, but 24:11 says that “Their words appeared before them like folly, and they did not believe them.” Folly is used once in the New Testament and means ‘silly talk’. Thus, in Matthew, the women are told by Jesus to announce to the disciples and are believed, while in Luke, the disciples are referred to as ‘the apostles’ and they treat the words of the women as silly talk. The implication is that mental networks of female thought are far more developed in Matthew than they are in Luke. Applying this to current society, I know that it is politically incorrect to say so, but female thought generates a lot of silly talk today, even in academic circles. That is not because female thought is inherently inferior, but rather the result of centuries of objective, specialized, scientific progress that has ignored the mental networks of female thought. The crucifixion of Matthew happens after the development of a spiritual economy that teaches mental networks to function in an intelligent manner.
Luke (and Mark) mentions the story of two disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus. This is an extended story that is 23 verses long. The essence of the story is that the two disciples relate their view of the crucifixion to Jesus who then proceeds to open the Scriptures to them. They only recognize that were talking with Jesus at the very end. This describes a reformulated understanding of the Bible guided by an understanding of the process by which a concept of Christ is formed. This starts off as a rational analysis that the disciples regarded as unrelated to the Jesus of religion.
Jesus tells these two disciples in Luke 24:25-27, “‘O foolish and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ And having begun from Moses and from all the Prophets, He interpreted to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Foolish means ‘without thinking’ which means that rational thought is not being used. ‘Slow of heart to believe’ would mean that it takes a lot of persuading to get the emotions of personal identity to move. Necessary describes ‘what must happen’ based upon how things work. Christ refers to the abstract side of incarnation. And ‘enter into his glory’ means that a concept of Christ will eventually be expressed through many specific examples to give glory to this general concept of Christ. These are all concepts to which mental symmetry has led me, which I find extremely difficult to share successfully with others. Summarizing, the first thing that the resurrected Jesus does in Luke is to lead his disciples through an extended paradigm shift that involves rethinking everything that the Bible says about incarnation. That describes the sort of paradigm shift that current society requires. This is represented symbolically in verses 30-31 where Jesus’ identity becomes known to them when he breaks bread with them, bread representing intellectual food.
Matthew talks about the guards conspiring with the chief priests to formulate an inadequate version of the resurrection while saying nothing about the disciples being scared of Jesus. The implication is that the disciples of Matthew have already learned how to interact with the spiritual realm in an effective manner which is then being copied by the religious system. Luke presents a totally different picture of the disciples. Luke 24:37 describes how they respond when he appears in their midst. “But having been terrified, and having been filled with fear, they were thinking themselves to see a spirit.” Terrified is used twice in the New Testament and means to ‘fly off into unrealistic, irrational behavior’. Filled with fear means ‘in the realm of fear’. Thinking means ‘to have an opinion’. This describes the response of people who have no experience of dealing with the supernatural. Going further, Jesus describes the disciples in verse 38 as troubled with doubts in their hearts. Trouble means ‘to agitate back and forth’. Doubt means ‘back-and-forth reasoning’. This doubt is ascending in the heart which means that back-and-forth reasoning is affecting general Teacher theories about subjective experiences. Jesus is then asked to explain fundamental concepts of flesh and spirit to the disciples, even eating a fish before their eyes. Symbolically, fish live within the waters of human experience. Thus, eating a fish would mean being able to continue interacting with human experiences even as a resurrected being.
Summarizing, Matthew seems to be describing the resurrection of an existing spiritual economy, while Luke seems to be describing the discovery that it is possible to say ‘spiritual’ and ‘economy’ in the same sentence. This is followed in verse 45 by a rational reinterpretation of the Bible, similar to what happened on the road to Emmaus. “Then He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures.” Open means to ‘open fully by completing the process necessary to do so’. Mind means ‘the mind, the reason, the reasoning faculty, intellect’. Understand means to ‘put together’. Thus, the resurrected Jesus helps the disciples to use rational thought to come up with an integrated understanding of the written Bible—precisely what we are attempting to do in these essays. Summarizing, the resurrection of Jesus in Luke leads to a rational reformulation of the Bible and Christianity, which leads to a transformed concept of Christ, the abstract side of incarnation.
This does not mean that the resurrection of Jesus in Luke is purely cognitive. Instead, the disciples are instructed in 24:49 to “Remain in the city until that you should be clothed with power from on high.” Clothed means ‘sinking into a garment’. Power would refer to some sort of supernatural power. But this is referred to as coming out of on high. Thus, Luke appears to describe what I refer to elsewhere as ‘the theoretical return of Jesus’ while verse 49 looks forward to the start of what I refer to elsewhere as spiritual technology. Notice that Jesus instructs the disciples to ‘remain in the city’, implying that they should remain connected with secular civilized activity. However, verses 52-53 say that they ‘return to Jerusalem’ and are ‘continually in the temple’, implying that they are focusing upon religion and religious experience. But their focus has shifted from Mercy thought to Teacher thought. In verse 51, Jesus is carried up into the heaven of Teacher thought and verse 52 describes them functioning with ‘great joy’, ‘great’ referring to Teacher generality and ‘joy’ describing Teacher emotion.
If Luke 22-24 refers to current society, then it is logical that the previous chapters of Luke refer to Western history. Right now I have no clue about how that works or where in Western history the gospel of Luke begins. I have skimmed through the book of Luke and nothing pops out. However, I think that one can conclude with considerable confidence that the crucifixion story of Luke corresponds to the crisis that civilization is currently going through. One can also conclude that the crucifixion story of Matthew describes a future transformation that will go significantly beyond the current transformation.