IF JESUS WERE HERE RIGHT NOW.....

If Jesus were right here now . . . Have you ever had such a thought? What would you say to him? What is the most pressing thing you would ask him to heal? Sin? Sickness? Restore a loved one?

Jesus walked the earth over 2000 years ago–healing, teaching and demonstrating divine law. At the age of 33 he was crucified, but does the Christ live with men today? Can you dwell in his presence? Is it possible to communicate with the Christ? These questions will be explored as we ponder If Jesus Christ were here now . . . .

History of Jesus

According to biblical history, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, son of Mary and Joseph. The name was as common as the name Joshua, and was used throughout Judaea. Why was he called Jesus? The Gospel of Luke says the angel Gabriel told Mary to name the child Jesus (1:26) and Matthew says another angel told Joseph (1:21). In Greek the word Jesus is called Jesous and Yehosau in Hebrew. Scholars believe the time of Jesus birth occurred around 4 B.C., close to the last years of Herod’s reign.

In Mark, Jesus is described as a TEKTWV (tekton) and Matthew calls him the son of a tekton. The English translation of tekton is the word “carpenter.” Historical and biblical text record that Jesus lived in Galilee which became a part of Roman Judaea during his lifetime. Historians further state that the social, economic and political structure of the Galileans was different from the Judeans–with the latter considering themselves superior. His earthly father’s name was Yosef (Joseph) and mother, Mary. One view is that Joseph was a widower, and had children by a previous marriage–none of which belonged to Mary. According to the Scriptures, Mary had an immaculate conception, resulting in the birth of Jesus. This is consistent with the recounting of Jesus’ calling God his Father.

In Mark 6: 3, we discover that Jesus had siblings: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon?” This recounting makes reference to those in the synagogue who did not believe that Jesus had been ordained to save the world from sin, sickness and death. They were in affect saying, “He really is a nobody, just Mary’s child, and the brother of those other guys.”

After his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus began his ministry in Galilee–among villagers and fisherman.

The Kingdom of Heaven

What was Jesus’ message to his followers? The basic premise was “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). This is any emphatic statement that lets us know that the senses cannot see or hear that which is spiritual, because that kingdom is within us. What is that kingdom? Is it something inside the fleshly body? If it is, why do we not see it during a surgical operation? If Jesus were right here now . . . what do you think he would say?

Kingdom is defined by Webster as “the position, rank or power of a king; the spiritual realm of God.” During the time of Jesus, a king had the highest sense of power. No one overruled his decisions, rules or laws. Jesus differed from that viewpoint and maintained that “the kingdom is within you”– it is your spirituality–your gift from God that connects you to Him–your divine consciousness. No one can take it, or interfere with your ability to use it. They cannot even tell when you are using it! It is
between you and God. It is not something that lends itself to sensualism, but elevates itself beyond anything the senses could ever behold. Every person has the capacity to ignite this kingdom. There are several ways of making this connection–prayer, biblical study, meditation, reciting the Ten Commandments and Beatitudes to name a few.
The most important thing is to be aware that it is there–there for you to grasp, hold on to and use at any time. That is what I believe he would say on that subject.

The Ministry of Jesus

Jesus is referred to in the Bible as “Christ.” Some believe that Jesus is God. I do not believe Jesus is God, but the Son of God as he stated. I do believe, however, that he is “the Christ.” Why “the Christ?” Because I do not see Christ as a physical being, but a divine manifestation of God that comes into thought, and purifies it of sin, sickness and death. Is it present today? Yes! Can we get in touch with it today? Yes! Being in the presence of Christ is having and being aware of the spiritual link that connects you to God. Jesus was so good at doing this that he was, and is known as Jesus Christ. Not only did he show the world his purpose for being on earth, but ours as well. In articulating this to his disciples, he left it for all of us: ”Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:” (Matt. 10:8). There are those who argue that this message was not for us, but his disciples alone. They say, “God gave us doctors to do the healing.” What would Jesus say? The same thing he said centuries ago: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6: 33). ”These things” were everything man needed while here on earth–and what man needs, is faith, hope and spiritual understanding which give him true substance. Supply comes not from material goods, but from inspiration and divine revelation. Establishing these in thought, paves the way to achieve everything else.

What would Jesus say to the medical world?

His first question would probably be Why do you not believe? Believe what? Believe that man is not a material being, made of flesh and blood, but a spiritual being–made in the image and likeness of God. Just as God is my Father, He is also your Father. Other questions might be, “Why have you not emulated me in healing? Why do you use a pill and a knife to heal? Is this the example I left for you? Why are there so many accidents in your hospitals that kill people? Why is your success rate in healing so low and inexact?

The difference between Jesus’ method of healing and those used today, is one is spiritual, and the other is material. One is truth, the other error. One gives eternal life, the other, temporal life. One is human, the other, divine. These are opposites, and can never yield the same results.

When a patient was brought to Jesus for healing, he admonished him, or in the case of a child, the parent, ” to believe.” Believe that God, Mind is the only Medicine. What does this Medicine heal? It heals mortal mind–the foundation of sin, sickness and death. Mortal thinking places reality in things that the senses see, hear, smell, taste and feel. Divine Mind, another name for Soul, places reality on things that reach above the senses–things that come from the kingdom within–the heart–the soul or spirit of man. Once thinking is cleansed, purified, the natural state of man is achieved, and the body yields to the thoughts controlling it. I know the medical world believes the body controls one’s thinking, but it is the other way around–thoughts, whether conscious or unconscious, control the body. This why mankind cannot heal the way Jesus did. It places emphasis on the wrong side of correction–starting with matter, instead of Spirit.

Doctors begin their healing with matter: measuring temperatures, blood pressures, stress levels, looking for broken bones, internal injuries through X-rays and MRIs. Jesus’ method of healing was mental preparation–making sure he and his Father were one–connecting to Mind, God. He knew that if he became “at one” with God, mortal mind disappeared. This “oneness” gave him the right thoughts, words and actions. He was conscious of the patient’s state of thought at the moment and provided the remedy to correct it, generating the healing effect. This method of healing is foreign to mankind today. As you read this, you are probably thinking what a strange person that woman is. It is difficult to grasp what one does not understand and has not demonstrated. I have spent 40 years learning and demonstrating what I am saying and . . . I have not even scratched the surface in spiritual understanding.
Jesus saw every person as a child of God–not a physical being. He beheld the true identity of man. He kept this view uppermost in his thought. Thus, when his disciples saw a “withered hand” or a “dead child,” he saw a spiritual idea, created by Mind, sustained by Spirit and governed by Principle–divine Law. He literally knew nothing else. Thus, his healings were quick, precise and complete–needing no time for recuperation. Mankind does not accomplish the healing that Jesus did, because it is limited by its own thinking. ”As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23: 7).

Am I knocking the medical world? No! I am asking mankind to knock on the door of the spiritual world! It is only through the presence of the Christ will we conquer sin, sickness and death. The first step, is to know and practice daily that man’s true nature is not in body, but in spirit. Unless we take this step, we will linger in darkness, and the light of Truth will elude us.

What would I say if Jesus were here today? Help me to understand that “the way” is letting go of materiality and clinging steadfastly to spirituality. Teach me to walk in your footsteps, day-by-day, hour-by-hour. Help me to love unconditionally, placing no god before the One God and Father, and holding in consciousness the perfect man–the man made in God’s image and likeness.

Then, and only then, will I be able to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons.