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What Did Jesus Really Say?

by John_Penberthy

Most people, even if they�re not Christians, acknowledge that an
exceptional spiritual master named Jesus lived and died 2,000
years ago. The story of his life and teachings are chronicled in
the four gospels of the New Testament and they have captivated
and inspired the Western world ever since. But how do we know
what Jesus actually said? There was no stenographer or tape
recorder present and the first gospel to be recorded, Mark,
wasn�t written until 30 years after Jesus� death. How much do you
remember of any conversation you witnessed 30 years ago?

From the time Jesus spoke until the time his words and actions
were eventually recorded on paper there were many opportunities
for mistakes, misinterpretations and mistranslations. Jesus was a
mystic and often spoke in parables and metaphors. Those who were
present interpreted his teachings and their meanings through the
filters of their own limited spiritual understanding. These
impressions and memories were substantially diluted and distorted
with the passing of over 30 years� time between their occurrence
and their recording.

The gospels we have today were based on documents copied and
recopied by scribes for 400 years after Jesus died (the original
writings were lost to history). Scribes, being human, sometimes
made mistakes and sometimes changed things to fit their
preconceived notions or agendas. Each new generation of copied
gospels compounded the errors of all previous scribes.

Additionally, Jesus spoke in Aramaic. The first gospels were
written in Greek, which was eventually translated into Old
English and then to modern English. Each of these translations
provides opportunity for lost meaning. Finally, the Council of
Nicea, convened by the Emperor Constantine in 325 AD after
declaring Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire,
discarded parts of the gospels which were inconsistent or
contradictory in an attempt to make them more cohesive and
consistent. For example, all references to reincarnation were
stricken. Sadly, many of Jesus� teachings were lost forever
because they did not square with the spiritual views of the
Council.

What exactly did Jesus say? No one really knows. Those who
interpret the Bible literally and hang on every word are missing
the point. Countless controversies, conflicts, condemnations and
ill judgments have resulted from (often petty) differing literal
interpretations of Biblical scriptures. This has created fertile
ground for ego gratification and the rise of fundamentalism.
Ironically, judgment and condemnation seem to increasingly have
trumped Jesus� core message of love and forgiveness.

Given that Jesus� exact words were lost to the wind 2,000 years
ago, the best we can do is to search out themes found in the
gospels that appear time and again. In this way the essence of
Jesus� teachings comes through loud and clear, over and over, to
those who take the time to distill his wisdom from the gospels.
It is simply: open heart, open mind�love and forgiveness. Do not
judge. Tolerance. Or to sum it all up into one sentence: Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you.

The Prince of Peace told us that the kingdom of heaven was at
hand and that the way to experience it was by following his
teachings. At hand means here, now, in this life. What are you
waiting for?

John Penberthy is the author of the spiritual allegory�now in 11
languages�To Bee or Not to Bee (Sterling Publishing). Available
in bookstores, including Barnes & Noble, throughout North
America. View the 60 second Preview and send free ecards at <a
href="http://www.ToBeeBook.com" title="http://www.ToBeeBook.com"
target="_blank">http://www.ToBeeBook.com</a>. An endearing gift!

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