Variety: Matthew 9v35
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” (Matthew 9:35)
Nothing in the Gospels suggests that Jesus was interested in creating a religion. He was offering everyone a chance for a peaceful and fulfilling life by adopting a different set of values. The crux, of course, is a shift from judgment, competition, and aggression to the rule of an open heart. The Gospels represent a movement out of narcissism and paranoia to a more mature, self-possessed life of deep community.
The Gospels do not focus on a plan for spiritual self-improvement and a virtuous personality. They are not a set of platitudes about living properly but rather a restructuring of the human imagination about how we can be in relation to each other and to the world. They offer a new way of imagining the human worldwide community.
How, then, do you live the Gospel spirit today? You do exactly what the Gospel says: Firstly, you cultivate a deep respect for people who are not of your circle and whom society rejects…. Secondly, you do everything possible to deal effectively with demonic urges in yourself and in society. You do something about aggression, paranoia, narcissism, greed, jealousy, and violence. You live with a mind-set that doesn’t justify such things but seeks alternatives. Thirdly, you play the role of healer in every situation. The word therapy [healing] appears 47 times in the New Testament—you adopt a therapeutic posture in the style of Jesus the healer. In all your work and interactions, you take the role of healer. Finally, you stay awake and don’t fall into the unconsciousness of the age. You also help others wake up to a thoughtful life imagined in fresh, original, and convivial ways….
If you follow the example of Jesus and listen for your destiny and fate, you will have to go your own way, adapting the simple, radical teachings to your own calling and circumstances. You will evoke the kingdom in your own style, making your own life a tiny mustard seed, cultivating the weeds of your thoughts, making yourself the embodiment of the moral beauty and spiritual intelligence found in the Gospels.
Thomas Moore