Four Gospels

SAT., JULY 5, 1986, 6:26 AM
FARM, STUDY

I have spoken to you on many occasions about My desire to have a diversity in spiritual paths. Some are severe, and some are loose and free. Some are traditional, while other are rather creative. And there are many other points of difference. All lead back to Me, with more or less directness.

This desire for diversity is symbolized in the four Gospels. If I had wanted a dogmatic, one-way religion there surely would have been one clear, clean Gospel story of My life as Jesus. You see that this is not so. There are four stories, with similarities and with differences. Exactly how My earth life was lived and what exactly I said is not as important as the story… as told by Matthew, by Mark, by Luke, and by John. And, this many years later, the story as these Gospels present it is not as important as the stories individual people can tell of how I have become a part of each of their lives.

The LDS group has put this into practice… having a Sunday a month for testimonies about My influence or about the help of the Church, My Body… rather than the old Scriptural story. Both are important, but most of you Presbyterian Christians are much more comfortable hearing about Luke’s story of My action in the world than about the holy experiences of any of you in the pews. That is unfortunate. There should be a way in which the diverse stories of this day are heard and compared.

The Gospel of John is your favorite, and there is nothing wrong with having a favorite. This represents a positive liking and an affirmation of a positive linking of your spirit and Mine through this story. It does not mean a rejection of the other stories. The fact that I come to you in this way does not mean that I love less those who do not hear Me this directly.

John doesn’t tell a story of My conception and birth as Jesus. Instead he says that in the beginning was the Word, which was Me, as God Almighty, as Jesus, the Christ, and as the Holy Spirit. I was (and am) the Word and also the Light. Through My presence as the Word and as the Light life can exist, and life can yearn for a reunion with Me, the Source.

Other Gospels establish the practice of telling stories… some as parables and some just as stories. They all describe what I did and tell what I said, and these become stories also. And stories are the basic building material for the faith. The faith of each soul is a story, influenced by stories about My action with other souls. The story of My interaction with the unnamed woman at the well is important, but not moreso than the story of My interventions in Laurette’s life. The story of My influence on Nicodemus can be matched by the story of My influence on Dan Whitfield. Stories of the practices of the faith in the New Testament time need to be matched with stories of practices in 20th century Southern Illinois.

Was four the right number of Gospels? Four is not as significant a number as are others. Yet I shall say… Yes… four seems just right. These give evidence of the diversity I want you to recognize and appreciate. These tell the story in sufficiently different ways to make the point.