(310) – SPIRITUAL BODY 4

 

These are the words of Solomon: “The wise man’s eyes are in his head” (Eccl. 2:4). The eyes that are in the head see things that are not visible. For example, Paul said: “For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8). With the eyes of the face, the foolish sees the beauty of the flesh and yields to the pleasures, but does not have eyes on his head to see the consequences. King David was deceived by this lie when he saw Bathsheba bathing. He was seduced for her beauty, and he did not have eyes on his head to foresee the disaster that was going to happen to his own house. The eyes of the head are the eyes of the spiritual body. The people of Israel saw only the things that beasts see, so Jehovah said: “Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears” (Is. 43:8). That people did not have spiritual eyes. Jeremiah said the same thing: “Hear now this, foolish people, and without understanding; who have eyes, and don’t see; who have ears, and don’t hear” (Jer. 51:21). What is a foolish person? A young man is going to cross a river and receives a warning: “Do not go into this river, because it is dangerous.” The young man goes in and drowns, because he is foolish. Rebels in general are foolish. Jehovah said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and don’t see, who have ears to hear, and don’t hear; for they are a rebellious house” Ezek. 12:2).

In the New Testament the spiritual body is formed, and The Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the understanding: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:17-18).

Jesus said: “But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Now, rice and beans are eaten with the mouth, but words are eaten with the ears. We read in the book of Job: “Doesn’t the ear try words, even as the palate tastes its food?” (Job 12:11). Amazing, but the mouth of the body is the ear. We read in the book of Proverbs: “Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you” (Prov. 9:8). The proverb is perfect, for the scoffer is deaf in his understanding, and this is why he does not accept reproof; but the wise, because he has a spiritual mouth, hears the reproof and does not reject it. The spiritual body, though, has another mouth, which are the eyes. Why is it so? Because with the eyes we eat the written word. The Psalmist say: “How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103). The reader devours the schoolbooks with the eyes; whoever is hungry for the Holy Scriptures devours the Prophecies with the eyes, devours the Gospels, and devours the Psalms. And this spiritual food is going to feed the mind, the intellect, bringing health and mental vigor. Eve, before she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with her mouth, first she ate it with her eyes.

The spiritual food, that we eat with the ears, listening to a lecture or a message—or we eat with the eyes when we read a book or we study the Bible—goes likewise to a spiritual belly that is not located in the abdomen, but in the head. Paul says: “Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14). Truth and righteousness are intellectual attributes. So, as cherubim girded the loins with protective breastplates, that is, the part of the body that could be pierced through in battle, in the same way truth and righteousness gird the loins of our understanding so that we may not be mocked by the unbelieving wise of this world. For example: The scoffers criticize the Bible, saying that in the account of creation in Genesis 1:9-17, the earth and vegetables were created first, and the sun and the moon were created afterwards, and science proves that this is wrong. Science looks upon the story of Adam and Eve as an absurd tale, for the Bible states that men were created 6,000 years ago, and Science has proven by the DNA that the story of men developed along billions of years. For this reason the study of the Bible is forbidden in the United States since 1989. Nevertheless, the very Jesus declared that the narrative of creation in Genesis is an allegory in need of revelation (Matt. 13:34-35). And Jesus said more: “He answered them, ‘To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them’” (Matt. 13:11).

Returning to the issue of the spiritual body, Jesus said: “That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man” (Matt. 15:11). Whatever comes into the mouth passes to the stomach, and afterwards to the belly, and goes out the body (Matt. 15:17). And Jesus continues: “But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart,” (that is, from the spiritual belly, which is the heart)  “and they defile the man” (Matt. 15:18). From the spiritual body of the born again Christian is full of all that is true, all that is honest, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is gentle, all that is of good repute, and all that is full of virtue (Phil. 4:8).

The warrior handles the sword in combat with his hand, and the Christian handles the sword of the word with his mouth. Paul said: “Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). In the book of Hebrews we read: “For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). As Jesus is the word of God, he turns up in Revelations with a sword in the mouth (Rev. 1:16; 19:15). With the sword of truth in the mouth, Jesus overcame the Pharisees and Sadducees in their attacks.

Let us talk about the feet, for they take us to the places we want to go. If our heart longs to go to the house of God, our feet take us there, but if our heart is in the world, our feet take us to the world. When man turns to God after listening to the Gospel, he puts on the shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15). Why does he put on the Gospel? Because the Gospel captivates the convert, and his feet take him to the house of God. If he goes to the world, his base is in the world. The feet are the base of men, and this base leans on two attributes: balance and power. That is why the Scriptures say: “Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours” (Deut. 11:24). Paul reveals that Jesus is going to bring all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor. 15:25). Therefore, the feet symbolize strength and power. When this power is carried out through love and mercy, the feet are beautiful. So Paul says about those who devote themselves to evangelism: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15). The feet of Jesus, though, are the most beautiful of the whole universe.

 

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