The rational mind often makes the mistake of labeling myths and parables as primitive, or even laughable.
But myths and parables are hardly the ramblings of an uneducated or child-like mind. Jesus thought parables were so meaningful, “he said nothing to [the crowds] without a parable.” Why? Because myths and parables use symbols we do understand to open our minds to new ideas we don’t understand. Parables are often used to transcend the ordinary and connect us to a higher spiritual plane. Why? Symbols can bypass cultural differences and language that’s loaded with incorrect meaning.
Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son is like the universe.
Our eyes tell us the visible universe is a collection or separate forms, but when we look at the invisible, quantum level of the universe it’s an interconnected sea of energy where separation cannot exist. If we limit ourselves to what appears on the surface of Jesus’ parable, it sounds like a heartwarming story of forgiveness and redemption. When we look deeper, the symbols Jesus used explain why we’re here and give an entirely new explanation of the meaning and purpose of life. But, we must decode the symbols to understand the meaning. We can decode Jesus’ symbolic meaning when we learn more about how he was thinking.
Jesus, like all great spiritual sages, learned about the true nature of the universe through gnosis.
What is gnosis? Most simply put, it’s a direct, personal experience of Universal Source (God). Through gnosis, Jesus experienced universal oneness. He understood that Divine Presence is one with everything in both the visible and invisible levels of the universe. Oneness, and what it means for us, is a key element in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. Recent discoveries in the field of quantum physics support the understanding of universal oneness that spiritual sages received through gnosis.
The gnostic gospels also shed new light on Jesus’ prodigal son story. Discovered in Egypt in 1945, many of the gnostic gospels contain sayings and stories of Jesus that are as ancient and as valid as the gospel accounts found in the Bible. Most Christians have been taught that Jesus’ earliest followers were a united group, but the earliest Christians held widely divergent beliefs. Jesus’ teachings found in the gnostic gospels are often very different from those found in the Bible.
If we are truly interested in understanding Jesus’ words, we cannot afford to ignore the message found in Jesus’ gnostic sayings.
The parable of the prodigal son appears to be the story of a father and his two rebellious sons. The younger son sees the error of his ways and returns to his father. The older son refuses to abandon his own value system and remains in a rebellious state. But when we decode the symbolic language Jesus used in the parable using the gnostic gospels and quantum discoveries, we get some amazing results. Here are a few of the surprising highlights:
- The universe is not what we think it is. The material world appears to be real, but it’s a virtual reality. The quantum level of the universe appears to be no more than a sea of quantum energy, but it is real.
- The prodigal son was not just a rebellious child; he symbolizes our attempt to test the limits of free will.
- In a universe of oneness, duality cannot exist. We see the world in terms of good and evil, but universal oneness cannot support such dualistic thinking.
- Sin is not what we think it is, and we have no reason to fear judgment or condemnation.
Copyright © 2011 Lee and Steven Hager