Left an Orphan no more
An orphan, a baby boy was born without a mother to hold and to have. But behold “he is blessed,” for the first woman to adopt him comes forth. The baby looks and he sees that his new mother is yellow. This woman carried a purse and wears traditional local clothes. Baby warms up to her and then says, “will you be my mother to hold and to have? Will you take good care of me as I grow up and go through school? Though there is something you should know, I’m looking to you to show me a purpose driven life, I suffer from a bad habit, and I see the world quite differently.”
And so, the yellow mother took baby in but then after a short while, the woman did not know how to deal with baby’s bad habit and so she would receive him not. But nevertheless, baby kept growing, and the glory of the Lord was at his flank.
Behold, “baby is blessed,” for a second woman steps forth to adopt him. Baby looks and he sees that his new mother is brown. This woman has a dramatic tattoo drawn on her arm that displays comedy and tragedy, and she wears street and prison clothes everywhere she goes. Baby warms up to her and then says, “you are fearless, will you be my mother to hold and to have? Will you take good care of me as I grow up and go through school? Though there is something that you should know, “I’m looking to you for a friend, I want to do good, and I see the world quite differently.”
And so, the brown mother took baby in, but after a short while, the woman’s bad habits were even worst than baby’s and so she received him not. But nevertheless, baby kept on growing in the eyes of God and the Glory of the Lord was at his rear guard.
Behold, “baby is blessed” for the third woman comes forth to adopt him. The baby looks and he sees that the woman is black. This woman carries with her a set of keys, and she wears casual and donated clothes. Baby warms up to her and then says, “you are friendly and sociable, will you be my mother to hold and to have? Will you take good care of me as I grow up and go through school? Though there is something you should know, I’m looking to you for security and safety, I want to change and in so doing make a positive difference on the people around me. And I must say, I see the world differently.
And so the black mother took baby in, but after a short while, the woman realized that the baby was quite different then the rest of their children and so she received him not. But nevertheless, baby kept on growing in the eyes of God, and the glory of the Lord was there right in front of him.
Behold, “baby is blessed” for the fourth woman comes forth to adopt him. The baby looks and he sees that the woman is white. This woman wears uniform and camouflage clothes and she often has on top of her head a baseball cap. Baby warms up to her and says, “you are intelligent and powerful. Will you be my mother to hold and to have? Will you take care of me as I grow up and go through school? Though there is something that you should know, “I am a very special child, I have special needs and I have very special ideas, for I see the world differently.”
And so, the white mother took baby in, but then after a short while, the woman knew that she was not right for baby and that she needed to find him a more suitable mother. So, she received him not.
Who will ever receive baby?
I proposed a parable to the world because I was inspired by Jesus to convey the truth in a new and different light. Sometimes the truth is not so easily explained, and so I decided to write a story conveying the truth about the state of my life and all that was about my life up until this moment. You are given clues within the short story as to who the motherly figures are, and you are given clues as to what has and is happening to baby as the story goes on. The four mothers are living according to this world and so it is hard to see the truth of God that is in our baby. And although the mothers are presented in consecutive order in the story line, it is true that baby is and was interacting with each mother simultaneously throughout his brief life thus far. Also, it is true that I, Jeffrey Kahler, am portrayed as this orphan child. This orphan is shown as a naïve and innocent child who is unknowledgeable in the world that he is living in, let alone knowledgeable of the spirit and glory of God that is with him.
There is a scripture passage that goes with this story. I quote from the New Living Translation in the gospel of John, Jesus said “And I will ask the father, and he will give you another counselor, who will never leave you. He is the holy spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t’ looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as Orphans- I will come to you.”
There is a new interpretation of this scripture that I would like to propose to the world. Jesus speaks as if there is literally another human counselor such as himself to come. But, in contrast, the most common interpretations that we find regarding this scripture says that it is the counsel that the holy spirit provides that is to be granted to Jesus’s followers. I found this scripture to have much more hidden meanings to it than what is commonly taught in your popular Christian studies. Could it be that Jesus is referring to another Christ or another Son of God that is yet to come? In another version and interpretation of this scripture, it makes Jesus out to be a man who says something quite differently than what the before mentioned version of the scripture says, he says “And I shall pray the father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the spirit of truth.” (from the King James Version).” Could it be true, that Jesus is trying to tell his disciples and followers that there is to be another one such as himself, one who even has the spirit of truth with him? In both versions of this scripture (NLT and King James), the counselor and the spirit of truth is said to be not readily received and known by the world because it is not practiced at looking for him. The spirit of truth and the added counselor and comforter is also described as having human qualities; Jesus refers to this spirit counselor as “him.” I wrote this parable because I wanted to use this scripture as the backbone of its storyline. Mostly because I wanted to show that I am (the orphan child) just like the counselor that the scripture describes. Both, the parable and the scripture, depict an entity with human qualities that is not so readily received by the people of the world. This entity is described as an orphan child, in the parable, and the spirit of truth and the added human counselor that is to come, in the scripture. I have used this scripture so that I can reveal myself to be this second counselor and this spirit of truth who is not so readily received and accepted. I interpret this scripture to say to you boldly that I, myself am this spirit of truth, this added counselor who was and is to come. Why? Because I have with me the very glory of God and because God’s spirit rests within me. This spirit is the spirit of truth, it is the manifestation of truth, and it is the word made manifested in the flesh.
You see, I am this spirit of truth and this added counselor whom the world did not receive. The orphan child is described in the story as a simple child who is living with his environment (the worldly mothers) that does not receive him. They are misguided in the way that they accept and receive the orphan because they are living according to this world, even though the very glory of God and his mighty spirit rests with the boy. This is in line with the description of what Jesus says of the spirit counselor who was yet to come.
I have used the two different versions as proof that there is a great variety of interpretation of the scriptures as it occurred long ago. Simply, the translators bend and turn the words around so that it can best suit each one’s ability to teach and to understand. For me and for now within the context that I am writing, I have utilized the NLT version of the scripture because it brings forth the idea that we are simply like orphans in a world where we do not have the understanding to know the spirit of god that is with us, just as long as we continue to live according to this world. Jesus describes his followers as orphans because they have yet to be granted this spirit counselor and comforter. I am known here in this parable as a child who is himself the embodiment of that orphan because I am for a while left alone without my spirit comforter in Jesus. I am also portrayed here as an individual, an oblivious and naive baby boy, who does not know the holy spirit, let alone the spirit of truth that is within me, because I was not looking for it and I was not knowledgeable of it. Only with enough time, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding will the true light of this comfort and counsel come from the spirit.
The only thing to add here in this passage is the forecast for the future. The future of baby’s placement and reception. Jesus says I will not be left alone as an orphan if I have the faith that God’s spirit will be with me to keep me. But what of this world? Who, where, and when, will the proper mother come forth to adopt baby? Will his life be a continuation of people of this world (or mother like figures of this world) not knowing how to receive the Child, the glory of God, the counselor, and the spirit of truth? Or will his life be changed because the world at large learns finally that they understand? Will the world at large receive the holy spirit and will the world at large come to see baby for who he truly is as he is sent by none other than God the father and Jesus his brother and fellow counselor? Surely, time will tell.
