by Ethan Johnson
May 09, 2006

Continuing my musings about the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, in this episode I am mulling over the significance of the cross.

It was standard-issue comedian fare some years ago to say things like putting the cross on top of a church is like putting the electric chair on top of a courthouse. If Jesus came back to Earth, would he really want to see the instrument of his demise on prominent display?

Actually, according to the AGJC, he would indeed. Assuming that this book is 100% fact (I am not claiming this), Jesus intended for the cross to leave an indelible impression throughout the ages. But why?

Explanation 1: The cross serves as a reminder that Jesus "died for our sins". This site gives a fairly comprehensive rundown of this view.

Explanation 2: My father insists that it represents "spirit" (vertical) coming into "matter" (horizontal). In spirit form, we are infinite and unbound, in the carnal (flesh) form, we are limited and finite. Thus, we are essentially spirit beings crucified on the plane of the flesh.

Explanation 3: I once attended a local Lutheran service because they always had corny messages on their front sign, such as "spaghetti is life, says our pasta." I wondered what kind of crazy Lutherans were holed up in there and sat in on a service. As it turned out, they had a guest Pastor who did something completely unheard of when it came time for the sermon: He told everyone what sort of reaction they would have to the sermon and how they would feel about it afterwards. Uh, in my experience, the sermon is given and that's that. Shutty-uppy, and all that.

The Guest Pastor told a story about a mother spider and her children. He pulled out a bag, and produced some styrofoam and yarn "spiders" that he made. The mother spider was attached to a string. One day, the spider kids were playing too close to a river, and fell in.The mother spider spun a web to a tree branch and used it to hang over the river to pick up her children. (There were magnets at the end of her spider legs, which in turn attacted the metal plate that was embedded in each of the "child" bodies.) Once she rescued all of her kids, she rose up to the safety of the tree branch.

To save her kids, the mother spider needed support, which was provided by the tree branch. The Pastor's message was, what if we think about the cross differently? What if we think of it as "one hand up to God for support, and one hand out to each other?" I'll give the guy credit, it was a novel angle to the cross mythos and a wonderful message. One that underscores the importance of a higher power, and yet charging us with the responsibility for looking after each other (as opposed to the "mean old Dad" or "guy who does everything" characterizations of God).

AGJC Version: Jesus reveals the meaning of the cross in chapter 142:

Count well the cost before you start to follow me; it means the giving up of life, and all you have. If you love father, mother, wife, or child, more than love the Christ, you cannot follow me. If you follow wealth or honour more than you love the Christ, you cannot follow me. The paths of carnal life do not run up the mountain side towards the top; they run around the mount of life, and if you go straight to the upper gate of consciousness you cross the paths of carnal life; tread in them not. And this is how men bear the cross; no man can bear another's cross. Take up your cross and follow me through Christ into the path of true discipleship; this is the path that leads to life. This way of life is called the pearl of greatest price, and he who finds it must put all he has beneath his feet.

(Emphasis added)

In other words, to tread in the paths of carnal life means to put essentially meaningless crap ahead of the Christ. And I don't mean that it is wrong to love your family. I will get into this more in depth in another article, but in short, Jesus spent his life overcoming the desires and shortcomings of the carnal self. So yes, he existed in carnal form, but did not "walk in the path" of carnal life.

Notice that Jesus says that nobody can do this for you, which deflates the concept that Jesus did or could die for anyone else's sins. <EM>