Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
INNER CIRCLE: The Place Where You Are

INNER CIRCLE: The Place Where You Are

Last updated on: October 5, 2022 at 7:15 pm by Keith Giles

INNER CIRCLE: The Place Where You Are 2022-10-05T19:15:46+00:00 Keith Giles

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Image: AI Dall-E

Saying 24: His disciples said: “Teach us about the place where you are, for it is necessary for us to seek it.” He said to them: “He who has ears, let him hear! There is light within a man of light, and he lights the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness.”

Once again, the disciples of Jesus play the role of clueless followers who are still struggling to grasp the concepts of non-duality and Oneness with God and everything. Here, they ask Jesus a question which, itself, seems foolish: “Teach us about the place where you are…” As if they cannot plainly see where Jesus is – he is obviously with them, and that, in itself is the answer to their own question. Jesus has already said, in Saying 3, that “The Kingdom of God is inside of you and outside of you.” So, the place where [Jesus] is – the Kingdom – is where they already are, and it is also inside of them.

Rather than repeat what he has already told them several times before, Jesus uses their momentary lapse of reason to try explaining the Kingdom to them in terms they – hopefully – can understand a little better. He says, “There is light within a man of light.” This touches on their assumption that Jesus is above them, or that Jesus is somehow “apart” from themselves. Their question presupposes that Jesus is “a man of light” and because they assume they are not beings of light, as Jesus is, they want to know how they can get there, or be there, or achieve something that they believe they currently lack.

Jesus starts there by affirming that “within a man of light…there is light”, but then he says something that points back to his teaching in the Gospel of Matthew where he tells his disciples that they “are the light of the world” [Matt. 5:14] and what he says here in Saying 11: “When you come to be light, what will you do?”

In other words: Yes, I am “a man of light” and “there is light” within me, but you also are the light of the world, and if you shine that light, your light shines within you, and to everyone in this world. But he adds this warning: “If [you do] not shine, [you are] darkness.”

The teaching is elegant and provocative. If you want to know about the place where Jesus is, simply remember that Jesus is where the Kingdom is, and the Kingdom is where Christ is. If you shine with the light of that realization – Christ in you, the hope of Glory – then that light is the Kingdom and you are where Christ is and Christ is where you are.

This perpetual abiding in Christ as Christ abides in us is the key to everything. Our dualistic minds are continually forgetting that we are already One with God through Christ, and that the Kingdom of God is not “out there” or “over there” or “coming soon” or in any way limited by time or space. It is limited only by our own awareness and mindfulness.

“He who has ears, let him hear!”

But don’t stop at hearing. If you have eyes to see, don’t stop at seeing. Once you have seen, once you have heard, you will be blessed if you walk in the truth of that reality.

Keith Giles is the author of the hot new bestseller, SOLA MYSTERIUM: Celebrating the Beautiful Uncertainty of Everything, available now on Amazon. Keith is also the host of Second Cup with Keith, a new solo podcast available now on the Ethos Radio App, for Apple and Android and on Spotify. Keith is also co-host of the long-running HERETIC HAPPY HOUR PODCAST.

General Christian

Interfaith

Previous Post

September 30, 2022

INNER CIRCLE: All Of Us Standing As One

Next Post

October 14, 2022 INNER CIRCLE: Love Your Brother As Your Own Soul

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Biblicism Christian Politics Cosmic Christ Deconstruction Discipleship Dispensationalism Divine Unity Ekklesia End Time Stuff Eschatology Evergreen Following Jesus Gender General Christian Topics Gnostics God's Love Gospel of Judas Gospel of Mary Gospel of Philip Gospel of the Kingdom Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Truth Hell Historical Jesus Inner Circle Investigative Reporting Islam LGBTQ Issues Marriage Mental/Emotional Health Mystery Non-Duality Philosophy Podcast Poetry Politics Poverty Preemptive Love Prophecy Psychology Quantum Theology Racism Reconstruction Satire Sex Technology Theology Uncategorized Universalism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Where was Paul's hometown?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Damascus Tarsus Antioch Jerusalem

Books by This Author Books by Keith Giles

See All Titles »