YouTube: A Cosmic Balance
This week I ran across a 6th century painting of Jesus that is located in St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mt. Sinai. An interesting feature of the painting is that each side of the face is different enough to make a viewer think of two people rather than one. According to commentary, the illusion was intentional. The artist was depicting both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus.
The discussion concerning Jesus’ humanity and divinity has gone on for centuries. Some think he was God; others think he was a man with God-like powers. There is one very important thing that is always left out of this discussion/debate. That is, the rest of us.
What theologians are debating is the nature of an image of Jesus put forward in the Gospels. Jesus, however, is no more represented in this contrived image than he is in the painting. In all cases, the literary and artistic imagery put forward is intended to set Jesus apart from common people. There is sufficient evidence to indicate Jesus himself would not have approved.
All people are spiritual beings expressing through a human body. A man like Jesus, apparently fully aware of his spiritual nature, expressed this understanding when he said, “The things I do you can do as well, and greater things” (John 14:12). Jesus struck the cosmic balance between his human and divine natures. Helping others do the same was the heart and soul of his ministry.
Hands down, near-death research provides the very best window currently available into our true nature. People who experience direct exposure to their soul are profoundly affected. P.H.M. Atwater, a foremost researcher in this field, carries this message around the world:
Those who have had a near death experience must process and integrate this life changing event into what usually becomes a new and unexpected path. It is not uncommon for this to take 7-10 years to fully embrace and become comfortable with a reality shift of this spiritual magnitude.
Imagine this. It takes 7-10 years for a person to process a minutes-long glimpse into their true being. I do not believe the thrust of Jesus’ ministry was to call attention to himself. I believe he was trying to help the common people strike their own cosmic balance.
J Douglas Bottorff 
I have never had a NDE, or known anyone who did. But at my age, 84, I am already “near death.” Why do you suppose that some people are chosen to have this experience while the rest of us just have to wonder?
Most people have these experiences in car wrecks, surgery, childbirth or some major physical trauma. Other can have the same kind of trauma but not have an NDE. Researchers do not know why some have them and some don’t. I guess you and I will just have to wait and see for ourselves.