The Rudolf Steiner Archive

51. A Member's Talk on the Gospels

Member Presentation

[ 1 ] While the lofty intellectual truths of the Gospel of John can be presented in a more tempered form, it must be said of the Gospel of Mark that it contains what are arguably the most profoundly unsettling truths for human beings. The Gospel of Mark contains an entire cosmology, while the Gospel of Matthew contains the entire philosophy of humanity. Luke—or the writer of the Gospel of Luke—emphasizes the healing power of Christ most intensely.

[ 2 ] Passages such as: “When the sun had set, they brought many sick people to Him, and He healed them all” (Mt 8:16), as they appear in the Gospel of Matthew, whereas the Gospel of Mark states: “They brought them all to Him, and He healed many” (Mk 1:32–34)—how are these passages interpreted?

[ 3 ] It is said that Mark must have been written before Matthew, because otherwise he would have toned down what Matthew wrote; thus, the later writer—in the early Christian era—has an interest in making bolder claims.

[ 4 ] However, these words from the Gospels—specifically Matthew, who describes Christ Jesus as a human being—mean that, by using this phrase, he is saying: As a human being, Christ Jesus is limited to the place where he is; thus, many can come to him there, and by virtue of his power, he can heal everyone in that place. In Mark, Christ is portrayed as the power of the sun, as the great magician. He means to say: The spiritual power of the sun is available to all people; Christ wants to bring it to all people; but karma allows him to heal only many at a time, so not everyone can be healed.

[ 5 ] Luke writes: “And those who had sick people brought them to Jesus so that He might heal them.” (Luke 4:40) So love was already bringing the sick to Him, and that self-sacrificing love—the kind that gives itself away—is expressed by the words: “And He laid His hands on them and healed them.” (Luke 4:40) He let His power of love flow out and overflow onto them.

[ 6 ] The words “after the sun had set” are usually overlooked as well. But they are not there just for the sake of it. What this means is: The spirit that dwells in the sun—the healer, the spiritual power of the sun—is most active after the physical sun has set.

[ 7 ] Let’s look at the genealogy in Matthew, which spans 42 generations; one generation among the people corresponds to one year of an individual’s life. In this context, one generation is always skipped—as the saying goes: “The child takes after the grandfather, not the father.” — So you have three times fourteen generations, which is three times seven human years. Compare this with my essay on “The Upbringing of the Child.”

[ 8 ] After three times fourteen generations, the collective self emerges.

[ 9 ] 1. There are fourteen generations from Abraham to David—fourteen generations for the formation of the physical body.

[ 10 ] 2. Fourteen generations from David to the Babylonian Captivity—fourteen generations for the formation of the etheric body.

[ 11 ] 3. Fourteen generations from the Babylonian Captivity to the appearance of the Christ—fourteen generations for the formation of the astral body. Now the I, the Christ, is born. This is stated in the genealogy in Matthew; such is the depth of these words. The I is now born, now that the three sheaths are in such a state within themselves that the I—as the sheath for the individuality that is the Christ—can take up residence. The Gospels must originate from the spiritual heights and be written precisely in this way; one need only be able to read them; they are accurate down to the finest details.

[ 12 ] In die babylonische Gefangenschaft wurden auch solche geführt, die den hebräischen Geheimschulen angehörten und die so Zoroaster, der damals in Chaldäa wirkte, kennenlernten. So wurde zugleich das Band zwischen Zarathustra und dem jüdischen Volke geschlossen, der sich dann selbst in die drei dort vorbereiteten Hüllen hineinerkörperte.

[ 13 ] The four accounts of Jesus’ birth in the four Gospels, as they depict Jesus of Bethlehem:

[ 14 ] Matthew: humanity. All three types of initiation coexist harmoniously; that is why humanity is the symbol.

[ 15 ] Mark: the Magician; symbol: the lion, which represents willpower. Inspiration and intuition.

[ 16 ] Luke: the healer, emotion; symbol: the bull, representing sacrifice. Imagination.

[ 17 ] John: the wisdom and thought of Christ; symbol: the eagle. Intuition.

[ 18 ] The three wise men from the East, the three magi, are disciples of Zarathustra from Chaldea.

[ 19 ] In the past, it was not uncommon for the three initiates to place their powers at the disposal—in obedience—of the fourth, who represented humanity; he was not an initiate at all, but a human being. You’ll also find this symbolism in Goethe’s Mysteries, where there is mention of [the Twelve] and the Thirteenth; Brother Markus is not an initiate; he becomes the Thirteenth.