Taking every thought captive for obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10.5)

Vision
Consciousness
Consider for a moment the scene: Jesus is walking along with two disciples on the road that leads to Emmaus. All are conscious of one another, the direction they’re heading, recent events in Jerusalem, the weather, the protocols of conversation, and so forth. They share an awareness of these things, and, had they been asked to report on these, their responses would have been pretty much the same.

Up to a point, that is.

Each of the three on that Emmaus road, that is, shared a certain measure of consciousness. They were all truly conscious. But Jesus was more conscious than the two disciples, because He lived within a larger narrative and a bigger, fuller, more complete understanding of that road, their conversation, and what had taken place in Jerusalem.

Then Jesus began to “fill in” the two disciples, expanding their consciousness by escorting them into and through the Word, pointing in every place to Himself (without, however, tipping His hand), bringing new light into the dark corners of their consciousness, new perspectives from which to view things, and different interpretations to clear up misunderstandings.

Jesus sowed the bed of their conscious minds with seeds of redemptive truth, preparing them to blossom into an entirely new and more glorious worldview – and level of consciousness – than they’d ever imagined.

Which He then revealed to them in the breaking of the bread, as they saw the nail prints in His hands (Caravaggio’s 1601 painting of this captures the moment and the sudden enlarging of consciousness in those two disciples).

The precise nature of consciousness continues to engage thinkers in many disciplines. One definition of consciousness, supplied by George Musser is that it is “a cohesive experience that fuses memories and sensations into a consistent, linear narrative of the world” (“Consciousness creep,” Aeon, 25 February 2016). On this definition we can see how Jesus was more fully conscious than those two disciples.

Also on this definition, Mr. Musser muses, consciousness could be achieved by a machine, which would mean that consciousness could be quantified and therefore manipulated. Factors in a system – like a computer program or the human brain – that scientists seek to identify and isolate as indicating consciousness include interconnectivity of parts, subsystems, feedback and correction, and an “inner voice” that keeps up a continuous conversation.

Mr. Musser wonders whether consciousness can exist between more than one system – more than one mind. Can groups share consciousness? Corporations or teams? Is the Internet conscious? “How to identify and measure consciousness at the group level, let alone communicate with such entities, is truly an open problem.”

Truly.

Identifying consciousness is a moral issue, the author insists, because we might be able to create machines which are more moral than we are, and we might then enslave them to prevent their showing us up. But it’s not consciousness that’s the moral issue; rather, what we do with the level of consciousness we possess, the ends toward which we employ our conscious minds – this is the moral issue.

I’m pretty sure I can’t define consciousness, not precisely, anyway, but that idea of an “inner voice” keeping up a narrative, and ever-enlarging it, gets pretty close. And I agree the question is an important one, especially within the framework of the Kingdom of God. Believers possess the mind of Christ and of His Spirit, and through both we have access to the mind of God (1 Cor. 2.12-16; Rom. 8.5-9). The more we listen to the voice of Christ and the Spirit, the more we enter into the eternal “narrative” of beauty, goodness, truth, and love which exists within the divine Trinity.

And thus, like those disciples on the road to Emmaus, the more fully conscious we become, the better able we are to live in the righteousness, peace, and joy God intends for us.

What does it mean to be conscious in or with or by means of God? How does such consciousness “narrate” the world differently from the consciousness of those beyond the pale of the Kingdom? And to what ends? And since we share a common mind, ought not the power of believers thinking together with Christ be a considerable force for beauty, goodness, and truth? What is the role of worship in enhancing such consciousness, or perhaps, dulling it?

These are not idle questions.

For reflection
1.  How does the state of being asleep, compared to the state of being awake, help you to think about the notion of consciousness? What are some words you would use to describe what it means to be conscious?

2.  As a believer you have the mind of Christ. Would you say you are as fully conscious in that mind as you might be? Why or why not? How could you enlarge your consciousness in the mind of Christ?

3.  Why is worship such an appropriate place for enlarging the consciousness of believers? In what ways can true worship enlarge, rather than shrink, consciousness?

Spend a few moments observing and jotting down all the things you can see right where you are. If you had to cobble all these observations into a single idea, entitled, “Christ and His Kingdom,” would you be able to do it? Talk with a Christian friend about this exercise.

T. M. Moore

Stretch your vision of Christ and His Kingdom by ordering a copy of T. M.’s book, The Kingship of Jesus, from our online store (click here). You can download a free meditation on the glory of Jesus Christ exalted, Glorious Vision: 28 Days in the Throne Room of the Lord, by clicking here.

The Week features insights from a wide range of topics and issues, with a view to equipping the followers of Christ to take every thought captive for Jesus. Please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.