It is surprisingly common to assume that the spiritual body cannot fully represent a human being—when in truth, it is the very essence of humanity. A physical body does not represent the person. We point to a corpse and say “the body of so-and-so,” not “so-and-so,” because what we perceive with our physical eyes is not the person who truly lives and cannot be touched. If the body were the person, where would the owner of that body be?
We habitually assess people according to their physical condition, which suggests there is far more about humanity that is unknown than what we assume to be known. The confusion deepens when we identify one another by physical appearance alone, granting respect or disrespect based on outward form. Some go even further, basing honor or contempt on racial appearance. Yet the being of a physical person is not physical.
The Messiah and True Identity
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven…” (Matthew 16:13–17 NIV).
Before we can grasp the weight of this exchange, we must clarify what the term “Messiah” actually means. The Hebrew verb mashach literally means “to smear” or “to rub with oil.” While the physical act involves applying oil, its deeper significance is the setting apart of a person, object, or place for sacred service—a symbol of divine choice and empowerment. In our context, Jesus should be seen as one of us, yet set apart to show us the way to the Father.
His mission was not to be worshiped in place of that journey, but to be the standard by whom we see what we are supposed to become, so that we may become acceptable to the Father from whom we were once disconnected. Without checking the authenticity of information, ordinary people fall into the problems of falsehood, adopting what Jesus never taught. The inability to evaluate data has three roots.
The first is idolatry—assigning authority to human beings without verifying their specific approval by the Anointed One. Such authorities are granted responsibility on the assumption they are more informed, but their divine authenticity is never examined. This failure stems from not knowing one’s own identity. Jesus, as anointed to redeem us, never extended anointing to anyone else, excepting equipping believers with the ability to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, those who believe.
The second is sheer laziness in evaluating information. An evaluative mind is essential for testing authenticity, yet a lazy person resists anything demanding the hard work that truth-seeking requires. Laziness is a component of physical humanity that resists difficulty. Indeed, the curse pronounced on Adam included hard work: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). The longevity and quality of life of lazy people are shortened by their avoidance of both mental and physical effort.
The third and most crucial is the inability to differentiate between the spiritual and the physical person. As long as a person remains stuck in the assumption of being merely physical, they cannot entertain anything mind-boggling. They liken themselves to other species designed solely to sustain the earth’s ecosystem through conception, growth, decay, and replenishment of the soil. Finding themselves limited on all fronts, they assume they are fundamentally incapacitated.
Scientific Observation and the Mind
Science has made gigantic strides in studying the physical world, allowing us to understand the universe through systematic observation and experiment. Yet equipped with the power of the mind, any careful observer could have achieved Galileo’s discoveries. Those who have made landmark scientific breakthroughs are as human as anyone else.
There is nothing inherently religious about their achievements; they are simply systematic observers with a desire to know more than what is already known. We prefer to believe such people are uniquely inspired, but every human being is inspired in their own capacity—as long as they avoid idolatry and laziness. The most commendable thing about science is that it produces indisputable evidence.
Without scientific research, modern civilization would not exist. Yet ordinary people accept anything as long as it is interesting to the eyes or ears. In Zimbabwe, for example, some young people are seized with the term “ideology” in political philosophy, to the point of committing murder under the pretext of defending an ideology whose significance they do not even understand. None of them appreciate the origin, let alone the meaning, of the term “ideology,” which carries communist undertones they are not educated about.
They simply believe what comes from those said to have fought in the revolutionary struggle. Meanwhile, Western whites espousing democracy are regarded as evil because of an exploitative colonial background. But there is no scientific evaluation proving that people from the West are worse than those from other ideological backgrounds. A careful observer knows that it is not skin color or texture that makes a person good or evil. An independent observer can easily perceive peddled falsehoods.
A human being walking the street is not represented by their physical structure—not even by gender. That person is spiritual, and cannot be identified by physical form. Any prejudicial evaluation of humanity is an aberration. The whites portrayed as more evil may not be as wicked as those who kill their own for not voting for them. A non-observer will kill, assuming to defend an unchecked ideology on behalf of those who benefit from falsehoods. Such evil is the effect of ignorance.
The only difference between scientific observers and non-observers is that scientific observers engage in studies with tenacity and commitment. They do not allow anything to stop them in their desire for truth. Feeble characters succumb; strong characters remain committed to workable data. Unwilling to engage in hard work, lazy people assume that scientific discoveries are reserved for a higher class.
They may even discourage those in their communities from attempting what is seen as unachievable by people of lower status. Among many Africans, it is disturbingly clear that valuable information is expected to come from Europe or Asia. This apathy is almost unbelievable, yet it is true: as long as some people are viewed as entrusted with knowledge, there is no reason to evaluate anything for oneself.
Faith as Scientific Reasoning
When the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you…” (Luke 17:5–10 NIV). Jesus was addressing the issue of laziness in thinking and the need to research and acquire the required information. As is typical of his parables, this Scripture cannot be understood by ordinary people. The “unworthy servant” in the passage is the one whose mindset is committed only to doing what is commanded, without engaging an innovative mind. A lazy person, a non-observer, is unwilling to do anything except what is externally commanded.
Nothing is impossible to those with a scientific mind. In Africa, many believe that everything must follow some protocol; thinking outside accepted customs is considered criminal. Fast jets, for instance, have long been viewed as unachievable by Africans, assumed to be a preserve for Europe or Asia. What kind of apathy is that? Diagnosing and eliminating its cause is vital. No truth is more fundamental than the statement that we are created in God’s image.
That is why Jesus said that with faith as little as a mustard seed, nothing is impossible. Does God entertain failure? If the answer is no, where does humanity’s condition of entertaining failure come from? The problem starts with failing to check the authenticity of data and believing falsehoods instead. Truthful data must come from the source and be scientifically workable. In their human limitations, scientific discoverers have given us our current technological advancements.
Their faith, as small as a mustard seed, has produced great achievements. Yet the full conceptual understanding of having been created in God’s image places one above even those scientific discoverers. God’s children are not fascinated by miracles; there is no miracle that surpasses the miracle of becoming aware that one is a child of God. This was the reason for Jesus’ coming into the world. He is the Messiah precisely for the purpose of redeeming humanity from the condition of mental slavery.
Hard Work, the Mind, and the Spirit
The world demands hard work to achieve anything. Scientific discoverers are hard workers, and they deserve credit for their technological contributions. But the appearance of Jesus has made everything easy for us once we discover who we really are. God’s children are above the aspect of hard work as understood in this world. Just as Jesus was not of this world, those aligned as God’s children are also not accommodated by it. Jesus came to remove the confusion that had gripped humanity since Adam, performing various miracles only to prove that point. Created in God’s image, human beings were not designed for degradation.
Hard work was a verdict pronounced after Adam sinned. As long as we live in this world and shun hard work, we violate that pronouncement. Without hard work, nothing is achievable; the physical body is limited, and survival demands labor. Food comes from the soil, which needs tilling. Yet there are other dimensions of hard work requiring commitment and tenacity. A careful analysis shows that toil can be reduced by engaging the mind, which attends to the spirit.
While using the mind also involves hard work, it achieves far more than physical labor. The mind is closer to the spirit, so those who rely on it are closer to being spiritual. Reasoning with the mind is associated with the spiritual and alleviates hard, physical toil. An analytical farmer, for example, uses farm mechanization to produce abundantly without sweating. This reveals that an educated person can make a living without the sweat of the brow, demonstrating that the mind is closer to the spirit and more intelligent than the physical body.
Scientific achievers use the mind to analyze data and produce what seems mind-boggling to the uneducated. They deserve credit for their evaluative analysis. Yet all this falls under what Jesus described as achievable by those with faith as small as a mustard seed. God’s children are capable of even more. Having realized their identity as God’s child, a person is far ahead of any scientific marvel, standing on the same level as Jesus, who is far above the greatest scientific achievements.
Paul writes that Christians are members of God’s household: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:19–20 NIV). Anyone may harass God’s people, treating them badly without realizing they are manipulated by the devil to discourage them. They may be killed or dehumanized, just as Jesus was. But nothing can take away the fact that they are God’s children, so long as they do not succumb to the whims of their persecutors. Their value remains greater than that of the greatest scientists of this world.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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