Paragraph 153

 Strive, therefore, O my brother, to grasp the meaning of “Resurrection,” and cleanse thine ears from the idle sayings of these rejected people. Shouldst thou step into the realm of complete detachment, thou wilt readily testify that no day is mightier than this Day, and that no resurrection more awful than this Resurrection can ever be conceived. One righteous work performed in this Day, equaleth all the virtuous acts which for myriads of centuries men have practiced—nay, We ask forgiveness of God for such a comparison! For verily the reward which such a deed deserveth is immensely beyond and above the estimate of men. Inasmuch as these undiscerning and wretched souls have failed to apprehend the true meaning of “Resurrection” and of the “attainment unto the divine Presence,” they therefore have remained utterly deprived of the grace thereof. Although the sole and fundamental purpose of all learning, and the toil and labor thereof, is attainment unto, and the recognition of, this station, yet they are all immersed in the pursuit of their material studies. They deny themselves every moment of leisure, and utterly ignore Him, Who is the Essence of all learning, and the one Object of their quest! Methinks, their lips have never touched the cup of divine Knowledge, nor do they seem to have attained even a dewdrop of the showers of heavenly grace.

Back in paragraph 151, Baha'u'llah said, in the last sentence, "...the Day of Resurrection... is the Day of the rise of God Himself through His all-embracing Revelation." That is it, His definition. When He tells us to "Strive... to grasp the meaning of 'Resurrection'", this is the meaning He is telling us to work hard to understand. And, of course, in paragraph 152 He elaborated on that definition. He reminded us that there is nothing more wonderful and marvelous than to be alive at the time of a Messenger of God.

Now, here in paragraph 153, He goes a bit further. First He reminds to not bother ourselves with the sayings and definitions of those who don't get it. If some bozo says that the Day of Resurrection is something wild, nonsensical and fantastical, who cares? Just ignore them. They're yahoos. Baha'u'llah has given us a good definition. Go with it. Use it. Strive to understand it better. And as we do, we will come to understand more of the world around us.

Later in this paragraph, He helps us make this connection. He says that the "sole and fundamental purpose of all learning... is attainment unto... this station..." Of course, most of the people are only concerned about the material aspect of their studies. They don't concern themselves with the spiritual, but that is only to their detriment.

Imagine a scenario in which some fool goes into a science classroom before the class begins and proceeds to give some silly idea of the nature of light or evolution. Can you imagine a question on the final exam about what they said? Of course not. When the class begins, though, you will ask the person to move aside so that the true teacher can now begin their class. And then you will quiz the students on what they said, not on the silly ideas that were presented earlier.

In this scenario, the good science teacher would not only explain the principles and laws involved, but would go on and talk about the application of those ideas. They would address the moral issues involved, and talk about the impact on society. It is not only useless to talk about, for example, nuclear energy in terms of how to start a nuclear reaction, it is actually dangerous if you do not address the impacts such a reaction can have on the health of the people. But when you talk about the importance of unity, health, safety, the need for clean energy, and so forth, then the beneficial effects of these laws becomes more apparent.

Now, let's go back to the word "strive". It means to work hard. It means to put great effort into something. Here, it seems to imply that overcoming the previous mis-understandings of what was meant by "resurrection" will require strength of character. We need to build up that inner strength in order to carry the weight of this new definition, which implies serious work on our part later.

And He ends all this with a reference to water, first referred to way back in paragraph 1 with the "ocean of true understanding". Here we are getting a "true understanding" of the meaning of "Resurrection", and it will have implications on our life and actions, which He will address in the rest of the book.