Paragraph 194

Viewed in the light of their second station—the station of distinction, differentiation, temporal limitations, characteristics and standards—they manifest absolute servitude, utter destitution and complete self-effacement. Even as He saith: “I am the servant of God. I am but a man like you.”

We are now at the fourth paragraph of twenty-two describing the two stations that the Manifestations occupy. Here Baha'u'llah has really begun describing that second station. He has already cautioned us that we can become "perplexed and dismayed" if we focus too closely on this station without keeping firmly in mind the first station, that of absolute unity.

Here He has outlined five aspects of this second station for our consideration, namely those of "distinction, differentiation, temporal limitations, characteristics and standards". What exactly are those? How are we to understand them, especially in light of that first station?

Let's take a look at them one at a time, and see what we can discover.

First, there is "distinction". This word has a number of definitions. It can mean "a difference or contrast between similar things", such as in the phrase "a distinct advantage". It can also mean something that stands out from the rest, as in "a man of distinction".

As we saw in Part 1, in those early paragraphs where He talks about the earlier Manifestations, they all stood out from the people of their day. They were, one and all, people of distinction.

But there is also the contrast between them. While they all manifest that absolute servitude, the personality of Jesus as described in the Gospels is quite different from that of Moses or Muhammad as described in the Tanakh or the Qur'an. So we can see that if we expect them all to have the same personality, we might be either disappointed or confused.

Second, there is "differentiation". This is usually defined as "the act of showing or finding difference between things that are compared". But it can also be defined as "the development from the one to the many, the simple to the complex". Again, the Manifestations of that divine Spirit do both.

If we look at that second definition first (yeah, we know it's out of order, but bear with us), and compare it to the different faiths chronologically, we can see that development in action. Moses, in a sense, talked about a family, the descendants of Jacob. Jesus expanded this to city-states, which is why we see so many books of the New Testament named after places. Muhammad broadened His appeal to what we would now refer to as nations. And Baha'u'llah is working towards uniting the whole planet. As time moves on, the circle of unity grows, ever wider, ever more complex.

If we look at that first definition, we see that the Manifestations also show the differences between things, like the spirituality of people. They "differentiate" one thing from another, such as the living and the dead. They separate the "sheep" from the "goats", "truth" from "falsehood", and so forth.

But let's look at another example, namely prayer. For the Jewish people, a pious person would face Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, when they pray. And the prayers they say would be those prescribed by the priests, or their particular rabbi. For a Muslim, the pious individual would face Mecca, the Kabba, and they would recite the prayers from the Qur'an. From an outside perspective, we can see that what really matters is their state of heart.

If we focus on the material aspect, like where someone faces, then we can get confused when the rules change. Baha’u’llah mentions this back in paragraphs 54 and 55 as one of the examples of the tests that people face when the new religion is founded. As a reminder, “The most acceptable prayer”, says the Bab, “is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance.”

The third aspect is that of "temporal limitations". This means the limitations that were imposed upon them by the times in which they lived.

For example. no earlier Messenger could have talked about the oneness of humanity because we didn't really know all of humanity yet.

We also didn't know how, as a human race, to purify water until just prior to the advent of Muhammad. It was safer to drink alcohol than most sources of water. Once we understood this process, though, Muhammad told us to no longer drink alcohol, presumably because it was now safer to drink the water. The damage done to us from the alcohol no longer outweighed the damage done to us from the water.

Another example is that of dietary restrictions. For desert dwellers, eating pork made no sense. It was too dangerous. For a crowded population living on grassland surrounded by mountains, forbidding beef made sense, for otherwise the population would starve just to be able to feed all the cows.

We often hear people discounting things because, as they say, "It's not mentioned in the Bible." But that is usually just because the idea hadn't taken root yet in the minds of the people, such as various rights, or it just hadn't been invented yet, such as computers or other modern technology. When Jesus famously said, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now", He was pointing out this temporal limitation.

The fourth aspect is that of "characteristics". We often think of these as those traits that distinguish one individual from another, or those attributes and qualities that make up their character. They are how we identify people.

When looking at the various Manifestations, we can get confused by these, expecting the "return" to be the same as what we saw before, but we know this is not the case. For example, Moses was a Hebrew born in Egypt raised in the House of Pharaoh. Jesus was a Hebrew born in Palestine during the Roman occupation, and worked as a carpenter. Muhammad was an Arab born to the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca, and He was a merchant working with caravans. They each had their own characteristics, and if we expect the new Manifestation to be exactly like the previous one, that can be very confusing for us.

Finally, there are the "standards" by which they lived. This also changed from time to time, and from place to place. But they all demonstrated the amazing ability to show how to follow the laws of the previous Manifestation before changing them. They followed the standard set by the previous Messenger, instead of the standard of the day.

In the time of the Bab it had become a standard practice to learn to recite the Qur'an in Arabic, even if you didn't speak the language. They felt that it somehow connected them more closely to the divine. The Bab, however, recognized the importance of understanding the words and, as a young child, insisted on knowing what the meaning of the words were before reciting them. He later fulfilled the obligation of Pilgrimage by going on the Hajj.

This is quite different from what Jesus did, demonstrating how to truly fulfill the law of Moses.

Each in their own time showed their profound understanding of the importance of obedience to the Law of God, and were held up as an example to others around them.

We find that if we focus on any of these aspects without considering their first station, that of essential unity, then we can think of them as very different from one another. When we see, instead, how they each stood out in their time and helped bring humanity forward, then we can see all these differences as part of the natural order imposed on us all by time and the ever-advancing nature of civilization.

Paragraph 193

It hath ever been evident that all these divergences of utterance are attributable to differences of station. Thus, viewed from the standpoint of their oneness and sublime detachment, the attributes of Godhead, Divinity, Supreme Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been and are applicable to those Essences of being, inasmuch as they all abide on the throne of divine Revelation, and are established upon the seat of divine Concealment. Through their appearance the Revelation of God is made manifest, and by their countenance the Beauty of God is revealed. Thus it is that the accents of God Himself have been heard uttered by these Manifestations of the divine Being.

As Baha'u'llah has now moved on to describe the second station occupied by the Manifestations of God, we would expect Him to talk about it. But it looks as if He has gone back to the first. It seems perplexing.

What He has actually done, though, is introduce the second station, and then reinforce the first to ensure we don't get confused. Remember, He has just told us that we may ""feel perplexed and dismayed" by focusing too much on that second station.

So, He begins this paragraph by referring to the "divergences of utterance (which) are attributable to differences of station". Which station? Presumably that second station, that of distinction, as described in paragraph 191.

Just in case we are not sure what this would look like, let's look at an example.

Remember way back in the Tanakh when Moses said "an eye for an eye"? And then in the Gospel Jesus changed that to "if a man strikes you on the right cheek, offer him your left"? These sure seem different. One seeks justice, while the other commands forgiveness, of a sort.

How can we reconcile these?

Simple, we think.

Imagine if Moses taught us to turn the other cheek. What would have happened? The Jews would still be in Egypt. Moses' mission, getting the Jews out of Egypt, would never have happened.

Now what about if Jesus taught "an eye for an eye"? What would have happened then? Realistically, the Roman legions would have wiped out the early Christians.

You see, the circumstances were very different, and like a good physician, the prescription needed to change in order to help humanity move forward.

But looking at this can be confusing. It can seem as if Moses and Jesus shared different messages, and so Baha'u'llah immediately reminds us of the absolute unity of the Messengers. He does not want us to "feel perplexed and dismayed at the varying utterances pronounced by Manifestations that are essentially one and the same".

When viewed in this light, we can see that both these teachings, an eye for an eye and turning the other cheek, lead us forward. The first takes us from the vengeance of killing someone for hurting us to a more equitable retribution. The second leads us forward to a more forgiving stance. Two steps on the same path.

He then describes their absolute unity again, in slightly different terms. As usual, there seems to be a path in His description.

Looking at it a bit more closely, we notice that "Godhead" comes from the word "God-hood", meaning divine in nature. It is an apt word to describe the Manifestations of God.

Given that, we can look at the four attributes in the second sentence and pair them up with the four phrases found later in the paragraph, giving us:

1. Godhead - throne of divine Revelation
2. Divinity - seat of divine Concealment
3. Supreme Singleness - Revelation of God is made manifest
4. Inmost Essence - Beauty of God is revealed

The Manifestation, or Godhead, is the one who brings the Revelation to humanity. They allow us to get an idea of divinity, which is supremely concealed from our sight, as said so well back in paragraph 104. "He is and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men."

This brings us forward to Baha'u'llah's message found throughout His revelation,  that first station of the Manifestations which He has been explaining to us since paragraph 161, namely that station of absolute and essential unity, through which we can now understand the progressive nature of the Revelation of God.

This allows us to better understand the difference between the Manifestations and that inmost Essence of the Divine, which is so far beyond us that we cannot even begin to truly comprehend it, and further appreciate the Beauty of God and what He has accomplished throughout the breadth of religious history.

Paragraph 192

It is because of this difference in their station and mission that the words and utterances flowing from these Wellsprings of divine knowledge appear to diverge and differ. Otherwise, in the eyes of them that are initiated into the mysteries of divine wisdom, all their utterances are in reality but the expressions of one Truth. As most of the people have failed to appreciate those stations to which We have referred, they therefore feel perplexed and dismayed at the varying utterances pronounced by Manifestations that are essentially one and the same.

Wow. Twenty-two paragraphs on this theme, the two stations of the Manifestations, and it's going to be a bit tricky, we feel, to keep this in mind, but we'll do our best.

He begins by talking about "this difference", but which difference is He referring to? The "difference in their station and mission" as described in the previous paragraph, in which each One "fulfills a definite Mission". Because these Missions differ, and the circumstances of the day were different, it can seem as if the message is different, too. And note that He says they "appear to diverge and differ", not that they do. They only appear to.

So what does this mean? Can we think of an example? Fortunately, we don't have to. Baha'u'llah already did, way back in paragraphs 54 and 55. Remember that story of Muhammad when He changed the Point of Adoration from Jerusalem to Mecca? This is a simple example of how He changed where we face when praying. A lot of people were thrown off by this. But, you see, the important thing is the prayer, not the direction. While it may appear to be different, the law of prayer is still the same basic law.

Another example is found in raising a child. You don't tell the hyperactive child to be more assertive. You tell them to calm down. And you don't tell the child who is always being bullied to calm down. You tell them to be more assertive.

Although the message appears to be different, in reality they are the same. Both of these messages help the child move towards a more moderate attitude.

Similarly, the Messages of the Manifestations may appear to differ, yet they "are in reality but the expressions of one Truth".

But let's not think this is easy. After all, imagine you went to the doctor with a headache, and they prescribed some aspirin. Later on, you have a stomachache and remember that the aspirin helped your pain earlier, but you need a new prescription. Since the first doctor has moved away, you end up seeing someone new. The problem, though, is that this new doctor prescribes something different. Why, you may wonder. Your last doctor prescribed that aspirin and it worked. Why should you take this new medicine? Well, this time, since your ailment is different, the aspirin would just make you more ill. Having been trained, your doctor knows this, but you might not. It would be so easy to become confused, and question the new doctor.

This is similar to what Baha'u'llah is saying.

If we do not understand the station of the doctor, we may not trust the second one. This is why we might become "perplexed and dismayed". But if we understand their station, their training, and perhaps even the fact that our illness is now different, then we would follow the new prescription without question.

Another phrase that stands out for us in this paragraph is the phrase "initiated into the mysteries". While we often think  of the word "initiate", in this context, to mean being brought into a group that understands some obscure knowledge, it also has the implication of beginning an endeavour. Here, the obscure knowledge might just be these two stations Baha'u'llah has unveiled to our eyes, and we really are only beginning to understand it. As we come to a better understanding of these two stations, our understanding of the similarity of their messages will also grow. All this brings us back to paragraph 75, where He said, "Wert thou to cleanse the mirror of thy heart from the dust of malice, thou wouldst... discover the mysteries of divine knowledge."

The next question is how can we appreciate those stations to which He has referred? Here, we might want to look at the definition of "appreciate", which means "to understand fully, to recognize the full worth of". We often think of it in terms of being grateful, but that is the result of recognizing the full worth of something. 

With that in mind, we can understand His statement reading more like, "most of the people have not fully recognized those two stations of the Messengers". This is why so many of us are "perplexed and dismayed". We try to apply a good remedy to the wrong illness. But the more that we understand that second station, that of distinction, especially in light of their essential unity, the more we will recognize the value of those commands that appear to differ. They are solely due to the time in which they were revealed, and the social illnesses they are trying to heal.

As Baha'u'llah says, "The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy.