Jesus said, “Preach from your housetops that which you will hear in your ear. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but rather he sets it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters and leaves can see its light.”
Though certainly there are secret teachings of the mysteries only spoken among initiates in the assembly of the elect, the foundation of the teachings are open to anyone willing to receive them. Receiving, we are called to impart; finding, we are called to share with others. It is this that establishes the flow of blessings and Grace.
How could it be that messengers should come and share the Word of the Lord with us, that we should receive it and benefit from it, but not ourselves also bear forth the Holy Word and Wisdom, sharing it with others and bringing others into the path and spiritual fellowship? Indeed, upon hearing the Holy Word and Wisdom, it becomes our duty to speak of and share it. The prophets and apostles of God have not extended the Light to us in order for us to hide it, but rather that we might also engage in the divine labor of bearing that Light in the world. Everyone has a part in the responsibility of the ministry of Light and bringing other souls to the Way. Every student and disciple is a gate to the holy tzaddik. Every initiate of Gnostic Christianity is a minister and priest of the holy covenant. Every aspirant to the Light is also a child of the Light and bearer of the Light in the world. It is a sacred duty.
Here, the Master calls you to preach and minister from your house-top. What does it mean to preach from your housetop? It certainly doesn’t suggest the violence of going door to door or any such thing. Neither does it suggest the self-righteousness of believing one knows the only way to heaven and to God. Rather, it is a communication within the natural boundaries of one’s own life, with one’s family and friends and people one meets under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It means one spreads the Word and extends the Light whenever possible in one’s own way, not going out of the way, but imparting to all individuals encountered who are receptive and who naturally cross one’s path or enter one’s life. In this way, one acts as a laborer in the fields of sentient existence, seeking to find the ripe and mature souls, the chosen ones, and actively participating in the harvest of souls along with the prophets and apostles of God. It is a joyful and wonderful thing to do—being on fire with the Lord!
Becoming an initiate in a mystical order or Wisdom Tradition means we each bear responsibility for the great work, every person according to his or her capacity and talents. Some sacred tasks are specialized by talents and the call of the Spirit, while others are duties everyone equally shares. Just as every member of a mystical fellowship has a sacred duty to materially support the spiritual work, so does every member share the sacred duty of the ministry and priestly function of bringing others to the path and tending to the growth of the fellowship. For this reason, all initiates in the Gnostic Christian Tradition are ordained to impart the first three rites of initiation—baptism, chrism, and the Holy Eucharist—upon having received those initiations themselves, as these are the sacraments of entering the path.
Fundamentally, a mystical fellowship is found by word of mouth. A student or disciple acts as a living link between the apostle and the seeker. The circle of Yeshua functioned in this way, as do virtually all esoteric orders. While such circles may be found, at times, through their open publications in modern times, nevertheless their central way of growth remains word of mouth, something more organic and living. If a fellowship does not bear fruit and grow through the ministry of its members, then it is in danger of withering and passing away.
In this verse, the Master alludes to an esoteric truth. The students and disciples function around a master as the master’s connection with the world. They bring down something of the Divine presence and power to levels at which it can be received by new aspirants. The truth is that the students and disciples form links to different levels of consciousness, allowing others to make a connection through them with the holy tzaddik. Very rarely can there be a direct link between a new aspirant and an adept or master. Thus, indirect links become necessary until the aspirant has developed sufficiently enough to establish his or her own direct link. Without the manifestation of the Divine presence and power upon different levels through their spiritual companions, the tzaddikim and maggidim could not maintain a connection with the world. Hence, together, a spiritual fellowship does, in fact, act as a mystical body of the Divine presence, each member of the body playing an important and necessary role.