Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON GOD; Part CLXIX
Yesterday we considered another last line as we have called them from another of the Master’s extended sayings regarding the heart of a man and the treasure that can be held within it. We have noted how the last line of each of these sayings on heart and treasure is in and of itself a statement of caution and of instruction to ALL men which is clarified for us in the preceding verses. In these last lines we should note the force of the saying as a direction and a way of Life and not just as a something to be admired or as a platitude; these are specific instructions and general guidance for those who desire to Truly follow the Master. We have covered two thus far and each of these tells us something of the nature of the heart as the consciousness of a man, and that it is from the content of this consciousness, be it of the world or of God, that a man acts and this content is seen in the Master’s words as a man’s treasure, that which he holds dear.
- “for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).
- “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).
We continue now with another last line, the final one from our group of three, which is a most important part of the teaching of the Master; He says “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24) and this must be seen as it is, as a statement of fact. In the completeness of this saying we find the idea of two masters and the common idea has always been that one of them is the riches of the world as this is the way that mammon is defined. The whole of the saying from Matthew’s Gospel is:
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
This saying is virtually identical as it appears in Luke’s Gospel except for the use of servant in place of man but the related sayings afterward are different and we will get to this in a bit. In most every commentary on this verse the writer is speaking about the idea of mammon and considering mammon riches and they most all transfer this idea of mammon to the earlier part of the verse so that it is mammon as riches that becomes one of the masters. Now while it is true that the idea of riches is included in the right understanding of the word mammon, it has always been our position that the word means much more than this. The Master is not averse to using the word riches as regards money and substance and He does do so several times and we should be able to see that if He wanted us to understand this saying as riches only, He would likely have done so here as well. Additionally, the word mammon is used in another context which does not support riches as its interpretation but this is not recognized by the commentators as they regard “unrighteous mammon” as ill gotten riches. There is a large problem with the common understanding of this verse and of others that call out riches and this is that the man in the world has found and will continue to find ways to interpret these scriptures in a way that allows for his comfort in Life. Many of the slightly rich will say that this applies to the very rich only and the very rich that it is only for the mega rich and so on. Others will find a safe haven in the idea of tithing and the teaching that the more one has, the more that he can give and this, in their minds, makes being rich allowable. Others will find comfort in the words of the Master that say that one should not trust in riches although this is but a side statement in a series of sayings regarding riches.
All of this is illusion and all of this is the glamour that builds a man’s thinking that he is something which he is not. The Master’s words on riches are clear and if one considers our saying above to be one of them, there is all the more power to His word. The world should have the message of the evil nature of money and the substance of the world from the many sayings by the Master that are specific to riches as well as those in which riches are implied. Let us look here at a few:
- “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Here we see the idea of illusion in the words of the Master as He speaks of the “deceitfulness of riches” as a part of the Parable of the Sower. Here this idea of riches is compounded with the idea of “the care of this world” and in the combination of these we should see a better idea, albeit incomplete in our opinion, of the True idea behind mammon. In Mark’s Gospel the wording is a bit different saying that “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Here the idea is of riches and “the lusts of other things” and in this we should see an amplification of the idea of “the care of this world“. This is yet further complicated by this same saying according to Luke where the Master tells us “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke 8:14). Here we find the idea of riches as in the other two versions, the cares as spoken of in Matthew as well and now the idea of the “pleasures of this life” which is unique to Luke. We add to this the idea of lusts from Mark’s Gospel and hence our idea of mammon as the things of this world as opposed to the things of God and this with no evil intent required
- “And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23-25). Here we have a compound and complex saying that is a caution and a warning that having riches will keep a man from the Kingdom and that trust in riches will do the same; it is not one or the other but rather the man who is rich will have as difficult a time as the man that has his trust in the power of riches. However, the Master does not say that it is impossible for the rich man to attain the Kingdom but He does paint for us a picture of the difficulty of such attainment and perhaps we should see this difficulty as an addition to the normal difficulty of being worthy of the Kingdom and of being His disciple. In all likelihood there is but one major difficulty and that is in the choice between God and mammon, riches only further complicate the issue. We should remember here the Master’s words on discipleship saying that “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). We should also here take note of Joseph of Arimathaea of whom it is written: “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple” (Matthew 27:57); here we find a disciple who is rich and we need see one of two things here as a choice. First that the word disciple as said by Matthew is of a different nature than the use of it by the Master, that it is simply that a disciple is the student and the learner; or, second, that Joseph remained rich as a disciple for the purpose of have the wherewithal to deal with the body of the Master. We should note also that the Apostle Peter says to the Master that “Behold , we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matthew 19:27) which should tell us of the reality of the Master’s saying on discipleship above.
- There is another definitive saying by the Master found in the list of woes that the Master speaks in Luke’s Gospel; He says: “But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation” (Luke 6:24). Can we not see the force of this saying? It is plain that from the perspective of being rich in this Life on Earth, it will be difficult to attain to heaven as is spoken of in the previous verse. This same idea comes forth in the story that the Master tells about the rich man and the beggar named Lazarus; here the rich man’s only guilt is that he is rich. the story goes:
- “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded , though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:19-31)
Can we see the idea here in this story? Many in the church still understand this to be a rather Truthful portrayal of heaven and hell and some see this even as historic but there is no foundation for this at all in the story nor in the surrounding scripture. This is a parable as the Master’s stories go and there is much here that is missed by the church yet today. Of primary importance is the understanding that the rich man is guilty of no evil nor any wrongdoing according to the story itself; his only guilt is in that he is rich. This idea ties in with the Master’s other sayings on this subject but this story goes on to tell us that the rich man asks Father Abraham that Lazarus be sent “to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment“. What would be the testimony here but that which is evident in the idea of riches and the care for riches; for what else could they be warned? We should also note that the last line takes us up to today because, with the majority of men, we can say that “will they be persuaded , though one rose from the dead“. Again we should understand this idea of riches as it is painted for us by the Master in this story and in the woe, the grief that is felt for the rich.
Seeing all of these ideas from the Master’s words in line with our discussion above regarding the illusion and the glamour that cause a man to find a safe harbor in being rich or even being well to do should give us pause. While this is a hard thing to understand, this idea of riches is but a part of the whole of the idea of mammon and the simple saying that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” should speak volumes to any who earnestly seek to be a disciple of the Master and who see the reality of the Kingdom of God. There is no place that we can find either of these to be just a casual undertaking by the man in the world but there are many places that tell us of the arduous task that these things are.
So we return to the idea of God and mammon and we should see in the Master’s saying that it is impossible to serve both; He tells us that it cannot be done and here lies the choice and this especially for those of us who have sensed the prompting of the Christ Within, who have seen the duality of Life in form and who have come to recognize the illusion and the glamour with which we struggle. Can we understand the idea of forsaking ALL for the Master and for the Christ Within which is, if we see clearly and “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24) forsaking ALL for the benefit of the world of men. This is not riches only but ALL that pertains to Life in the world, all that would be one’s treasure. We close today with the Master’s words on serving:
“But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45)
|
Aspect of God |
Potency |
Expressed as Fire |
Aspect of Man |
|
Father |
Will or Power |
Electric Fire |
Spirit or Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Solar Fire |
Soul or Christ Within |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Fire by Friction |
Life Within the Form |
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
We leave this again as our Quote of the Day with the intention of discussing it in some detail in one of our next few posts.
We have left this saying for several days now and want to here say that within this reflection is the reality of a True Son of God, a disciple if you will, and it is by accomplishing these things that a men can be seen as disciples and, for those who try to achieve, those who strive, as aspirants.
Evening Reflection
May the Power of the One True God flow through His group of all true servers;
May the Love of the Christ characterize the lives of all who seek to aid in His work;
May I fulfill my part in the one work through self-forgetfulness, harmlessness and right speech
(Evening Reflection)
This prayer is my revision of the Mantram of the New Group of World Servers which is an subjective esoteric group aligned only by their desire to achieve a measure of GoodWill in the world today. While it may be difficult to understand, the membership of this group is not in a list; there is no headquarters and there are no scheduled meetings. It is made up of people from around the world and its membership is open to all races, all classes, all politics, all religions; ALL PEOPLE. You will know that you are a member when you have that desire to work for GoodWill and Right Human Relations throughout the world and when you can appreciate and applaud the efforts of others who work for the benefit of their fellowman and, in that appreciation and praise, seek to reach out and aid them. All prayer that is not self centered is a service to the Lord, to His Plan and to our fellowman; the Power and the Qualities of God that we pray to invoke are for the benefit of His Plan and all mankind. This revised version is in a more readily usable form for our Christian culture and addresses God more as the Christian is accustomed to do. It is a prayer for the Power of God to be available to all who seek to serve Him; in this Power is the Wisdom, the Understanding and the personal strength that we need to properly serve the Lord. It is a prayer also that asks that all who serve the Lord be imbued with His Love, Christ’ Love, which defines the truth of our service to Him. And it is a prayer that, on a personal level, reminds us of our responsibilities in service which are summarized in the three words.
- Self-forgetfulness which is the absence of self interest in our prayer and our service; as the Master told us Ye cannot serve God and mammon”.
- Harmlessness which, as a positive aspect, is that meekness of Jesus and of which He also said “Blessed are the meek”.
- Right Speech which is the ability to control the tongue remembering that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” and that in self-forgetfulness, harmlessness and Love will our hearts be right.
