IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 560

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON LOVE; PART CXLIX

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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Having spent many days discussion the act of the Creation of man as presented in  the Book of Genesis, it is now time for a new topic. New topics are not difficult to come by as our source document is replete with choices; the difficult part is always choosing one and it is good that a new topic in the end sort of chooses itself. When we look at the writings of both the Old and New Testaments we should see a series if interconnected writings that have the unique ability to grow as we grow spiritually by taking on new and deeper meanings and this is especially true of the New Testament which seems to have this uniqueness by design. Perhaps this is because it is written to the disciple from the perspective of the Epistles and written of the disciple from the perspective of the Gospels. Much of the Gospels are the words of Jesus as He speaks to His disciples and much is written in a way that is Truly understandable only to those who are ardent followers of the Master. Jesus tells us that He speaks to the multitudes in parables but He also tells His disciples that He is speaking to them in much the same way. Here, the difference is likely found in the degree of the parabolic nature of His words and we can see the effect of this most clearly in the Parable of the Sower and then His explanation of the Parable to His disciples. A likely reality is that from the words offered to the multitude, He would have preferred that the disciples had been able to understand them in the way that He later explains but without the explanation. He tells them this in saying: “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13) before He explains His words on the Parable of the Sower. The importance of this point is that He wanted that as disciples, that they would understand the essence of His saying and here we find that this one, one of the first He tells, must be explained. We know also that “when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples” (Mark 4:34) and we should not think only of parables in this context but the very mysteries that He reveals to them; mysteries that it is the privilege of the disciple to KNOW.

So as a man grows in spiritual stature, so also grows his ability to discern and to understand the words of the Master and His apostles as they were intended to be understood by disciples. Parables take on new and deeper meaning and the words of the apostles are seen in a different way, as though they are written directly to us. We say this of course speaking as aspirants who can and do see meanings and interpretations of His words and the words of the Epistles in a different way than does tradition and doctrine and accepted common understanding; this is what we write about and this is a purpose of this blog: to expose the deeper meanings to those who can understand and accept them but who have not pursued this end. We must repeat here as we ofttimes do that we take no position of authority in what we say; we say what we believe that we KNOW is a greater reality than is commonly available and we say those things that by apparent revelation we receive as Wisdom from above. We recognize a different dynamic in the teachings of the Master and their amplification and clarification by His apostles and we KNOW that the entirety of His message is LOVE and that our spiritual success is found in our expression of this LOVE to our brothers, our neighbors and the stranger that qualifies as both.

We have added this idea of stranger to our understanding of this dynamic of Love based upon the Old Testament teachings from whence the Master takes what He tells us are the Greatest Commandments. In these sections of Leviticus and Deuteronomy there is much said by the Lord through Moses that has as its intent a man’s treatment of others and in the idea of stranger we should see that this is ANYMAN and EVERYMAN. Except for partaking of the Most Holy Things of the Lord, the stranger is to be treated as a brother and as a one born among you as we see in these sayings:

• “And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:10). And again we read: “And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest , neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God ” (Leviticus 23:22).
• “And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34)
• “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 24:22) and again “One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD” (Numbers 15:15).
• “And if thy brother be waxen poor , and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee” (Leviticus 25:35).
• “And I charged your judges at that time, saying , Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him” (Deuteronomy 1:16).
• “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible , which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)

In these sayings we should get the idea that the stranger IS to be treated as a brother and as a neighbor except perhaps as regards the finer points of the rites and rituals of the religious practices of the day. While we today see the neighbor and the stranger as ONE, many do not have this understanding and believe that the neighbor is one who is close; in the terms of the Old Testament this is apparent but it is also apparent that in ALL things not religious, the neighbor and the stranger are to be treated the same, Loved by the Lord and to be Loved by the man as is the neighbor. There should be no perceived difference between the saying above regarding the stranger, “and thou shalt love him as thyself“, and the same idea regarding the neighbor in the saying: “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). Carrying this forward to the New Testament we are only told about the neighbor and the Greek understanding of this word can be seen as a combination of the two Hebrew words translated as stranger and neighbor.

• According to the lexicon, the Hebrew word rea` which is translated as neighbor means: friend, companion, fellow, another person; friend, intimate; fellow, fellow-citizen, another person (weaker sense); other, another (reciprocal phrase)<sup>2</sup>. According to Strong’s rea` means neighbor; friend, companion, associate ³ S.
• The lexicon tells us that the Hebrew word ger which is translated as stranger means: sojourner; a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights; of foreigners in Israel, though conceded rights ². Strong’s says that ger means alien, stranger (in a foreign land)³.
• The Greek word plesion that is translated as neighbor means: a neighbour; a friend; any other person, and where two are concerned, the other (thy fellow man, thy neighbour), according to the Jews, any member of the Hebrew nation and commonwealth; according to Christ, any other man irrespective of nation or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet ^2a according to the lexicon. Here Strong’s give only the defining word of neighbor³ for this Greek word but we should understand from the usage of it by the Master the far reaching nature of His intent.

In this Light, when the Master speaks of the neighbor He is speaking of the combination of the ideas of stranger and neighbor as they are expressed in the Old Testament and we should KNOW that the Master does mean ANYMAN and EVERYMAN regardless of what some parts of the church may claim. In this idea of neighbor the Master makes certain that there is no mistake by using the Parable of the Good Samaritan to define His use of the word. Vincent tells us of this word that. Neighbor (ton plhsion). Another word to which the Gospel has imparted a broader and deeper sense. Literally it means the one near (so the Eng., neighbor = nigh-bor), indicating a mere outward nearness, proximity. Thus a neighbor might be an enemy….. The Christian sense is expounded by Jesus in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke x. 29 sqq.), as including the whole brotherhood of man, and as founded in love for man, as man, everywhere ⁴.

This may seem like a long way to go to show the relationships between the ideas of neighbor and stranger in the Old Testament and the New Testament intent of the word neighbor but it is important to understand the reality of neighbor if we are to understand the reality of the Master’s intent in using the word Love. There are not many instances in which the Master tells us exactly what He means in using a word; He speaks of Love but does not explain it but He does tell us to whom we must offer it in a rather definitive way. The story of the Good Samaritan is a worthwhile lesson in the reality of the Love that the Master teaches yet it is not given the strength of its meaning in the teachings of the churches; much like the Golden Rule this story is seen as profound but at the same time it is not appreciated for its practical application in the Life of everyman. The parable goes thus:

“And, behold , a certain lawyer stood up , and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou ? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:25-37).

We should note here several things; first is that the whole of this conversation begins with Love and here the lawyer cites the Old Testament commandments that the Master calls the Greatest Commandments. Second, in the Master’s explanation of the idea of neighbor we find that He singles out those who by their very nature should have been those who helped the stranger but did not….the priest and the Levite, thereby confirming His own understanding regarding those that think that they are right with God. The next point that we should consider is that the man who helps a stranger is a Samaritan and we KNOW from other scripture that there is bad blood between the Jews and the Samaritans which for us should add meaning and depth to the Master’s other saying that we should “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

So we have here the foundation of Love and the reality that this Love is to be shown to ALL, to one’s brother, one’s neighbor and to the stranger who qualifies as both and that in doing so, we will find our focus on the things of God. To do this we MUST see and understand that we are ALL the same, Souls expressing or attempting to express the Love and Power of the Soul through our form and in this understanding is the like one which is that we ARE NOT this form, NOT this body and NOT this personality focused upon the self and the world. The Buddha tells us this same thing in His words that we should “See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do? He who seeks happiness, By hurting those who seek happiness, Will never find happiness. For your brother is like you. He wants to be happy. Never harm him“⁵. These things are the reality if Love and its expression is found in the Master’s words that we Love others as we Love ourselves and that we willingly give to ALL what we expect and want to receive from them. In these thoughts and ideas is the entirety of the message of salvation and, as we have said, this Love is the way par excellence to overcome our focus on ourselves and on the things and the ways of the world; it becomes ALL consuming as it builds upon itself thoughts and motivations that extend outwardly from the self in the world in fulfillment of His words.

In speaking about Love the Master does give us some idea of the its reality in the ways of God and tells us that we should be doing the same. He tells us about the evenness of treatment for ALL and we find this embedded in His saying on Love as we have it above. Looking at the whole of this segment of His Sermon on the Mount we find; “Ye have heard that it hath been sai, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48). In this can be see the Master’s version of the Apostle Peter’s remarks that “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34) and we should see in the Master’s words that He is telling us that neither should we be. This thought is affirmed by the Apostle James who tells us clearly that “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:9).

There is a great relationship between the Master’s use of the word Love, that it should color ALL our actions, and this idea of respect. We will pursue this further in the next post.

Aspect of God	Potency	Expressed as Fire	Aspect of Man	In Relation to the Christ
GOD, The Father	Will or Power	Electric Fire	Spirit or Life	Life
Son, The Christ	Love and Wisdom	Solar Fire	Soul or Christ Within	Truth
Holy Spirit	Light or Activity	Fire by Friction	Life Within the Form	Way

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:

Repeating a previous Quote with our comments:

In this are some of the more relevant realizations that must come to a man from his own Soul. It is here it ALL begins! We find in John’s words the reality that God IS Love and we see how it is that a man can dwell in him while at the same time realizing the words of Paul that Christ and God dwell in man. We see also that we are as Christ is and this is our assurance of the Greater Things that we can do and finally we see the reality of ALL in His commandment to us that we Love.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also (1 John 4:16-21).

Today’s Quote of the Day from the First Epistle of John is his reflection on God and on Love. John tells us that God is Love and, as we have discussed, Love is certainly as aspect and an attribute of the Godhead and one which is supremely represented by the Christ. John tells us further that without Love there is no relationship with God and likens the Truth of dwelling in Love to being in His Kingdom and in His Presence. He draws for us the idea of Love for ones fellowman being the prime prerequisite for Love of God for although one may say that he Loves God, it cannot be True unless he first Loves his fellowman. In John’s words the equation is certain: “he who loveth God love his brother also“. And, lest we forget that the idea of Love that the Master teaches in not the emotional attraction that we live with daily, we repeat again: LOVE is….

In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men’.

To this we add the ever important High Ideal as taught by the Christ:

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

• ²  Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ^2a New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ³ Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁵ The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom