ON LOVE; PART DLVI
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
In the last essay we began our look at the final part of the Sermon on the Mount according to the Gospel of Matthew. This begins with the idea of judgment and from our perspective Jesus’ words highlight the idea that a man should NOT be judgmental as this attitude sets him up in the world as one whose focus IS on others and not on his own spiritual pursuits. And while we did not touch upon this in the last essay, we should try to see that the Master IS speaking in spiritual terms; He IS offering spiritual words that should be seen in regard to the spiritual pursuits of others as the primary focus of judgment and then whatsoever carnal things secondarily; both however do come into play in the judgmental attitude of a man. Judgment on the carnal side is much easier to see and much easier to DO as carnal things are generally visible while spiritual things are hidden away in the heart of each man and one’s thoughts and attitudes are generally not shared except as can be seen by one’s actions. In this we can see the attitude of the Pharisees and the other religious rulers of the Jews who judge Jesus before the can even KNOW the depth of His teaching and this because He DID NOT see things their way and, while He eventually outwardly disagreed with their ways, their judgment of him precedes this.
We see these words on judgement as leading up to His words on the mote and the beam which are rendered elsewhere as the spec and the plank; in either case we see that what a man judges in another is but a small part that one can grasp onto, a spec, while within one’s own Life there IS much that a man KNOWS about himself and this most factually. It IS likely based in this KNOWING of oneself that one chooses to judge others as men see their own failings and the Master’s words here ARE NOT that one recognize this, most men do, but that they correct this before one judges and tries to correct another. As we discussed in the last post, this trend and trait is a common human failing, that men measure and judge themselves against others and pick out others faults while tending to ignore their own and ofttimes even fail to even admit them to themselves. We see this most graphically in the story of the woman caught in adultery and the failure of those who pursue her to even think about what is in their own closets until the Master’s most profound words which should NOT ONLY be seen as such but be see more as His lesson that whenever we ourselves are in position to judge or chastise another, that we look inside at our own failings. We should see these words as another extension of our own Love and understanding of our brother: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). This of course DOES NOT mean that we should not try to help others to understand the error of their ways when they are visible or apparent, but that we should do so in Love and with our own understanding that we may have done similar or had thoughts of doing ourselves. We read the Master’s words on this again:
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).
We saw in the attitudes of Jesus’ disciples the tendency toward judging oneself as better or more worthy in their internal disputes over who would be greater and while this may not seem connected here, we should see the idea of judgement in their own thoughts as this is presented in the gospels. Similarly with the Apostles’ James and John and their thinking that they should be among the greater and sit in the preferred place. These are carnal thoughts and it IS thoughts such as these that we read about in the Master’s interactions with the Apostle Peter who we see as our example of the Way of the disciple. And we should see that the Master’s words to the Pharisees ARE NOT directed only at them but that these are food for thought for ALL men who would follow Him, that they must clean their own closets of ALL things that can be considered as hypocrisy, and this especially when seen from others’ point of view. Most men believe that these words to the Pharisees and other religious rulers, this list of woes, is directed only at them while throughout history and yet today there are many who can be seen filling the same role; some of His words are specifically targeting those scribes and Pharisees and lawyers in that day but words like these are more general:
“Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:24-28).
We should understand here that the hypocrisy IS in men’s thoughts, in their plans and schemes for what will benefit them above others, and we should try to see this in regard to our subject saying above: as the man who speaks loudly against some behavior in others but who has the same thoughts and perhaps even actions in his own Life. The man preaching against drugs outwardly who uses them himself; the man who speaks against fornication and adultery who has at the same time his own occasion and here we should remember the Master’s words that “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Perhaps the greater message here is that ALL men, by virtue of being men, have much hidden away in their hearts both old and new or current and each man must look after these things before he sees the faults of others as it IS in this way that we can Truly understand our brother. And, in so doing whatsoever actions we take become the more likely to be expressions of Love.
There are countless occasions in one’s Life through which we can see the Master’s words on judgment and on seeing or perceiving the faults of others, both carnal and spiritual, and acting upon them in some way without acknowledging our own deficiencies and acting upon them first. This IS the Master’s intent: that we look within and that we correct ourselves first and here we should repeat the Buddha’s similar words: “Love yourself and watch – Today, tomorrow, always. First establish yourself in the way, then teach, and so defeat sorrow. To straighten the crooked you must first do a harder thing – Straighten yourself” (Dhammapada; on Yourself). The next part of the Sermon seemingly changes the subject; we read:
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:6-11).
The first part of this saying seems to stand alone but it IS likely that this is related to the previous ideas. From the perspective of being among those who may have cleaned their own closet and who face others with a pure heart, this saying can have much meaning. We should remember that the Master DOES NOT say NOT to say to another “Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye“, He tells us that ours must be clear of the beam first, that our hearts must be pure. This can also be seen as related to the subsequent ideas on asking, seeking and knocking as the way to Truly help one’s brother comes from within, from the Soul and not from one’s carnal thoughts. Doctrine sees this similar to our vision but their emphasis is upon offering God’s word to vile men while ours is simply offering one’s revelations and realizations to men who will NOT understand or that will misinterpret them. In this view we see little of the apostles teaching in the same way as does the Master; we see instead that they communicate in writing to fellow disciples and aspirants and that their words are taken up by most any man today, this DOES NOT change the reality of whom they were written to. We see the intended audience at the beginning of most ALL of the epistles and we should understand here that the Master Himself lived much by this idea of protecting things holy as He intentionally clouds His words in parables and parabolic sayings save for the things that men should already KNOW. We should see as well that most ALL of Jesus words are interpreted by men and that many are misunderstood but here it IS NOT the Master who offers these misconceptions, it IS the interpreter; we can say similar about much of the apostles’ writings which follow the Master’s parabolic tone.
This saying itself is a parabolic one that compares one’s revelations and realizations to pearls and to holy things but, as we said this is not generally seen this way in doctrine. Here, a part of John Gill’s ideas may help us to see their view; Mr. Gill says: Give not that which is holy to the dogs;….Here the phrase is used in a metaphorical sense; and is generally understood of not delivering or communicating the holy word of God, and the truths of the Gospel, comparable to pearls, or the ordinances of it, to persons notoriously vile and sinful: to men, who being violent and furious persecutors, and impudent blasphemers, are compared to “dogs”; or to such, who are scandalously vile, impure in their lives and conversations, and are therefore compared to swine 8. This is not our understanding as the words of the Master, without one’s private interpretation, should be shared with ALL men; it is for them to discern the meanings. And this IS our point, that the inner meanings that are gleaned by the aspirant and the disciple should NOT be shared with those who CAN NOT or WILL NOT appreciate them. We should note here that this IS a caution and that there IS a potential result to not heeding these words, there are personal consequences. Much of what we write is what we see, what IS revealed to us and what we realize through our own focus upon the things of God which we do so with an open mind and with the objective of getting a man’s attention; in a way this IS giving holy things and it is casting pearls and it IS revealing what we see as some deeper Truths. Here we run the risk of others condemning our work and we accept this risk but at the same time we still must measure what we say so as not to alienate others. We see this as the crux of the Master’s message.
In the next saying we are told that we can find these things out, these revelations and these realizations by asking, by seeking and by knocking; these tools ARE NOT for gaining the things of the world. And the Master’s point IS that the Power of God IS True, that if one ask, he shall receive and the examples are intended to show this in the relationship of an Earthly relationship of a father and as son. The great reality here is found in the Master’s words that reflect on the “good things“, it IS these that a man will receive: “how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?“. These good things are not food nor drink, nor clothing as we found in the end of the last chapter; these things we DO NOT ask for because “your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” and on these things, as representative of the things of the world, we are told to “take no thought” (Matthew 6:32, 25). The Master speaks here about “good things“; spiritual things, the things of God.
Much of James’ words in his epistle are reflections of the Master’s words from this Sermon on the Mount and we will discuss James’ words in similar fashion in another series of essays. Here today however we should relate these sayings to James clarifying and amplifying understanding of this process of asking; James takes the subject of asking directly to Wisdom and we should note here that there IS NOT much else in the “good things” that ARE NOT related to Love and to Wisdom and that Wisdom IS the product of revelation and realization. James tells us:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).
James tells us much the same thing as the Master but he clarifies for us the underlying idea that one CAN NOT simply ask; that one must earnestly ask, in focused fashion, and that he will then receive what Wisdom that he can accept if we can say it this way. What the Master implies, the apostle gives us in more specific words; what the Master says to His direct audience of disciples and aspirants, James breaks down for the average man in the crowd. What the Master gives us in the parabolic language of seeking and knocking, the apostle offers to us in clear terms and instructions. James goes on to discuss Wisdom later in his words which we use as our own measuring stick as to the Truth of what we believe that we receive; here the apostle is acknowledging that men do ask and that they do receive but not ALL that they receive IS from God as their very nature of the asking may have been wrong which IS another point that James covers for us. The apostle teaches us to discern the Wisdom from above against the wisdom of the world by showing us that Wisdom from above IS NOT for the self in the world and he tells us as well that when we don’t receive, it is because we “ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3). In this we should try to see that it IS the things of the world that are the subject of this last saying; it IS these things that one desires of the world and not the “good things” which ARE of God.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
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.
“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).
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
