Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON GOD; Part CXLIV

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry , Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:14-23).

There is a saying by the Master that tells us what we must do to be ‘closest’ to Him and it does not include any of the various affirmations or rituals that the multiplicity of denominations and sects subscribe to. In fact there is nowhere in any of the Master’s words that we can find anything said about any affirmation whatsoever and the only ritual Jesus speaks of is baptism which is, in our view, sorely misunderstood by the majority as the ritualistic dipping or dunking or pouring of water over a man who hears some words from a minister and perhaps makes some affirmation or, a child, an infant if you will, who has a surrogate speak and affirm for Him. The Master’s saying is not a pronouncement as so many of His sayings are but is found in a simple exchange with His disciples and others; it goes thus:

“There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:31-35).

This is presented a bit differently in the three synoptic gospels and this from the Apostle Mark is all inclusive insofar as the who is concerned for it is here said as whosoever. Some commentary regard “them which sat about him” as His disciples as it is stated so in the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel but this is not designed to be so specific and in the Apostle Luke’s Gospel this part of who is skipped completely. It is interesting that some doctrine on this rendition by Luke claims the crowd that informs the Master are doing so in an effort to interrupt him but this can not be readily taken from the words of the apostles not does it matter in the least. Luke’s version goes thus:

“Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it” (Luke 8:19-21).

Straightforward and to the point, Luke expresses the Master’s tone and His constant message which is reflected for us so forcefully by James. The Master says “these which hear the word of God, and do it” and James repeats: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).

There is a twofold message here; one apparent in the dialogue and the other only by way of a hint that is further discussed in one gospel after this encounter and in another before. As we believe that All things that the Master said and did were with a purpose and a lesson, so we must believe that the hidden message here, a message that blends well with our essays over the last several weeks, is one of importance to those who “should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted , and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:15). First let us look at the apparent message which is that ALL who “hear the word of God, and do it“, “whosoever shall do the will of God”……. “the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother“. With the absence of a father because of his apparent death, we should see that there is none closer to a man in form other than his mother, brother and sisters and since the Master is not married, the other relations of wife and children cannot apply. Here then the Master is telling ALL that although these are closet to the man in form, they are easily swept aside in their closeness to Him by the presence of ANY and ALL who “do the will of God”. Now swept aside here is not meant to say that the Master would do this to a mother or a brother or a sister that “hear the word of God, and do it” which case would make them equal in His eyes to ALL others that accomplish this same thing. To be sure, if any of these close relations did not  “do the will of God”, they would not be in the close group of those that do but would rather be on the outside with the rest of those who cannot or will not heed the call of their own Souls which is to “hear the word of God, and do it“. In the course of our essays we have broached this subject often and we should KNOW that it is only the few that can attain this status and that we, as aspirants to discipleship, continually strive toward this High Goal of Life.

The hidden message is in the idea of forsaking ALL as regards one’s attachment to this world. This is not to say that a man cannot attend to the affairs of his family but that these affairs hold little importance to him in the reality of his perspective as a disciple of the Christ. Can we see the hint here? that the relationship with one’s Earthly mother and brother and sister, or, for us today one’s wife and children must come to be of little importance when weighed against the things of God. This same is said of ALL attachments and attractions to the things of the world and the Master is clear in telling us of the necessity to forsake ALL and clear also about the rewards of such a change in heart; repentance if you will. This forsaking is the essence of discipleship and any of us who seek this High Calling in Truth must be aware of the ‘sacrifice’ and in that awareness realize that there is no real sacrifice at all. The Parable of the Counting the Cost which we covered in some detail (In the Words of Jesus part 130) is a series of sayings that lay out the reality of entering into a venture and not understanding the totality of what is involved for its completion. The Master uses the illustration of building a tower or going into battle unprepared to finish or to complete His message and this should be seen as a caution to us ALL that the price of discipleship is high and that we should understand this going in; that there is much to be counted as the cost. To be clear here we should note also that his parable is found as the middle part of the Master remarks about being His disciple and, for all practical purposes, should be seen an aid in understanding exactly what He means. The dialogue goes thus:

“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying , This man began to build , and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:25-33).

Can we see the clarity in this saying that is found later on in the Gospel of Luke; after the encounter as noted above. Can we see that the Master is clearly laying out those things that are the cost of discipleship and by the parable is asking each of us if we have “counteth the cost“. In Matthew’s Gospel the same ideas are put forth without the intervening parable and using the idea of being worthy of the Master in place of being His disciple which we must hold are the same thing presented according to the view of the apostle. Another way to look at this is in relation to the ideas from a few days ago regarding the rich young man who approaches the Master seeking eternal Life. This man is told to “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21); the important part here is not that he should give to the poor but that he gives up ALL that he has, that he complies with the words of the Master which is His message to ALL who would be His disciples, “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot be my disciple“. We should see here the reality of being perfect and being His disciple and we should understand that this perfection is a work that we accomplish in stages and thus our own claim, that we are but aspirants to this High Calling. Back on point we look now at the end of the Master speaking to and then about this rich young man and his dissertation about the rich and the Kingdom; how difficult and nigh impossible for “them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:24) as Mark so eloquently states it. It is after this that the Apostle Peter asks the Master about the forsaking that we see above is necessary and here we see that these ALL, the twelve apostles and more, have given up ALL. This exchange goes:

“Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first” (Mark 10:28-31).

These sayings are a testament to the way of the True disciple and a confirmation of the words of the Master explaining the requirements of discipleship above and of the hint given in our lead saying. It is unfortunate that much of the church sees in this particular saying only the possibility of rewards for giving up ALL and following the Master and this without proper understanding of either. The very nature of the reward should make the awakened reader understand that this entire premise is false, that one cannot receive an hundredfold of brethren and sisters and mothers and children and it is unlikely that there could be lands and houses in this volume as well. The idea here is that a man becomes a disciple by this leaving ALL, forsaking ALL, and it is in being a disciple that one can realize the prayer of the Apostle Paul for the aspirants and the disciples of the Lord “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19). This is the abundance of “an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands” and not those physical things that men seek after in the world of things. It is Truly unfortunate that the church still perceives these rewards as things of the flesh especially when enclosed in a series of sayings that tell us that the things of the world must be given up for discipleship and for the Kingdom; this Truly is illusion and glamour and this truly is deception.

Two extra points here in this rendition by Mark; persecutions and the ending line, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last first“. The idea of persecutions is unique to Mark’s Gospel and this word means exactly what we think according to the dictionaries and the lexicons.; the commentators put their doctrinal twist upon this and here we will put ours. ALL of these rewards, which we KNOW cannot be what the text says that they are and therefore they must refer to spiritual treasures that are equivalent to these things. Our perspective is that the importance to the average man of these things is overcome in the act of forsaking ALL and that their spiritual equivalent is equal to great multiples; this is the experience of the one who has left ALL. We should know that in this state of discipleship a man will stand out among men; he will stand in Love and in Peace and Wisdom will be his way, he will Truly exhibit the words of the Master in his Life and will have effectively left ALL, forsaken ALL. There is nothing that the world has to offer that will attract him; he will be FREE from ALL attachments and free from the wiles of the flesh. In this unique place the man will be seen by some as odd and this likely by those who either disagree with the True precepts of the Master or those who, by their own sense of holiness, will try to detract from the Love and the Peace and the Wisdom that is the way of the disciple. This is persecutions in our day and age and this is as it was with Jesus among the Jews who believed that they had the right path to God. We can tie this to our saying at the head of our essay by Paul to the Romans; Paul says “that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us“. We must remember that while ALL are Sons of God, this is not a realization of the man in form until he is an accomplished aspirant or a disciple of the Master; it is at that time that a man can be KNOWN as a Son of God on this Earth. This being said we come to the idea of suffering and this suffering is multifold; in no particular order this suffering can be seen as:

• The suffering of the Christ and of ALL Sons of God when they view the state of the lives of so many on the Earth. This is the same plight that we face as accomplished aspirants and disciples as we see the suffering of others we suffer with them. This is Love and this is compassion.
• The suffering of the Christ from the human perspective as He was persecuted and crucified albeit as a part of the Great Plan of God who KNEW enough about the hearts of men to predict the Master’s fate through the Prophets hundreds of years before. In this we too suffer persecutions at so many levels although much of the claimed persecution is not that at all but rather the natural action of man versus man especially when one holds to the belief that he only is saved and in that way claims superiority. Our true suffering with him is the persecution that one will face because he is a True Son of God on Earth doing those things that the Master teaches without pomp and without any desire for any thing for the personal self. This is an unknown commodity and it is not that presumed persecution of the church.
• The sufferings of the present time, when viewed from the perspective of the man are likely large but when viewed from the perspective of the disciple are minor in nature and can be considered as not existent for in this state we will only see the glory insofar as our own Life is concerned. This is the reward of discipleship and this is what is implied in the Master’s words above on “an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands“; This is the “the glory which shall be revealed in us” which is, as we say above, much more than the equivalent to ALL that we may give up in this personality Life in form.

There are likely more ideas that can come forth in this area of persecutions and suffering but this should suffice to tell us that there is no True suffering from the perspective of the Christ Within, the Soul, for this state of being is beyond this world and it is only in this world that suffering exists.

We end here for today and will pick up with the last point, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last first“, which is presented by Matthew and Mark only in this context. This is a saying that is used by the master in several places.

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.

Values to Live By

A Love of Truth—essential
for a just, inclusive and progressive society;

A Sense of Justice—recognition
of the rights and needs, of all.

Spirit of Cooperation—based
on active goodwill and the principle of right human
relationships;

A Sense of Personal Responsibility—for
group, community and national affairs;

Serving the Common Good— through
the sacrifice of selfishness. Only what is good for all
is good for each one.

The world of the future depends on what each one of us chooses to do today.

We leave this Quote of the Day again for today with the hope that we can discuss these important points in the next post. We should remember here the premise that we presented near the beginning of our posting of this Quote of the Day: It is interesting to note that the ideas of the Quote of the Day embody much of the Master’s teachings and can set the stage for the beginning of each man’s revelation and realization of the Light of the Soul; that is, that by the intentional practice of these ‘rules’ of conduct one can put himself in the position of a follower of the Master and an keeper of His word and this regardless if he has ever heard of the Christ or wants to be affiliated with any ideas Christian. By keeping these sound principals of Life in mind and practicing them a man can lift himself up above and beyond the world of men and into the world of the Good, the Beautiful and the True as it exists for those in whom the Christ Within, the God Within, is awakened. Ponder on this.

In accord with the ideas that we close with above we bring again to your attention the ideas by which a man should Live. This Quote of the Day is the realty of how we should focus our lives and in so doing, all the other things alluded to above will take care of themselves and this is a great part of the selfless attitude of the disciple and his ability to forsake ALL.