IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 532

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON LOVE; PART CXXI

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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“And God said , Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;  And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying , Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 1:26-2:25).

As we move yet another day closer to Christmas 2012 and we look around us at the festival of Lights and decorations that adorn neighborhoods across most of our country, we are convinced that Christmas is a holiday that has meaning to many. It is a celebration by the Christian world that involves Christians that may be so in name only as well as those who are more committed. It is as celebration by millions who are not Christians but who follow other world religions or perhaps no religion at all. Many millions of people from all walks of Life and from virtually all religious backgrounds give and receive presents in celebration of this day and this time of year and whether it is regarded in its Christian nature or not, it represents a universal season of giving for most all. And there are the Christmas Greetings and the Holiday Wishes that we give and get in a variety of ways; it is a time of Joy and of Giving for most all.

Christians bemoan the idea that societal progress and changes have taken the Christ out of Christmas and from a strictly religious perspective this is True. When one considers however the natural evolution of this season of celebration as it has become a rather universal time for so many millions of people who would otherwise not KNOW nor understand this seemingly secular effect that Christmas has on us ALL, we see a different picture. Christians and non-Christians alike flood the malls in search of the perfect gift for a child or a wife or most any loved one; Christians and non-Christians alike take to giving and receiving ever more in this season be it as the Christmas bonus, the Toys for Tots or any form of charitable giving. And who does not want to see the smile and the joy of children young and old as they open a much anticipated present. And then there is the music, the music that teaches us of Christ and His Love and the Joy that His Presence has brought to the world and we dare say that if not for the music there are many who would have much less KNOWLEDGE and understanding of Christ and His message.

There is a magic in Christmas, a magic that far surpasses the strictly religious ideas and that counteracts the pure commercialism that appears to have taken over this JOYOUS SEASON, and that magic is in the giving as this is where the reality of Christmas is seen. Christ came to the world on Christmas as He ushered in a New Age of Love and, as we said in the last post, an era distinguished by the Angel’s and the Heavenly Host’s words of hope saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Certainly we will say that this is not the state of the world and this is True but when we look as the slow and plodding ways of change in the world we should be able to note that these ideas of Love and of Peace and GoodWill are ever more prevalent today than they were ever before. The last two thousand years were the age of the Christ from the perspective of the religious and hard lines were drawn between the those who considered themselves so and a largely secular world. This has been time of much change in the attitudes of men and the growth of the mental capacity of the race and this is, ALL of it, a part of the Plan of God as is most ALL else that works on humanity from the inside to the outer. Any look at the history of the world in this time since the birth of the Christ will undoubtedly show much change in virtually every aspect of living and we may lament that some of the changes that we see here today are not progressively Christian. However, when we realize that ALL is Christian, ALL is of the influence of the Christ, regardless of where, when or how, we can come to a better understanding of ourselves and our brothers and realize a bit more of what we say above about Christmas and its effect upon most ALL men.

Imagine if the Christmas spirit, sans the commercial aspects and the Santa Clause, could be the spirit of men throughout the year. Imagine if the giving attitude and the objective of pleasing lasted for longer that the Christmas season. This is of course the whole of the objective of the teachings of the Christ and that we have such an impact for a short period of time each year should be seen as True progress for ALL; and, it is done in His name regardless of the beliefs or lack of beliefs of those who celebrate His day. The Muslim child who gets a Christmas present gets some idea of Him as does the wife or the husband that gives and receives on this day. For the Jew the same is true as they wish Merry Christmas to those who may work for them, giving out Christmas bonuses to ALL regardless of religious affiliation so that ALL who receive and those that give gain some idea of Him in the process. For the Hindu the same and the Buddhist…ALL world religions; if one is in the broad geographic area where Christmas is celebrated he is likely affected. As well, as the idea of Christmas grips the secular world it generates thoughts and conversation about it and by the very name, men come to understand a bit more of the role of the Master in this ALL.

What each man sees in Christ is a purely personal thing and it is the realization of one’s Inner Man that Truly counts and this regardless of what this Inner Man is called. For us this is the Christ Within because we understand the reality of His teachings while for many who profess that they are Christians the idea of the Christ Within is a alien concept unless one believes the doctrinal idea that it is Jesus who somehow comes to live in every believer and, in this we could wonder how Jesus could tolerate the thoughts and the actions of so many who believe that he is there with them. But these rather fundamental believers are also swept into the Joy and the Peace, Love and GoodWill of the Christmas season and these too get a glimpse of the reality of His teaching on the Unity and the Brotherhood of Humanity. This is not meant to disparage any but to paint that line that the Master paints and which shows that it is only the Truly Righteous, the True followers and believers who keep His words, that can take part in communion with the Master and who can be accounted worthy of His Kingdom.

We will not get to finishing our discussion on these verses below nor to the last point regarding the trees as we present below the nativity story from the Gospel of Matthew.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose……there were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:1-2, 4).

• Last we have the trees; “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil“.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying , Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying , Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene” (Mattew 1:18-2-23)

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 repeat here again a saying that is from the Bhagavad Gita and which goes well with our topic over the last several days. Today we see the God Within us as the Christ Within and this is good in the Christian world and this is True based upon our understanding of the Christ as the manifestation of God. We should see that it matters not what we call this Inner Man as it is the same in ALL, it is the Soul.

Thou carriest within thee a sublime Friend whom thou knowest not. For God dwells in the inner part of every man, but few know how to find Him. The man who sacrifices his desires and his works to the Beings from whom the principles of everything stem, and by whom the Universe was formed, through this sacrifice attains perfection. For one who finds his happiness and joy within himself, and also his wisdom within himself is one with God. And, mark well, the soul which has found God is freed from rebirth and death, from old age and pain, and drinks the water of Immortality.—Bhagavad-Gita

It is difficult to tell just what verses of the Bhagavad Gita the above is from; whether it is a paraphrase or a combination. It is from the book “The Great Initiates” by Édouard Schuré which was originally published in French in 1889 and perhaps it is in the translation of the verses that they become hard to recognize. However, the sheer beauty of the presentation caught my attention and so I share it with you. The Path to the Kingdom is the same no matter what religion one professes.

• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888.