What did HE say? (continued)
Thoughts on The Sermon (Part 4)
We have made it through Jesus’ lessons on righteousness, anger, forgiveness and reconciliation, compromise, adultery and a way of self control that talks of harsh amputations but which should really be seen as symbolic for controlling and renewing one’s mind. We probably have the idea now that this is all very difficult. When viewed through the eyes of a man grounded in the ways of the world; entranced by the pursuit of the pleasures of life, or content to walk out the rest of life in ignorance of the Great Truth, this is all very difficult. It could be said that what follows is even more so. For the man who has glimpsed the Light however this is not so difficult at all. To the contrary, as we seek and gain more light there are removed from us some of the burdens of everyday life and given to us a fuller understanding that there is a way out of the morass of pain and suffering. Out from the sorrow and the temporal happiness that we think we have in fulfilling the wiles if the flesh.
In all things there are gradations and levels of experience and so it is with the three gates of hell as the Bhagavad Gita calls them; lust, anger and greed. These can control one’s life in a infinite number of ways and combinations and each degree of power and combination helps to define a man’s personality as it exists now. From slight to gross in each of these vices, as well as in each of the virtues that we may have, is the range of possibilities for the man in form, for the personality. Vices and virtues are in so many ways what makes a man what he is to others. The Buddha, whose teachings came to mankind about 500 years before Christ, had this to say:
Do not make light of your failings,
Saying, “What are they to me?”
A jug fills drop by drop.
So the fool becomes brimful of folly.
Do not belittle your virtues,
Saying, “They are nothing.”
A jug fills drop by drop.
So the wise man becomes brimful of virtue. *◊
Ponder on this.
Our focus in these posts on the ability of man to focus on those things that are higher or those things that are lower is, in many ways, showing a glimpse of the narrow path, the strait gate that leads to the Kingdom of God. On that path there is more clarity because we see the Light more clearly and like anything else, good or bad, the more we are involved in doing, the easier it becomes. The Master tells us the importance of seeking the Kingdom throughout His teaching and His teaching on seeking the higher versus the lower is most profound in this parable: “….the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21). I offer no interpretation here except that this man focused on worldly things and the eventual question for all of us will always be: “then whose shall those things be”.
Continuing with our theme on Jesus’ Sermon we now come to another difficult teaching for the church. Except for the Catholics, who may take this too far in their doctrine, there is no real emphasis by most of the church on the problem of divorce. We may think we have this covered by our grace through faith doctrines but there is still a reality to the teaching of the Christ. These are His words on this: “It hath been said , Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:31-32). Now we should see here that His words are not condemning to the person who divorces his wife but they put the emphasis on what happens to the wife. She is caused to commit adultery and whoever marries her as well. He is saying here that we should not put this blight on another; especially one that we, in today’s society, have committed to love and to cherish. The teaching on divorce is different in other gospels however. He says it this way when addressing a direct question from the Pharisees regarding Moses’ law: “for the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her” (Mark 10:5-11). Here He says that divorce was never the intended end but that the ways of man made it so. He is also saying that in the eyes of the Lord once married, always married and if a man should marry again that he commits adultery. One must remember here also that to be married in Jesus’ day and before was much different. Scripture reveals that merely having a sexual encounter could effectively be taking a wife in marriage.
Now so there is no misunderstanding the scriptural idea of marriage, in the Gospel of Luke Jesus gives an unsolicited one line statement in a dialogue about the law.”Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery” (Luke 16:18). From all this we should see that the intent of marriage is to be forever in this life and that it is in the remarrying that the offense of adultery is committed. So what of the millions and millions of divorced men and women? This is a difficult position that all these people are adulterers and that, even in the forgiveness of the doctrine of faith through grace they continue to sin in new marriages; and without repentance!
This is all black and white according to the law and Jesus did say that He did not come to end that law. And, His teaching is rather clear. That this is not followed by all is no different that the other laws that are not followed. However, when we are in the Light, when we know the right and the wrong of the Kingdom of God, when we understand the value and the potency of Love, when we dwell in His Presence and are truly Born Again, these matters of divorce and adultery will not, cannot effect us. It all may be wrong but until we find and follow the Light of Christ breaking these moral laws is the same as acting on any of the other vices that may appear in the world. The Apostle Paul says that unless one knows that there is a law that he cannot be guilty of breaking it and that once you know the guilt will come (see Romans 7). This is true but it is also true that until a man comes into the Light of the Love of God and sets about to do His work he is living in this carnal world and living just that way. So our care must be to know that once we see the Light and choose to follow it that we refrain from the carnal things of the world; that we “….put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24) as the Apostle Paul says it.
Jesus teaching is simply not to sin but to set our hearts on the Kingdom of God and to strive to enter in at the strait gate. To strive is to make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard*.
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.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesian 6:13-17) In today’s Quote of the Day we have in the Apostle’s words a way for us to enter into His Kingdom and to stay there through our wearing daily Truth, Righteousness, Peace, and Faith. With this we know our Salvation and protect it with the only offensive part of this armour which is His Word.
- *◊ The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
- * Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913
