What did HE say? (continued)
Thoughts on The Sermon (Part 13)
We are coming to the close of the Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Saint Matthew. It is my hope that you have gotten as much from his words as a reader as I did as the writer of this commentary. You should be able to see from my writing on this subject that I believe that it is in His words that we find our Salvation and our Joy; that it is in Jesus teachings in this Sermon that the way to the Kingdom of God is seen. We are now on part 49 of In the Words of Jesus and though we have covered much there is still so much more to discuss. After ending this part on Matthew we will touch a bit on the corresponding chapters from the Gospel of Luke and whatever related comments are scattered through the rest of His word. From there it is as yet unknown.
Much that Jesus said can be interpreted in more than one way and in some of His sayings there is a higher spiritual correspondence as well as a more practical everyday application. It is also true that each reader of His words sees them according to his own make-up, emotional and mental, as well as his experience, education and his stage in life. We all should agree that His words are a fountain of Life and a Path toward our goal of His Presence. I have heard and continue to hear differing interpretations of His words in this Sermon by different preachers and teachers. Some examples:
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A popular Christian pastor who believes that when Jesus says “when you fast” that He is telling us that we must fast as we must give alms and we must pray. Now I don’t see it this way; I see it more as Him using when as we would use if but this pastor believes that He is by this statement commanding us to fast. He has his entire church, several thousands of people, participate in a 21 day fast every year.
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Another minister writes that would fast and not tell anyone, not even his wife, because of his interpretation of Jesus words “appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret“. One would think that in this level of secrecy may be harder than the fast itself.
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Another pastor puts the Catholic practice of saying the Rosary into the classification of “vain repetitions” which the Master told us not to use. Again, I don’t agree with this because vain is meant to refer to our individual use of prayer; in sincerity there is no vanity. This pastor however teaches this from his pulpit. If fact, there are ‘Christian’ anti Catholic web resources that make this same claim and some of them are downright nasty and I should add very UN-Christian.
The above are meant as an examples of how each of us can read the same words and see something totally different. This is however a part of being human and is part of Jesus caution on hearing and listening and understanding. I don’t say here that any of the persons in the examples are right or that I am right but I do say that we are different and who is to say that what I understand from His word is any better or worse that what you understand. In the writings of John we find this: “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27). These words are written to caution the reader against those that may try to seduce you into believing a thing. They should say to all of us that we need to listen to our own heart and understand that our hearts and minds are a reflection of not only where we put our attention as we have said in several posts but they also reflect the nature of that filter through which the Light from withing and above passes as it comes into our everyday consciousness. No matter how clear the anointing may be it must be processed by our hearts and minds, our personalities, and if this is muddy and unclear, self serving or self righteous or filled with prejudice and hatreds, the result of that anointing will be muddy and unclear as well.
Such is the state of us Spirits in form; we must not only attend to the Light from within and above but we must let it clarify our natures for in His word we know there is room for nothing but Love and we must renew our minds constantly to root out all else.
Now Jesus closes His teaching in this Sermon on the Mount with a parable in which he likens the DOER of His word to the WISE. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27). This is so clear and so straightforward.
Technically Jesus is talking only about the contents of the Sermon He just delivered when He refers to “these sayings of mine” but this we can extrapolate and include all His sayings. We don’t know if what we read is the whole Sermon or if it is just what Matthew thought were the highlights or the important parts; we don’t know either if His teaching took a couple of hours or if it went on all day. So what are His sayings? First there were the Beatitudes; a collection of blessings and rewards for having certain virtues and we should see in their presentation that the virtues that He speaks of are those that we should have. He tells us to be merciful, to be pure in heart, and to be peacemakers among other things. He then tells us to use what gifts or virtues we may have and not to let them lose their savor through neglect; He tells us also to let our Lights shine before men in good works. Do we do these things? then we are wise.
Next we are told not to break even the least of the commandments but to do them and to teach others to do them as well and except we do better than the Pharisees in this that we will not enter into the Kingdom. He teaches us not to be angry with another and to go to any lengths to rectify all problems with each other and quickly. He tells us not to lust after another person, not to commit adultery and not to divorce except for the right reason. He teaches us not to make oaths but to be truthful in all we do and say so that our word can be our bond. Do we keep these words of the Master? then we are wise.
The Master then teaches us to “resist not evil“, to give it no power over us saying that we must turn the other cheek, give more than is demanded, and lend freely. He teaches us also that we must Love our enemies and pray for them that are against or use us so as to be children of the Father and to become perfect even as the Father is perfect. Do we do these things? then we are wise.
Jesus teaches us not to give alms or pray or fast for any self-serving reason but to do these things in secret and treat them as acts that are between us and the Father alone. And He teaches us how to pray and gives us words to use and a form to follow which is simple, straightforward and not selfish in any way. And He tells us that in our prayer we must forgive all. He gives us practical instructions on attaining the Kingdom by letting the things of the Kingdom become important to us and not the things of the world; He tells us also that we must choose whom to serve, God or mammon, because we cannot serve both and by His example and teaching He tells us we should serve God. Do we keep these words of the Master? then we are wise.
He tells us not to be anxious or to worry or to even give thought to the necessities of this life but to focus on the Kingdom of God and to seek that and His righteousness only. He tells us not to judge others and not to see anothers faults to the exclusion of ours but that we should correct our own faults first. He gives us the Golden Rule to live by and tells us that we need to seek Him and to ask His blessings and to knock on the door to the Kingdom. He tells us to use His sayings to allow us to enter in at the strait gate to the Kingdom and not to be waylaid by the world and miss it. Do we do these things? then we are wise.
The Master cautions us on who and what to hear and how to measure what is said and done by those who profess to know the way. He tells us in finality that the way to the Kingdom is to “doeth the will of my Father” and then, through this parable that follows, tells us that anyone doing the Father’s will is the same as one that “heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them”.
This is the Sermon on the Mount. A collection of sayings by the Master that lead to Life in the Kingdom of God. His ending is appropriate. He asks the question and gives the answer. Are we wise or are we fools.
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.
May the Power of the One True God flow through His group of all true servers; May the Love of the Christ characterize the lives of all who seek to aid in His work; May I fulfill my part in the one work through self-forgetfulness, harmlessness and right speech (Evening Reflection)Today’s Quote of the Day is a prayer for the Power of God to be made available to all who seek to serve Him; in this Power is the Wisdom, the Understanding and the personal strength that we need to properly serve the Lord. It is a prayer also that asks that all who serve the Lord be imbued with His Love, Christ’ Love, which defines the truth of our service to Him. And it is a prayer that, on a personal level, reminds us of our responsibilities in service which are summarized in the three words: self-forgetfulness, harmlessness and right speech.
This meditation has been added to the ‘Prayers and Metitation’ section on the right side-bar. There is additional source information as well as a better commentary.
