YES, HE is Talking to YOU! (continued)
Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
It is interesting to note that for a large bloc of the Christian world the teaching of the Master on Love that we have been discussing has been consciously supplanted by other doctrinal ideas regarding salvation and redemption and eternal life. Righteousness has been virtually swallowed up by a single saying of the Apostle Paul regarding faith and grace and by a manner of understanding that, as men, we cannot be good enough to earn salvation. It may be true but that we cannot be good enough but the teaching of Jesus implores us to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). These are not idle words yet they do not get the play in the churches that the words of Paul get and perhaps it is because we think of Paul’s words as easier to do. Perhaps the whole of the problem is that people misunderstand the teachings of the Master on righteousness, thinking that none of it matters in this life but only at some judgment at the end of our lives or at the so called end of the world. What Paul says was never meant to supplant the ideas of righteousness in this lifetime nor of doing good works. Both righteousness and good works are evidence of one’s living the spiritual life, striving toward the strait gate as Jesus instructed us and attaining to the Kingdom which we know is within us; that it is not something only to wait for and hope to see at death or at the end. Jesus words are “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) and here we should know that what we do and how we act toward others, which is the overall essence of the gospel message, is important and it is important now.
Returning to our parable from the last post, we have yet to deal with the ending which says: “Jesus saith unto them, Did yenever read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing , and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you , The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:42-44). As we discussed, this ending is found in all of the synoptic gospels as an apparently separate part but here, in the Gospel of Matthew, it is a bit more intertwined. That it is always at the end of the parable seems to tell us there is a relationship which we will now explore. The first part of this saying is from Psalm 118 and it is not clear what the exact reference was by the writer of the Psalm. However, Christ took the saying and used it of Himself thereby showing that what is rejected in Him is of supreme value. In the context of the parable we see that the husbandmen reject all of the promptings of the messengers of God as they have also rejected the Son and, though they know not the value of this stone as the Christ, it will become the chief building block of the future. Similarly we are prompted by our own Inner Man, our own Souls to give of the fruits of this life to the Lord and in rejection we do not see either that this Inner Man is the chief building block of eternal life. And again, the husbandmen of today, the leaders of our societies, do not heed the promptings of those who seek to lead humanity into righteous, loving living and these leaders do not see either that those who seek to lead us right are to become chief building blocks of tomorrow.
This whole parable idea can work in any number of life’s circumstances but let us continue looking at the idea we set forth in the last post and that is Love. We painted the picture yesterday regarding the main part of the parable and the treatment by the selfishness of nations and groups toward those who attempt to correct and set straight the paths of any. In this ending part we can apply the same idea as Jesus applies to Himself; those who attempt to correct are ostracized and demeaned and injured and even jailed by those who resist this correction. In the end however, right triumphs and this person of right and the right itself become the corner stone of a new era. Those who had resisted have their resistance broken by the new right and those who continue to resist are ground down to a meaningless position in defeat. There are many real life examples of this around the world but one that we can all appreciate and likely even remember is in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. A voice of peace and Love and non-violent protest who was ostracized and demeaned by the opposition, injured and jailed and eventually killed. And in his death both he and the ideal became the chief corner stone for the abolishment of racism and racial hatreds. Those who had resisted were broken by the defeat of their philosophy of racism and had to stand idly by as the wave of brotherhood swept by them. Those who continued to resist were, and continue to be, crushed by the new unpopularity of their opinions and their actions. This is the story of the wicked husbandmen in our day and a keen example of the idea of the chief corner stone.
We continue now to another parable called the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Before telling this parable, the Master is discussing with the Apostle Peter the nature of forgiveness based on Peter’s question: “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 19:21-22). Peter’s asking if seven was the right number may be arbitrary or it may be that the Master had used seven as an example as we see in: “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4). Regardless of Peter’s reasoning we should see that the Master is imploring us to be ever forgiving; in His response to Peter He uses 490 times but this should not be considered a limit. In His saying in the Gospel of Luke He says seven times in a day and there is no limit on the days. We should know that forgiveness is open ended and never expiring and Jesus tells us often that forgiveness is needed always. It is tied to our giving, and to our receiving: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15); and “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25) and “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5;23-24). There can be no discounting the importance of forgiveness in the Master’s eyes.
After the discussion with Peter, the Master continues: “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold , and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion , and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out , and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth , and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matthew 18:23-34).
What do we see here? First, although the parable is concerned with debt, the lead into it in the discussion with Peter and the ending say nothing of debt but speak of sin and of trespass and it is in this light that this parable must be taken. Forgiveness is an action of Love and of setting oneself right with our brothers and our Lord. Forgiveness in the parable is also connected to compassion, again a component of Love. Now much can be said of the degree of forgiveness toward the first servant as compared to the degree of forgiveness that this same servant refused to give, and there is a point there, but this is not the idea of the parable as a whole. The king forgave his servant MUCH as we are forgiven much throughout our lives by our Lord and by our own Inner Selves. Before we come to the point of Soul awareness, it is likely that we may have done some things that even we consider unforgivable. Part of the message here is that these things are not unforgivable and there is no reason for any sin or trespass to keep us from the Lord and our own spiritual life. We are never unworthy. We can go easily from sinner to saint through forgiveness of all who have done us any kind of wrong and forgiveness of our selves for the wrongs we have done. This parable says that in accepting forgiveness we must also give it and give it from our hearts. We need to see that in order for our heart, our conscious personality, to truly forgive there needs be a flow of Love and we must heed that prompting coming from above, from our Inner Man. If we cannot forgive others then the Love from within is not flowing through our personality consciousness; if we can forgive others it is a sign that we are spiritually awake.
In this instance it appears that Jesus is speaking only to His disciples and not to the crowds. If this is so, then He is speaking this parable to those that should already be aware of the nature of forgiveness. For them then there is the deeper teaching that the Love and Light from within will cause this nature of forgiveness and that they must be sure that they see this always and not turn again to the wiles of the flesh. This same is true for us today who consider ourselves disciples or aspiring disciples. We must hold fast to the attitude of forgiveness for every thing, for every one and at every time. We can never be offended and must at all times exhibit that Love that the Master tells us that we must have for all. Note the accusation toward the servant who would not forgive: “O thou wicked servant” and note the punishment, the king “delivered him to the tormentors“. Who are our tormentors? If we are in any wise spiritually awakened they our tormentor is our own conscience, that inner voice and to that we will listen. So it should be seen that if we are getting this accusation that we are resisting the Spirit and living in the life of the flesh and in this can be seen torment as well especially in that half way place of trying to serve two masters; the Soul and the flesh.
Forgiveness, compassion and mercy are the three virtues that are contained in this parable. It is about forgiveness, which is given through compassion and through mercy. And all three of these are aspects of Love.
Again we repeat our definition of Love: 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. Plus 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).
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.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. (Proverbs 9:9-10)
In today’s Quote of the Day is a message to all of us. Who is wise and just? If knowledge of the holy is understanding, then our studies in the Word of God should increase our understanding. Our objective should always be to understand more and more what the Master said to us an to apply it in our daily lives.
