ON LOVE; PART DXXXIII
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
In the last essay be began our look at the Master’s words from the Sermon on the Mount regarding adultery and the equivalent sin of the man who “looketh on a woman to lust after her“. Now the Master does not say outright that these are equivalent but by the tenor of his words and the subsequent idea of the eye which looketh and the hand which actually partakes in the act should confirm Jesus’ intent. Then, when we look at this in relationship to the previous thought that anger IS largely the same as killing, not only because it can lead a man to kill but because anger IS an affliction of the heart, the consciousness, as IS the lusting, we should be able to discern that these ideas are not limited in scope to these particular offenses. We noted in the last post as well the these ideas thus far presented can appeal to men on multiple levels and that the basic thoughts are clear; that anger and killing, and adultery and lusting, are the same in a spiritual sense even though they ARE NOT nearly equal in a carnal sense where men CAN think and feel as they like but that they CAN NOT DO. On a spiritual level, for those who CAN see deeper into the Master’s intent, a man can understand that these ideas, the doing and the contemplating of doing or anger, ARE equal and that it IS the heart that must be changed and not merely refraining from the action as in this contemplation and anger one’s focus IS surly fixed upon the self and the things of the self in the world. This focus IS itself the sin.
We also noted in the last post that these ideas of killing and anger, and adultery and lusting, ARE but examples of the thoughts and attitudes of men and their actions; that the same ideas can be presented in stealing and in any non lethal retribution resulting in anger. We left off yesterday with the ideas of John Gill as he represents Christian doctrine and we see that in the idea of adultery he maintains that it IS this act only that is meant by the Master; for us this is a shortsighted approach that is based in understanding His words in an all too literal way which distorts Jesus’ parabolic sayings and which at the same time looks past those other sayings that ARE clear as day. Mr. Gill also see these ideas of the eye and the hand as those things that ensnare one’s heart and in this we see quite the contrary; we see that it IS the consciousness, the heart of the man in the world, that moves the eye and the hand to do such things and to do so through the facilities of the mind and emotions, the personality in the world. We should understand here that in some strange way it is the personality in the world that feeds the consciousness, the heart, its daily dose of worldliness as the consciousness IS in constant contact with the personality; this changes ONLY as the man begins to focus upon the Truly Inner pulse of the Soul with which the consciousness IS also in contact. Here we have the reality of focus and of attention and of what the Master calls for us the “treasure of the heart” (Matthew 6:21) which IS also a part of this great Sermon. Repeating the Master’s words on adultery here for clarity we read:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off , and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:27-30).
Other commentaries take the Master’s words on adultery and extend them to the greater idea of fornication and while this may be True from the idea of the man who “looketh on a woman to lust after her“, we should NOT see the Master equating these idea of fornication and adultery as in the act of adultery there is much greater ‘sin’ to deal with; there IS actual harm to another in the breach of trust and vows. We should understand here that fornication as this is understood IS the actual act of adultery and while in this context it IS firmly wrong, doctrine has stretched this to include most ALL men in the puritanical view that any sex outside of marriage IS sin. Here, from the perspective of sin as focus upon the self and the things of the world, fornication IS sin as it keep a man focused in the self and the desires of the self but this does not measure up to the reality of the more complex nature of adultery. The ideas of cutting off the right hand and plucking out the right eye are played up by some in doctrine but the True inference of the idea of the right side here IS unclear and while it can be seen in some uses as the lexicon tells us, that this Greek word dexios means: metaphorically. a place of honour or authority 2, this idea of place has no apparent relation to the Master’s words here. There IS a natural attraction between the man and the woman in this world and a natural pleasure in sex itself and these are both required for the continuation of the human species; this is also likely one of the most profound fixations of humanity as it absorbs the focus of many. Fornication as a bible word has been taken out of the context in which it was intended and has been laced with the puritanical views of doctrines which account ALL interactions between men and women outside of marriage as ‘sin’ but fail to realize the the sin is in the focus and not in the act itself. In its True sense, this idea of marriage can be see as the result of this fornication as we read in the Old Testament and the Apostle Paul intimates this in His words to the Corinthians saying “know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh” (1 Corinthians 6:16). John Gill tells us in reference to Paul’s words that: shall be one flesh; what is originally said of copulation in lawful marriage, in which man and wife, legally coupled together, become one flesh, is applied to the unlawful copulation of a man with an harlot, by which act they also become one body 8; but he misses the point that when these things were said and written, there was no other definition of marriage except for copulation.
There IS much that can be said in relation to this idea of fornication and how it has wrecked the lives of many in adultery and in the perceptions of it in unwed situations but the reality remains that it IS the focus upon the world that this engenders that IS the Truth of sin. The idea of fornication in an unwed state, is no worse than any other sin that DOES NOT harm another. An example of the idea of focus in this context can be found in Paul’s writings on marriage itself as we read:
“Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. But this I say , brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:27-34).
We should note that the apostle is speaking to “to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2) which we should see as disciples and aspirants, as men whose goal IS the Kingdom and who are striving toward that goal. Our purpose here is simply to show that for the man whose goal IS the Kingdom, having a spouse can only detract from one’s focus on that goal and return it to the world. In this there are several ideas; the first that we see clearly is that the apostles’s that were married left their spouses but in this leaving they DID NOT fornicate and thereby DID NOT break their marriage bond nor vows; this would likely be an alien concept in today’s world. Another idea which IS hidden here is that marriage itself is not Truly different that any other sin as it takes the focus that must be steadfastly upon the things of God and places some part of this on the wife and the relationship itself; in this we should see that discourse between the Apostle Peter and the Lord:
“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” (Mark 10:28-30).
Can we see the ideas presented here? First that fornication itself is the causal factor in marriage as these words are written and that the common understanding is based in doctrines; here, were this idea continued, there would perhaps be a different view on both of these things; that fornication becomes marriage and that further fornication with others IS adultery. Second IS that the idea of marriage itself IS a distraction from the things of God, that is causes the man to focus upon the “the things of the world, how she may please her husband” or “how he may please his wife“. We should also see here that fornication in and of itself, whether one sees this as producing marriage or not, does the same thing as marriage, it places or keeps the focus of the man on the things of the world. Finally, leading into the next saying by the Master, we should see that to leave one’s wife or husband for the Lord is a spiritually progressive idea which IS done by the married apostles, IS accepted by the Lord , and about which He shows great reward. This does not dissolve a marriage save in the event of fornication by either party and here in these next sayings we find that this IS the only way that a marriage should Truly be dissolved; the Master continues His sermon saying:
“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).
Here the Master speaks directly about marriage and the disagreement that He has with doctrines which should never have existed but had been sanctioned by Moses as we read elsewhere in the Master’s words:
“The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away ? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery : and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matthew 19:3-9).
We should see in this exchange that the Pharisees CAN NOT understand the Master’s words regarding divorce and this largely because this was allowed by Moses in ancient times where men were likely no different than they are now in regards to marriage. The Master tells them that divorce was never intended to be so, that the marriage relationship was to be a lasting one that based solely on the intent that the marriage IS until death. Perhaps it IS in the apparent discontent of the married pair that find that they DO NOT get along; perhaps it IS in the wandering eye of the parties that Moses understood as sin and what it DOES eventually lead to that shows Moses that divorce should be allowed; we do not KNOW the Truth here except that Moses allowance is caused by the actions of men. But this DOES NOT make it right and even in the Christian doctrines that purport to follow Jesus’ words, divorce IS allowed by most as well as remarriage and, while some incorporate rules for annulment, this IS largely the same thing as divorce. And the Catholic idea of locking out of the ‘sacraments’ the divorced and remarried persons is shortsighted as this idea of divorce is of no greater sin value than any other offense.
The reality of the Master’s words on this are straightforward and complex and divorce IS against the intent of the Lord as IS adultery which is the only allowable cause for divorce. However, as sin goes this is but another sin and while remarrying becomes a rather continual sin as it goes on day by day, this IS NOT likely the intent of the Master. It IS hard to see the idea of Repentance as regards divorce and remarrying; how does one change this behavior? Does the Repentant man leave his remarried spouse or does this remarriage take on the qualities of an original marriage? There IS no clarity on this save to NOT let the situation arise in the first place but understanding the ideas of Love and Truth as expressed by the Master, there is no locking out and there is only continual sin in the sense of focus upon the things of the world. In this we would think that the newer relationship would continue as the first and the further sin IS found in the harm that the one party of the original relationship inflicted upon the other. Understanding the complexity of these words by the Master and unable to see the deeper meaning which we still DO NOT understand today, the disciples continue this discourse as we read that:
“His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matthew 19:10-12).
The key to right understanding to the complexity of this issue IS likely to be found in the idea that “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given” and perhaps we should see in this the same reality as we read above from Paul. That the man who IS striving toward the Kingdom and the disciple are those who should rightly understand these ideas of marriage and divorce, and of fornication and adultery. Here we can try to see that the man focused in the world IS NOT going to understand nor likely care about these precepts of the Master any more than any other of the commandments; that it IS only when a man decides to change that focus to the things of God that these things have True spiritual value. To this we should add the rather obscure ideas of the eunuch as this idea in its normal sense would ONLY relate to sex; in the Master’s usage here however it most likely has much deeper consequences.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way |
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 a Quote of the Day that we spent much time with over the course of our essays. In this affirmation we find the Truth of discipleship as we have been ever been expressing and here we can relate our themes of the last few days; “take no thought” for the things of the world and that we approach the Kingdom and discipleship in the nature of the little child, in humbleness, meekness, unashamed in any way and unassuming. The message that this imparts for us today IS that it IS the Soul that is at work in the world of men as it expresses to some degree the purpose, power and the will through Life in this world. These words are from a meditation offered to his students by our Tibetan brother and in which we find greater understanding of the message of the Master. This IS Truly the way of the disciple.
My Soul has purpose, power and will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.
My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.
I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love. All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.
My will is one with the great Will of God;. that Holy Will requires that all men serve. And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
