ON LOVE; PART DCVIII
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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).
What then IS the Truth of the hypocrisy that James speaks of in his saying that there IS no hypocrisy in the Wisdom from above? In the last essay we seemingly deviated from our subject, Wisdom from above as James portrays it for us in a list of the attributes of such Wisdom and where “without hypocrisy” IS the last attribute, but in reality we DID NOT deviate at ALL. This idea of hypocrisy is much broader than the simple definitions of saying one thing and doing another; it reaches to ALL aspects of one’s spiritual Life as well and it IS here that it takes on the more important role. In carnal living hypocrisy IS expected; it IS human nature as we can easily see in looking out at the world and in looking inward at our own lives as well. Who IS there that does not hold close some thoughts, attitudes and actions that one partakes in, which at the same he time speaks against or denies. On the spiritual side there IS a great difference as the standard IS set in the words of the Master and ALL who portend to keep His words, by word, by reputation, by position or by any means, and who DO NOT are hypocrites.
And the Truth of hypocrisy IS yet greater as most of the hypocritical thoughts, attitudes and actions of men ARE NOT even realized by the man who is encumbered by the illusion and the glamour and who believes that what it IS that he may think IS True. Two posts back we discussed the plight of the Pharisee and the scribe and the other rulers of the Jews whom the Master rails against regarding hypocrisy; here we noted that these men DO NOT believe that they are hypocrites because the standard of measure that they use IS their traditions and their doctrines instead of the Truth of the word of God. They promoted their way as the Truth and they believed it to be so; here we should look at the Life of the Apostle Paul who was a Pharisee and who believed and did according to these traditions and doctrines. We read Paul’s words from two places in the Book of Acts:
“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God” (Acts 23:6-9).
“My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests” (Acts 26:4-12).
In the first citation above we have Paul’s admission that he IS a Pharisee and we see this in the context of his desire to cause division between the Pharisee and the Sadducee. In this scene the apostle is being held before a council of the Jews for his alleged crimes. There are two points; first that Paul is Pharisee, a man who believed and acted in this position until his crime of seeing the Truth of the words of the Master; he acted according to the traditions and the doctrines that he had learned, he taught them as the Truth of the word of God and did so while KNOWING the actual words of scripture; he held the traditions and the doctrines in higher regard. In this Paul IS a hypocrite, teaching the doctrines and the traditions above the Truth; at the same time however the apostle DOES NOT KNOW that he IS DOING so as he only KNOWS the teachings of his doctrines and traditions. Paul IS blinded by the illusion and the glamour and it IS ONLY when he is Truly blinded in his encounter with his vision of Truth, that he IS able to see. The second point here IS the more carnal hypocrisy of the Pharisees who are among those who had caused Paul’s arrest for defying the traditions and the doctrines of the Jews. Here they come to take his part at they see the greater victory for themselves in their struggle against the Sadducees who believed differently.
In the second part above from the Book of Acts we have the more complete story of the apostle as he testifies of how much a Pharisee he was and how that this was his Life which he lived zealously as an ardent foe of the New Way of the Christ. Here again we have the Pharisee who so believes that he has the Truth that he contributes to the imprisonment and death of those who disagree. This IS the plight of most all of the Pharisees, that they Truly believe the doctrines and the traditions over the Truth to which they are blinded; they ARE blinded by these very doctrines which supplanted the Truth in favor of the more carnal ways. These men DO NOT KNOW that they are hypocrites until they are told such by the Master and then, as men in the world, they deny the charge and condemn the messenger. And the same IS yet True today as there are many millions who see their doctrines as Truth in ALL religions, sects, cults and denominations; none Truly escape this human failing. And this failing IS simple; that men prefer the ways of the world and that they work their doctrines to protect such ways; they are deluded by the illusion and the glamour, the vanity of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Romans which we read as “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same….” (Romans 8:20). As we KNOW the Him that has subjected men IS God and this IS His Plan.
And so we repeat our charge that on the spiritual side there IS a great difference in the role of hypocrisy as the standard IS set in the words of the Master and ALL who portend to keep His words, by word, by reputation, by position or by any means, and who DO NOT are hypocrites. There ARE few who realize this and there ARE few who will admit to it; and this IS of course a part of the overall idea of hypocrisy. The Apostle John writes in that disputed part of the third chapter of his gospel that: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:19-21). While we DO NOT KNOW that for certain that these are the Master’s words or John’s, the Truth of these sayings IS the same; in them we should see the reality of human nature, the carnal nature of the man in the world. In this IS the essence of hypocrisy from a spiritual perspective; here IS the reality of men who see “that light is come into the world” but who CAN NOT accept the restrictions that this Light puts upon their way of Life. It IS in this light that the Jews created doctrines that feigned keeping the laws of Moses; it IS in this light that the Truth of the Master’s words and His deeds were set aside by the Jews who saw them as an affront to their way of Life and it IS in this light that Christian doctrines were established in the early days of the church by men whose interests remained in their own way of Life in the world.
This latter part continues to this day and this same IS likely True in every religion where men may like the idea of God and being Godly but DO NOT see clearly the price of being so. We must add here again that this IS human nature and that this IS fed by the illusion and the glamour of Life in the world and, more so, that this IS caused by that vanity to which mankind IS subjected to by the Plan of God. It IS this hypocrisy that keeps men’s focus upon those things that they deem as important and which cause them to find clever ways around the reality of the words of the Master and His apostles. We can see in the words from John’s Gospel above a great reality and a great Truth. If the Master IS that Light and His words are the way to that Light, then ALL that IS contrary to His words IS done in darkness, in the shadows of the ways of men, of their traditions and their doctrines and whatsoever ways they may invent to explain to themselves how this darkness IS Light. One need only look at the darkness of slavery and repression, the darkness of wars and conquest, the darkness of self-centered and self-absorbed living, most any of the ways of men in the world, to see the reality of this idea.
There IS a great spiritual responsibility in NOT being hypocritical, a responsibility that far exceeds the carnal ideas for this word. Spiritual hypocrisy IS ALL thoughts, attitudes and actions that are at variance to the Truth of the Master’s words and to understand this idea one must be willing to look deeply within himself and at what he believes against what IS Truly the intent of His words and not the pronouncements of the doctrines of men. It IS only when the Truth of the Master’s words can supplant the doctrines of the world of men that one has come to believe; it IS only when one can see the ultimate reality of Love and of GoodWill as the Master teaches over one’s more inherent feelings about one’s neighbor and brother; it IS only when one sees that the idea of salvation IS NOT found in shortcuts of ritual and affirmation but IS only afforded to the man who keeps His word, that a man can recognize his own spiritual hypocrisy and change. This IS the essence of Repentance. And this IS a difficult task, a task that may not be completed in one’s Lifetime; this IS a task however that requires a start, an effort to change, and then that the man who desires the Kingdom should strive. The Master tells us to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24) and we should understand here that the key requisite to one’s entry IS that he strive….Truly strive.
The Buddha offers us some words on this idea of striving from a different perspective and from which we should see that the man who DOES so must look past the world and NOT toward it; he must look away from those things that are darkness and that he may have called light; we read: Do not live in the world, In distraction and false dreams. Outside the dharma. Arise and watch. Follow the way joyfully through this world and beyond. Follow the way of virtue. Follow the way joyfully Through this world and on beyond! For consider the world – A bubble, a mirage. See the world as it is, And death shall overlook you. Come, consider the world, A painted chariot for kings, A trap for fools. But he who sees goes free. As the moon slips from behind a cloud And shines, So the master comes out from behind his ignorance And shines. The world is in darkness. How few have eyes to see! How few the birds who escape the net and fly to heaven! (Dhammapada; on The World).
The Buddha offers us the same message here as the Master and as James, a message of the inherent illusion and glamour in the world and man’s attraction to these illusory things is at the heart of his tendency towards hypocrisy from a spiritual perspective. It IS when a man can see the world as the mirage that it Truly IS that he can begin to take control of his own Life. And we should not be fooled here by words; the world IS real, it DOES exist in the reality of time and space. It IS what a man makes of the world that represents the mirage as he comes to believe that his Life in the world IS his True Life and then goes to great lengths to protect it and to make it comfortable and profitable for himself and those that he may hold dear. This IS the trap and it IS in this trap that men create a cover of darkness and call it light, it IS in this trap that men create the doctrines and the traditions by which the believe that they are saved but which are contrary to what seems to be the more difficult doctrine of Truth. This IS a difficult message for a man to accept and it IS in this difficulty that it became easier to put the Master to death than to hear his Truths which must have resonated in the minds of at least some of the rulers of the day; and in this we can see the the True and the potential results of hypocrisy.
And this brings us back to James’ words on the Wisdom from above where we read that such Wisdom IS “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Here we should see this hypocrisy as it IS intended, from a spiritual perspective. The whole of this saying IS in regard to what IS from God and there IS NO thing carnal from God; and, if there IS carnal hypocrisy in the thought or the revelation that comes to a man, for sure this would NOT be from above. Of course it makes little sense to see this carnal hypocrisy in a thought that one would think IS from God but even if there were, this would fall into the reality of the picture of spiritual hypocrisy that we have painted. It would be a thought or a revelation that IS at variance with the word of God and the teaching of the Master and this certainly IS NOT Wisdom from above. We should try to see one more thing here; if there IS a thought that one believes IS that Wisdom from above which IS contrary to the word of God, it IS most assuredly for the benefit of the self in the world.
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.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)
This is called by some of the church the Great Commission and so it is. It is however hardly understood and at times grossly misapplied. Somewhere in the centuries that have passed since the Master left us we have come to think that the meaning of this is just to preach the word through any particular doctrine and baptize according to any particular belief. Vincent tells us that the word translated as teach here should be seen as make disciples of 4 and the lexicon bears this out. There is nowhere in scripture an actual defining understanding of the concept of baptism and we generally think of it as the immersion into or the pouring on of water and that somehow this clears us of sin. This is but an outward sign however of real spiritual undertaking by the conscious man and it is only when a man is ready to commit to the Master that a baptism can be considered real. We will leave this as the Quote of the Day for a few days and try to find in it some true meaning. Keeping in mind our four points, we should ponder on this.
The Master is speaking to disciples and not the multitudes and these are those that do believe on Him and follow Him and keep His words. Hard sayings for man in the world but claimed by many nonetheless. There IS a reality in the idea that the disciple should be “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” which IS His words that ARE to be kept and in this light we add these ideas from the Buddha: “Love yourself and watch – today, tomorrow, always. First establish yourself in the way, Then teach, and so defeat sorrow. To straighten the crooked you must first do a harder thing – straighten yourself” (Dhammapada; on Yourself)5.
