ON LOVE; PART DCLXI
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “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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WHAT THEN IS 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.
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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
In the last essay we continued with our discussion on Love which IS for us the single largest factor in understanding and finding one’s True spiritual reality and which IS at the same time a most misunderstood concept in the lives of men. There ARE NOT many ways to view this Love which the Master teaches us in the Great Commandments and the Golden Rule which we have at the head of our essay again today, The reality of this Love IS NOT found in the emotional and mental attractions and attachments that one has or seeks in the world. The Love of which we speak and which the Master teaches us IS offered to us in common language in the answer to the question above of WHAT THEN IS LOVE and we should understand that this answer IS a basic and fundamental view of a much more complex undertaking. And we should remember as well that this answer IS a part of the Webster’s definition from their 1828 entry for the allied word Charity. Here we should remember as well that in the King James Version of the New Testament, the same Greek word, agape, that IS rendered as Love IS also rendered as Charity.
In Webster’s definition of Charity 1 we have the better idea of what IS this Love of which the Master speaks and we should see here that there IS NO selection involved in these words….they are intended for ALL men as the theological sense above confirms in that simple statement that Charity IS ‘universal good will to men’. This IS the reality of the Love that the Master teaches and it IS in the idea of GoodWill that much of the Truth of Love resides. We have defined GoodWill as ‘Love in action’ and this IS simply the activity of the’ universal good will to men’ as practiced by the man in the world. In this sense we can see a correspondence between GoodWill and the New Testament idea of mercy as we have discussed it over the course of our posts and to this we should add that other New Testament idea of grace. The idea of mercy IS a misplaced understanding and while the word in English may mean what the lexicon shows us, the idea of the Greek work eleos IS NOT intended to be that same definition and in this we have a picture of the problem of understanding the intent of these words; Love, Charity, mercy and grace.
The idea of mercy as it IS used in the New Testament IS a rather nebulous one as ARE many of ideas as they are interpreted or uninterpreted by scripture; in using nebulous we refer to the idea that many words and ideas are presented in a: hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused way which IS the first definition from our dictionary while the secondary meaning is similarly stated as: cloudy or cloudlike 7 which we see in our terms as obnubilated or as illusory. We discuss this word mercy in some detail in In the Words of Jesus parts 1008-1009 as part of our discussion on the idea from James: that the Wisdom from above IS “full of mercy and good fruits” (James 3:17). In this discussion we cite a part another previous discussion of this word from In the Words of Jesus parts 932-933 which we repeat here again as this IS become our view of the reality of this word whenever it IS used away from the context of helping the poor and the downtrodden. We say in part: The Master’s uses word mercy, which IS rendered from the Greek word eleos 2, and there IS NOT a valid understanding of the depth of this word which should be seen akin to that Love that the Master teaches, as the implementation of it. It is rendered by some translators as compassion and while this IS a good understanding, it still does not find the depth of the Master’s intent. In the saying by Hosea which the Master repeats here, the word is rendered from the Hebrew checed which the lexicon tells us is also rendered as mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, goodness, kindly, merciful, favour, good, and goodliness 2* from the positive side. It IS this idea of checed that the Master is expressing in this saying and perhaps in the idea of lovingkindness we can find a truer meaning; as the way that the man in the world should act toward others. Here we can see our understanding of GoodWill. Some believe that this mercy is to be offered to the miserable and the afflicted as we read from Vincent where among other more doctrinal ideas he says: Mercy is kindness and goodwill toward the miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to relieve them 4. From our perspective this IS NOT the meaning of this word, especially in this instance.
We should try to see here that as GoodWill IS Love in action, so mercy IS the expression of the reality of Love to others. There IS NO other right way to understand this based upon its usage in scripture. Above we reference a saying by the Prophet Hosea and here we should understand that the Master IS repeating the prophets words and that these are understood very differently in the Old Testament translation. The prophet’s words ARE “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6) and here we can understand the desire by God as offered by the prophet IS that men would express the Love we see in the commandments and that this expression IS mercy. We should try to see as well that it IS because this idea IS NOT understood that the Master must speak of this to the Pharisees saying: “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” and then again that “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matthew 9:13, 12:7). We should note from these sayings that the Pharisees and the other rulers of the Jews DO NOT understand the meaning of Hosea’s words from God and we see this in both their continuation of the rituals of sacrifice and “burnt offerings” and in their continued lack of mercy as the expression of Love. There IS NO room in any of these sayings for the ideas of doctrine nor of the common Christian understanding of this word mercy; there IS NO restriction to the poor nor to the downtrodden.
It IS interesting to note that some doctrine and some commentators defend their doctrinal ideas of mercy and how that they DO NOT see the reality of the use of this world by the prophet nor by the Master. For us the simple reality IS the Truth of Love, that the Jews and their religious rulers should have been emphasizing the Love that can be found throughout the Law. Although hidden in the obscurity of the overall Torah, the Truth was presented in the same misunderstood and misapplied words that we still struggle with today: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself“. In the Old Testament presentation of this idea, the notion of the punishment and of sacrifice should have been seen in their True light; that if a man and the nation could live in this Love, ALL other aspects of the Law become a reflection of the Truth of Love. Here, if one finds a another who breaks the law and who ‘deserves’ the stoning or the ostracization that IS prescribed by the law, the higher law of Love should prevail and inherent in this law IS the understanding of the erroneous way of the offender. This IS the mercy that IS preferred over the sacrifice and this IS the “knowledge of God” that is preferred over the “burnt offerings” and we should try to see here the force of the prophet’s argument, that this IS intended to place this idea of mercy at the forefront of their thoughts. Jesus DOES NOT debate these words but simply tells the Jews that they are unclear in their thinking and that it IS the Love and its expression as mercy that must be the prevailing way of Life over the price paid in the worn out rituals of sacrifice.
And the Master speaks much against these ways of ritual in the Jewish community and does so in comparison to what should have been seen by the religious leaders as the higher Truth. We can read this in His saying to them: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment , mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23). We should see the point here and we should understand that the elevation of the Great Commandments to their status as Great sets the tone for these ideas of mercy over the rule of the law as in mercy, much the same as in Love, ALL else IS considered. Had these ideas of Love and mercy been understood as intended, the Master would NOT have had to intercede as the Jews sought to stone the woman according to the law; in Love and its expression as mercy, forgiveness and understanding would rule. This IS the same Truth that we presented in the last essay as we discussed the Apostle Paul’s words that show us that ALL of the law is reconciled in Love and we should understand that this was NOT a new thing albeit may have been a new realization for many. The Master paints the reality of this in very personal terms as we read in the story of the woman and those who would stone her:
“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, hey say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:3-11).
In this interaction between Jesus and the religious rulers we find several things to consider regarding these ideas of Love and mercy. First there IS the application of the reality of Love thy neighbor and the understanding that he IS NOT any different than the one who is accusing and threatening to stone. Second we find the reality of these same words as they relate to the Golden Rule, as Loving others as one Love himself, and then according to ALL what he would accord to himself. Here we have the dual ideas of being allowed to err as we would want such allowance and then in the idea of punishment and of inflicting that on one when we would NOT want the inflicted upon us. This dynamic may not work in ALL offenses but in adultery, which IS a most misunderstood idea to begin with, there is the consenting relationship of two adults and, while this may be morally wrong, morals ARE a private affair with which most men DO have issues. Can we reflect here on the words of the Master concerning the Truth of adultery as He says: “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” (Matthew 5:27-28). We should try to see that his IS NOT a new precept that the Master is offering, it IS rather an enhancement over the Jewish traditions as interpretations of scripture.
Finally, we should see that the Master IS invoking mercy from the assembled crowd and the scribes and Pharisees, He is invoking a sense of understanding and forgiveness from men who may NOT even KNOW that they are giving such because of the way that this IS presented by Jesus. For each of the men who went out from that place without throwing their stone, there is per force some thought regarding their motivations and their actions and the realization of their error and, perhaps for some, this conviction carries forward into the rest of their lives. But we KNOW that this IS NOT taken effect universally in the world nor has this taken hold in the church for the most part as history will clearly show us. This story IS, like the Golden Rule that it embodies, become but an admirable saying and not the matter of Life and death that it Truly IS. This IS mercy and this IS the understanding and the forgiveness that mercy brings out in the Life of the man who so expresses the Love that IS God.
There IS an intimate relationship between ALL of these words and the ideas that they bring to mind; mercy as the expression of Love IS the foundation of understanding and of forgiveness. As Love IS to be offered universally to ALL men and without reservation so mercy IS its working out in the hearts and minds of men; we have Love for ALL an we show mercy to ALL and encapsulated in this IS the forgiveness and the understanding; and we should KNOW that without these Love DOES NOT exist. It IS unfortunate that the Greek word eleos IS rendered as the English mercy or, rather, it is unfortunate that the English word IS defined the way that it IS in doctrinal understanding. As we have discussed in the previous posts on this subject, the secular definitions are closer to the reality of the scriptural intent than are are ideas from the lexicon and from our commentator sources as we see above from Vincent. Our own understanding here IS founded in our understanding of the Truth of Love, that Love IS the expression of GoodWill and that GoodWill is a man’s own will to DO Good to ALL others. It IS this DOING Good that IS mercy and it IS within this idea of mercy that we find the reality of forgiveness and understanding which ARE the necessary components to the Love that the Master teaches us in the Great Commandments and the Golden Rule.
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.
This Quote of the Day is the antithesis of glamour and illusion. In this mantram are the thoughts about ourselves and our brothers in the world that can diffuse those forces that hold a man in the world of things and prevent his spiritual progress.
Mantram of Unification
The sons of men are one and I am one with them.
I seek to love, not hate;
I seek to serve and not exact due service;
I seek to heal, not hurt.
Let pain bring due reward of light and love.
Let the Soul control the outer form, and life and all events,
And bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time.
Let vision come and insight.
Let the future stand revealed.
Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone.
Let love prevail.
Let all men love.
The Mantram of Unification is a meditation and a prayer that at first affirms the unity of all men and the Brotherhood of Man based on the Fatherhood of God. The first stanza sets forth several truly Christian ideals in Unity, Love, Service and Healing. The second stanza is a invocation to the Lord and to our own Souls asking that from the pain (if there can truly be any) incurred in focusing on the Spirit and not the world will come Light and Love into our lives and that we begin to function as Souls through our conscious personalities. We ask that the spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes and also that the Love that we bring forth, individually and as a world group, can be seen by all and ultimately in all. Finally, in the last stanza we ask for those things that are needed for Love to abound. Vision and insight so that we can direct our attention properly; revelation of the future in the sense that all can see the Power of Love in the world; inner union so that we do not fall back into the world’s ways, that we faint not; and that a sense of separation, the antithesis of brotherhood, ends as we know it today. Let Love Prevail, Let All Men Love.spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 2* Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
- 7 Dictionary.com Unabridged based on Random House Dictionary – 2011
