IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 1246

ON LOVE; PART DCCCXXXV

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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. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God

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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 discussed our ideas regarding the effects of glamour and illusion on the world of men who DO NOT yet clearly see the dichotomy between the self, and the things of the self, and the things of God to which these ARE opposed. While we DID NOT use the ideas behind this separation in our essay, this has been a topic in the last several essays and in many ways it IS the failure to see and to understand this necessary separation in the thoughts, attitudes and actions of the man in the world that IS both the cause and the result of much of the doctrinal view of Life. Here we should again note that this separation IS the subject of much of the Master’s teachings as He shows us how that our focus should be upon the things of God; it IS this focus upon these things that IS our result as we “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” which idea covers what we gather and what we seek; it IS this focus upon these things of God that IS our result as we make the choice of God through the Master’s saying that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” which idea covers the obedience of a man through the Greek word douleou which should be understood as what force a man obeys…..those of the world and the self or those of the Kingdom of God. It IS this reality that IS ever found in Jesus most factual statement saying “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:20, 24, 21) which idea should show us that whatsoever IS important to a man, whatsoever his focus, will be the content of his heart, of his consciousness in this world.

We could go on to discuss the most pertinent admonishment that the Master offers as He tells us to “take no thought for your life” as this reality IS what becomes the way of Life for the man whose focus IS upon the Lord, and, as we have said in previous essays, this IS the ultimate of faith which IS KNOWING that naught here in this world deserves the attention of the man who Truly seeks God. And we should understand that this idea IS ONLY moderated by the reality of Love as the expression of one’s Life in this world; here we should try to understand that in the intersection of these two ideas, that the looking away from the world and the things of the world IS ONLY in regard to one’s self. As we add these ideas to those from the last essay, those that showed us how that the Master’s words to the Pharisees and the scribes apply to ALL men in ALL generations who hold their sense of doctrine above the most apparent Truths of Jesus words, we should get a clearer picture of the Master’s intent and how far from that objective of focus upon the greater Truths of Life and the Kingdom of God we, as men in this world, ARE.

In this twofold approach to our own sense of Truth we should see how that it IS focus that brings us to the Path and how that continued focus sends us through that strait gate that opens into the Kingdom of God. This IS of course a psychic journey that IS governed by each individual’s own measure of focus upon the Good, the Beautiful and the True…..his focus upon the things of God. And it IS here at this intersection of the Truth of His words and the need to separate ourselves from the ways of men and of the world, that we again come upon the Presence of God as the Way, as the Truth and as the reality of Life; a Presence that IS assumed by many but Truly realized by very few. The reality of His words that tells us most clearly that it IS to the man who Loves the Lord that the Presence of God comes and that this Love requires that men keep His words. We read Jesus’ words again saying:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless:a I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:15-24).

Here, in this more expanded view of the Master’s words, we have both the quid pro quo that exists between our keeping His words and our realization of the Presence of God and the deeper understanding that this Presence IS the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth“…..it IS the Christ and it IS the Father. It IS in the fullness of one’s realization of this Presence, which comes in the fullness of keeping His words, that we find the fullness of discipleship and the reality of the Kingdom of God and it IS perhaps because of this sense of fullness that men have adopted doctrines that show the ‘impossible’ nature of the task, the “impossible’ nature of keeping His words. We saw this sense of impossibility in Mr. Gill’s words which we cited in the last essay, how that his sense of doctrine says, speaking of the injunction to “love thy neighbour as thyself“, that man in his fallen state is unable to do that ⁸ as he goes on to recite the doctrinal ideas that that many presume alleviate men’s responsibility. This should NOT however be our view as we should see that although Jesus’ words ARE stated as that the fullness of keeping His words will bring the fullness of His Presence, there IS the matter of measure and of degree, a measure that IS the found in the Master’s injunction that men “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24), and in His many sayings that show us this sense of degree.

While these ARE stated differently in the synoptic gospels, the better view can be found in Luke’s rendition of the Master’s words which we read as “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have” (Luke 8:18). In this we have the Greek word pos which IS rendered as how and which can be easily seen as: by what means, an alternate King James rendering as we previously discussed or as: in what way ² as the lexicon shows us. It IS in the view of the separation the things of the self and the world versus the things of God that we should understand that there IS a choice of by what means one will hear…..according to the voices of the world and the carnal mind or according to the prompting and the revelations from one’s own Soul which IS the Presence of God in one’s Life. The Apostle Luke’s version of this also gives us the greater meaning for that which “shall be taken” and he includes the idea that IS rendered as “seemeth to have“. It IS to the man whose focus IS upon the Truth, the man who hears the revelations of Truth from His own Soul, who will be given yet more revelation but to the man whose focus IS in the things of the world, even that which he may think that he has “shall be taken“. In this we should try to see that such things of the world, one’s thoughts, attitudes or things, ARE temporal and must be left behind.

Regardless however of the underlying reasons for men’s belief that to DO as the Master instructs and as His apostles amplify and clarify IS NOT possible, there IS no scriptural foundation for this view which comes through rather loudly in some doctrines. Here, while the reasons may lie in the ideas of fullness that one can get from His words, the yet greater reasons for such doctrinal ideas that dilute and change the Truth of the Master’s words ARE likely found in the convenience of DOING according to the ways of the world as compared with DOING according to His words. Either way this dilution and changing of the Master’s words IS based in the vanity, it IS in men’s illusions regarding Life in this world that they compromise the words of the Lord according to the perceptions that such illusions produce. And it IS in this same sense of illusion that the early church adopted some fashion of the doctrines and the traditions of the Jews which per force include their ideas regarding Life in this world; ideas that ARE founded in the sense of carnal reward offered to the Jews many centuries earlier but which were slowly changed by the words of the prophets whose teachings ARE misunderstood and largely ignored.

While the Master railed against the Jews regarding how that their doctrines and traditions were contrary to the evolving word of God, and while His intent was that His displeasure would have effect upon the new dispensation, that they would hold the Truth above the diluting and changing doctrines of men, the Jews DID NOT see the Truth, nor did the early church which adopted much from the Jewish way. And the Master was NOT quiet on this matter of using the old and tired doctrines and traditions of the Jews, doctrines and traditions that DID NOT serve to bring men closer to God. Jesus offered many words to those who would break with the doctrines and the traditions and follow Him, words of caution that they NOT use the old and the tired as the foundation for the new. It IS in this light that the Master offers us the parabolic ideas that were intended to dissuade men’s holding onto the old as the basis of the new….and His ideas on this ARE NOT yet clearly seen. We read again from the synoptic gospels:

• According to Matthew: “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out , and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16-17).
• According to Mark: “No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles” (Mark 2:21-22).
• According to Luke: “And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith , The old is better” (Luke 5:36-39).

We should note here that ALL of these versions of the Master’s words follow upon the question posed by the Jews, by the “scribes and Pharisees” (Luke 5:30) according to Luke, by “the disciples of John” (Matthew 9:14) according to Matthew and by a combination of these according to Mark who phrases this as “the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?” (Mark 2:18). It IS in this exchange that we note some of the difference between what the Master teaches and the Jewish doctrines and traditions and it IS in way that we should understand Jesus’ words above that show forth this difference as a teaching on why the old and the new should NOT be combined. Perhaps it IS in the complexity of this idea of the incompatibility of the old with the new that we find the differing versions of the Master’s words. Mark and Matthew refer to the new cloth patch on the old as “that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse” and if we can see this literally we can see the Truth. Similarly with Luke’s rendering of Jesus’ idea; here we should see clearly that the piece of the new that was to be a patch for the old “agreeth not with the old“.

This IS NOT however how that this idea IS accepted in the doctrines that have become the world’s version of the new. By example the Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the whole Bible calls this entire sequence from Matthew’w Gospel as the Master’s discourse on fasting ⁸ while John Gill tells us that Jesus’ words ARE: commonly interpreted of the unreasonableness and danger of putting young disciples upon severe exercises of religion, as fasting ⁸. Mr. Gill goes on to say that: the true reason why they were not required of them, was not their weakness, or danger of falling off, and perishing, of which there were none; but because it was unsuitable to their present situation, the bridegroom being with them. But our Lord, in this parable of putting “a piece of new”, or “undressed cloth”, such as has never passed through the fuller’s hands, and so unfit to mend with ⁸; he then continues on with many doctrinal words, never seeing this in the simplicity that we show above.

Vincent shows us that this idea is in regard to John the Baptist’s disciples’ ways rather than the referenced ways of the Pharisees; we read: Jesus thus pictures the combination of the old forms of piety peculiar to John and his disciples with the new religious life emanating from himself, as the patching of an old garment with a piece of unfulled cloth, which would stretch and tear loose from the old fabric and make a worse rent than before ⁴. Here again the continuation of the point as to fasting and the preceding words to the Pharisees and scribes regarding His eating and drinking “with publicans and sinners” ARE missed by most as IS the whole of the dialogue regarding how that the Master DOES NOT teach according to the doctrines of the Jews. While they miss the fullness of our point, the Spirit Filled Life Bible does offer this in its commentary as their miscellaneous instructions of the synoptic gospels; we read on the combination of the sayings above that: Avoid imposing past traditional structures on present renewals. Understand that yesterday’s structures and forms are often incapable of handling today’s dynamic of spiritual renewal**. We should understand that these commentaries are formulated by those whose doctrines DID NOT recognize the deeper Truths of the Master’s words; doctrines that had already incorporated much of the Jewish traditions, doctrines and beliefs.

The ideas presented by the Master in His words about the new wine in old bottles ARE much the same and the emphasis should be upon the idea that “new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved” as Luke presents this. While it IS True that the new wine will NOT survive in the old bottles, that IS that the new teaching will NOT survive when appended to the old, we should understand here that in addition to this failure of the wine there IS also the failure of the bottle. Here we should see that the combination of the new wine and the old bottle, the new teaching appended to the old, becomes its own reality and, in this scenario, the teaching is spilled and the new reality, the religion if you will, IS marred.

We leave again our sayings from John’s Gospel which we will try to get back to in the next essay:

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:31-34).

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

Aspect of God	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.

Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate.
Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted.
Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled.
Live in joy, without possessions.
Like the shining ones.

The winner sows hatred because the loser suffers.
Let go of winning and losing and find joy.
There is no fire like passion, no crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation, no sickness like hunger,
And no joy like the joy of freedom.

Today’s Quote of the Day is from the Dhammapada (on JOY)⁵; a collection of the sayings of the Buddha. These words and ideas ARE much the same as those we discuss in our In the Words of Jesus essays. And what is this freedom but the release of our hearts and minds from loving this life in this world and attaining the Presence of God. This word Joy has many meanings as DOES the idea of Love, but in the context that it IS used here we should see the idea that Joy IS Love, Joy IS health, Joy IS peace and that Joy IS without the burdens placed on a man by the illusion and the glamour of the ways of the world. We should try to see that it IS the antithesis of these ideas in hate, in affliction and in troubles that ARE among the possessions of the carnal man, that ARE among the “evil treasure of his heart” (Luke 6:45) according to the Master.

And it IS in the second stanza above that we see the basic psychic ideas that can eliminate the harm caused by such “evil treasure” as a man looks past himself and at the welfare of others which IS the greater reality of Love as the Master teaches us. It IS in losing such possessions, losing such carnal thoughts and attitudes, that one can truly find the “joy of freedom“….this IS the Truth of deliverance.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts

• ² from New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
• ⁴ Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
• ⁵ The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
• ⁸ Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
• ** New Spirit Filled Life Bible © 2002 Thomas Nelson Bibles