YES, HE is Talking to YOU! (continued)
Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
We left off in the last post near the end of the Parable of the Unjust Steward. As in some of the parables of Jesus, it can be said that the ending verse(s) is not entirely related to the story or to its moral message itself but is a separate teaching. This was seen in the idea of the stone that the builders rejected at the end of the Parable of the Wicked Husbandman. In this case today, the ending is attributed to the parable but the same appears separately in the Gospel of Matthew as a part of the Sermon on the Mount. However, since it is here at the end of this parable and it does have a related idea, we will cover it here. The verse is as follows:
“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13) . We did discuss this as it appears in Matthew’s Gospel (In the Words of Jesus part 43) and we will try to expand on those thoughts here today. The relationship between this verse and the main part of the parable itself can be seen in the sayings of the Master at the end of the story. His commendation of the steward for serving his worldly part well; His admonition that we should “Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness” so that we can continue to serve our worldly part well as did the steward. His saying to us that “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” also reveals that, in the hearts of men, we will be one thing or the other therefore building up to the saying that “No servant can serve two masters” (Luke 16: 9, 11, 13). Jesus leaves no question in this last saying; no servant can is strong language and in Matthew’s Gospel it is said no man can or literally no one can. If we believe, as the Apostle John says, “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25), then we must believe that the Master is speaking for us all. If we follow this train of thought a bit further it gives us a better understanding of why He also says that: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14).
Who is there, that may be reading this, that is not trying to live life on both sides of the equation; serving our worldly desires while trying to serve God? In the context of the parable we can see the message of the Master as do one thing or the other and do it well because you cannot do both. What happens when we try? We have only to look at our own lives to know the answer to this question but, let us look at it from the words of Jesus. First, we should define mammon; it is from the Greek word mammonas of which the lexicon says: mammon; treasure; riches (where it is personified and opposed to God)**. Strong’s says that it means wealth, assets*** and from Webster’s we find that it means: Riches; wealth; the god of riches; riches, personified*. Now from these defining terms and the context in which the Master uses this word we should see that it is far reaching; it is money and riches but also the idea of assets and wealth which can be much more that just money. The use of the word personified leaves us with the selfish idea of I and MY in one’s thoughts concerning these things. There is also have the idea of the god of riches which is likely to be the total idea in this context as this also fits into the Master’s other teachings regarding life in this world. The idea of idol worship then comes to mind here where we can see that the THINGS of this world often become the things that we set our hearts on for our comfort and our pleasure; these become the things that we LOVE; remember that one of the definitions of loves is whatever brings us pleasure and delight*. We can wonder too how many of the undefined ‘gods’ of the Old Testament that the children of Israel went about worshiping were in reality the god of riches.
Looking at this as the world does, we try to counter the words of the Christ by attempting to live in both places; trying to serve two masters. It is a most difficult thing to focus only on the Kingdom and on striving toward that strait gate. As aspiring disciples of the Christ we should see this as He said it to us and know that there is no other way. As aspiring disciples we need to look at this saying and add it to our understanding of His other sayings on this matter:
- “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:34-35)
- “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour” (John 12:26)
- “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26)
These verses and others like them affirm the idea of single minded living and leaving all for the sake of discipleship. The Master also tell us of the rewards of discipleship though we should not think of any of this from a worldly perspective as that hope would put us back to the ideas above of serving two masters; that is following the one for the hope of reward in the other. Coming after the fact of being His follower; He says: “….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 10:29-30). This verse has become for some a cornerstone for some of the ideas regarding the hundredfold principle of receiving from the Lord but we should be able to see that this is not so in this context. If we could believe we can get the hundredfold of any one we of these things, we would need to believe it of them all including wives and mothers. The context here is deeper and can be understood to say that if you give it all up for to become His disciple and do so successfully then all things whatsoever can be considered as yours. What else could this possibly mean?
Getting back to our theme and this parable we need also to define the word hate as it is used here. The word itself has only the meanings associated with our normal understanding of it. It is translated from the Greek word miseo which according to the lexicon means: to hate, pursue with hatred, detest; to be hated, detested**; this is clear but it is unlikely that Jesus is saying that if we try to serve two masters that we may hate God or hate the world as would be in the context of these definitions. Strong’s defines this much the same and we need to look at the defining ideas on this from Webster’s again to see what the Master was trying to convey. We need to remember always that these English words as used in these translations is a combination of the best possible word to convey a thought from another language plus the opinions of the translators. Webster’s says in part: in Scripture, it signifies to love less. If any man come to me, and hate not father and mother, &c. Luke 14. He that spareth the rod, hateth his son. Prov. 13*. Using the Webster’s definition gives this saying the meaning that it needs as this: for either he will hate love the one less, and love the other which in the context gives us a better idea. Looking at other languages we find that the word translated from miseo in Spanish can also mean to abandon in English; this too works better than hate. Looking at one more idea to clarify this can be found in Jesus’ saying cited above that one must hate his father and mother ….. Here we must know that the word is not as we outwardly perceive but more along the lines of the Spanish word as abandon or the Webster’s dictionary idea of love less.
So knowing then these words and their meanings what can we say of the Master’s thought in our subject verse? First, we should see it as a fact that we cannot serve two masters. Not that we should not or do not if we feel so inclined……we simply cannot. He is saying that this is a human impossibility. Saying this and looking at the additional verses in bullets above we should see that, when it comes to God, the idea of single mindedness is required if we are to attain to discipleship and the true Kingdom of God. Jesus goes on to explain for us what happens when we try to serve two masters; because we cannot we will find ourselves loving one less than the other or, as we found from the Spanish, abandoning either one or the other. In other words, whether we do so consciously or not, purposefully of not, we are making a choice. Now the Master does not say that this is a permanent condition and we should understand that the idea of vacillating from the one to the other is inherent in this idea of holding to the one and despising the other. Our current day understanding of despising is, like hate, too strong a word for this context and should be tempered to the lexicon idea of think little or nothing about.
So we see human nature from the eyes of the Christ insofar as the man who is trying to be a disciple. This man, though he cannot, tries to be a man of the world and a man of God. He is at the same time focusing on the wants and the desires of worldly life at times and focusing on God at others. If we want to be good at the worldly things we should attend to them as did the steward and make the best of this life. However, if we aspire to the things of God we have no choice but to drop all things for the sake of those things of God. This is clearly the message of this passage and the other examples that we put forth. What we are told in effect by these scriptures and others is the reality of the strait gate and the reality of what is necessary to get into the Kingdom of God. There is no magic formula and yes, many people seem to be successfully working from both ends by serving the Lord and desiring and gaining the things of this world. Who can say however what it is that they really have. The words of the Master are clear and we should be clear too that the Lord wants the best for His people. The issue then becomes who are truly His people? Giving all up for the Lord does not necessarily mean we do without but it does mean that we don’t focus on or desire or think on those things of the flesh. These are hard sayings and humanity has been struggling with these realities for over 2000 years. This difficulty is perhaps what leads us to the multiplicity of denominations and sects and the sometimes odd ways that we tell ourselves are the way to the Kingdom and to His Presence.
I have never done this but I would here recommend a book called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. The copy that I have is published by Hendrickson Christian Classics and can be obtained from Amazon or Christianbooks.com. You can download it as a PDF by searching the name on the web. It is an example of one man who lives in both the world of man while choosing God. Inspiring.
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.
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.
You are your only master.
Who else?
Subdue yourself,
And discover your master.
Today’s Quote of the Day is from the Dhammapada which is an accumulation of the sayings of the Buddha. The idea here is to focus on the Spiritual Part, the Master, the Christ Within, the Inner Man, the Soul. These should all be seen to mean the same thing. Subduing the flesh and focusing on the Inner Man and becoming a disciple of the Christ puts us in a position to teach others. I pray daily that I qualify.
- *◊ The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
- * Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913
- ** New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- *** Strongest Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
