IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 574

Love is the Fulfilling of the Law

ON LOVE; PART CLXIII

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GoodWill IS Love in Action

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“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:1-15).

In the last post we discussed several sayings by the Master that are for us stated in a clear way as compared to many others that are couched in parables and proverbs and others for which we do not have the necessary revelation to Truly understand. Our point has been to show that in their simplicity of statement, they are among the most important things that the Master has told us yet they are among the most misunderstood. Not misunderstood because of their complexity or their nature but because those things that they say inhibit the ability of the man in form to ‘comfortably’ accomplish them in this world. And this is a great part of the rub, that men do not understand the reality of the divine Life, that the divine Life is the Life of the True man and that this existence in form has been from the beginning subjected to the illusion and the glamour of Life, the vanity according to Paul, that prevents a man for seeing the reality that he truly IS. As we understand it, this subjection to vanity, this existence in the world of things, is the Plan of God and in the instructions from the Master are the KEYS to unlocking the mysteries of our existence here in the Earth as well as the tools that we can use to break the hold that illusion and glamour have upon us.

We should remember that the Master tells His disciples that it is not for the multitudes to KNOW the mysteries of the Kingdom and from this perspective much of what He says is covered by the shifting understandings of the parable and the proverb which can and should change in one’s comprehension of the imparted ideas as he progresses on the Path to God. We should understand here as well that since the Kingdom of God is within each of us that these mysteries are Truly personal and involve the resident Soul that is ever in that Kingdom; these are his mysteries and his secrets that must be unfolded in his Life. While all this IS so, there is also another reality in those sayings that we are speaking of, sayings whose meanings are hidden in plain sight and sayings that can be the starting point for one’s True understanding if he could open his heart to the impulses from his own Soul, the Christ Within, who already KNOWS ALL these things. One of the intents of the written word that we read and interpret here is to make that connection between what we KNOW as a Soul, as the Christ Within, and what we realize in our everyday consciousness which is ever so clouded by the Life we live here in the Earth, a Life subjected to the vanity of living, subjected to the illusions and the glamours that the natural ways of the world impose.

The sayings that we started with in the last essay are those that we see as clearly stated and understandable, at least in principal, by men in the world but which are changed and colored by doctrine and teaching to make them more palatable to the man focused upon his Life in the Earth. We should remember as we look again at our list and contemplate our review of them that in their clarity there is a meaning and an intent; offered as neither parable nor proverb these sayings and others like them have a special intent and this we can see as their several ability to give us pause and set our Path strait if we can but sense their power of awakening. Of this list that we began with yesterday, we have discussed the first four and in so doing we added a few more under the first to help us to understand the purpose and the effect of keeping His words which can help us to see the relevance of the clarity of these particular sayings. In the Master’s admonition that we be perfect for example we find a specific saying and to this we attached His other words that tell us that we must keep His words and His sayings if we are Truly sincere in our quest. Our sayings are:

• “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).”
  • 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” (John 14:23).
  • “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 14:24).
  • “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
• “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
• “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:26).
• “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31).
• “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31).

Having completed the first four main points and the three subsidiary ones listed with the first, we should have some feel for the simplicity in which these sayings are stated. There may be some confusion regarding the way to accomplish these things but the overall meaning should be clear. Perfect is perfect and while we will each define this for ourselves there is a stated meaning encapsulated in the way that the Master phrases this. Similarly with “ love thy neighbour as thyself“; while we may be a bit unsure of the meaning of this Love we can be sure that the Master is saying that whatsoever feelings or thoughts we would have about ourselves, we should have the same for others and, as we remember, the Master does go to great lengths to show us just who one’s neighbor IS. The same with forgiveness, while we may not Truly understand the concept of forgiveness we can understand that what measure of this we would want from God, this is the same that we should give to others. We should see the clarity as well of the Way to the Kingdom as the Master offers it above, it is clearly accomplished in doing the Will of the Father; there are no confusing terms here like being born again which have to be further interpreted, there is only the clarity of keeping His words or, as He frames it for us, that we “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven“.

This brings us to our last saying and one of the most profound sayings in the entire bible. In this saying that we call the Golden Rule we can see that we, as men in the world, understand its importance as it is we who have given this the secular name. The principal predates the Advent of the Christ and likely goes back to well before the time of Moses but our modern application is derived from the words of the Master which clearly tell us “”And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” or, as it is alternately phrased in Matthew’s Gospel: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12) and in this we can see the Master’s acknowledgement of the age old use of this ideal. This rule is often referred to as the ethic of reciprocity but we should try to see this in a more positive way that the mere reciprocal approach. We have spoken about this more positive understanding of the Master’s words in previous essays and based upon our understanding of the Jesus’ overall intent in His teachings, we are convinced that this more positive approach is the right approach and that the reciprocal understanding in not founded in what we understand as the reality of Love. Emmett Fox, in his Fifteen Points paints this properly for us saying:

I PRACTICE, the Golden Rule of Jesus instead of merely admiring it. He said, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” The important point about the Golden Rule is that I am to practice it whether the other fellow does so or not. ‡

From this and our own understanding of these things we should be able to see that there is no intent of reciprocity here in the Master’s words and that the intent is that each and every man should practice this Golden Rule whether the other fellow does so or not. Only in this way can this saying work with the  Master’s words that tell us to “love thy neighbour as thyself“. The is the proactive approach to the reality of Life based on the Love that the Master teaches us and our point here in this saying is an example of what can happen to what we consider a clear and concise saying by the Master. We Truly understand what it is that the Master says and means and this is simply that we should treat ALL others as we wish to be treated. While there is no thing in this saying that remotely implies reciprocity to us who KNOW and understand His intent, there are many who have mistakenly stated that it does. In the writings of our bible commentators the idea of reciprocity does not appear but these do not dictate the practical operation of this in the world and while most all religions have this precept in their  scriptural writings, we can see that the effect of this in the world is basically nil.

The basic idea is the moral high ground for ALL men; it is the place where the Love that we must express meets its plane of expression in the Earth. It is the antithesis of selfishness and focus upon one’s self and, in the absence of the strong sense of self that permeates the world of men, this rule is simple and easy to follow as it requires only brief thought as we move through our day in consideration of those others whom our actions will effect.

Looking at some of the other ways that this has been expressed down the ages we have these examples which we must remember have been translated from their original language and may have lost some of their native intent:

• “Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” –Confucius†
• “The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful.” –Laoz (Lao Tzu) (Taoism)†
• “That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another.” (Egyptian Wisdom c. 600-300 BCE)†
• “What you do not want to happen to you, do not do it yourself either.” – Sextus the Pythagorean†
• “And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself.” —Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í Faith)†
• “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.“—Udanavarga 5:18 (Buddhism)†
• “One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Other behavior is due to selfish desires.“ —Brihaspati, Mahabharata (Hindu)†
• “If the entire “Dharma” (spiritual and moral laws) can be said in a few words, then it is – that which is unfavorable to us, do not do that to others” –Padmapuraana, shrushti (Hindu)†
• “A Bedouin came to the prophet, grabbed the stirrup of his camel and said: O the messenger of God! Teach me something to go to heaven with it. Prophet said: “As you would have people do to you, do to them; and what you dislike to be done to you, don’t do to them. Now let the stirrup go!” [This maxim is enough for you; go and act in accordance with it!] —Kitab al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 146 (Islam)†
• “Woe to those… who, when they have to receive by measure from men, they demand exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due” — Qur’an†
• “Just as pain is not agreeable to you, it is so with others. Knowing this principle of equality treat other with respect and compassion.” —Suman Suttam (Jainism)†
• “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn it.“—Talmud (Judaism)†
• “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” —Leviticus 19:18†
• “Recognize that your neighbor feels as you do, and keep in mind your own dislikes.” —Sirach 31:15 (Apocryphal Old Testament Book of Sirach)†
• “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” JESUS

This long list of Golden Rule like sayings covers many different religious views and some go back to thousands of years before Christ. Two things we should take from this; first that the religious view that many hold regarding non Judeo-Christian religions that tend to make them less as based on the teachings of the Christian doctrines down the centuries is unfounded as the High Ideals of the Christ are found in most every True religion and the differences are only in the way of approach and the necessity to teach to the culture of the peoples to whom the Teachers come. Second is that these Golden Rule ideas span many thousands of years which should serve to tell us that there is nothing new in the reality that the True Way of salvation in found in Love and in how we interact with our fellowman.

We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.

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 leave again this Quote of the Day as the reality of this prayer IS Love which is our ending subject today and should ever be in our minds and hearts.

This is the Prayer of Saint Francis which we repeat again from a previous post as our Quote of the Day. If we were all to accept these ideas as guiding Lights in our lives, we would be expressing the Love and the Faith that the Master teaches. The last time that we presented this we called it the Prayer of Saint Anthony in error; It is attributed to the 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi, although the prayer in its present form cannot be traced back further than 1912*. Regardless of the True authorship, the sentiments revealed in this prayer are genuine and are in keeping the intent of th/e teachings of the Master and His apostles. We should note here that the dying is not necessarily the death of the body but the death of the carnal man in the world  when one is born again. In this context we read this about Saint Francis: Francis was the son of a wealthy foreign cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life**. Here is the antithesis of the rich young man of the gospels.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

This is a prayer that is Truly in line with the teachings of the Master and the ideals encapsulated in this should be those that govern our lives and our prayer should be that ALL can see Life in this same way. We should try to see the reality of these words in the verses above regarding feeding and visiting the least of His and our brethren; in these words is a deeper meaning, as clearer expression of Love and, we should look at the Master’s words above as an expression of Love and not merely in the terms that He presents as this is the intent of the entirety of His teachings.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!

• * Wikipedia contributors. “Prayer of Saint Francis.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 24 Jan. 2013.
• **Wikipedia contributors. “Francis of Assisi.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 24 Jan. 2013.
• † Wikipedia contributors. “Golden Rule.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia 30 Jan. 2013.
  
• ‡  From The Fifteen Points by Emmet Fox; © 1932 HarperCollins Publishers Inc