ON LOVE; PART DXXXIV
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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).
In the last essay we discussed the ideas surrounding marriage from the Sermon on the Mount and we should understand that this IS a very complex issue with great social implications in the world of men. It IS of course intimately tied to sex and thereby to adultery and fornication which are the basis for this and the last saying on adultery. Fornication in respect to our current saying IS adultery and in the Master’s words this IS the only valid reason to break one’s own vow of marriage and we should understand here that the reality of this vow IS not found only in words but in the very act of copulation. We should remember here the Apostle Paul’s words that affirm this idea in Jesus time and although there ARE wedding ceremonies and feasts, these have nothing to do with the intent carried forward in the joining of a man and a women in sex. These ideas have long since faded from the Truth of Life in the world and the idea of sex is minimized by much of the world today; perhaps this was the way that this is meant to happen as the human drives to sex and companionship without commitment IS one of the strongest drives in the human experience.
And this reality is spoken of by the Master in telling us that “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28); in this we can perhaps see the idea of controlling one’s own heart, one’s own consciousness, as the way to inhibit the physical drive toward sex that overwhelms many yet today. In these ideas from the Master and from Paul we can easily see how ALL who participate in these ideas of fornication have become harlots in a sense and we must include here both men and women. We should also then be able to see that in strict biblical terms, we marry every partner and divorce them which every new affair even without that “writing of divorcement” that was allowed by Moses. In this single bodily function of sex we can find perhaps the strongest link that keeps a man and a woman grounded in the world and in the self. The Master tells us that:
“It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:31-32).
In these words we have the essence of sin for a large majority of the population of the Earth as well as the causative ideas that the Master implies. In these words in conjunction with with understanding that copulation itself is the marriage of the man and the woman, it IS NOT difficult to see how that the spread of sin IS inevitable. For every partner of every partner there is an adulterous relationship in this world where fornication has become a way of Life. There IS NO easier way to understand this and perhaps it IS only the very puritanical who can be free of this peril as these ARE the only ones who teach this. This however IS not a panacea and the forced application of these rites may effect harm on some as the teaching of the reality IS not present. The greater Truth of this ALL extends to the very idea of marriage which we read about in the Master’s words to His disciples who ask how, with these commandments in place, can a man marry and be close to God; we read this discourse between the Master and His disciples at the end of the Master’s talk on divorce.
“His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matthew 19:10-12).
In these words we should take two points; first that the disciples understand the perils of marriage, that divorce is become a way of Life and that fornication and adultery ARE facts of nature. And secondly that the Master understands this and tells the disciples that this IS NOT for ALL men; here we should see that the man who is desirous of the Kingdom of God should refrain from marriage and we can likely see in the totality of these ideas that unless one is chaste and then marries one forever, that there IS sin. In this scenario we have the idea then that a man will KNOW that his goal IS the Kingdom before he succumbs to the physical and emotional drive toward sex but this IS likely the exception and NOT the rule. There ARE NO easy answers here save in the right instruction and teaching, not necessarily the puritanical teachings and tradition but one that IS NOT doctrinal and IS directed at the Truth of Love as the Master teaches this. Can we see that in the reality of the Golden Rule the entirety of this problem can be eliminated? Failed Marriage, fornication, and adultery are world problems and it is likely True that even where they are frowned upon by laws and customs, they are active in the minds of men.
There is a thread that runs through these ideas of adultery and marriage and an intent in the way that they are spoken of together by the Master. There can be no adultery without marriage and fornication IS that adultery. How men understood marriage in those days is a mystery to us but in the words of Paul and the ideas of the Master we can conclude that the ancient way of copulation was True and to this we should add that there IS NO other definition of marriage. Of course fornication is likely too negative a word in today’s vernacular to use for sexual relations between consenting adults who are ‘in Love’ and committed to each other but this IS the word that we have and we should likely see it more plainly as any version of consenting sexual relations without the baggage added by scripture and society. It IS this relation that causes marriage and it is one’s continence of this type of relation with others that destroys marriage in Jesus words above and to this we add that any other reason for the dissolution of marriage is for naught. Again, this IS a most difficult subject to Truly understand and to reconcile insofar as discipleship. Can a man be a disciple of the Lord and be married? According to Paul this is difficult at best and there IS a reality in his words that show that marriage IS a distraction from the things of God, that it causes the man to focus upon the “the things of the world, how she may please her husband” or “how he may please his wife“.
There IS NO easy answer to this dilemma; the disciples of the Master left ALL, they forsake ALL, to follow Him and this IS not just in the idea of proximity but in the reality of their intent to “take up the cross” (Mark 10:21) and we can see the burden that this forsaking could have on some. And this IS not only the choice of them that followed the Master, it is the requirement of discipleship as we read in both Matthew and Luke and in this we should see that ALL IS included in this forsaking as we read again both the question and the answer:
“Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting” (Luke 18:28-30).
In the word house here we should see the totality of property, wealth and goods 2 as the lexicon tells us but this IS NOT universally recognized as such. This idea IS however borne the Master’s other sayings where forsaking IS discussed and the clearest example is perhaps “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). In the end the reality here is that in discipleship a man gives up ALL claims to worldly thoughts, attitudes and actions and this includes ALL attachments and attraction and relationships and while this may not ALL be necessary to approach God and come closer to the Kingdom, it seems a requirement for the fullness of discipleship and entry into that Kingdom. In much of these ideas then we should first see their relationship to the man in the world who would move closer to the Lord, that his actions CAN NOT include adultery nor can he seek divorce as these are in themselves contrary to the law and, since the majority of persons do marry, these ideas do accommodate most. And, in that day the, if the very idea of fornication meant that union of marriage, the ideas can be seen to cover ALL men. Again we should add here the idea that in that day as yet today the strength of the physical sexual appetite is to be broken in favor of the emotional and mental control of the physical body which should have NO influence upon the Life of man. Like the whole concept of Love, this IS a difficult lesson to learn.
Finally we should address the idea presented above of the eunuch and the Master’s words that “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given“. Here we should read that the whole of this reality of actions insofar as marriage and adultery and fornication are concerned IS NOT appropriate for ALL men; there are those that are tied to Life in the world to such degree that they DO NOT even want a way out. We should remember here that the continuation of the race depends upon marriage and sex and in the discourse the Master IS speaking specifically about marriage and the disciples are speaking specifically about the inability to end marriage in divorce that DOES NOT include fornication as the cause. Can we see the implication of evolution here; not the evolution of form but the evolution of the spiritual nature as expressed by men and that in the slow and steady nature of this there ARE enough who ARE NOT ready so that the race can carry on. This is the instruction to the disciples to whom the Master says “there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake” (Matthew 19:12) and these ARE those who choose discipleship and focus upon the Good, the Beautiful and the True; focus upon the things of God.
Again, this whole subject of sex IS a difficult one and there are likely few in the world who ARE NOT effected by it in some way and, as we noted in the last essay, the ramifications of this can be lasting and complicated. Nature itself has erected barriers to rampant fornication in the form of venereal diseases and under today’s name of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) there are many different types of infections. But this drive CAN NOT be stopped; it IS a basic human function that IS NOT properly discussed and it is in the reality of education and the True expression of Love as the Master teaches that we will eventually find resolution. As aspirants what do we do? We must realize the realities expressed by the Master and His apostles and understand that marriage is a distraction from the Path that we have chosen. We must realize that fornication can only add to our own frustration in achieving our goal and that even thinking about relationships and sex has these same effects. And, if we tie together fornication and marriage we create an ever more complicated scenario. The rest is a Truly personal choice and perhaps among the most difficult to make; if one must marry, it IS best to try to marry one who has the same spiritual ideas, understandings and goals. And what of the aspirant who has done ALL these things that the Master speaks against? Here there is only Repentance and those same understandings that we cite above; there IS admission and correction and a basic understanding of the karmic responsibility that one may have incurred.
The next saying by the Master may seem to be on a new topic but if one can look at the reality of the marriage contract as it is called in those days, we may be able to see the relationship. There IS more to this idea of oaths than this to be sure but this marriage oath certainly IS one of the foremost oaths that a man can make and one that is so easily failed especially in the way it is worded today. The Master says:
“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:33-37).
Before we go on to other ideas on oaths, we should look briefly at the vows, the oaths, that are typically spoken in both religious and secular wedding ceremonies; we close for today wit his selection:
- I, (name), take you (name), to be my lawfully wedded (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, keeping myself only unto you until death we do part.
- I, (name), take you, (name), to be my beloved (wife/husband), to honor and treasure, to be at your side in times of sorrow and in times of joy, to love and comfort you always, pledging my faithfulness to our union, for all the days of my life.
- I, (name), take you (name), to be my lawfully wedded(husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
- I,(name), take you (name), to be my wife (or husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law, and this is my solemn vow.
There IS NO doubt that these ARE oaths and that the Master follows His words on adultery and divorce with these on oaths IS NOT likely a coincidence.
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.
We repeat here a Quote of the Day that we spent much time with over the course of our essays. In this affirmation we find the Truth of discipleship as we have been ever been expressing and here we can relate our themes of the last few days; “take no thought” for the things of the world and that we approach the Kingdom and discipleship in the nature of the little child, in humbleness, meekness, unashamed in any way and unassuming. The message that this imparts for us today IS that it IS the Soul that is at work in the world of men as it expresses to some degree the purpose, power and the will through Life in this world. These words are from a meditation offered to his students by our Tibetan brother and in which we find greater understanding of the message of the Master. This IS Truly the way of the disciple.
My Soul has purpose, power and will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.
My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.
I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love. All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.
My will is one with the great Will of God;. that Holy Will requires that all men serve. And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
