945 The Sermon On The Mount
When I wrote about
The Path (blog 935) and incorporated the text into my essays THE TRUTH 3 & 4,
I read a critique of The Path which said it was practically congruent with any
text in Western religions, outlining the values of virtue and proper conduct of
living. This spurred me on to have a closer look at the source of the Christian
value system … on researching the subject it came down to Jesus Christ’s The Sermon
On The Mount, as written down in Matthew's gospel, in approx. 80 AD ... so that is about 50
years after Christ delivered the sermon.
With Wikipedia
As it turns out
there probably never was an actual sermon on a mountain, but the text is a
conglomeration of pious teachings, as remembered by Luke (who wrote about
Christ before Matthew) and Matthew. Furthermore, there are many interpretations
of the sermon as it is recorded, probably at least a dozen different ones. My
favourite is by Martin Luther, the reformer of Christianity and founder of
Protestantism:
Martin
Luther did not believe the Catholic ideas about the Sermon. He created the two
realms view. Luther divided the world into two realms, or sections: the
religious realm, and the secular (non-religious) realm. He thought the Sermon
only applied to the religious part of life. In the everyday world, people might
have to do things the Sermon said they should not do. For example, in his
secular job, a judge might have to punish a criminal instead of forgiving him.
However, as a religious man, the judge should still feel sorry for what happens
to the criminal.
Here then is the gist of TSOTM:
The
Sermon On The Mount is by far Jesus' longest explanation of what it looks like
to live as His follower and to serve as a member of God's Kingdom. In many
ways, Jesus' teachings during the Sermon on the Mount represent the major
ideals of the Christian life.
For
example, Jesus taught about subjects such as prayer, justice, care for the
needy, handling the religious law, divorce, fasting, judging other people,
salvation, and much more. The Sermon on the Mount also contains both the
Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) and the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).
In the
end, Jesus made it clear that His followers should live in a noticeably
different way than other people because His followers should hold to a much
higher standard of conduct - the standard of love and selflessness that Jesus
Himself would embody when He died on the cross for our sins.
It's
interesting that many of Jesus' teachings are commands for His followers to do
better than what society allows or expects.
Interesting for me
is the concept of Christianity’s “Father up in Heaven” which is very much in
contrast to the teachings of the inner God, which is supported by
Meister Eckhart … see my essay GOD 2 as well as GOD 1. So, myself, I cannot reconcile any belief
I have with the Christian tenets as taught by Jesus Christ, other than the universal ideals of love, humility, compassion and forgiveness.
However (see also my essays JESUS and SCRIPTURE) ...
... George Bernard Shaw
once described the Sermon on the Mount as “an impractical outburst of anarchism
and sentimentality.” The German philosopher Friederich Nietzsche treated it
even less kindly when he wrote that “Christian morality is the most malignant form
of all falsehood”. In 1929 humanist John Herman Randall was willing to
acknowledge that Jesus was ”a truly great moral genius” but then wondered how a
Galilean carpenter could have uttered the final word on human ethics.
But many more
people have held this sermon in great reverence even when they did not know or
understand it very well. It is safe to say that the Sermon on the Mount is the
best known, least understood, and least practiced of all the teachings of
Jesus.
The modern mind,
religious as well as irreligious has treated this sermon in a variety of ways.
As earlier noted, some have rejected it as wholly impractical or positively
evil. Others have received it, but with significant reservations. Humanism, at
its kindest, has viewed it as a remarkable but tentative moral code wholly
separated from the cross or a divine Christ.
Focus Online
One of the most important debates over the sermon is how it should be applied to everyday life. Almost all Christian groups have created their own ways to understand and use the Sermon in their lives. In a book called Understanding the Sermon on the Mount, Harvey McArthur lists twelve different views about the Sermon.
These are some of
the possible takes on The Sermon On The Mount and below them is a complete
translation from the original Aramaic text.
(1) The absolutist view
The absolutist view says that people
should do exactly what Jesus said in the Sermon, all the time. If doing this
puts a person in danger, then that is what the person needs to be saved.
People who believed this included:
St. Francis of Assisi
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Leo Tolstoy (when he was older)
Churches which believe this view
include:
The Oriental Orthodox Churches
The early Anabaptists
Modern Anabaptist groups, like the
Mennonites and Hutterites
(2) Modify the text
In ancient times, people would
modify (change) the text of the Sermon to make it more popular. For example, in
the Bible, Matthew 5:22 was changed from "[anyone who] is angry with his
brother shall be in danger of the judgment" to "[anyone who] is angry
with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."
In recent centuries, it has been
more common to change the words in the Sermon, to take out parts that people
would have trouble accepting. Almost every major Christian writer has made changes
like this at some point.
This view is not supported by any
specific Christian denomination.
(3) The hyperbole view
One of the most common views is the
hyperbole view. It says that Jesus used hyperbole (which means he exaggerated)
in parts of the Sermon. People who believe this think Jesus's teachings need to
be made more realistic if they are going to be used in the real world.
Most people agree that there is some
hyperbole in the Sermon, but they argue about which parts are hyperbole.
(4) The general principles view
The general principles view says
that Jesus was not giving instructions (telling people exactly how to act).
Instead, he was giving examples of how a person should behave.
(5) The double standard view
The double standard view says that
part of Jesus's teachings are general ideas about how to act, and some are
instructions. To be saved, most people just have to follow the general ideas
about how to act. Only a small number of holy people, like the clergy and
monks, have to follow the instructions.
People who believed this view
included:
St. Augustine (he created the double
standard view)
St. Thomas Aquinas (who changed the
double standard view later)
Geoffrey Chaucer (he used this view
in his book, Canterbury Tales (Wife of Bath's Prologue, v. 117-118)
The Roman Catholic Church believes
in the double standard view.
(6) The two realms view
Martin Luther did not believe the
Catholic ideas about the Sermon. He created the two realms view. Luther divided
the world into two realms, or sections: the religious realm, and the secular
(non-religious) realm. He thought the Sermon only applied to the religious part
of life. In the everyday world, people might have to do things the Sermon said
they should not do. For example, in his secular job, a judge might have to
punish a criminal instead of forgiving him. However, as a religious man, the
judge should still feel sorry for what happens to the criminal.
(7) The analogy of scripture view
The analogy of scripture view says
that when the New Testament was written, parts of the Sermon got changed. For
example, Jesus said that it was wrong to make an oath. However, in the New
Testament, Paul uses oaths at least twice.
(8) The attitudes not acts view
The attitudes not acts view says
that in the Sermon, Jesus was only telling people what he would do himself. He
was not telling other people what they had to do to be good Christians.
Wilhelm Hermann created this view in
the nineteenth century.
(9) The interim ethic view
The interim ethic view says that
when Jesus gave the Sermon, he thought the world was going to end very soon.
Because of this, his teachings were only meant for that short time.
Albert Schweitzer created this view.
(10) The unconditional divine will
view
The unconditional divine will view
says that Jesus meant for people to do exactly what he said and follow the
ethics he talked about in the Sermon. However, with the way the world is now,
people cannot do this. People try to follow the ethics from the Sermon, but
they will always fail. This will change when the Kingdom of Heaven comes back
to the world. At that time everyone will be able to live the way God wants.
Martin Sibelius, a German
philosopher, created this view in the twentieth century.
(11) The repentance view
The repentance view says that Jesus
knew people would not be able to follow his teachings. People would try to
follow them, but fail. This would teach them to repent. In this way, people
would come to have faith in the Gospel.
(12) Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism divides human
history into separate groups. This view says that today, we live in a time
where we cannot live up to the Sermon's teachings. However, sometime in the
future, we will be able to. When that time comes, people will have to follow
the Sermon's teachings to get salvation.
Other views
E. Earle Ellis, a professor of
theology, says that in the Sermon, Jesus is asking believers to live in a way
that will be normal in the future kingdom of God. As Ellis says, we are to
speak Jesus' words, think his thoughts, and do his deeds. Since this will be
the ethic of the future kingdom of God, people should live their lives in a way
that will help them be ready to live in God's kingdom.
In a book called The Hiram Key,
Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas say the Sermon on the Mount never happened.
Knight thinks that Matthew 'stuck all kinds of passages together as though they
were spoken one after another to a crowd on a mountain top.' He believes that
'the teachings were drafted into this one 'occasion' to avoid interrupting the
flow of the overall story.'
Below is a
translation from the original Aramaic text. I had to edit the text somewhat, it is not always clear what is Matthew's exact transcript of Christ's word and what are his comments:
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
, MATT, v.-vii.
Translation by J.
Alexander Findlay, M.A.
A 001 022 160 4
THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Santa Barbara
THE SERMON ON THE
MOUNT
MATTHEW, CHAPTER V.
1 And seeing the
multitudes, he went up into the mountain : and when he had sat down, his disciples came
unto him : 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them,
saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in
spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn :
for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed
are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after righteousness : for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful : for they shall
obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in
heart : for they shall see God. 9 Blessed
are the peacemakers : for they shall be called
sons of God. 10 Blessed are they
that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye when men
shall reproach you, and persecute you,
and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for
great is your reward in heaven : for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 13 Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the
salt have lost its savour, wherewith
shall it be salted ? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and
trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are
the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a lamp, and put it
under the bushel, but on the stand ; and it shineth unto all that are in the
house. 16 Even so let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 17 Think not that I came to destroy the law
or the prophets I came not to destroy, but
to fulfil.
When He saw how dense
the crowd was growing, He went up into the hills ; there He sat down, and, when His disciples had come up to Him, He
opened His heart to them, saying in the
course of His teaching: I have good news
for the humble to them belongs the new
age that God is bringing in ; for mourners
there is good cheer in store for them ; for the
patient and forbearing theirs by native right is the lordship of the life of man ; for those who
are hungry and thirsty for the ideal
life they shall receive full
satisfaction ; for the brotherly they shall receive brotherly treatment ; for the single-minded
they shall look upon God's face; for
peacemakers they shall be called men of
God's own pattern ; to those who have
ever suffered hardship in the cause of right God's new world is their possession. That is why
you should never fear persecution ; indeed,
when you have to put up with reproach, ill-treatment, every kind of slander, all because you will
be My disciples, you should welcome your
troubles with exulting joy ; you will be
real prophets then, and, like those who went
before, God will reward you in His own great way. You are the salt of society : that is what you
were meant for, to keep the world wholesome. No one has any use for insipid
salt ; people pitch the stuff into the street,
and there's an end of it. You are the world's sunlight ; like yonder
town on the hilltop, you cannot hide if you try. Even with the lamp at home,
you do not light it, and then put it under a basin, but on the lampstand, so
that every one in the room can see by its light. Take care, then, that your
light shines out in all men's sight, that they may not fail to notice the
tightness of the things you do, and may come to thank God that they ever met
you. Do not suppose that I have come to
destroy the old religion ; my mission is not to supersede the (current religion). 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven
and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law,
till all things be accomplished. 19
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall
teach men so, shall be called least in the
kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven. 20 For I say unto you, that except
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
ye shall in no (wise) way enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21 Ye have heard that it was said to them of
old time, thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of
the judgement : 22 But I say unto you,
that every one who is angry with his
brother shall be in danger of the judgement; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in
danger of the council ; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger
of the hell of fire. 23 If therefore thou art offering thy gift
at the altar, and there rememberest that
thy brother hath aught against thee, 24
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come
and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine
adversary quickly, whiles thou art with him in the way ; lest haply the
adversary deliver thee to the judge, and
the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till
thou have paid the last farthing. 27 Ye
have heard that it was said, thou shalt not commit adultery :
28 But I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with
her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye causeth thee to
stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee
that one of ancient sanctions, rather to unfold their deeper meaning.
Mark this ! the
universe itself shall pass away, before
the smallest detail of God's law revealed in Scripture comes to be out of date ; rather shall every
part disclose a larger truth. It follows
that the man whose teaching lessens the force of what seem to be the least
important of God's laws, has but a very
humble place in the age which I proclaim ; on the other hand he whose
practice and teaching enhance their
authority shall have wide influence
there. All the same, your practice of the moral
law must go far beyond the code of conduct preached by professional moralists ; only a new way of
life can qualify you for the new world
that is coming. I will illustrate my
meaning ; you know the old words of
Scripture, 'You are not to commit murder,' your
teachers go on to say, ' Whoever kills must come up for trial.' What I tell you is that every one
who persists in unreasonable anger with
a brother-man, must account for his
behaviour ; whoever treats another with contempt shall be indicted for blasphemy ; whoever
curses another brings down upon himself
the doom he has invoked. And more than
this, until you are on good terms with your brother, you must not bring your
gifts to God's altar ; if, when you have
brought your gift you remember that he
has anything against you, you must leave
the gift where it is, go and make friends
with your brother, and then offer your gift. Never lose a chance of making friends ; if you are
involved in a law-suit, you must try to
come to an understanding with your
opponent on the way to court. Remember,
God is judge ; if you prolong the quarrel, it will be you that He will condemn, whatever happens to
the other man; the man who nurses
ill-will always pays, and to the last
penny too. Again the word of Scripture
runs, ' You must not commit adultery.'
What I have to say on this subject is :
Every one who casts upon a woman a lustful look
has already in his heart seduced her. If some passion of this kind is your hindrance, you must tear
yourself away from it at all costs ;
better to live a maimed life, than with
all your bodily powers about you be plunged
into a hell of unsatisfied desire. If your daily business thy members
should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.
CHAPTER V. 30 And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble,
cut if off, and cast it from thee : for
it is profitable for thee that one of
thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.
31 It was said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement : 32 But I say unto you, that every one that
putteth away his wife, saving for the
cause of fornication, maketh her an
adulteress : and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery. 33 Again, ye have heard that it was said to
them of old time, Thou shalt not
forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto
the Lord thine oaths : 34 But I
say unto you, swear not at all ; neither by the
heaven, for it is the throne of God ;
35 Nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet ; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great
King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by
thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your speech be, Yea, yea ; Nay,
nay : and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one. 38 Ye have heard that it was said, An eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth
: 39 But I say unto you, Resist not him
that is evil : but whosoever smiteth
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also. 40 And if any man would go
to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go one
mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him
that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not
away. 43 Ye have heard that it was
said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy : 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
and pray for them that persecute you ; puts a hindrance in your way, be rid of
it, whatever it costs ; better to be a
broken man, than in the full tide of your well-being to find yourself in hell.
The old law ran : '
Whoever would be rid of his wife must make proper provision for her ! ' I go a
stage further and say leaving on one side the question of misconduct you are
not to part company with your wives at all ; if
you do, you are to blame if they go wrong, while the man who marries a woman already
divorced commits adultery himself.
Another illustration: you have all heard the law once given to your
fathers ' You must not commit perjury,
but must fulfil your vows as in God's
sight.' I tell you, you should not need to swear by this and that at all.
Heaven is God's throne, Earth His footstool, Jerusalem the city of the King
of Kings ; your head for the matter of
that is sacred too you know you cannot make
a single hair really white or black.
Great words like these are God's gift to you,
and are not to be used as makeweights to your light talk. ' Yes, yes ' ; ' No, no ' ; that is
emphasis enough for you ; when you go
beyond such simple speech, you are
giving the devil his chance. Once more
; you know the words, ' Eye for eye, tooth
for tooth ' ; your teachers explain them as meaning ' slap for slap, or give as good as you get.' I tell
you, to follow this line of action is to measure yourself with the devil.
Whoever slaps you on the right cheek* let him do it again, if he wants to ; if
some one takes you into the law-courts,
and to pay the damages you have to
forfeit your vest, make him a present of
your upper garment as well ; if you are pressed
to go one mile in the government service, of your own accord accompany the officials who
commandeer your services the rest of the
league. You are to be at the service of
every claimant, and are not to turn churlishly
away from any one that wants to borrow of you. Again, you have heard the words of
Scripture, ' Love your fellow-countrymen,'
and know the conclusion your teachers draw .
*That is, ' whoever
insults you ' ; a blow on the left cheek is a
figure used for real injury, a slap on the right cheek for insult
is the idiom current in those days.
CHAPTER V. 45 That ye may be sons of your Father which
is in heaven : for he maketh his sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the
unjust. 46 For if ye love them that
love you, what reward have ye ? Do not
even the publicans the same ? 47 And if
ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? Do not even the
Gentiles the same ? 48 Ye therefore
shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.
CHAPTER VI
1 Take heed that ye do not your righteousness
before men, to be seen of them : else ye have no reward with your Father which
is in heaven. 2 When therefore thou doest
alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they
have received their reward. 3 But when
thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth : 4 That thine alms may be in secret : and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee. 5 And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the
hypocrites : for they love to stand and
pray in the synagogues and in the
corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into
thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
secret, and thy Father which seeth in
secret shall recompense thee.
CHAPTER VII
‘You are to hate all foreigners.' I tell
you, you must love those whom you have
learnt to think of as your enemies, and,
if they oppress you, must pray for them.
So shall you really be like God your Father ; you know He makes His sun
to shine down on bad and good alike, and
sends His rain upon all men, whether they obey or disobey His will. Supposing
that you love only those that love you
back, there is no special merit in that, is
there ? Quite disreputable people rival you there ! Or if you are friends only with the people of
your own set, that implies nothing more
than average good nature ; the very heathen are equal to that ! No, you are to be God's men ; your love is to be
as catholic as His. Be careful not to follow the way of life now laid down for
you with an eye to human appreciation ; if
you do so, you take all the virtue out of it from God's point of view. When you are practising your
charities, you are not to obtrude them upon public notice as self-advertising
philanthropists do in church or street, to
win the applause of men. Of course they get what they want, and there is
an end of the matter. But when you are doing a brotherly action, your left hand
is not to know what your right hand is
about ; you are not to feel virtuous. Nor need you concern yourselves about
reward, for there are no secrets to which God our Father is not a party, and He
will make it up to you. When you pray,
you are not to go about it like the people who air their piety ; you know how
fond they are of engaging in prayer for the edification of onlookers. They get what they want admiration ; but God
has nothing to do with this kind of
thing. When any one of you is drawn to pray, he will do well to go apart
and retire into himself, there holding
converse with God, who dwells in secret
places ; his Father, from whom no
secrets are hid. will Himself reward him.
CHAPTER VII. 7 And in praying use not vain repetitions,
as the Gentiles do : for they think that
they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask
Him. After this manner therefore pray ye
: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in
Heaven, so on Earth. 11 Give us this
day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us
our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And bring us not into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one. 14 For if
ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. 15 But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the
hypocrites, of a sad countenance : for they disfigure their faces, that
they may be seen of men to fast. Verily
I say unto you, they have received their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy
head, and wash thy face ; 18 That thou
be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father which is in secret : and thy
Father, which seeth in secret, shall recompense
thee. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures
upon the earth, where moth and rust doth consume, and where thieves break
through and steal : 20 But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal : 21 For where thy treasure is, there will thy
heart be also. 22 The lamp of the body
is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be
darkness, how great is the darkness !
When you are praying
in company with others, do not talk for the sake of talking, as the heathen do
in their endless sing-song prayers. They think that they can make Heaven listen
by sheer persistence. You must not be like them, for you must remember that
your Father knows what you need before you begin to ask. I will give you a
model for your prayers : ' Our Father God,
be Thou our God indeed ; let Thy new world come, Thy will be all men's
law, on earth, as in heaven ; give us
to-day our food for the day that is coming,*
and release us from our debts, as we too have released our debtors ; and bring us not into
trial, but rescue us from the devil.'
You see, if you have forgiven your fellow-men their offences against you, your
Father will also forgive your offences against
Him ; if you will not, neither will He forgive you. When you are
undergoing self-discipline, do not affect a sour expression, as do those who
fast for appearance' sake. You know they
murder their natural good looks, that everybody may see what martyrs they are.
Of course they get the reputation they desire. When any one of you resolves
upon a season of abstinence, he should
be better groomed and more sociable than usual ; the attention of his friends is not to be drawn
to his self- denial. His Father who dwells
in the hidden life of the heart will see it ; his Father who reads all secrets
will reward him. Do not hoard material
possessions ; the moth will consume your
finery, rust will tarnish your gold,
thieves may break into your strong-rooms and
carry all away. Your provision for future need is to be laid up in God's
bank no moth, no rust, with Him ; no one
can rob you of that treasure. Moreover, a man's interest is sure to centre round
the concerns in which his savings are invested. Your soul looks out of your eyes,
and everything depends upon the clearness of your vision. If a man look at
others without suspicion or prejudice, his social life will be all sweetness
and light ; if, on the other hand, his
way of thinking about them is churlish
and grudging, the world he lives in will look
gloomy indeed ; he carries the outer darkness about
*0r perhaps ' our needful
food ' : I cannot decide between these
two renderings.
CHAPTER VII. 24 No man can serve two masters : for either
he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to one,
and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto
you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ;
nor yet for your body, what ye shall put
on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment ? 26 Behold the birds of the heaven, that they
sow not, neither do they reap, nor
gather into barns ; and your heavenly Father
feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they ? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add
one cubit unto his stature ? 28 And why are ye anxious concerning raiment
? Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow ; they toil not, neither do
they spin : 29 Yet I say unto
you, that even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these.
30 But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the
oven, shall He not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith ? 31 Be not
therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat ? or What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall
we be clothed ? 32 For after all these
things do the Gentiles seek ; for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his
righteousness ; and all these things
shall be added unto you. 34 Be not
therefore anxious for the morrow : for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto
the day is the evil thereof.
CHAPTER Vn. 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall
be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured unto
you. 3 And why beholdest thou
the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in
thine own eye ?
You must make your
choice between devotion to God and
absorption in this world's business, for
no one can really bind himself to the service of more than one master at a time ; he will either
dislike the one and love the other, or
he will become attached to the one and
disparage the other. So I bid you not to worry about yourselves, so far as food
and clothes are concerned. You are far
more important than the food you eat ;
your bodies are more beautiful than the clothes
you wear. Study the wild birds ; they do not sow or reap or lay up a store for the winter, yet
God your Father looks after them,- and
you are more precious in His sight than
they ! Worry never makes you any
better-looking, does it ? What is the use of worrying about clothes ? Learn a lesson from the wild
flowers they have no toilsome
dressmaking to do, yet I tell you
Solomon in full dress was not so well clothed
as they ! If God dresses the very grass so well, the grass which grows in the meadow to-day,
and tomorrow is dry and dead, surely He will take more pains with you, you poor, mistrustful people ! You
must not let yourselves worry, or say, '
How are we going to make ends meet ? '
or, ' What about the clothes I want so
badly ? ' The thoughts of worldly people
revolve round subjects like these ; surely
God your Father knows how many your needs are ! The bringing to birth of God's new world, the
practice of His way of life, must be your first concern ; all other needful things will come your way, if this be
so. Live a day at a time, and let to-morrow look after itself. Every day brings its own burden of care, and
one day's trouble at a time is as much as you can. Do not indulge your critical
faculties too much you lay yourself open
to criticism if you do ; in the long run
you will be done by as you did. Why do you take so much notice of the splinter in your
brother-man's eye.
CHAPTER VII. 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let
me cast out the mote out of thine eye ;
and lo, the beam is in thine own eye ?
5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's
eye. 6 Give not that which is holy unto
the dogs, neither cast your pearls
before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you. 7 Ask, and it shall be given you : seek, and
ye shall find ; knock, and it shall bs
opened unto you : 8 For every one that
asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh
findeth : and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his
son shall ask him for a loaf, will give
him a stone ; 10 Or if he shall ask for
a fish, will give him a serpent 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him ? 12 All things therefore whatsoever ye would
that men should do unto you, even so do
ye also unto them : for this is the law
and the prophets. 13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate : for wide is
the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many be they
that enter in thereby. 14 For narrow is
the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth
unto life, and few be they that find it. 15 If Beware of false prophets, which come
to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 16 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit ; bat the corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good
tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 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. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, did we not do without stopping to reflect that there is a whole log
in your own ?
Why do you busy
yourselves with other men's small faults so much, and forget your own big ones ? Self-deluded man, first get rid of the
log in your own eye, then you can see
straight to pick the splinter out of
your brother's eye ! Your fellowship with Me
and one another is your signet-ring, your circlet of pearls ; you are not to. expose this sacred
bond to the tender mercies of cynical
outsiders or mere scandal- mongers ; if
you do, they trample your treasure in
the dirt, then turn upon you and take away your character too. Ask, and you shall have ; seek,
and you shall find ; knock, and the door
will fly open. Every one who persists in
asking gets something ; the seeker makes
discoveries ; to the man who keeps on knocking God's door does open. There is not a man among you who
would give his boy a stone when asked
for a loaf, or a snake as a substitute
for a fish, is there? If, then, sinful men like
you know what is best to give your children, surely you can trust your heavenly Father to give good
things to those who ask Him ! My rule of
life is this : you are to treat every
one else as you would like people to treat
you ; this is the essence of God's revealed law of con- duct. The door I have now opened to you is
narrow, but you must enter it ; the road
that leads to a wasted life is broad and
smooth, and there is always company
enough that way ; the gate is narrow and the road toilsome which leads to life in God's new
world, and few discover where it lies.
Do not be misled by men who beckon you
another way they call themselves '
prophets/ and come to you, looking as harmless as sheep really they are greedy
wolves ; you can tell what they really
are by the mischief they cause. You do not gather grapes on the thorn-bush, or
figs on the thistle, do you ? A healthy tree bears sound fruit, a decayed tree
rotten fruit. It is not in nature for a sound tree to bear bad fruit, or for a
rotten tree to produce fruit that is good to eat. Every tree that does not bear
good fruit is fated to be cut down and burnt. This, then, is the test you are to
apply you can measure their sincerity or otherwise by the kind of results they
achieve. It is not a question of words
merely, for not every one is prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out
devils, and by thy name do many mighty
works ?
CHAPTER VII. 23 And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you depart from me, ye that
work iniquity. 24 Every one therefore
which heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise
man, which built his house upon the rock
: 25 And the rain descended, and' the
floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it
was founded upon the rock. 26
And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish
man, which built his house upon the
sand 27 And the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew, and
smote upon that house ; and it fell : and great
was the fall thereof.
Who calls Me ' Lord,
Lord ' shall have a place in God's new world, but only those who carry out My
Father God's will. In the day of My coming many shall say, ' Lord, Lord, have we not preached, saved men
from the sway of dark powers of evil, healed them body and soul, and all in Thy
name ? ' And after all I shall have to tell them publicly, ' You were never
Mine ; depart from Me, you are rebels
all of you.' All depends, you see, upon the reality of men's relations with Me.
The man who listens to My words and
carries them into action is like a
sensible builder, who builds his house
upon the solid rock. The rainy season comes, rivers rise, fierce gusts
of wind come sweeping down upon the house, and yet it does not fall ; its
foundation lies secure upon the rock. As
for the man, whoever he be, who listens to My words and does not carry them
into practice, he is like a heedless builder, who builds his house on loose
sandy soil. The rainy season comes, rivers rise, fierce gusts of wind batter
the house it totters then down it comes in utter ruin !