Light
of the World
“No
one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and money.”
Matthew
5:24
Most
of the time, Jesus seems to have taught his followers using
metaphorical stories. He would say outrageous things to them, such as
“you must eat my flesh and drink my blood,” which must have
sounded insane, given the strictness of Jewish dietary rules. He
famously compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, to a pinch of
yeast in a bowl of dough, giving them examples familiar to them, but
indirect all the same.
Occasionally,
however, he came straight to the point. The Sermon on the Mount was
one of those occasions. In it, Jesus explained how God wants us to
live. He spoke of emotions such as anger and lust, expanding their
meaning to include what we hold in our hearts. He talked of judging
others and counseled that we first take the log from our own eye. He
said not to retaliate when someone has done us wrong, but to turn the
other cheek. In fact, he said as children of God, we are also
children of light, and should let our light shine in the world. We
should ask God for what we need, and do so privately, in the quiet of
our hearts. He recommended that we give to the needy, feed the
hungry, and not worry today about what tomorrow holds. And most
difficult of all, he said that we should love our enemies.
The
Sermon on the Mount is one section of the New Testament that almost
all Bible scholars agree upon—these words were most likely spoken
by Jesus of Nazareth. They were the meat of his message. They call us
to consciousness and compassion, which was Jesus' essential
purpose—wake up, light your light, open your heart and include
everyone.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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