The Keystone of Christ's Teachings

Jesus asks much of us.  He asks us to follow Him.  This doesn't mean simply obey but to mirror His life and His teachings.  There are several things we must do, one could write a book and still not do it justice.  Jesus compares lust to adultery and hate to murder, He has some very high standards. So I'll hit on a few key points and see what ground I can cover, so let's start with scripture.

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which 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 publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.


Jesus is saying a lot of things here.  First he is telling us to allow one strike to the face and then turn the other cheek and allow a second more insulting strike because the second will be a back handed one. 

Then he says if someone takes the shirt off your back give them your coat, which in His time was used as a blanket or even pillow to sleep with and hence much more valuable.  Today that would be like saying if someone wants your bike also give them your car.  Jesus also says you should go the extra mile when someone forces you to walk with them, this happened a lot under Roman rule, soldiers would make Jews carry their gear, and so Jesus is saying you should not only do what they ask but respond with kindness and generosity to your enemies.

Jesus is also saying that even publicans or tax collectors love their friends and hate their enemies but we as disciples should love our enemies and pray for those who curse us.  Jesus is telling us to respond with kindness and love in the face of hate and opposition.  This is what Gandhi and Dr.Martin Luther King proclaimed as well.  Dr.King taught his followers to take the beatings the police and others dished out and to respond in kindness not in kind.  And then his followers would sing in jail because they knew they were winning and they found that though they were beaten they were still alive.  Rome can't kill them all, and the American system couldn't either.

Jesus teaches that if you hold a grudge against anyone you must make amends with them before God will accept your sacrificial offerings.

When Jesus says do not resist evil the Greek word used always refers to violence so He is not saying be passive He is saying do not resort to violence to fight evil.  Evil begets evil and violence begets violence.

Love sooner or later begets love.  It's like Dr.King said "Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that.  And hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

This is what Jesus is trying to tell us, that only by extending love, by extending generosity can we hope to defeat evil.  When Jesus says "By their fruits shall ye know them"  He gives us the example that good trees bear good fruits and bad trees bear bad fruit and only by their actions will it be apparent whether or not you have truly accepted Christ's teachings.  Good can never come of evil and evil can never result from good.  But appearances can be deceiving and so I'm sure some may argue but I prefer not to disagree with Christ, I'm not about to lose a bet with God.

Service, giving, is the keystone of Christ's teachings.  It completes the picture.  By being truly selfless one can affect great change and do great and wonderful things.

Unconditional love is the cornerstone of Christ's teachings and to act on that in service of others is something Christ consistently did throughout His life and ministry.

His last act, before the crucifixion which was borne out of love was to, as a servant would, wash the feet of His disciples and then instruct them to do the same, to serve one another as He served them.

Likewise if we claim to be not just fans but disciples of Christ we must serve in the same capacity as Christ did.

But to truly do this as Christ did we must want to serve not just be willing to or worse do so begrudgingly.

In fact Krishna, in the Bagavad Gita, says that there are three types of charity: passion, ignorance and goodness.  

"But charity performed with the expectation of some return, or with a desire for fruitive results, or in a grudging mood, is said to be charity in the mode of passion."  Bagavad Gita Chapter 17:21

The definition of charity which is borne of goodness is "That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to a worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to be charity in the mode of goodness." Bagavad Gita 17:20

Krishna stipulates that the receiver must be worthy.  But to Christ we are all worthy because we are all equal in that we all fall short of the glory of God.

Did you know that Jesus never met a prostitute or murderer or thief? He only met children of God, some who struggled but all He met struggled in some shape or form, none but He were perfected.

So it is a tall order, an immense task to truly live up to being a disciple of Christ.  But it was never supposed to be easy, it is only supposed to be worth it.

And it is not only worth it for you but for those you serve and for those you help and for those whom you love back to the path of Christ.

You can only point them to the light, they must find their way but you may help them through the darkness.