The Sermon on the Mount

1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Here are the words of Jesus Christ and what he latter exemplified in his ministry, life, and death. This is the plain simple truth to peace on earth if only mankind would open their hearts to loving and living as he did. The Kingdom of Heaven is a Kingdom of peace and love for all. Christ described the Kingdom of Heaven in most of his parables. In the book of John, he stated the plain simple truth of it, "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you". It is inner peace that leads to a peaceful world around you. This sermon is Christ's message to those who came to him of what they would get out of his teachings if they followed them.

3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When Christ gave this sermon there were many who were poor in spirit. They were judged unworthy by the harsh laws of the Pharisees, the Roman Empire, even their own family and friends judged them for failing to live up to one social norm or another. Christ welcomed them into his ministry, and accepted them as they came. He loved them unconditionally, and thus restored their inner peace.

4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

He comforted those who mourned and taught his followers to comfort those who mourn. This is a simple act of love that escapes many today.

5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

This is simple logic. Over an extended period of time with advances in technology, warmongers will eliminate themselves.

6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Christ set a bar so high for righteousness that no man can claim to be more righteous than another. He gave his life for simply loving. He was put to death for harming not a single soul. He did it humbly without asking for anything in return. That is righteousness. That being righteousness, no man can judge another unless he too is has done this. Such is the bar we should strive to achieve, that we love our fellow man so much that we would die for them. If we all opened our hearts in such a way, what kind of world could we create?

7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

There is mercy received in being merciful. It is a gift you give yourself. Any man can be vengeful. That is the easy road to take. When one is vengeful he becomes hate filled and bitter. He does more harm to himself than the one he seeks to take vengeance on. Furthermore, he has already lost the battle over himself. Vengeance is to be ruled by your passions, mercy is to rule your passions. Be merciful for it is mercy to yourself.

8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

The pure in heart have no bias. Bias is the impurity of the soul. When you are born into this world, you do not come with bias and judgement. That is something you learn through the struggles of life. When you rid yourself of bias and judgement once again, you see the world through the eyes of a child. It is a wondrous world full of so many gifts. What you see is God everywhere your eyes rest. You see his fingerprints in every piece of creation. You see the light of his being in every soul you meet. You feel love everywhere. Your only sadness is that others do not see this.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

God IS this whole existence. To be a peacemaker is to be a unifier, not a sower of hate and discord, fear and oppression. God wants his children to know him, thus he needs peacemakers to bring his children together once more that all may behold his wonder. We are here to prove God's existence by exemplify his benevolent traits through our own actions. We are here to answer each others prayers.

10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Who do we persecute in the name of righteousness? How full will our prisons become before we realise we are not the judge? Not a single person is persecuted, oppressed, or imprisoned for anything other than the name of righteousness. If you are free, you are not persecuted in the name of righteousness, you are the persecutor by consent.

11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

How many are persecuted or reviled for Christ's sake? Have you heard "Believe in Christ you filthy sinner!"? How about, "God hates fags!" by a supposed Christian? What of those early Christians who actually lost their lives for rejecting Roman authority, spreading Christ's message of unconditional love, and doing their works for mankind rather than mammon (money)?

13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Christ's early followers were the lowest class of society. They were the poor, destitute, unrighteous, and needy. They were the working man. They found hope in Christ's message. They were the teachers of the Kingdom of Heaven. They were willing to give their all to the cause. They were willing to rise up and be counted as Kings and Queens on this earth. Where are they now? Have they lost their savour? Are they being trodden under the foot of men?

14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

You are the light of the world! You, the bottom of the heap. You, the working class stiff. You, the poor. You the unrighteous. You the wayward. You are all the light of the world because YOU reflect the world we have created. If the lowest among us suffers, we have allowed suffering into our world. If the lowest among us is hungry, we have allowed hunger into this world. If the lowest among us is poor in spirit, is sorrowful, is in misery, WE have allowed this!!!!

You are the LIGHT of the world!

20For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Who is more righteous than the Pharisees and Scribes? The Pharisees talk, the scribes write, but it is YOU who must do. Be more righteous than they. Do that which Christ taught and heal this world. Don't listen to Pharisees puffed up on their own pride that they cannot see the ailments of this world. YOU are the light of the world. Don't concern yourself with the writings of the scribes who know not the light. YOU are the light of the world. You see what pain we have. You see what needs we have. You feel the suffering. You feel the hardships. You endure it. It is up to YOU to fix it. You are the light of the world.

How?

21Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Our justice system will not fix it. Our justice system is built by those who make their living off of laws. The more laws, the greater their living. They serve to divide man one from the other. Then they can live profitably off the division THEY created. Talk to each other. Forgive each other. Love one another. And let no man divide you.

27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Who hasn't looked at a woman lustfully? It is part of our nature. It is what drives us to breed. Unless you are willing to pluck out your eyes, do not judge each other for adultery. If something offends you, that is YOUR problem. Get rid of YOUR offences. You didn't have them when you were born. They are learned in life. As you have learned them, you can unlearn them. Offences only serve to divide you and keep you at odds with others.

31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32But 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.

If you loved your wife, she would not seek to commit adultery, and if you loved your husband he too would not seek to commit adultery. Stay with each other as long as the love is there, then part as friends. No one owns anyone and this whole system of marriage was built on nothing but the concept of owning your wife. You cannot truly love something you think that you own.

33Again, 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: 34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Anyone lost a house in the mortgage crisis? That is a broken oath. No man knows the circumstances he faces in the very next second of life after an oath. Thus, no man can know for sure if he will be able to fulfill an oath. Binding oneself in an oath only serves to relinquish his own freewill to another or make him a liar to all.

38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

The cycle of violence this world is locked in must end somewhere. Some one must be strong enough to resist the temptation of endless battle. We are here to help one another, not fight one another. This world is the Kingdom of Heaven, and it can be to all. We must work together to make it so. No one owns anything. He who thinks he owns anything of this world, will be sorely disappointed when he dies and realises that he cannot take his possessions with him. It is better that we share all that we have. In sharing, resources are not hoarded by a few at the expense of the many.

43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But 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; 45That 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. 46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Judge not, Love all, be at peace. Be perfect because you are perfect, just the way you were made.

With Love,

Your Brother

What happened to the text?
Did you quote this?

Originally posted by FeraVerto
What happened to the text?
Did you quote this?

I left out a "/"

Ooops



With Love,

Your Brother

reply to post by IAMIAM


Yeah, we all make mistakes.
Even on forums sites.

I didn't even have to read this...

Soon as i saw the face i S&F'd it hahaha!!

Now to read it for fun

reply to post by IAMIAM

Such is the bar we should strive to achieve, that we love our fellow man so much that we would die for them. If we all opened our hearts in such a way, what kind of world could we create?

A perfect world!!

Beautifully said my friend... almost brought tears to my eyes honestly!

Quit doin that damnit!!

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by IAMIAM

 

Such is the bar we should strive to achieve, that we love our fellow man so much that we would die for them. If we all opened our hearts in such a way, what kind of world could we create?

A perfect world!!

Beautifully said my friend... almost brought tears to my eyes honestly!

Quit doin that damnit!!

As I keep saying my friend, these are not my words, these are Christ's words!

Keep shining your light Brother. It is our only hope.



With Love,

Your Brother

Originally posted by IAMIAM

Originally posted by Akragon
reply to post by IAMIAM

 

Such is the bar we should strive to achieve, that we love our fellow man so much that we would die for them. If we all opened our hearts in such a way, what kind of world could we create?

A perfect world!!

Beautifully said my friend... almost brought tears to my eyes honestly!

Quit doin that damnit!!

As I keep saying my friend, these are not my words, these are Christ's words!

Keep shining your light Brother. It is our only hope.

With Love,

Your Brother

Its easier to hear in todays language though. I always enjoy reading your posts man...

You paraphrase his words brilliantly. I would applaud if i could...

The pure in heart have no bias. Bias is the impurity of the soul. When you are born into this world, you do not come with bias and judgement. That is something you learn through the struggles of life. When you rid yourself of bias and judgement once again, you see the world through the eyes of a child. It is a wondrous world full of so many gifts. What you see is God everywhere your eyes rest. You see his fingerprints in every piece of creation. You see the light of his being in every soul you meet. You feel love everywhere. Your only sadness is that others do not see this.

I love this quote the most and it really jumped out at me. When I read this I felt a very strong connection and realized that this is how I feel inside. But I never really thought about it, like it was natural to me. I've always known that I'm a child at heart, and I always strive to be as neutral (passive) as possible and not judge or hold bias... But you really put it very eloquently and spot on. God is all around us; I DO see the fingerprints in every piece of creation, I just treated it as common knowledge and didn't really give it much thought.

Thank you for connecting the dots. My greatest sadness is indeed that there are so many others out there that don't see the world like this... we'd all be happier if we did.

46. Jesus said, "From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, no one is so much greater than John the Baptist that his eyes should not be averted. But I have said that whoever among you becomes like a child will recognize the (Father's) kingdom and will become greater than John."

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Such is the bar we should strive to achieve, that we love our fellow man so much that we would die for them. If we all opened our hearts in such a way, what kind of world could we create?

We'd create one with a bunch of dead people and one living one.

29And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

I picked one at random.

How is this good advice or even a representation of wisdom? Not only is he bringing in the pernicious lie of hell but (if we take it literally) instructs to damage one's body to assuage undesirable behaviors, or (if we take it figuratively) instructs us to unilaterally abandon undesirable behavior instead of learning to control it and live life productively. This is also fear-based advice: it's the commandment to do good to avoid punishment, not the advice to do good for the sake of doing good.

As I stated in another thread, the SOTM contains bad advice, has no underlying theme and some sections are contradictory to others.

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Such is the bar we should strive to achieve, that we love our fellow man so much that we would die for them. If we all opened our hearts in such a way, what kind of world could we create?

We'd create one with a bunch of dead people and one living one.

29And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

I picked one at random.

How is this good advice or even a representation of wisdom? Not only is he bringing in the pernicious lie of hell but (if we take it literally) instructs to damage one's body to assuage undesirable behaviors, or (if we take it figuratively) instructs us to unilaterally abandon undesirable behavior instead of learning to control it and live life productively. This is also fear-based advice: it's the commandment to do good to avoid punishment, not the advice to do good for the sake of doing good.

As I stated in another thread, the SOTM contains bad advice, has no underlying theme and some sections are contradictory to others.

edit on 21-4-2011 by traditionaldrummer because: whargrbl

It means you should have no hate in your life, theres nothing contradictory to the passage you just lack understanding of it. How would you live life productively whilst hating things in your life? Hate solves nothing, and only perpetuates negetive emotions. You do Good for the sake of doing Good itself, it has nothng to do with punishment. And the threat of "hell" is mearly a reference to reincarnation. IF you don't learn your lessons while you're here, you're coming back for another go... Many consider this to be their own hell...

Originally posted by IAMIAM
The pure in heart have no bias. Bias is the impurity of the soul. When you are born into this world, you do not come with bias and judgement. That is something you learn through the struggles of life. When you rid yourself of bias and judgement once again, you see the world through the eyes of a child. It is a wondrous world full of so many gifts. What you see is God everywhere your eyes rest. You see his fingerprints in every piece of creation. You see the light of his being in every soul you meet. You feel love everywhere. Your only sadness is that others do not see this.

I disagree. If you see god everywhere your eyes rest you are not "pure of heart" nor unbiased. You're either so biased that confirmation bias is in complete control or you've removed so many mental faculties that you're not interpreting reality in a rational manner. One can still stand in profound awe of the universe yet not interpret the emotional responses from this awe as being the love and presence of invisible deities.

Originally posted by Akragon
It means you should have no hate in your life, theres nothing contradictory to the passage you just lack understanding of it.

Jesus isn't talking about hate here.

How would you live life productively whilst hating things in your life? Hate solves nothing, and only perpetuates negetive emotions. You do Good for the sake of doing Good itself, it has nothng to do with punishment.

That is not the theme of this passage.

And the threat of "hell" is mearly a reference to reincarnation. IF you don't learn your lessons while you're here, you're coming back for another go... Many consider this to be their own hell...

No, Jesus is not talking about reincarnation, nor does he say we come back until we learn. He's talking about preventing certain behaviors to avoid the punishment of hell.

I'm uncertain as to how you arrived at these interpretations.

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Such is the bar we should strive to achieve, that we love our fellow man so much that we would die for them. If we all opened our hearts in such a way, what kind of world could we create?

We'd create one with a bunch of dead people and one living one.

Have you seen the world we live in? I see dead people all around me my friend. They are too afraid to LIVE! They are walking dead worried about their bills, worried about their reputation, worried about this material possession or that possession, worried about getting sick, worried about being injuried, worried about being heart broken, terrified to live and LOVE!

Perhaps we already live in a world where all are dead and only one lives. Then consider me here to raise the dead! LOL.

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

29And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

I picked one at random.

How is this good advice or even a representation of wisdom? Not only is he bringing in the pernicious lie of hell but (if we take it literally) instructs to damage one's body to assuage undesirable behaviors, or (if we take it figuratively) instructs us to unilaterally abandon undesirable behavior instead of learning to control it and live life productively. This is also fear-based advice: it's the commandment to do good to avoid punishment, not the advice to do good for the sake of doing good.

As I stated in another thread, the SOTM contains bad advice, has no underlying theme and some sections are contradictory to others.

It is not literal my friend it is a metaphor. If your eye sees evil, pluck it out, it will damn you to hell! If you see nothing but offence everywhere you look, you will spend all your time judging life and not living it. You will miss out on all the splendor around you. This WILL happen.

You can look at any given situation and take it offensively or find it joyful. This is your choice. If you find offensive, you have chosen to be offended. You have created your own world of hell.

It is that simple. You cannot change others, all you can do is change how YOU view others.

You can see Angels or Demons. I see nothing but angels. That is the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is your choice my friend.

With Love,

Your Brother

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Originally posted by Akragon
It means you should have no hate in your life, theres nothing contradictory to the passage you just lack understanding of it.

Jesus isn't talking about hate here.

How would you live life productively whilst hating things in your life? Hate solves nothing, and only perpetuates negetive emotions. You do Good for the sake of doing Good itself, it has nothng to do with punishment.

That is not the theme of this passage.

And the threat of "hell" is mearly a reference to reincarnation. IF you don't learn your lessons while you're here, you're coming back for another go... Many consider this to be their own hell...

No, Jesus is not talking about reincarnation, nor does he say we come back until we learn. He's talking about preventing certain behaviors to avoid the punishment of hell.

I'm uncertain as to how you arrived at these interpretations.

Amazing how definitive you are about these passages, but believe what you will... It doesn't matter how i arrived at those conclusions, clearly you've made up your mind. Who am i to try and change your beliefs

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer
I disagree. If you see god everywhere your eyes rest you are not "pure of heart" nor unbiased. You're either so biased that confirmation bias is in complete control or you've removed so many mental faculties that you're not interpreting reality in a rational manner. One can still stand in profound awe of the universe yet not interpret the emotional responses from this awe as being the love and presence of invisible deities.

You disagree because it is not a sky man with a white beard that I worship. If it were, then you could mock it.

That profound awe IS worship according to me.

You do not have to call it God. God is just a word. That Awe is the meaning behind the word to me.

With Love,

Your Brother

Originally posted by IAMIAM
Have you seen the world we live in? I see dead people all around me my friend. They are too afraid to LIVE! They are walking dead worried about their bills, worried about their reputation, worried about this material possession or that possession, worried about getting sick, worried about being injuried, worried about being heart broken, terrified to live and LOVE!

Perhaps we already live in a world where all are dead and only one lives. Then consider me here to raise the dead! LOL.

Fortunately we have Jesus' stellar advice (Matthew 6:25) to think of nothing, including food and clothes.

It is not literal my friend it is a metaphor. If your eye sees evil, pluck it out, it will damn you to hell! If you see nothing but offence everywhere you look, you will spend all your time judging life and not living it. You will miss out on all the splendor around you. This WILL happen.

Even metaphorically, plucking out one's eye because it saw evil is absurd, not sage advice. If your problem is lust, do you "pluck" out your genitals? No. Would such advice teach one to get one's lust under control? No. The instruction is simply to remove it (or ignore it) which obviously will not work for everyone.

If the overall message was to quit doing "sinful" things there exists much better advice than this. But the message here is that one had better take extreme measures to quit sinning because you're going to face hell. Negative reinforcement is not what I'd expect from any wise man, let alone one alleged to be the "son of god".

reply to post by traditionaldrummer


Please read the whole quote in that passage...

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought 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 meat, and the body than raiment?

reply to post by IAMIAM

Have you seen the world we live in? I see dead people all around me my friend. They are too afraid to LIVE! They are walking dead worried about their bills, worried about their reputation, worried about this material possession or that possession, worried about getting sick, worried about being injuried, worried about being heart broken, terrified to live and LOVE!

People's vision is blurred and hazy (essentially blind), like in a drunken stupor. I recall this:

28. Jesus said, "I took my stand in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk, and I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see, for they came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the world empty. But meanwhile they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, then they will change their ways."

While humans cling to this world's possessions and ways, they drift away from the light and further into the darkness, like it was in the time of their mother's womb, or like it will be when they are six feet under in the womb of the Earth, people seek to return to the darkness they came from. They're attached to this realm and are too "drunk" to see beyond it.

Originally posted by Akragon
Amazing how definitive you are about these passages, but believe what you will... It doesn't matter how i arrived at those conclusions, clearly you've made up your mind. Who am i to try and change your beliefs

You didn't try to change my beliefs, you just claimed I interpreted this passage incorrectly. Then you went on to tell me the passage was about hate and reincarnation, though neither were mentioned or even implied. My curiosity as to how you got there was genuine.