Mathew chapter 7 continues……..1

One of the most wrongly interpreted parts of the Bible is this one, verses from 7 t0 14. Ask, Seek, Knock then everything will be at your hands. That’s the popular concept of this part of the Bible. Should we think that this is a divine principle to be mentioned in a spiritual teaching? No. First we have to consider the instance in which Jesus teaching this. He was teaching the people whom he called from Galilee sea shore. What had these people been doing there on sea shore when he called them? The same things, they had been Asking, Seeking and Knocking doors to mend their life, to make their life more comfortable. They asked, sought and knocked in material and social environment and they might have got pleasure but not joy and satisfaction as in the case of today’s many millionaires. Their greed might have increased day by day and satisfaction and joy might have been far away from they thought about. So whether a need had been there these points to be taught? No, they were familiar with them. Then, why Jesus again mentioned it?

In verses 9-11 Jesus points out the fact with the help of a parable, children and parents. Children’s asking and seeking are answered not only because of their effort but because parents grant them. Parents grant their children’s requests because that is the right things they have to do in their relations or it’s known as “righteousness”. This is not only the matter of effort but also an attitude, a mental state. Children ask their parents with a specific attitude & emotion and parents grant them with a specific emotion, these emotions and mental state are also the part of “righteousness”, otherwise deeds will be mechanical.

 In the same way Jesus reminded them that they got what they needed in their life was not only because of their efforts but some force granted them that.  To understand this fact we have to examine the relation we maintain with nature and society when we interact with them to achieve what we want.  When we interact with nature or society to process them to facilitate our life, we maintain an attitude that only two entities exists, one is ‘me’ and the other one is where  the ‘me’ interact with; nature or society. This leads us to think that the subjective part or non-material part exists only in ‘me’ and the other part is completely objective, there is no will or an intelligence working behind the other part. This is the mistake we commit always. A universal intelligence (God) is functioning even behind objective environment (not in the objective environment) when we interact with it. Everything in the objective environment has been obeying many principles in order to exist. Means a force has been functioning and that force maintains some principles or laws, it is not functioning in random. This force – God - is an intelligent force otherwise how can it maintain principles? When our interaction with our environment is in accordance with these principles or in accordance with this universal intelligence (which functions behind the universe and 'in' man), otherwise when we keep righteousness with objective as well as subjective environment, like children with their parents (material body is from material world and spirit is from God), these principles or the universal intelligence (God) grant us what we needed, the good gifts as mentioned in the verses. Means what we needed.

In nutshell when we interact with either social or natural environment, we not only have to consider objective conditions but also a subjective condition, that maintain some principles in nature as well as in society, prevails everywhere. But even in today’s society this consideration has no place then what will be the case of that society on Galilee sea shore? So Jesus taught them to do the same thing what they followed but with a modification, to consider a subjective condition like a parent maintain towards his children, on other part when ask, seek and knock. Means, when we seek our welfare or happiness -subjective conditions- we have to ask or seek whether any such subjective condition exists outside us (God’s will). If it exists, we have to work to fulfill such condition first. In very much colloquial language consider the social and environmental needs first. That is verse 12 says “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

That is very difficult. But without the existence of resources, whether it is environment or society, we will not have any kind of welfare. So work for our welfare means work for the welfare of society and environment (God created Eden for the purpose of men, but their thought of consumerism, exploitation, drove them out), work with people to mend them to bring to this way of thinking. Means become a philanthropist and environmentalist.  It is very difficult, isn’t it? That is why Jesus advised them to enter the narrow gate which leads to life; the other one is wide but leads to destruction.

(God works behind the material world and control it, he doesn’t live in any material part but in human beings, according to Bible only human body is the temple of God) 

Environment And Bible

June 5^th is the ‘International Environmental Day’.  When we see phrases like this infiltrate to spiritual matters, we wrinkle our forehead; especially when we discuss Bible. The reason is that we believe Bible and faith have nothing to do with such social and environmental problems because those are out of the domain. But it is our prejudice or we like to run away from the facts and lead a comfortable life using the Bible as a device for the same.

            Most of us believe Bible is to read and to understand the content, but it is not like that.  We have nothing to do with the knowledge that we build up from Bible until and unless it provides us with a clear outlook. And if we have an outlook based on the Bible, we will see all the social phenomena; political, economical or environmental; through that outlook and approach facts accordingly. So, if anybody has a Biblical outlook, certainly he/she will not only have clear vision about environment and environmental problems but also have an approach accordingly.

            OK, if it is so, Shall we have any concern and opinion about the 1200 people who died in north India because of blistering heat, in last month, means in may 2015? Shall we think about the reason of this climate change? Of course we would have thought about this calamity. But many of us believe prayer is the only way according to Bible. No; it is a big lie, run away or hides things for selfish achievements. If anybody has a Biblical outlook, that person will not support any activities which exploit nature and environment like anything that results in such calamities as mentioned above. Do we have any incidents from Bible to point out or to justify this view? Yes, let us look some verses from Bible.

Genesis 3:

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,  she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Actually the greed, the lust for more, drives us to encroach and exploit nature and natural resources beyond the limits. The above mentioned verses, from Genesis chapter 3, point out this fact. Eve crossed the limit in utilizing environment and it was not a necessary but greed. Encroachment of Adam and Eve lead them to more and more needs or cravings, like the need for covering bodies. That resulted in further encroachment on nature for the fulfillment of new needs. In that intense encroachment and exploitation we neglect the righteousness that we have to maintain in relation with nature, from there begins the unrighteous life of human beings.  Every one of us, whether we have Biblical words in our mouth or not, like to have many luxurious facilities in our homes that really helps to accelerate environmental problems. We are praying for it, we are believers because God has to provide this kind of facilities for us (Nowadays I cannot make out who is spiritual and who is materialist). We become the victims of consumerism which is the out come of greed or lust for more.

One of the most dangerous tendencies is the extensive use of vehicles. Most of them are not needs, but desire and craving for luxury. What is the result? We run to find out more and more places to mine petroleum and coal, that has lead us today up to Arctic, a dangerous mission by the company “Shell”, to drill there in arctic that spoil the ice covering and will result in other environmental problems .By burning petroleum products, we contribute to carbon and carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which absorbs light reflecting from surface of the earth and increase the atmospheric temperature. This temperature has its own influence on echo systems and on ice layers that cover Polar Regions and the tops of high mountains. It will provide a high flood in future like one happened in the period of Noah, by melting ice coverings. Actually this is what happened in the time of Noah. People were extremely greedy and sinful that resulted in flood. Look into the verses:

Genesis 6:

 12And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Genesis 7:

17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.

These verses clearly point out the activities of man is the one and only cause of environmental problems those lead him to extinction. So do we need to stand against the causes of environmental problems according to Bible? Should we stand in favor of environment according to Bible? Yes, no doubt! But what do we actually do?

Don’t think that there is a covenant of God with Noah so there will not be again a flood. Examine the covenant very carefully; there is something in it like this,

Genesis 9:

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

What it is? When he sees clouds and rainbow only he remembers the covenant, means there will not be a flood by clouds and rain. If there is possibility to have a flood without cloud and rainbow he will not remember the covenant.

What is Jesus’ environmental approach? Most of those who read Bible think Jesus doesn’t have an environmental vision. Is it true? No. A lot of incidents can be pointed out. At present I point out only one instant. Read the below verses.

Mathew 6:

25“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

What does Jesus teach us in these verses? He teaches us that nature is a divine book from which we can read every divine principle we needed to lead our social life. He sees nature as another copy of Bible. He tells us to follow the way of nature or the laws we see in nature. But what we do? We try to make the nature follow our laws and regulations that spring up from our selfish greed. We attack nature and environment instead of obeying the principles they bring forth. Is it spiritual life? Jesus abstracted principles from material environment and used it in spiritual plane to enrich the spiritual life.  But what we do now? We destroy the resource that enriches our spiritual plane, to enrich our material life. How long can we enrich our material life like this?

Jesus loved nature and environment. He was also a good environmentalist. He was a good friend of nature that is why nature and natural phenomena like storms obeyed him. What’s our stand now? Whether believers should be environmentalists or should not be?

Mathew Chapter Seven

Mathew Chapter seven

Now, all over India, discussions and debates are going on about some court verdicts. One is about a verdict in a case in which an Indian film superstar involved; a ‘hit and run’ traffic case. In that case a man who was sleeping on foot path died. The concerned court sentenced the film star for five years imprisonment. According to the law of India; if anybody is sentenced for imprisonment for three years or more, he has to go to jail, means bail is not available till the judgment in appeal coming out. But in the case of this superstar’s case this matter was not considered by the higher court and gave bail. So, most of the public see this verdict with suspicion and they cannot see it as an impartial verdict or a verdict, a judgment, of justice. In the same way, the verdict, the judgment, in the case of ex-chief minister of Tamilnadu. Without much hearing, only of some minutes’ hearing and procedure, high court judged that the accused is innocent. But the lower court, after a long period’s trial and based on a lot of evident, sentenced the accused as guilty and punished for imprisonment. Here also Indian public sees the judiciary as a faulty one.
 
In both the cases now the judiciary is in the place of defendant. The public asks on what basis the judiciary passes judgment. What are the criteria to be considered in judgment? On what view a judgment should be passed? Means the judicial view and principles are in question now. Here whether the judicial stand is right or not is a legal question. But, in general, outlook of all judgment will be judged. That is a truth. How our outlook, view, is in our judgments, so we will also be judged.  This is the point to be considered here. Let us consider the verses 1 to 6 in this chapter

1“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
 The other side of the fact is, as long as the person who passes judgment is visually impaired, holder of deformed principles or doctrines, he cannot make a sound judgment. So first every one need to make sure that his doctrines should be sound to make a sound judgment. A visually impaired can never be an ophthalmologist or optometrist. First he need the help of an ophthalmologist and make his vision perfect to become one who treats the visually impaired. A blind pretends as an ophthalmologist is another definition for hypocrisy. Without clear vision we cannot move ahead. Those who don’t have any vision cannot criticize or judge the visions of those who try to follow some.  You are what your vision and, what judgments and decisions you make. In chapter six verses 22 – 23 clear this fact. You are judged, measured, viewed or considered according to the judgment, measure, view, principles or doctrines you are using in your daily life.

We cannot provide a dog or pig with a view. We may train them to behave in some particular way, but provide them with some vision is not possible. So give everyone vision may be impossible, in some particular situations it might be dangerous as in the case of King Herod in chapter 2, he used it as the dogs and pigs do, trampled and attacked the provider.

Mathew Chapter six....continues 6

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?   28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

When we read gospels we can understand that the real divine principles can be read very vividly from the nature. All the principles we can see in the natural and social environment can be uploaded to the spiritual plane and use it there in spiritual way, to that extend nature is the first edition of The Bible. So we can abstract many principles, if we do it very carefully, from our natural as well as social environment; the above mentioned verses are an example for that fact. Don’t think that human life is similar to that of the other living creatures and plants, when we read this or similar parables. As we know, human life is controlled not only by material environment but by a non-material environment by which human can influence the former. Both the environments have the same principles to function.

The processes of imagination and thought happen in the non-material environment. These processes help us to process the material world for our requirements like shelter, clothing and food as mentioned in the above verses. Otherwise, we use very extensively this spiritual faculty (non-material faculty) to transform material world. In turn, the processed material world or the world of commodities influences this non-material sphere destructively, contributing worry, anger, resentment, hate, envy etc. negatives to this sphere. These affect the human welfare dangerously. When our faculty of imagination and thought engage in the processing of material world, it creates material values; that is a truth but not spiritual values. The values known as spiritual values, some time known as moral values, are created not in the material environment, in commodities, but in the non-material one which exists in human beings. So the faculty of imagination, thought etc. has to be used extensively in the non-material environment to create spiritual values in order to make possible human welfare to its full swing. For this purpose Jesus called the people who were busy on Galilee sea shore to the mountain top, to transform or process human being by processing the non-material world exists in them, or creating spiritual or moral values in human beings. Means, bringing people more close to non-material world, known as kingdom of God.

Look in the verses, when we begin to think about what to eat, drink and wear, worry also begin to follow. ‘Worry’ is the symbolic representative of all other negatives. Here Jesus advises the followers to abstract the required principle from the life of birds and plants. What is that? Each and every member of the animal as well as vegetable kingdoms has its own offices to function or fulfill.  They not only acquire energy by the form of food from their environment but execute or fulfill some offices by providing services to their environment. What they acquire from their environment is what they needed to exist in order to fulfill their offices that help other members in that system to exist. This is known as ecosystem. None of them toil, spin, sow, reap and gather to barns, means they do not gather more than what they needed, they do not participate in the processing of material world - production of commodities (commodities are, often, not essential goods). If they had begun to do so, all the ecosystems would have been sabotaged and utmost destruction would have been the result. But they exist without encroaching and exploiting one another, maintaining the right things in relations – righteousness. So they get what they needed to exist.

In the same way we have to withdraw from the extensive and intensive activities of processing the material world, producing commodities or material values, that sabotage the balance not only in the material environment but in the non-material environment also, and active in the processing of non-material world (Kingdom of God) producing moral or spiritual values that lead us to maintain righteousness. This fact has been mentioned in verse 33, ‘But seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you’.

Mathew Chapter six....continues 5

19  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust  destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 22  “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23  but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
 24  “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.

Here in these verses three things are stated, the first one about laying up treasures, second about eye or vision and third about service.
 
The verse 19 is a complex sentence according to the English grammar. Means, in a complex sentence there will be a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. The subordinate clauses qualify something that belongs to main clause. Here the subordinate clauses ‘where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal’ qualifies the 'earth' in the main clause ‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth’. What does it mean? On earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal means, on earth where physical changes and unrighteousness prevails there you should not lay up for yourselves. If there is any place on earth there physical changes do not occur and righteousness prevails there you can lay up treasures for yourselves. Otherwise you should not lay up for yourselves, but for others. Verse 20 says this same truth in the reverse order and the place where physical changes do not occur and righteousness prevails is named as heaven. And one important thing is the verse 21. If your treasure is there in unrighteous changing world, then your heart is also in that unrighteous changing world. If your treasure is in a righteous non-changing zone, your heart will also in righteous non-changing zone.

But this is the matter of a vision that specifies in verses 22 and 23. If your eye, your vision, is good, whole your body or whole your activities will be so, in light. Your all activities, whole body, are led by your vision. If your eye, your vision, is bad whole your activities will be in darkness or all the activities will be of darkness, a heart in unrighteous changing world. Those who have a good eye, vision, always will be in the righteous zone and serve there, God, other wise, in unrighteous region where money is the primary consideration. Any way nobody can give equal consideration for both. Either serves the money, unrighteous zone or the righteous zone, God. Those who serve money use God as a tool for making money and as their vision, eye, is perverted, they twist all divine principles to justify their activities and cheat genuine devotees.

Mathew Chapter six ......continues 4

We have been discussing what Jesus taught in the session known as ‘The Sermon on the Mount’. That reveals the fact about the non-material side of life, the opposite and inevitable pole of material life, which is possessed only by human beings. What we have to do with this side in order to get the right welfare for our life? By satisfying material side only, a perfect welfare is not possible (The important welfare is after this life). So, to a certain extend we have to be away from material world and proportionally close to the non-material world which is known as ‘Kingdom of heaven’ in this book – Gospel According to Mathew. To become away from that much distance which is needed to close to this Kingdom, we have to maintain a particular attitude, mentality or state of mind. That is explained in different way here in Gospels. So, when we examine closely each verse, we can see each of them tell us the attitude or mentality we have to maintain along with each office or deeds. We will feel them very much bitter because we so close to material world and an intense desire to enjoy the pleasures peculiar to material side of life, thereby our hearts (desires or emotions) adopt even this spirituality as a tool to enjoy that pleasures, which ultimately lead us to a hypocritical life that gives no satisfaction and any kind of welfare.
So when Jesus teach us about what we have to practice, he very clearly pointing out the other side which our hearts may lead us to, saying ‘don’t be like hypocrites’. Most of us become mad when we hear this because we are like that hypocrites. So forgive me, I know you become mad some times reading my studies as I become often. Follow Jesus doesn’t mean starve and die. If anybody want to know secrete of what Jesus teach us, read the portion of a story given below which is from an Indian classic.
Once one scholar who was a devotee had to encounter with the divine one, and to test the devotee he asked some questions and the devotee answered as follows.
“What is happiness?”
“Happiness is the result of good conduct.”
“Who accompanies a man in death?”
“Dharma (Righteousness). That alone accompanies the soul in its solitary journey after death.”
“What is that, abandoning which man becomes loved by all?”
“Pride – for abandoning that man will be loved by all.”
“What is the loss which yields joy and not sorrow?”
“Anger – giving it up, we will no longer be subjected to sorrow.”
“What is that, by giving up which, man becomes rich?”
“Desire – by getting rid of it, man becomes wealthy.”
Hearing these answers the divine one pleased and told the scholar to ask any boon.

Mathew Chapter six....continues 3

Whatever you perform yourself spiritually is mainly for the purpose of make changes in yourselves. Means the reaction of your activity should be from your inner being not from your outer environment. Your spiritual activities should make changes on inner-you. Each and every spiritual office should result in specific change on your inner being. To happen so, you should not focus on social environment for rewards and appreciations; let them learn from you, it should be so. Why? Let us examine these verses.

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

What do we do when we fast? We starve our senses to disappear the objects of senses from us. What purpose for? Close to God and to be away from material world. When we starve our senses we became away from the world to certain extend and proportionally close to (fast) the Supreme power. So, if we desire appreciation or any other kind of reward from the part of world, what is the use of fasting? Does it make any effect on the spiritual plane, which is secrete or invisible? So when you fast, make it a personal affair and secrete so that it can make tremendous change on your spiritual plane. If it so, when you starve your senses, not only the object of senses disappear from you but the yearning for them also disappear and become close with The Supreme. Otherwise, when you fast, beholding God, the yearning for the object of those senses gradually disappear.

The soul disciplined by true fasting, moving among sense objects with the senses weaned from likes and dislikes and brought under the control of spirit, attain peace of mind.