GSC MODULE 61: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: SHINING FOR GOD

GOOD  SHEPHERD CHURCH SEMINARY

MODULE 61

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT:

SHINING FOR GOD

IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, JESUS COUNSELLED US TO BE SHINING EXAMPLES OF GOOD DEEDS. WE ARE TO SHINE FOR GOD. We are to be living proof of the greatness, the regency and the loving-kindness of our God. 

Each of us, having been created in the Image and Likeness of God, must function as a spark of the Divinity. It is a great task that Jesus has set us, one which can only be carried out with His help and grace. Each human being is like a drop of the sea which embodies all the qualities of the entire sea. Each of us as a unique creation hold within us the Image of God. Tragically this Image was defaced by original sin. Our ancestors listened to the voice of the devil instead of the Voice of God. Our relationship with God ruptured, and sin entered the world. 

Fallout from the Fall
We have only to look about us to see the results of our breakaway from God. The equilibrium that was early humanity living in harmony with God according to His Word, is no more. Many are not masters of self, but slaves to passions, cravings and revulsions. Multitudes struggle with crippled faculties of body, mind and soul. Illness ravages. Death bereaves. Ignorance prevails. Sorrow causes cries of misery from every corner of the globe. Rivers of innocent blood run unseen and unheard, crying aloud to God for justice. Cut-throat competition, "the survival of the fittest", leads to unemployment and hunger.  Large-scale throwing out of men and women from jobs due to corporate decisions. The ever-widening chasm between rich and poor. The degeneration of morals. The swelling of urban slums and the distress life in such conditions causes. Emphasis on material affluence as the source of happiness in place of righteous relationship with God. Unbridled consumerism, unfettered and deviant behaviour.

In our time human miseries continue to multiply on every side. Materialistic approach to life leads to permissiveness, offering free play of passions without love. Violence is glamorized. Physical beauty, youth and strength are worshipped, and elderly wisdom and gravitas rejected. Financial avarice and theft on unimaginable proportions leads to broken lives and dreams. Breakup of families and social norms lie scattered over the road of life. Growing drug-abuse situations, robberies, murders, over-young single mothers struggling with heavy responsibilities of motherhood. Nervous disorders and disease mar lives. [1]

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Teachings of Christ

Jesus gave divine teaching to combat all these ills. Within the Sermon on the Mount, He gives a code of conduct which - if followed -  leads to personal life of harmony, inner peace and holiness which will prove a blessing within both family and society. This will affect others as the influence of holiness grows. This is known as "the kingdom of heaven is here among you" (Luke 17:21).

Jesus taught, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). All are thus to see our good deeds, actions which are spiritually warm and attractive. A hard-hearted approach to Christian charity carries out good deeds in an uncharitable manner. The intention is good, but the deliverance of the deed requires adjustment. The old adage, "I may forget what you did, but will never forget how you made me feel," holds true here. If we do a kind deed in an unloving way, the recipient may feel humiliated instead of uplifted. We are to live Christian goodness with charm. 

Fulfilment of the Law

Jesus did not come to institute a new religion: He came to perfect and complete. He explained, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them " (Matthew 5:17).  In His teaching, Jesus affirmed the supremacy of the Ten Commandments, the ancient Law of God. He further affirmed the inspired writings of the prophets. Jesus the Son of God came to earth to complete the Law of God and the writings of the prophets by His shining example and teachings.

1. H.V. Seshadri, Yoga Sudha, Yoga - Its Social Imperative, May 1997. Pages 8-9