The builder must think ahead. Many a pleasantly shaded sandy hollow could seem an attractive spot on which to build a house. The wise builder knows that this summery haven may prove a raging torrent of gushing water in winter, as the gully fills with water. Poor foresight, weak planning leads to the disintegration of the builder's house when put to the test.
Jesus tells us to be as wise as the man who built his house on solid rock, a harder alternative to digging in soft sandy shade, but the best decision at the end of the day. Tthe house built on rock stands the test of time and the seasons, and the house built in a dried-up bed of a river is swept away. So too must we plan our spiritual life with wisdom.
Build your spiritual house upon rock, not shifting sand
We must build our spiritual house, our worship lives, on the only true foundation; the Rock Who is God. The waters of temptation may rise, the floods of difficulties may tempest down, the very ground around the rock may shake with the thunder and lightning of the difficulties of life. Yet the faithful disciple firmly entrusted to the Providence and Love of the Lord, will weather all these with Divine Help.
Let our spiritual house be firmly founded, so as not to undergo the awful fate of the house that crashed, the disciple that foundered. This does not include the mistakes we make upon discipleship road. We are human, and learning how to navigate life according to holy tenets is not always a flawless performance. Mistakes will be made. Confess your error before God, determine to do better the next time. This earthly life is a learning curve. Make sure you draw the lesson from every misstep.
End of the Sermon on the Mount
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as One Who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law.
Each of us stands from time to time at a crossroads. One way may point the easy way - the broad path - which may well lead to ruin. The other may lead to the hard road, the moral road, the road of toil and faith. Yet the latter is the way which leads to virtue and to Heaven. Jesus advises us to take the hard road to discipleship; this is the road that leads to life. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." [1]
True and False Prophets
Jesus warned us against false prophets, outwardly meek and wearing disciples' clothing, yet inwardly they are ravening wolves. We are to observe the fruits of their lives. Only good fruit, good results, good actions can come from the good person. Bad deeds, bad results will issue from the false prophet. Disciples are to be discerning, to take the long view, not to trust naively. They are to weigh up each prophetic word, and discard those which are not authentic, reject those not from Christ.
True and False Disciples
Jesus counsels us to be a true disciple by obeying His words and His Sermon on the Mount in our lives. When others can look at a disciple and see Christlike example and obedient service to the Father in Heaven, that one is the true disciple.
Jesus affirmed that many can perform great works, some even ostensibly in His Name. But God Who sees the inward heart knows the false prophet from the true. We are to be sincere in devotion, and pure in deeds and service. Only then will we be carrying out the Will of Our Father in Heaven. Jesus taught, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name and and in Your Name drive out demons and in Your Name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" [2]
Jesus tells us to be confident in prayer. God is indeed our Father. The Almighty will hear our pleas, and send us what is best for us at the right time. No good father whose child is in need will give with malice, instead of loving providence. In just this way a loving father will give his child bread, not a stone. Fish, not a sea snake. An egg, not a biting scorpion.
In the same way, God will never refuse or mock us. He will answer our prayer with perfect wisdom and perfect love. Sometimes our prayer may seem unanswered. It will surely turn out at a later stage that we have asked for something that would prove our downfall. We must be ceaseless in relationship with God, confident in prayer, and joyful in gratitude.
Jesus tells us, "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." [1]
The Golden Rule
Jesus perfected the ancient ethical teaching, "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. " The Son of God commanded, "Do to others what you would have them do to you." [2] In this sentence, Jesus sums up the Law and the Prophets. If we follow the golden rule of Jesus, we can never falter or mis-step. When we do only that which is right, we follow God's path and are on the royal road to Heaven.
Jesus warns us to be discerning about whom we trust. Giving precious confidences and testimony about God to those who are not yet ready, can cause disturbance. The mature witness of God awaits the right time before imparting to another wisdom regarding the teaching of God. Do not throw pearls of wisdom to the unready.
Witness with respect
There are some individuals who are not yet ready to receive the fullness of the teaching of Jesus. Witnesses are thus better advised to teach the gospels of Christ through example rather than words, at that particular juncture. This is not meant to be dissimulation, it is sound spiritual sense.
The minds are some people yet are shut; some have been emotionally brutalised. Others may be lost in a morass of sin so deep they are not yet able to fully tolerate the rays of light from the Word of the Lord. It is the task of the witness to know when to gently share the truths of God, and when to remain silent. Silence is also an answer at times in the right circumstances.
Do not give what is holy to those who are not yet ready
Matthew 7:6 teaches us not to give what is holy to those who are unready for the message. The prudent disciple chooses the right time to witness, as well as the most considerate way to impart the knowledge we have received from God. This is the task of a disciple - to be fearless in witness, yet discerning in the form and timing of testimony. This delicate balance can only be gauged with the help of God.
Prayer is key
In the case of the person who is obdurate to the truth of the gospel of Christ, prayer for that person is always open to the disciple. More things have been wrought by prayer than the world will ever know.
Jesus was born in a stable. The Son of God experienced life as a refugee child in Egypt. As trade, Jesus learned carpentry from His foster-father Joseph. The life of Jesus unfolded as He faithfully performed the duties of youth at home. The Plan of God offered Jesus opportunity to carry out human tasks, as He engaged the greatest task in all the world - that of Messiah, our Redeemer.
The Plan of God
The Plan of Godmakes provision for us all to perform manifold small tasks of learning, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, humbling of personal pride and development of individual personality within society. We are blessed with a patient God Who delights in our daily achievements and growth within our individual abilities and according to our personal talents with which the Almighty has gifted us.
When Jesus went to the desert for forty days and forty nights, He spent much time in prayer alone with the Father. Jesus was given the perfection of the fulness of the Law of the Kingdom to teach us. These words of Divine Law and wisdom are laid out in the Sermon on the Munt, and are there to set us spiritually free.
Do not judge, lest you yourself be judged
Jesus explained during the great Sermon that we are not to judge others. The Son of God teaches that we are not to notice a speck of sawdust in another's eye, when we have a full plank in our own. This carpenter's symbol illustrates how we may be alive to the faults of others, and oblivious of our own.
Jesus makes it quite clear that no-one is able to judge another. Only God knows the full facts about the other person, the painful history, the personal difficulties, the joys and tragedies and the mental and physical health problems which affect that individual.
The person blessed with fine parents does not know the painful burden another with difficulties in heredity carries. The one brought up in a comfortable house, trained in the commandments of God from early youth, knows nothing about the temptations of another brought up parentless in a violent environment.
As we do not know the whole person, so, too, we are never wholly impartial. Only the perfectly faultless has the right to look for faults in others. As Jesus pointed out, none of us is without sin. We have enough to do to rectify our own lives without seeking censoriously to rectify the lives of other people.
The message of Jesus is clear; we must concentrate on remedying our own faults - a full-time job - and leave the faults of others to God.
We are not the final court
This teaching is dependent upon common sense. Jesus is teaching us not to spend our lives searching out the faults of others, often in a spirit of schadenfreude. If we exercise uncompassionate judgement, we may cause harm to others. We are not the final court - the final court is in Heaven at God's Throne.
A judge maintains law and order
This does not include the situation where an individual wreaks havoc upon another through crime or assault. From ancient times, a judge appointed to weigh the situation weighs evidence and brings about justice. Measure of surcease may be taken in order to prevent the possibility of further instances of injustice. The dignity of the ministry of judge is to maintain law and order, as well as to prevent anarchy.
The role of priests
As priests, let us remember that we are others' support towards God; not their judge. The sacrament of confession is meant to bring healing and forgiveness, not further condemnation through insensitive handling of the souls of our brothers and sisters who grapple with the intricacies and suffering of daily life.
The penitent should see the compassion of God the Father within the priest, not condemnation of the individual undertaking the sacred clerical ministry.
The priest helps the person who has transgressed to peace of soul from guilt and inner torment, if such there is. The priest further assists the penitent to make reparation insofar as possible. This is a delicate and godly task, not to be undertaken lightly, and not to be carried out without due training and proven ability to deal with the fabric of the lives of others.
Sift the actions of others through fingers of kindness
Thus the rule of thumb in daily interaction is to sift the actions of others through fingers of kindness. Let the sand of actions or attributes which annoy or dismay us flow through our fingers back to the seashore where God will deal with them, if needed. Retain within our fingers the gold nuggets of the inner beauty which resides within another.
Jesus counsels us not to waste time in useless worry, but to trust that God the Father will provide. Many of us, when we reflect on the past, cannot believe how we came through such difficulties. The answer is simple: Divine Providence never failed to provide.
It is Jesus' teaching that we need to completely trust in Almighty God. Jesus draws parallels from nature. Birds survive without storehouses and anxious hoarding. Field-flowers burned as fuel in ovens are beautiful in appearance. Jesus reassures us that if God the Father takes such good care of the tiny bird and attends to the beauty of the passing flower, how much more will the Almighty take care of us, His human children, the crown of His creation?
Live in the present
On the practical level, undue anxiety may lead to nervous exhaustion, tension and health problems. Jesus counsels us to cultivate inner quiet and serenity.
Jesus bids us to trust more in our Provident God and that we live in the present. The past is gone and cannot be revisited. We may repent the past, but we cannot change what has happened. Tomorrow is not yet here, and, for some of us, an earthly tomorrow may no longer be - we may be called to the shores of heaven during the night. Today is what we have; let us deal with it, serene and secure within the Father's Love.
Jesus does not bid us to be imprudent. We need to take necessary care for our lives, for our families, for the future. Savings for a rainy day are important. Sufficient clothing for the climate is a necessity. Balanced food and water is a must. Adequate shelter is a requirement and a blessing.
Live lives full of peace and joy
Yet, in the midst of this, our pursuit of life-necessities should not be a frenzied search for material goods and a stockpiling of items. We should eschew unnecessary anxiety that creates inner turmoil. We should control our emotions and actions, and live lives full of peace and joy.
"Jesus is not advocating a shiftless, thriftless, reckless, thoughtless, improvident attitude to life; he is forbidding a care-worn, worried fear, which takes all the joy out of life." [1]
Jesus counsels us firstly to seek the things of God, and to work for His heavenly Kingdom. All the rest shall follow after. "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat and what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you - you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat? " or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." [2]
ENSLAVEMENT BY UNDUE NEED FOR MONEY AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
Undue need of material possessions can enslave one
Jesus explains that undue need of material possessions can enslave us. The need for wealth, houses, estates, clothing and various items can tap into our sinful natures, and cause us to become blinded to reality and to pursue material goods unendingly.
Jesus issues a stark warning; no-one can be slave of two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. In the same way, it is not possible to have full allegiance to God and to be enslaved by undue love of money. The reason is simple; in the mindless pursuit of wealth and material possessions, we may leave devastation in our wake.
We may gain possessions in a manner in which we would be glad that Jesus Christ should see; or we may gain these in a way we would like to hide from the Son of God. We may gain our wealth by dishonest practice, cheapening our spiritual fiber. We may become powerful and wealthy by knowing destruction of the reputations and lives of others, causing much devastation in their lives.
Possessions may be poorly used, hoarded, utilised for selfish needs only. An individual may use wealth malignantly, using personal possessions to bribe others and corrupt them. One can use personal possessions to persuade others to do things they have no right to do, to sell things they have no right to sell.
This may not be true in all cases. Wealthy benefactors are known to use wealth for great good for others. Yet the time spent in having to maintain and administrate wealth may tap into personal time and freedom.
The individual who follows the ways of God cannot bow to the dictates that relentless pursuit of undue wealth and material possessions forces upon one. Allegiance to God as our Lord and Master frees us from the need to place money and material possessions on a pedestal. Following the ways of God allows us to use money and material possessions in sensible manner, instead of being enslaved to the need for more and more.
This does not mean that each one of us does not require possessions in order to function in a material world. Of course we do. We require shelter, clothing, food, health care and many other supports. Prudence dictates that we make use of finances and possessions in calm and orderly manner. Money and requirements should remain just that - finances and possessions as a means to an end. We cannot exercise due care as stewards during our earthly time in this world without some finances and support. However, money and possessions are just that - a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
Be free. Don't bow down before the falsity of undue obsession with money and material possessions.
Bow down before the Eternal Throne of Almighty God alone.
Jesus speaks of the eye as the lamp of the body. If the window of the eye - by which light gets into the body - is strong, the individual will have good sight. If the eye is compromised, light will be diminished, dirtied or distorted.
We have to guard the light of our eyes. In the same way, the light which passes into the soul, the inner spirit, comes through the spiritual eye. The one whose inner eye vision is distorted by jealousy, suspicion, hatred, avarice, prejudice or self-conceit will have distortion of spiritual vision, instead of pure spiritual light within.
Jesus has come - 'the Light of the World' - to clear our spiritual vision of individual malaise and restore us to perfect inner sight. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" [Matthew 6:22-23]
A clear inner eye beams in generosity of spirit, selfless action, compassion for others, realistic and humble self-image, a deep love for God. Clear inner vision leads to peace of soul.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, told us, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." [John 8:12]
Let the Light of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, shine in through your spiritual eye upon your soul. Let His Light shine upon your heart and change you, day by day. In this way, you will become holy.
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Law of the Kingdom is clearly laid out by Jesus in Chapters 5 to 7. The reality of Biblical history is that humankind was born for greatness. "God created man in His own Image, in the Image of God He created him." [Genesis 1:27] Clearly, there is something infinitely lovely here. Man and woman were essentially born to be royal within the Kingdom of God.
The spiritual history of humankind within the Bible shows that humankind lost their greatness. Instead of achieving royalty through being servants of God, humankind became the slaves of sin.
Jesus, our Saviour, came to this world from Heaven to show us that humankind can regain our greatness. Even after the disaster and distress of the Fall and the abandonment by our ancestors of the Plan of God, God did not allow humankind to be destroyed by our own folly. Rather, He sent His Son Jesus Christ into our world to liberate us from the shackles of sin and so that we could regain full fellowship with God.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us the Law of the Kingdom and the royal road to greatness.
Celestial Treasure
Jesus counselled us not to think only of the present, but to store up for the eternal future. Those who scurry after wealth, prestige and power on this earth search for a phantom which will melt away when earth's day is done.
No house, no silver, no gold, no finery can be taken with us when we go to God. We leave this world at the moment of death to face our personal judgement with God, with no earthly goods at our side. What items we have accumulated on earth will not stand to our good in heaven. Through His Blood shed on the cross, Jesus Christ paid the penalty of sin and satisfied the demands of Divine Justice, reconciling humankind with God.
The Son of God triumphed over sin, death and the power of the devil over humankind. Jesus secured redemption for each person in the past, the present and the future. It is up to us whether we accept the Saviour's redemption and the grace which His resurrection won for us. Our true treasure in Heaven are our efforts to do good, give alms, be kind, do godly actions.
Jesus told us not to lay up treasures upon this earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Jesus tells us, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." [Matthew 6:21]
Spiritual treasure
Spiritual treasure are the holy moments which shape the journey of our lives, where God touches our hearts not to pursue people, money, and objects with no thought to the Commandments of God. Spiritual treasure are actions of justice, kindness and godliness which will stand to our good stead when we have to answer to God for our actions and inactions during our earthly lives.
Do not be afraid of your judgement
Do not be afraid of your judgement. Do the best you can, and entrust the rest to God. We are but made of the earth, and are frail. God understands this. Yet, we are not only made of earth. We are also made in the Image and Likeness of God. God does not expect us to manage our lives all on our own. God stoops to us, and assist us to deeds of mercy, justice, compassion, understanding, forgiveness and godliness. Turn to God when you need Divine Help and Grace to rise above natural tendencies to pride, anger, avarice, greed, lust and jealousy. God will surely help.
The teaching of celestial treasure has as kernel the reality that if one places one's treasure in Heaven, that is where one's heart and attention also will be.
Godly actions
Godly actions are not to trumpet your good deeds in front of others [Matthew 6:1]. Give assistance and alms to the needy {Matthew 6:2-4]. Pray to God the Father in privacy [Matthew 6:5-8]. Fast [that is, be temperate in your eating and drinking] and do this in Honour of Almighty God [Matthew 6:16-18]. Thus, good deeds, alms, prayer and fasting are supports which store up treasure in Heaven.
Our true and lasting treasure consists of our love for God, our respect for His ways, our striving to do good in His Name. Alms in good spirit, fasting in faith-filled way, prayer in intimate relationship with God, love for others and good self-respect, kind deeds in the Name of God; these are the true treasure we must store up for Heaven.
Fine clothes disintegrate over time
Fine clothes disintegrate over time; wealth can be stolen; paper currency may be destroyed. Houses, estates and palaces may be lost or fall into ruin.
Royal testimony of character
Yet the celestial treasure of following the Ten Commandments and the Law of the Kingdom as laid out by the Son of God in the Sermon on the Mount will stand to our good and be our royal testimony of character, forever in Heaven. [Matthew 6:19-21]
