USED: Cincinnati 1/21/07
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
A Sermon by the Rev. Nathan Gladish
Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables… (Matthew 13:1-3).
These words introduce a series of parables about the kingdom of heaven. In one sense the whole of the Old and New Testaments is a series of parables about the kingdom of heaven. Every story can be connected to that kingdom and our potential for entering and living there. This is especially evident in the New Testament, though, because it is stated plainly and repeatedly that the Lord’s purpose is to help us understand the kingdom of heaven. For example, in Luke we read that "He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent’" (Luke 4:43). In another place we’re told, "He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1). And then, "He sent [the twelve disciples] to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Luke 9:2).
So, throughout the Word we can find an emphasis on the importance, the vitality, and the hope for experiencing the kingdom of heaven. In particular, in this 13th chapter of Matthew, the Lord tells seven parables directly on this subject. He says the kingdom of heaven is like these activities: 1. a man sowing good seed in his field, and his enemies sowing tares there at night; 2. a man who sowed the smallest seed of all, the mustard seed, and how it grows into a tree that the birds can settle on; 3. a woman making leavened bread, putting yeast into three measures of meal, kneading it and letting it rise until the bread is ready to cook; 4. a man finding and buying a field with treasure in it; 5. a pearl merchant buying a pearl of great price; 6. a group of people fishing and gathering a large catch of fish, both great and small; 7. a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.
Through these symbolic word pictures, the Lord gives us a glimpse of His heavenly kingdom. His kingdom is not some airy-fairy, imaginary state of being, filled with winged cherubs that just sit around and look pretty. It’s also not something inaccessible or removed from life. Heaven often consists of ordinary people doing ordinary things and then experiencing extraordinary blessings. And the New Testament parables of such people give us the opportunity to explore this kingdom a bit, walk around in their shoes and get a feeling for what it’s like.
Today, instead of looking in-depth at any one of these parables, let’s look at them as a set of stories that, taken together, help us understand three significant dimensions of the kingdom of heaven.
The first dimension has to do with what we tend to think of as the other world–the afterlife or eternal life, the place or state each person goes after death. One of the main points of what the Lord reveals in the Bible is to introduce the idea of a kingdom of people beyond this world, a kingdom that is not bound by time and space, a kingdom with all sorts of opportunities available to us. In the Old and New Testaments, the Lord provided foundational, general teachings about this spiritual world, but He also said "I still have many things to say to you" (John 16:12).
Fortunately for us, the Lord has revealed a lot more about this other world. Through the extensive theological works of the New Church, we now have a huge knowledge base of information to help us rationally understand and explain what is only touched on in the Bible. The Lord has made this information available so we can have a better idea of what is in store for us and prepare for it.
So in a general way the kingdom of heaven in these parables refers to the whole spiritual world, with its various realms: the heavens, the hells, and the intermediate world of spirits where people gather while discovering their ruling loves. And each of the parables adds to a more complete picture of what the other life will be like.
For example, in the parables about the growth of seeds and plants, the church’s teachings show that the kingdom of heaven is a place where good spirits and angels are growing in love and wisdom, even though that growth sometimes comes with struggle. In the parables of finding treasures, the teachings show that the kingdom of the heavens is a place where good spirits and angels discover and take great delight in the spiritual treasures the Lord provides.
The parable of the woman making leavened bread shows that the kingdom of heaven is a place where people are rising together above temptation. Good spirits and even angels are never perfect. They take with them from earth all the things that are of their own selfish personality. From time to time they experience what could be referred to as states of fermentation, like the process initiated by the yeast in the making of bread. While they are in these states, the angels and good spirits doubt their own spiritual integrity. Yet, the Lord teaches that "those who suffer themselves to be renewed by hope remain steadfast in what is affirmative" (Arcana Caelestia 2338). Spiritually, these angels rise above the insinuations of the hells and the fermentation process passes, as leavening is stopped by the baking of the bread.
The parable of fishing teaches that the spiritual world is a gathering place of people who love the Lord, people from all walks of life with various approaches and customs in their celebrations of the Lord in their lives. The kingdom of heaven is a place where many people are drawn together in love to the Lord. We used to have an advertisement that said "The Lord lets more people into heaven than you or I would." It was reflective of a teaching of the New Church that the Lord allows people to come into heaven if they lead a life according to their understanding of the commandments. When they arrive in the kingdom of heaven, these good people can become more and more versed in the truth of the Lord’s Word.
All these parables give us a picture of a dimension of life we can look forward to after death. They teach of the reality of our lives to come. As we read in the work, Divine Providence 67, "The inmost design of the Divine providence is that a person may be in this or that place in heaven."
Let’s move on to a second way of applying this set of parables to our lives. This time we’ll consider an orientation that is more present than future. Through these parables the kingdom of heaven is said to be immanent. To be immanent is to be in the present, in the now. The kingdom of heaven is not just something of the future. It is a present reality. The Lord says that the kingdom of heaven can be within us right now. Consider this teaching from the work, Divine Providence: Every person by creation is a heaven in the least form, and consequently an image of the Lord. Since heaven consists of as many affections as there are angels, and each affection in its form is a person, it follows that it is the continual design of the Divine Providence that everyone may become a heaven in form and consequently an image of the Lord (67).
The way to build the kingdom of heaven within your mind and heart is to do the activities that are represented in these parables on a day-by-day basis. Let’s think about the application of this principle to individual spiritual growth.
The sowing and growing of seeds corresponds to learning truths of the Word in our own individual ways. Some seeds of truth are very small in our lives, like the mustard seed, but with the Lord’s blessing they can become large and useful when we nurture them and find inspiration from them. In other cases, such as those pictured in the parable of the wheat and tares, we can get mixed up because of the commingling of seeds of truth with seeds of falsity, and we have to struggle to tell the difference.
The parable of the woman making bread is a kind of chemistry lesson in personal transformation. Addressing some of our personal foibles can raise mental and emotional disturbance that raises our awareness for a change. Significant and lasting change comes by submitting ourselves to the gentle but persistent heat of the Lord’s wise love.
The parables of finding treasures and doing everything possible to buy them are spiritually about our individual efforts to accept and embrace the treasures that the Lord wants us to have in our individual hearts and minds. Similarly the fishing parable is about gathering knowledge of all kinds to feed our spirits. These examples give a general idea of how to apply the parables to our individual spiritual growth.
Now let’s look at a third and final dimension of life. The kingdom of heaven as described in these parables is to be renewed and strengthened by the people of the Lord’s church in heaven and on earth. And by the church here, I mean the community of people looking to the Lord and being helpful to each other and to those beyond the community in His name. Specifically, I want to call attention to all of us as a congregation and how we interact with each other. Let’s look again at this same series of seven parables as they teach us how the Lord brings people along in order to establish the kingdom of heaven among them.
The parables of sowing and growing seeds are about scattering seeds of truths among us and experiencing spiritual growth together. The parable of the woman making leavened bread shows that in groups and congregations there will be challenges brought on by false reasoning, ill will, confusion, etc., but that by keeping our eyes on the end in view and being warmed by the Lord’s love, we can rise above petty issues for the sake of higher uses. In the parables of finding treasures and doing everything possible to buy them, think of the passage from the Old Testament where the Lord says to the Israelites, "You are a special treasure to me" (Exodus 19:5). In the Lord’s sight, each person is a special treasure. The Lord wants us each to treat each other as if we have just found a most wonderful human resource, a blessing from the Lord. What a gift each member of the church is! The fishing parable is about reaching out through the networks of people with whom we are involved and gathering each other into the thought, the love and the work of the Lord and His kingdom on earth.
So there you have it–a way of applying these parables to three dimensions of human life–in the other world, in our own individual hearts and minds and in the interaction of ordinary people doing ordinary things. By understanding more deeply what is symbolized by the activities pictured in these seven parables, you can live more and more in the kingdom of heaven. As we do this, we can experience the presence of the Lord immanently–more and more immediately–and we will be preparing ourselves for our future in the life to come. Let the words of the prayer ring true in our lives, "as in heaven, so upon the earth." Amen.
Lessons: Psalm 78:1-7; Matthew 13:1-3, 24-52; Arcana Caelestia 29, 4637, 10717
Sermon mailing: July, 2006
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
A Sermon by Rev. James P. Cooper
Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' (MAT 22:8,9)
The parable of the Wedding Feast, as told in Matthew 22, is interesting on many levels: it is very clear in its teaching about the way the Lord was received by the Jewish Church, but on a more interior level it is not about the Jewish Church at all, but about the way that any church receives the Lord, and the temptation that the people of every church face in making their decision between following Him, and succumbing to the temptations of the delights of the loves of self and the world. And it is interesting on another level for it teaches us something about the spiritual world by telling us some important principles that we should follow in order to prepare ourselves for spiritual life. Finally, it reminds us so clearly that none of us can afford to put off our preparation for heaven, for none of us knows the place or time when the invitation will come.
The Wedding Feast is a common image in both the Old and New Testaments. It is common because the beautiful picture of the Lord as the Bridegroom, and the Church as the Bride serves to illustrate the ideal relationship that the Lord strives to create between Himself and the people who receive His love and leadership.<1>
It's clear from the context that the king who was preparing the wedding feast for his son is a symbol for the Lord, and because of the context of where and when this parable was given, it is also clear that He intended that it refer to the situation then existing in the Jewish Church--specifically that the Lord had made every attempt to be with them, to guide them, and to lead them to the life of good which leads to heaven, but the church had resisted Him at every turn.
Even the most casual reading of the Old Testament shows repeated examples of the children of Israel turning away from the worship of the Lord, and instead following Baal and Ashtoreth. Our lesson from the first book of Kings briefly describes the kinds of evils that prevailed in Israel in spite of the Lord's presence with the Jewish Church through the prophets. They did not listen. Instead the prophets were killed or imprisoned because they carried the "wrong" message, they required the people to change their ways.
In our parable, the king's invitation represents the Lord's covenant and presence with the Jewish Church. The Wedding feast represents heaven, and the fact that those who were invited declined to come, but said that they preferred to tend to their farms and businesses, shows the response of the Jewish Church to the Lord's leading, and that they loved the things of this world more than the things of heaven, and so turned their back on the Lord and salvation for the sake of earthly pleasures.
History tells us how those people showed their rejection of the Messiah: they crucified Him--and through their rejection set the stage for the new church, the Christian Church which was formed around a kernel of converted Jews, but was eventually formed for the most part from gentiles.
This formation of the Christian Church was predicted in the second part of the parable of the Wedding Feast when the king, angry at the way his servants had been treated, and angry because his people were more interested in their own affairs than attending the wedding feast, caused his servants to go out a second time into the highways of the kingdom, inviting every beggar and traveler that they found there to come to the wedding feast in the place of the others.
This prophecy certainly came true. The disciples themselves went out into the world carried the message of hope that they had learned during their three years with the Master, and, although most of them were persecuted, and some were executed for their teachings and their beliefs, yet they succeeding in establishing the Christian Church among the heathens and gentiles of the ancient world. Truly, the masses from the highways and byways were invited to this wedding feast, and they accepted the invitation gratefully.
So far the parable is very clear. It is easy to see the connection with the judgment that was made on the Jewish Church when it refused to follow the Lord's leading through the prophets and turned instead to the worship of the things of the world. It is also easy to see the connection with the establishment of the new church, the Christian Church which followed and was made up mostly of gentiles. It is not too great a step to take it to the next level and say that the same kind of thing applies to any church that turns away from the teaching of the Word--that it will fail. And we can even see without too much trouble that a similar warning applies to each of us individually as we struggle through our own states of repentance, reformation, and regeneration. But, at this point the parable takes a surprising turn.
One of the guests, a passer-by with no reason to expect that he would be invited to the wedding feast, is called out by the king, shouted at for not wearing a wedding garment, and is then physically thrown back into the street! Our first reaction is that such treatment is not fair. We know that the king had sent his servants out into the highways to invite everyone and anyone they found there. How could they then turn around and punish this man for not being properly dressed? If we feel that this was unfair, it is probably because our judgment is clouded by our own cultural behavior at weddings.
We, at least most of us in this congregation, have a great variety of clothes to chose from. We have special clothes for different uses, and probably that includes some very fancy clothes that we save for very special occasions, such as weddings.
In the time when the Lord was on the earth, it was a very lucky or very rich man who had two garments. Fabric was in short supply because it all had to be made by hand, usually by the women in the family on a home-made loom. The very rich had servants who did nothing but weave cloth for the family clothes. So, in this context, it is very unlikely that the man in our parable was being punished for not changing into his special wedding clothes--for such a thing was unknown in those days.
On the other hand, a wedding in those days was quite a celebration, sometimes lasting a week or more. The guests lived with the host for the duration of the feast. We know that it was customary in those days to wash the feet of a guest when he arrived. Certainly it does not take too great a stretch of the imagination to believe that the king, upon inviting all these people from the highways, made provision for them to wash themselves and brush out their garments before they came in to the wedding feast. If this were not the case, there would have been far more people called out by the king. In light of this, we can see that the man was being punished not so much for being in his "street" clothes at the wedding, for it could not be helped, but because he did not take the opportunity to prepare himself for the feast before coming in, even though it was offered by the host.
This part of the parable is a warning to each one of us. We don't know the time of our death. We have no idea on which day we will suddenly find ourselves invited to the Lord's wedding feast as we go walking down the road of our lives. The question that faces us, the question that the parable addresses, is whether we will be prepared, or whether we will be, like the man in the parable, cast into outer darkness.
How can we avoid that fate? By washing away the dirt from our lives, by examining ourselves, seeking out the faults that are hidden there, asking the Lord for His forgiveness for them, and His help in shunning them, and then begin to live our lives without them. We need to wash away the evil of our lives. It is not enough to do it once, for, like little children being readied for a family photo, it is certain that we will get dirty again very quickly. The washing has to be a regular thing if we are to be prepared when to enter the hall when the bridegroom comes.
The same thing is true of our wedding garment. In the word, a "garment" is a symbol for truths, because truth clothes and gives form to good.<2> So, not only do we need to wash away our evils, but we also need to pay attention to our garments, we have to clean out all the falsities that accumulate in our minds when we go too long without examining them. How many things do we just assume to be true because we heard them "somewhere." Somebody once told me that dirty fuel injectors cause a diesel engine to make heavy black smoke. Now, every time I get behind a truck or a bus that is making a lot of smoke I instantly diagnose the problem as dirty fuel injectors without even thinking that there might be dozens of other factors to consider. Certainly each one of us could think of a similar example of things we have accepted without confirmation, things we believe because it suits us to believe them--whether they are true or not.
Our job in this world is to keep our garment clean, to use the tools the Lord has given us to beat out the various spots of falsity. We are to use our rational minds to challenge unsupported statements. We are to compare the things that we hear and wish to believe against the same standard that all things must be compared to, the truths given to us by the Lord in the Word, and in particular the Ten Commandments. We need to keep our wedding garment clean, because we never know when we will be invited into the feast, and we cannot be there with the soil of the street covering us.
We can get very smug thinking that we are the chosen church--and by our smugness and our attention to our farms and business, we in effect cast out and kill the prophets of the Lord, that is, the truth of the Word.
However, the Lord is determined that His will be done, that there will be a heaven from the human race, and so, if we will not accept his invitation, then there are others who will be invited and who will accept the invitation with joy.
But still the warning remains--there is no such thing as a carte blanche when it comes to heaven. The Lord may invite all those in the highways, but those who attempt to come in dirty, and without a wedding garment will be cast into outer darkness. Evils have to be removed first, and then the truth from the Word learned, and lived, or we are not worthy to accept the Lord's invitation and sit down at His wedding feast. AMEN.
Lessons: 1KI 16:29-17:1, 18:1-6; MAT 22:1-14; TCR 358
True Christian Religion 358. (3) Man may also acquire for himself the life of faith and charity. Here again it is the same. For man acquires for himself this life when he goes to the Lord who is Life itself; and access to Him is closed to no man, for the Lord continually invites every man to come to Him; for He says:-
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man, a king, who made a marriage for his son, and sent his servants to call them that were bidden; and finally, he said, Go ye therefore into the partings of the ways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage (Matt. xxii. 1-9).
Who does not know that the invitation or call is universal, and also the grace of reception? Man obtains life by going to the Lord because the Lord is Life itself, not only the life of faith but also the life of charity. ... By the life in faith and charity is meant spiritual life, which is given by the Lord to man in his natural life.
<1> See Arcana Coelestia 4434:6,7
<2> Arcana Coelestia 5954:2,4
A Sermon by Rev. James P. Cooper
Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' (MAT 22:8,9)
The parable of the Wedding Feast, as told in Matthew 22, is interesting on many levels: it is very clear in its teaching about the way the Lord was received by the Jewish Church, but on a more interior level it is not about the Jewish Church at all, but about the way that any church receives the Lord, and the temptation that the people of every church face in making their decision between following Him, and succumbing to the temptations of the delights of the loves of self and the world. And it is interesting on another level for it teaches us something about the spiritual world by telling us some important principles that we should follow in order to prepare ourselves for spiritual life. Finally, it reminds us so clearly that none of us can afford to put off our preparation for heaven, for none of us knows the place or time when the invitation will come.
The Wedding Feast is a common image in both the Old and New Testaments. It is common because the beautiful picture of the Lord as the Bridegroom, and the Church as the Bride serves to illustrate the ideal relationship that the Lord strives to create between Himself and the people who receive His love and leadership.<1>
It's clear from the context that the king who was preparing the wedding feast for his son is a symbol for the Lord, and because of the context of where and when this parable was given, it is also clear that He intended that it refer to the situation then existing in the Jewish Church--specifically that the Lord had made every attempt to be with them, to guide them, and to lead them to the life of good which leads to heaven, but the church had resisted Him at every turn.
Even the most casual reading of the Old Testament shows repeated examples of the children of Israel turning away from the worship of the Lord, and instead following Baal and Ashtoreth. Our lesson from the first book of Kings briefly describes the kinds of evils that prevailed in Israel in spite of the Lord's presence with the Jewish Church through the prophets. They did not listen. Instead the prophets were killed or imprisoned because they carried the "wrong" message, they required the people to change their ways.
In our parable, the king's invitation represents the Lord's covenant and presence with the Jewish Church. The Wedding feast represents heaven, and the fact that those who were invited declined to come, but said that they preferred to tend to their farms and businesses, shows the response of the Jewish Church to the Lord's leading, and that they loved the things of this world more than the things of heaven, and so turned their back on the Lord and salvation for the sake of earthly pleasures.
History tells us how those people showed their rejection of the Messiah: they crucified Him--and through their rejection set the stage for the new church, the Christian Church which was formed around a kernel of converted Jews, but was eventually formed for the most part from gentiles.
This formation of the Christian Church was predicted in the second part of the parable of the Wedding Feast when the king, angry at the way his servants had been treated, and angry because his people were more interested in their own affairs than attending the wedding feast, caused his servants to go out a second time into the highways of the kingdom, inviting every beggar and traveler that they found there to come to the wedding feast in the place of the others.
This prophecy certainly came true. The disciples themselves went out into the world carried the message of hope that they had learned during their three years with the Master, and, although most of them were persecuted, and some were executed for their teachings and their beliefs, yet they succeeding in establishing the Christian Church among the heathens and gentiles of the ancient world. Truly, the masses from the highways and byways were invited to this wedding feast, and they accepted the invitation gratefully.
So far the parable is very clear. It is easy to see the connection with the judgment that was made on the Jewish Church when it refused to follow the Lord's leading through the prophets and turned instead to the worship of the things of the world. It is also easy to see the connection with the establishment of the new church, the Christian Church which followed and was made up mostly of gentiles. It is not too great a step to take it to the next level and say that the same kind of thing applies to any church that turns away from the teaching of the Word--that it will fail. And we can even see without too much trouble that a similar warning applies to each of us individually as we struggle through our own states of repentance, reformation, and regeneration. But, at this point the parable takes a surprising turn.
One of the guests, a passer-by with no reason to expect that he would be invited to the wedding feast, is called out by the king, shouted at for not wearing a wedding garment, and is then physically thrown back into the street! Our first reaction is that such treatment is not fair. We know that the king had sent his servants out into the highways to invite everyone and anyone they found there. How could they then turn around and punish this man for not being properly dressed? If we feel that this was unfair, it is probably because our judgment is clouded by our own cultural behavior at weddings.
We, at least most of us in this congregation, have a great variety of clothes to chose from. We have special clothes for different uses, and probably that includes some very fancy clothes that we save for very special occasions, such as weddings.
In the time when the Lord was on the earth, it was a very lucky or very rich man who had two garments. Fabric was in short supply because it all had to be made by hand, usually by the women in the family on a home-made loom. The very rich had servants who did nothing but weave cloth for the family clothes. So, in this context, it is very unlikely that the man in our parable was being punished for not changing into his special wedding clothes--for such a thing was unknown in those days.
On the other hand, a wedding in those days was quite a celebration, sometimes lasting a week or more. The guests lived with the host for the duration of the feast. We know that it was customary in those days to wash the feet of a guest when he arrived. Certainly it does not take too great a stretch of the imagination to believe that the king, upon inviting all these people from the highways, made provision for them to wash themselves and brush out their garments before they came in to the wedding feast. If this were not the case, there would have been far more people called out by the king. In light of this, we can see that the man was being punished not so much for being in his "street" clothes at the wedding, for it could not be helped, but because he did not take the opportunity to prepare himself for the feast before coming in, even though it was offered by the host.
This part of the parable is a warning to each one of us. We don't know the time of our death. We have no idea on which day we will suddenly find ourselves invited to the Lord's wedding feast as we go walking down the road of our lives. The question that faces us, the question that the parable addresses, is whether we will be prepared, or whether we will be, like the man in the parable, cast into outer darkness.
How can we avoid that fate? By washing away the dirt from our lives, by examining ourselves, seeking out the faults that are hidden there, asking the Lord for His forgiveness for them, and His help in shunning them, and then begin to live our lives without them. We need to wash away the evil of our lives. It is not enough to do it once, for, like little children being readied for a family photo, it is certain that we will get dirty again very quickly. The washing has to be a regular thing if we are to be prepared when to enter the hall when the bridegroom comes.
The same thing is true of our wedding garment. In the word, a "garment" is a symbol for truths, because truth clothes and gives form to good.<2> So, not only do we need to wash away our evils, but we also need to pay attention to our garments, we have to clean out all the falsities that accumulate in our minds when we go too long without examining them. How many things do we just assume to be true because we heard them "somewhere." Somebody once told me that dirty fuel injectors cause a diesel engine to make heavy black smoke. Now, every time I get behind a truck or a bus that is making a lot of smoke I instantly diagnose the problem as dirty fuel injectors without even thinking that there might be dozens of other factors to consider. Certainly each one of us could think of a similar example of things we have accepted without confirmation, things we believe because it suits us to believe them--whether they are true or not.
Our job in this world is to keep our garment clean, to use the tools the Lord has given us to beat out the various spots of falsity. We are to use our rational minds to challenge unsupported statements. We are to compare the things that we hear and wish to believe against the same standard that all things must be compared to, the truths given to us by the Lord in the Word, and in particular the Ten Commandments. We need to keep our wedding garment clean, because we never know when we will be invited into the feast, and we cannot be there with the soil of the street covering us.
We can get very smug thinking that we are the chosen church--and by our smugness and our attention to our farms and business, we in effect cast out and kill the prophets of the Lord, that is, the truth of the Word.
However, the Lord is determined that His will be done, that there will be a heaven from the human race, and so, if we will not accept his invitation, then there are others who will be invited and who will accept the invitation with joy.
But still the warning remains--there is no such thing as a carte blanche when it comes to heaven. The Lord may invite all those in the highways, but those who attempt to come in dirty, and without a wedding garment will be cast into outer darkness. Evils have to be removed first, and then the truth from the Word learned, and lived, or we are not worthy to accept the Lord's invitation and sit down at His wedding feast. AMEN.
Lessons: 1KI 16:29-17:1, 18:1-6; MAT 22:1-14; TCR 358
True Christian Religion 358. (3) Man may also acquire for himself the life of faith and charity. Here again it is the same. For man acquires for himself this life when he goes to the Lord who is Life itself; and access to Him is closed to no man, for the Lord continually invites every man to come to Him; for He says:-
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man, a king, who made a marriage for his son, and sent his servants to call them that were bidden; and finally, he said, Go ye therefore into the partings of the ways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage (Matt. xxii. 1-9).
Who does not know that the invitation or call is universal, and also the grace of reception? Man obtains life by going to the Lord because the Lord is Life itself, not only the life of faith but also the life of charity. ... By the life in faith and charity is meant spiritual life, which is given by the Lord to man in his natural life.
<1> See Arcana Coelestia 4434:6,7
<2> Arcana Coelestia 5954:2,4
The Parable Of The Good Samaritan
The Parable Of The Good Samaritan
A Sermon by the Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, cam where he was. And
when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him.., and
took care of him." (Luke 10:34-35)
One of the basic facts of human existence is that we all experience
changes of mood. We all know that we feel better about life sometimes
than other times. We go through states of sadness and joy, depression
and vibrancy, confusion, grumpiness, exuberance. There are times
when we thoroughly enjoy the task at hand, and other times when we'd
much rather be doing something else. Sometimes we are industrious--
on a mission to get things done. Other times we plod around from one
thing to another with little energy. At one point in the day we may feel
like being around other people and being social, but a little later on
we're much happier to be by ourselves, reading a book or taking a walk.
Mood swings, or changes of state are a reality for us. And the Lord says
that's normal. One reason we experience these changes is so that we
may not experience sameness of life, and hence have the joy of life
sapped from us (see Heaven and Hell 158). But through it all the Lord
has another goal. He defines changes of state as something affectional-
having to do with our feelings (Arcana Caelestia 4850). And as we may
already know, the Lord leads us by means of our affections (see Arcana
Caelestia 4364:2). He uses our moods, together with the opportunities
they present us, to lead us towards heaven. All these states are "being
directed by [Him] forever towards ends which the Lord alone foresees..;
they are bent by Him as far as possible towards what is good" (Arcana
Caelestia 2796).
An important fact arise out of this situation. These moods of ours often
take place with other people around. If we are feeling argumentative, we
will often argue with someone. If we feel affectionate, there's a high
likelihood that we will display that affection. If we feel judgmental, often
someone is feeling judged. If we are in a supportive mood, someone is
being comforted.
The net result is that we have an effect on those around us. Our moods,
and the choices that we make because of them, make a difference in The Parable Of The Good Samaritan
A Sermon by the Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, cam where he was. And
when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him.., and
took care of him." (Luke 10:34-35)
One of the basic facts of human existence is that we all experience
changes of mood. We all know that we feel better about life sometimes
than other times. We go through states of sadness and joy, depression
and vibrancy, confusion, grumpiness, exuberance. There are times
when we thoroughly enjoy the task at hand, and other times when we'd
much rather be doing something else. Sometimes we are industrious--
on a mission to get things done. Other times we plod around from one
thing to another with little energy. At one point in the day we may feel
like being around other people and being social, but a little later on
we're much happier to be by ourselves, reading a book or taking a walk.
Mood swings, or changes of state are a reality for us. And the Lord says
that's normal. One reason we experience these changes is so that we
may not experience sameness of life, and hence have the joy of life
sapped from us (see Heaven and Hell 158). But through it all the Lord
has another goal. He defines changes of state as something affectional-
having to do with our feelings (Arcana Caelestia 4850). And as we may
already know, the Lord leads us by means of our affections (see Arcana
Caelestia 4364:2). He uses our moods, together with the opportunities
they present us, to lead us towards heaven. All these states are "being
directed by [Him] forever towards ends which the Lord alone foresees..;
they are bent by Him as far as possible towards what is good" (Arcana
Caelestia 2796).
An important fact arise out of this situation. These moods of ours often
take place with other people around. If we are feeling argumentative, we
will often argue with someone. If we feel affectionate, there's a high
likelihood that we will display that affection. If we feel judgmental, often
someone is feeling judged. If we are in a supportive mood, someone is
being comforted.
The net result is that we have an effect on those around us. Our moods,
and the choices that we make because of them, make a difference in
the lives of others. The Lord is working behind-the-scenes in many ways
to inspire that effect to be positive.
This brings us to the parable of the Good Samaritan. It addresses this
very fact-that we have an effect on others, and that the Lord wants that
effect to be positive. More than likely you've heard this story before. It is
one of the most familiar in the Word, containing a straightforward
message about charity. In it the bad are really bad, and the good are
really good. The Lord shows a stark contrast between the priest and
Levite, and the Samaritan. The Samaritan had been a neighbor to him
who fell among thieves.
Now we could talk about a lot of things by means of this parable,
because the Lord has packed a lot of truth into it. For instance, we could
talk about the church and how it can abandon people when it loses its
focus, as demonstrated by the priest and the Levite. We could talk
about how the Lord came to set up a new church with anyone who
would hear His message of charity. Another subject which arises out of
this parable is prejudice and its ramifications. We could spend lots of
time on the basic principle of respect for all people, of whatever
nationality or personality. And we could focus on how to help people
when they are in desperate need, retracing the individual steps the
Samaritan took in his care of this man.
But what we will focus on this morning is the merciful attitude displayed
by the Samaritan, and the opposite one displayed by the others in this
parable. This Samaritan is a role-model because of his perspective on
the needs of another human being. Listen to these words again from the
gospel of Luke:
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And
when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him.., and
took care of him." (Luke 10:34-35)
Heaven and Hell.
The lawyer to whom the Lord spoke had asked Him the question,
"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25). The
answer that the Lord gave by means of this parable was, "Take care of
those around you. Live a life of charity, and you will inherit eternal life."
The question remains: How do we work with the Lord to make sure our
effect on other people is positive? What specific direction does He give
us, aside from telling us that we are supposed to be charitable?
The first place we look for answers is to the spiritual world, which
includes heaven and hell. Heaven and hell are the places where our
"eternal life" is played out-eternal life in heaven for those who show
genuine compassion for their neighbors, and eternal life in hell for those
who don't. Another reason for turning out attention to the spiritual world
is because of the stark contrast we see there. As in this parable, the
good are really good, and the bad are really bad. In the spiritual world
there is not the same ambiguity that we sometimes feel in this world.
There is a separation of good people from evil people, whereas here we
all live together, and its sometimes hard to tell the difference. In heaven
all are good Samaritans, and in hell, all are self-serving people like the
thieves, the priest and the Levite.
The Concept of Sharing. There is a teaching about the spiritual world
which applies directly to the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It is the
concept of "sharing." We read about this from the work, Heaven and
Hell:
In the heavens there is a sharing of all with each and of each with all.
Such sharing goes forth from the two loves of heaven, which are...love
to the Lord and love towards the neighbor. To share their delights is the
very nature of these loves. (Heaven and Hell 399)
Another teaching expands this by saying, "Heavenly love is such that it
wishes what is its own to be another's" (Heaven and Hell 268).
Think of the joy which comes from sharing life together as husband and
wife. Think about the amount of give and take that comes with any
lasting friendship. In any relationship there is a sharing of time. During
that time we are committed to thinking about the needs of someone
else, to hearing their ideas, to being in their company. We teach
children to share their toys instead of hoarding them-something which
doesn't come easily to most. From these earliest states, we are teaching
them not to be selfish-to think about someone else besides themselves.
This is what people in heaven do all the time.
The Lord used the Samaritan in His parable as a person who expressed
this desire. He gave of his time to meet the needs of a traveler left half
dead. If we look at the details, we see he went way above the call of
duty. Not only did he bandage this man's wounds, but he anointed them
with oil and wine-costly substances. He took time to find an inn and
cared for him there. When he had to leave, he paid the innkeeper to
care for him, and promised to return-apparently to make sure that
everything turned out alright.
This is a perfect example of the way things work in heaven. People
there thrive on doing more for others than is expected. They see a
need, and they devote their energy to fill it. Angels, or the people who
live in heaven, love to serve-to give of their talents and energy so that
others will benefit.
Of course the Lord's parable shows the opposite as well. It
demonstrates the hellish attitude of selfishness. Here we most
commonly think of the callousness of the priest and the Levite. But they
were not the most devious people of the parable. The thieves were. The
Lord teaches us: "[Those in] the love of self take away from others and
rob others of all delight, and directs it to [themselves]" (Heaven and Hell
399). Instead of sharing, it is taking. Instead of heaven, it becomes hell.
This teaching goes on to describe the urge to destroy others-to use
everything of theirs to satisfy self. Isn't that what these thieves had
done? A man was on his way to Jericho. Thieves lay in wait. They
stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, leaving him half dead,
without so much as a thought about his suffering. Those in hell, with
their small hearts, delight in destroying each other. They pretend to be
friends, but their whole energy is devoted to using their so called friends
for personal gain. Truly hell is not a very pleasant place to live.
"Go and do likewise."
Again, the lawyer asked, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" The
Lord answered in effect, "Love your neighbor as Samaritan did. Share
your talents and energy with others. Rid yourself of feelings of
superiority and contempt. If you do, you will live to eternity in heaven
with other people like the good Samaritan. If you don't, a world of
enmity, cunning, deceit, and back stabbing awaits in hell."
But of course our preparation for that life takes place in this world. And
things aren't so clear here. It may be easy to rationally understand what
we're supposed to do, but often it's hard to know exactly how to do it.
We can't be sure of other people's intentions. We go through states
where we know we're not acting on the best of intentions, but feel
justified in doing it anyway. Treating others the way they treat us is a
common urge, but it doesn't always lead to charitable actions. It's a
challenging thing the Lord asks of us. He knows we won't be perfect; we
won't be thoughtful and kind all the time. But He wants us to try.
That is why the Lord pleads with the lawyer at the end of His parable by
saying, "Go and do likewise." It doesn't sound like pleading, but I believe
it is filled with the Lord's intense desire for our benefit.
Part of what the Lord wants us to see is an image of His love for us. The
Samaritan's compassion is an image of the Lord's compassion. He
wants us to be aware of His intense desire for our happiness. He is
mercy itself, and every ounce of His divine energy is devoted to sharing
what is His with us-to blessing us with happiness, to taking away our
pain and suffering. He wants to do everything within His power to bring
meaning and peace to our lives. (see Divine Love and Wisdom 230; cf.
n. 47; True Christian Religion 43).
But the way He does that is primarily through people. He needs us to be
charitable-to feel compassion for other human beings and act on that
compassion. The image of the Lord as a Parent will illustrate this point.
Picture a child falling off his bike and scraping his knee and chin. Say
his mother watched this accident. She may feel tremendous love for her
son, and a great deal of sadness at his pain. But it doesn't do her child
any good for her to stand there feeling sad. Her love is expressed by
picking him up, comforting him, and bandaging his wounds. This is love
expressed in a useful action.
Such is the Lord's love-it needs to be expressed. But the way the Lord
expresses His love is through people. He too loves that little boy who
fell off his bike. He expresses this love by inspiring the mother to care
for her child. Of course the Lord is present with each one of us directly,
but His main way of serving us is through other people. As a teaching in
the book Married Love explains: "The Lord loves all people, and so wills
good to all.. [He] performs good or useful services indirectly through
angels, and in the world through people" (n. 7:3).
So behind this parable of the Good Samaritan is the Lord's yearning that
we will help Him to bless other people. We can be sure that He is doing
many, many things without our help, but an integral part of His plan is
for us to recognize our responsibility to serve.
Seeing this fact of the Lord's system of care, puts several things into
perspective. He has given us the ability to serve others, and when we
do, we are serving Him as well. The Lord has given us power. He had
given us abilities which make us human-abilities to feel like we're acting
on our own initiative, that we are the makers of our own destiny. This
means that we have the ability to be charitable to others, or cruel-
whichever we choose. We have the ability to make a difference in the
lives of other people. Sometimes that effect is small; other times it is
significant. The Lord reminds us of this reality, and asks us to reflect on
it-to see the ways these truths work in so many situations.
We know, for example, that an employee who feels respected will tend
to do a better job than one who is constantly put down. So many studies
on efficiency and management techniques boil down to this simple fact:
treat people well, with a charitable attitude, and they'll tend to work to
their potential.
In our contact with children, there are plenty of opportunities to guard
our temper, and recognize that harsh words leave an impression on little
minds. The Lord asks us to recognize children as potential angels, to
respect their feelings, and to help them begin their journey towards
heaven.
The Lord gives us dozens of opportunities every day to have a positive
effect on other people. But of course we have just as many chances to
favor ourselves instead. Again, that is why the Lord pleads with us at
the end of the parable: "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37).
Let another place in the Word serve as a summary of the message of
the Lord's parable. The seventh commandment is "You shall not steal"
(Exodus 20:15). It coincides with the thieves in this parable. It may
seem like a minor link, but the internal message is identical. The
message of the seventh commandment is: "Do not take away." Those in
hell with their selfish hearts do just that: they rob others of all delight and
direct it to themselves (Heaven and Hell 399). This is what the Lord
commands against. Don't take away from others their feelings of
security, self-esteem, confidence.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan the Lord explains the same truth
in positive terms. The attitude displayed by the Samaritan is a heavenly
attitude. The Lord teaches us to share our abilities and our time, so that
others may benefit. That's the way people act in heaven-the place
where the Lord is leading us. He knows we go through many different
moods or states in any given day. He asks that we recognize the effect
we can have on those around us. And by means of our affections, He is
quietly leading us to comfort, to support, to respect, and to show mercy
to those around us. Amen.
Lessons: Luke 10:25-37; Heaven and Hell 399.
A Sermon by the Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, cam where he was. And
when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him.., and
took care of him." (Luke 10:34-35)
One of the basic facts of human existence is that we all experience
changes of mood. We all know that we feel better about life sometimes
than other times. We go through states of sadness and joy, depression
and vibrancy, confusion, grumpiness, exuberance. There are times
when we thoroughly enjoy the task at hand, and other times when we'd
much rather be doing something else. Sometimes we are industrious--
on a mission to get things done. Other times we plod around from one
thing to another with little energy. At one point in the day we may feel
like being around other people and being social, but a little later on
we're much happier to be by ourselves, reading a book or taking a walk.
Mood swings, or changes of state are a reality for us. And the Lord says
that's normal. One reason we experience these changes is so that we
may not experience sameness of life, and hence have the joy of life
sapped from us (see Heaven and Hell 158). But through it all the Lord
has another goal. He defines changes of state as something affectional-
having to do with our feelings (Arcana Caelestia 4850). And as we may
already know, the Lord leads us by means of our affections (see Arcana
Caelestia 4364:2). He uses our moods, together with the opportunities
they present us, to lead us towards heaven. All these states are "being
directed by [Him] forever towards ends which the Lord alone foresees..;
they are bent by Him as far as possible towards what is good" (Arcana
Caelestia 2796).
An important fact arise out of this situation. These moods of ours often
take place with other people around. If we are feeling argumentative, we
will often argue with someone. If we feel affectionate, there's a high
likelihood that we will display that affection. If we feel judgmental, often
someone is feeling judged. If we are in a supportive mood, someone is
being comforted.
The net result is that we have an effect on those around us. Our moods,
and the choices that we make because of them, make a difference in The Parable Of The Good Samaritan
A Sermon by the Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, cam where he was. And
when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him.., and
took care of him." (Luke 10:34-35)
One of the basic facts of human existence is that we all experience
changes of mood. We all know that we feel better about life sometimes
than other times. We go through states of sadness and joy, depression
and vibrancy, confusion, grumpiness, exuberance. There are times
when we thoroughly enjoy the task at hand, and other times when we'd
much rather be doing something else. Sometimes we are industrious--
on a mission to get things done. Other times we plod around from one
thing to another with little energy. At one point in the day we may feel
like being around other people and being social, but a little later on
we're much happier to be by ourselves, reading a book or taking a walk.
Mood swings, or changes of state are a reality for us. And the Lord says
that's normal. One reason we experience these changes is so that we
may not experience sameness of life, and hence have the joy of life
sapped from us (see Heaven and Hell 158). But through it all the Lord
has another goal. He defines changes of state as something affectional-
having to do with our feelings (Arcana Caelestia 4850). And as we may
already know, the Lord leads us by means of our affections (see Arcana
Caelestia 4364:2). He uses our moods, together with the opportunities
they present us, to lead us towards heaven. All these states are "being
directed by [Him] forever towards ends which the Lord alone foresees..;
they are bent by Him as far as possible towards what is good" (Arcana
Caelestia 2796).
An important fact arise out of this situation. These moods of ours often
take place with other people around. If we are feeling argumentative, we
will often argue with someone. If we feel affectionate, there's a high
likelihood that we will display that affection. If we feel judgmental, often
someone is feeling judged. If we are in a supportive mood, someone is
being comforted.
The net result is that we have an effect on those around us. Our moods,
and the choices that we make because of them, make a difference in
the lives of others. The Lord is working behind-the-scenes in many ways
to inspire that effect to be positive.
This brings us to the parable of the Good Samaritan. It addresses this
very fact-that we have an effect on others, and that the Lord wants that
effect to be positive. More than likely you've heard this story before. It is
one of the most familiar in the Word, containing a straightforward
message about charity. In it the bad are really bad, and the good are
really good. The Lord shows a stark contrast between the priest and
Levite, and the Samaritan. The Samaritan had been a neighbor to him
who fell among thieves.
Now we could talk about a lot of things by means of this parable,
because the Lord has packed a lot of truth into it. For instance, we could
talk about the church and how it can abandon people when it loses its
focus, as demonstrated by the priest and the Levite. We could talk
about how the Lord came to set up a new church with anyone who
would hear His message of charity. Another subject which arises out of
this parable is prejudice and its ramifications. We could spend lots of
time on the basic principle of respect for all people, of whatever
nationality or personality. And we could focus on how to help people
when they are in desperate need, retracing the individual steps the
Samaritan took in his care of this man.
But what we will focus on this morning is the merciful attitude displayed
by the Samaritan, and the opposite one displayed by the others in this
parable. This Samaritan is a role-model because of his perspective on
the needs of another human being. Listen to these words again from the
gospel of Luke:
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And
when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him.., and
took care of him." (Luke 10:34-35)
Heaven and Hell.
The lawyer to whom the Lord spoke had asked Him the question,
"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25). The
answer that the Lord gave by means of this parable was, "Take care of
those around you. Live a life of charity, and you will inherit eternal life."
The question remains: How do we work with the Lord to make sure our
effect on other people is positive? What specific direction does He give
us, aside from telling us that we are supposed to be charitable?
The first place we look for answers is to the spiritual world, which
includes heaven and hell. Heaven and hell are the places where our
"eternal life" is played out-eternal life in heaven for those who show
genuine compassion for their neighbors, and eternal life in hell for those
who don't. Another reason for turning out attention to the spiritual world
is because of the stark contrast we see there. As in this parable, the
good are really good, and the bad are really bad. In the spiritual world
there is not the same ambiguity that we sometimes feel in this world.
There is a separation of good people from evil people, whereas here we
all live together, and its sometimes hard to tell the difference. In heaven
all are good Samaritans, and in hell, all are self-serving people like the
thieves, the priest and the Levite.
The Concept of Sharing. There is a teaching about the spiritual world
which applies directly to the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It is the
concept of "sharing." We read about this from the work, Heaven and
Hell:
In the heavens there is a sharing of all with each and of each with all.
Such sharing goes forth from the two loves of heaven, which are...love
to the Lord and love towards the neighbor. To share their delights is the
very nature of these loves. (Heaven and Hell 399)
Another teaching expands this by saying, "Heavenly love is such that it
wishes what is its own to be another's" (Heaven and Hell 268).
Think of the joy which comes from sharing life together as husband and
wife. Think about the amount of give and take that comes with any
lasting friendship. In any relationship there is a sharing of time. During
that time we are committed to thinking about the needs of someone
else, to hearing their ideas, to being in their company. We teach
children to share their toys instead of hoarding them-something which
doesn't come easily to most. From these earliest states, we are teaching
them not to be selfish-to think about someone else besides themselves.
This is what people in heaven do all the time.
The Lord used the Samaritan in His parable as a person who expressed
this desire. He gave of his time to meet the needs of a traveler left half
dead. If we look at the details, we see he went way above the call of
duty. Not only did he bandage this man's wounds, but he anointed them
with oil and wine-costly substances. He took time to find an inn and
cared for him there. When he had to leave, he paid the innkeeper to
care for him, and promised to return-apparently to make sure that
everything turned out alright.
This is a perfect example of the way things work in heaven. People
there thrive on doing more for others than is expected. They see a
need, and they devote their energy to fill it. Angels, or the people who
live in heaven, love to serve-to give of their talents and energy so that
others will benefit.
Of course the Lord's parable shows the opposite as well. It
demonstrates the hellish attitude of selfishness. Here we most
commonly think of the callousness of the priest and the Levite. But they
were not the most devious people of the parable. The thieves were. The
Lord teaches us: "[Those in] the love of self take away from others and
rob others of all delight, and directs it to [themselves]" (Heaven and Hell
399). Instead of sharing, it is taking. Instead of heaven, it becomes hell.
This teaching goes on to describe the urge to destroy others-to use
everything of theirs to satisfy self. Isn't that what these thieves had
done? A man was on his way to Jericho. Thieves lay in wait. They
stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, leaving him half dead,
without so much as a thought about his suffering. Those in hell, with
their small hearts, delight in destroying each other. They pretend to be
friends, but their whole energy is devoted to using their so called friends
for personal gain. Truly hell is not a very pleasant place to live.
"Go and do likewise."
Again, the lawyer asked, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" The
Lord answered in effect, "Love your neighbor as Samaritan did. Share
your talents and energy with others. Rid yourself of feelings of
superiority and contempt. If you do, you will live to eternity in heaven
with other people like the good Samaritan. If you don't, a world of
enmity, cunning, deceit, and back stabbing awaits in hell."
But of course our preparation for that life takes place in this world. And
things aren't so clear here. It may be easy to rationally understand what
we're supposed to do, but often it's hard to know exactly how to do it.
We can't be sure of other people's intentions. We go through states
where we know we're not acting on the best of intentions, but feel
justified in doing it anyway. Treating others the way they treat us is a
common urge, but it doesn't always lead to charitable actions. It's a
challenging thing the Lord asks of us. He knows we won't be perfect; we
won't be thoughtful and kind all the time. But He wants us to try.
That is why the Lord pleads with the lawyer at the end of His parable by
saying, "Go and do likewise." It doesn't sound like pleading, but I believe
it is filled with the Lord's intense desire for our benefit.
Part of what the Lord wants us to see is an image of His love for us. The
Samaritan's compassion is an image of the Lord's compassion. He
wants us to be aware of His intense desire for our happiness. He is
mercy itself, and every ounce of His divine energy is devoted to sharing
what is His with us-to blessing us with happiness, to taking away our
pain and suffering. He wants to do everything within His power to bring
meaning and peace to our lives. (see Divine Love and Wisdom 230; cf.
n. 47; True Christian Religion 43).
But the way He does that is primarily through people. He needs us to be
charitable-to feel compassion for other human beings and act on that
compassion. The image of the Lord as a Parent will illustrate this point.
Picture a child falling off his bike and scraping his knee and chin. Say
his mother watched this accident. She may feel tremendous love for her
son, and a great deal of sadness at his pain. But it doesn't do her child
any good for her to stand there feeling sad. Her love is expressed by
picking him up, comforting him, and bandaging his wounds. This is love
expressed in a useful action.
Such is the Lord's love-it needs to be expressed. But the way the Lord
expresses His love is through people. He too loves that little boy who
fell off his bike. He expresses this love by inspiring the mother to care
for her child. Of course the Lord is present with each one of us directly,
but His main way of serving us is through other people. As a teaching in
the book Married Love explains: "The Lord loves all people, and so wills
good to all.. [He] performs good or useful services indirectly through
angels, and in the world through people" (n. 7:3).
So behind this parable of the Good Samaritan is the Lord's yearning that
we will help Him to bless other people. We can be sure that He is doing
many, many things without our help, but an integral part of His plan is
for us to recognize our responsibility to serve.
Seeing this fact of the Lord's system of care, puts several things into
perspective. He has given us the ability to serve others, and when we
do, we are serving Him as well. The Lord has given us power. He had
given us abilities which make us human-abilities to feel like we're acting
on our own initiative, that we are the makers of our own destiny. This
means that we have the ability to be charitable to others, or cruel-
whichever we choose. We have the ability to make a difference in the
lives of other people. Sometimes that effect is small; other times it is
significant. The Lord reminds us of this reality, and asks us to reflect on
it-to see the ways these truths work in so many situations.
We know, for example, that an employee who feels respected will tend
to do a better job than one who is constantly put down. So many studies
on efficiency and management techniques boil down to this simple fact:
treat people well, with a charitable attitude, and they'll tend to work to
their potential.
In our contact with children, there are plenty of opportunities to guard
our temper, and recognize that harsh words leave an impression on little
minds. The Lord asks us to recognize children as potential angels, to
respect their feelings, and to help them begin their journey towards
heaven.
The Lord gives us dozens of opportunities every day to have a positive
effect on other people. But of course we have just as many chances to
favor ourselves instead. Again, that is why the Lord pleads with us at
the end of the parable: "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37).
Let another place in the Word serve as a summary of the message of
the Lord's parable. The seventh commandment is "You shall not steal"
(Exodus 20:15). It coincides with the thieves in this parable. It may
seem like a minor link, but the internal message is identical. The
message of the seventh commandment is: "Do not take away." Those in
hell with their selfish hearts do just that: they rob others of all delight and
direct it to themselves (Heaven and Hell 399). This is what the Lord
commands against. Don't take away from others their feelings of
security, self-esteem, confidence.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan the Lord explains the same truth
in positive terms. The attitude displayed by the Samaritan is a heavenly
attitude. The Lord teaches us to share our abilities and our time, so that
others may benefit. That's the way people act in heaven-the place
where the Lord is leading us. He knows we go through many different
moods or states in any given day. He asks that we recognize the effect
we can have on those around us. And by means of our affections, He is
quietly leading us to comfort, to support, to respect, and to show mercy
to those around us. Amen.
Lessons: Luke 10:25-37; Heaven and Hell 399.
The Prodigal Son
The Prodigal Son
A Sermon by Rev. Thomas L. Kline
"This my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found"
(Luke 15:24).
Jesus said that a man had two sons. The younger son went to his father
and demanded his inheritance. It says he went to a far-off country, and
there he wasted all that he had with riotous living. A famine arose in the
land, and the young man had nothing to eat. And so he hired himself out
to go into the fields to feed the swine. He was so hungry that he would
have eaten the food of the pigs. But suddenly, he came to himself. He
said to himself, "I will go to my father and ask him for forgiveness, and I
will become as a hired servant to him." We can picture the young man
coming back after a long journey. Will his father forgive him? Will his
father be angry with him?
His father is waiting for him! His father sees him at a distance, runs to
him, and embraces him. The father has compassion on his son. And at
the end of this story, we hear those words of the father to the older
brother: "It is right that we should make merry and be glad, for your
brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."
There is something in each of us that is touched by the power of this
parable. This is because it is a story of hope. We might have a friend or
relative that seems to turn from the Lord. We might have a friend that for
a time seems lost, spiritually wounded, a person in a time of spiritual
crisis. And the everlasting message of this parable is that there is a way
back. The Lord gives us a path to restore our souls no matter how
hopeless the situation.
The father figure in this parable is so important. It is a picture of the Lord
Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ as our heavenly Father. And what we
see is a picture of the Divine love. When the young man returns, we
don't see the father demanding payment or retribution for the son's sins.
We don't see anything that suggests the traditional dogmas of Divine
atonement or punishment for sin. No, those old-fashioned, traditional
ideas of God are not based on Scripture. In this parable we see only
forgiveness after the long journey of repentance and reformation. The
father celebrates his son's return. The Lord rejoices when we come
back to our spiritual home.
There is a message in this parable for a church congregation. The
reason why Jesus even told this parable was that the church leaders of
that time came to Him complaining that He was spending too much time
with sinners. The scribes and Pharisees were murmuring because
Jesus was associating with sinners, drunkards, and tax collectors. And
the Lord's answer was simple: "They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick." This is why He had come to bring
sinners to repentance, and to restore their lives.
And so we ask the question of ourselves: What is the purpose of our
church? What is the purpose of this congregation? Certainly the church
is for the worship of the Lord. Certainly it is for the proclaiming of the
Lord's Word. It is for the life of charity and service. But the church also
exists for something else.
In the book of Revelation, the New Church is said to be the "healing of
the nations." The leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the
nations. It is a vision of the church as a hospital, the church as a place
for spiritual healing, the church as a place where the sick and wounded
come. There is a battle going on in the world today. It is a great battle
between heaven and hell. And, as in any battle, there will be casualties:
our sons and daughters, our friends and neighbors, our family. And the
church is the place for those who are hurting, those who at times have
failed, those who are dying spiritually, to come and receive support in
the road that leads back to a restoration. It is a vision of the Lord Jesus
Christ as the Divine physician.
But there is a more interior meaning to this story. It is a level of meaning
opened by the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem. This story of
the prodigal son is the personal story of our rebirth and regeneration. It
is the story of the Lord's healing our troubled heart. And in this story, we
find, step by step, the journey that we take as the Lord leads us on the
path to heaven.
Let's just look at the steps of regeneration outlined in this story.
Number one is permission, what the Writings of the New Church call the
"doctrine of permission." In this story the father allows his son to leave
and go to a distant land. It almost seems that the father willingly gives
his son all of his inheritance knowing that this will lead to grief and pain
for the son. And how can this be? Why would a loving father do this?
The Writings of the New Church say that this permission to leave is a
picture of the magnitude of the Lord's love and wisdom in our lives. The
Lord loves us so much that He will even allow us to turn from Him at
times if this is what we truly choose. He will allow us to turn from Him
and even experience the consequences, the pain and suffering of that
turning away. And this is said to be of His permission, not of His will.
He grieves when we turn and suffer the consequences of evil. The pain
of evil is not the Lord's punishment; no, the Lord weeps for us. And still,
in His love He allows this because in His infinite wisdom He foresees
that sometimes it is only through the process of the journey that we can
finally choose what is good, fight for what is good, and make what is
good our own. So number one: the Lord permits us to leave.
And step number two: If we do choose to turn from Him, He is not
passive. If we do choose to turn from Him, He protects and guides us
every step of the way. He is with us on the perilous journey.
We have a beautiful teaching in the Writings of the New Church that
during times of temptation and despair it seems as if the Lord has left
us, whereas in fact He is closer than ever. The Lord is closest to us in
times of temptation.
In this parable it seems that once the son left home and went to the
distant land, his father was out of the picture. It seems that his father
just stayed home and worried. It is important to realize that this is written
from the viewpoint of the son: When we turn from God it seems as if He
is distant from us; that's how it feels to us.
But from the Lord's perspective, He never leaves us. If we could re-write
this parable from the Lord's viewpoint, the father would be with that son
in that distant land, actively protecting, guiding and leading.
How does the Lord protect us when we are in the distant land? First is
the famine. The Lord allows us to hunger in the distant land. He allows
us to hunger for righteousness. The Lord will never let us be completely
satisfied with evil. No, something inside of us will hunger for a life that is
higher. And it is this hunger that finally causes us to turn back to the
Lord. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness."
Another thing He does when we are in the distant land: He withholds us
from further evils. In the parable, it says the son was almost to the point
where he was about to eat the food of the pigs, but he didn't eat it. A
person who has been in a state of disorder will often say, "Yes, I was in
terrible disorder, but somehow there was something preventing me from
going all the way down to hell. Something was holding me back." The
Lord's hand is there protecting us from the hells even when we are in
active evil.
A third thing He does when we are in the distant land: The Lord causes
us to remember our home; He lets us remember our spiritual home. In
the story the son remembered his father's house. We hear the words, "I
will arise and go to my father." It's a memory of heaven. The Writings of
the New church speak about heavenly memories that stay with us
always. Memories of heaven that remain with us sometimes we call
these "heavenly remains." No matter where we are in life, we all have a
memory of heaven (sometimes from our earliest childhood) stored up in
the interior parts of our minds. And that memory of heaven tempers and
bends our life back to our spiritual home, when we are in the height of
temptation and despair.
But then we come to the climax of the story, the turning point, and it is
the turning point in our lives. The story says that the young man was in
the field, far from his home, hungry. The young man, when he was at
his lowest moment of despair, came to his senses. One translation
says, "He came to himself." It is the beginning of true repentance. For
the first time we find him thinking the words, "Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before you."
The young man suddenly sees his life in a new way. It is as if his eyes
are opened. It is interesting that the Writings of the New Church use the
word "inversion" when they talk about this change. When it seems as if
things can't get any worse, suddenly we come to this turning point; we
come to this moment of change, and our lives are totally inverted.
Everything is changed from top to bottom. The love of self that used to
be at the top is now at the bottom, and in its place is a love of the Lord
and the neighbor. We hear the words, "I will go and serve my father; I
will hire myself to him; I will be as servant to him," and we begin to lay
down our lives. Jesus said, "He that shall lose his life for my sake shall
find it."
And we find that there is a road back home. That's the young man
journeying back home, retracing every step that He had taken. The
Writings of the New Church call this "reformation." And notice the power
of that word: the Lord literally "re-forms" us. He makes us anew.
And then there is a time of rejoicing. Here are some of the internal
meanings revealed in the Writings of the New Church: The ring the
father put on his son's finger pictures "internal conjunction." The robe
pictures "truths of our faith and trust in God." The sandals picture our life
changed even to the most "down-to-earth" parts. And the fatted calf
pictures our life of charity.
So this entire 15th chapter of the gospel of Luke deals with the subject
of lost things and the Lord's rejoicing over what is lost being found
again. Let us take these wonderful teachings and apply them to our
lives. Let us reach out with hope and forgiveness to those who are
hurting, supporting them on the Divine path of restoration. Let us
express this love of the Lord Himself as He comes to restore our own
lives toward heaven, realizing that in His sight we are all in need of the
Divine healing. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Divine
physician, and tells His everlasting message of hope: "It is right that we
should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive
again, and was lost and is found." Amen.
Lessons: Psalm 84, Luke 15, TCR 394-5
A Sermon by Rev. Thomas L. Kline
"This my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found"
(Luke 15:24).
Jesus said that a man had two sons. The younger son went to his father
and demanded his inheritance. It says he went to a far-off country, and
there he wasted all that he had with riotous living. A famine arose in the
land, and the young man had nothing to eat. And so he hired himself out
to go into the fields to feed the swine. He was so hungry that he would
have eaten the food of the pigs. But suddenly, he came to himself. He
said to himself, "I will go to my father and ask him for forgiveness, and I
will become as a hired servant to him." We can picture the young man
coming back after a long journey. Will his father forgive him? Will his
father be angry with him?
His father is waiting for him! His father sees him at a distance, runs to
him, and embraces him. The father has compassion on his son. And at
the end of this story, we hear those words of the father to the older
brother: "It is right that we should make merry and be glad, for your
brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."
There is something in each of us that is touched by the power of this
parable. This is because it is a story of hope. We might have a friend or
relative that seems to turn from the Lord. We might have a friend that for
a time seems lost, spiritually wounded, a person in a time of spiritual
crisis. And the everlasting message of this parable is that there is a way
back. The Lord gives us a path to restore our souls no matter how
hopeless the situation.
The father figure in this parable is so important. It is a picture of the Lord
Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ as our heavenly Father. And what we
see is a picture of the Divine love. When the young man returns, we
don't see the father demanding payment or retribution for the son's sins.
We don't see anything that suggests the traditional dogmas of Divine
atonement or punishment for sin. No, those old-fashioned, traditional
ideas of God are not based on Scripture. In this parable we see only
forgiveness after the long journey of repentance and reformation. The
father celebrates his son's return. The Lord rejoices when we come
back to our spiritual home.
There is a message in this parable for a church congregation. The
reason why Jesus even told this parable was that the church leaders of
that time came to Him complaining that He was spending too much time
with sinners. The scribes and Pharisees were murmuring because
Jesus was associating with sinners, drunkards, and tax collectors. And
the Lord's answer was simple: "They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick." This is why He had come to bring
sinners to repentance, and to restore their lives.
And so we ask the question of ourselves: What is the purpose of our
church? What is the purpose of this congregation? Certainly the church
is for the worship of the Lord. Certainly it is for the proclaiming of the
Lord's Word. It is for the life of charity and service. But the church also
exists for something else.
In the book of Revelation, the New Church is said to be the "healing of
the nations." The leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the
nations. It is a vision of the church as a hospital, the church as a place
for spiritual healing, the church as a place where the sick and wounded
come. There is a battle going on in the world today. It is a great battle
between heaven and hell. And, as in any battle, there will be casualties:
our sons and daughters, our friends and neighbors, our family. And the
church is the place for those who are hurting, those who at times have
failed, those who are dying spiritually, to come and receive support in
the road that leads back to a restoration. It is a vision of the Lord Jesus
Christ as the Divine physician.
But there is a more interior meaning to this story. It is a level of meaning
opened by the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem. This story of
the prodigal son is the personal story of our rebirth and regeneration. It
is the story of the Lord's healing our troubled heart. And in this story, we
find, step by step, the journey that we take as the Lord leads us on the
path to heaven.
Let's just look at the steps of regeneration outlined in this story.
Number one is permission, what the Writings of the New Church call the
"doctrine of permission." In this story the father allows his son to leave
and go to a distant land. It almost seems that the father willingly gives
his son all of his inheritance knowing that this will lead to grief and pain
for the son. And how can this be? Why would a loving father do this?
The Writings of the New Church say that this permission to leave is a
picture of the magnitude of the Lord's love and wisdom in our lives. The
Lord loves us so much that He will even allow us to turn from Him at
times if this is what we truly choose. He will allow us to turn from Him
and even experience the consequences, the pain and suffering of that
turning away. And this is said to be of His permission, not of His will.
He grieves when we turn and suffer the consequences of evil. The pain
of evil is not the Lord's punishment; no, the Lord weeps for us. And still,
in His love He allows this because in His infinite wisdom He foresees
that sometimes it is only through the process of the journey that we can
finally choose what is good, fight for what is good, and make what is
good our own. So number one: the Lord permits us to leave.
And step number two: If we do choose to turn from Him, He is not
passive. If we do choose to turn from Him, He protects and guides us
every step of the way. He is with us on the perilous journey.
We have a beautiful teaching in the Writings of the New Church that
during times of temptation and despair it seems as if the Lord has left
us, whereas in fact He is closer than ever. The Lord is closest to us in
times of temptation.
In this parable it seems that once the son left home and went to the
distant land, his father was out of the picture. It seems that his father
just stayed home and worried. It is important to realize that this is written
from the viewpoint of the son: When we turn from God it seems as if He
is distant from us; that's how it feels to us.
But from the Lord's perspective, He never leaves us. If we could re-write
this parable from the Lord's viewpoint, the father would be with that son
in that distant land, actively protecting, guiding and leading.
How does the Lord protect us when we are in the distant land? First is
the famine. The Lord allows us to hunger in the distant land. He allows
us to hunger for righteousness. The Lord will never let us be completely
satisfied with evil. No, something inside of us will hunger for a life that is
higher. And it is this hunger that finally causes us to turn back to the
Lord. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness."
Another thing He does when we are in the distant land: He withholds us
from further evils. In the parable, it says the son was almost to the point
where he was about to eat the food of the pigs, but he didn't eat it. A
person who has been in a state of disorder will often say, "Yes, I was in
terrible disorder, but somehow there was something preventing me from
going all the way down to hell. Something was holding me back." The
Lord's hand is there protecting us from the hells even when we are in
active evil.
A third thing He does when we are in the distant land: The Lord causes
us to remember our home; He lets us remember our spiritual home. In
the story the son remembered his father's house. We hear the words, "I
will arise and go to my father." It's a memory of heaven. The Writings of
the New church speak about heavenly memories that stay with us
always. Memories of heaven that remain with us sometimes we call
these "heavenly remains." No matter where we are in life, we all have a
memory of heaven (sometimes from our earliest childhood) stored up in
the interior parts of our minds. And that memory of heaven tempers and
bends our life back to our spiritual home, when we are in the height of
temptation and despair.
But then we come to the climax of the story, the turning point, and it is
the turning point in our lives. The story says that the young man was in
the field, far from his home, hungry. The young man, when he was at
his lowest moment of despair, came to his senses. One translation
says, "He came to himself." It is the beginning of true repentance. For
the first time we find him thinking the words, "Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before you."
The young man suddenly sees his life in a new way. It is as if his eyes
are opened. It is interesting that the Writings of the New Church use the
word "inversion" when they talk about this change. When it seems as if
things can't get any worse, suddenly we come to this turning point; we
come to this moment of change, and our lives are totally inverted.
Everything is changed from top to bottom. The love of self that used to
be at the top is now at the bottom, and in its place is a love of the Lord
and the neighbor. We hear the words, "I will go and serve my father; I
will hire myself to him; I will be as servant to him," and we begin to lay
down our lives. Jesus said, "He that shall lose his life for my sake shall
find it."
And we find that there is a road back home. That's the young man
journeying back home, retracing every step that He had taken. The
Writings of the New Church call this "reformation." And notice the power
of that word: the Lord literally "re-forms" us. He makes us anew.
And then there is a time of rejoicing. Here are some of the internal
meanings revealed in the Writings of the New Church: The ring the
father put on his son's finger pictures "internal conjunction." The robe
pictures "truths of our faith and trust in God." The sandals picture our life
changed even to the most "down-to-earth" parts. And the fatted calf
pictures our life of charity.
So this entire 15th chapter of the gospel of Luke deals with the subject
of lost things and the Lord's rejoicing over what is lost being found
again. Let us take these wonderful teachings and apply them to our
lives. Let us reach out with hope and forgiveness to those who are
hurting, supporting them on the Divine path of restoration. Let us
express this love of the Lord Himself as He comes to restore our own
lives toward heaven, realizing that in His sight we are all in need of the
Divine healing. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Divine
physician, and tells His everlasting message of hope: "It is right that we
should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive
again, and was lost and is found." Amen.
Lessons: Psalm 84, Luke 15, TCR 394-5
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
A Sermon by the Rev. James P. Cooper
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. (Matthew 25:29)
The Parable of the Talents is a story about judgments. Cold, hard, definitive judgments.
We live in a culture and environment that teaches us to shy away from making judgments and instead encourages us to find the good in everything and everybody no matter what foolish choice they have made. Sometimes we are required to twist ourselves into intellectual and moral knots to do so. Certainly it is wrong to be “judgmental” if by that we mean setting our own behavior as the standard and judging all others by comparison to self.
Some have taken the Lord’s own words, “Judge not that you be not judged” out of context and used them to support the idea that there is no standard of truth, there is no standard of behavior, that we should leave everyone in freedom to act and live as they please. But that’s only the first half of the sentence! It continues, “for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged.” It is not that we are not to make judgments, but that we are to judge ourselves and each other justly. The only way to judge justly, is to judge everyone according to a common standard, and that standard is set out by God Himself in the Ten Commandments. The two stones, the one telling us how to love God and the other telling us how to love the neighbor, are the two essential ideas of religion and life upon which the rest of the Word, and civilization itself, is built.
There is a caution for us mortal and fallible human beings when making judgments, of course. While in the world we cannot judge either our own internal states or the internal states of others because they are hidden from us. It is only proper for us to judge others by their outward behavior. We are permitted to presume that a person’s internal states are reflected in their external behavior provided that we remember that this works for both good and bad behavior, that if a person always acts in a kind and courteous way, it is probably a reflection of their good character. However the angels can see the internal states, and after death, we are judged not only by our external appearance, or fruits but also by that which was hidden.
Our focus today is on the judgment that each of us faces when we lay aside the earthly body and enter the spiritual world. The very first thing we must understand about the parable of the talents is that this is not about what we call “talents”--inborn skills in certain areas. In scripture, a “talent” is a measure of weight that was sometimes applied to precious metals, and therefore, in this context, it is a sum of money, and that is the leading idea that defines the representation. We are to think of the “talents” of the parable as sums of money which represent the goods and truths which the Lord gives to every person during the course of his life.
The goods are the goods which we call “remains.” The truths are from the world, from reason, and from the Word. Everyone receives these to some degree during their life. It is also true that although everyone receives these goods and truths from the Lord, they are not received in equal quantities by everyone. If they were, there would be no point to caring for our children, there would be no point in having New Church schools, there would be no point in having schools at all--it would all be entirely in the hands of the Lord.
The result of millions of years of human choice is that people are born into an incredible variety of conditions. There are people who live in abject poverty and yet find comfort in their faith and raise their children in simple dignity to be useful, honorable adults. There are people in the same circumstances who live in anger and resentment and teach their children to hate. There are wealthy people who use their riches to uplift through the support of churches, civic organizations, and the arts, and there are wealthy people who use their riches to gain power over others.
Every home is different. There are differing degrees of love and instruction and differing degrees of neglect and anger. We are, to a degree, a product of the circumstances into which we are born, just as we are also a product of the hereditary inclinations that are passed to us from our parents--and all these things are totally beyond our control. All we can do is respond to them, learn from them, and use our own freedom and reason to improve ourselves and prepare ourselves for heaven.
This is why it is said that the master gave 5, 2, and 1 talents to the three men. It is a symbol of the different kinds of natural and spiritual circumstances in which people live. The man with five was very fortunate, and represents those people who have sufficient wealth, education, and spiritual resources to live well, and the good sense to share their bounty with others. The men with less were relatively less fortunate. But the point of the parable is not the fact that there are different gifts, but what the men do with what gifts they have.
The conclusion of the parable seems odd, and perhaps a little unjust. It certainly puts an interesting twist to the concept of redistribution of wealth! The parable concludes with those who “have” getting more. And those who have not, losing even that which they have--a teaching that is borne out in a number of other New Testament passages and incidents.
In order to understand and to see the perfect justice in this we have to lift our minds above the things of the world, the concepts of money and wealth that tend to anchor us down to worldly concepts, and remember that this is a parable about the preparation for spiritual life. A person’s eternal home in the spiritual world is determined by the ruling love. Simple obedience to the Word will lead a person to eternal life in the Natural heaven. A love of truth and the neighbor will lead to the Spiritual heaven. A love of good and the Lord leads to the Celestial heaven.
With great variety as to uses, affections, and background, we prepare for heaven through self-examination, repentance, and reformation, and the Lord then regenerates us. It is a process that is never completed in this world. So no matter how “good” we may be, there yet remains some evil. And evils are not permitted into heaven, so they must be removed before you can move from the world of spirits to your final home in heaven itself. If our ruling love is good, the evils are either removed or made quiescent through vastations and we are then free to be useful and acquire all good and truth of heaven: “To them that have, more shall be given.”
But what if we don’t prepare for heaven? What if we love evil, and twisting truth into falsities to hide our evils? Then all good is taken away, because it does not correspond to the ruling love.
The point of the parable is clear. No matter under what circumstances we are born and live, the Lord provides the opportunities for us to learn truth and do good. If we respond by learning truth and doing good, at the time of death, all impediments to this life of good will be removed and new pleasures and skills will be added. But if we do not respond by learning truth and doing good, at the time of death, even that little good which we do have will be taken away: For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. (Matthew 25:29) Amen.
Lessons: Matthew 25:14-30; Heaven and Hell 349
Preached: Mitchellville, Maryland; March 21, 2004
Sermon mailing: August, 2004
Heaven and Hell 349
All who have acquired intelligence and wisdom in the world are received in heaven and become angels, each in accordance with the quality and degree of his intelligence and wisdom. For whatever a man acquires in the world abides, and he takes it with him after death; and it is further increased and filled out, but within and not beyond the degree of his affection and desire for truth and its good, those with but little affection and desire receiving but little, and yet as much as they are capable of receiving within that degree; while those with much affection and desire receive much.
A Sermon by the Rev. James P. Cooper
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. (Matthew 25:29)
The Parable of the Talents is a story about judgments. Cold, hard, definitive judgments.
We live in a culture and environment that teaches us to shy away from making judgments and instead encourages us to find the good in everything and everybody no matter what foolish choice they have made. Sometimes we are required to twist ourselves into intellectual and moral knots to do so. Certainly it is wrong to be “judgmental” if by that we mean setting our own behavior as the standard and judging all others by comparison to self.
Some have taken the Lord’s own words, “Judge not that you be not judged” out of context and used them to support the idea that there is no standard of truth, there is no standard of behavior, that we should leave everyone in freedom to act and live as they please. But that’s only the first half of the sentence! It continues, “for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged.” It is not that we are not to make judgments, but that we are to judge ourselves and each other justly. The only way to judge justly, is to judge everyone according to a common standard, and that standard is set out by God Himself in the Ten Commandments. The two stones, the one telling us how to love God and the other telling us how to love the neighbor, are the two essential ideas of religion and life upon which the rest of the Word, and civilization itself, is built.
There is a caution for us mortal and fallible human beings when making judgments, of course. While in the world we cannot judge either our own internal states or the internal states of others because they are hidden from us. It is only proper for us to judge others by their outward behavior. We are permitted to presume that a person’s internal states are reflected in their external behavior provided that we remember that this works for both good and bad behavior, that if a person always acts in a kind and courteous way, it is probably a reflection of their good character. However the angels can see the internal states, and after death, we are judged not only by our external appearance, or fruits but also by that which was hidden.
Our focus today is on the judgment that each of us faces when we lay aside the earthly body and enter the spiritual world. The very first thing we must understand about the parable of the talents is that this is not about what we call “talents”--inborn skills in certain areas. In scripture, a “talent” is a measure of weight that was sometimes applied to precious metals, and therefore, in this context, it is a sum of money, and that is the leading idea that defines the representation. We are to think of the “talents” of the parable as sums of money which represent the goods and truths which the Lord gives to every person during the course of his life.
The goods are the goods which we call “remains.” The truths are from the world, from reason, and from the Word. Everyone receives these to some degree during their life. It is also true that although everyone receives these goods and truths from the Lord, they are not received in equal quantities by everyone. If they were, there would be no point to caring for our children, there would be no point in having New Church schools, there would be no point in having schools at all--it would all be entirely in the hands of the Lord.
The result of millions of years of human choice is that people are born into an incredible variety of conditions. There are people who live in abject poverty and yet find comfort in their faith and raise their children in simple dignity to be useful, honorable adults. There are people in the same circumstances who live in anger and resentment and teach their children to hate. There are wealthy people who use their riches to uplift through the support of churches, civic organizations, and the arts, and there are wealthy people who use their riches to gain power over others.
Every home is different. There are differing degrees of love and instruction and differing degrees of neglect and anger. We are, to a degree, a product of the circumstances into which we are born, just as we are also a product of the hereditary inclinations that are passed to us from our parents--and all these things are totally beyond our control. All we can do is respond to them, learn from them, and use our own freedom and reason to improve ourselves and prepare ourselves for heaven.
This is why it is said that the master gave 5, 2, and 1 talents to the three men. It is a symbol of the different kinds of natural and spiritual circumstances in which people live. The man with five was very fortunate, and represents those people who have sufficient wealth, education, and spiritual resources to live well, and the good sense to share their bounty with others. The men with less were relatively less fortunate. But the point of the parable is not the fact that there are different gifts, but what the men do with what gifts they have.
The conclusion of the parable seems odd, and perhaps a little unjust. It certainly puts an interesting twist to the concept of redistribution of wealth! The parable concludes with those who “have” getting more. And those who have not, losing even that which they have--a teaching that is borne out in a number of other New Testament passages and incidents.
In order to understand and to see the perfect justice in this we have to lift our minds above the things of the world, the concepts of money and wealth that tend to anchor us down to worldly concepts, and remember that this is a parable about the preparation for spiritual life. A person’s eternal home in the spiritual world is determined by the ruling love. Simple obedience to the Word will lead a person to eternal life in the Natural heaven. A love of truth and the neighbor will lead to the Spiritual heaven. A love of good and the Lord leads to the Celestial heaven.
With great variety as to uses, affections, and background, we prepare for heaven through self-examination, repentance, and reformation, and the Lord then regenerates us. It is a process that is never completed in this world. So no matter how “good” we may be, there yet remains some evil. And evils are not permitted into heaven, so they must be removed before you can move from the world of spirits to your final home in heaven itself. If our ruling love is good, the evils are either removed or made quiescent through vastations and we are then free to be useful and acquire all good and truth of heaven: “To them that have, more shall be given.”
But what if we don’t prepare for heaven? What if we love evil, and twisting truth into falsities to hide our evils? Then all good is taken away, because it does not correspond to the ruling love.
The point of the parable is clear. No matter under what circumstances we are born and live, the Lord provides the opportunities for us to learn truth and do good. If we respond by learning truth and doing good, at the time of death, all impediments to this life of good will be removed and new pleasures and skills will be added. But if we do not respond by learning truth and doing good, at the time of death, even that little good which we do have will be taken away: For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. (Matthew 25:29) Amen.
Lessons: Matthew 25:14-30; Heaven and Hell 349
Preached: Mitchellville, Maryland; March 21, 2004
Sermon mailing: August, 2004
Heaven and Hell 349
All who have acquired intelligence and wisdom in the world are received in heaven and become angels, each in accordance with the quality and degree of his intelligence and wisdom. For whatever a man acquires in the world abides, and he takes it with him after death; and it is further increased and filled out, but within and not beyond the degree of his affection and desire for truth and its good, those with but little affection and desire receiving but little, and yet as much as they are capable of receiving within that degree; while those with much affection and desire receive much.
You are the Light of the World
"You are the Light of the World"
A sermon by Rev. Michael Gladish
Dawson Creek, BC, September 17th, 2006
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).
Last week we focussed on the statement, "You are the salt of the earth...." and what this means in our spiritual lives. Today we are looking at the verses that immediately follow them in Matthew, chapter 5: "You are the light of the world...."
It is significant that these two teachings occur together, and so among other things it will be useful for us to try to understand why. It will also be good to see how light - and especially "the light that is in you" - is discussed in other parts of the Lord's Word.
But we begin with a critical truth: right from the beginning of the Gospel of John it is the Lord Himself who is called "the light of the world," indeed as we heard in the readings He calls Himself that light, and He makes it clear that if we do not follow Him we walk through life "in darkness." The book, True Christian Religion, speaks to this and makes the point that light as we know it is uncreatable, and flows in from a source that is actually infinite, that is, it has no beginning and no end.
There we read, "Divine Love forms life, as fire forms light. There are two properties in fire, burning and brilliance; from its burning proceeds heat, and from its brilliance light. Similarly there are two properties in love, one to which the burning of fire corresponds, and which in a certain way intimately affects the will of a person, and the other to which the brilliance of fire corresponds, and which similarly affects his understanding..." (TCR 39). Thus the light that is IN us flows in from the Divine Source that is outside of us, according to the Lord's words in Matthew 6: -
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness" (vv 22-23)!
Of course "the body" in this passage cannot be the physical body, for how could that body be full of light? The body can be full of the benefits of light, including the mysterious vitamin K and other healing properties, but light itself? Not as we normally use the word. So we recognize - intuitively - that the eye is a metaphor corresponding to the understanding part of the mind or spirit, and the body is also a metaphor corresponding to our inner being, that is, our will or love. In summary, our will is enlightened by an understanding of the Lord's Word so that we can live well.
Thus very clearly when the Lord says, "You are the light of the world" He is teaching us about some important responsibilities we have in our spiritual lives, and about some very special privileges that come from knowing and understanding Him.
It is similar to what was said last week: "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavour..." then what? To be called "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" is not only to be affirmed and valued, it is to be instructed and inspired with a sense of duty toward others: "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
What is this all about?
Well, as we noted last week, salt corresponds to a longing or desire for the conjunction of what is true with what is good, in other words, for the application of the truth to life. Salt attracts water - even to the point that we get thirsty when we eat salty food. So when we really long for the truth of the Lord's Word and seek to apply it to the good that we do, then we are "the salt of the earth" because we become the means, literally the catalysts for that conjunction and an inspiration to others.
But light corresponds to the truth itself, and the teaching that we are "the light of the world" reminds us of our obligation to share what we have learned with others so that they, too, may not only see the truth but more importantly see by the light of truth how to live. And of course we do not accomplish this by our telling people either how to think or what to do. Nor do we accomplish it by setting ourselves up as examples for others (though it may seem so from the Scripture passage); rather we let our light shine by humbly accepting what the Lord has taught us and living according to it, so that HIS light shines through us.
"A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." Most of us, even if we think we are right and others wrong, do not like to be set up as examples. We feel too exposed. We are inclined to worry that even though we know the truth we won't be able to live up to it, explain it very well, or properly answer the challenges of those who think differently. To be honest, we are afraid. We don't want to be accused of arrogance or pretentiousness, we don't want to "mess up" in full view of our critics, we don't want to have to defend our convictions, and we don't want to look bad trying - not only because we might be embarrassed but also because we don't want the truth itself to suffer through our personal failure. In short, we are very uncomfortable making a public statement or taking a public position, lest we suffer public scrutiny - and personal criticism.
Unfortunately, we really don't have a choice in the matter. What we have is called responsibility - or if you like, opportunity.
To use an analogy, suppose you happen to discover the cure for a certain very common form of cancer. You can take this knowledge and lay low, or try to blend in with everyone else, but if you have a conscience at all you will make this information widely known - not because you are great, not because you know everything, not because you deserve any great credit for the discovery, not even because you can explain every detail of what you have; after all, you were probably just one of many who worked on this together, each doing his or her part. But now you have it, you know it works, and you know that people need it.
In a similar way we might all wake up one morning to realize that the Lord has actually called us and given us a really powerful new message of hope and understanding. And the great question of the day is not whether we are better than anyone else because of it, or whether we deserve anything any more than anyone else, or even whether we can explain every detail of it; the question is simply whether we are willing to share this message - to let this light shine - or not.
"A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." And the Holy City New Jerusalem, is set on a hill, so again the question is, are we willing to live in that city, or will we just observe it and think about it from a long way off? Sure, we're exposed (and vulnerable) up on the hill. But that's just the point.
Remember, the Lord who called Himself the light of the world said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 15:16). Then, anticipating our doubts, He said, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops" (Matthew 10:27). There's nothing like trying to teach something for helping you, yourself, understand it better. So in a way, it's all about exposure; it's all about standing up for something that this old, dark world desperately needs. And here's the part many of us don't understand: it's not about wanting to be seen and admired; it's not even so much about changing things in other people's lives: it's about the work that the Lord can do in us when we take a stand, when we are willing to be seen as members of a church that takes a stand, when we associate ourselves without reservation or fear with the doctrine that is called "a lamp" shining light on the literal sense of the Word, showing everyone the path of life.
Did you know that the church is represented in the book of Revelation as a lamp stand? In fact the seven churches of Asia Minor are described as seven lamp stands, each one upholding a particular truth of the Word, each one standing for something, and, yes, each one lacking something that the Lord promises to provide if the members of that church will simply do their best. In the middle of the book of Revelation (ch. 11) we also read about two witnesses, who are described as two olive trees and two lamp stands, being given great power on earth, and these, we are taught, represent the two essentials of spiritual life, love (or charity) and faith. In the story these witnesses suffer persecution and are killed, but they are also raised up again after three and a half days. So we understand that everyone who accepts the truth will suffer persecution, but through that persecution we can be blessed and given great reward in heaven (Matt. 5:12).
"Behold," Jesus said, "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak but the spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matthew 10:16-20).
Hundreds of passages of the Word and literally hundreds of pages of the heavenly doctrines speak to the subject of light. There is so much there it's hard to know where to begin or end! And the technology of light, its power and its uses in the natural world so wonderfully illustrate the power of truth that illustrations might fill a hundred sermons. Just think: since ancient times light has been used as a medium of simple communication by means of coded signals from one hilltop to another.... Now it is used in fibre-optic telecommunication lines that span the globe. Even the physics of light illustrate the power and complexity of the truth it represents: is it made of particles or waves? It has the characteristics of both! And what about colours, from the rainbow to the paints, stains or pigments that surround us every day? Things only have colour because of the way light reacts to or reflects off their surfaces - and because of the way our eye perceives them.
So the Lord says,
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness" (vv 22-23)!
But He says, "You are the light of the world." You have a job to do. You have an opportunity to serve a vital and essential use. You have an obligation not just to bask in the light of truth, not just to absorb its rays or to ponder them within yourself; - an object that does not reflect or transmit the light that shines on it is black. No, in giving you His Word and the beautiful teachings that show what it all means the Lord has challenged you - He has challenged all of us - to make a commitment, to make a statement, to come out of hiding, to go up the mountain, to live in the city that He has placed there so that all may see - not indeed ourselves but what we do; and not because we ourselves are good but because whatever good we do may help others to recognize and glorify Him.
Why do we hold back? Why do we resist this call? Perhaps we are too self-conscious. Perhaps we are uncertain, not having read much or thought very much about our faith. Perhaps we are too concerned about what others may think. But remember, we do not have to defend the truth. It speaks for itself! All we have to do is associate ourselves with it: - learn it, live it, and do our best to let its light shine through us. The Lord Himself will take care of everything else. He will see that we do not walk in darkness. And He will see that good comes of our efforts.
Amen.
Lessons: Matthew 5:10-16
Children's talk on HOW we can be "the light of the world"
Selections from John on the Lord as "the light of the world,"
and from True Christian Religion #39-40,
or perhaps Doctrine of the Word #104 & 106
A sermon by Rev. Michael Gladish
Dawson Creek, BC, September 17th, 2006
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).
Last week we focussed on the statement, "You are the salt of the earth...." and what this means in our spiritual lives. Today we are looking at the verses that immediately follow them in Matthew, chapter 5: "You are the light of the world...."
It is significant that these two teachings occur together, and so among other things it will be useful for us to try to understand why. It will also be good to see how light - and especially "the light that is in you" - is discussed in other parts of the Lord's Word.
But we begin with a critical truth: right from the beginning of the Gospel of John it is the Lord Himself who is called "the light of the world," indeed as we heard in the readings He calls Himself that light, and He makes it clear that if we do not follow Him we walk through life "in darkness." The book, True Christian Religion, speaks to this and makes the point that light as we know it is uncreatable, and flows in from a source that is actually infinite, that is, it has no beginning and no end.
There we read, "Divine Love forms life, as fire forms light. There are two properties in fire, burning and brilliance; from its burning proceeds heat, and from its brilliance light. Similarly there are two properties in love, one to which the burning of fire corresponds, and which in a certain way intimately affects the will of a person, and the other to which the brilliance of fire corresponds, and which similarly affects his understanding..." (TCR 39). Thus the light that is IN us flows in from the Divine Source that is outside of us, according to the Lord's words in Matthew 6: -
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness" (vv 22-23)!
Of course "the body" in this passage cannot be the physical body, for how could that body be full of light? The body can be full of the benefits of light, including the mysterious vitamin K and other healing properties, but light itself? Not as we normally use the word. So we recognize - intuitively - that the eye is a metaphor corresponding to the understanding part of the mind or spirit, and the body is also a metaphor corresponding to our inner being, that is, our will or love. In summary, our will is enlightened by an understanding of the Lord's Word so that we can live well.
Thus very clearly when the Lord says, "You are the light of the world" He is teaching us about some important responsibilities we have in our spiritual lives, and about some very special privileges that come from knowing and understanding Him.
It is similar to what was said last week: "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavour..." then what? To be called "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" is not only to be affirmed and valued, it is to be instructed and inspired with a sense of duty toward others: "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
What is this all about?
Well, as we noted last week, salt corresponds to a longing or desire for the conjunction of what is true with what is good, in other words, for the application of the truth to life. Salt attracts water - even to the point that we get thirsty when we eat salty food. So when we really long for the truth of the Lord's Word and seek to apply it to the good that we do, then we are "the salt of the earth" because we become the means, literally the catalysts for that conjunction and an inspiration to others.
But light corresponds to the truth itself, and the teaching that we are "the light of the world" reminds us of our obligation to share what we have learned with others so that they, too, may not only see the truth but more importantly see by the light of truth how to live. And of course we do not accomplish this by our telling people either how to think or what to do. Nor do we accomplish it by setting ourselves up as examples for others (though it may seem so from the Scripture passage); rather we let our light shine by humbly accepting what the Lord has taught us and living according to it, so that HIS light shines through us.
"A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." Most of us, even if we think we are right and others wrong, do not like to be set up as examples. We feel too exposed. We are inclined to worry that even though we know the truth we won't be able to live up to it, explain it very well, or properly answer the challenges of those who think differently. To be honest, we are afraid. We don't want to be accused of arrogance or pretentiousness, we don't want to "mess up" in full view of our critics, we don't want to have to defend our convictions, and we don't want to look bad trying - not only because we might be embarrassed but also because we don't want the truth itself to suffer through our personal failure. In short, we are very uncomfortable making a public statement or taking a public position, lest we suffer public scrutiny - and personal criticism.
Unfortunately, we really don't have a choice in the matter. What we have is called responsibility - or if you like, opportunity.
To use an analogy, suppose you happen to discover the cure for a certain very common form of cancer. You can take this knowledge and lay low, or try to blend in with everyone else, but if you have a conscience at all you will make this information widely known - not because you are great, not because you know everything, not because you deserve any great credit for the discovery, not even because you can explain every detail of what you have; after all, you were probably just one of many who worked on this together, each doing his or her part. But now you have it, you know it works, and you know that people need it.
In a similar way we might all wake up one morning to realize that the Lord has actually called us and given us a really powerful new message of hope and understanding. And the great question of the day is not whether we are better than anyone else because of it, or whether we deserve anything any more than anyone else, or even whether we can explain every detail of it; the question is simply whether we are willing to share this message - to let this light shine - or not.
"A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." And the Holy City New Jerusalem, is set on a hill, so again the question is, are we willing to live in that city, or will we just observe it and think about it from a long way off? Sure, we're exposed (and vulnerable) up on the hill. But that's just the point.
Remember, the Lord who called Himself the light of the world said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 15:16). Then, anticipating our doubts, He said, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops" (Matthew 10:27). There's nothing like trying to teach something for helping you, yourself, understand it better. So in a way, it's all about exposure; it's all about standing up for something that this old, dark world desperately needs. And here's the part many of us don't understand: it's not about wanting to be seen and admired; it's not even so much about changing things in other people's lives: it's about the work that the Lord can do in us when we take a stand, when we are willing to be seen as members of a church that takes a stand, when we associate ourselves without reservation or fear with the doctrine that is called "a lamp" shining light on the literal sense of the Word, showing everyone the path of life.
Did you know that the church is represented in the book of Revelation as a lamp stand? In fact the seven churches of Asia Minor are described as seven lamp stands, each one upholding a particular truth of the Word, each one standing for something, and, yes, each one lacking something that the Lord promises to provide if the members of that church will simply do their best. In the middle of the book of Revelation (ch. 11) we also read about two witnesses, who are described as two olive trees and two lamp stands, being given great power on earth, and these, we are taught, represent the two essentials of spiritual life, love (or charity) and faith. In the story these witnesses suffer persecution and are killed, but they are also raised up again after three and a half days. So we understand that everyone who accepts the truth will suffer persecution, but through that persecution we can be blessed and given great reward in heaven (Matt. 5:12).
"Behold," Jesus said, "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak but the spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matthew 10:16-20).
Hundreds of passages of the Word and literally hundreds of pages of the heavenly doctrines speak to the subject of light. There is so much there it's hard to know where to begin or end! And the technology of light, its power and its uses in the natural world so wonderfully illustrate the power of truth that illustrations might fill a hundred sermons. Just think: since ancient times light has been used as a medium of simple communication by means of coded signals from one hilltop to another.... Now it is used in fibre-optic telecommunication lines that span the globe. Even the physics of light illustrate the power and complexity of the truth it represents: is it made of particles or waves? It has the characteristics of both! And what about colours, from the rainbow to the paints, stains or pigments that surround us every day? Things only have colour because of the way light reacts to or reflects off their surfaces - and because of the way our eye perceives them.
So the Lord says,
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness" (vv 22-23)!
But He says, "You are the light of the world." You have a job to do. You have an opportunity to serve a vital and essential use. You have an obligation not just to bask in the light of truth, not just to absorb its rays or to ponder them within yourself; - an object that does not reflect or transmit the light that shines on it is black. No, in giving you His Word and the beautiful teachings that show what it all means the Lord has challenged you - He has challenged all of us - to make a commitment, to make a statement, to come out of hiding, to go up the mountain, to live in the city that He has placed there so that all may see - not indeed ourselves but what we do; and not because we ourselves are good but because whatever good we do may help others to recognize and glorify Him.
Why do we hold back? Why do we resist this call? Perhaps we are too self-conscious. Perhaps we are uncertain, not having read much or thought very much about our faith. Perhaps we are too concerned about what others may think. But remember, we do not have to defend the truth. It speaks for itself! All we have to do is associate ourselves with it: - learn it, live it, and do our best to let its light shine through us. The Lord Himself will take care of everything else. He will see that we do not walk in darkness. And He will see that good comes of our efforts.
Amen.
Lessons: Matthew 5:10-16
Children's talk on HOW we can be "the light of the world"
Selections from John on the Lord as "the light of the world,"
and from True Christian Religion #39-40,
or perhaps Doctrine of the Word #104 & 106
You are the Salt of the Earth
"You are the Salt of the Earth"
a sermon by Rev. Michael Gladish
Dawson Creek, BC, September 10th, 2006
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men" (Matthew 5:13).
How often have you heard the expression, said of someone with real integrity, "he (or she) is the salt of the earth?" Well, as you see, this expression comes from the Lord's Word and is derived from the way we use salt, especially in food, to give it flavour, or, more properly speaking, to draw out the flavour of the food itself so that it tastes better.
The teaching is mentioned in three of the four Gospels, and it's significant that every time it is mentioned it's in the context of temptations, or challenges that the disciples were being warned to expect as they followed the Lord. In Matthew the statement comes right after the verses in the Sermon on the Mount about being blessed in spite of persecution. In Mark it follows strong warnings about personal temptations to commit sins that could result in damnation to hell! And in Luke it follows the Lord's command to forsake all as we follow Him, lest we start something we can't finish and end up both looking and feeling foolish.
The verses in Mark are particularly instructive in that they speak of the danger of offending, or sinning against others, and there the teaching is put this way: "...Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavour, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another" (Mark 9:50). These are beautiful, powerful words that refer obviously to the tendency to be sharp or aggressive with others when in fact we should be sharp and disciplined within ourselves, and gentle with others. And it comes from the chemistry itself of salt, which forms itself into sharp crystals which, until they are dissolved, can have the effect of aggravating the skin or tissues of the body. So much is this the case, in fact, along with other qualities of this unique substance, that salt in heavy concentrations will effectively sterilize anything on which it is spread. (This is why - even though it may cause great pain - it can be used to disinfect wounds in the body, and also why it has been used throughout history to destroy the crops and crop growing potential of an enemy's fields. Remember the Dead Sea? The reason it is dead is that the concentration of various mineral salts is so high that neither fish nor vegetation can survive in its waters.)
And yet salt is a precious commodity, useful in a wide variety of ways. In fact it has been so highly valued through the ages that in some cultures it has been used as a form of currency.
So the Lord referred to His disciples as "the salt of the earth," suggesting that they should perform at least some of the uses represented by salt among others. The question is, what are those uses, and how - if salt ruins a field - is it a good thing to be "the salt of the earth?"
Well, in simple terms, and speaking primarily now of salt as a seasoning, one of the critical characteristics of it is that it attracts water and then, as it dissolves, it holds the water at the surface, not only drying up the flesh or food on which it is spread, but more importantly in cooking, bringing the flavour of the food also to the surface where we can more quickly and easily taste it.
Rust, also, by the way, is caused not so much by the salt itself, although the salt may be corrosive; it is caused by this effect of the salt drawing water to itself and then holding it there at the surface of metal which, because it is therefore exposed far longer to the water than it would be otherwise, allows the water to penetrate the paint or other coatings more pervasively than it would otherwise. So the metal naturally rusts faster than it would apart from the presence of salt.
Then again, salt is used as a preservative in food for much the same reason: it brings the water to the surface, where it evaporates, and the food dries, making it resistant to the growth of bacteria.
In addition to all this, everyone knows that eating salty food makes you thirsty (which is why bars and restaurants that make their money on drinks typically serve salty snacks and heavily seasoned food). The salt creates a longing for water - or some other drink - and so it has the effect of promoting a conjunction or combination of these two things, food and drink.
This, then, is precisely where the correspondence, or the spiritual meaning of salt lies. It is a conjoining medium, and as such it represents the affection for truth, or the affection that is in truth for good (AC 9207, 9325:9, 10300, etc.). What this means is that within truth itself, if it is a genuine truth in the human mind, there is an inherent longing to do or to produce something good.
But where does this come from? And why is it a property that relates to salt, and not to the water itself or other drinks that normally correspond to truth?
This is not explained specifically in the Writings, but when we go back to the Gospels we are reminded of the teachings about persecution, temptation and commitment in the face of opposition, all of which provide the context for the message about salt. So we are reminded that truth does not come to any of us apart from a context of some desire, need or use, often involving some problem or challenge. When we learn something, it is usually because we have a need to know. Then, when the truth appears to us, we say, "Aha!" and immediately put that idea to work.
This context, this need we often feel within ourselves, typically arising from the evils and falsities of our own inclinations as well as those of others, is what highlights the use of salt. For in attracting water, and drawing water out of the environment, salt beautifully represents the longing or desire for the truth that we require to solve any problem.
Indeed, as it has been explained to me, all forms of salt are combinations of metallic and non-metallic ions, in which combinations electrons from one ion transfer to the other creating a positive charge in one and a negative charge in the other, the result being an electrical bond between them. In other words, the two (or more) parts of the compound are held together by an electrical force. Thus the chemical, salt, itself illustrates the conjunctive power that it has with respect to good and truth. In one ion there is something missing, in the other something "extra." One is attracted to the other, and they are bonded together by the power of use. Thinking, then, about spiritual things, this certainly seems to illustrate the power of love or desire.
And the point is, all truth, if it really is truth, looks to the practice or accomplishment of some good. It contains within itself the longing or desire to express itself in words or deeds. So, when the circumstances of our lives provide the context of need: when we are threatened, challenged, tempted to do something wrong or foolish; when we are confronted by the sharp, corrosive comments of our critics (see SD min. 4548 & 4627), if we know the truth or at least are prepared to go to the Word and learn it we will find that this truth immediately seeks application to the problem at hand. The truth looks toward what is good and is drawn to the situation as water is drawn to the surface of something that is salted.
Note, too, that there are many different kinds of salt. Detergent salts, for example, like sodium-phosphate, actually can enrich the earth, even though sodium-chloride ruins it. And everyone knows that Epsom salts can be used either internally as laxatives or externally to draw poisons with the moisture out of the skin.
Again, the point is that just as salt draws water, along with various properties that are in the water, out, so it represents an energy or force we call affection that is inherent in truth longing for application to the good of life, thus bringing good and truth together.
This is why we use salt when we make holy supper bread. Although the salt is in the bread, not the wine, it represents our need, and hopefully our desire, to bring the truths of the Word and doctrine into life where they can be conjoined with good, indeed where they can be expressions of good.
But there is more. Did you know that certain kinds of salts can have the effect of making oil and water mix? This has something to do with the water molecules combining with the salts so that they are able to blend with the oil. Marvellous! Oil and water correspond to good and truth.
And do you know why salt melts ice and also causes water to have a higher than normal boiling temperature? Again, it's because the water molecules combine with the salts and thus create a greater mass and thus the need for more heat to be pulled out of the substance before it can freeze, and more heat to be added to it before it will boil. Again: marvellous! Think how genuine truth, truth that really has a longing for the good of life within it, keeps us from freezing up or boiling over in our relationships with others.
But what about the negative or harmful applications of salt? Why did Lot's wife turn into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26)? Why does road salt or table salt prevent things from growing in the earth?
Well, just about anything can be use or abused, and so every substance on earth can have a good or evil correspondence. Salt is no different. In plain words, if it doesn't do what it's supposed to do, then it is either worthless or - sometimes - actually destructive.
In the case of Lot's wife, she turned into a pillar of salt when she disregarded the angel's warning and "looked back" at the destruction of Sodom. "Looking back," here as elsewhere in the Word represents our spiritual state when we know the truth, that is, when we know what we should be doing, but when the desire of truth for good is removed or ignored. It is in fact a state of "faith alone," faith without works or even any inclination to do good works. It is what the Writings sometimes call "historical faith," a faith that merely looks back, or perhaps down at others with a sense of God's judgment upon their evils, but does not look forward itself to doing what the Lord commands. It is a harsh, bitter, corrosive faith that can spoil the potential for charitable work that might otherwise grow up in the good ground of community life.
Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men" (Matthew 5:13). Indeed, as we read in Luke, "It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Luke 14:35).
The purpose of knowledge, insight, truth is that it should serve and be conjoined with good. To this end we are taught that truth actually contains within itself an inclination towards good, a longing or desire for good which is represented in the Word by salt. If we are indeed therefore "the salt of the earth" it is because we have the truth in the form of the Word, and now a genuine doctrine from the Word that has the power to do tremendous good in our own lives and in the lives of others if we will use it with charity, with thoughtfulness, with sensitivity and consideration (WE 6350).
If we can respond to this challenge, which after all is the daily challenge we face to remain cheerful in spite of the attacks of the hells, to resist the temptation to offend others by charging ahead too aggressively with our own ambitions or ideas, to count the cost of our discipleship in measured steps, building solidly on the foundation that the Lord has provided, not giving up, but going forward with His help and encouragement... If we can do these things, then truly the Lord's words will be fulfilled in our lives and we will be among those who are likened to that amazing, vital substance, "the salt of the earth." We will be able to respond to the needs and challenges of our world with real help, healing insight and a spiritual perspective that allows us - with our neighbours - fully to savour the deeper meaning and fulfilment of our lives from day to day.
Indeed, we will enjoy and appreciate the precious commodity of holy fear, the innocent, healthy fear of offending in any way against the Lord in His love and wisdom, the simple fear that is likened also in the Writings to salt (AC 3718), seasoning our every experience with the zeal that springs from a genuine affection for what is true from Him.
Amen.
Lessons:
Leviticus 2:7-13: salt for grain offerings!
Children’s talk on doing what is good with zeal for the truth
Matthew 5:10-16, or perhaps Mark 9:38-50 (see also Luke 14:25-34)
(ref. Genesis 19:12-26, but not as a lesson)
Arcana Caelestia 10300:1 (all about salt in offerings)
a sermon by Rev. Michael Gladish
Dawson Creek, BC, September 10th, 2006
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men" (Matthew 5:13).
How often have you heard the expression, said of someone with real integrity, "he (or she) is the salt of the earth?" Well, as you see, this expression comes from the Lord's Word and is derived from the way we use salt, especially in food, to give it flavour, or, more properly speaking, to draw out the flavour of the food itself so that it tastes better.
The teaching is mentioned in three of the four Gospels, and it's significant that every time it is mentioned it's in the context of temptations, or challenges that the disciples were being warned to expect as they followed the Lord. In Matthew the statement comes right after the verses in the Sermon on the Mount about being blessed in spite of persecution. In Mark it follows strong warnings about personal temptations to commit sins that could result in damnation to hell! And in Luke it follows the Lord's command to forsake all as we follow Him, lest we start something we can't finish and end up both looking and feeling foolish.
The verses in Mark are particularly instructive in that they speak of the danger of offending, or sinning against others, and there the teaching is put this way: "...Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavour, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another" (Mark 9:50). These are beautiful, powerful words that refer obviously to the tendency to be sharp or aggressive with others when in fact we should be sharp and disciplined within ourselves, and gentle with others. And it comes from the chemistry itself of salt, which forms itself into sharp crystals which, until they are dissolved, can have the effect of aggravating the skin or tissues of the body. So much is this the case, in fact, along with other qualities of this unique substance, that salt in heavy concentrations will effectively sterilize anything on which it is spread. (This is why - even though it may cause great pain - it can be used to disinfect wounds in the body, and also why it has been used throughout history to destroy the crops and crop growing potential of an enemy's fields. Remember the Dead Sea? The reason it is dead is that the concentration of various mineral salts is so high that neither fish nor vegetation can survive in its waters.)
And yet salt is a precious commodity, useful in a wide variety of ways. In fact it has been so highly valued through the ages that in some cultures it has been used as a form of currency.
So the Lord referred to His disciples as "the salt of the earth," suggesting that they should perform at least some of the uses represented by salt among others. The question is, what are those uses, and how - if salt ruins a field - is it a good thing to be "the salt of the earth?"
Well, in simple terms, and speaking primarily now of salt as a seasoning, one of the critical characteristics of it is that it attracts water and then, as it dissolves, it holds the water at the surface, not only drying up the flesh or food on which it is spread, but more importantly in cooking, bringing the flavour of the food also to the surface where we can more quickly and easily taste it.
Rust, also, by the way, is caused not so much by the salt itself, although the salt may be corrosive; it is caused by this effect of the salt drawing water to itself and then holding it there at the surface of metal which, because it is therefore exposed far longer to the water than it would be otherwise, allows the water to penetrate the paint or other coatings more pervasively than it would otherwise. So the metal naturally rusts faster than it would apart from the presence of salt.
Then again, salt is used as a preservative in food for much the same reason: it brings the water to the surface, where it evaporates, and the food dries, making it resistant to the growth of bacteria.
In addition to all this, everyone knows that eating salty food makes you thirsty (which is why bars and restaurants that make their money on drinks typically serve salty snacks and heavily seasoned food). The salt creates a longing for water - or some other drink - and so it has the effect of promoting a conjunction or combination of these two things, food and drink.
This, then, is precisely where the correspondence, or the spiritual meaning of salt lies. It is a conjoining medium, and as such it represents the affection for truth, or the affection that is in truth for good (AC 9207, 9325:9, 10300, etc.). What this means is that within truth itself, if it is a genuine truth in the human mind, there is an inherent longing to do or to produce something good.
But where does this come from? And why is it a property that relates to salt, and not to the water itself or other drinks that normally correspond to truth?
This is not explained specifically in the Writings, but when we go back to the Gospels we are reminded of the teachings about persecution, temptation and commitment in the face of opposition, all of which provide the context for the message about salt. So we are reminded that truth does not come to any of us apart from a context of some desire, need or use, often involving some problem or challenge. When we learn something, it is usually because we have a need to know. Then, when the truth appears to us, we say, "Aha!" and immediately put that idea to work.
This context, this need we often feel within ourselves, typically arising from the evils and falsities of our own inclinations as well as those of others, is what highlights the use of salt. For in attracting water, and drawing water out of the environment, salt beautifully represents the longing or desire for the truth that we require to solve any problem.
Indeed, as it has been explained to me, all forms of salt are combinations of metallic and non-metallic ions, in which combinations electrons from one ion transfer to the other creating a positive charge in one and a negative charge in the other, the result being an electrical bond between them. In other words, the two (or more) parts of the compound are held together by an electrical force. Thus the chemical, salt, itself illustrates the conjunctive power that it has with respect to good and truth. In one ion there is something missing, in the other something "extra." One is attracted to the other, and they are bonded together by the power of use. Thinking, then, about spiritual things, this certainly seems to illustrate the power of love or desire.
And the point is, all truth, if it really is truth, looks to the practice or accomplishment of some good. It contains within itself the longing or desire to express itself in words or deeds. So, when the circumstances of our lives provide the context of need: when we are threatened, challenged, tempted to do something wrong or foolish; when we are confronted by the sharp, corrosive comments of our critics (see SD min. 4548 & 4627), if we know the truth or at least are prepared to go to the Word and learn it we will find that this truth immediately seeks application to the problem at hand. The truth looks toward what is good and is drawn to the situation as water is drawn to the surface of something that is salted.
Note, too, that there are many different kinds of salt. Detergent salts, for example, like sodium-phosphate, actually can enrich the earth, even though sodium-chloride ruins it. And everyone knows that Epsom salts can be used either internally as laxatives or externally to draw poisons with the moisture out of the skin.
Again, the point is that just as salt draws water, along with various properties that are in the water, out, so it represents an energy or force we call affection that is inherent in truth longing for application to the good of life, thus bringing good and truth together.
This is why we use salt when we make holy supper bread. Although the salt is in the bread, not the wine, it represents our need, and hopefully our desire, to bring the truths of the Word and doctrine into life where they can be conjoined with good, indeed where they can be expressions of good.
But there is more. Did you know that certain kinds of salts can have the effect of making oil and water mix? This has something to do with the water molecules combining with the salts so that they are able to blend with the oil. Marvellous! Oil and water correspond to good and truth.
And do you know why salt melts ice and also causes water to have a higher than normal boiling temperature? Again, it's because the water molecules combine with the salts and thus create a greater mass and thus the need for more heat to be pulled out of the substance before it can freeze, and more heat to be added to it before it will boil. Again: marvellous! Think how genuine truth, truth that really has a longing for the good of life within it, keeps us from freezing up or boiling over in our relationships with others.
But what about the negative or harmful applications of salt? Why did Lot's wife turn into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26)? Why does road salt or table salt prevent things from growing in the earth?
Well, just about anything can be use or abused, and so every substance on earth can have a good or evil correspondence. Salt is no different. In plain words, if it doesn't do what it's supposed to do, then it is either worthless or - sometimes - actually destructive.
In the case of Lot's wife, she turned into a pillar of salt when she disregarded the angel's warning and "looked back" at the destruction of Sodom. "Looking back," here as elsewhere in the Word represents our spiritual state when we know the truth, that is, when we know what we should be doing, but when the desire of truth for good is removed or ignored. It is in fact a state of "faith alone," faith without works or even any inclination to do good works. It is what the Writings sometimes call "historical faith," a faith that merely looks back, or perhaps down at others with a sense of God's judgment upon their evils, but does not look forward itself to doing what the Lord commands. It is a harsh, bitter, corrosive faith that can spoil the potential for charitable work that might otherwise grow up in the good ground of community life.
Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men" (Matthew 5:13). Indeed, as we read in Luke, "It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Luke 14:35).
The purpose of knowledge, insight, truth is that it should serve and be conjoined with good. To this end we are taught that truth actually contains within itself an inclination towards good, a longing or desire for good which is represented in the Word by salt. If we are indeed therefore "the salt of the earth" it is because we have the truth in the form of the Word, and now a genuine doctrine from the Word that has the power to do tremendous good in our own lives and in the lives of others if we will use it with charity, with thoughtfulness, with sensitivity and consideration (WE 6350).
If we can respond to this challenge, which after all is the daily challenge we face to remain cheerful in spite of the attacks of the hells, to resist the temptation to offend others by charging ahead too aggressively with our own ambitions or ideas, to count the cost of our discipleship in measured steps, building solidly on the foundation that the Lord has provided, not giving up, but going forward with His help and encouragement... If we can do these things, then truly the Lord's words will be fulfilled in our lives and we will be among those who are likened to that amazing, vital substance, "the salt of the earth." We will be able to respond to the needs and challenges of our world with real help, healing insight and a spiritual perspective that allows us - with our neighbours - fully to savour the deeper meaning and fulfilment of our lives from day to day.
Indeed, we will enjoy and appreciate the precious commodity of holy fear, the innocent, healthy fear of offending in any way against the Lord in His love and wisdom, the simple fear that is likened also in the Writings to salt (AC 3718), seasoning our every experience with the zeal that springs from a genuine affection for what is true from Him.
Amen.
Lessons:
Leviticus 2:7-13: salt for grain offerings!
Children’s talk on doing what is good with zeal for the truth
Matthew 5:10-16, or perhaps Mark 9:38-50 (see also Luke 14:25-34)
(ref. Genesis 19:12-26, but not as a lesson)
Arcana Caelestia 10300:1 (all about salt in offerings)
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