The Key

[SpiritMorpher]

THE KEY: CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR—TO FOLLOW/LIVE FOR CHRIST (SEQUEL TO WHAT IS THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN FAITH?)​

LUKE 6:27-30 (CJB), Nevertheless, to you who are listening, what I say is this: “Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “If someone hits you on one cheek, offer the other too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. “If someone asks you for something, give it to him; if someone takes what belongs to you, don’t demand it back.

This scripture is so simple, yet it’s so far from mans heart. How many times have I read this and overlooked it as any other loving-kindness teaching, and failed to realize the importance behind it? Did Jesus ever teach anything that was not detrimental to our salvation? Everything Messiah taught is something so valuable it can cost us our eternal life! What was I really doing then, if I was reading this, but not grasping it? Notice the first line, “to you who are listening”. Ah, okay, so I wasn’t really listening to what He is saying. This is how important this teaching is, that Jesus tells us to listen in the very beginning! Now that I’ve listened what do I do? Well, He tells me what to do; so, I must take action and follow this. There is a Hebrew word for, to hear and obey, and it is called Shema(Sh’mah). This teaching uses the Shema principle by first telling us to listen and then giving us things to do. The saying goes, “To hear God is to obey God and to obey God is to hear God”.

Matthew 5:43-48 (CJB), “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Love your neighbor — and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

What is an enemy? I like to categorize enemies to be anywhere from the range of do not like to absolutely despise. The worst case scenario you want your enemy to be utterly destroyed. An enemy could be someone who has done you wrong, or someone you want to enact revenge on. There is a broad definition on what an enemy is. It is hard to love someone you do not like. We need to remember that they’re also a human being who has sined as we have, and they are not the enemy. The Scripture says that we war not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual beings in high places. Our enemies are no different than us. They can be accepted into the Kingdom of God as we can. The real enemy is the one waging war in an invisible realm that we cannot see. Christ points out that even tax collectors love those who love them. Why the tax collectors? In today’s times we see tax collectors as just someone doing their job. During that day, tax collectors that were Jewish, and working for the Romans, were seen as traitors among their people. Essentially, Christ was stating that all people are the same, and the tax collector is not lower than the Pharisee or Torah scholar. This would have highly angered the governing sanhedrin of the time! Thought, “What?! How am I the same as a tax collector!?” They could either humble themselves or remain in pride.

Matthew 25:31-46 (TLV), “Now when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in? Or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “And answering, the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Go away from Me, you cursed ones, into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in; naked and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they too will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not care for You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ These shall go off to everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”

Therefore, we need to live our lives in love. We need to learn to love God and neighbor, then we may live in our purpose as a representation of Christ on earth.