ALIVE: Chapter 133, Before Heaven, the Ladder

Jesus knew that He had this special crowd mesmerized. To the person, even the child, everyone clung to the power of His words. Never before had they heard such teaching, not in the synagogue, not from the elders. In innocence this crowd of five thousand who gathered from around their world had no idea that they were carefully chosen by God to be there, to sit at the Master’s feet. With His words Jesus was dropping crumbs to lead them to the Kingdom of God, where there will be no death, nor suffering nor sorrow, but life everlasting. 

Jesus knew that He was raising the bar high, higher than the prophets, even Moses, but He knew too that the people of God for over a thousand years had had enough time to master the laws and rather than relax them, it was time to elevate them taking God’s people to the next level. After all, the reward was worth so much more than its cost. The universe, and the earth and every kind of life on it had been made with precision, like a ten thousand dollar watch, why should humankind be so sloppy with their own souls? 

Jesus spoke loud and clear. His eyes scanned the crowd selecting and grabbing corresponding eyes,  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” A thousand men winced. A thousand women blushed.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.”

He paused to allow the meaning of those shocking words to penetrate into minds deeply enough to remain for a lifetime. Seth imagined himself tearing out his eye, and then cutting off the hand that did it. He shuddered. He remembered hearing John the baptizer two years back talk about repentance. What Jesus just said took the concept of repentance beyond regret, or sorrow. What He said was to feel such revulsion over sin so as to destroy one’s own body! Seth was stunned. Could God require such awareness of the evil of sin? Is sin so very bad?

Just the week before Seth had read in the Torah about Gideon’s son from the prostitute … what was his name? Oh yes, Jephthah who was a mighty warrior, exiled by his superior half brothers. One day the elders of Gilead fetched Jephthah to fight the Ammonites who had made war upon them. They promised that if he would fight and prevail, Jephthah would rule over all the inhabitants of Gilead. Of course Jephthah was convinced by the prospect of climbing out of his dungeon in life to sit on a throne above his mean brothers, but during the bloody battle when victory was illusive, desperate, Jephthah promised the Lord that if he returned to his home victorious, he would offer up to the Lord as a burnt offering the first person to come out of the door of his house to meet him. The Lord accepted the deal. He was indeed victorious, but the first person was Jephthah’s precious daughter and only child. Jephthah carried out his promise as torturous as it was for him. His sweet daughter accepted her fate and willingly gave her own life as a sacrifice to God. 

So here too, the words of Jesus found parallel with the God of the Torah Who is at the same time highly demanding and most loving. ‘What can be worse?’ thought Seth, ‘to lose an eye, or a hand, or to give God your most precious possession, your child to death, or to exile yourself from the Lord, as Jephthah’s brothers had exiled him? It is not enough to say, or even to think that pleasing, obeying, and serving God is a priority, sometimes such honor must be demonstrated. Hell. The thought of hell, it’s pain, it’s sorrow and regret, it’s loneliness, it’s torture, to avoid these conditions must surely be purchased at a great cost. ‘I’ve got to stop thinking! Now, listen!’ Seth admonished himself.

As if Seth was in a time warp, he hadn’t missed anything while thinking. He shifted his attention back to the Master to hear Him say, “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Seth fell back into the depths of his own soul, listening to the Master he heard again that God’s standard of measure, the God who made the sun and great mountains, earthquakes and gale storms, that God’s standards are high, and if he was to commit himself to the Lord, he too needed to raise his standards. He remembered that he was often angry with his wife, and because he grew weary criticizing her so often that he had thought of being done with her and divorcing her. He must have made a bad decision by marrying her in the first place.

Seth knew how serious the sin of adultery was to God. It was one of the Ten Commandments. He felt overwhelmed by these revelations, so personal, as if the Master was piercing his heart, so he popped out of his thoughts once again by the bellowing voice of Jesus.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” A thousand heads nodded. Hundreds of heads were bowed, eyes closed to listen best. Other faces shown brightly mesmerized by the moment. 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

Seth’s ears perked up again. What this Man was saying was so new and yet so ancient. He was hitting the core of the commandments, giving them more reason, more power. The power to transform, the power to heal. He prayed that he would be able to remember all that he was being told. He desperately wanted to change, not only to stop getting the headaches though. He wanted to become a man who didn’t need the headaches to wake him up to his own faults. 

As Jesus spoke the sun was rising slowly in the heavens, warming the air and the arms and legs of each man, woman and child. It was remarkable how attentive everyone was. They were mesmerized by wisdom. 

No one, not one man, woman or child was fidgety. All ears and all eyes focused on the Teacher.  It was as if they were being given great treasure, a life transformed from being a pauper to becoming a prince, which to their amazement they were learning was possible. Jesus was simply lifting the veil placed there by the enemy of man, ignorance.  With such tremendous capacity, like the spectrum of light, why do so many people use such a sliver of their minds and hearts? 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

Elizabeth was a strong young woman who came to accompany her father who begged her to go with him to meet this prophet. They had travelled over mountains and across plains from Judea passing through Jerusalem to Capernaum. It had been such a long and tiring journey. Her father had been a teacher and a preacher, but he always sensed that there was so much more to know than what he was teaching. He didn’t know where to find such knowledge until a pilgrim arrived in his village and told him about Jesus and where He may be found, in Galilee. He received the information as a gift from God and begged his daughter to accompany him on the journey. They spent weeks in preparation. Here he was, finally. What he was learning even exceeded his expectations. Elizabeth, being bored with her life, was easy to persuade. 

Lest His students, especially the best most attentive and sincere students among the crowd would go back to their towns and villages glowing like a lightbulb for all to see and admire, Jesus cooled them off by adding, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 

“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Inside the frame of a man or a woman is a world so magnificent, so beautiful that the sun itself shrinks at its glory. Yet, unlike the sun, it shines not to be seen by nature, but only by angels with wings and the Spirit of Truth.