ALIVE: Chapter 132, The Classroom of God

On the grassy hill to be known as The Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus continued to energize the crowd of 5,000 pilgrims with rich nourishing food for their souls. 

As the sun was rising in the cloudless sky, heating the air and landing on faces and arms, He proclaimed, “You are the light of the world.”

‘Me?’ thought Zelda to herself. How can that be? I am just a poor soul, and a woman at that. Cooking and cleaning for my brothers is my lot in life as no one took me for his wife. I’m so glad to have been freed to take this journey, but light? I love the Lord. He comforts me, and I try to obey all the laws, because I know when I do He will keep me safe. Safe from those evil young men who abuse women, even strangers; they don’t care. They think love is nothing more than eating too much and drinking, feeding the body, nothing more.’ 

Zelda popped out of her rumination to hear Jesus say, “A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” 

Zelda was dumbfounded. Never before had she been given a compliment without having to draw it out by asking, ‘Did you like the stew? I spent most of the day washing and folding your dirty clothes, did you notice?’ It was as if she had been trained to devalue herself. She was comely in looks, her graying hair was dry and frizzy. Her teeth were crooked and yellow, as crooked as her arthritic fingers, and yet this young Master, this Miracle Worker was telling her that she was the salt of the earth, and the light of the world! 

Zelda wondered, ‘Could it be that this Man sees the world very very differently, He must see with more than His eyes. Whatever He sees that I can’t, has a kind of power that He uses to heal and to make miracles happen. Oh, I must stop, I don’t want to miss anything He is saying.’

Jesus was building the people up. They were no longer to consider themselves desperate, sick and poor, but rather blessed luminaries who had a job to do. They needed to stop thinking only of their own struggle for comfort, for food, clothes, even for relief from pain. He wanted them to use whatever talents, whatever gifts, whatever strength they had to better the world. Ordinary people would have stayed in their villages and cities waking, working, eating and sleeping in a continuous cycle, a never ending quest for more comfort from sleep, food, friends, and family. But not these thousands of people who packed up and shlepped across valleys and plains to find Him. Jesus knew that all of these people were ambitious. They were looking for more than comfort, even more than physical healing. Jesus loved these people!

Hearing that he was a light of the world, an old but strong man, Isaac, thought to himself, ‘How does He know me?’

A bright youth listened, and thought, ‘This is probably only because He says we are salt, that we are also light. To be useful, even me, I should do whatever I can to improve the world. My parents brought me all this way to see and hear this miracle worker, only to learn that He doesn’t want a dumb audience, He wants an army of disciples to change the world. It is time for our so-called leaders to stop being tyrants because each person, not just them is made in the image of a brilliant powerful God. This Man is telling me, and us, to use my life, my hours and days to do whatever I can to make the world beautiful. Wow. Who ever said that before? Not even my mother. I can. I will. From this day till I die, I promise to do whatever I can to…be salty light.’ And then the young man chuckled at himself. 

Person after person sat up straighter, listened with greater attentiveness, squirreled away these bold statements in their minds to think about later. They were all in the earliest stages of becoming more than they ever expected themselves to be in this world. 

To reel the people back in, to keep them within the Father’s fold, within the history of their nation as children of Abraham, Jesus pivoted the focus by adding, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

An old man named Elijah, a shoemaker, who had travelled all the way from Tyre; thought about the scribes and Pharisees he had known and thought, that while they were very dignified men, well educated and well respected, he wondered how difficult it would be to exceed their righteousness. 

As if reading Elijah’s mind, Jesus answered his question by going on to explain: 

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment.

Just then a strong wind blew through the crowd. A gaggle of birds was seen gliding in it. Leaves were rustling. The sun was an hour past it’s height. Heads turned to their neighbors to see if he or she noticed the the strong wind, like another being, an angel, come to insert itself in the moment.  Or was nature itself also energized by the Master’s words?

Having uplifted His audience that morning, and then reminding them of God’s laws Jesus decided that these precious people, His new disciples, who came from far and wide needed Him to properly interpret some laws for them. After all if they were to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, He would have to explain what God meant by the laws that they had always known, the laws that they were compelled to obey. They had come, as sent from the Father to listen and to learn. Each of the five thousand was chosen by God who knows all hearts to come and receive food, blessings, healings and wisdom. These people, these five thousand who received the fish and bread from heaven would return to Tyre and Sidon, Decapolis and all the many places they came from to spread the word that the heavenly kingdom of God was within reach. Jesus didn’t just come from the throne room of The Creator of the universe to earth, He brought the Kingdom with Him. There was much work to be done, and a very short time to do it in. 

Jesus said in a loud clear voice, “If you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” He paused knowing very well that casting insults was common. It was a bold statement that every single person in the crowd could identify with and cringe and vow to repent. It was a key assignment that opened the door to humility, which opened the inner door to hearing God. 

Isabel thought, “Did the Master just damn me?”  How shocking. 

“So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.’ Jesus paused again.

The people were mesmerized. They were not even offended having experienced so much transformation already. First they heard that they were the light of the world, and now that by insulting, they risked eternal damnation. But how else could they understand the fall of man? How else could Jesus point to the restoration of man through properly following the Law.

“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.” Knowing well about the injustice of authorities, even justices, He continued. 

“Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

When a young man named Seth from Decapolis heard these words, tears welled up in his heart. He had been an angry man since he could remember. Always criticizing his wife, his brother, his children. Sometimes they would try to defend themselves which made him even angrier and more hostile. He refused criticism. 

Other times, they quietly walked way, abandoning him to his own self-righteousness.  Until one day he fell ill with a terrible headache. It would come and go but when it came, he wanted to vomit it pained him so much. This was the reason Seth left his family and his work and walked so far to see the healer. He was desperate. At that moment, it occurred to him that the pain, being the reason he was there, was a sign, an arrow pointing him to himself as the only one who could heal the cause of his torment. Seth listened for more prescription for his healing from within. Could it be possible that his head would stop torturing him if his heart became more tolerant? While thinking for so long, Seth missed hearing the following two counsels. He was torn. Seth wanted to ask a neighbor what the Master had just said, but He didn’t want to miss the next statement.