The Sermon on the Mount, Part XVIII and XIX of XL

The Sermon on the Mount, Part XVIII of XL
*******

TEXT: Continuing with Matthew

6: Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

COMMENTARY: This text is, or should be, quite scary! For if the attention of people is their full reward-- and Jesus says that it is-- conceited, selfdisplaying people have no reward in "heaven," or the afterlife. These are so pathetic as to have received the "mud" of human attention, and exchanged that "dirt" for the "gold" of God's rewards for humility. Humility is very rare, almost nonexistent, among religious leaders, even as it was in the time of Jesus. But its scarcity makes it the "platinum" of real spirituality. Without humility, any claim to be "spiritual" or "enlightened" is a farcical lie! For it is one of the fruits of true wisdom.


The Sermon on the Mount, Part XIX of XL
*******

TEXT:

3. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

COMMENTARY: The "Father" is always watching your life through your own eyes and mind ("in secret"). This is certainly not to increase your selfconsciousness, but in order to evaluate your actions on earth. For there is a part of your Unconscious called the "interior Judge," or "Observer" that continuously records all actions, words, and thoughts.

It is impossible to "lie" to this part of your Self, or to hide from It.
And all future destiny arises from what the Observer sees you doing in this world.

TEXT:

5. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

COMMENTARY: Jesus here recognizes that ego stands against spirituality; egocentricity is a very real and perilous spiritual disease. In this teaching, Jesus confirms intercultural mysticism, which always teaches this as a matrixteaching. This is another fairly "scary" warning! For Jesus again repeats that those who pray in public have already received their "reward" from human beings-- again, exchanging "mud" for "gold." Jesus is, in effect, banning and prohibiting public prayer. So, this command of Jesus is being regularly disobeyed, in almost every church, almost every week! Prayer is never to be a spectacle, to be observed by other human beings.

Instead, prayer should be more like making Love, which no modest person would do in public. It is not shameful, but simply very private.

It is not to be shared with the "crowd." Those who misuse sacred prayer as an "opportunity" for selfdisplay are not only wrong, but they are deeply spiritually ill.
*****

The Sermon on the Mount, Part XVI and XVII of XL

The Sermon on the Mount, Part XVI of XL
*******

TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 5:

48. You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

COMMENTARY: There is only one Way to be "perfect." That is to move out of the Way and let the Supermind, the Lovemind, live in and through us! For we cannot "gain" perfection under our own limited human power.

Instead, we must clear our minds, moving into the clarity of "interior emptiness," allowing the Spirit, first, to communicate with us, then, allowing Her to "take over" and "possess" us! This reflection of "perfection" is the longterm goal of the mystic in every spiritual tradition. So, the more that one studies the Sermon on the Mount, the more it appears as a mystical document.
*****


The Sermon on the Mount, Part XVII of XL
*******

Chapter 6.

TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:

1. "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

COMMENTARY: The person of Love rejects, refuses, and renounces fame. Jesus, the most famous man who ever lived, did not want personal publicity. But he did want to spread his Message of Love as widely as possible. Jesus here, in effect, prohibits his true followers from seeking personal fame. The follower of the Way never wants her name to be the subject of attention; she diverts all attention to Love, and to the Lord of Love.

If people took Jesus seriously, and believed in his Message, we would be forever free of selfconscious, strutting, "pea-cocking," selfdisplaying religious types. These showoffs love to be seen, and admired, by people; for, deep down, they suffer from selfloathing and a profound sense of inadequacy and incompetence. They love to see their egonames in newspapers, and for people to talk about them. Those who brag, boast, and strut have no place in the kingdom of Love, of "the Father." For arrogance is fear, and fear the opposite of Love.

TEXT:

2. "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men.

COMMENTARY: We all tend to be so uncertain of ourselves, so untrusting of the Love of God, that we almost always, at least, in our immature ("spiritual embryo" or "toddler") phase, tend to want to gravitate to continuous and haunting uncertainty. Then, in stupidity, ignorance, and arrogance, we lust after the praises and notice of human beings. This is evidence that a person is no longer on a spiritual path. For the truly spiritual direct all praises to the interior Father of Love. They are selfnegating, never the selfabsorbed. This is, in fact, the very meaning of that most rare of spiritual jewels-- humility.

Arrogant ministers, priests, and preachers prove themselves deeply and spiritually flawed when seeking the attention of the press, for example.
For this is anti-Christian.