"It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Matthew 4:7)

This is Jesus' response:

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" (Matthew 4:5-6)

Is the 'devil' literally quoting scripture to Jesus?

If we take this story literally, then yes. But since this story is not directly narrated by Jesus, where is it coming from? If we assume that one of Jesus' followers recorded the Book of Matthew, then this story was retold. Was this event originally told by Jesus?

There was no one else present. So Jesus would have had to tell this. Unless of course, it is more of a legend. It could have been originally told by Jesus in a metaphorical manner and then expanded by the writer of the Book of Matthew.

We should also note that the same event is described, nearly precisely the same, in the Book of Luke as well. In the Book of Mark there is a brief mention:

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. (Mark 1:12-13)

The Book of John makes no mention of this. 

Most Biblical scholars agree that Matthew, Mark, and Luke have a source in the same document - some describe as the Q source.

But once the full Gospel of Thomas was found and translated, many scholars have agreed that this text - which appears to have predated Matthew, Mark, and Luke - is the source of these three Gospels.

Since there is no source mentioned - where Jesus or someone else describes having observed this event - and no event portrayed in the Gospel of Thomas, we have to accept the possibility that this event may have been added later by scribes.

Why would scribes have added this text later? There are some interesting parallels between this event and the events of Moses narrated in Deuteronomy:

1) Both Moses and Jesus fasted for 40 days.
2) Both Moses and Jesus went away to the desert
3) Moses returned with the Ten Commandments
4) Jesus began his teaching mission upon his return from the desert

This has led many to assume that Jesus was the new Moses. As if Moses was the old guard and Jesus is the new guard. This opens up the potential motive related to conversion many centuries ago.

Such a premise is possible specifically due to the presence of this event - which has no source. (For example, a source would mean that Jesus described this event to someone else, or someone observed it.)

The other possibility is that Jesus did describe his ordeal to his followers later on. If this is the case, it is possible that Jesus described the devil in a metaphorical manner - not literally, in other words.

We can easily assume it is not literal, since there is no location in the Judean desert where a person could see every kingdom in the whole world.

Otherwise, we have a situation where the "devil" is quoting scripture to Jesus.

What is the devil quoting from?

The verse the "devil" is quoting comes from David's Psalm 91. Here is the Psalm in its entirety, with the verse quoted by the "devil" in bold:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.If you say, "The LORD is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling,no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent."Because he loves Me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name.He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation." (Psalm 91)

Who was David referring to?

In other words, who is the subject of this Psalm? Is it the "Son of God"?

The subject of this Psalm is clearly stated at the beginning with: "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High..."

Then the subject of this Psalm is further elaborated with: "Because he loves Me..."

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High." This means it is a conditional description of anyone who takes shelter of the Supreme Being. Anyone who surrenders and dedicates their life to the Supreme Being.

David is also considering himself in this position as he states:

"I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

This indicates that while David is explaining what happens when a person takes shelter of the Supreme Being, he is also engaging himself.

And he is engaging the reader as well:. "Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence" and so on. David is telling the reader that if we take shelter in the Supreme Being then we will be protected. The Supreme Being will give us protection.

And according to this Psalm, the Supreme Being's protection also utilizes God's angels:

For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11-12)

This is clearly stating that if we take shelter in the Supreme Being, then God's protection of us will extend to His angels, as they also will watch over one who is taking shelter of God.

So what does this have to do with Jesus being the "son of God" then?

Is 'Son of God' a mistranslation?

The word "son" here is being translated from the Greek word υἱός (huios). According to the lexicon, this word can only mean "son" "in a restricted sense, the male offspring (one born by a father and of a mother)." Outside of this "restricted sense, it indicates another type of relationship: "used to describe one who depends on another or is his follower." In other words, a devoted follower or loving servant.

Now we can match up the person David is speaking of in Psalm 91 - "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High" and "because he loves Me" with the attribute given to Jesus - υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ - which is typically versed as υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. The word θεοῦ is the Name of God - the Supreme Being. And τοῦ means "of".

This means that υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ doesn't translate to "son of God" but rather "devoted follower of God" or "loving servant of God." This is not only confirmed by the Greek alone, but with Psalm 91 referring to "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High" - which is precisely what a "devoted follower of God" or "loving servant of God" does.

And how about the word εἶ in this particular verse? εἶ is the second person singular - which translates to "you are" or "thou art" in the King's English.

In other words, the "devil" is stating the conditional just as Psalm 91 is: "If you are the loving servant of God then throw yourself down..."

Why would the "devil" be saying this? Because Psalm 91 defines clearly that if a person takes shelter in the Supreme Being then the Supreme Being will protect him. Since Jesus was a "devoted follower" or "loving servant" of the Supreme Being - then he would be protected. This is the challenge the "devil" is giving Jesus.

Who is Jesus quoting?

Jesus is responding with a statement from Moses:

"It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Jesus is quoting Moses as Moses instructed his students:

"Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah." (Deut. 6:16)

Moses is referring to a time when his followers the Israelites tested God:

And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7)

Thus we find the foundation of this exchange between the "devil" and Jesus during his 40-day fast in the desert. We find that Jesus was being encouraged to challenge and test the bond God gives those who take shelter in Him, as said by David:

If you say, "The LORD is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling,no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. (Psalm 91:9-10)

Jesus refused to test the Supreme Being as he was challenged by the "devil."

Why is this important? Because Moses, David and Jesus are all discussing the same thing: A relationship with the Supreme Being.

They are discussing the love that exists between the Supreme Being and someone who takes refuge in the Supreme Being.

What is this relationship based upon?

It is a relationship built upon trust.

The very notion of taking refuge or shelter in someone is a proposition of trust. By taking shelter, such a person is saying 'I trust in you.' 'I trust that you will take care of me.'

And by testing the Supreme Being, one abandons that very trust at the foundation of their relationship.

This illustrates precisely the relationship between Jesus and the Supreme Being - also described by υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ - "devoted follower of God," "loving servant of God," or in this case, "Representative of God."

When a person puts themselves at the feet of the Supreme Being and becomes His devoted follower and servant, this is an expression of our natural position. Each of us was created by the Supreme Being to have a loving relationship with Him - to serve Him and please Him.

Doesn't love require freedom?

Yes. The Supreme Being gives each of us the freedom to love Him or not.

And those who chose not to love the Supreme Being - those who wanted to act independently of Him - the opposite of taking refuge - were sent to the physical world and given these temporary physical bodies. Why?

You see, when a person loses their love for the Supreme Being it leaves a hole in the heart. A hole where there once was love for the Supreme Being.

This hole in the heart creates self-centeredness. In order to fill that emptiness created by losing our love for the Supreme Being, our focus turns to ourselves. We want to become the greatest. We want to become the best. We want to become the hero.

This is why everyone in the physical world is striving so hard to win. Each of us wants to win because winning represents being on top. Winning represents being the best.

But this is God's position. Yes, the citizens of the physical world are all competing for God's position, because we have lost and forgotten our loving relationship with the Supreme Being - so we are trying to fill our emptiness with self-centeredness.

But this is not our natural position. This is why even a person who wins seven or even eleven gold medals at the Olympics is still empty inside. That person might be called the greatest athlete ever, but that person is still empty inside, and is still searching to become fulfilled.

This indicates two things: First it indicates that we are not these physical bodies. These bodies are vehicles that we get in and drive for a while. This body will only live a few decades and then it will die.

Just consider if a driver of a car is hungry and pulls up to the gas station to get some gas. Will putting gas in the gas tank make the driver less hungry? No. Because the driver is not the car. The car and the driver are distinct.

In the same way, each of us is distinct from our physical bodies. Even if our bodies get the best food, the most wealth, and the most fame - we will still be unfulfilled. Because we are spiritual beings. We are not physical bodies.

And we - the spirit-persons within this temporary body - need spiritual food. What is that?

What will satisfy us?

The only thing that will satisfy us is our loving relationship with God. This is the only thing that will satisfy us because this is our natural position.

Our natural position is our loving service relationship with the Supreme Being. Our natural position is to take shelter in Him, and serve Him, and love Him, and He takes care of us. He protects us - the spirit-person. And He gives us the love that we are always looking for as we search the world for fulfillment.

This is the basis for the relationship that is being described between Jesus and the Supreme Being. Jesus confirmed this relationship elsewhere:

"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)

“Come, follow me and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matt. 4:18-20)

What is Jesus asking them to do?

Is Jesus talking about these soon-to-be followers catching men in the ocean as they would fish?

The analogy Jesus uses regarding "I will make you fishers of men" is describing his request that they pass on his teachings to others - teaching them the Truth about our relationship with the Supreme Being.

This is what Jesus was doing in his preaching mission. Passing on the teachings about God. This was the mission also of Jesus' teacher, John the Baptist, along with the prophets that came before John.

Jesus was not making his teachings up. He often quoted David, Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and others in his teachings. Even Jesus' most important teaching - to love God - was quoted from Moses.

Now Jesus wanted his students to pass on those teachings. He wanted them to also carry forth the same teachings that he was carrying forth to others.

Is Jesus the only teacher?

It is ironic that even with verses like this and many others, some sectarian institutions and their teachers profess that only Jesus can teach, and only Jesus can save us. Yes, they are teaching that Jesus is the only teacher.

Yet Jesus himself was requesting that others receive his teachings and then become teachers to others. This is what "fishers of men" means.

Yes, Jesus is requesting that Peter and Andrew also become teachers.

Not only did Peter and Andrew become teachers. They taught to many others who also became teachers, or "fishers of men."

Note here that Jesus' statement offers no organizational or institutional regimen. It was simply these men following and learning under Jesus, after which they would become teachers ("fishers of men.") There was no pomp and circumstance involved. No official bathing or dipping ceremony was required. It was quite simply Jesus taking on these students and teaching them the truth, after which they were to teach others.

This is the custom throughout the ancient times of the Old Testament, as well as among every bona fide religious teaching in human history. The path to God is through His messengers that have a personal loving relationship with God.

Jesus' statement again evidences the succession of the time-honored process of passing on spiritual teachings gained from the great teachers that preceded us. Jesus honored this tradition. This is why he took baptism from John.

This is not about receiving a divinity degree and a paid position within a church. It is not a political process. God empowers those who are able to pass on the teachings of those pure teachers such as Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and David.

This is also not about creating an artificial mental relationship with God based on emotional sentiment. God is a Person and if we want to come to know Him we must follow the path to Him that He gives us: This is why God sent Jesus and His other messengers: To guide us back to Him.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

Is mourning the same as depression?

Some might consider mourning as depression. Is this the kind of mourning Jesus is talking about?

Depression is not what Jesus is referring to. Depression can be the result of mourning, but mourning is based on losing someone we care for.

The word "mourn" here is being translated from the Greek word πενθέω (pentheō). According to Thayer's lexicon, this means "to grieve" or "to lament" for someone.

Thus when Jesus says, "those who mourn," he is referring to those who have lost someone. They had a spouse, family member, or friend, and lost them. 

This occurs when the spirit of that person leaves the physical body at the time of death.

On the other hand, "blessed" is being translated from the Greek word μακάριος (makarios), which means "happy" according to the lexicon. 

How can a person be mourning and be joyful at the same time?

What is the source of 'mourning'?

The physical body is designed for distress - physical suffering in many forms. But this physical body is not who we are. We are the spirit-person within. We are a spirit-person temporarily living within and falsely identifying with this temporary physical body.

As we put our faith in our physical body, our physical family, and our physical relationships, we are met with distress. This is because each body and each material object, one by one, becomes destroyed or we otherwise become separated from them.

Mourning is different. As we lose our family members or the relationships of this world, we are left mourning for their loss. We are left with an emptiness. This is a natural feeling because we were designed for relationships.

Mourning comes from becoming attached to another physical form of this world. When that physical form dies, we are let down. (Every physical body dies, and the soul or spirit-person leaves.)

Mourning can be 'blessed' according to Jesus because it can bring us to a point where we experience an emptiness that allows us to sincerely reach out to God.

How can we be comforted?

The solution that Jesus provides is to realize this world is not our home. This is a temporary place, full of hostility and calamity - but also a place of learning.

This world is intended to teach us that we are empty without our innate relationship with the Supreme Being. We are nothing without God because we were created to be God's loving servant and friend.

And only when we begin to realize that this world is not our home and that we can be comforted if we seek refuge in our relationship with the Supreme Being will we be relieved of the mourning within this physical world.

Should we become humbled with the realization that this world is not our home and we need to return to God, we will be comforted.

This is Jesus' message. 

Jesus was not preaching the importance of family life. He did not preach that we should take comfort in the family of this temporary physical body. While families can certainly help comfort us during times of physical and emotional distress, they are not the key to being comforted spiritually.

Being “comforted” as spoken of here comes only by way of a loving relationship with God. In reality, we do have a home, and we do have a loving family and a loving Father we can turn to and rely upon.

We will find comfort when we put ourselves at the feet of the Supreme Being. We can take refuge in the Supreme Being, and we will find our solution. This is Jesus' message. As we put our love and care upon God, we are comforted:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness..." (Matthew 5:10)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

What is the 'kingdom of heaven'?

The phrase "kingdom of heaven" is often misinterpreted as being a physical place. It is often pictured as a place up in the clouds where a bunch of old people in robes are sitting around playing harps and God - an old man with a long gray beard - is floating over them.

Actually, the "kingdom of heaven" that Jesus is referring to is not a location.

Here the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is being translated* from the Greek phrase, βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. The word "kingdom" is translated from the word βασιλεία (basileia), which means, according to Thayer's lexicon, "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule" and "not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

This means that Jesus is speaking of a particular consciousness. It is the acceptance of God as having dominion or authority over all things. That God is the center. Thus the "kingdom of heaven" that Jesus is speaking of is a state of awareness or realization about the Supreme Being being the center, rather than us being the center of the universe.

Yes, the word "heaven" - translated from the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) meaning "the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings." Indeed, this does make the phrase "kingdom of heaven" sound like a physical place.

But this is not what Jesus is referring to. The word used between βασιλεία and οὐρανῶν is not the word "of" as translated. It is the word τῶν - which is best translated to "the."

This would mean that Jesus would be saying, literally, something like "acceptance of God's authority the heaven."

This means that the acceptance of God's authority and dominion is heaven. Realizing that the Supreme Being is the center of our lives is the spiritual realm.

Thus we can conclude that the original phrase translated to "kingdom of heaven" that Jesus is referring to is the consciousness where God is the center. The kingdom of heaven is the consciousness where we see God as our life and soul.

Is this about love?

Where there is love, there is service and sacrifice. Where there is love, a person will undergo various hardships in order to facilitate the will of their beloved.

In other words, no matter where they may be located physically, a person who has put God in the center of their lives, in both love and service, is already dwelling within the spiritual realm.

Whatever sacrifices are made in the physical world are not difficult for such a person. Because they are not considering their welfare that important. They are functioning to please the Supreme Being.

However, this does not mean the loving servant of God seeks suffering. While we might qualify a devoted lover of God as one who sacrifices the comforts of the physical world, the devoted lover of God simply does not seek happiness and fulfillment in the comforts of the physical world.

Thus, if physical comforts allow the lover of God to better serve the Supreme Being, then such a lover of God will seek those comforts in an attempt to accomplish God's will. This is because the devoted lover of God finds pleasure in doing the will of God.

A devoted lover of God is not looking to be persecuted. Jesus may have accepted arrest because he knew the High Priest wanted to arrest him and silence him at some point. He simply allowed it to happen at a point that pleased the Supreme Being.

What is the goal?

Love of God is the goal.

The true lover of the Supreme Being is not out there looking to be punished so that they can claim to be devoted. They have no intent to show others how devoted they are. The lover of God simply works to please the Supreme Being. They work to glorify the Supreme Being.

If, however, the lover of God is ridiculed, punished, or banned somehow for their work in pleasing God, they accept this as a matter of course.

If a person is persecuted for pursuing the will of God and keeps on trying to please God throughout, they are already in heaven - the spiritual realm.  God created everything, so every location is located within the kingdom of God.

Such a person who sees God as the center and works to please Him has already achieved the spiritual realm.

Such a person - as Jesus states - is truly "blessed" - translated from μακάριος (makarios) meaning "happy" according to the lexicon.

In other words, Jesus is stating that a person who sees God as the center and sees everything to be used to please the Supreme Being, such a person is happy. They are fulfilled.

We might compare it to a finger. If the finger tries to eat some soup by itself by submerging itself into some soup, it will remain under-nourished. It will not get any nutrition from the soup. But if the finger helps pick up a spoon so that it can deliver some soup to the mouth and eventually to the stomach, the finger will become nourished.

It is the same with us. We become happy when we work to please the Supreme Being.

In other words, we are not the enjoyers. The Supreme Being is the Enjoyer and we were created by Him to be His servants and playmates. Thus we are nourished spiritually - we become fulfilled or happy - only when we are endeavoring to please our Best Friend and Soul Mate, the Supreme Being.

This is confirmed by Jesus when he said:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

*Here is the translation of Jesus' statement from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of devotion, for theirs is the sanctuary of the spiritual realm." (Matthew 5:10)

"‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to ...'" (Matthew 5:21-22)

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool! Will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:21-22)

What does 'Raca' mean?

“Raca” is a Hebrew word indicating contempt for someone. Jesus condemns this as something the Sanhedrin—referring to the institutional temple council—can address.

Jesus is clarifying that lashing out at someone with a statement of ridicule - such as "you fool" - reflects an issue we have deep within. This indicates a level of jealousy and hatred that rots within us. This is why Jesus said:

"But anyone who says, ‘You fool! Will be in danger of the fire of hell."

This bears witness to the rotten state of our own consciousness. "the fire of hell" is thought of as a physical place - like a cave with lots of fire and people chained to the walls.

The issue is anger - the opposite of mercy.

Why is anger a problem?

This statement by Jesus to his students refers to the law of love. If we love our fellow children of God, there is no question of being angry and not forgiving them, let alone hurting or murdering them.

That is to become angry with someone without sufficient cause. What cause would be sufficient? Their offending God or His representative, which is essentially breaking the ‘first and foremost commandment,’ to love God and His children with all our heart and soul.

Now sometimes we might become angry with a fellow child of God if they do something that hurts themselves spiritually. This is also “with cause.” 

Becoming angry in this way, out of love, is not the same as saying “you fool” to them. It is like saying, "please come home" - which is what God keeps asking us to do.

What does Jesus mean by 'the fire of hell'?

A more appropriate translation* of the Greek word γέεννα (geenna) in Jesus' statement would refer to "wickedness" rather than "hell" because wickedness relates to consciousness, rather than a physical location.

The fire of wickedness occurs within our consciousness, but burns for everyone around us. Having a consciousness of hatred and envy is in itself wickedness. And this consciousness itself causes a burning of self-centeredness.

What is that burning of self-centeredness? We are speaking of lust and anger. These two sensations are compared to burning because if we have ever watched a fire, we know that fire consumes everything around it.

Next time you watch a fire, look closely at how it consumes its fuel. The flames lap up around the fuel and slowly work in and torch the fuel. But it is not as if the flames are satisfied with what they consume. They remain unsatisfied. They always need more fuel to consume.

This is the nature of lust and anger. Lust, when unsatisfied, can lead to anger. When we want something (lust) and we do not get what we want, we can become angry.

Note that Jesus says:

"But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment."

Becoming angry "without cause" relates directly to anger and envy. Being envious means being jealous of someone else because they have what we want.

Becoming envious is our worst conscious development. It is at the root of much of the violence and harm that are done against others. Envy is one of the key reasons for our being here in the physical world, away from the Supreme Being.

Why are we away from God now?

We are here, away from God, because we became envious of Him. Yes, we wanted to have what He has. He has the power, the beauty, the authority, the fame. And we want those things. So we were sent away, tossed out of the spiritual realm - symbolized by Adam and Eve being tossed out of the "Garden."

It is the same with heaven: Yes, there is a spiritual world, but heaven is a state of consciousness.

Consider this verse in Genesis:

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)

The "garments of skin" symbolize these physical bodies we temporarily occupy. We are not these physical bodies. We are the spirit-person within them. We are the drivers of these physical bodies.

This physical world is like a rehabilitation center. Here we deal with the consequences of our envy, lust and anger. One of the reasons we are here in this world is to learn to transcend enviousness. 

As we look around us we have so many opportunities to become envious of others. Others who have become more wealthy, famous or otherwise successful in the material world can become the subject of our envy.

But we are also provided the ability to combat envy. First, the world combats our envy with consequences. When we act out of envy, we typically are met with the consequences of those actions. This can help us learn that envy does us no good.

Ultimately, envy is treated spiritually. By becoming closer to the Supreme Being and developing a relationship with Him.

Why is there so much suffering?

Often people ask if God is so good, how come there is so much suffering in the world?

The suffering of the world is not the result of God’s actions or decisions. The design of the world is set up to teach us and guide us, as well as offer us the freedom to make our own decisions.

As a result of that design, we are also met with the consequences of our actions. We“reap what we sow.” This means that the actions we take now will lead to particular results either here and now, or in the future.

We must ask ourselves logically, why a person would be born into a suffering situation like Darfur? Why are these kids suffering from birth? Did God just decide to punish these people for no reason?

Certainly not. As we will see later, Jesus also addresses this issue. These souls are being punished for the acts they committed in previous lifetimes. Today we experience the hell we caused to others in the past. It is a perfect system. It is a teaching system.

Depending upon the act and the situation, sometimes we receive our consequences in this lifetime, immediately. Prison or war are good examples of punishment for decisions made during the same lifetime. For those who are angry and hostile toward others, that anger and hostility may lead to a backlash of a fight or even escalate into a war. This is the immediate “hell” for these activities.

The world is also designed for love. Caring for others leads to a completely different result as well. When we care for others, this will result in being cared for - if not by others then by God. This too is the design of this world: A perfect world designed by God to teach each and every one of us our own set of lessons, simultaneously.

We might wonder why love is such an important part of Jesus’ teachings and such an integral part of the commandments that Moses revealed. What is it about love that is so important to God?

Is God love?

We often hear vague sayings such as “God is love.” Does this have any meaning?

Yes, God is the embodiment of Love. Love emanates from Him. God is also the most loved, the move loveable, and the most loving.

The real point is that God is a Person, and He unconditionally loves each of us personally. His whole Personality is tied to His love and care for each of us. The spiritual dimension is thus the place where this unconditional love governs all activity. Every one of His actions is founded upon love and compassion.

Therefore, actions of hatred, anger, and spite are simply out of context with His world. They run contrary to His Personality and nature. Self-centered activities of lust, envy, and anger oppose love. Where true love is, envy, hatred, and anger do not have a place. It is for this reason that actions against love have such negative consequences.

We were all created with an innate propensity for love. But each of us also has the innate ability to make choices. This is because freedom is inseparable from love. If God forced us to love Him that would hardly be considered real love.

Those of us floundering among the temporary physical dimension, dwelling within these temporary "garments of skin” made a choice at one point or another not to love and trust God. This decision point is the symbolic story of Adam and Eve.

So now we find ourselves here trying to enjoy as He might enjoy. Here we try to play god by trying to control and dominate others, and gather up as much money, possessions and attention as we possibly can. As the expression goes: "He who dies with the most toys wins." This aptly summarizes our attempts to "win" over our environment by trying to enjoy as a ruler - the expression of our desire to be in God's position.

God did not want to lose us, though. So He also designed a facility to allow us to learn to love. A facility that allows us to grow spiritually and understand that true happiness is having a loving relationship with Him. This is confirmed by Jesus' most important teaching:

“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27)

*Here is the translation of Matthew 5:21-22 from the Lost Gospels of Jesus:

"You have what it was taught in ancient times, ‘You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall face the consequences. Yet I say to you that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be subject to consequences, and whoever calls his brother ‘stupid’ shall be subject to judgment, and whoever speaks godlessness shall be subject to the fires of wickedness." (Matt. 5:21-22)

“Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar..." (Matthew 5:23-24)

“Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)

What does 'offering your gift' mean?

This part of Jesus’ sermon clearly indicates that Jesus taught his students to follow the tradition of making offerings - "offering your gift" - to the Supreme Being.

The altar is the representation of God in the temple. Making offerings at the altar of God has been practiced within the lineage of Prophets and Priests for thousands of years as evidenced in the Old Testament.

Why has this important practice been abandoned by those who claim to be followers of Jesus?

Offering to the altar, according to various texts of the Bible, was especially important when it came to food. Offering the first grains after harvest, and offering meals before eating was an important ceremony taught by the prophets including Moses, Abraham, and Solomon. Did Jesus teach anything different? No.

His teachings were founded upon the teachings of this lineage of Prophets. Jesus supported the practice of offering before the altar of God. As is noted here, the offering Jesus is speaking of is not the ceremonial offerings of farmers or townships. Jesus is speaking of a personal offering by an individual: A gift. By this, we know that Jesus taught that each of his followers should make regular personal offerings to the altar of God.

How are offerings done?

As recommended by the prophets and confirmed by Jesus, making an offering to God can and should be done not only daily, but prior to each meal. This was demonstrated by Jesus at every meal including the last supper, when Jesus was said to have "blessed" the food. 

But what is this "blessing?" Is it simply 'giving thanks'? These descriptions fall short of the offering suggested here by Jesus. Prior to any meal, the food should first be offered to God, with love and devotion, as a gift.

This act of giving an offering to God is confirmed by David in 1 Chronicles 16:29:

“Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.”

An offering does not have to be grand or extravagant. As long as it is made with sincerity. Offerings can be made quietly in private even amongst a group. Or they can be made in the same way that “giving thanks” is often made, with all attending holding hands in prayer. 

But instead of just thanking, we can pray: "Oh God, please accept this meal, by the grace of your son, Lord Jesus Christ, as our offering to you.”

We can also “give thanks” following this prayer—as we can do throughout our lives. However, the result of offering one's food prior to eating it is fundamentally different than the effect of merely thanking God for the meal. Offering gifts to God develops a different relationship with God. 

The “giving thanks” relationship with God is the relationship where we are the recipients and God is the order supplier. It is like we are thanking God for all the stuff He has delivered to us. It is like we are focused on the material things we have, rather than our relationship with Him.

Making an offering to God, on the other hand, develops a completely different relationship. Making an offering develops the relationship where we give of ourselves to God in a loving way. To give someone a gift out of freedom is to express to that person first that we want to have a relationship with them. Secondly, it expresses that we care about that person. 

To offer God any sort of gift of our temporary possessions is telling Him that we value Him more than the possessions. This is an act of love.

As Jesus teaches here, worshipping God at the altar is an important activity for developing our relationship with the Supreme Being.

Not only was this an ancient practice among the Prophets and ancient teachers of the Bible. This same practice, of offering before God’s altar, is also followed in practically every religious tradition throughout the world. Is this a coincidence?

How does offering help our spiritual growth?

The reality is that this activity is pleasing to the Supreme Being. This is because the Supreme Being wants us to be happy. And we will only be happy when we are exchanging love with the Supreme Being.

Today many sectarian teachers preach approaching the Supreme Being with prayer requests. In other words, asking Him for stuff.

This is treating the Supreme Being as some sort of waiter - as if He is just waiting around to fulfill our requests.

As though His job is to serve us.

Actually, we are His servants. Our relationship with the Supreme Being is subordinate. We were created to love and serve Him.

Making offerings to the Supreme Being fulfills our nature. It allows us to embrace our true nature as His loving servants.

Are offerings to God important?

Offering a gift is an act of love. When a person loves someone, they will bring them gifts and do things for them. This is called loving service, and it is a natural part of our constitution.

Everyone is looking for love and loving relationships within this physical world. We seek fulfillment by exchanging a loving relationship with someone.

Why? Because this is our nature. We are lovers by nature. We are loving servants by nature. And when we fulfill this part of our nature we feel joy.

But this part of our nature is not completely fulfilled when we are loving another person of this world. Yes, it does give us a glimpse of joy to love and lovingly serve another peer of this world. But this joy is not completely fulfilling.

This is because this is not our natural position. Our natural position is that we are each a loving servant and subordinate companion of the Supreme Being. As such, we can only be completely fulfilled when we are rendering loving service to the Supreme Being.

And as we are rendering loving service to the Supreme Being, we will automatically also render loving service to others. 

What does Jesus mean by 'be reconciled with your brother'?

Jesus' is instructing his students to "reconcile with your brother." What is he saying?

Jesus is indicating that reconciliation with those around us is connected with our ability to make offerings to God. Jesus said:

"First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

This indicates that to have a clear relationship with the Supreme Being we must have honest clarity with others. This means not holding grudges and forgiving others, and asking others to forgive us if we have done something to slight them. Why is this important?

Remember Jesus' other statement in this regard, part of his suggested prayer (The Lord's Prayer):

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Matt. 6:12)

Jesus is teaching that we need to forgive others if we expect to be forgiven ourselves.

This is all about relationship-building with the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is not alone. He is surrounded by innumerable associates, and those of us who have fallen away from Him due to our misuse of our independence must be willing to appreciate that others - even if they are fallen as we are - are also to be counted among His associates.

Thus we must always be willing to forgive others and reconcile with others.

But notice that Jesus wants his students to leave the offering before leaving to reconcile:

"...leave your gift there in front of the altar."

This indicates priority. Jesus was teaching that one should be focused on developing our relationship with the Supreme Being as the highest priority.

But he is also clearly stating that our relationship with the Supreme Being is not separate from our relationship with others. There is a link and that link relates to the fact that we are all God's children.

This is why Jesus said:

 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt. 33:37-40)

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary ..." (Matthew 5:25-26)

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny." (Matt. 5:25-26)

Why 'settle matters quickly'?

This is some of Jesus’ wisdom, intended to assist his students in practical life.

Jesus' statement is still applicable today, as we find so many people fight each other within the legal system. This is not only draining, but it takes our focus off the important things in life - that is, our spiritual growth. Our spiritual growth is the reason we are here. If we are not growing spiritually during our lifetime, then we are wasting our time here.

During that time, people who had disagreements pleaded their case before a temple judge, and this judge alone determined how the disagreement should be settled.

Can this apply today?

In many countries today, the court system is divided between criminal cases - where the government takes a person to court to try him for a crime - and civil litigation - where a plaintiff takes a defendant to court over a conflict, seeking a judgment against the other person.

Jesus’ statement here could well be applied to civil cases, where the plaintiff and defendant could easily reach a settlement prior to the trial to avoid wasting judges’ time and taxpayers’ money. Again, it must be noted here that many of Jesus’ teachings are meant for a particular time and circumstance. As such we are cautioned to try to over-extend their meaning beyond their practical purpose.

The biggest takeaway point here is to “settle matters quickly with your adversary” before they become bigger issues. This relieves us of the focus and attention on petty matters, allowing us to utilize more of our time to grow spiritually. The most important focus in our life should upon reviving our relationship with God.

This is why Jesus' most important teaching was:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ..." (Matthew 5:27-30)

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:27-30)

Is Jesus really teaching us to cut off body parts?

Jesus is speaking metaphorically. He is not advising his followers to cut off any body parts.

He doesn't mean we should literally cut off our hands or gouge out our eyes.

Did any of Jesus' followers do this? Were there one-eyed or one-handed followers of Jesus? No. This tells us clearly that he wasn't speaking literally.

The metaphor that Jesus is using refers to discontinuing (cutting off) behavior that harms others. To cut off the means of self-centered harm means to disregard or dismiss those aspects of our lives that create propensities. 

For example, a person who is employed by a bar will more likely become a drinker. So leaving the employ of such an establishment would leave behind the environment that would promote the drinking habit. 

Jesus is speaking of leaving behind those parts of our lives that produce the propensities for habits that encourage self-centeredness. Doing so is a sacrifice of sorts, which could be compared to cutting off a hand or gouging out an eye.

It is a metaphorical statement urging his followers to leave behind those parts of their lives that don't promote their spiritual growth.

What does he mean by 'stumble'?

In most of the other translations of Matthew, the word translated to "stumble" is translated to "sin." Even in the prior version of NIV, the Greek was translated to "sin," but has been changed to "stumble."

There are several Greek words that have been translated to "sin" in the texts of the Bible:
- "paraptoma" to fall.
- "hamartia" to miss the mark.
- "hettema" to diminish.
- "parabasis" to cross the line.
- "amonia" to not abide.
- "parakoe" to refuse to heed.
- "agnoeema" to ignore.
- "skandalizō" to stumble.

Stumbling takes on another meaning because it assumes that someone was not stumbling prior.

This assumes purity in essence. Yes, each of us was created by the Supreme Being, so there is an origin of purity. Such purity is one of love. We are each born from the love of the Supreme Being.

But stumbling in this respect contrasts this by acting in a self-centered manner that harms others. Love contrasts this because caring for others is the consciousness of love.

As such, purity is caring and loving the Supreme Being and others. To stumble is the opposite.

What does Jesus mean by 'hell'?

Jesus' statement, "whole body to go into hell" clarifies that rejecting or ignoring our relationship with God is hell. Rather than hell simply being a place we will go to be punished, hell is the consciousness of rebellion that rejects God. 

Hell is that place where our own enjoyment comes first, and God is forgotten.

This means that hell is not a location, but a consciousness. It also means that much of human society is, unfortunately, living in the consciousness of hell.

This statement presents particularly difficult criteria for someone living in modern society. Our society tends to focus on the more materialistic, self-centered aspects of life.

Why is Jesus talking about lust and adultery?

The sexual act is by nature a self-centered activity. There might be some love involved - wanting our partner to also feel good, or having sex to have a child.

But sex is actually quite difficult if each partner isn't ultimately interested in their own satisfaction. The sexual organs are stimulated through the seeking of physical satisfaction and ultimately, the orgasm.

The problem is that we are not these physical bodies. They are simply vehicles we occupy for a few years. Therefore, the sexual satisfaction of the body does not satisfy the soul - which has a spiritual composition.

We are the spirit-person occupying this physical body. At the time of death, we leave it behind.

And we - the real person within this body seeks real love. We seek the love of others and we want to love others. But this real person is covered up. It is covered up by our self-centeredness and our false identification with this physical body.

And what we are really looking for in the sex act - within - is union. We want to exchange love with someone but we are currently pre-occupied with physical gratification. This blocks our ability to truly love.

As a result, seeking union in the sex act will translate to mutual self-centeredness. Each partner wants to "get off."

We gradually find that sex brings no real satisfaction to our spiritual self. Our body might get some nerve sensations going, but the person within - our real selves - is not satisfied.

It is like a person driving a car feeling hungry and thinking that if they fill the car with gas they won't be hungry anymore. This doesn't work because the person's body is separate from the car.

In the same way, we are not our physical body, and filling the body up with sensual pleasure does not fill up the spiritual self.

Can we be satisfied without love?

Our real self within is only satisfied by giving love. And the ultimate union of the person within is loving service to the Supreme Being and His children.

This brings real happiness because there is no self-centeredness in true love of God.

And there can be no true loving service to the Supreme Being within self-centeredness. It is only emptiness.

What this means is that those of us who are trying to feed the image in the mirror instead of the real person within are in hell. Becoming saturated with self-centeredness prevents us from entering the world Jesus is inviting his followers into.

The love that exists in the spiritual realm between the living being and the Supreme Being is pure. It is unconditional. But the perverted reflection of this love in the physical world is conditional lust.

This is illustrated by sexual attraction in the physical world. While a man might be attracted to the body of a woman, and a woman might be attracted to the body of a man, these attractions come with conditions. For example, someone might see the rear of another as attractive as they walk down the street, but that attraction would stop if they saw that same rear defecating.

A man might be attracted to the private parts of a woman but that attraction would stop if they saw those same private parts during menstruation or childbirth.

As a result, men and women must work hard to maintain the mirage of attraction. Shaving, putting on antiperspirant, make-up, special clothes, and so on, all create the mirage of attractiveness. Without these, there would be little attraction for a hairy, blemished, and malodorous female body and a fat hairy blemished male body.

Furthermore, given a few years, even the most attractive body ages. An older body is no longer physically attractive, even with make-up piled on.

Can this world be hell?

Understanding that hell is a state of consciousness, hell is where we are drawn in and trapped by lust. In the consciousness of hell, we are teased by the illusion that the attractions of the physical world will bring us happiness. But they never do. They only lead to misery, as we become bound by their conditions.

The best way out of the consciousness of hell is to gradually and realistically develop a higher taste. This higher taste is accomplished by re-developing our innate loving relationship with God. We can do this with prayer and praise - by glorifying His Holy Names and by making offerings to Him. These facilities bring us closer to Him.

As our relationship with God evolves, the attractions of the physical world lessen. In fact, we can judge how well our relationship is developing simply by observing how drawn we are to the illusory attractions (reflections) of this world.

The attractions of the material world are tests. They teach us to grow stronger by illustrating how weak we are without the Supreme Being. It is not as if the temptations of the world have come from another place other than God. 

God designed the physical world and its temptations for a particular reason. He created the physical world for those of us who rebelled against Him and wanted to be independent of Him.

While we can never actually be away from God because He has created everything and is present everywhere, He has created a place where we can pretend He is not present. Here we have temporary senses and the physical body and mind that give us the illusion He is not here. These give us the opportunity to attempt to enjoy ourselves.

At the same time, He does not completely let us go. As we travel through this physical world with these temporary physical bodies ‘of clay’ - we continually find emptiness without Him.

Can we go back?

As we reach out to God and request to return to Him, it is not an automatic process. Consider the situation if we were to want to be friends again with someone we rejected years ago. Suddenly we wanted to be their friend again.

Would such a person just forget the past and accept us back into the relationship we had with them before? Likely not. They would most likely want to go slowly and make sure we won't leave them again. They would likely test us to make sure we didn't have any ulterior motives.

The bottom line is that they would want us to be serious about having a relationship with them.

This is not dissimilar to God's process. Except that He already knows our intentions, so He does not test us in order to understand our intentions. He tests us so that we can understand our intentions.

The temptations of the world are here to help us see just how serious we really are about returning to our relationship with God.

In other words, we don't have to be afraid of going to hell - we are already here. The question is how do we get out. Jesus gave us the path out of the consciousness of hell: By learning to re-establish our lost loving relationship with the Supreme Being:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must ..." (Matthew 5:31-32)

"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." (Matthew 5:31-32)

Is Jesus changing Mosaic law?

Jesus continues to comment upon the Mosaic law - that is, the law as promulgated by Moses and continued through the temple tradition.

It is important to understand that Jesus was speaking to his students who were following him, some 2,000 years ago. This means he is teaching to a particular time and circumstance.

How do we know this instruction was applicable to a certain time and culture?

We can consider the source of Jesus' point: “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce." Where does this come from? Was this just what the institutional temple teachings of those days were?

No. This comes from the time of Moses. As stated in Deuteronomy:

"When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house ... (Deuteronomy 24:1)

In other words, divorce was a custom as far back as Moses' time, some fourteen centuries before Jesus.

Why the difference?

So why did Jesus teach this, contrary to institutional temple law? Jesus is discouraging divorce because it had become commonplace to write a divorce certificate for minor reasons so the man could chase down another woman. This doesn't mean that Jesus was saying that divorce was not sometimes necessary.

Divorce is prevalent in modern times, with well over 50% of marriages today ending in divorce. The institution of marriage has become thoroughly secular, with the purpose of marriage often revolving around sexual attraction, money, or other materialistic motives.

Marriage within a spiritual context would be undertaken for the purpose of supporting each others' (and possibly children's) spiritual growth in their relationship with God. A marriage based on this premise would have no reason for divorce unless one of the partners decided that their relationship with God was not important.

The symptom of this can be adultery by one of the partners. This act represents a person's deciding that their own physical satisfaction is more important than their relationship with their partner, and God.

Can these teachings be applied today?

As we seek to apply this teaching today, we must also bring into context the time and circumstance of the teaching and our culture today - just as Jesus was doing 2,000 years ago.

We must live within the society our body lives in at the moment.

Today we live in a secular society and a majority of adults have been divorced. Are we to shun every divorced person? Are we to ignore the opportunities for people to grow spiritually despite this secular society? This would be a gross oversight of practical reason.

Marrying a divorced person with the purpose of each partner helping the other develop their relationships with God is a marriage that transcends the circumstance of a past divorce. The criteria of becoming closer to God prevails, as Jesus teaches:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men ..." (Matthew 6:1-4)

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:1-4)

Why does Jesus teach not to do righteous acts before men?

Jesus is speaking about public displays of religiosity, as well as acts of charity for the purpose of gaining the attention and admiration of others. This took place during Jesus' time among the temples. It also takes place among today's institutions.

For example, we find this occurs in assemblies where individuals will display their acts of devotion - whether it be prayer, speaking in tongues, crying out or tearfulness - for the purpose of appearing to others as spiritually advanced.

Today we also find many institutions organized in such a way that provides the means for people to rise up in the ranks and receive the attention and potentially, the admiration of others. For example, a person can start off just attending one of these institutions every Sunday, and gradually work their way up to deacon and maybe head deacon or otherwise leading the council of deacons.

Such positions can create positions of influence for which people aspire to in order to gain notoriety and attention from others.

Even without these hierarchical systems, we can go into a church and show all our neighbors and virtually everyone in our community that we are religious.

Does displaying our righteousness to others accomplish anything? According to Jesus, it has the opposite effect.

Seeking the attention and admiration of others is not a new thing. It is part of life in the physical world. Virtually everyone wants to be accepted by others, and even admired by others. Why?

Because each of us needs love. Love is our fuel. We seek love from others in order to fill the hole created by our lack of a loving relationship with God. Furthermore, according to Jesus, seeking love and attention from others further distances us from God.

What does Jesus mean by 'righteousness'?

The word "righteousness" is being translated from the Greek word δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē) which means, according to the lexicon, "in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God."

This means that the purpose of "righteousness" is to act in a way that is pleasing to the Supreme Being.

What does this have to do with showing off to others? Nothing.

The physical world is populated by those who are self-centered. It is all about me, myself and I. We can also include our family. And our dog. And our company or school or country.

But self-centeredness is the opposite of love.

Here Jesus presents his students with the tools for creating a foundation for loving service to God.

What does Jesus mean by receiving their reward in full?

Jesus is indicating that the reward they are seeking is the respect of others. So they pray in public or act religiously in front of others so others will honor them and give them respect. 

And because this is the reward they want from that activity, they indeed receive that reward by their public activity.

This is opposed to the reward that Jesus wants his students to have as a result of their dedication to the Supreme Being.

Jesus wants each of his students to re-establish their personal loving relationship with the Supreme Being.

Why should we do this in secret?

Jesus is suggesting that we express our love and devotion for the Supreme Being in secret. That we don't put it on display in order to gain the attention of others. Why?

Jesus wants us to fall in love with God. He wants each of us to have our own unique and personal relationship with God.

To love someone means to care more about them than we care about ourselves. This is true love. And pleasing the one we love is only natural.

This mood - of wanting to please God - is the opposite of trying to impress others with our religiousness. The two are mutually exclusive. They have nothing to do with each other.

We can't have it both ways. We can't try to impress others and exchange a loving relationship with the Supreme Being. It is one or the other, as Jesus states above.

Doing what is pleasing to God means having a personal relationship with Him. It means dedicating and sharing our personal lives with the Supreme Being.

It does not mean trying to use God to impress others with how great I am.

Just consider how this might play out among friendships of this world. Let's say that we have a popular friend and we decide to do something for them in front of everyone, showing everyone how tight we are with this friend. How will the friend feel about this?

He will feel used. He will feel insulted that we tried to use our friendship with him. And he will feel that the thing we did for him was not sincere. It was just an act.

Why should the Supreme Being feel any different about us showing off our religiousness among others? Surely He is big enough not to depend on our love. But God does enjoy sincere loving relationships.

“But when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites ..." (Matthew 6:5-8)

“But when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen. by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:5-8)

Does Jesus want us to have a private relationship with God?

This is one of Jesus' most important statements regarding our relationship with the Supreme Being. This is because developing a treasured relationship with the Supreme Being is a personal matter between ourselves and God only.

When we pray in front of others, making a show of our religiousness, we have already received our reward because others see us, and the respect we gain by their seeing our religiosity is already fulfilled as soon as they see us.

When we pray to God in front of others, our consciousness cannot be focused on our relationship with Him. Why? Because we must be aware of how we appear to others. How does that happen?

Are we praying in the right way? Do we fold our hands or bow or kneel? Do we close our eyes?

These elements bring our focus away from God. The main concern is: Are we praying in such a way that allows us to fit in and be accepted by the group? 

If these questions are rolling around our mind, we might as well be acting on a stage because our consciousness is focused on how we appear to others rather than on our relationship with the Supreme Being.

Jesus also discusses the ‘babbling’ of many words. This means making a show of prayer in order to impress others. 

Jesus' statement can thus also be applied to those who seek the approval of others by 'speaking in tongues.' Why does a person need to speak in tongues? Does God not understand English or whatever our native language is?

The quest for respect and admiration of others is ultimately self-centered. This is the same quest that pushes most athletes to win contests. It is the quest of businessmen who want to earn more money and be the boss. It is the quest for many politicians to seek higher and higher public office. 

The respect and admiration of others becomes a primary focus because we each need love. But in this case, love is being confused with fame and fortune.

We know this because fame and fortune do not satisfy the soul. Those with fame and fortune seek more. Their fame and fortune aren't enough for them. They need more because they are not satisfied.

Real satisfaction can be achieved through establishing a relationship with the Supreme Being. This is the purpose of prayer according to Jesus.

But what is prayer?

Is prayer for asking for stuff?

For most, praying is a request: "Gimme this, gimme that. (fix my leg or make me rich or whatever) And don’t forget to get this or that for my brother or mother. What kind of communication is this?

When we are praying, 'God do this for me,' and 'God do that for me' we are treating God as if He is our genie - as if he is our super-waiter - just waiting around to go fetch something for us.

This is not a relationship of love, or even of friendship. It is the relationship of usury. Such a relationship is conditional upon God getting me what I want when I want it.

And many will stop praying and reaching out to God when they don't get what they want from Him. When they feel He is not giving them enough, they stop. This is a conditional relationship. It is a business relationship.

Yet a true loving relationship with the Supreme Being is the only thing that will truly fulfill us. But this sort of relationship is not the same as usury. Such a relationship is symptomized by caring what God wants - and asking Him what we can do for Him rather than being focused on what He can do for us.

And for most of us in the physical world, because such a relationship with the Supreme Being is missing from our lives, we remain empty: Unfulfilled.

And when this relationship is missing, we seek to replace it with the temporary and unsatisfying attention from others. This is what Jesus is discussing as he talks about making a show of prayer.

Can we pray in public?

Jesus is advising against public prayer because it comes with the risk of one gaining the attention and admiration of others. But that doesn't mean we cannot pray in public.

Certainly, we find that some teachers may pray in public in order to lead their followers. Jesus made public prayers multiple times, for example.

The difference is whether the intent of the prayer is to win the approval of others, or a sincere attempt to connect with God. When done in public, the latter can be done with a minimalist approach - trying to avoid grandstanding.

Gaining attention and respect from others is certainly available to those who want to act religious. We can cry and pray on the street corner so that others will see just how devoted we seem. But this attention will not fulfill us.

Again, we see this in the lives of so many famous people who have the attention and admiration of millions of adoring fans. These "stars" are still not satisfied. They still are empty. They have the attention, but they are empty to the point where many have committed suicide or overdosed on drugs, alcohol or both. And those who remain will try to evade the public in order to retain some privacy. Such is the attention of others - it is not fulfilling. It brings no happiness. We might think it will. But it doesn't.

Why do we still seek it then? It is a perversion of love. We all seek love. We can thus be easily tricked into thinking that the admiration of others is the same thing as love. Yet we know that most of these "admirers" are actually envious. The admirer of a famous person often is simply jealous of their position and accomplishments.

It is only a truly loving relationship with the Supreme Being that can fulfill us. The admiration of others —though possibly providing a glimpse of the relationship we once had with God—simply does not fill our need for love and devotion.

We all want to serve and exchange love sincerely. This is part of our constitution.

Why should we pray?

Prayer is a means to help us re-establish our relationship with God. Through prayer, we can reach out to the Supreme Being. We can say His Name, whether it be God, Jehovah, Eloi or Abba, and we can begin to re-establish the loving relationship that we once had with Him.

Should we sincerely ask to come to know the Supreme Being and learn to love Him - He will begin to guide us back to Him.

Everything we have, the Supreme Being has given us. He knows our intentions and knows what we need and want before we even express it. Therefore it is futile to ask the Supreme Being for a list of things as if He were our waiter or delivery person.

God is already taking care of our needs and wants automatically through the provisions of nature - according to a combination of our consciousness and the consequences of our prior actions.

As Jesus prayed just before his arrest our prayers should be used to ask God if we can get closer to Him, to learn to love Him, and to learn to please Him with our lives. These are requests that reciprocate love. The Supreme Being is pleased to answer these requests because He enjoys love. He enjoys the exchange of loving relationships, just as we do.

“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

Is this really about 'bread'?

This part of Jesus' prayer is not about the bread eaten by our physical bodies.

One can find food on this planet with or without God's help. Food literally grows on trees here. Or in the case of bread, wheat grows from the ground and can be harvested and milled. From there it can be made into bread.

We don't need to ask God for food in order to get fed. Most of us simply need to work to get our food. Sometimes this requires hard work. Regardless of whether we ask God for food, we will still likely have to work to continue to have food available.

Furthermore, Jesus has already answered this question:

"Man shall not live on bread alone." (Matthew 4:4)

So if Jesus wasn't speaking literally about bread, what was he speaking of?

Jesus was speaking metaphorically, about becoming spiritually fed. How do we know this? Consider this teaching of Jesus:

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? Or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:28-33)

The reality is that God has designed nature to provide each species with their allotment of food, which must be worked for but also shared.

This assumes that each of us takes what we need and shares the rest, rather than hordes it - which is what is taking place in human society today. There is enough food for everyone by His design. We may not share it properly - but there is enough for everyone.

But even if someone is well-fed, this brings no spiritual satisfaction. Physical food does not provide spiritual fulfillment.

The "daily bread" Jesus is referring to metaphorically is the bread that feeds our soul. Jesus is referring to soul food. That which feeds the spirit-person within the physical body.

What food will fulfill our spirit?

As Jesus states in Matthew 6:28-33 above, having plenty of food will not fulfill our real craving. Physical food will not fill our need for spiritual fulfillment.

This is why wealth or fame does not satisfy us. Those with wealth and/or fame continue to seek more of those things and anything else. Once wealth and fame is reached, those who have achieved that do not stop. They keep on trying to get more. It is like a bottomless pit.

This tells us we do not have to pray for food or any other material thing. Indeed, Jesus’ teachings illustrate that the things of this world will not satisfy us.

This is because we are not these temporary physical bodies. Our identities are not physical. We are spirit-persons driving temporary physical bodies. Jesus emphasizes this throughout his teachings, including this statement:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-20)

Why then this seeming departure to pray to God for our “daily bread”?

The “bread” Jesus is referring to in Matt. 6:11 is our relationship with God. We need to love and serve God as our heart and soul. This is confirmed in the previous stanza of the prayer:

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done."

By serving God we become part of his intimate kingdom, and we grow in our love for Him, which feeds us spiritually. Loving God and serving God becomes our daily bread.

We need this love for God every day. We need this loving relationship with God all day long. We need this loving relationship or we become spiritually hungry. Without this loving relationship, we are seeking satisfaction from all sorts of different things, trying to fill the empty void caused by not having this intimate relationship. This is confirmed by Jesus elsewhere:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38)

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you ..." (Matt. 6:14-15)

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matt. 6:14-15)

Do people 'sin against' us?

The original Greek does not actually say "sin against you." Rather, the original Greek simply uses the word παράπτωμα (paraptōma) - which means, according to the lexicon, "to fall beside or near something" and "a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness." 

This could also be translated to "trespasses or even "offends" - but not "sins against you."

This is consistent with the King James and New King James versions. The New King James Version states:

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

This is a broader translation than simply forgiving people for their sins against us. It is certainly inclusive, however. To forgive people of any trespasses or offenses includes those against us.

In other words, Jesus is instructing his followers to forgive others of their trespasses or offenses against anyone - including God. It is not just about forgiving others for what they may have done to us.

Will God forgive us?

God unconditionally loves each of us, and perpetually forgives each of us due to that love. There is no need to earn His forgiveness - it is not as if we pay for the privilege of His forgiveness.

Rather, Jesus is indicating that it is an automatic process of reception. We won't be able to receive His forgiveness unless we are also forgiving others.

True forgiveness requires love and compassion. In order to receive love and compassion, we must be a receptacle for it. We have the consciousness to be able to receive it.

For example, let's say that we see a stray animal that is hurt and we want to help the animal. Will we be able to help the animal if it hides and won't let us catch it? Certainly not. We can only help the animal if it trusts us enough to get close enough to help it.

In the same way, by forgiving others for their offenses - against ourselves or otherwise - we can become a receptacle for the forgiveness of the Supreme Being. We come into the realm of love - enabling us to receive his forgiveness.

How can we embrace forgiveness?

Jesus is suggesting that we embrace forgiveness - applying it liberally to others - in order for the Supreme Being's forgiveness will embrace us.

This quality of reciprocation also works with love. Consider this statement of Jesus:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matt. 22:37-39)

The reason 'Love your neighbor as yourself' is "like it" with respect to " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" is that without loving God we won't have the ability to truly love others.

These are linked. We won't be able to love the Supreme Being without also loving His children. And we won't be able to truly love His children without loving Him.

It would be like having a loving relationship with a woman and yet hating the woman's infant baby. Or loving the baby and hating the woman. How could we hate the baby and love the woman? It is not possible, because the baby is connected to the woman. They are intimately connected.

In the same way, we are each intimately connected with the Supreme Being. It is not as if there is us and then there is God - like we are two opposing forces. The Supreme Being is our Creator and everlasting well-wisher. We are His eternally (whether we appreciate this or not). 

Thus to pretend to love God without loving His children would be a contradiction in itself.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ...." (Matthew 6:19-21)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

Why will the 'moth and rust destroy' our 'treasures on earth'?

Such "treasures" stored up on "earth" - are temporary, according to Jesus. They are: "where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

Because they are made of matter, what we treasure on earth will eventually be taken from us. They will eventually all decompose.

In other words, everything here in the physical world is temporary. All the money, the house, the job, the fame and all the other stuff we can accumulate here in this world is all temporary. These are all made of matter that will dissolve into molecules. Just as our bodies will after we leave them, all these things will decompose.

Ultimately we will have to leave everything behind at the time of death.

As for the dream of building that happy home with the white picket fence, the kids, and the dog, these will all dissolve as well. The kids will grow up, the dog will die, the house will get old and need rebuilding and the white picket fence will sag and collapse. 

Then one day our body will die and everything will dissolve.

Poof! It will all be gone in an instant.

Why can't we store our 'treasures on earth'?

In this statement, Jesus is explaining that our true identity is spiritual rather than material.

Here we each occupy temporary physical bodies for a specific period of time. But we each are a unique and unseen (by the gross physical eyes) spirit-person. This is the person that drives the energy and the activities of the body. This is the person who exhibits emotions through the body. This is the person who is born into a body and leaves the body at death. This person is eternal, while our physical bodies are temporary.

Our home is in the spiritual realm, where our spiritual person naturally exists in our normal state. This was our state of existence before we descended into the physical world and took on a physical body.

This assumption that we are spirit not matter is clarified by Jesus as he said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth..."

Without having an identity beyond this earth - a spiritual identity - these statements would make no sense.

The question Jesus brings to bear is what is that treasure we can store up in heaven? What could we possibly do now to store some sort of treasure in the spiritual world?

What are the 'treasures in heaven'?

The ultimate “treasure” Jesus is referring to is our relationship with God. This never dies. Once we rebuild our lost relationship with the Supreme Being we will never lose it.

By redeveloping our loving relationship with God, we are building for ourselves a permanent treasure in the spiritual world, because this is where that relationship ultimately resides, and where He is to be found.

Our relationship with God can be redeveloped while we are in the physical world. This is because God’s kingdom includes the physical world.

The limiting factor is the physical body. Because of these physical bodies, we cannot see Him when we are focused upon the things of this world. Only when we begin to focus our lives and our efforts toward pleasing Him can our relationship begin to redevelop.

This relates specifically to Jesus' statement: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Our focus relates to where our heart is. If we are focused on the temporary things of the physical world, our heart will stay in the physical world. If we are focused on the Supreme Being and His world, our heart will be with the Supreme Being in the spiritual world.

It is our choice. We choose where and who we focus our lives upon. And that focus will be our treasure.