Christian Art | Lent | Daily Verses
Matthew 5: 43-48 – Lent Week 1, Saturday; also Tuesday Week 12 (King James Audio Bible KJV)
43 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The Sermon on the Mount continues with Christ’s call to reconciliation and forgiveness. Jesus urgently wishes the Jews to be at peace among themselves, and he implores his listeners not to aggravate the Roman oppressors, whose utter brutality in suppressing dissent would indeed ultimately destroy Jerusalem. (We should remember that, prior to AD 70, thousands of Jews could be crucified at just one go to suppress insurrectionary threats.) Just as God’s love is for everyone, so we should see everyone as being our neighbour. This is the truth of the teaching of Levitus (19:18): ‘You shall love your neighbour.’
Matthew particularly includes this saying of Jesus because, at the time when he is writing, as in the time of Jesus, there was much competition between rival factions, including among the Jews. The destruction of the Temple, and the slaughter in Jerusalem, in AD 70 would not have helped this situation: this plunged the Jewish people into greater confusion; enemies must have been sensed on every side. Matthew’s Gospel is, then, both a call to brotherly unity and a call to love and to seek to understand all mankind. Especially when people of different faiths and cultures live proximately, and thereby, as we see in the 21st Century, when tensions can be most liable to arise, there is a need to see all people as our neighbours.
These Bible verses develop on the themes of yesterday’s reading. We must reach out with love for all. We think of Jesus tortured and crucified. Despite the agonizing pain and the humiliation, being whipped, spat at, mocked with a crown of thorns, forced to carry his cross through the streets and the jeering crowds, stripped and nailed to the cross to die, Jesus’ thought is to petition his Father to forgive those who are torturing him to death, and to find an excuse for them: ‘Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.’ Jesus loved the people who are killing him. The poison of hatred did not succeed in polluting Christ’s love for us all. ‘Love your enemies.’
It is entirely just, therefore, that we are commanded to be perfect. Strictly speaking, this is impossible: God alone is perfect. We are taught, though, to model ourselves on the perfection of God, while we realise our human flaws and the infinite distance between ourselves and God. We pray for the considerable help grace can give to us as we seek to move toward divine perfection. We should think as well of which particular forms of perfection we are called to imitate. The context suggests that Jesus is thinking of God’s love and mercy. This is a universal call to holiness, to all the brotherhood of man. Christ commands everyone, without exception, to be thus perfect.
‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.’
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
How Does Jesus Teach That God Is Love?
The events of the Garden of Gethsemane and the Crucifixion of Jesus, Jesus on the Cross, offer powerful reflections on the idea that ‘God is love’.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced the agony of knowing that he was about to undergo the worst possible suffering and death. As he prayed to God for strength and courage, he showed his complete trust in the love of God. Jesus knew that his sacrifice would be the ultimate act of love, and he was willing to endure the pain and suffering because he believed in God’s love for humanity.
At the crucifixion, Jesus’ love for humanity was once again demonstrated. As the Apostle John wrote: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16 KJV) Through his death, Jesus showed that God’s love is not limited by our human understanding. He bore the punishment for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God and experience his love and forgiveness.
The image of Jesus on the Cross has become a sign of God’s love for humanity throughout Christian history. The Cross declares that God is love, that God’s love is unconditional and sacrificial. It shows that God is willing to go to any lengths to demonstrate his love for us, even to the point of allowing his own Son to die.
The Gospel of Saint John opens with a powerful statement about the nature of God’s love: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ (John 1:1 KJV) This statement points to the idea that Jesus, who is often referred to as ‘the Word’. is a manifestation of God’s love for humanity. The Gospel goes on to describe Jesus as the light of the world, the way, the truth, and the life (John 8:12, 14:6).
Jesus’ death on the Cross is not simply an historical event, but a demonstration of God’s enduring love for all people. As the Apostle Paul wrote: ‘But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Romans 5:8 KJV) Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has provided a way for us to experience God’s love and forgiveness, and to live in hope of eternal life.
In conclusion, the Garden of Gethsemane and the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross offer powerful reflections on the thought that ‘God is love’. Jesus’ willingness to endure suffering and death shows his complete trust in God’s love, and his sacrifice on the Cross demonstrates the extent of God’s love for all people. Through his death and Resurrection, Jesus has provided a way for us to experience God’s love and forgiveness, and to live in hope of eternal life.
Psalm 76 is a hymn of praise that celebrates the mighty deeds of God and God’s sovereignty, particularly in times of victory and deliverance. It highlights the recognition of God’s presence in the land of Judah, the sacredness of His dwelling in Zion, and God’s power to subdue even the most formidable adversaries [ … ]
In the clamour of people crowding to be near to Jesus, one man comes to Jesus with a problem which is entirely his own and has nothing to do with his or anyone’s spiritual life. He asks Jesus to use his influence to solve a family dispute about material possessions, the family inheritance, by telling his brother to divide the inheritance fairly [ … ]
Christian Art | Parousia | Second Coming | Lamb Of God, You Take Away The Sins Of The World Luke 17: 26-37 (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word) Early Christian thought about the Parousia – the second coming – was largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. In the early Christian community, expectation of Christ’s return was strong, and many Christians believed that it would happen in their lifetime. This belief is evident in the New Testament, where the authors express a sense of urgency in their writings and encourage their readers to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the idea of the Parousia became more complex and nuanced. Theological debates arose around the nature of Christ’s return and the events that would precede it. Some theologians, such as Origen and Augustine, saw the Parousia as a spiritual event that was already happening in the Church. Others, such as the Montanists and the millenarians, believed in a literal, physical return of Christ and the establishment of a new, earthly Kingdom. In the Middle Ages, the Parousia was often associated with apocalypticism and the idea of a final, cataclysmic battle between good and evil – the last battle. The idea of the Antichrist, who would precede Christ’s return, became a popular theme in Christian literature, and the book of Revelation (Apocalypse – meaning to reveal, to uncover) was interpreted as a prophetic guide to the end of the world. Biblical Basis For The Parousia | The Second Coming The concept of the Parousia, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian eschatology and is supported by numerous biblical passages in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages that refer to the coming of a Messiah who will restore Israel and bring about the final judgment. For example, in Daniel 7:13-14, it is written: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ This passage describes a divine figure who comes in the clouds and is given dominion over all nations. In the New Testament, the Parousia is described in greater detail, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. Jesus speaks of his return in many passages, including Matthew 24:30-31, where Jesus says: ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Here, Jesus describes his return in power and glory, accompanied by angels who gather Jesus’ elect from all over the world. In Saint Paul’s letters, the Parousia is also described in detail. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Saint Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ This passage describes a resurrection of the dead and the gathering of believers to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. The language and imagery used to describe the Parousia are often dramatic and apocalyptic in nature. The Parousia is often described as a time of judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and God’s justice will be fully revealed. The imagery of clouds, trumpets, and angels is used to depict the power and glory of Christ’s return. Theological Interpretations Of The Parousia | Jesus’ Second Coming The concept of the Parousia has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a theological framework that emerged in the 19th Century and has since become popular among some evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. Dispensationalists believe that history is divided into distinct periods or ‘dispensations’, each of which is marked by a particular mode of divine revelation and a specific plan of salvation. According to dispensationalist theology, the Parousia will be preceded by a period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will establish a one-world government and the Jews will be restored to their homeland. The Parousia itself will involve a physical, visible return of Christ, who will establish a thousand-year reign on earth before the final judgment. Preterism Preterism is a theological interpretation of the Parousia that holds that many of the prophecies in the New Testament, particularly those in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the Parousia occurred in a spiritual sense when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. Preterists argue that the tribulation and other end-time events predicted in the New Testament were fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Postmillennialism Postmillennialism is a theological view that holds that the Parousia will occur after a period of history in which the Church will gradually bring about the kingdom of God on earth. According to this view, the Church will spread the gospel throughout the world, and social, political, and economic conditions will gradually improve. Eventually, Christ will return to a world that has been largely transformed by the Gospel. Amillennialism […]
