Jesus's Greatest Hits Part 1

Let's keep in mind that Jesus was Jewish and as such there are idioms and figures of speech that he relied on to make his points that many of us Gentiles are unfamiliar with.  Hillul Hashem, “Profaning the name,” is an egregious sin, for example: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7 NASB) Most think of this as a prohibition against swearing, however this is a simplistic view and not at all correct according to the original Jewish interpretations.  And why is this the only one of the ten that comes with a punishment for breaking it? The text literally says that, “You shall not lift up the name (reputation) of the Lord for and empty thing.” Rabbis have interpreted this to mean that you should not do something evil publicly and associate God with it.  It is a sin against God who then has his reputation defamed.  

Consider the sins of the inquisition in this light, or the Crusades, and the sins of dropping the Nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bombs that were “blessed” by Christians.  These were sins against the very God they “fought” for.  These sins have defamed Christendom throughout the ages and are a chief complaint amongst Atheists as to why they would never believe in a God who would approve of such actions or followers.  They have set the people against God by sinning so unapologetically against him and their fellow man.  Jesus said to love our enemies, not that we may smite and kill them.  We are allowed to protect our families and our property but we are not allowed to follow our enemies across their borders.  Love is the answer to conflict of every kind according to Jesus not more wars and death.Let's look at the sermon on the mount."And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:² And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,³ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.⁴ Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.⁵ Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.⁶ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.⁷ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.¹⁰ Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.¹¹ Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.¹² Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:1-14)
The meek shall inherit the Earth runs completely counter to the way of the world, especially modern America.  Americans do not admire the meek, they instead admire the arrogant, prideful, brazen and boastful.  In America those who have bragging rights are idolized, we model ourselves after them.  Celebrities, politicians(who were recently sued over racketeering) all garner more attention and admiration than those who are meek, than those who are peacemakers, or those who are merciful.
America is the New Roman Empire; with the "values" to match.  But not everyone fits into the pattern I drew.  Many of us are trying to live our lives more as Jesus lived His.  Many want to create a world that looks more like The Kingdom of God Jesus describes in scripture.
Jesus describes a Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven where the meek are held in high esteem, where those who are merciful will receive mercy, where those who forgive shall receive forgiveness from God.  A Kingdom where the poor are considered great.  But the rich?
 ^"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

¹⁸ And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
¹⁹ Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
²⁰ And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
²¹ Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
²² And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
²³ And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
²⁴ And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:17-25)
Jesus says that those who trust in riches do not enter the Kingdom of God.  Why?  Is it because they cling to their worldly riches rather than seek after the love of God?  This rich man keeps all the commandments but misses the entire point by hording wealth and ignoring the poor as the rich man in the Lazarus and the rich man parable.  You can't take it with you but Jesus says "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:21)
The riches of the world, the pleasures of the world are tangible; yet the treasure of The Lord is ethereal, intangible and solely to be experienced.  People can praise and almost count your monetary worth but only you can count your blessings.  You can turn your outward righteousness as a status symbol but only God knows how you truly measure up.
 "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:26)

God will take care of us, we must place our faith in Him and not the comforts of the world.  If you've lived a life similar to mine you find yourself working jobs you hate so you can buy stuff you don't need.  You judge and are judged by how much money you have in the bank, the clothes you wear and the car you drive.  But none of those things determine your worth.  How you treat people does.  Judgements don't define others; they define you.

So when you are thinking of ways you can deal with your enemies do not adopt the tactics of the U.S. in terms of foreign policy.  Meaning paying off your enemies to placate them.  Do not seek revenge or simply ignore them.  Abraham Lincoln said "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends."  Ignoring a problem only makes it worse.

Jesus said "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
 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;
 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.
 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:38:48)
An eye for an eye is mosaic law that was intended to limit recourse not sanction revenge.  And most people still think you should love those that love you and hate those that hate you and ignore the rest.  But Jesus is saying love those that hate you, pray for them, do good things for them and respond t contempt with agape or unconditional love of which Jesus has for us and that He asks us to have for all, not just those we think deserve it.
When He asks "do not even publicans do the same?"  He's talking about tax collectors.  They would take from those who had slim to none in regard to wealth to tax.  They were hated by the Jews of Jesus's time.  Yet Jesus made one His disciple: Matthew.  Would you suffer them shame of befriending a current congressman, felon or other such hated criminals in modern society?
Jesus says "Do not resist evil."  The Greek for translated as resist here almost always has a violent connotation. Anthistemi is the Greek word translated as resist.
Jesus compares hate to murder and lust to adultery.  People often consider lust to be akin to adultery but rare is the one who considers hate akin to murder.
We are commanded to love our enemies in response to their hatred.  We are to turn the other cheek when struck, literally or figuratively.  The more hate we are faced with the more love we are expected to show.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Martin Luther King, Jr.