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“Enter ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and very few there be that find it.”
Matthew 7:13 (King James Bible)
My wife has a big red King James Bible. It replaced the one her devout mother gave her long ago–that had fallen apart from much use.
Yesterday morning she told me that she’d read from the book of Matthew, chapters 6 and 7, and that it had “everything we need to know” in it. “Matthew”–for those of you who may not be aware–is one of the four “Gospels” (the chronicle of Jesus ministry on earth).
Jesus’ words (typed in red in old Bibles) make up the vast majority of Matthew 6 and 7.
So my son and I re-read these chapters, and we all discussed what we were reading. My son had a couple of interesting comments related to some of the content (which I’ll get to). For me, it hit me how radical Jesus’ teachings must have been at the time, and how radical they still are today–even for Christians!
The central tenant of Christianity is forgiveness, as it is the key to being forgiven and finding a new life.
Chapter 6, verses 14 and 15 say, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
So simple. And yet, so hard for many of us.
I can almost close the lesson here. But there’s much more.
Prayer and Fasting
Jesus talks about fasting next, which reminds me that later in the book of Matthew (chapter 17, verse 9), his apostles ask him why they were not able to cast the devil out of a man. Jesus replied that it was because of their unbelief. But that this kind (of demon) only goes out by prayer and fasting.
That has always stuck with me.
I must admit that I’ve never been much of a “faster,” but as I get older, and physical health issues creep in more (which affects the quality of my prayer life, and my mental and physical state as well), I am seeing more and more the importance of sound diet and exercise, and likely the need to bring some form of fasting into my life.
God, Money, and Worry
Jesus begins to talk about the concept of our attachment to things, including money, in Matthew 6:19. Here, he discusses how we like to store up valuables.
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.“
Matthew 6: 19-21
This one had an immediate effect on my wife. It hit all of us, actually. It’s so foreign to the way almost all of us act, even most who call ourselves “Christians.”
I began to think about how the world presents us with two false choices in many cases–in this case, godless capitalism, which has brought us greed and soulless corporations… And communism, which represents jealousy against those who have been diligent.
My son had an interesting insight regarding this: He said that both communism and capitalism lead to slavery: In communism, the leaders want to make us their slave; and in capitalism, people (often) become slaves of money.
I recalled that my former minister got on a kick about how “God’s people” should be rich.” That when we put God first, all things will be added. That includes money (and presumably, a lot of it, or so goes that thinking).
However, my son pointed out that the text in the King James Bible does not say that, that instead, Jesus spoke about us needing food and clothing (i.e.: essentials). And he said that, “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all THESE things.”
Jesus said we have need for the essentials of life, not for riches!
The apostle Paul also spoke of God providing for our needs.
Remember, Jesus himself warned how difficult it is for the rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
In the New Testament church, those who had–willingly shared with those who had not. Contrast that to the way most Christians live today.
This all ties into worry too. If your heart is in the right place, then you will not fret over material things, or the cares of this world.
“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, not gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature?”
Matthew 6:26-27
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Matthew 6:34
Judgment
“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:5
Jesus’s words have a way of making us stop and take inventory! They give us pause for self-reflection in our desire to “seek justice.” Everybody “–in our “fallen” condition–seeks “justice” to remedy the injustice done to us. I believe it takes God’s wisdom and guidance to separate true justice from revenge.
Ask, Knock…
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened.”
Matthew 7:7
To ask is so simple, yet how often do we not ask, or ask just for superficial things?
The last part of this statement is interesting. Opening a door is implied here. And what is a door but an opportunity, or some truth that was previously blocked to us?
False Prophets
Reading the Bible, I’ve been struck lately by how often Jesus and his apostles implored us to beware of false prophets, “which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.” Jesus goes on to say…
“Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then I will profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'”
Matthew 7:22-23
I’ve written enough about false prophets, and don’t need to add anything here. Suffice it to say that where there is ego, there is a break from God. Beware.
Build your house on ROCK!
Jesus ends his talk here, with an admonition to hear and DO!
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.“
Matthew 7:24-27
The people who heard Jesus were amazed, because he spoke “as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
Yet how many of those that heard Jesus actually put his words into practice? Likely just a few, as he predicted. That has not changed to this day.
Even among “Christians.”
That used to discourage me, as I believed that I could not make it into the “few” category. Now I know that nobody can make it into that category unless God blesses us to be there. All I know how to do is ask: ask Him to take away my judgment and anger, so that I can be one with Him in love.
My son made a good point this morning regarding this: We have to want to overcome our faults to be helped.
I have asked, and if at times it seems like a really slow process, I can see that He is helping me find his “place of rest.” I am thankful for what He has given to me and to my family, and I hope that we are found worthy to be part of His family, and His kingdom.
I wish that for all of you who seek the same.
Patrick Rooney is the Founder of OldSchoolUs.com. He communicates clearly and fearlessly during perilous times about natural health, success, and freedom. To reach Patrick, email him at [email protected].
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“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For THERE IS NO POWER BUT OF GOD: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
One hundred years of abstaining from food cannot give any man the power to cast out demons. God does not reward human acts especially of self-indulgence.
“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is NOTHING, he deceiveth himself.”
The “christian” doctrine of self-esteem is leading more people down the broad way to destruction than all brothels on earth.
When Jesus explained to His disciples “this kind (of demon) only goes out by prayer and fasting” it has absolutely NOTHING to do with abstaining from food. Abstaining from food is self-focus and human- reliance and contradicts who Jesus is and what He teaches. Jesus is telling them the exact opposite. The passage is supported by numerous teachings from Christ that there must be self-denial. He is telling the disciples that only total dependency on God will effectively cast out the demons. The disciples were depending on their own power and useless human ability and that is why they failed miserably at casting out demons. RULE #1- if a whole lot of people believe the same thing, and it originates with “christianity” it is certain to be wrong.
Thanks, Peter. What you said is strictly an opinion. Who knows, it could be correct, but it is an opinion. Jesus DID fast, as we know, for 40 days. Fasting is traditionally known as abstaining from food. Yes, it can mean abstaining from other things as well, but anyone who fasts (do you fast?) knows that it is hard to do, and the absence of food heightens body processes and raises our consciousness / access to internal energy/power. Anyone who has done any serious amount of fasting has experienced this, and can attest to it.
Strictly an opinion? Since when does Jesus teach anyone to rely on human faculty and ability? While fasting is in a literal sense an abstaining from food, it is not what Jesus teaches the apostles. You need to ask yourself how abstaining from food effectuates casting out demons. It is like saying drinking water cleanses inner uncleanness. As far as Jesus fasting 40 days Jesus was able to fast for 40 days because of the powers He received from Father in Heaven and that is exactly what He teaches the apostles. You should not be teaching what you cannot understand yourself. The core of the Gospel call is self-denial and self-sacrifice a total dependency on God. It is not a call to self indulgence, self-reliance, and whatever else makes “christians” feel self-important. “Apart from Me you can do nothing”. What does NOTHING mean?
I don’t know but perhaps the original words were more like…
Take the narrow path, for wide is the road to hell and most take that, and path to life is taken by those that are diminished, or made small
(few).
Could be….
Yes, could be, Fabian. “Few” may be more a description of a kind of person rather than the number of those who can be saved… And for some reason, I thought of this– “The few, the (not) proud, the Christians!” (remember that old Marines commercial? 🙂 )
yes…Marines promotions would be wiser, “the few, the humble, the Marines”! I remember reading from a wise general I believe it was, and he was teaching that an angry soldier is a weakened one. The Be Still meditation really should be an option in all warfare schools.
Funny cuz this world equates anger with strength–NOT!
For consideration…I know we can see a majority of the masses following the wide path, but as for the “few” ~
From the Hebrew …
a prim. root
Definition
to be or become small, diminished, or few
NASB Translation
bring to nothing (1), decrease (2),..
So perhaps Jesus was meaning, those that will allow their pride to be brought to nothing, to become small, diminished in ego, those are the ones that find it…?
Could be, another one of those mistranslations like “resist” not evil rather than resent not.
Yes, Fabian, the word “few” could have a somewhat different meaning, perhaps–as you say–meaning someone who allows his ego to diminish. Of course, those who allow this process to take place are not the norm–they could be classified as “few” by any definition!
Right but those “few” very likely could be millions in a world of 8 billion people. It is so much easier to live on the Path, so much more fun too, and adventurous. But for sure takes courage. I think that is the one ingredient that we always have had the power to exercise and it further opens the door when we knock through being still religiously. It was the one thing that I was afraid to exercise, until I was saw I no longer wanted to live mad inside.
That’s true, Fabian… Good points here. I like that you said you were afraid until you saw you no longer wanted to live mad inside. I remember when you were going through that period. Thank God He saw you through it.
Why are you referencing a known corrupt “bible” version? You may want to consider this is one reason why your interpretations and perceptions of God are in grave error. A couple of examples. Compare the original text of 1 Timothy 3:16 to the shameless translation in the NASB. “He” was NOT manifest in the flesh; God was. There is a difference. Even a house cat is manifest in the flesh. There seems to be an attempt to deny Christ of His deity. Another example is Philippians 2:7. Jesus did NOT “empty Himself”. No such thing ever occurred. Properly, Jesus made Himself of no reputation. What does “empty Himself” mean and who determines just what He emptied Himself of? Which man has any capability of making such an assessment of the Messiah? Did Jesus empty Himself of being omnipotent, omniscient, and immutable? Did He empty Himself of His supernatural and divine attributes? Did he empty Himself of being the Son of the living God and His Messiahship? When corrupt “bibles” translate “no reputation” into empty Himself it is horribly degrading. Then there are the verses the “bibles” delete which seemingly offer protection to the devil; John 5:4, Acts 8:37, Matthew 17:21, Matthew 23:14, and Mark 11:26 to name just a few. How can people expect to properly understand God and correctly interpret Scripture by reading grossly disfigured “bibles”?
Boy did this post have me doing some self reflecting…
Nice! Mission accomplished!
Oh yes I understood you. If I were ever blessed with a lot of money I would see it as a means to help more people towards the Path.
Thank you!
I agree
Good post Old School.
Reading Matthew gives me hope.
Before he was an apostle, he was the lowest of the low.
He was the worst of the worst: A tax collector.
Maybe, just maybe, I got a chance.
Thanks, Brian. My friend, believe me–you’ve got a chance with the God I’m aware of–from what I understand, He’s looking for those with a humble heart.
By the way, thanks Old School for a well written and provocative article.
You’re welcome, Martin. I appreciate that!
I was talking with Forrest Stewart the other day and he was commenting to me about how successful he has been in living a long life and he knows of people who are as successful and more so than he is at living a long life. He did not mention to me what he or the other gentlemen are doing with their long lives. Wanting to live a long life is like wanting to acquire a lot of money. But to what purpose? Jesus and his disciples, from Adam to the present day, lived and live their lives so that people may profit from their words and deeds. That is true spiritual capitalism, both parties win from their relationship with each other.
Yes, it is not about how long we live, but how close to God we live. Many honorable and Godly souls have been murdered or killed in battle throughout history at a young age, some of which you mentioned, of course our savior being number one.
Amen to that, Fabian. I thought of the phrase–“It’s not the years in your life–it’s the life in your years!”
Yes, Martin–again, as I said to Fabian, I have nothing against someone wanting to be wealthy. But as you said, “spiritual capitalism” is really where it’s at!
I do see there are more than a few mistranslated words in the Bible, causing the seekers a search for some further understanding. I mean, for instance in many translations it says eye of the needle referring to difficulty of the rich to enter heaven when really it was a difficult but doable entrance for a person riding a camel. I believe few is also one of those words not quite accurate. I will research the original word and see if I can get to that. I just think that in world of billions of people, it seems probable to be millions, knowing how much God wants all of us to make it. And seeing in my life how simply asking for true desire and acting on what He shows me when needed, has been scary at times but way easier then living in as I used to.
Thanks, Fabian. Perhaps I need to clarify here: I’m not against anybody becoming wealthy, and it’s certainly better to have means than to not have means. I was just trying to say that trying to become wealthy as a goal in an of itself has dangers, and so many people have sold out for money and power. Also, we are in a time when wealth itself is not so important. As you yourself are aware, the powers that be are in the process of installing a “beast” system. They own the system itself that people are trying to get wealthy in. And Revelations speaks of people taking on the “mark of the beast”–ALL people (“all” doesn’t mean every single person, of course, but it means all types of people–poor and rich alike). Your wealth can be shut off at the flip of a switch! Even having physical money like gold and silver is all well and good, but I have seen people concentrate on building that up at the expense of taking action they should take to make the world better for all. Or at the expense of building “human” capitol.