Yes, I am one of those individual that speaks and understands a lot of big words, but sadly cannot spel them write half the time with out a spelchecker…
cmkeller:
Thank you so much. That is more than fair. I know that your opinions will be edifying. I know it might not look like it, but I really did cut out quite a lot of stuff that I thought might be redundant. (There were more illustrations, for example, about the futility of fretting over piddly things.)
kaylasdad99:
You’re welcome. I distinctly remember my slow-mo double take the first time I saw it. I was like, “Excuse me?” I wonder what Satan thinks of it.
“It is lucky for rulers that men do not think.” — Adolf Hitler
Not that I doubt your friend’s story, royalbill, but … okay, I doubt your friend’s story.
Aside from the usual fact-checking – confirmation by other witnesses, why Gabriel would take the steamer trunks to their plane’s boarding gate when large luggage is supposed to go on those luggage-loading conveyor belts, that sort of thing – I do wonder: If an angel were going to intervene in Earthly affairs, why do it for something as unimportant as getting a couple of people to their flight on time? Couldn’t they just have taken the next plane to Israel and caught up with the tour group later?
The truth, as always, is more complicated than that.
tracer:
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatum. 
“It is lucky for rulers that men do not think.” — Adolf Hitler
Libertarian:
Okay, first I must start off with the obligatory “Life of Brian” joke:
I thought he said blessed are the cheesemakers!
No, he meant that only symbolically, it refers to anyone who produces dairy products.
Now, seriously, folks:
The first part is pretty well in line with Jewish thought: humility is one of the greatest attributes a man can acquire (if not the greatest). One must stick to following G-d even if this will cause him abuse. Taking the abuse without answering back is praiseworthy as an indicator in one’s faith that everything G-d does is for one’s own good, or is a result of one’s own sins.
However, the Torah definitely believes that there are appropriate times to show strength and stand up for G-d’s honor. However, it does not necessarily seem that the sermon runs counter to that.
Now, for the second part, I will assume that the sermon is referring specifically to those Pharisees who acted hypocritical. The Orthodox Jewish perspective on that period of history casts the Pharisees and teachers of the law as the good guys, who have preserved Jewish tradition; this is a view that obviously wasn’t held by such founders of Christianity as Paul, who ditched the Talmud to suit his followers. That said, hypocricy is definitely denounced in the Torah (Isaiah has some pretty good speeches on the subject), and one who is a hypocrite is unlikely to get into heaven.
Now, the third part seems to condemn all public displays of righteousness as hypocricy, and says that those who perform their righteousness publicly will not be rewarded for it. This definitely runs counter to the Torah’s teaching. First of all, public displays of righteousness are liable to inspire others to be righteous, and second of all, practicing righteous acts even for the wrong reasons is praiseworthy, albeit not as praiseworthy as performing them for the right reasons. Those who do good things, even for the wrong reasons, increase the good that is done in the world, and subconsciously train themselves to act properly, which will eventually lead to their doing it for the right reasons, and would certainly be rewarded by G-d for it.
Then he establishes his own prayer format. Naturally, his antipathy toward the Pharisees colors his view of the traditional Jewish prayers. However, they were devised very carefully and very meaningfully by the Great Assembly (at the time of the construction of the Second Temple), and deviating from this standard is definitely not proper according to Torah law.
“For if you forgive…” seems right. Ditto the stuff about not storing up money for its own sake. Much about the evils of money-hunger is written in Ecclesiastes. He also seems to be delivering the right message regarding worrying about food, drink, etc. Torah law teaches that one is expected to work for his food, but it comes from G-d…not as a direct result of his work. He seems to be echoing that thought.
“Do not judge…” again echoes traditional Jewish thought: one should always assume the best about a person rather than assuming the worst.
Then he returns to the hypocricy theme, and then to the faith-in-G-d theme.
Taken as a whole, it seems that, for all his railing against the Pharisees, much of what he preached came from their sayings and teachings. He seems to have been so put off by hypocricy he’d seen that he urges people to go extremely far in the other direction (keeping all their good deeds hidden, staying meek in the face of all abuse), whereas the Torah teaches that there is a time and place for the display of every aspect of the human personality, and that there is a “Golden Mean” between the two extremes (e.g., total showiness with no internal meaning vs. total hiddenness) that must be walked.
Chaim Mattis Keller
I must admit I have a certain fondness for Judaism just because most of the time it’s just so goshdarn practical, as is evidenced by Chaim’s comments about meekness and doing righteous deeds and the “Golden mean”. Great post, Chaim.
The Pharisees get bad press in the Gospels, Chaim. Predominantly, as you postulate, this is because the Pharisees with whom Christ and his followers dealt were hypocritical and disgustingly self-righteous. He did deal with a couple or three nice-guy Pharisees, particularly Nicodemus (see John 3), the “rich young ruler” (occasion for the summary of the law), and Joseph of Arimathea. And of course Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee before he changed his name and his religion.
What I did forget to mention was that she had just prayed for help. I see one of the angels responsibilities as watching over us mere mortals…anyway the point was more to the fact that an angle looked like us, dressed like us…and was not portrayed by Michael Landon…
Question, I have noticed a few individuals who’s ‘o’ key does not seem to work.
Seriously, I am courious why G-D and not just God?
Gaudere: thanks.
RoyalBill:
Orthodox Jews do not write the entire word referring to the deity because should the material upon which it’s written ever be erased or discarded, it will be a desecration of G-d’s name. There’s some debate within Judaism as to whether or not this includes all translations of the deity ar only the Hebrew word for him, and also it’s uncertain if computer display/storage is the same as actual writing. But I, for one, prefer to play it safe.
Chaim Mattis Keller
Chaim, it it true that the Talmud can sort of override the Torah? For example, the Torah says somewhere you can kill your children if they get uppity, but the Talmud throws so many qualifications on this that you really can’t (IIRC).
Chaim:
That is probably the most beautiful analysis I have ever seen of the Sermon on the Mount. How can I ever thank you enough, except to offer my cyber-hand in friendship and respect?
There were Pharisees and Sadducees whom Jesus counted as close friends. In fact, His tomb was provided by one of them. But I think He found hypocrisy among those who were supposed to be the very examples of piety to be so counter-productive to God’s purposes that He gave them not even the smallest leeway.
As He Himself once explained to them, “Much is expected from those to whom much has been given.”
Thanks again.
“It is lucky for rulers that men do not think.” — Adolf Hitler
Chaim:
Oh, I almost forgot this too.
If you review the passage, you might see that Jesus wasn’t really asking them not to do any goods deeds in public, but merely not to trumpet them proudly for the purpose of being honored by men, rather than for their intended purpose, which is to glorify God. That’s why He said they have their reward already. In other words, if honor from men is what they wanted, well that’s the reward they wanted, and that’s the reward they got.
It really isn’t doing the right thing for the wrong reason when, rather than bring attention to God, you end up just bringing attention to yourself.
Jesus Himself did good deeds publicly. Heck, He did them all the time. But He always noted publicly, along with the deeds, something along the lines of, “In this I glorify my Father.”
“It is lucky for rulers that men do not think.” — Adolf Hitler
Conn or Bundy, in B flat with piston valves are standard issue.
Designated Optional Signature at Bottom of Post
As well all know, the bible, like the constitution is open to debate and interpretation much more than its creators intended. With this in mind, consider who “interprets” it and to what avail and goal. The “literalists” want it their way, while the “interpreters” say there is no set way.
Between points of extremity, is the majority, and invariably, most points. Such is religion. If more people blended history, science, fact, and religion, many religions now would have to “bow” out based on the fact that they would be found to be fraudulent.
Also, always keep in mind, God and man each have their own links to each other, say a network connection per se, per person, to that great hub in the sky. Therefore regardless what building, with what name on it, you meet in, on what day, it is more an issue of is God responding to you, as is. Or do you require a change before your “green lights” start to flash. We each know the answer within, cause either you are getting help from “someone” often misinterpreted as luck, or you arent, bad luck.
Whew.
Okay, someone bring me ice and sandwiches…lol
Anyone ever gonna notice what I wrote and just once, gimme props people lol
Is this how you guys say ‘bump’??
† Jon †
Phillipians 4:13
What does “bump” mean, is that in reference to me making the top go up to the top, by writing something, cause I did.
LOL
I would like to think that angels are at least armed with hand-held particle beam weapons and maybe small tactical nuclear grenades.
Why would then need those…if they need backup they can call in a tactcal strike that would reduce the entire solar system to a few smoldering marbles…if that much
Heaven…One to beam up!
Okay, I admit it. I’m stumped again. IIRC is If I Recall Correctly, “bump” is “let’s bump this to the top, or at least to page one of the topics list”, ROTFLMAO is Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off, SRBAOMK is Spewing Root Beer All Over My Keyboard.
What is “props”?
Of course truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.
Mark Twain