"You May Have Heard That You Were Told..."

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:43-45

I've always been interested in the wording of this Passage. In Godspell, the Musical, it is worded: "You may have heard that you were told...." Not "You were told," or, "It is said," but "You have HEARD that it is said."

I'm reminded of what used to be taught in English Classes about primary and secondary sources. A primary source is like a newspaper, the AP feed, or direct witness accounts, where you're getting the information first hand. A Secondary source is like when Sean Hannity writes a book which cites an article in the New York Post. He's not directly reporting it, he's reporting that the Post reported it. The further away from the primary source you get, the LESS reliable the information is.

Much of what people believed about their faith back in 30 A.D. didn't come from the Primary source: God, or a prophet; but through secondary or even tertiary sources: priests, politicians, and others. God's message was somehow twisted since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Moses. We were no longer practicing what God said to us, as written in the Torah; but rather, we were doing what somebody TOLD us God said to us. Many of these ideas, such as "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy," came not from God, but from man. Jesus came to clarify what God really wants for us. Jesus came to tell us that "man" got it wrong.

Often we find ourselves acting on a pre-conceived notion of how our religion works, based on something a person told somebody that God said to them.

You have heard that it is said... that you must marry someone of your own faith and race.

You have heard that it is said... that anyone who says "Happy Holidays" is anti-Christian.

You have heard that it is said... that you should protest the funerals of soldiers to make your political point about gay marriage.

I used to only follow what I KNOW Jesus said, according to the Gospels. We sometimes call people like that, "Red Letter Christians," as in they follow only the words highlighted in red. I now understand that the Holy Spirit flowed through Paul, James and the authors of the other books as well. Whenever I hear someone making a very religious statement, I check it against what I know from the Bible. I often second guess extreme ideas, especially if they conflict with Jesus' message of peace and love.

Rosamunde and Benjamin Zander, in their book, "The Art of Possibility," encourage readers to be conscious of the fact that we perceive the world according to certain ideas, many of which are false. They also encourage us to "invent" a different scenario that opens us up to more possibilities. I think we, as Christians, need to do the same from time to time. Checking our ideas about God and the world against GOD's plan for the world, as taught to us by Jesus Christ. Often, I find, that when things get confusing and hectic; doing this clarifies everything and makes the solution clear.

Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to clarify what you want from us, and to teach us your will. Help us to filter out the false ideas of the world, and to focus on your view of the world. In Jesus' name we pray.