[ p. 223 ]
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psa. 23: 1).
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Lev. 19:18).
Create in me a clean heart (Psa. 51: 10).
Neither shall they learn war any more (Isa. 2:4).
The religion of Jesus synthesized the highest spiritual ideals of the Hebrew race. The more men study Jesus, the more they are impressed by his genius in perceiving what was of lasting and eternal value in the varied religious attitudes of his time. Remarkable also was his capacity to leave aside and to subordinate the unimportant and the incidental.
The fatherhood of God was a conception which had been developing through centuries of Jewish thought. It is beautifully expressed in many gems of Hebrew literature. The 23 rd Psalm is one of the best portrayals in world literature of the loving, gentle care of the great Shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Other peoples were telling of the nearness of God. Epictetus taught that we are “fragments of God.” Stoicism held to a belief in the close kinship of God and man. This religious truth that God is our father, however, Jesus made a corner stone of his religion. He was constantly telling his followers about the love of God for his children. He understood the human soul so sympathetically and knew God so well that he naturally expressed [ p. 224 ] those eternal truths which men in all ages have been discovering about God, and which God has been revealing to his earthly children.
The brotherhood of man is a corollary of the fatherhood of God. Men everywhere have been feeling their way toward this truth. In a recent “World Congress of Religions” there was some difficulty in finding a common basis of agreement, until the idea of human brotherhood was suggested. All religions of the world were able to agree upon this concept as fundamental. Upon its assumptions they were able to build plans for cooperative and international fellowship and progress.
The Hebrew Scriptures plainly state the commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev. 19: 18). While it may be claimed that this precept had originally a rather narrow application and was perhaps an expression of tribal solidarity, nevertheless the Hebrew religion was constantly enlarging its ideas of the word “neighbor.” In the time of Jesus, the Jews were rapidly becoming more liberal in their attitude toward other nations and in their recognition of the possible place of Gentiles in the messianic kingdom.
This increasingly recognized truth of the brotherhood of man Jesus built into the foundation of his religion. The two complimentary teachings of the love of God and the love of man make up what is usually regarded as the essence of his religion. In Luke 10: 25 ff. the lawyer asked “What shall I do to attain the life of the age to come?” Jesus asked him what he found in his scripture. The lawyer’s answer reflects the nobility of the better Jewish religion of the time. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God . . . and thy neighbor as thyself.” Jesus told the man that if he would follow this commandment of the Jewish Law, he would attain the life he desired. It was only in answer to the further question of the lawyer regarding the word “neighbor” that Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The emphasis upon heart righteousness as distinguished from external acts of piety was another feature of growing prominence in the Hebrew literature of the Old Testament. The [ p. 225 ] Psalms and the prophets constantly reiterated that Jehovah looks upon the heart. He has no respect for persons. “Renew a right spirit within me” was a constant cry not only of the Hebrew religion, but of all religions. There were many divergent tendencies in the Judaism of Jesus’ day. Some of these gave larger place than others to the importance of ceremonial and legalistic rules and refinements. Jesus put his finger upon the tendency to emphasize heart righteousness, and felt that to be an essential element of religion.
The value of the individual soul was a growing idea in the time of Jesus. In the Old Testament day, the Hebrew nation was pictured as God’s chosen people. Most of the Old Testament has to do with the saving of the Jews as a nation. On the other hand, it was becoming quite clear in the centuries before Jesus that not all Jews were worthy of entering the kingdom of God, while some outsiders were regarded as pleasing Jehovah by their purity of character.
The Psalms and some of the later prophets express God’s interest in the individual who is in distress or who is striving to be loyal to his Lord. E. F. Scott is perhaps hardly fair to the Jewish religion when he says that in the religion of Jesus “for the first time man is considered as a personality” (Ethical Teachings, p. 19). As God was interested in his servant Job according to the story of the Old Testament, so in the religion of Jesus, the Father is not willing to let even an insignificant one perish (Matt. 18: 14). “Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice. The hairs of your head are all numbered” (Lk. 12: 6, 7).
Jesus’ teaching regarding prayer is in line with his view of the importance of the individual in the sight of God. Jesus emphasized that tendency in Judaism which prayed not only for the coming of the kingdom as a national event, but also for God’s help in the purification of the individual soul.
The kingdom of God was a Jewish conception which also had been developing for centuries. The messianic hope was, of course, not limited to the Jewish race. Plato, in his “Republic,” [ p. 226 ] and several Roman poets drew vivid pictures of the Golden Age. Many moderns are looking forward to the new day when a republic of God will become a reality among the nations. The religion of Jesus gives large place to this universal aspiration of humanity. Jesus never ceased to encourage his followers to hope for the kingdom of God and to prepare men for its advent.
In focusing attention on the best ideals of his time, did Jesus add any quality which constituted an original element in his religion? The key to the discovery of any such quality ought to be found in those narratives which portray a good Jew asking Jesus if he requires anything beyond the keeping of the Commandments and the Jewish Scriptures. When the rich man (Mark 10: 17) came to Jesus and told him that he had observed the Commandments from the time of his youth, Jesus said to him that he still lacked something. The words which follow are all words of action: “Go,” “Sell,” “Give to the poor,” “Follow.” They are in rather striking contrast to the list of prohibitions of the preceding verses.
It might be possible to understand the passage as meaning that the rich man should merely get rid of his wealth in the easiest possible manner. That this was not Jesus’ meaning is shown by his answer to the lawyer who asked, “Who is my neighbor?” (Lk. 10.) To the lawyer Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is plainly a story of active service to a fellow man. Both incidents indicate the dynamic quality which Jesus put into his religion. His instructions are not in the realm of temple service or ceremonial observances or of avoiding of certain sins, but are injunctions to positive conduct and action.
This does not mean that Jesus found the essence of religion in social service. It means rather that Jesus taught that social service is the surest way to find God the Father and to enter into fellowship with the eternal spirit of love. Many a modern man has asserted that his only religion is to be of help to his [ p. 227 ] fellow man. Jesus would probably point out that such a man has but made a good beginning. True religion, for Jesus, is the finding of eternal values and the attainment of the higher life, through service to our fellows.
Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Thou shalt not covet (Ex. 20: 15-17).
The Ten Commandments are fairly representative of the earlier Hebrew religion: “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me,” “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,” “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not steal.” The extreme negative quality of these Old Testament injunctions strikes the modern reader forcibly. Only one of the Ten Commandments has a positive tone—“Honor thy father and thy mother.” Closer study shows that this commandment also is a warning that those who dishonor or neglect their parents will have their days cut short.
Even that greatest of the Old Testament Commandments, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev. 19: 18), cannot be separated from the rest of the sentence in which it occurs, “Thou shalt not take vengeance against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” In early Old Testament time, this commandment had little of the marvelous spirit of helpful service which Jesus later associated with it. In Matthew 5: 43, Jesus says, “You have heard that it used to be said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy,’ but I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you.” Jesus illustrates his meaning by telling of the positive blessings which the Heavenly Father sends to both the good and the bad, in making his sun to rise and the needed rain to fall. The Old Testament injunction against taking [ p. 228 ] vengeance on one’s neighbor has for Jesus become a command to help and to bless both neighbor and enemy.
The same principle holds in his revision of the Old Testament law, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Matt. 5: 38). I tell you, says Jesus, do not strike back or demand retribution. Nor should you be merely negatively non-resistant. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to him. The thought of Jesus is perfectly clear. He will not allow his disciples to strike back, or to demand an eye for an eye. Nor will he allow his disciples to suffer injury and do nothing about it; such a procedure is too negative. Jesus’ religion is positive. A man must express himself vigorously and actively. The turning of the other cheek is not easy. It demands initiative and may develop personality.
When a modern mother tells her boy to count ten before he strikes back, she sometimes gives the boy the unfortunate impression that he should merely wait and do nothing. Inactivity is poor advice. But if the mother is supplying the boy with a program of action, if the counting is meant to be something positive and to lead the way to some better and nobler act than striking back, then the rule is a good one. Jesus recognized that it is the essence of the human personality to be actively expressing itself. Instead of saying, Do not hate your enemies, he told men to use the fire of their nature in doing good to those who persecute. “Overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12: 21).
Among the Jews of Jesus’ day, there were two schools of religion—one more literalistic, the other more liberal; the one headed by Shammai, the other by Hillel. Legend has it that the father of a boy, bringing him to enroll him for study in Jerusalem, came to Shammai and said, “I will enroll my boy in your school if you will sum up the Law and the prophets while standing on one foot.” Shammai sent him off in disgust. Coming to Hillel, the father made the same proposition. Hillel answered easily and quickly, “Do not do to your neighbor anything that you would not like to have him do to you.” This shows a broad view and deep spiritual insight into the character of the Law, [ p. 229 ] but stands in striking contrast to Jesus’ positive expression of religion.
In this connection it is interesting to survey the stories of remarkable cures and of other wonder-deeds of Jesus’ ministry and to compare them with corresponding stories of the Old Testament. Uzziah the king was smitten in the temple with leprosy (II Chron. 26: 20). Jeroboam, when he started to oppose the man of God, found that his hand suddenly withered up, so that he could not draw it back (I Kings 13: 4). The plagues of Egypt were all destructive. Jesus’ deeds, however, were all constructive. The stories about him narrate beneficent acts. Jesus never smote anyone with leprosy, nor withered any hand. On the contrary, it is narrated that he healed lepers and restored withered members. His whole ministry was a beautiful expression of the outgoing love of God. The Gospel writers caught his spirit.
One of the highest expressions of religion in the earlier day is perhaps found in Micah 6: 6-8, Wherewith shall I come into the presence of Jehovah? Shall I come with burnt offerings; will he be pleased with thousands of rams, or with rivers of oil? He has shown you, 0 man, what is good; and what does Jehovah ask of you but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God? Micah’s expression is remarkable for its clear distinction between religion of mere temple sacrifice and the religion of moral conduct in daily life. The ideal life is pictured in terms of justice and mercy and humility. These qualities are good, but they fall far short of the heights to which Jesus pointed. “Do good to those who hate you” (Lk. 6:27). “If you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks have you?—even sinners do this” (Lk. 6 : 34 ).
“Anyone who wishes to be my disciple will renounce self, take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9: 23). [ p. 230 ]
“The man who received the one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money” (Matt. 25: 18).
“Give something to anyone who asks of you. . . .
If anyone forces you to go a mile with him, go two miles” (Matt. 5: 41).
Jesus of Nazareth . . . went about doing good and curing all who were under the power of the devil (Acts 10: 38).
Examples of the positive, dynamic quality of Jesus’ religion are found throughout the gospels. The magnificent judgment scene pictured in the passage which has been called the greatest literary gem of all religious literature, clearly states the standard by which the great judge will distinguish between the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25: 31-46). “When I was hungry, you gave me to eat; when I was thirsty, you gave me a drink; when I was a stranger, you invited me to your homes; when I had no clothes, you supplied me with clothing; when I was ill, you looked after me; when I was in prison, you came to visit me.”
The list of services rendered is simple but suggestive of the many acts of Christian brotherhood which in modern times and in every age give expression to the spirit of Jesus. The giving of “the cup of cold water” (Mk. 9: 41; Matt. 10: 42) symbolizes today the religion of Jesus wherever the gospel has been preached.
Again Jesus told a story of a man who had two sons. The first consented to help his father in the vineyard and later failed to keep his promise; the second refused to help, but later changed his mind and went to do the work. Which of the two, Jesus asked, did what his father wanted (Matt. 21: 28-31).
Then Jesus applied this lesson of service to some of the Jews of his day. There were hypocrites who were saying long prayers and making promises in the temple, which they did not keep. On the other hand, there were despised tax-collectors [ p. 231 ] and women of poor reputation who were doing deeds of kindness day after day (Matt. 21: 31, 32). Jesus associated with such people rather than with the self-righteous. He did not spend his time in idle or negative religion. He came as a great physician to help and to save the sick. “Those who are in good health have no need of a physician” (Mk. 2: 17; Lk. 5: 31). The Christian in modern times is often told that he must bear his cross patiently. “Patiently” is not exactly the meaning of the word Jesus used. He told his disciples that anyone who wished to follow him must “take up” his cross “daily” (Lk. 9: 23. Cf. Mk. 8: 34; 10: 21). Then follows the bestattested saying of Jesus, “He who aims to preserve his own self will lose his soul, while he who loses himself in the cause of the Gospel will find himself” (Mk. 8: 35; Lk. 9: 24). This saying occurs six times in the Gospels, as already noted.
The parable of the talents (Matt. 25: 14-30) is the most familiar story in which the expression of this positive quality of religion appears. The man who received five talents made five talents more. The man who received two talents, gained two more. The one-talent man hid his money in a hole in the ground, and when the day of reckoning came returned the talent safely to its owner. The lord rewarded the first two, but used language of strongest denunciation to the third. He had not stolen nor broken any of the Ten Commandments, or any injunction of the entire Old Testament code. Yet he is characterized as a “wicked and idle servant” (Matt. 25: 26).
The parable of the “Pounds” (Lk. 19: 11-27) is equally severe in its portrayal of the uselessness of the man who is only personally righteous and negatively perfect. The servant who went into business and gained ten pounds is set over “ten cities.” The one who made five pounds is given authority over “five cities.” But the man who kept his pound wrapped up in a handkerchief is rejected as a “wicked” and unprofitable servant.
It is this positive note which makes it possible to understand [ p. 232 ] some of Jesus’ most difficult sayings. The turning of the other cheek is one way of showing the spirit that refuses to be conquered. It is easy to picture the disciples gathered around Jesus, asking him how to put his religion into practice. As he taught them the Lord’s Prayer in answer to their request, so it is quite probable that he thus spoke in answer to their question, How can we show a positive spirit toward anyone who strikes us? The only positive act possible, they would say, is to strike back.
Again, some disciple would say to Jesus, Master, a man took away my coat. How can I do anything for him? Jesus’ answer was clear, Give him your other coat (Lk. 6: 29). It is always possible, in Jesus’ thought, to find some way of expressing positive personal initiative, even in the most extreme cases. It is not the particular action which concerns Jesus so much as the constant care which any human soul should exercise that it does not become a passive sufferer of wrong or injustice. There are three ways of meeting the evil things of life. One way is to return evil for evil. The second is to suffer without complaint. The third is to return good for evil, to assert the will and become master of any situation, through doing some act which makes necessary the expression of initiative.
What should I do, another disciple might ask Jesus, if a man forces me to carry his pack for a mile? Jesus’ answer was positive and definite: Do not just set it down, breathe a sigh of relief and escape. You will not please God in that way. If there is nothing else you can do, you can at least offer to carry the pack a second mile (Matt. 5: 41).
This active dynamic quality of Jesus’ personality is well illustrated in the scene in the temple at Jerusalem, where Jesus began to drive out those who were buying and selling. He was not content to merely quote the Hebrew Scripture, “My house shall be called the house of prayer” and to say that the temple was being made a “robbers’ den.” His religion stood for action. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sellers, although he did not take the sword nor [ p. 233 ] do any personal injury to anyone (Mk. 11: 17). It was said of him, “Zeal for thy house shall eat me up” (John 2: 17).
Jesus did not merely preach to his disciples, “Say a prayer for those who injure you” (Lk. 6: 28). But he actually did on the cross pray for those who were persecuting him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23: 34). The religion of Jesus is not like the face of a Maud “Faultily faultless, icily regular, splendidly null.” It is rather a Joan of Arc riding forth in heroic self-forgetfulness, dauntless and courageous, to mighty deeds and victorious achievements.
This teaching of active service furnished a test of greatness for his disciples and the standard by which he measured his own mission. “If anyone wants to be great among you, let him be your servant, and if anyone wants to hold first place among you, he must be the slave of everybody” (Mk. 9: 43, 44). Jesus himself came “not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Mk. 10: 45). His career is described in the few pointed words which an early Christian handed on to all coming generations: Jesus of Nazareth, filled with the holy spirit and with power, “went about doing good” and healing any who were afflicted (Acts 10: 38).
In a modem University classroom, where the religion of Jesus was the subject of study, one of the members of the class had the misfortune to have his overcoat stolen. He had then been going about in the freezing winter weather for over a week, without any overcoat. Then came the classroom discussion of Jesus’ saying about the coats. The student was suddenly asked if he would give his remaining jacket to the thief if he could find him. The unexpected question revealed the fact that there had been accumulating all those days a spirit of animosity and vengeance. He said in no uncertain terms what he would do to the thief if he could catch him.
[ p. 234 ]
In the face of a definite situation of this sort, the spirit of Jesus becomes very clear. He would not harbor any hatred toward the thief, but would rather feel a sense of pity and compassion. He would have a desire to help the thief to find some other line of work. Such a spirit of helpfulness is the modern equivalent to giving the other coat.
A superintendent of home missions of the State of Colorado was recently held up by a highwayman. Instead of showing any fear, or resigning himself to the situation, he began to help the robber by emptying his own pockets. He told him how sorry he was that the good brother of the highway should have to resort to such means to get what he wanted. He offered to do his best to get a good position for the brother. By such conciliatory methods, he asserted his own personality in a gentle and Christian way to such an extent that the robber soon returned everything he had taken.
The story does not end like a fairy tale. The robber did not come to get the steady position. He probably was not converted from the evil of his way. Nevertheless the story does serve perfectly to illustrate Jesus’ initiative of turning the other cheek.
A teacher in a Middle West institution, in traveling on suburban cars, has adopted an interesting policy toward those who step on his toes in a crowd. He has trained himself to say quickly and politely, “I beg your pardon.” The effect is always different, according to the personal character of the one who has committed the error. Once in a while the answer comes back, “It is I who should beg your pardon.” That is the Christian answer. But more often the one who has committed the error says nothing, deciding to take advantage of the other’s supposed impression as to who should ask the pardon.
Modern life is full of opportunities to express initiative. A man asked to contribute a certain amount to a good cause will do well, once in a while, to give more than he is asked. Everyone who lives the spirit of Jesus should find some cause to which he may give before he has been asked. If a man would borrow [ p. 235 ] of you, do not always give exactly what is asked. Go the second mile sometimes. [1]
“If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? . . . But love your enemies, and be constantly helpful, and your reward will be great, for you will in this way be sons of the Most High. He is kind to the unthankful and the bad. Be full of lovingkindness as your Father above is loving and kind” (Lk. 6. 32, 35, 36).
“A bad spirit roams through the country looking for a home … it finds it unoccupied … it goes and brings with it seven other spirits worse than itself and they go in and begin to live there” (Lk. 11: 24-26; Matt. 12:43-45).
Thomas Chalmers, founder of the Free Church of Scotland, once preached a sermon entitled “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” It is given in full by President Ozora S. Davis in his Principles of Preaching , [2] pp. 96—120. This classic sermon is built upon the fact that a great ideal has emancipating power to lift the soul out of the bondage of habit and environment and to cure the character of weakness or disease. The young person who has been living a shallow existence, following the interests and desires of the moment, finds life suddenly taking on larger significance in the light of a great new affection. The new power expels all low desires or mean thoughts. “Thou shalt [ p. 236 ] not” is forgotten in the glad rush of new ambition and high idealism.
There used to be a popular notion that courage consisted in the conquering of one fear after another until all terrors had been overcome. Modern psychologists, however, have made it clear that courage is not an absence of fears, but an allembracing conception of a great goal, the vision of which crowds out of the “hot-spot” of consciousness all lesser and lower thoughts. A soldier in battle conquers his fear not by thinking about the artillery, but by visualizing the victory which must be won. A man who is a slave to drink, or to any other bad habit, does not conquer it by fighting it directly, but by putting something better in its place.
There are three stages in the life of most children. There are the earlier years, when the child must be kept from harm by close, watchful care. The child is given a long list of prohibitions when it can understand them. In the second stage, a child is spurred to its best efforts by promises of rewards for excellence. This stage sometimes lasts throughout life. The third stage attained by many is one in which neither fear of disaster nor hope of gain predominates. One loves goodness and strength for its own sake, and finds that a noble ideal and a task of service, rather than the thought of material gain or failure, enriches life and frees it from petty sins and unworthy desires.
According to an old legend Bishop Ivo was walking along a country road one day when he met an old woman carrying an urn of water in one hand and a lighted torch in the other. Greatly interested, he stopped the woman and asked her what she was planning to do. She replied, “With the urn of water I am going to put out the fires of hell, and with the torch I am going to burn up heaven, that Christians may no longer serve God for fear of hell or hope of heaven.”
Jesus made men forget about the Ten Commandments. He told them to give to the utmost, without hoping for anything in return. He advised his followers to invite to their homes those homeless ones who would not be able to return the invitation. [ p. 237 ] He begged them to love their enemies and to do good to all. In their deeds of service, they would thus imitate their heavenly Father (Lk. 6: 36).
Paul caught this spirit of Jesus and expressed it in many ways. “The love of Christ (that is, such a fullness of love as Jesus manifested in his ministry) controls and impels us” (II Cor. 5: 14). “Live by the spirit,” he says, “and then you will not indulge physical cravings” (Gal. 5: 16). “The fruits which the spirit of Jesus produces are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-mastery” (Gal. 5: 22, 23).
The expulsive power of a new ideal which fills the soul is graphically pictured in one of the shortest and most remarkable of Jesus’ parables. “When a bad spirit is expelled from a man it roams through the country in search of a home, and when it finds none, it says ‘I am going back to the home which I left.’ Returning, it finds its home unoccupied and swept and put in order. Then it goes and gets seven other spirits, worse than itself, and they go in and make their home there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Lk. 11: 24-26).
“I have found my sheep which was lost” (Lk. 15:4 ).
“The father ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Lk. 15: 20).
“Whoever would like to be first among you, let him be servant of all” (Mk. 10: 44).
“Not my will but thine be done” (Mk. 14: 36).
“Whatever you would like to have others do for you, do it for them” (Lk. 6:31).
An appreciation of the outreaching, positive quality of Jesus’ religion is the key to an understanding of the distinctive elements [ p. 238 ] in his various teachings. For Jesus, God is no longer the Jehovah of the Old Testament day who sits upon a distant throne and is merciful toward those Jews who pass in judgment before him. For Jesus, God not only created the world in the beginning, but is constantly active in his work of blessing and helping mankind. Nowhere does the outreaching love of God appear more strongly than in the parables of the lost sheep and the lost son. He “goes in search of the one that is lost, until he finds it. And when he finds it he lays it on his shoulders in joy, and when he comes home he invites his friends and associates and says, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be joy in heaven over one repentant sinner” (Lk. 15: 4-7).
The parable of the prodigal son pictures the father, not as merciful and forgiving, merely, but as going forth to meet the son. “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was sorry for him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Lk. 15: 20). The picture of the reception which follows gives a never-to-be-forgotten impression of the active, energetic, powerful affection of the heavenly Father.
This outreaching love of God is well presented in a recent essay by Karl Holl, Gesammelte Aujsatze, Vol. II (1928), p. 9ff.: “Jesu Gottesbegriff: Gott sucht den Sunder. . . . Das ist dem Judentum jremd. . . . und ebenso dem Heidentum.” Holl finds here the supreme distinction of Jesus’ religion. Other religions may tell of God’s love for righteousness, and for virtuous men and women. But the Christian religion advances beyond them all in telling of God’s love for sinners. The Old Testament, to be sure, often mentions God’s mercy toward those who have transgressed, but his mercy is that of a father who tries to forgive and forget. The glory of the Christian religion is that it pictures God as starting out in search of the sinner, to find him and befriend him and bring him back home.
In commenting on the parable of the lost sheep the Jewish commentator, Montefiore, says: “This verse (Lk. 15: 1) sums up one of the specific characteristics of Jesus and one of the new [ p. 239 ] excellencies of the Gospel. ‘The sinners drew near to hear him.’ Surely this is a new note, something which we have not yet heard in the Old Testament or of its heroes, something which we do not hear in the Talmud or of its heroes. . . . The virtues of repentance are gloriously praised in the rabbinical literature, but this direct search for, and appeal to, the sinner, are new and moving notes of high import and significance. The good shepherd who searches for the lost sheep, and reclaims it and rejoices over it, is a new figure.”
Jesus’ teaching of human brotherhood has the same dynamic quality. Jesus told his followers to do for others everything that they would like to have others do for them. He told them to do good to all alike. The Father above sends his rain and makes his sun to shine without regard to individual conduct. Those who were loyal to Jesus endeavored to follow his example in giving blessing and help to all those around them.
The Golden Rule, says Scott, “is found in the literature of various ancient peoples, but always in the negative form. . . . The new element in the Gospel precept lies in its positiveness” (Ethical Teaching, p. 20).
It was undoubtedly this positive aspect of his religion which Jesus had in mind when he said that the most insignificant worker in the kingdom of God was greater than that outstanding representative of Judaism, John the Baptist (Lk. 7: 28). Negative religion of personal uprightness of character never had a greater champion than John. Yet the humblest worker who has caught the spirit of service is of greater religious significance than he.
Jesus’ teaching concerning sin and righteousness drew a new line of distinction between the good and the bad. The old standard classed as virtuous those who knew the prohibitions of the law of Jehovah, doing penance for every transgression and keeping themselves undefiled and separate from the world. It classed as sinners those who were ignorant of the law and unconsciously broke some of its rules, as well as those who, in full knowledge of the law, defiled themselves by eating at the [ p. 240 ] same table with the unclean, without atoning for the transgression. Jesus’ new standard states that it is primarily the one who gives a drink of water, or visits the sick, or feeds the hungry, who finds favor in God’s sight. It is not the interest in the poor and the outcast which is here the distinctive feature. The Old Testament is full of concern for the poor, and utters many a warning that God will not overlook any oppression of them.
The sinner is the one who fails to follow positive approach to God through service and helpfulness. He may, like the rich young ruler, have kept the whole law and failed to play the good Samaritan to his neighbor. He is a sinner in the sight of God. The righteous man is the one who has made good use of the opportunities intrusted to him and has proved a friend and brother to any neighbor in distress or need.
Likewise, prayer takes on a positive note. Jesus prayed on the last night, “Not my will but thine be done.” Prayer, which in the old day was largely an uttering of petitions for blessings, became in the religion of Jesus, a giving of the soul to the will of God. The Jewish prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” originally was a petition to Jehovah to send all those blessings which Jehovah was thought to have promised. Jesus added the significant words, “Thy will be done,” and gave the whole petition a new meaning through that personal prayer on the last night. The asking of favors is essentially negative. But the striving, through prayer to bring the soul up into union with the divine, is essentially positive, active, expressive, outgoing, constructive, upbuilding.
The kingdom of God was for Jesus not merely a collection of blessings which men were to receive from God; the kingdom was a task and a responsibility. In the former days it was to be realized through the conquering and subjugating of the other nations. The whole world was to be brought under tribute and made to lay offerings upon the altar at Jerusalem. In his ministry, however, Jesus held that while the Jews were still the chosen people of God, they were chosen for a great service. .This service consisted in preaching the good news of God’s [ p. 241 ] love to the people and nations of the world. Jesus sent his followers out among the cities, to tell the news, to heal the sick, to comfort the afflicted, and to prepare the way for God to bring his kingdom to pass.
This large outlook of Jesus toward the service of humanity is effectively applied to the modern world by E. D. Burton in his essay, “Is the Golden Rule Workable between Nations?” [3] If America is to realize her place among the nations of the world, it will be through large and signal services to the nations. The Golden Rule, says Burton, has two meanings—the negative and the positive:
“Negatively, it means that I shall abstain from conducting my own affairs to my advantage regardless of the welfare of others. . . . Positively, it means that I shall not only be polite and courteous to others because I myself like to be treated with courtesy, not only that I shall be a gentleman to all, but that I shall plan my whole life in such a way that it shall make the largest contribution to the welfare of the community.”
Applied between nations, the Golden Rule means that a nation should “abstain from any course of action which . . . will work injustice to a neighbor nation or inflict on it any damage save such a damage as being incidental to some larger good any nation ought to be willing to suffer for the common good.”
It is in the “positive” application of the Golden Rule between nations that Dr. Burton speaks with special prophetic insight. The essential characteristic of the Christian nation is that it be ready to share its blessings and its knowledge with other nations. It is in observance of this principle that “we establish schools in other lands, in which we teach not only the Bible and theology, but the physical sciences, medicine, history, political economy, and political science. It is incumbent on us also, as need arises, to give them our money” and help in time of need.
Is the Golden Rule workable between nations? The answer [ p. 242 ] is that it is more workable between nations than between individuals. When nations set it at naught, the issues are farreaching and wide-spreading. It is more practicable between nations than between individuals because nations act with more deliberation, less under the influences of sudden passion than individuals. We must train ourselves to apply the Golden Rule positively and constructively. “The Golden Rule is—it is the only rule that is—workable between nations.”
Bundy, The Religion of Jesus , pp. 210-270.
Burton, Teaching of Jesus , pp. 175-178.
Case, Jesus , pp. 388-441.
Deissmann, The Religion of Jesus , pp. 128-150.
Glover, The Jesus of History , pp. 115-138.
Kent, Life and Teachings of Jesus , pp. 176-188.
King, Ethics of Jesus , pp. 191-203, 267-275.
Scott, The Ethical Teaching of Jesus , pp. 12-21, 120-129.
Wendt, Teaching of Jesus, Vol. II, pp. 384-401.
Hamack: “What is Christianity?” page 63 (new edition page 68) has an interesting error of translation. The statement is made that a study of the sayings of Jesus “shows that the gospel is in no wise a positive religion.” The word 1 positive” is a hasty attempt to translate the German word “positive”. The German word is a legal term and refers to “statutory” law as distinguished from general principle. What Harnack really wrote was that the gospel of Jesus is not “statutory” law, but an expression of spirit. ↩︎
University of Chicago Press, 1924. ↩︎
Christianity in the Modern World, 1927, pp. 139-150. ↩︎