Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
Mark 12:31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him [any question].
Matt 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matt 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matt 22:39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matt 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luke 10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Matt 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Matt 5:44 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;
Matt 5:45 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.
Matt 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Matt 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so?
Matt 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Luke 6:28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Luke 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
Luke 6:33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
Luke 6:34 And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil.
Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Thom 95:x Jesus said: If you have money, do not lend at interest, but give them to him from whom you will not receive them back.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:35 By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Thom 25:x Jesus said: Love they brother as thy soul, guard him as the apple of thine eye.
Compare with "The Great Commandment" above.
Love and love alone such as that of a devoted servant or a wife . . . should be practised.
Those are primary devotees who have one-pointed love of God for His own sake.
Only love of the absolute, eternal Truth is the greatest; this love, indeed is the greatest.
Compare with Matt 5:48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," under "Love Your Enemies," above.
Perfection is attained when the mind becomes as pure as the Atman itself.
Compare with "Love Your Enemies," above.
Prime Minister Tang of Shang asked Chuangtse about love.
"Tigers and wolves are loving animals," said Chuangtse.
"What do you mean?"
"The tiger loves his cub. Why isn't he a loving animal?"
"What about perfect kindness?" asked the prime minister.
"Perfect kindness has no regard for particular relations."
"I have heard it said," replied Tang, "that without relations, one has no love, and without love, one has no filial piety. How can you say that the perfectly kind man has no filial piety?"
"You don't understand," said Chuangtse. "Perfect kindness is indeed the ideal. It is so much higher than filial piety. The filial piety that you speak of is not enough; it falls short of (true) filial piety."
Some Israelites reviled Jesus one day as he was walking through their part of the town.
But he answered them by repeating prayers in their name.
Someone said to him: "You prayed for these men, did you not feel incensed against them?"
He answered:
"I could spend only of what I had in my purse."
Send comments to jfm.baharna@gmail.com
© Copyright 1996 by Joseph Morales