CHAPTER VI

THE FALSE LIFE

Therefore, in order to receive the true life, man must on earth resign the false life of the flesh, and live by the spirit

("On Earth, as in Heaven")

AND there came once to Jesus his mother and brothers, who could in no way get to see him, because there was a great crowd around him. (lk 8:19) (mt 12:46) And a man saw them, and went up to Jesus, and said: "Your family, your mother and brothers, are standing without, and wish to see you." (mt 12:47)

And Jesus said: "My mother and my brothers are they who have understood the will of the Father, and fulfil it." (lk 8:21)

And a woman said: "Blessed is the womb that has brought you forth, and the breasts that you have sucked." (lk 11:27)

Jesus said to this: "Blessed only are they who have understood the spirit of the Father, and keep it." (lk 11:28)

And a man said to Jesus: "I will follow you whithersoever you may go." (lk 9:57)

And Jesus said to him, in answer: "You cannot follow me; I have neither house nor place to live in. Wild beasts have their lairs and burrows, but man is everywhere at home, if he lives by the spirit." (lk 9:58)

And it happened once that Jesus was, with his followers, sailing a boat. He said: "Let us pass over to the other side." (mk 4:35) A storm arose upon the lake, and the boat began to fill, so that it nearly sank. (mk 4:37) And Jesus lay in the stern, and slept. They woke him, and said: "Teacher, is it really all the same to you that we are perishing?" (mk 4:38) And, when the storm had fallen, he said: "Why are you so timid? You do not believe in the life of the spirit." (mk 4:40)

Jesus said to a man: "Follow me."

And the man said: "I have an aged father, let me first bury him, and then I will follow you." (lk 9:59)

And Jesus said to him: "Let the dead bury the dead, but do you, if you wish to truly live, fulfil the will of the Father, and make that will known everywhere." (lk 9:60)

And again, another man said: "I wish to be your disciple, and will fulfil the will of the Father, as you command, but let me first settle my family." (lk 9:61)

And Jesus said to him: "If the plowman look behind, he cannot plow. However strong the reasons you have to look behind, so long as you look behind, you cannot plow. You must forget everything except the furrow you are driving; then only can you plow. If you consider as to what will be the outcome for the life of the body, then you have not understood the real life, and cannot live by it." (lk 9:62)

After this, it happened once that Jesus went with his disciples into a village. And a woman named Martha invited him into her house. (lk 10:38) Martha had a sister named Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus, and listened to his teaching. (lk 10:39) But Martha was busy getting ready the meal.

And Martha went up to Jesus, and said: "Do you not see that my sister has left me alone to serve? Tell her to help me in the work." (lk 10:40)

And Jesus said to her in answer: "Martha, Martha! you trouble and busy yourself with many things, (lk 10:41) but only one thing is needful. And Mary has chosen that one thing which is needful, and which none shall take from her. (lk 10:42) For true life the food of the spirit alone is needful."

And Jesus said to all: "Whoever wishes to follow me, let him forsake his own will, and let him be ready for all hardships and sufferings of the flesh at every hour; then only can he follow me. (lk 9:23) Because he who wishes to take heed for his fleshly life will destroy the true life. And he who fulfils the will of the Father, even if he destroy the fleshly life, shall save the true life. (lk 9:24) For, what advantage is it to a man if he should gain the whole world, but destroy or harm his own life?" (lk 9:25)

And Jesus said: "Beware of wealth, because your life does not depend upon your having more than others. (lk 12:15)

"There was a rich man, who had a great harvest of corn. (lk 12:16) And he thought to himself: (lk 12:17) Let me rebuild my barns. I will erect larger ones, and gather there all my wealth. (lk 12:18) And I will say to my soul: 'There, my soul, you have everything after your desire; rest, eat, drink, and live for your pleasure.' (lk 12:19) But God said to him: 'Fool, this very night your soul shall be taken; and all that you have stored up shall go to others.' (lk 12:20)

"And thus it happens with everyone who provides for the bodily life, and does not live in God. (lk 12:21) "

And Jesus said to them: "Now, you say thatPilate killed the Galileans. But were these Galileans any worse than other people, that this happened to them? (lk 13:2) In no way. We are all such, and we shall all perish likewise, unless we find salvation from death. (lk 13:3)

"Or of those eighteen men, whom the tower crushed in falling, were they particularly worse than all the other dwellers in Jerusalem? (lk 13:4) In no wise. If we do not find salvation, sooner or later we shall perish in the same way. (lk 13:5) If we have not yet perished as they, we must think of our position, thus:

"A man had an apple tree growing in his garden. The master came into the garden, and saw there was no fruit on the tree. (lk 13:6) And the master said to his gardener: 'It is now three years since I have watched this apple tree, and it is still barren. It must be cut down, for as it is, it only spoils the place. (lk 13:7) And the gardener answered: 'Let us wait yet a little, master; let me dig it round. I will dung it, and let us see what it will be next summer. (lk 13:8) Maybe it will yield fruit. But if it yields nothing by the summer, well then, we will cut it down.' (lk 13:9)

"Likewise we, as long as we live by the flesh, and yield no fruit to the life of the spirit, are barren apple trees. Only by the mercy of some power are we yet left for a summer. And if we do not yield fruit we shall also perish, even like him who built the barn, like the Galileans, like the eighteen men crushed by the tower, and like all who yield no fruit; perishing, dying forever, by death.

"In order to understand this, there is no need of special wisdom; each one sees this for himself. For not only in domestic affairs, but in that also which happens in the whole world, are we able to reason and to foresee. If the wind is in the west, we say there will be rain, and so it happens. (lk 12:54) But if the wind is from the south, we say there will be fair weather, and so it is. (lk 12:55) How, then, is it that we are able to foresee the weather, and yet we cannot foresee that we shall all die and perish, and that the only salvation for us is in the life of the spirit, in the fulfilment of its will?" (lk 12:56)

And a great multitude went with Jesus, and he once more said to all: (lk 14:25)

"He who wishes to be my disciple, let him count for nothing father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and all his goods, and let him at every hour be ready for anything. (lk 14:26) And only he who does as I do, only he follows my teaching, and only he is saved from death. (lk 14:27)

"Because everyone, before beginning anything, will reckon whether that which he does is profitable, and if it is profitable, will do it, but if unprofitable, will abandon it. Every one who builds a house will first sit down and reckon how much money is wanted, how much he has, and whether that will suffice to finish it. (lk 14:28) He will do this, so that it may not happen that he should begin to build, and not finish, for people to laugh at him. (lk 14:29)

"Likewise also, he who wishes to live the fleshly life must first reckon whether he can finish that with which he is busy. (lk 14:30)

"Every king, if he wishes to make war, will first think whether he can go to war with ten thousand against twenty thousand. (lk 14:31) If he concludes that he cannot, then he will send ambassadors, and make peace, and will not make war. (lk 14:32) So also, let every man, before giving himself over to the fleshly life, bethink him whether he can wage war against death, or whether death is stronger than he; and whether it is not then better for him to make peace beforehand.

"And so, each of you should first examine what he considers his own family, money, or estate. And, when he has reckoned what all this avails him, and understands that it avails him nothing, then only can he be my disciple." (lk 14:33)

And upon hearing this, a man said: (lk 14:15) "That is very well, if there be indeed a life of the spirit. But what if one abandons all, and there be no such life?"

To this Jesus said: "Not so; everyone knows the life of the spirit. You all know it; but you do not do that which you know. Not because you doubt, but because you are drawn away from the true life by false cares, and excuse yourselves from it.

"This is like your conduct, like your deeds: A master got ready a dinner, and sent to invite guests, (lk 14:16-17) but the guests began to decline. One said: 'I have bought land, and I must go and look after it.' (lk 14:18) Another said: 'I have bought oxen, and I must try them.' (lk 14:19) A third said: 'I have taken a wife, and am going to celebrate the wedding. (lk 14:20) ' And the messengers came and told the master that no one was coming. The master then sent the messengers to invite the beggars. (lk 14:21) The beggars did not refuse, but came. And when they were come, there was still room left. (lk 14:22) And the master sent to call in still more, and said: 'Go and persuade all to come to my dinner, in order that I may have more people.' (lk 14:23) And they who had refused, from want of leisure, found no place at the dinner. (lk 14:24)

"All know that the fulfilment of the will of the Father gives life, but do not go because the guile of wealth draws them away.

"He who resigns false temporary wealth for the true life in the will of the Father, does as did a certain clever steward. There was a man who was steward to a rich master. (lk 16:1) This steward saw that, sooner or later, the master would drive him away, and that he would remain without food, and without shelter. And the steward thought to himself: (lk 16:3) 'This is what I will do: I will privately distribute the master's goods to the laborers; I will reduce their debts, and then, if the master drives me out, the laborers will remember my kindness, and will not abandon me.' And so the steward did. He called the laborers, his master's debtors, and rewrote their documents. (lk 16:5) For him who owed a hundred he wrote fifty; (lk 16:6) for him who owed sixty, he wrote twenty, and similarly for the rest. And the master learned this, and said to himself: 'Well, he has done wisely; otherwise he would have had to beg his bread. To me he has caused a loss, but his own reckoning was wise. (lk 16:8) '

"For, in the fleshly life, we all understand wherein is the true reckoning, but in the life of the spirit, we do not wish to understand. Thus must we do with unjust, false wealth,give it up, in order to receive the life of the spirit. (lk 16:9) And if we regret to give up such trifles as wealth for the life of the spirit, then this life will not be given us.' (lk 16:10-11) If we do not give up false wealth, then our own true life will not be given us. (lk 16:12)

"It is impossible to serve two masters at one time; to serve God and Wealth, the will of the Father, and one's own will. Either one or the other." (lk 16:13)

And the orthodox heard this. But loving wealth, they jeered at him. (lk 16:14)

And he said to them: "You think that, because men honor you on account of wealth, you are really honorable. It is not so. God does not look at the exterior, but looks at the heart. That which stands high among men, is abomination in the eyes of God. (lk 16:15) Now the kingdom of heaven is attainable on earth, and great are they who enter it. (lk 16:16) But there enter it, not the rich, but those who have nothing. And this has always been so, both according to your law, and according to Moses, and according to the prophets also. Listen. How does it stand with rich and poor in your way of thinking? (lk 16:17)

"There was a rich man. He dressed well, led an idle and amusing life every day. (lk 16:19) And there was a vagrant, Lazarus, covered with sores. And Lazarus came to the yard of the rich man, (lk 16:20) and thought there would be leavings from the rich man's table, but Lazarus did not get even the leavings, the rich man's dogs ate up everything, and even licked Lazarus' sores. (lk 16:21) And both these died, Lazarus and the rich man. (lk 16:22) And in Hades, the rich man saw, far off, Abraham; and behold, Lazarus, the beggar, was sitting with him. (lk 16:23) And the rich man said: 'Father Abraham, see, Lazarus the beggar is sitting with you. He used to wallow under my fence. I dare not trouble you, but send Lazarus the beggar to me; let him but wet his finger in water, to cool my throat, because I am burning in the fire.' (lk 16:24) But Abraham said: 'But why should I send Lazarus into the fire to you? You, in that other world, had what you wished, but Lazarus only saw grief; so that he ought now to be happy. (lk 16:25) Yes, and though I should like to help you, I cannot, because between us and you there is a great pit, and it is impossible to cross it. We are living, but you are dead.' (lk 16:26) Then the rich man said: 'Well, Father Abraham, send Lazarus the beggar to my home. I have five brothers; (lk 16:27) I am sorry for them. Let him tell everything to them, and show how harmful wealth is; so that they may not fall into this torture.' (lk 16:28) But Abraham said: 'As it is, they know the harm. They were told of it by Moses, and by all the prophets.' (lk 16:29) But the rich man said: 'Still, it would be better if some one should rise from the dead, and go to them; they would the sooner bethink themselves.' (lk 16:30) But Abraham said: 'But if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then, even if a dead man came to life, they would not listen, even to him.'" (lk 16:31)

"That one should share all with one's brother, and do good to everybody; this all men know. And the whole law of Moses, and all the prophets, said only this: 'You know this truth, but cannot do it, because you love wealth.'"

And a rich official among the orthodox went up to Jesus, and said to him: "You are a good teacher, what shall I do to receive everlasting life?" (mk 10:17)

Jesus said: "Why do you call me good?

Only the Father is good. But, if you wish to have life, fulfil the commandments." (mk 10:18)

The official said: "There are many commandments; which do you mean?"

And Jesus said: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not lie, Do not steal. Further, honor your Father, and fulfil His will; and love your neighbor as yourself." (mk 10:19)

But the orthodox official said: "All these commandments I have fulfilled from my childhood; (mk 10:20) but I ask, what else must one do, according to your teaching?"

Jesus looked at him, at his rich dress, and smiled, and said: "One small thing you have left undone. You have not fulfilled that which you say. If you wish to fulfil these commandments: Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not lie, and, above all, the commandment: Love your neighbour as yourself,then, at once sell all your goods, and give them to the poor. Then you will have fulfilled the Father's will." (mk 10:21)

Having heard this, the official frowned, and went away, because he was loath to part with his estates. (mk 10:22)

And Jesus said to his disciples: "As you see, it is in no wise possible to be rich, and to fulfil the Father's will." (mk 10:23)

The disciples were horrified at these words, so Jesus once more repeated them, and said: "Yes, children, he who has his own property, cannot be in the will of the Father. (mk 10:24) Sooner may a camel pass through a needle's eye than he who trusts in wealth fulfil the will of the Father." (mk 10:25) (lk 18:25) And they were still more horrified, and said: "But, in that case, is it at all possible to keep one's life?" (mk 10:26) (lk 18:26)

He said: "To man it seems impossible to support one's life without property; but God, even without property; can support a man's life." (mk 10:27) (lk 18:27)

Once, Jesus was going through the town of Jericho. (lk 19:1) And in this town was the chief of the tax-gatherers, a rich man named Zaccheus. (lk 19:2) This Zaccheus had heard of the teaching of Jesus, and believed in it. And when he knew that Jesus was in Jericho, he wished to see him. But there were so many people around, that it was impossible to push through to him. Zaccheus was short of stature. (lk 19:3) So he ran ahead and climbed a tree, in order to see Jesus as he was going past. (lk 19:4) And thus, in passing by, Jesus saw him, and having learnt that he believed his teaching, said: "Come down from the tree, and go home; I will come to your house." (lk 19:5) Zaccheus climbed down, ran home, made ready to meet Jesus, and joyfully welcomed him. (lk 19:6)

The people began to criticize, and to say of Jesus: "See, he has gone into the tax-gatherer's house,the house of a rogue." (lk 19:7)

Meanwhile, Zaccheus said to Jesus: "See, sir, this is what I will do. I will give away half of my goods to the poor, and out of what is left I will repay fourfold those whom I have wronged." (lk 19:8)

And Jesus said: "Now you have saved yourself. You were dead, and are alive; you were lost, and are found; because you have done as Abraham did, when he wished to slay his son; you have shown your faith. (lk 19:9) Therein is the whole business of man's life; to seek out and save in his soul that which is perishing. (lk 19:10) But such sacrifice as yours must not be measured by its amount."

It happened once that Jesus and his disciples were sitting opposite a collecting-box. People were placing their contributions in the box, for God's service. Rich people went up to the box, and put in much. (mk 12:41) And a poor woman, a widow, came and put in two farthings. (mk 12:42)

And Jesus pointed her out, and said: "See, now, this poor widow has put two farthings in the box. She has put in more than all. (mk 12:43) Because they put in that which they did not need for their own livelihood; while this woman has put all that she had; she has put in her whole life." (mk 12:44)

It happened that Jesus was in the house of Simon the leper. (mt 26:6) And a woman came into the house. And the woman had a vase of precious oil worth fifteen pounds. Jesus said to his disciples, that his death was near. The woman heard this, and pitied Jesus, and, to show him her love, wished to anoint his head with the oil. And she forgot everything, and broke the vase, and anointed his head and feet, and poured out all the oil. (mt 26:7) And the disciples began to discuss among themselves, thinking that she had done wrong. And Judas, he who afterward betrayed Jesus, said: "See how much good stuff has gone for nothing. (mt 26:8) This oil might have been sold for fifteen pounds, with which, how many poor might have been helped!" (mt 26:9) And the disciples began blaming the woman; who was troubled, and did not know whether she had done well or ill.

Then Jesus said: "You are troubling the woman without cause. She has, indeed, done a good work, (mt 26:10) and you mistakenly think of the poor. If you wish to do good to the poor, do so; they are always with you. (mt 26:11) But why call them to mind now? If you pity the poor, go with your pity, do them good. But she has pitied me, and done real good, because she has given away all that she had. Who of you can know what is useful, and what is not necessary? How do you know that there was no need to pour the oil over me? She has thus anointed me with oil, and if it were but to get ready my body for burial, this was needful. (mt 26:12) She truly fulfilled the will of the Father, in forgetting herself and pitying another. (mt 26:13) She forgot the reckonings of the flesh and gave away all that she had."

And Jesus said: "My teaching is the fulfilment of the Father's will; and the Father's will can be fulfilled by deeds only; not by mere words. If a man's son, in answer to his father's bidding, (mt 21:28) keeps saying, 'I obey, I obey,' but does nothing which his father bids, he then does not fulfil the will of his father. But if another son keeps saying, I do not wish to obey,' and then goes and does his father's bidding, he indeed fulfils the father's will. (mt 21:29) And so with men: Not he is in the Father's will who says: 'I am in the Father's will,'but he who does that which the Father wishes."