THE HOLIESTCommentaries on St. Matthew
Tablet Thirty-Two
APPENDIX:
Chapter 22
"And Esa answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,"
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,"
"And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come."
"Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage."
"But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:"
"And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them."
"But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." (Matthew 22:1-7)
<1>The meaning of this parable is almost identical to the previous one in chapter 21. The priests, elders, and those who had called themselves chosen ones were invited to purify themselves and progress so to be fit to enter the wedding (Pure Consciousness). But they became so engaged in the illusion of their power, prestige, and that they were chosen ones, that they became attached to this external world and lost sight of the true goal of life, "But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise."
<2>Not only did they become attached to the external world and could not make it to heaven, but they beat and killed the Prophets who came to warn them of their erring ways, "And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them."
<3>Because of all these things, God would take His Blessings and give them to others as a lesson, for the future, to humanity.
"Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy."
"Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage."
"So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests." (Matthew 22:8-10)
<4>John the Baptist came and called to the elders and priests to come, repent, and be baptized. But they did not come. They were the ones who were bidden to the wedding. So John and Esa were forced to go to the highways and gather together those who were not bidden first to the wedding, "both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests." <5>Those who were chosen on the highways were not all ready to come to the wedding.
"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:"
"And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless."
"Then saith the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
"For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:11-14)
<6>Those who have not made themselves pure enough and ready to enter the Kingdom Of Heaven will be drowned in the ocean of Maya to the outer darkness (ignorance).
"Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk." (Matthew 22:15)
<7>The Pharisees thought by destroying him they could destroy what God had revealed through him. Prophets and Messengers (sons of God) say what is the truth -- to destroy their physical bodies (or not) makes no difference -- their missions will be done. <8>Pharisees were not aware of the Laws and ways of heaven (God) but of the ways of men. So they tried to destroy him by bringing accusations against him. However, he would even destroy this plan so that they would be forced to kill him although he was completely innocent, both from God's Laws and from man's. So they would be guilty either way.
"And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men."
"Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?"
"But Esa perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?"
"Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny."
"And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?"
"They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:16-21)
<9>Esa was teaching them the "subjective approach with objective adjustment." Although the goal (objective) is to bring the Kingdom Of Heaven On Earth, however until then we should objectively adjust ourselves to the existing realities (Caesar).
<10>So, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."
"When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way." (Matthew 22:22)
<11>Also with this answer he made their plan ineffective.
"The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,"
"Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother."
"Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:"
"Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh."
"And last of all the woman died also."
"Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her."
"Esa answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."
"For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." (Matthew 22:24-30)
<12>The male and female energies have little to do with the physical bodies of men and women. In Pure Consciousness (heaven), each person is androgynous (male and female).
<13>So the questions of the Sadducees were irrelevant in this regard that there is no such thing as marriage in heaven. That is why usually, from a spiritual point of view, there is only one partner for each person. <14>However, from the point of view of mental or physical attraction or convenience of life*, there can be marriage between two people of the opposite sex.
"But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,"
"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matthew 22:31-32)
<15>The Soul does not die when the body stops functioning. The body is like a garment for the Soul. When it becomes old we leave it and assume a new garment (body). <16>That is why Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (their Souls) are not dead either. Their bodies were put in the cave that Abraham built for his wife's (Sarah's) burial. But they were not their bodies. They left their bodies and were reincarnated as Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Esa, etc.
<17>That is why "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." It is the illusion of man that he is his body that causes him to think that those whose bodies stop functioning are dead. But that is from ignorance. Therefore there is no such thing as the resurrection of the physically dead, but of the living (reincarnation)! Resurrection is for the spirit.
"And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine." (Matthew 22:33)
<18>People had never heard such things, so they were "astonished at his doctrine." His doctrine is true, and truth will prevail.
"But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together."
"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,"
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"
"Esa said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:34-37)
"This is the first and great commandment." (Matthew 22:38)
<19>As the body becomes dirty in a couple of days, the mind becomes dirty even faster and the Soul will be drowned in Maya through the dirty mind. If a person wants to stay physically clean all the time, he should stay in the shower twenty-four hours a day.
<20>If to keep the body perfectly clean a person should be washing himself all the time, then it would be even more difficult to keep the mind clean and pure which becomes soiled faster than the body by being affected and pulled to the attractions of the external world and away from the spiritual world and thoughts.
<21>That is why if a person wants to stay in higher planes and keep the mind immersed in the spiritual world instead of to the external world, he should direct all his attention and being toward it. The purest and holiest of all in the spiritual world is God. <22>So by loving the Lord God with all our hearts, and with all our minds, and with all our Souls, we will direct all our attention toward Him and His creation. By doing so, gradually we will know Him and His Ways so we will be saved from the ocean of Maya and be(come) Divine as He is. By this intense one-pointed direction of thought, He will be our companion all the time, so we will know Him and be(come) Him.
<23>It is then that we can manifest His qualities and glorify Him by our actions. Then we be(come) a son of God and men can know Him and go to Him through us.
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:39)
<24>Also God is everything and if you love Him with such an intense one-pointedness, then you should also love all His creation as His manifestation. The closest of all those is your neighbour. So with this realization that God is all, you would not dare to harm anything in the universe for selfish reasons, because harming anything for selfish reasons is harming the Lord, <25>and you do not harm those you love.
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:40)
<26>With these two commandments a man will automatically refrain from murdering, stealing, fornication, false witnessing, etc, because they are all selfish actions which will hurt others, and hurting others is the same as hurting God. <27>The man who loves God with all his heart, being, and mind will not hurt Him but he will follow the Commandments of the Beloved One (God).
"While the Pharisees were gathered together, Esa asked them,"
"Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David."
"He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,"
"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?"
"If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?"
"And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions." (Matthew 22:41-46)
<28>Who is the Lord of a person beside God? It is his Soul. So David in spirit (astral body) heard the Lord talk with him, "...saith unto my Lord," that He would destroy his (David's) enemy. So Christ in fact was the same as David himself.
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*For convenience of life: for example, marriage of a man and a woman because the first spouses are dead and the marriage between them can be used to make life easier for both, etc.