Luke, Chapter 12,
Verse 4-5
4 I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but
after that can do no more. 5 I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after
killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid
of that one.
Christ may have been referring to the rabbinic duality of yetzer hara, the so-called "evil inclination," and the yetzer hatov, the "good inclination,". Yetzer hara is not a demonic force that pushes a person to do evil, but rather a drive toward pleasure or property or security, which if left unlimited, can lead to evil (cf. Genesis Rabbah 9:7). When a person’s will is properly controlled by the yetzer hatov, the yetzer hara leads too many socially desirable results, including marriage, business, and community. In Judaism adults are distinguished from children by the yetzer hatov, which controls and channels the drives that exist unchecked in the child. Thus children may seek pleasure and acquisition, but they are not able to create a sanctified relationship or exercise the responsibility to engage in business. The young adult is not described as someone who has developed a sophisticated moral sense; in fact, the early adolescent may base moral decisions entirely on fear of punishment. Yet by age 13, the child’s moral sense has developed sufficiently to hold the child responsible for his or her actions.[1]
Another Jewish source states:
ha-Satan, the Adversary, was one of the
“severe” agents of God. Another such harsh but necessary force in God’s
creation is the Yetzer ha-Ra, which is variously translated as the
“Evil Impulse,” the “Evil Desire,” the “Selfish Desire” or just “Desire.” It is that aspect of nature,
but especially human nature, which drives us to compete, to fight, to possess,
but most of all to desire sexual gratification. Though it is counter-balanced
by the Yetzer ha-Tov, the “altruistic desire,” it is nonetheless the
source of much of the grief in human life – lust, violence, selfishness,
vengeance, and ambition. One would think that humanity would be truly better
off if we could destroy this impulse. We see evil in ourselves, it offends us,
and we think the right thing to do is to totally purge ourselves of it. Yet we
don’t truly understand it, for things we so easily characterize as “evil”
actually spring out of the very nexus of holiness. Surreal as it is, this maaseh
makes an incredible point – it is the strife of the spirit, the very struggle
between our impulses that makes the world work. Without the Yetzer ha-Ra,
the world as we know would cease – people [and animals] would no longer be
driven to build, to create, to have children. In short, life as we know,
including not only evil aspects but most of what we regard as beautiful also,
would cease. Without Desire, Life itself would slowly wither away, and that
would be a sad thing. So the goal of the spiritual person is not to destroy the
selfish-sexual-evil impulse, but rather to sublimate it to God’s purpose. To be
truly what God wants us to be, to achieve our fullest human potential, we need
to learn to bend both our impulses to godly ends. We should not cease
to lust, but should direct that urge toward love. We should turn our impulse
toward vengeance into the desire for justice, our ambition for acquiring
possessions into the creation of true wealth.[2]
Father’s Day
On this Father’s Day
take a walk with your Father being powerless and humble with him and with all
graciousness thank him for his love and assistance in helping you find your
path in life.
Yesterday
I took a prayer filled hike in the Round Lake, New York area. I asked our Lord
on the hike to speak to me as we walked along the way. The Lord spoke to my
heart and said that in this world there are two kinds of people those that give
and those that get. He said amazingly those that get never get enough and those
who give always get enough.
As
we walked Christ pointed out to me the things that I should be giving to
others.
As I
started the hike I noticed the sign with the map of the hike was reversed and
if I did not study it closely I would be lost. Christ urged me to:
- Give good directions.
Walking
along I met others walking or riding bikes coming from the opposite direction
and they looked rather glum and miserable. Christ urged me to greet them. As I
did I noticed their expression changed from glum to happy.
- Give greetings.
Walking
along I heard music from a tavern near the trail. Christ urged me to:
- Give music and song to gladding others hearts.
Walking
along I met a small turtle that on seeing me tucked into his shell. Christ
urged me to:
- Give others respect and privacy.
Walking
along I passed a stream and notice the path was shady. Christ urged me to:
- Give refreshment to others.
Finally as I was walking along as the Lord answered me I noticed He
had delivered me from all my fears.
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