"What is truth?" - Pontius Pilate

"'What is truth?' retorted Pilate.  With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against him.'" -- John 18:38.  Pontius Pilate may not have known this on that third day of April, 33 A.D., but he may have very well asked one of the most disconcertingly difficult questions to understand and answer in the philosophical world.  I guess to better understand the topic, we need to delve deeper into two things: (1.) who was the man that asked that questions?, and (2.) how do we really define "truth?"  

So, Pontius Pilate; who was he?  Well, plainly put, he was the Roman Governor of Judea from 26 A.D. to 36 A.D.  When the Jews fell into the hands of Roman power, they still allowed them to practice their rituals.  However, there was one small catch. They were not allowed to put anybody to death without Pilate's permission.  Now, it is possible that he acquired his position of: Roman Governor through marriage, because it is believed that his wife, Claudia Procula (a possible secret Christian), was the granddaughter of Caesar Augusta (the Roman Emperor at the time of Jesus' birth) and the daughter of the second wife of Tiberius Caesar (the Roman Emperor at the time of Jesus' crucifixion).  It has been suggested that as Claudia actually accompanied her husband rather than staying in Rome, that their marriage was a happy one.  Legend has it that they had a son named: Pilo who was disabled in some way, and was apparently healed in the Church.  Pilate's two main duties were to keep order in the country and to make sure that all imperial tax revenues were collected and sent to Rome.  However, Pontius Pilate did not have a good reputation with the Jews.  They described Pontius Pilate as a stubborn, inflexible, and cruel man who had no respect for the Jewish people.  He used cruel and merciless punishments for the guilty (such as flogging).  And yet, one special Friday; one arranged for a particular purpose, he came face to face with Jesus.  And as the Gospel John is written: When Jesus said: "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me", Pilate walked right up to Him and said: "What is truth?"  Now, it doesn't say what Jesus said to Pilate, but it had to be something exquisite, because as the Gospel goes, "he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against him.".  This man, who the Jews believed had a heart of stone, was not convinced that Jesus had done anything wrong.  Between his wife telling him not to have anything to do with Jesus' death due to a nightmare she had the night before and whatever Jesus said about "truth", Pilate somewhere deep down believed that Jesus was an innocent man.  However, even though Pilate wanted to and tried to save Him, he was pressured into ordering his death by the Jewish religious leaders and a disorderly crowd of spectators.  Pilate washed his hands and reluctantly handed Him over to those who wanted to crucify Him.  Now, what happened to Pontius Pilate afterwords is hard to say.  The stories range from him committing suicide in 39 A.D. to him becoming a follower of Paul alongside Claudia, was baptized, and was even martyred.  Nevertheless, nobody knows the whole story.

Now, truth; what is it?  Well, let's break it down the simplest way possible, shall we?  First off, truth is: a noun.  If you remember anything from your junior high English classes, you would know that a noun is: a person, place, or thing.  And in one sense, truth was a person at one time.  If you remember important people from your high school history class, there was a person by the name of Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), who was an American abolitionist and feminist.  Born into slavery, she escaped in 1827 and became a leading preacher against slavery and for the rights of women.  However, in another and more common sense, truth is a thing.  And now that we know that, we need to ask ourselves: "What kind of thing is it?"  Well, to modify this thing we call: truth, we would most likely say that it's a good thing.  After all, as we mature as children, we are taught right from wrong from our parents or whoever raises us.  And generally, a "right" or a good thing would be to "tell the truth".  Let's look for a moment at the most descriptive and deepest definition of truth that we can find.  Truth is defined as: something that is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.  Truth is a comprehensive term that in all of its nuances implies accuracy and honesty.  So, truth can either be observed or spoken.  So, there is, as mentioned earlier, "telling the truth".  And then, there is investigating it.  In other words, truth is not theoretical but factual; something that cannot be denied or refuted.  For example, let's say you live in a 2,000 square foot apartment.  If it is genuinely accurate to say that "truth is absolute", then that would mean that I could measure your apartment a million times, and it would still come up as 2,000 square feet.  It would be 2,000 square feet the first time; it would be 2,000 square feet the millionth time.  No matter how I'd measure it, it would still result in the same number of square feet.  

However, through many centuries, additional senses associated with or suggested by the word: truth have been placed.  The connotations of truth is sometimes (but not always) fixed, and are often subjective.  Let's take Secular Humanists, for example.  They say that there is no such thing as truth.  And if there is, there is no "absolute" truth.  So, in other words, truth, to them, is not an absolute term but a relative term.  They would say something like: "Your truth may not be the same as my truth.  And our conflicting truths may not be the same as someone else's truth".  "Truth" they would say "is all n the interpretation".  But if you look closer, you would find that what they are talking about (even though they may deny it) is not necessarily truth.  After all, interpretation is not considered truth but opinion.  To interpret is to ascribe a particular meaning or significance to something.  That is, giving meaning and significance according to the way you see it.  Interpretation does not imply accuracy and honesty the way truth does.  And keep in mind that truth was around long before Secular Humanism even came into the picture.  Emily Dickinson once said: "Truth is as old as God."  And whether you believe in God or not, it would be difficult to even fathom just how old that really is.  

So, if a Secular Humanist were to walk up to me today, tomorrow, or whenever, and ask me: "What is your truth?", I would say: "My truth?  I personally have no truth."  "How could you personally have no truth?", they may ask.  At this point, I wouldn't explain honesty like: "Tell me the truth."  Or explain accuracy like: "Truth is absolute like the 2,000 square foot apartment."  What I would say without argument is: "Because truth is Jesus Christ."  Jesus Christ is not just A TRUTH, He is THE TRUTH.  Remember, in John 14:6 Jesus said: "“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  After all, it's been said that "Truth is as old as God."  You can interpret books.  You can interpret plays.  But you can't interpret truth.  Truth has never been open to interpretation.  And because Jesus Christ is truth, as He mentioned, He is the ONLY way to the Heavenly Father who created us and loves us, despite our imperfections.  

Duology - Part II: Love your neighbor...

As I mentioned in the first segment, we know that we have The Ten Commandments to follow, which is referenced in Exodus 20:3-17 and Deuteronomy 5:7-21.  The first four teaches us how to love God, and the last six teaches us how to love others.  But Jesus altered the two themes into two separate Commandments; the two greatest commandments.  First, you should "Love the Lord your God..."  And second, you should "Love your neighbor as yourself."  In my first segment, I talked about the first of the two Commandments and gave insight on how to love the Lord your God.  In this segment, I will be talking about what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.  Now, I have been asked: "Was Jesus saying that 'love for God' is the greatest commandment while ''love for neighbor' is second in importance?  Or was he saying that both 'love of God' and 'love of neighbor' are equally important and rank as the greatest commandments?"  Well, that's kind of hard to say for sure.  We can look at the differences in the Gospels, but any conclusion will be based purely on speculation and conjecture.  First, in Deuteronomy 6:6, after Moses was told how to "Love the Lord your God," with the exception of "with all your mind," God said: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."  Also, in Matthew 22:38, after saying to love the Lord your God, Jesus said: "This is the first and greatest commandment."  Then, in Matthew 22:39 (as well as Mark 12:31), He said that "the second is like it," which was to love your neighbor.  This would imply that "love for God" is of greater importance than the "love for neighbor."  However, after Jesus mentioned BOTH of the commandments, He said in Mark 12:31: "There is no commandment greater than these.”  Also, after BOTH of the commandments were mentioned to Jesus, He said in Luke 10:28: “Do this and you will live.”  Jesus also said in Mark 12:33, after mentioning BOTH commandments, that following them: "is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  These three verse would imply that "love for God" and "love for neighbor" are equally important.  Whatever the case may be, one this is for certain...  Both of these  Commandments are the two greatest commandments from the Lord your God Himself.  

Exodus 20:12-17 and Deuteronomy 5:16-21 states the last six Commandments.  And as mentioned, the last six Commandments teaches us what we should do to love others; how to love your neighbor; to love your neighbor as yourself.  Now, before we get into what it means to love your neighbor as yourself, we need to first state or describe the exact nature, scope, or meaning of the word "neighbor."  How do we define a "neighbor?"  Well, one way is its common denotation: "A person living near or adjacent to the speaker or person referred to."  So, a neighbor in this regard is any person who lives in the same vicinity and engages in mutual activities.  This could include people who live immediately next door to you and people who are in your local community.  But does the instruction "Love your neighbor as yourself" apply only to people living nearby?  Probably not.  However, another way to define "neighbor" is: "A fellow human or fellowman."  Therefore, a neighbor in this regard is any person of equal rank, position, or background.  As we will see, this definition may be the most applicable in the point of view attempted.  So, now, let's look at the tenet "Love your neighbor as yourself" in both the Biblical and secular sense to further explore its tenor.  

THE SECULAR SENSE:

Everybody is familiar with The Golden Rule (also known as the ethic of reciprocity).  The Golden Rule is basically treating other people the way you would want to be treated.  It is stated in both the Positive and Negative form.  The only difference is that in the Negative form (also called "The Silver Rule"), it states that you should not treat other people in the way you would not want to be treated.  Much to the contrary of what a lot of people think, it is not all Biblically based.  The Golden Rule is regarded mainly as a humanistic principle, especially from the bylaws in the IHEU and the Humanist Manifesto II (1973).  Humanists try to embrace this maxim due to its universality, because it is derived from human feelings and experience and it requires people to think about others and try to imagine how they might think and feel.  No, not everybody has the same tastes and opinions, nor does everybody want to be treated the same in every situation.  But pretty much everybody would like to be treated with respect; to be treated with tolerance, consideration and compassion.  It is not bad to try to empathize with other people, and yes, this includes people who are different from us.  Empathy is at the root of kindness, understanding and acceptance, which are qualities that we all appreciate being shown, no matter who we are, what we think and where we come from.  So, no, it is not a requirement to have a religious background in order to be able to be affable and courteous to another human being.  Like being a Believer, our attitudes and dispositions toward others is what we choose; it is of our own free will.  Many philosophers and founders of religions down through many centuries have had their own expressions about "The Golden Rule."

• Do not to your neighbor what you would take ill from him. (Pittacus, 650 BC).
• Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others. (Zoroaster, The Shast-na-shayast 13:29, 600 BC)
• Hurt not others with that which pains yourself. (Buddha, The Udanavarga 5:18, 560 BC). 
• Do not unto another that you would not have him do unto you. Thou needest this law alone. It is the foundation of all the rest.  (Confucius, The Analects 15:23, 500 BC).
• Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss. (T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien 213-218, 500 BC).
• A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated.  (Sudharmasvami, Sutrakritanga 1.11.33, around 500 BC - give or take).
• Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing. (Thales, 464 BC).
• What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them.  (Sextus the Pythagorean, 406 BC).
• We should conduct ourselves toward others as we would have them act toward us.  (Aristotle, 384 BC).
• Cherish reciprocal benevolence, which will make you as anxious for another’s welfare as your own. (Aristippus of Cyrene, 365 BC).
• Act toward others as you desire them to act toward you. (Isocrates, 338 BC).
• This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you. (Mahabharata 5:1517, 300 BC). 
• What thou thyself hatest, do to no man. (Tobias 4:15, 180 BC).
• What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary. (Rabbi Hillel, The Talmud, 50 BC).
• The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves (Roman Paganism).
• What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others. (Epictetus, Encheiridion, 125 AD).
• One should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated (Narayan Pandit, The Hitopadesha v 353, 1373).
• Do as ye wald be done to.  That is, LIVE AND LET LIVE (David Ferguson, Scottish Proverbs # 582, 1641).
• Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone. (Guru Arjan Devji 259, The Guru Granth Sahib, 1705).
• Act as if the maxim of your action were to become by your will a universal law of nature. (Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, The Categorical Imperative – Law of Nature, 1785).
• Therefore, all things whatsoever that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law of the prophets. (Joseph Smith Jr,  Book of the Mormons, 3 Nephi 14:12, 1830).
• Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself. (Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, 10th leaf verse 7, page 72, 1873).

The 1980 booklet written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard entitled "The Way To Happiness" lists 21 moral precepts and expresses The Golden Rule both in its negative/prohibitive form and in its positive form.  Precept 19 states: "Try not to do things to others that you would not like them to do to you."  Precept 20 states: "Try to treat others as you would want them to treat you."  Although I am not a student of Islam, but the Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13 says: “Not one of you is a believer until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.”  The Golden Rule is implicitly expressed in some verses of Qur'an, but is explicitly declared in the sayings of Muhammad.  Occults such as Wiccans believe in "The Golden Rule."  These eight words the Rede fulfill, "an ye harm none do as ye will."  In other words, do what you will, so long as it harms none (nothing or no one, including yourself).  And, oh yes, even Satan followers have their own "Golden Rule" to an extent.  No, I have never read the satanic bible, nor do I intend to ever read it.  But I know that the fourth and fifth satanic statement is that people should give kindness to only those who deserve it and vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.  They do not believe in Matthew 5:39.  So, it's not that they believe that one should treat others the way they would want to be treated, but that people should treat others the way others treat them.  That is, react to the treatment given by others by responding to them in the same way.  They believe in the "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" saying.  Whatever the philosophy or religion may be, pretty much everyone believes that respect should be reciprocated.  

Now, if we were to look at the statement "Love your neighbor as yourself," we would see that that although there are a couple of interpretations to it, problems have still arisen from it due to the different personalities of people.  First, some people think highly of themselves and tend to affront and even vituperate others.  This, of course, would be the obvious target of this statement.  But it goes further than that.  Another group of people are those who think very low of themselves and, not so much put other people down, but themselves.  This, unfortunately, creates two problems.  

The first group of people are people who think very highly of themselves.  In fact, too highly of themselves, to amend it more precisely.  Now, it is important to "love or like yourself."  After all, to "love your neighbor as yourself," to some degree, implies that love for others is partially based on how you love yourself.  And you would think that this would insinuate that if you thought highly of yourself, you would think highly of others, right?  But as we see, this is not the case.  In fact, it seems that the higher a person thinks of themselves, the less they think of others.  There is no known reason why people become egotistic and boastful, but it does create a lot of negative and unpleasant attributes.  This particular group of people tend to have traits such as arrogance, vanity and, unfortunately, attitudes that convey hedonism (at any cost) and hypocrisy.  I, personally, do not know anybody who is drawn to that.  And although it is important to "love or like yourself," you should not do so at the expense of others.  You should love yourself with a "healthy balance."  Healthy is defined as: Sound; in good condition; not damaged, injured, or diseased.  Balance is defined as: a force in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions enabling someone or something to remain upright.  So, loving yourself with a healthy balance means loving yourself in a way that shows nous and good judgment by not going to extremes with cognitive appraisal (personal mental interpretation), affective state (personal feelings) and character (e.g. The Big Five Personality Traits).  Thus, people who come off as presumptuous and pretentious have an equilibrium of self-worth that is unsteady (like the people with low-self-esteem).  Because of this, in the case of the instruction:"Love your neighbor as yourself," this group of people have a difficulty with the "Love your neighbor..." part.  They see no problem with loving themselves, but to love their neighbor AS themselves is where it would get tough for them.  This would probably be a time to remember "The Golden Rule."  Sure, you could ask yourself: "How would I want to be treated?"  But other questions you could ask yourself is: "Would I like a person who acts like me?"  "Would I want someone to dish out to me what I dish out to others?"  "When I make an opinion about somebody, would I want them to make that kind of opinion about me?"  "I did this to this person.  Would I like if it were done to me by that same person or anybody else?"  True, not everybody's personality is the same.  But as mentioned, pretty much everyone believes that respect should be reciprocated.  Now, one might say: "Respect?"  If I don't like something about somebody or agree with them about something, I don't have to honor it."  And that's true, you don't have to honor it.  You don't have to venerate it in any way, shape or form.  However, the term respect not only indicates honor, but it also denotes acceptance.  So, no, you don't have to honor it, but you can accept it.  I have studied World Religions and have found it to be quite interesting.  Sure, there are people who are a part of those religions.  And no, I don't agree with them (or, at least, I don't agree with ALL of the beliefs of those religions).  But I accept them.  That is, I accept the fact that the people who choose to follow those religions firmly believe in the doctrines of those religions.  I don't honor them, but I do accept them.  Hence, I respect the beliefs of other people (whether I agree with them or not).  Furthermore, humble yourself before others.  To become humble means to become unassuming, aware of the talents of others and conscious of your own shortcomings.  I talked about what it means to possess humility in Part I of my Duology.  

The second group of people are those who do not think much of themselves at all.  Keep in mind that this is not the same as being bumble.  Sure, a humble person may not exalt themselves, but they do have a moderate estimate of their own importance.  Some people confuse humility with self-hatred.  Being modest does not mean putting yourself down all the time, and it sure doesn't mean to hate yourself.  As I mentioned, you should "love yourself" (i.e. like yourself)  And love yourself with a "healthy balance," absolutely.  Part of the problem is that as we grow and mature, our parents unintentionally teach us to believe that if we say we love or like ourselves, people will think we are egoistic and conceited.  After all, nobody likes people who are self-centered and big headed.  And our parents do not want us to become that way, nor do they want anybody else to think that way about us.  But sometimes we confuse these lessons and become abashed of the liking of ourselves, and thus, a distortion of our self-concept comes about.  There are those who choose to go too far on the other side of the pendulum where self-esteem is quite low due to this upbringing without deliberate intent.  As a result, they can become underachievers (sometimes, not always), they do not know how to take a compliment and any praise they would attempt to give themselves would come off more as self-bullying.  This, of course, would create a couple of issues with following the instructions: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  However, for this group of people, they sort of have a difficulty with the "..as yourself" part.  They see no problem with loving their neighbor per sé, but to love their neighbor as themselves is where it would get tough for them.  You see, this lack of self-worth can bring about two possible upshots.  First, if the person is unable to "love or like themselves", he/she will not be able to love or like others (not in a healthy way, at least).  After all, if your love for others is partially based on how you love yourself, your love for others would be just as chaotic as your love for yourself, and thus, just as abject.  And second, if the person is unable to "love or like themselves," nobody else is going to love or like them, either.  Nobody that I know likes to hang around people who are always pessimistic, down on themselves and constantly expressing their irritation to and about the world.  Let's go back to the subject of respect again for a moment.  Although respect for others is important, there is also a thing called: self-respect.  You should possess humility, but you should also possess dignity.  Dignity is recognizing your right to inherent nobility and worth, respect and ethical treatment.  You have the cognizance and the privilege to be accepted and to be treated with consideration.  When it comes to dignity, this not only applies to how others treat you, but how you treat yourself as well.  Respect yourself, and other will be more likely to.

THE BIBLICAL SENSE:

As we've seen, The Golden Rule is not limited to the Bible, however, you can find it many times in the Bible.  The first time you it is within the context of The Torah, which is is the Jewish name for the first five books of (particularly The Old Testament) the Holy Bible.  In Leviticus 19:18, it says: “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the LORD."  Then, we go into the New Testament.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:12: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."  In Matthew 19:18-19, with the exception of "Do not covet," Jesus said: "'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and ‘'love your neighbor as yourself'".  Then, in Matthew 22:39, Jesus said: ""And the second is like it: '‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"  Similarly, in Mark 12:31, Jesus said: ""The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"  Jesus said in Mark 12:33 that to love God and "your neighbor as yourself" is "'more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.'”  Jesus said (as commonly as The Golden Rule is stated) in Luke 6:31 to: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."  In Luke 10:27, after a law expert said to Jesus to "love the Lord your God," he then said to Jesus: "and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  In Romans 13:9-10, another one that has the exception of "Do not covet", the Apostle Paul said: "The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not covet,' and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.  Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."  He also said in Galatians 5:14: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The Apostle James said in James 2:8 said that: "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right."  Even if you were to read the Gnostic Gospels, The Apostle Thomas said in Thomas 25: "Jesus said, 'Love your friends (or brothers/sisters or neighbors) like your own soul, protect (or guard) them like the pupil of your eye.'"

Now, let's go back to the Gospel Luke for a moment, particularly Luke 10:25-37.  It is about The Parable of the Good Samaritan.  The definition of a "Good Samaritan" is: A compassionate person who voluntarily and unselfishly offers sympathy or help in times of trouble or distress.  The "Good Samaritan Law" protects those who choose to serve and tend to others who are injured, ill, in peril, or otherwise incapacitated. They are intended to reduce bystanders' hesitation to assist, for fear of being sued or prosecuted for unintentional injury or wrongful death.  I know this due to being a Ross Cross volunteer instructor for CPR and First Aid.  Nevertheless, Luke 10:25-37 is where the term "Good Samaritan" comes from.  The story goes like this...  One day, a law expert stood up to test Jesus and asked Him: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  In other words, he asked Jesus: "What must I do to go to Heaven?"  “What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied.  "How do you read it?"  Few people know what Jesus meant by asking the law expert this.  I guess He was saying: "Well, you are a law EXPERT.  You know the law.  What does the law say?  What are the greatest commandments you can follow?  In your best educated guess, what does the law say to do to inherit eternal life?"  Being an expert in the law, he answered: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"  Instead of Jesus complacently saying something like: "See, you know what to do.  It is written in your law.  You didn't have to ask me.  All you have to do is: follow those two commandments," He said with all humbleness and in a straightforward manner: "Do this and you will live."  That is, "Do this and when you die you will go to heaven; you will inherit eternal life."

Now, the Scripture says that the law expert wanted to justify himself and I am sure that was the reason for his next question.  But still, I do believe that this was a legitimate question.  It was a fair and reasonable question.  Sure, you could assume the question was asked out of bumptiousness and arrogance.  But you can also assume that it was asked based on good sense, sound judgement and sheer curiosity; not extreme or excessive.  Either way you look at it, the answer to this question should be one that everybody should know.  In Luke 10:29, the law expert asked: "And who is my neighbor?"  In other words, the law expert asked: “Who is the neighbor I’m supposed to love like myself?”  Jesus' answer could have been simply "Everybody," but Jesus wanted to be more specific in His reply.  So, as usual, He answered the question like He did so many.  His response was told as a simple story used to illustrate a moral theme or spiritual lesson.  His rejoinder was in the form of a parable.  The story was basically this...  A man traveled down the Jericho Road, a most dangerous place for travelers.  Thieves regularly lurked on the road to attack unsuspecting travelers.  Jesus said that the man was attacked on the road, robbed, and then left for dead.  Jesus tells us about two individuals who saw the injured man and did not help.  One of the men was a priest and the other was a Levite.  Why did these two religious men refuse to help a man who was in desperate need?  Jesus didn't say what the reasons were. There are several possible reasons.  Perhaps they reasoned that they were engaged in important religious work and thus not responsible for the injured man.  Perhaps they were afraid that the thieves were still close by.  Perhaps they simply were in a hurry and thought that they didn't have time to stop.  Whatever the reason, they left a man bleeding and badly injured and went on their way.   And then, there was the Samaritan.  The very fact that he was a Samaritan probably startled those who were listening to Jesus.  Samaritans were the outcasts of Jewish society; hated by all of them.  Jews didn't see the Samaritans as their "neighbors."  The Samaritan took the time, and the potential risks, to stop and care for this man in need.  He went above and beyond what anyone would expect by caring for the man’s wounds, placing him on his animal, taking him to an inn and paying for his room until he recovered.  At that point, Jesus asked the pivotal question: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”  Now, the law expert knew that the answer was: "The Samaritan," but notice he did not come right out and say that.  His answer was a little more general.  The law expert answered: "The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus, of course, knew that the law expert knew that the answer was: "The Samaritan."  Jesus could have pushed his answer to be more specific by asking: "And who was that?" or "And that person was?"  But instead, knowing that the law expert knew what the answer was, Jesus said: “You have answered correctly.”  Then, He said: “Go and do likewise.”  Keep in mind that Jesus did not distinctively say: "Be like that Samaritan; a person in a group of people all of you hate."  No, what He was advising was that all of us should do as that Samaritan did.  Sure, Jesus could have said: "Everybody is your neighbor," but He knew that many people who were listening to Him would have missed the point.  He knew that the people listening to Him would have subconsciously thought that "Everybody" meant "Everybody we love, everybody who loves us and all of those who we associate ourselves with."  But everybody means EVERYBODY; everyone; every single person.  This includes total strangers, people we do not like and people who do not like us.  To demonstrate this notion, Jesus used a parable involving a Samaritan.  Only in this story, Jesus said that our neighbors are especially those people who ignore us, those people who separate themselves from us, those people who are afraid of us, those people we have the most difficulty loving and those people we feel don’t love us. These are our neighbors.  It is no coincidence or surprise that Jesus picked an outcast to demonstrate the meaning of "a neighbor," since He did promulgate that we should "(agapé) love our enemies" (Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-38).  So, When Jesus was asked: “Who is the neighbor I’m supposed to love like myself?,” He didn't say “Your family,” or "Your friends," or "Your acquaintances," or “The people of your neighborhood," or "The people who are like you.”  No, He said the exact opposite.  But keep in mind that Jesus told this parable to include our enemies, not to exclude our friends and loved ones.  

Subsequently, two truths are found from this parable.  First, a neighbor is any person we encounter who has any need.  Since every person we encounter has a need of some kind, we can understand the term to include every person we encounter. Second, we are to be a neighbor. The question is not just “Who is my neighbor?” but also, “Am I being a neighbor?”  Neighboring is done as we show mercy.  So, in addition to telling the law expert who his neighbor was, Jesus also reversed the roles and instructed the law expert to act like a neighbor to others.  In other words, the law expert should not only ask who his neighbor is, he should also see himself as a neighbor to everyone he meets.  Once he becomes everyone’s neighbor, then everyone he meets will be his neighbor.  Once we understand that, then we can see that there are three characteristics to a "true neighbor."

• A true neighbor is recognizes those who are in need.
• A true neighbor is has compassion for those in need.
• A true neighbor is committed to helping those in need.

So, Biblically, who is your neighbor? Any person who is hurting.  Any person in need.  Anyone who needs the saving news of salvation. Jesus tells us that if we love and show compassion on only those who are our friends or family, we are not really doing what God desires.  When He was talking about loving our enemies, he said in Matthew 5:46-47: "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do that? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?  Do not even that?"  Similarly, He said in Luke 6:32-33: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same."  If you would like to get an idea of the destiny of the people who loved their neighbors and those that did not, read Matthew 25:32-46.  

So, there you go.  Biblically, "Love your neighbor..." refers specifically to strangers, family, friends and even our enemies.  Secularly, "Love your neighbor..." refers to all mankind   Do you know someone who is hurting?  Try to help them with healing.  Do you know someone who is hungry?  Do what you can to feed them.  Do you know someone who is outside of Christ and lost?  Show them the saving message of salvation.  Remember, every human being in need is our neighbor.  To help your neighbor is to love your neighbor.  Do you love your neighbor?

Duology - Part I: Love the Lord your God...

We know that we have The Ten Commandments to follow, which is referenced in Exodus 20:3-17 and Deuteronomy 5:7-21.  The first four teaches us what we should do to love God, and the last six teaches us what we should do to love others.  But Jesus altered the two themes into two separate Commandments; the two greatest commandments.  First, you should "Love the Lord your God..."  And second, you should "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Now, I have been asked: "Was Jesus saying that 'love for God' is the greatest commandment while ''love for neighbor'is second in importance?  Or was he saying that both 'love of God' and ''love of neighbor' are equally important and rank as the greatest commandments?"  Well, we will get into that in the next segment of my Duology.  For the time being, just know that they are both important and we will be concentrating on the "Love the Lord your God" part first.    

Exodus 20:3-8 and Deuteronomy 5:7-12 states the first four Commandments.  And as mentioned, the first four Commandments teaches us what we should do to love God.  Now, we know the "who," "what," "when," and "where" when it comes to loving God.  Who should love the Lord?  Everybody.  What should we do to love the Lord?  Worship only God, do not worship idols, do not use His name in vain, and keep the Sabbath Day holy.  When should you love the Lord?  All day and every day.  Where should you love the Lord?  Everywhere.  So, in this article, we will be looking into the "how" when it comes to loving the Lord.  In other words, we will be eliciting illustrations to "How you should love the Lord your God," or "In what way you should love the Lord your God."  

Deuteronomy 6:5 says to: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."  Matthew 22:37 says to: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  Now, even though Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27 have the words: "mind" and "strength" in a different order, they say: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (The Gospel Luke has "strength" before "mind").  But no matter what Gospel you read or how you slice it, there are two things that are certain.  (1.) Your "heart" and "soul" are definitely the first two (and all verses have them in the same order).  And (2.) In addition to your "heart" and "soul," you should love Him with all your "mind" and "strength," regardless of their order.  So, let's examine these attributes to give us a better understanding of how you should love the Lord your God.

Heart - Emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character.  

Soul - The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being, regarded as immortal.  It's a person's moral or emotional nature or sense of identity.

Mind - The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel (i.e. it is manifested especially in thought, perception, emotion, will, memory, attention, and imagination). 

Strength - The power to resist strain or stress and the ability to maintain a moral or intellectual position firmly in order to have the capacity or potential for effective action.

Keep in mind that these are the literal and primary meanings of those word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.  These set of meanings are explicit, specific and direct.  Now, let's proceed to the next step and look at each of these qualities and see how they are related to the way you love the Lord your God.  

First, you should love the Lord your God "with all your heart."  So, you should love Him through your emotions, your mood, and your inherent personality.  By loving the Lord your God with all of your heart, you're not expressing a deep passion or fondness due to cogent reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity.  That would imply that we could love God through a codification of the system of proof and inference.  And when it comes to the Lord your God (especially when referring to the heart), that is simply not the case.  Saying or writing something such as "I know in my heart that God exists." is a common misconception.  There's a quote from Blaise Pascal that states that: "The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of."  There are many ways you could interpret that saying.  One thing is for certain, however.  The heart defies reason.  The cosmological, ontological, and teleological argument cannot necessarily be proven by logic or nature.  We cannot draw conclusions about God's existence or power, His love for us or our love for Him based on facts or premises.  It is a subjective experience that is unique to the individual.  It is all based on faith.  How do we define faith?  Well, the denotation of is: complete trust in someone or something based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.  If we were to look at it Biblically, faith is: "the substance in things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" -- Hebrews 11:1.  So, faith means agreeing with, believing in, and trusting something that you can't know or comprehend on your own without hard evidence.  Having faith means being able to live with unanswered questions.  And although that may sound more difficult than it actually is, faith gives you the courage to endure and survive without having the answers.  1 Corinthian 13:13 states: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  1 Corinthians 13:7-8, in accordance with love, states that: "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."  So, instead of providing a set of answers to painful and complicated enigmas, faith (as well as hope and love) provides the means to persevere.  Therefore, the correct verb when it comes to faith is not "knowing" but "believing."  Knowing and believing are two different things.  We KNOW facts.  Facts are things that is actually the case or has really occurred.  Facts are things that we "know" to be true through verifiability.  I know for a fact that I am a man.  If you were to look at the philosophical, legal, historical and scientific evidence that describes the categories and details of what a man is, I would fall in to all of the criteria.  In addition, I also know that I am a man by looking in the mirror.  Except for the refection being flipped in the opposite direction, the mirror doesn't lie.  There is a man in the mirror.  I can SEE it.  I know that is actually the case for me.  I know for a fact that I graduated from college and received two bachelor degrees.  I was there.  I lived that particular time in my life and can recollect it anytime I wish.  So, I know that it has actually occurred.  A belief, however, is: the confidence or acceptance that something is true or real, or that something exists.  You have no real proof that it is actually the case or that it has actually occurred.  You don't have to know it to be true through verifiability.  You simply accept it as true without having any evidence to back it up or without ever actually seeing it.  So, you don't say: "I KNOW in my heart that God exists" because the heart doesn't KNOW anything.  There is no irrefutable proof that He exists.  The heart senses what cannot be seen and thereby makes its decisions on what it feels (and thus believes) and not on what the eyes see and can be physically proven.  So, the correct statement is: "I BELIEVE in my heart that God exists."   As I've pointed out before, Christians are not known as "knowers" or "seers," we are known as "Believers."  We don't have proof that God exists, we have faith that God exists.  As 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "We walk by faith, not by sight."

Next, you should love the Lord your God "with all your soul."  So, you should love Him through the part of you that is invisible, inaudible, intangible and imperishable.  You can't see it, you can't hear it, you can't touch it, but it will never die. It will endure forever.   The soul is known for being a perfect-formed and immaterial entity separate from the physical body (in most cases, a disembodied spirit at death).  Before death, the soul occupies the physical body, being a partial variable that sustains life.  Once death occurs, the soul is released from the physical body and will be susceptible to eternal misery or happiness.  When we reach that state of being, our abilities will be (what is theorized as) infinite.  We will not have any physical bodies weighing us down; bodies we have to feed, hydrate, wash, exercise, slumber, and maintain health.  And as the First Law of Thermodynamics indicates: "Energy is conserved; it can be neither created nor destroyed, only transformed."  Although the soul will be perpetually detached from the physical body, the soul will also be liberated from it.  We will undergo a thorough metamorphosis into another form of energy.  In fact, it is proposed that we will be "Pure Energy."  Some say that there is no such thing as pure energy because there is no degrees of quality or intensity to energy (an indirectly observed quantity of the ability or a potential physical system has to do work on other physical systems, thus creating power, over time); that energy is energy, period.  Many Quantum Physicists say that when a particle called: matter and an opposite-charged particle called: antimatter  annihilate one another, it forms what we know of as: "Pure Energy."  However, others say that the definition of pure energy is some kind of mystical substance that only has momentum (motion, the impetus gained by a moving object that is changeable) and no matter (mass, ordinary material particles that do not change through the transformation process).  In a sense, that is what we will be once our soul is forever released from the physical body.  It is speculated that we will have the ability to perform paranormal phenomena such as telepathy (the transmission of information from one person to another without using any of our known sensory channels or physical interaction), psychokinesis (distorting or moving an object with mental power), clairvoyance (the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical and remote event through means other than the known human senses), and precognition (acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics and/or nature).   Whatever our capabilities would or will be, they will be without end; they will be countless and immeasurable.  And not only will our capabilities be interminable, but so will our love for the Lord.  It will be an ineffable elegance without any extraneous and unnecessary elements; totally free from the adulterated abhorrence and malevolence of society.  Fortunately, the soul is not confined to this only after death.  If the soul could be tainted while in the world, its contamination would continue forever.  The strength and vitality of the soul is immutable and impervious.  In Matthew 26:41 and Mark 14:38, Jesus mentions how: "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."  So, for much as one wishes to achieve something, the frailties of the human body often make it impossible.  However, the aptitude of the soul is and always will be limitless; never restricted in terms of number, quantity, or extent.  To love the Lord your God with all your soul is to love Him with the part of you that is indestructible and inconsumable.  In essence, it will be your soul that will be with God for eternity, not your body.  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:6: "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord," thus, Paul says conclusively in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that: "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."  So, not only does absence from the body mean presence with the Lord, but are we considered to be "at home" with the Lord when we are permanently ""away from the body."  But near or far from the Lord, He should be loved with the part of each person that is impenetrable and perdurable.  So, now that you know that you should love Him with that part of you that is perennial and irrefrangible, the important question is HOW do you love the Lord your God with it?  Well, actually there are a few ways.  One way is to make Godly choices and pursue obedience to God's word.  Leviticus 22:31 says: "Keep my commands and follow them.  I am the LORD."  Solomon said in Proverbs 3:1: "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart."  Jesus said in John 4:15 that: "If you love me, keep my commands."  He went on to say in John 14:21 that: "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”  Then, in John 15:10, Jesus said that: "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love."  So, like conveying love to other human beings, your love to the Lord your God must be demonstrated.  We demonstrate our love to God by obeying every Word that proceeds from His mouth.  And if love is demonstrated, like with most human beings, it will be reciprocated.  However, unlike human beings, God's love for us is unconditional.  Therefore, our love for God should be unconditional as well.  Another way is to live a life of humility in attitudes and speech.  By reading Philippians 2:1-17, you can obtain a good idea on how to be "humble."  Humility is defined as: "A quality by which a person considering his own defects has a humble opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God's sake."  So, expressing  humility is comprised of three basic qualities.  First, you submit to God and legitimate authority.  Second, you recognize virtues and talents that others possess, particularly those that surpass your own, and give due honor and, when required, obedience.  And third, you recognize the limits of your talents, ability, or authority; and, not reach for what is beyond your grasp.  Humility is a virtue that few people possess.  The two main characteristics of humility is: modesty (unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one's abilities) and meekness (yielding to the will of another person or a superior force).  So, we should not only be submissive to the Lord, but we should also humble ourselves before Him.  The Apostle James said in James 1:10: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."  In the same way, if you glorify yourself and show pride before the Lord, you will be decisively defeated.  The Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 2:12 that: "The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)."  So, it is made pretty clear that we will go from one extreme to the other, depending on which side of the pendulum we want to be on.  Jesus said in Matthew 23:12 and Luke 14:11 & 18:14 that: "For (all) those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."  With everything considered, you love the Lord your God with all your soul (the part of you that will never die) by loving others and Him here on Earth as if you were already "at home with the Lord."  The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:2: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."  Peter said in 1 Peter 3:8: "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."  

Then, you should love the Lord your God "with all your mind."  So, you should love Him through a series of thoughts and actions that have the capacity to have an effect on your character, development, or behavior.  The concept of "mind" is understood in many different ways by many different traditions (i.e. philosophy, science, history, religious perspective).  Christianity has tended to see the mind as recognizably different in nature from the soul; something that exists on a plane other than the physical.  Ultimately, one of the key attributes of the mind in many senses is that it is a private sphere to which no one but the owner has access.  No one else can "know our mind."  They can only interpret what we consciously or unconsciously communicate.  However, if you believed in a "higher power other than yourself," there would be one inconsistency with that notion.  Although it is true for humans here on Earth, there is one perfect, omnipotent and (pertaining to this discrepancy) omniscient cosmic force and/or superior being that can and does "know our mind."  And that all-pervading authority is God; the Lord your God.  He knows and remembers every thought we have here on Earth.  Ecclesiastes 12:14 states that: "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."  This includes what we do in front of people, what we do in secret; clear down to what we think.  Whatever it is, we will be held accountable for it.  Now, nobody on here on Earth is perfect and not every single thought will be good, since we are sinful by nature.  And, of course, there many situations that would be in everybody's best interest if we were to keep our thoughts to ourselves and forever hold our peace.  But when we speak of loving the Lord your God with all of your mind, we emphasize not the intrinsic but the extrinsic.  It's not just how the environment reacts to our actions but how we react to the actions of the environment.  But even though God knows every thought we have, any true Christian will never claim to be God's mind-reader.  With that being the case, how can we really know what God expects from us?  He doesn't talk to us like He did with the Prophets, Judges, and Kings in the Old Testament, right?  We weren't the physical followers of Jesus or His apostles in the New Testament, right?  What do we have access to today that would give us an idea of what God expects from us?  Well, we may not have lived the Old or New Testament, but we do have the sixty-six Books that make up the Old and New Testament.  And that collection of sixty-six Books that make up the Old and New Testaments is what we know of today as the Holy Bible.  What makes this collection of Books so significant to loving the Lord your God with all your mind?  Well, 2 Timothy 3:16 states that: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work".  So, what better way to learn God's instructions than to read the historical accounts of what He expected from His servants in the past and what He expects from His servants today in the Holy Bible?  Now, when we read the Holy Bible, you are doing two things.  First, you are committing those sacred writings to memory.  But moreover, you are also taking it a step further and letting those memorized Scriptures become the collective conscious and unconscious processes within you that direct and influence your mental and physical behavior.  In other words, you not only devote your time and attention to learning the aspects of this inviolable Book with the intention of recalling them at a later time, but also to apply that acquired knowledge to your everyday living and allow it to effect your persona; you let impact the way you think and act.  Matthew 5:16 states: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  Now, let there be no misunderstandings.  This means a lot more than just being a munificent do-gooder devoted to the promotion of ecological and human welfare.  Being a kind-hearted humanitarian would be one less thing you'd have to work on, but it is not the way to honor the Lord your God.  And it is definitely not the way to get "saved."  That would imply that we can get into God's presence by "works."  And as Ephesians 2:7-9 clearly conveys: you cannot be saved by works, only by grace.  No, what Matthew 5:16: explains is two things.  First, by letting the way you live your life (whether through conversation, actions, or faithful instructions) be seen and known everywhere, you are in all situations (whether in prosperity and adversity) showing that you are sincere and faithful in what you believe.  And moreover, it should be in a way that you are letting the Lord your God be glorified by it, not you.  So, by letting the knowledge and understanding of God's Word influence the way you live your life and allowing it to be manifested before others as an example, you are regarding the Lord your God with great respect.  God is said to be glorified when we as Children of God, Galatians 3:26, endeavor to recommend the salvation of God to others, they may be prevailed to follow God as well when they see they way we live our lives.  I believe Albert Barnes said well when he stated that:  "good actions will be seen, and will lead people to honor God.  If we have no other way of doing good - if we are poor, and unlearned, and unknown yet we may do good by our lives. No sincere and humble Christian lives in vain. The feeblest light at midnight is of use."  

Finally, you should love the Lord your God "with all your strength."  So, you should love Him through your physical and emotional capacity for exertion or endurance and regard Him as embodying or affording force or firmness.  This means two things.  (1.) Just like He wants you to do, you should rely on Him for everything.  And (2.) By relying on Him for everything, we acquire and build our energy and intestinal fortitude through Him.  Many Scriptures refer to trusting the Lord.  Psalm 118:8 says: "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans."  Proverbs 3:5 says: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."  Isaiah 26:4 says: "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself is the Rock eternal."  Jeremiah 17:7 says: "But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."  Nahum 1:7 says: "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."  And these are just a few examples from the Old Testament.  But I'm sure you get the point.  However, like many things, trusting in the Lord your God completely is easier said than done.  So often, our times of hardship seem to be so long and drawn out, we sometimes wonder if God is really guiding us.  We may even feel that we have to take the initiative and take control of our own problems.  But there's another to look at it.  When you put complete trust in the Lord your God, it is one way of loving Him with all your strength.  Yes, you're surrendering yourself to Him.  But showing Him that you completely trust Him is one way you're expressing your love to Him.  When another human being never gives you their trust, you are not only unable to help them when they need someone to lean on, you certainly do not feel loved by that person, either.  On the other hand, if you were to love the Lord your God with all of your strength, one of the things you're doing is giving Him the "elbow-room, so to speak" to guide you and by submitting to Him, "he will make your paths straight" as Proverbs 3:6 puts it.  Unlike God, man is imperfect.  No one can make it in this life on their own.  We are designed by God to need each other, as well as need God.  Unfortunately, many people (even some who profess themselves as Christians) confuse meekness with weakness.  You're not an inmate in a maximum security prison where you have to go by the  Darwinistic notions of "survival of the fittest."  When you are referred to as "weak," take heart!  What you really are is a person who has God's strength backing him/her up.  If you can master that, then you can go a step further and say that the Lord your God IS your strength.  Exodus 15:2 says: "The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."  Psalm 118:14 says: "The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation."  Isaiah 12:2 says: "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation."  So, along with being the one who "saves" you and the one who "defends" you, He can be glorified by being the one who strengthens you.  Loving the Lord your God with all your strength allows the Lord your God to BE your strength, and thus, gives you strength.  Philippians 4:13 says: "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (whether you are referring to God or Christ).  

So, we know the "who," "what" "when," "where," when it comes to loving the Lord your God.  After this article, we have a pretty good idea about the "how" part.  I guess one final question remains, which is the "why" part.  That is, WHY should you love the Lord your God?  Well, that would not only require a trilogy, but it would also result in an a prose with multiple and conglomerate viewpoints that would be utterly time-consuming and quite lengthy.  Oh, there are many reasons of why you should love the Lord your God, whether "love" is a relative or absolute tern in your opinion.  Nevertheless, love the Lord.  Love the Lord your God.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Love Him incessantly.  Love Him profoundly.  Love Him with a great deal of effort.  Love Him in every way and any way you can.  But all in all, love Him.