9.2.25 | Greek Philosophy | Meaning of Hate | Weeds & Wheat |

Opening Prayer            

Lord, we thank you for the blessing of reading Your Word together.

We ask that these words of life, truth and hope enlighten our minds and strengthen our faith.

May your love and grace follow each of us as we return to our daily lives, refreshed and blessed by you.

And as you taught us to pray together…

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. 

Upcoming major holy days:   November 1, All Saints Day

Today’s Agenda

1.     Reflection: Aristotle

2.     Gospel Reading for the 23^rd Sun in Ord Time: The Cost of Discipleship: Does Jesus tell us to hate? Luke 14:25-33

3.     Gospel Reading #2: The Problem of Evil, Matthew 13

Apologetic of the Week:   Prophecy, noun (ending “see”). Prophesy, verb (ending “sigh”).

1)     The foretelling or prediction of what is to come.

2)     Something that is declared by a prophet; divinely inspired instruction or exhortation.

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy (teachings) of Scripture comes from one's own interpretation.” - 2 Pet 1:20

This means private interpretations of Scripture cannot be in conflict with the Church, to whom Jesus gave this authority.

“Whatever you (Peter) bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven.” – Mt 16:19 

Greek Philosophy

In the 6^th century BC, Greek philosophy caused a shift from mythological explanations to rational inquiry and reasoning. But mythology would hang on for centuries. Socrates (5^th century, BC) was willing to die for his pursuit of the truth because of his criticisms of Greek pagan religion. But the onward march of philosophy continued. Socrates’ best student was Plato, who became the next great philosopher, surpassing Socrates. Plato’s best student was Aristotle, who surpassed even Plato.

So impressive was Greek philosophy’s search for truth that it led them to an understanding of the universe that was closing in on the truth. A number of Church Fathers believed that Greek philosophy helped prepare the world for the Gospels. It was mainly Augustine and Aquinas who picked up where Aristotle left off and completed his thinking with Christianity.

Aristotle said that no one can be friends with a god. Why? Because true friendship requires equality, and what god would step down from their heavenly status to become equal with “lowly human beings”?

Aristotle lived 300 years before Christ and likely knew something about Judaism through his connections to the Persian Empire; yet God was not exactly considered like a “friend”; at least in the sense that Aristotle was thinking.  

One wonders what Aristotle would have thought if he’d been present at the Last Supper. It was there that Jesus – the Creator of the universe who left His purely divine status to become a “lowly human being” (Aristotle’s words) – told His disciples that he no longer called them servants but friends (John 15:15).

Aristotle would also have been fascinated at who sat at table with the Son of God. There was Matthew, the Roman-friendly tax collector; Simon, the Roman-hating Zealot; James and John, fishermen and “sons of thunder,” etc. We could imagine Aristotle watching quizzically as Jesus described the bread and wine as His “body and blood,” broken and poured out for the “forgiveness of sins.” What god would die for mere mortals?!

This is one reason why Communion (union) is so profound. Through Jesus, God becomes not only friends but “one” with humans, empowering us to extend this friendship to those across the every social, political, and temperamental landscape. As we eat and drink at the Lord’s Table, we celebrate the One who rewrote the rules of friendship, human and divine.

Plato’s Allegory of the Chariot (360 BC)

Greek philosophers strived mightily to understand the human being. They concluded there had to be a body and soul. Plato argued that humans were basically shallow and could only strive to be good and just, but never really come close. In the end, most do it for show. Incredibly, he said the true, just man would never be tolerated anyway, because he makes the rest of men look bad, so he would have to be killed. Here is what he wrote (Rep. 2.361e-362a):

“The just man will have to endure the lash, the rack, chains, the branding iron in his eyes, and finally, after every extremity of suffering, he will be crucified, and so will learn his lesson not to be just, but to seem just, is what we ought to desire.”

Plato captured the complex issue of how human intellect, the will, and the passions interact, in the Allegory of the Chariot:   

He concluded that if man could only conquer his passions/emotions, he could go almost anywhere. Failing that, his passions would inevitably take him over a cliff.

Christianity came along 400 years later and Greek philosophy was taken up by the early Fathers of the Church. St. Augustine so admired the work of the Greeks he sought to complete what was missing in the Chariot Allegory. The questions that had remained were how did the intellect know what was good to begin with, and how could man control his desires?

Augustine noted that The Trinity of God’s love completes the Chariot.

The Word guides the intellect, His grace aides the will, and His love is the guide for all desires.

The Cost of Discipleship: Does Jesus tell us to hate?

Context 

Verse 26 – where Jesus basically says we must “hate” everyone to be his disciple – sometimes shocks even the most devout Christian, especially since the word “hate” today is held up as culturally the worst thing there is. As good exegetes, before we jump to any premature conclusions about what Jesus means, we must look at the translation for hate and also compare his passage to his other teachings in order to help us understand the true meaning. We will do this together.

Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’

Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away,he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.

In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

Exegesis (study and interpretation)

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Note “great crowds…” If you recall, the third year of Jesus’ ministry began in chapter 9. We are now in chapter 14 and he is drawing huge crowds wherever he goes.

If anyone comes to me without hating his… (family/own life), he cannot be my disciple. (verse 26)

In the context of first-century Judea, following a rabbi meant committing to learn and live according to the teacher's ways. Jesus is likewise inviting individuals to a deeper commitment. But this seems to be a much deeper commitment!

Who would not have a problem with Jesus’ request?

            I recall my teenage years and I would have had no problem with it. Hate dad? Yep, check. Mom? Sure, check. Brothers and sisters? Absolutely!

All kidding aside – this is a serious matter! – as we discussed, before jumping to conclusions, let’s first investigate Jesus’ meaning by reading these passages alongside his other teachings.

For example, how do we align Jesus’ hate comments above with his earlier teaching about loving God and our neighbor as the  highest of all the commandments? Or, in Luke 6:27, about loving our enemies as a requirement for discipleship?

How can we be asked to love God, love neighbor as ourselves, and love our enemies, but hate our families and ourselves? 

            It makes no sense, literally speaking.

These other teachings should give us pause. But then what could Jesus mean?

As we know, Jesus uses hyperbole (extreme exaggeration to make a point). Ancient Greek philosophers did the same – in fact, the word hyperbole is Greek.  

Can you name a famous hyperbole used by Jesus?

“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter eternal life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.” – Matthew 18:8-8.

Of course, nobody is expected to cut off their hands and feet, because Jesus us using hyperbole.

Still, it seems that Jesus’ choice of hyperbole is pretty harsh. What else can we investigate?

            The translation of the word, “hate.”   

The word is translated from the Greek “misei,” which not only means hate but also “to love less.” That would certainly make a difference. This refers to a preferential kind of love – or a hierarchy of love. Let’s see we can corroborate this elsewhere.

Does another Gospel refer to the same teaching?

Yes, Matthew.

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” – Matthew 10:37

Jacob, Rachel, Laban, Leah

Anywhere else in Scripture?  

            Yes, in Genesis, when Jacob was given Leah for his wife on the night of his marriage, instead of the woman he loved, Rachel.

And Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, He enabled her to conceive; but Rachel remained childless.” – Gen 29:31  

The word hate – senuah in Hebrew – not only meant hate but also “loved less,” and so the Jews always interpreted it the verse as, “And Yahweh saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah, and so he gave children to Leah…” 

So the term "hate" as used by Luke is understood as a hyperbolic expression that was common in Semitic languages, emphasizing preference rather than literal animosity.

So now that we have this figured out, what is the point Jesus is trying to make? 

Jesus is stating that anyone who loves family more than Him is not worthy of Him.

The Jews would have been aghast at even this, for even the Ten Commandments gives priority to honoring one’s parents.

The 4^th Commandment requires us to honor our parents above all, except for what?  

God. The first three commandments have priority of place and they all about honoring/loving God first. This is Jesus point. He is near the end of his 3 ½ year mission, and he starts to share who he is. He is not just the Messiah, he is the Son of God.

Why would Jesus/God ask us to love Him more than our families?

            Because God is love, the source of our love. If we want to give endless love to others, God provides it.

When humans control love, it’s not a pretty sight. We hoard it, control it, ration it out, and demand love in return. Real love doesn’t work that way. That’s fallen love. That’s “man-in-charge love.”  What’s fascinating and beautiful about God’s love is that we can’t control it, and the only way we get more is by giving it away. In this way, we will NEVER run out.

So, when we love God first, we participate in love in a spiritual way. All other love is finite, materialistic, controlling.  So OF COURSE we want to love God first.

There is a second point Jesus is making by using these words of preferential love. What is it?

If our mother or father or siblings become an obstacle for your following Christ, then you need to make a choice. If you love them more than God, then you will walk away from God. If you love God more, you will follow God regardless of what obstacles you have.

No doubt this is probably a tough decision at first, but Jesus wants you to know that following God cannot be a secondary thing in our lives. He can’t be a Sunday-only friend. That’s why he next gives a couple of scenarios about understanding what the cost of discipleship is. You don’t build a tower without knowing what resources you will need ahead of time. You don’t go into battle unprepared. Jesus wants his disciples to know that this journey is going to have difficult times ahead, and he wants to prepare them. Likewise, he is asking, are we ready to overcome whatever obstacles we might face?           

Finally, discipleship comes in many kinds. Some are called to give their entire lives to the service of God – thank God for them – but most aren’t. But then we are called to love God through our work, our families, our talents, and almsgiving.  

Gospel Reading #2

Matthew 13:24-30 – The Problem of Evil: The Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat

Context: 

Jesus’ parables are usually more than just analogies to highlight the truth. Often, they are riddles, where he begins his story with something very familiar to his audience (often agricultural, since this was an agricultural time in history); then he says something bizarre – a strange twist or unnatural occurrence – that causes the audience to say, “What the…?”.  This will be key to unlocking the riddle. Then he concludes with the moral of the story which clarifies the strange twist. Sometimes! Sometimes the apostles have to pull Jesus aside afterwards to explain. In this way, Jesus is teasing people down a path of thinking differently about the Kingdom of God, because often in the Kingdom things are the reverse of the world.  

What are some examples of reverse Kingdom/Spiritual logic?

·        Love. The more we try to possess it, the more it eludes us. The more we give love away, the more we have to give.  

·        To help others, even if they don’t deserve it.

·        To forgive others, even if they don’t deserve it.

·        To pray for those you dislike (or those who hate you), instead of condemning them.

Matthew Ch 13 is famous for Jesus’ Kingdom Parables. There are seven of them in this chapter:

·        Parable of the Sower, v1-23

·        Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, v24-30

·        Parable of Mustard Seed, v31-35

·        Parable of Hidden Treasures, v44-46

·        Parable of Good Fish, Bad Fish, v47-50

Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds:  The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.

When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The servants of the householder came to him and said, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?”

He answered, “An enemy has done this.”

His servants said to him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”

He replied, ”No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Who is the man who sowed good seed in his field?

            The Son of God, Jesus.

What does the field represent?

The World.

Who are the good seeds?

The people who listened to/followed the Word of God (Gospel).

Who are the bad seeds?

The people who follow the evil one.

What is the harvest at the end of the age?

            The end of the age, day of our judgment.

Who are the servants/harvesters?

            The angels.

Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire at the harvest, so it will be for those who choose themselves over God at the end of the age.

Is there a parallel to Genesis 3?

Yes. In the beginning, God elevated humanity with His spirit and goodness – and free will. In the field of Eden is evil – the serpent in the Tree – who puts before man alternative choices to God. Man falls.

Now the 2^nd Person of the Trinity comes to start over again. Jesus tells us that he came to sow his good seed, his Word, his love and compassion, but his project in this age is met with opposition. And that evil is such that it insinuates itself right into the very fabric of the good, making it difficult to tell on the surface who is good and who isn’t. That is a warning for us that sometimes evil is dressed up as good.  

Moreover, because of free will, the bad can still change their mind and choose good. Forgiveness awaits them if they will only choose it. Yet, it is a reminder for all of us to make our decision to choose God every day.

Conclusion – why Christianity is so great.

It’s like God’s train pulls up to our bedside every morning and we must choose to get on, or not. It’s okay if we get on and fall off a few hours later; we can apologize and get back on at the next stop. Even if we have a horrible day or week, God’s train still pulls up every morning to our bedside, beckoning us to get on. Because it’s a daily decision.

God will continue to invite us onto His train every day until the option of hell has passed. But we must remember, death comes like a thief in the night, so keep getting on!

Reminder: no class next Tues, 9/9 (retreat). Resume Tues, 9/16.

Closing Prayer:

Act of Love

O my God, I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul

because Thou art all good and worthy of all love.

I love my neighbor as myself for love of Thee.

I forgive all who have injured me, and I ask pardon for all whom I have injured.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed are thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. 

Amen.