Fatherly and Brotherly Love

Fatherly and brotherly love

140:5.1 (1573.3)From the Sermon on the Mount to the speech at the Last Supper, Jesus taught his followers to show fatherly love rather than brotherly love. In brotherly love you love your neighbor as yourself, which would be an adequate observance of the “golden rule. But paternal love demands that you love your fellow mortals as Jesus loves you.

140:5.2 (1573.4)Jesus loved humanity in two ways. He lived on earth as a dual personality-human and divine. As the Son of God, he loves man with a fatherly love - he is man's Creator, his universe-Father. As the Son of Man, Jesus loves mortals like a brother - he was truly a man among men.

140:5.3 (1573.5)Jesus did not expect his followers to achieve an impossible manifestation of brotherly love, but rather that they would so strive to be like God - perfect, as well as the Father in heaven is perfect - that they could begin to see man as God sees his creatures, and therefore love men as God loves them - to exhibit the fledgling beginnings of fatherly love. In the course of these exhortations to the twelve apostles, Jesus sought to reveal this new understanding of fatherly love in its connection with certain emotional attitudes that play a role in many social improvements in the environment.

140:5.4 (1573.6)The Master introduced this weighty discourse by drawing attention to four attitudes of faith, as a prelude to the subsequent description of his four transcendent, supreme responses of paternal love, as opposed to the limitations of mere brotherly love.

140:5.5 (1573.7)He spoke first of those who were poor in spirit, hungered for righteousness, persevered in meekness, and were pure in heart. Such spirit-distinguished mortals could be expected to reach such levels of divine selflessness, that they would be able to pursue the amazing pursuit of paternal love; that even as mourners they would find strength to show mercy, promote peace and endure persecution, and in all these difficult situations love even the unlovable humanity with a fatherly love. Fatherly love can reach heights of devotion that immeasurably exceed brotherly love.

140:5.6 (1573.8)The faith and love of these beatitudes strengthen moral character and create happiness. Fear and anger weaken character and destroy happiness. This weighty speech began in the key of happiness.

140:5.7 (1573.9)1. Happy are the poor in spirit - the humble. To a child, happiness means the satisfaction of the desire for instantaneous pleasure. The adult is willing to sow the seeds of self-denial in order to then reap greater happiness. In the time of Jesus and after, happiness has too often been linked to the idea of possessing wealth. In the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple, one felt rich in spirit - full of self-doubt; the other felt “poor in spirit” - humble. One was complacent; the other was studious and seeking truth. The poor in spirit seek purposes of spiritual riches - to God. And such seekers of truth need not wait for a reward in the distant future; they are rewarded now. They find the kingdom of heaven in their own hearts, and they experience this happiness now.

140:5.8 (1574.1)2. "Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Only those who feel poor in spirit will ever hunger for righteousness. Only the humble seek divine strength and crave spiritual power. But it is very dangerous to deliberately fast spiritually in order to become more desirous of spiritual gifts. Physical fasting becomes dangerous after four or five days; one easily loses all desire for food. Long fasting, physical or spiritual, usually destroys hunger.

140:5.9 (1574.2)Experiential justice is a pleasure, not a duty. Jesus' justice is a dynamic love - fatherly-brotherly love. She is not the negative, “thou shalt not” type of justice.

140:5.10 (1574.3)It is not so easy to teach these first two Beatitudes to a child, but a mature consciousness should be able to grasp their meaning.

140:5.11 (1574.4)3 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. True meekness is not related to fear. Rather, it is an attitude of man cooperating with God - “Thy will be done. It involves patience and forbearance and is driven by an unshakable faith in a lawful and kind universe. It overcomes all temptation to rebel against divine guidance. Jesus was the ideal gentle man of Urantia, and he inherited a vast universe.

140:5.12 (1574.5)4. "Happy are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God. Spiritual purity is not a negative trait except in the sense that it lacks distrust and vindictiveness. In discussing purity, Jesus did not intend to deal exclusively with human attitutdes toward sexuality. He was referring more to the faith man must have in his fellow man: the faith a parent has in his child that enables him to love his fellow men as a father would. A father's love need not be indulgent and it does not condone evil, but it is always anti-cynical. Fatherly love is directed to one goal only and always seeks the best in man: this is the disposition of the true parent.

140:5.13 (1574.6)To see God - by faith - means to gain true spiritual insight. And spiritual insight increases the guidance of the Richter, and together these ultimately increase God-consciousness. And when you know the Father, you are confirmed in the assurance of your divine sonship and can love each of your brothers in the flesh more and more, not only as a brother - with brotherly love - but also as a father - with fatherly affection.

140:5.14 (1574.7)This exhortation is easy to explain even to a child. Children are naturally full of faith, and parents should take care not to lose this simple faith. When dealing with children, avoid all deception and do not instill mistrust in them. Help them wisely to choose their heroes and their life's work.

140:5.15 (1574.8)Then Jesus went on to teach his followers about the achievement of the main goal of all human struggle - perfection, even the acquisition of divinity. Again and again he exhorted them, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. He did not call the twelve to love their neighbor as they loved themselves. This would have been a valuable achievement: it would have been proof that they had made brotherly love their own. But rather, he urged his apostles to love people as he had loved them - to love with both paternal and fraternal affection. And he explained this by wise on four supreme responses of paternal love:

140:5.16 (1575.1)1. "Happy are those who grieve, for they shall be comforted. Neither so-called common sense nor the best logic could ever argue that happiness can be derived from sorrow. But Jesus was not referring to outward or ostentatious grieving; he was alluding to the emotional disposition of tender-heartedness. It is a great error to teach boys and young men that it is unmanly to be tender-hearted or otherwise show affection or physical suffering. Compassion is a worthy trait of both men and women. It is not necessary to be insensitive in order to be masculine. This is the wrong way to present brave men. The great men of the earth have not been afraid to grieve. Moses, he who grieved, was a greater man than Samson or Goliath. Moses was a brilliant leader, but he was also a gentle man. Sensitivity and receptivity to human distress creates real and lasting happiness, while such gentleness protects the soul from the destructive influence of anger, hatred and suspicion.

140:5.17 (1575.2)2. "Happy are the merciful, for mercy will be shown to them. Mercy here indicates the height, depth and breadth of the most sincere friendship - kindness. Mercy can sometimes be passive, but here it is active and dynamic, supreme fatherliness. A loving parent has little trouble forgiving his child, even many times. And in an unsaved child, the impulse to relieve suffering is natural. Children are normally kind and compassionate when they are old enough to realize the actual circumstances.

140:5.18 (1575.3)3. "Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Jesus' hearers longed for military deliverance, not peacemakers. But Jesus' peace is not of the pacifist and negative kind. Faced with trial and persecution, he said, “My peace I leave with you. 'Let not your hearts be troubled, nor be afraid.' This is the peace that prevents disastrous conflict. Personal peace integrates personhood. Social peace prevents fear, greed and anger. Political peace prevents racial conflict, national distrust and war. Founding peace is the cure for distrust and suspicion.

140:5.19 (1575.4)Children can easily learn to become peacemakers. They like to do something as a team; they enjoy playing with each other. On another occasion the Master said, “Whoever will want to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever will want to lose his life will find it.

140:5.20 (1575.5)4. 'Happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are ye when men shall scorn and persecute you, and shall speak all manner of evil of you unjustly. Be glad and rejoice greatly, for great is your reward in heaven.

140:5.21 (1575.6)Very often peace is indeed persecuted. But young people and brave adults never shun difficulties and dangers. “No one has greater love, than to dedicate his life to his friends. And a fatherly love can do all this freely - things that brotherly love can hardly encompass. And progress has always been the ultimate harvest of persecution.

140:5.22 (1575.7)Children always respond when their courage is challenged. Youth are always ready to “take a chance. And every child must learn early on to be able to deny himself something.

140:5.23 (1575.8)And so it is revealed that the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount are grounded in faith and love, and not in laws - ethics and duty.

140:5.24 (1575.9)Fatherly love delights in repaying evil with good - doing good in retaliation for injustice.

A Thought for Consideration from The Urantia Book