WITHOUT A CAUSE

Some years ago I was travelling in my car through the streets of my neighbourhood when a car came suddenly from the street on my right and pulled in right in front of me risking a collision. The incident shook me to my core. My shock quickly escalated into intense anger. The anger reached a crescendo when I noticed that the driver of the vehicle in question was an Asian woman. I could not just let this go by. I am ashamed to say that I chased this woman through the streets of my neighbourhood with intense rage attempting to force her to stop her vehicle so I could heap upon her the full force of my indignation. I could tell the woman was frightened but I was a woman driven by a cause. The cause being that she was negligent and callous rather than that she made a mistake through wrongful judgment. Why didn't I see her actions as a bad call in judgment? Because my anger was fueled by simmering racism. Those close to me back then knew that I was intolerant of the driving skills of Asian people and their seeming unwillingness to assimilate into the Australian culture. I did not see this race of people as fellow citizens of my country but as 'Asians'. This incident has stood out as one of the most un-Christlike acts of behaviour of my life. Not my finest moment....

I have read the Sermon on the Mount many times during my spiritual journey through the scriptures. Each time I have read this sermon I have noticed different things but never before had I noticed the severity of Christ's admonition that I think is the hardest for many of us to live. When the Saviour taught the Sermon on the Mount to the ancient Americas he said this: "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosever shall say to his brother Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire" (3 Nephi 12:22). 'Hell fire'??? For considering someone a fool??? On that shameful day that I chased a poor Asian woman through the streets of my neighbourhood I was certainly at risk of 'hell fire'. Here is why: what I never noticed before is that this scripture varies slightly to the one in Matthew 5:22 where the Sermon was delivered to the Jews, which reads: "....whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause....". This difference in directive makes all the difference. JST omits the phrase 'without a cause' as the earliest known manuscript for Matthew 5:22 does not contain that phrase (see Daniel K. Judd and Allen W. Stoddard in How the New Testament Came to Be, p 161). Why would this tiny phrase make all the difference?

To understand this it is important to understand the historical background of the Sermon on the Mount and to know to whom exactly it was given. Beside the city of Capernaum there is a mount where Jesus delivered the lengthiest discourse recorded in the entire Bible and which covers chapters 5-7 of the Gospel of Matthew. As great multitudes of people followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and even beyond Jordan, Jesus ascended the mount leaving the ease of valley travel and leaving behind those who followed Him for cures only, ensuring that only the most loyal of his disciples would follow. And so it came to be that, contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not deliver his most famous sermon to multitudes but only to His disciples (Matthew 5:1) who were no doubt already baptised and had taken upon themselves His name. Taking the disciples to the heights of the mount symbolised higher expectations and commitment of the truly converted.  Those who made the upward journey were willing and prepared to live the higher law leading to exaltation. In ancient Americas, the sermon was delivered by Christ to the 'more righteous' who were spared the destruction of many cities following His death. These people believed and looked forward to His coming. They were ready and willing to embrace His teachings and covenants. From these two groups of people we can surmise that the Sermon on the Mount contains the higher law, the obedience to which is expected of the true disciples of Christ.

What the Saviour was actually saying in the Sermon on the Mount to His loyal followers, is that they should not get angry with their brother no matter what, not even when there is a cause; that they should not consider anyone a fool for their actions, behaviour or the way they are. Why is that? Because we do not know people's hearts. We do not understand their frame of reference, their weaknesses, the complexity of their lives or their true intents. On that fateful day that I allowed my rage to run loose I was driven by a cause, not by a possibility that the driver of the other car might have been distraught, worried, distressed or even lacking faith in her abilities. In this context, when one acts with a cause, one acts with selfishness. They are more concerned about themselves than their fellowman. This selfishness leads to absence of love, mercy, goodwill and lack of kindness. We see an example of this with the Jaredites in the Book of Mormon. Their lack of consideration, kindness and love for one another towards the end of their civilization became so acute that they could not hold onto their possessions. If a man laid down his tool or his sword upon his shelf, in the morning it would be gone (Ether 14:1). Imagine living like this: "Wherefore every man did cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands and would not borrow, neither would he lend; and every man kept the hilt of his sword in his right hand, in the defence of his property and his own life and his wives and children" (Ether 14:2).

On March 7, 1831, Joseph Smith was given a revelation in which he was told of the condition of the world prior to the Saviour's coming. Amidst all the turmoil, wars and commotion we are told that "men's hearts shall fail them" and "the love of men shall wax cold" (D&C 45:26,27). Describing the perilous times of the last days, Apostle Paul described men as 'lovers of their own selves....without natural affection'  (2 Timothy 3:1-3). When we are lovers of our own selves, we can hardly be lovers of others and when we have no natural affection, we have no kindness. We can see the lack of kindness in our society on the roads, in supermarket queues, during telemarketing calls and the love of many waxing cold through jealousies, gossip, ill will,  murder, theft, uncaring and selfishness. One trembles at the thought that we might become like the Jaredites in the last minute of the last hour of this dispensation.

Of course we also have in our day and age great examples of people who do unselfish deeds. My heart leaps when I hear of an individual who sacrifices themselves for the good of others: a retired man who spends his days on a notorious bridge savings those who would suicide; a fashion designer who sold everything she had including her profitable business and opened an orphanage in Indonesia where she now lives; a woman who works with the police to give discarded, dead babies a proper funeral and burial in her home town. These are just some among many inspiring people who perpetuate the positive energy of human kindness and good will that are the saving grace of this planet. These are the unsung heroes to whom the welfare of others matters greatly. At times, it matters to them more than their own well being as is evident in the following story:

"A year ago last winter [1981], a modern jetliner faltered after takeoff and plunged into the icy Potomac River. Acts of bravery and feats of heroism were in evidence that day, the most dramatic of which was one witnessed by the pilot of a rescue helicopter. The rescue rope was lowered to a struggling survivor. Rather than grasping the lifeline to safety, the man tied the line to another, who was then lifted to safety. The rope was lowered again, and yet another was saved. Five were rescued from the icy waters. Among them was not found the anonymous hero. Unknown by name, 'he left the vivid air signed with his honor" (Stephen Spender, 'I Think Continually of Those -' in Masterpieces of Religious Verse, p 291).

When we come to want for others what we want for ourselves we will be considered true Christians and disciples of Christ. It is then that we will be following in His footsteps. He is the perfect example because He wanted for us what He himself had, an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. For this He performed the greatest act of benevolence known to man. For this He stands on the bridge with the suicides. For this He feeds the children at the orphanage. For this He buries discarded babies. For this He never ever considers even one of us a 'fool'.  The unsung heroes mentioned are extreme examples of kindness, love and mercy. We who have Christ's perfect example and who have committed to live the higher law as delivered by Him have no excuse not to be merciful, kind and loving. It is not everyone's path to spend their days saving the suicides or burying discarded babies but it is everyone's duty to love, cherish and help another without a cause.