3 Nephi 13

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Chapter 13

Jesus teaches the Nephites the Lord’s Prayer—They are to lay up treasures in heaven—The twelve disciples in their ministry are commanded to take no thought for temporal things—Compare Matthew 6. About A.D. 34. This chapter is more of face-to-face, one-on-one ministering.  As I read, I contemplated the subjects the Lord was teaching them about, and I feel that as we apply these teachings in our own lives, we will be able to share our experiences and the blessings that results (or even the struggles that ensue) from establishing them in ourselves.  Many people are more receptive to shared stories than preaching. Also, we're taught(Eyring 1997"Safety in Counsel") that when prophets repeat the counsel of other prophets, we'd better pay attention.  Christ was repeating Himself in these chapters (Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount, etc.), for the benefit of another audience, but we have both records, so if the Lord felt it was important enough to be spoken of on both hemispheres, perhaps we had better make sure we're striving to be compliant to that counsel. commandments

  1 ^aVerily, verily, I say that I would that ye should do alms  (food or money given freely to relieve the poor) unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father who is in heaven. Caring for the poor is the dividing factor in the parable of the sheep and the goats. "Why" we minister is more important than "what" we do. And "how" we minister affects our blessings. Right now this seems to be a condemning statement to the Lord's church. We are very much doing our alms before men. We post on social media over and over that we donated x amount to this charity and and that cause. In Conference the prophet has "listed" all the good we have done around the world. Hmmm....no reward from our Father in Heaven for all these "alms"? First talk Oct 2022, Pres Oaks, by assignment of the prophet lists again the good things we've done. hmmmm....
  2 Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. 
  3 But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; Your right and left hand are part of the same body. This could be saying that it's ok for the Church to not even let the members know all the things they are doing. I think we wear our yellow T-shirts as a form of missionary work (hey, look! The Mormons are here to help! Aren't they wonderful??) But wouldn't it be better if people just showed up and others had to ask who we were and conversations were started? And wouldn't it be better if people said, "why don't you all wear yellow t-shirts or something, so we know who you are" and we said, "God knows who we are. And now you know I am here to serve Him and you. Isn't that enough?" 
  4 That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.  Remember that nothing we do "in secret" is hidden from our Father. We will be blessed far more by Him than by men if we minister out of love for Him and a desire to bless and glorify His name, rather than our own. Do not trade your blessings for a "mess of pottage"!  vs 1-4:  Alms-service, good works, contributions to the poor, etc. to be done discreetly.
  5 And when thou ^aprayest thou shalt not do as the ^bhypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
  6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who ^bseeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Again, it is not as important how we pray, but why we pray. It sounds, a little, like the focus is on "how" (go into a closet, shut the door) but that is so that we have no temptation to "be seen of men" or "heard of men".  Our "why" is because our only desire is to be heard of our Father and to receive our reward from Him only.  This is the second example the Lord gives about not being seen of men to seek the praise of the world. We should only seek to praise God and be seen of Him and trust His rewards, not the world's.
  7 But when ye pray, use not ^avain repetitions, as the ^bheathen, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. The footnote on "vain repetitions" says 'TG Sincere". Since we are not being heard by others when we pray in secret, we do not need to heed temptations to say things that might impress others. We can speak sincerely and openly with our Father. And we must not even try to impress God with our big words or flowery speech. As we minister, we should as not do or say things to gain the honors of men or a reputation for ourselves as a "great minister", but love and serve quietly and by the Spirit. If our doings become known to others, we must always point the credit back to God. 
  8 Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father ^aknoweth what things ye have need of before ye ^bask him. The question that comes to mind then, is: What is the relationship between 'vain repetitions' and God knowing what we need before we ask? What follows is the Lord's Prayer. Perhaps we are being taught is that God knows what we need better than we do. The words in this prayer are the things that we need and that we should pray for, not the things that we hear others pray for or that maybe we, ourselves, pray for repeatedly. Maybe it is a 'vain repetition' when we ask for things over and over that are not really what God knows we need. Prayer-His counsel for personal prayers is to be done in private, and then, like President Nelson has counseled, we should pour out our hearts about our concerns, fears, weaknesses, and the longings of our hearts.
  9 After this ^amanner therefore ^bpray ye: Our ^cFather who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. In a recent 'face to face' with Pres. Eyring and Elder Holland, they talked about how we should approach the throne of God. There should be great respect and reverence for God when we pray. 'Hallowed' means "greatly revered or respected"

 10 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Elder Maxwell said that all we can truly give to God is our will. Everything else is His already. 
 11 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Asking for forgiveness keeps us in meekness and humility. When we acknowledge or own faults first, we are less likely to be judgmental of others. We also understand that we can receive no forgiveness without forgiving others. This is the verse that came as an answer to prayer about my debts (Cottonelle)
 12 And ^alead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The correct translation of 'lead' is more like, 'do not allow us to be led'. We know that opposition is a necessary part of our mortal probation. We will be tempted. What we are asking for is power to not follow temptation, and for power to be delivered from evil if we have followed temptation.
 13 For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. We seek to build God's kingdom, not a kingdom on earth for ourselves. We acknowledge that we live and breath by His power, not our own. We do all things for the glory and love of God - forever. We do not seek our own glory (pride). Just a thought - what if this were our only prayer and we trusted that, God, knowing our needs, will give us all things that we need, if we live by the words of this prayer. (Think "consider the lilies of the field"- God clothes them without their asking for it.) What if our whole lives we kept at the forefront of our minds a great reverence for God and a desire to do nothing but His will. The only thing we ask for is to know His will and forgiveness when we choose to believe the lies we are tempted to believe about ourselves and others. We live each day with no other desire but to love God, build His kingdom and glorify His name. We trust all else that is needful will follow according to His plan for us. Amen.   The Lord's Prayer-a prayer of praise, gratitude, and beseeching--a pattern for us to follow.
 14 For, if ye ^aforgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. vs 14-15:  Forgiveness-something we all seek, requires us to forgive.  When we don't forgive others, it's like telling the Lord that His atonement wasn't enough.
 16 Moreover, when ye ^afast be not as the ^bhypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. Notice, there is a reward for fasting no matter how you do it, but you get the reward from the one you wish to be seen by and who's opinion matters to you most...man or God's.
 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and ^awash thy face;
 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father, who is in ^asecret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. vs 16-18:  Fasting-again discreetly, it's between us and God.
 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where ^amoth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
 20 But lay up for yourselves ^atreasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. This is one of my favorite scriptures. Jesus is teaching us that this earth life is transitory. Our life continues after the grave and that we should be more concerned with what our life will be like there than what it is like here (as far as 'treasures of the earth' are concerned." 
 22 The ^alight of the body is the ^beye; if, therefore, thine eye be ^csingle, thy whole body shall be full of light. The 'eye' here, is not our physical eye, but our spiritual eye or how we see things, our perspective, our beliefs. Light is truth, so when we are filled with correct beliefs, or 'right thinking' or 'virtue' we live in a state of light and darkness or 'the veil of unbelief' is lifted. Our eye is 'single' when our motivation for all we do is love for God and a desire to do His will and please Him. 
 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Our eye is evil when we believe the lies of temptation. Then we no longer see as God sees, but as Satan sees and therefore we are in darkness. How is it that Jesus is calling the 'light' in thee 'darkness'? Maybe it is just that we are calling the lies we believe 'light' and it is really darkness. We 'think' we are believing right and thus perceive it as 'light' but it is in reality, great darkness.
 24 No man can ^aserve ^btwo masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. This sounds harsh to me. When I consider my imperfection and weakness, am I really in a state of hate towards God when I fail to be true to what I believe? When I am weak, am I really loving Satan? Can't I love God at all times and just choose temptation because my faith is weak, or my fears are a little too strong? Can't I have one foot in heaven and one foot in Babylon? Jesus is teaching us that every choice between good and evil is a statement of who we love in that moment. Perhaps I would not yield to temptation so easily if I framed my choices in this light. Thankfully, we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ for those many times that we fail. It's Plan A, not Plan B. We will fail and we will need to repent and choose again. This is how we learn to truly love God. vs 19-24:  Obtaining Income-as important as having sufficient for our needs is, we are warned against the temptation to let this become an obsession.  A critical examination again of the heart--is our eye and heart on Zion or on Babylon? 
 25 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the ^atwelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to ^bminister (teach these things)unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 
 26 Behold the ^afowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the ^alilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;
 29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith. Notice the condition: "if ye are not of little faith"...
 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? This direction to not worry about providing for daily needs surely must be for the 12 who are called to spend their lives in the ministry and not for everyone else. For God says, the "idler shall not eat the bread of the laborer". He clearly expects us to work and store and clothe. How do we give alms to the poor if we have nothing to give? No, these 12 are "laboring" in the ministry and God says he'll provide. (Most likely through the labors of the rest of His children, who will clothe and house and feed them).
 32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  Here's a repeat of the Lord's prayer concept stated earlier to all of the people. Is this direction, then, just to the apostles or is it meant in some way for all of us? 
 33 But ^aseek ye first the ^bkingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Clearly, this is meant for all, for we learn in Jacob 2:18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God."
 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. ^aSufficient is the day unto the evil thereof. vs 25-34:  Jesus looks then at his 12, who have during this time, been students, along with the other thousands, and now, He tells them to remember all that He has just taught, and calls them to become teachers or ministers of His word. He commissions them to the work, promising that He'll take care of their needs, as He takes care of all living  creations. This will be their concern for the rest of their lives. I'm sure there's a lot of self-examination going on among these 12, to assess whether they were practicing what they would be preaching. It behooves us to do the same. I love this video that talks about what the ancient "green pastures" were really like and how the sheep were concerned only with the needs of today and trusted the Shepherd to lead them to green pastures  tomorrow. 

3 Nephi 12

 Chapter 12

Jesus calls and commissions the twelve disciples—He delivers to the Nephites a discourse similar to the Sermon on the Mount—He speaks the Beatitudes—His teachings transcend and take precedence over the law of Moses—Men are commanded to be perfect even as He and His Father are perfect—Compare Matthew 5. About A.D. 34.

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  1 ^aAnd it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to ^bbaptize, was ^ctwelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: ^dBlessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have ^echosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. We are all blessed when we heed the words of those who are called to minister to us. Notice that when you minister, you are a servant. Notice that when you are ministered to, it is by one who is called by Christ. We should receive them as such. But the gem here is that we are baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost, not by the one who baptizes us, but by Christ. Christ has helped and taught the 12 their ministering assignments, and then turns to the multitude and exhorts them to listen to their ministering, and gives them powerful promises for their obedience.  What better endorsement can you get than that?!
  2 And again, more blessed are they who shall ^abelieve in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall ^bbelieve in your ^cwords, and ^dcome down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited ^ewith fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. One of our greatest opportunities when we minister is to testify to others of the reality of Christ and the importance of accepting His invitation to be baptized by water. Then, if you follow that with massive humility, then Christ will visit you with fire and the Holy Ghost. At that time, you will then receive a remission of your sins. Remember, the baptism by water only is only half a baptism, said Joseph Smith. He tells the people that those same promises and blessings will be delivered through THEM, to those who listen to THEIR testimonies and ministering-- their friends and loved ones who aren't present at Bountiful. As amazing and wonderful as it would be to witness Christ as these people did, Christ actually says, "more blessed" are those who believe on their testimony. He knows that it takes faith to believe what you haven't seen. Don't think that you are somehow going to miss out if you don't receive this great blessing of seeing Christ (before He comes). There are greater blessings for those who exercise faith before they see. Now the Nephites are going to be taught the "New Covenant" that comes after the law of Moses. I think this is the covenant that Christ spoke of in Doctrine and Covenants 84:57 "And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new ^acovenant, even the ^bBook of Mormon and the ^cformer commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to ^ddo according to that which I have written." This seems like a reason the scriptures are so important. We are under command to follow what has been written. 
  3 Yea, blessed are the ^apoor in spirit who ^bcome unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. There is something important about being "poor". Maybe it has to do with seeing oneself as the "dust of the earth"; or as needing Christ...I'll have to ponder it more, but this is step one.
  4 And again, blessed are all they that ^amourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourn for your sins; mourn for your lost condition without the Savior; mourn for the pain you've caused others (and the Savior who bore that pain). This is the kind of mourning that causes us to cry out for saving.
  5 And blessed are the ^ameek, for they shall inherit the ^bearth. Meekness comes before hope, faith and charity.
  6 And blessed are all they who do ^ahunger and ^bthirst after ^crighteousness, for they shall be ^dfilled with the Holy Ghost. How do you manifest your hunger and thirst? How long do you deny yourself food and water before your body cries out? Does your spirit cry out when it is denied spiritual food?
  7 And blessed are the ^amerciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Christ's Atonement is about mercy. He said he came, not to condemn the world but to save it...
  8 And blessed are all the ^apure in heart, for they shall ^bsee God. None of this can be faked.
  9 And blessed are all the ^apeacemakers, for they shall be called the ^bchildren of God. Let go of any desire to have a warring heart.
 10 And blessed are all they who are ^apersecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If you are not warring, you will more likely be an easy target for persecution. 
 11 And blessed are ye when men shall ^arevile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; Fake news; misinformation; disinformation...all rampant in our day
 12 For ^aye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your ^breward in heaven; for so ^cpersecuted they the prophets who were before you. What we call 'the beatitudes' are commandments: poor in spirit; come unto Christ; mourn for your sins; become meek; hunger and thirst after righteousness; be merciful; pure in heart; a peacemaker; understand how to receive persecution. These commandments, some say, are progressive. Elder Bednar just taught us about meekness. Is that the step we are on collectively as a church? If so, the invitation now is to receive that gift of the spirit and through the very specific steps Pres. Nelson has given us, we must hunger and thirst for righteousness so that we may be baptized by fire and move into the higher ways of being so that we may be merciful (stop judging) and seek to see God (Second Comforter). Then we become "the little children" we are required to be to enter heaven, for we have become the "sons and daughters of God" (even though we are spirit children of God, in this life we must die in Christ and become his children again by choice and by covenant). In this telestial world, know that you will be persecuted for not having followed the ways of the world. So be it. Blessed are ye. vs 3 -12:  Christ repeats the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount on this continent, but with a little enhancement or enlightenment.  This could be that this is a purer record, so those important words were left in, whereas the Matthew version could have been edited by the many people who translated the book down through the ages.  Additions noted:  3-"...the poor in spirit WHO COME UNTO ME;" 6-"...for they shall be filled WITH THE HOLY GHOST;" 8-"blessed are ALL the pure in heart...;" 10-"who are persecuted for MY NAME'S sake." The Bible Dictionary says that the beatitudes are interrelated and progressive in their arrangement.  It also says that these in 3rd Nephi and JST Matt 5 both give a greater spiritual emphasis.  
 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the ^asalt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. Being the salt of the earth, means to me, to enhance the knowledge and righteousness of the earth, which is done by ministering daily to others, and testifying of the truth of God's word, and living an exemplary life. Notice that "salt" is a very very small portion of a recipe. Relatively, the followers of Christ are also very few in numbers. What does it mean to lose our "savor"? Could it be that we still exist as "salt" or the followers of Christ, but we have no "savor" or taste, or effect on the "recipe", so what good are we? Does it mean we are not having any influence? We are silent? Complicit? Isn't that what we have just experienced this last year? Where was our influence to stop the marxist take over of our country? Unfortunately, the consequence for losing your "savor" or influence is that you are cast out and trodden under foot of men. Yikes!
 14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. I'm reading a book on the physics of light as it pertains to spiritual light. This charge to be a light is about having discernable influence.
 15 Behold, do men light a ^acandle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
 16 Therefore let your ^alight so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and ^bglorify your Father who is in heaven.  More commandments: (or are they subsets of the first?)  Be as salt to the earth and a light to the people. Salt is a very small percentage of most dishes, yet makes a big difference in the flavor. The disciples of Christ may be few, but can make a big difference in the societies in which they live. We are also supposed to shine in the dark world. If the whole world were filled with light, there would be no need to "shine" and it would be impossible to stand out and be seen. We must always let others know that we are glorifying our Father by our good works. Being that good example, one who makes a difference, requires daily personal spiritual preparedness, to fill our cup, that we may fill others'.
 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil;
 18 For verily I say unto you, ^aone jot nor one tittle hath not passed away from the ^blaw, but in me it hath all been fulfilled.
 19 And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a ^abroken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the ^blaw is fulfilled. Remember these laws and commandments. Believe Christ. Repent. Follow the steps of the beatitudes and be saved. 
 20 Therefore ^acome unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my ^bcommandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Here is where Jesus is telling us that the "beatitudes" are commandments as well as anything that follows. (like be "salt" and "light")  Again He beckons to them to come to Him.
 21 Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not ^akill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God; Christ now begins to refine the 10 Commandments for the multitude, explaining that these commandments are much deeper than what might be seen at face value. He ministers this to them to help them see that they are accountable for more than they might think.  In this verse, it's not just killing that's bad.
 22 But I say unto you, that whosoever is ^aangry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. It's being angry and having contention in the heart.
 23 Therefore, ^aif ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee—
 24 Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be ^areconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full ^bpurpose of heart, and I will receive you. He explains how our hearts should be in order to come unto Him. It is very interesting that this verse leads us in the footnotes to partaking worthily of the sacrament. Both references for 'purpose' warn about worthiness, and so it is necessary to not have any feuding going on in order to have Heaven smile on our participation in the sacrament, as well as in approaching Christ.
 25 ^aAgree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him, what does it mean to be "in the way with him"? Does that mean to agree with him on things you disagree about? I don't think so. I think it means to find your common ground first and quickly when you meet someone.  lest at any time he shall get thee, and thou shalt be cast into prison. How does our adversary cast us into prison? Does he catch us in our sins? Does he trap us with debt? 
 26 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost senine. And while ye are in prison can ye pay even one ^asenine? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Nay. This is more about being in debt to an adversary. So maybe "agreeing with him quickly" means to pay him quickly before he can call the debt due and cast you in to prison for nonpayment.
 27 Behold, it is written by them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery;
 28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to ^alust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart.
 29 Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer ^anone of these things to enter into your ^bheart; Temptations are thoughts that have not yet entered into your heart. To get there, you have to choose to take it in. Then it is a sin.
 30 For it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your ^across, than that ye should be cast into hell. In the current climate of pro-LGBTQIA+ ideology...it would seem that those who want to follow Christ need to accept that this is something they have to "deny themselves" and "take up their cross" until it is removed by Christ.
 31 It hath been written, that whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of ^adivorcement.
 32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall ^aput away his wife, saving for the cause of ^bfornication, causeth her to commit ^cadultery; and whoso shall marry her who is divorced committeth adultery. How do we explain this? These are words straight from the Savior Himself, who is the same today and yesterday
 33 And again it is written, thou shalt not ^aforswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine ^coaths;
 34 But verily, verily, I say unto you, ^aswear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
 35 Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white;
 37 But let your ^acommunication be ^bYea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.
 38 And behold, it is written, an ^aeye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
 39 But I say unto you, that ye shall not ^aresist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right ^bcheek, ^cturn to him the other also; hmmm...how do you square not resisting evil with standing for truth? 
 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, ^alet him have thy cloak also;
 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to ^ago a mile, go with him twain.
 42 ^aGive to him that asketh thee, and from him that would ^bborrow of thee turn thou not away.
 43 And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy;
 44 But behold I say unto you, love your ^aenemies, bless them that curse you, do ^bgood to them that hate you, and ^cpray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
 45 That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise ^aon the evil and on the good. More commandments: be reconciled to our brethren; come before God with full purpose of heart; agree with our adversaries quickly (surely needs qualified?); no lust; watch what enters your heart; do all unto God; simple communication; don't pick up the sword; love your enemy - bless them, do good to them, pray for them. These verses are about ministering in a Christlike manner with our adversaries, our spouses, and our behavior before our fellow man, our loved ones, and our God.
 46 Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all ^afulfilled.
 47 ^aOld things are done away, and all things have become ^bnew. When Christ comes again, will there be another level of "old things" that are done away as things become "new" in the Terrestial order of the new world? It would seem that we should be prepared for this and not resist the changes.
 48 Therefore I would that ye should be ^aperfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. One definition of perfect is 'complete'. Christ adds the words "as I" to the words He spoke in Jerusalem, perhaps because He has completed His perfection upon His resurrection. His death and resurrection has fulfilled the old law of Moses, and He is giving them the new 'Way.' By obedience to His Father, He was ministering to Elohim, by helping, assisting and taking care of the things Father sent Him to do. He wants us to become perfect, even as He and Father are. I'm seeing patterns of ministering up, and ministering out, so to speak. How can one resist an invitation like that, especially with the help (ministering) He offers?