Jesus In A Nutshell

Ten authentic sayings from the Sermon on the Mount,

along with passages from the Jewish Scriptures that inspired them plus some Buddha and Lao Tzu for good measure

1. Dont react violently to violent people. (Matt. 5:39-40/Luke 6:29)

Proverbs 20:22: Do not say I will repay evil. Wait for God and God will help you. Lamentations 3:30: It is good to give ones cheek to the smiter and be filled with insults. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 63: Strive not to struggle, achieve just by being. Value the unimportant. Meet unkindness with compassion.

2. Be generous! Give to everyone. (Matt. 5:42/Luke 6:30)

Psalms 37:26: The righteous are always giving liberally and lending. Deuteronomy 15:11: Open your hand to the poor and needy. Buddha, Dhammapada v. 224: When asked, one should give, even if there is just a little.

3. Love everybody: friend, enemy, stranger alike. (Matt. 5:44/Luke 6:27-28)

Leviticus 19:18: You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge, but rather love your neighbor as yourself. Proverbs 25:21: If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat. If they are thirsty, water to drink. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 27: The sage is good at helping everyone. For that reason there is no rejected person. Buddha, Dhammapada v. 5: Never in this world has hate ever cast out hate. Love alone wins over hate. This is an ancient truth.

4. Gods love extends to All: good & bad, repentant & unrepentant. (Matt. 5:45b/Luke 6:35d)
Psalms 145:9: God is good to All. Gods compassion is over All that God has made. Proverbs 29:13: The poor and the oppressor have this in common: God gives light to the eyes of both. Buddha, Sadharmapundarika Sutra 5: That great cloud rains down on all whether their nature is superior or inferior.

5. Be merciful & compassionate! In imitation of Gods mercy & compassion. (Matt. 5:48/Luke 6:36)
Deuteronomy 4:31: God is merciful. God will neither abandon you nor destroy you. Psalms 103:8: God is merciful, gracious, and abounding in steadfast love. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 67: I have just 3 things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These are your greatest treasures.

6. Forgive others! Because you are forgiven. (Matt. 6:14-15/Luke 6:37)

Isaiah 44:22: I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Jeremiah 31:34: I will forgive your iniquities, and remember your sins no more.

7. Dont become attached to things! The material world is illusory. (Matt. 6:19-21/Luke 12:33-34)
Proverbs 23:4-5: Dont wear yourself out to get rich. Be wise enough to desist. When your eyes light upon it, it is gone, for suddenly it takes wings to itself, flying like an eagle toward heaven. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 9: Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about peoples approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 70: The sage wears rough clothing, and holds the jewel in her heart.

8. Dont fret about life! Youre in Gods hands. (Matt. 6:25-30/Luke 12:22-28)
Psalms 147:9: God gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 81: Wise souls dont hoard. The more they do for others, the more they have. The more they give the richer they are. The Way of heaven profits without destroying. Doing without outdoing is the Way of the wise. Buddha, Dhammapada v. 92: Like the path of birds in the sky, it is hard to trace the path of those who do not hoard, whose field is the freedom of emptiness and signlessness.

9. Dont judge others! Cultivate non-judgment. (Matt. 7:3-5/Luke 6:41-42)

Leviticus 19:17: You shall reason frankly with your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. Buddha, Dhammapada v. 50: Look not at the faults of others nor at what they do or leave undone, but only at your own deeds.

10. God cares for you like a parent cares for her children. (Matt. 7:9-11/Luke 11:11-13)
Isaiah 49:15: Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I wont forget you. Buddha, Sutta Nipata 149: Just as a mother would protect her only child at risk of her life, cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings.

A publication of the Marginal Mennonite Tract & Propaganda Department. Compiled by Charlie Kraybill on behalf of the Marginal Mennonite Society. Visit www.facebook.com/marginalmennonitesociety and like us. Revised: June 22, 2013