Jesus and the (Other) Greatest Commandment
Gregg Zegarelli Esq.
Managing Shareholder at Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC
Many people—if not most people—believe that Jesus was wise.
Some people also believe that Jesus is God or a prophet, each according to his or her own personal revelation, a matter well-beyond the secular scope here. [1]
But, as a matter of secular wisdom, apart from religion or faith, as the case may be, Jesus shares teachings consistent with many other wise persons, from many cultures, throughout time. Wise teachings, expressed as could be understood, appreciated and accepted for the respective culture of context.
As part of his "yoke is easy and burden light" standard, Jesus stated the Greatest Commandment was simply, "to love." A rule easy enough to express.
One interpretation might be that perfect love (not almost perfect) cannot exist in the same space with judgment, and, without judgment, there cannot be condemnation, and without judgment and condemnation (particularly of another person's soul, a matter often believed to be reserved to God alone), people would live happily together.
Basically, the burden of the rule gets lighter, the more we slough off all of the qualifiers and get to its essence.
However, as a matter of social secular administration, the problem with this rule "to love" is not its intention, but its practicality. Love is a matter of heart, naturally freely to be given, such as Respect, and Admiration. It simply must come freely from inside out, never by force from outside in. A king can compel us to kneel, but a king cannot make us to love. [2] A king can compel our body, but a king cannot compel our heart or mind. What we think and feel is our ultimate exclusive human possession—the last bastion of self.
As a matter of social secular administration, the law of American society does not deal in love. The law deals with action (or inaction when there is a duty to act). If a man should sit in a room seething with a mean, vile and hateful heart, it is the personal business of that man, until he should act.
The great Thomas Jefferson made this point about the law when confirming the necessity of secular social acceptance of various beliefs in the United States in his Notes on Virginia, 1782 ("QUERY XVII The different religions received into [Virginia]?"); to wit:
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious...it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
[3] Speech and thought are free, but action is different; regulation of non-injurious conduct, says our beloved Jefferson, is simply not a legitimate power of government.
Jefferson's free-thinking society of mature adults living together in peace, while holding contrary beliefs with mutual respect, deals only in the injurious action, not the mind. Therefore, using derivatives of the Jeffersonian legal framework, the law deals in what we do, not what we love. [4]
If the most evil-intentioned man does a good act, the law will ignore it. But, if the best-intentioned man does a bad act, the law will judge and perhaps condemn it. Indeed, the law will scrutinize the act of someone parking a car in the middle of a freeway to save the ducks. [5]
Now, there are certainly more than one "other greatest" wise commands by Jesus, so perhaps I have hyperbolized the title. The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is a great secular commandment, too, shared with the earlier Confucius and Socrates, and many other wise teachers from East and West. However, this commandment is still abstract.
So, that is already two great commandments: the so-named Greatest Commandment, "To Love" and The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
But, as an attorney, my personal favorite is the following; it is simple, direct, and, best of all, it is concrete:
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes...’
[6] Examined in detail in a separate post [*4], Jesus simply said, "Do what you say."
As an attorney, with more than 35 years of in-the-field practice, I am convinced that this is one of the easiest secular commandments to make the world a better place. It is such a simple and obvious fix to so many social problems.
When children are young, they might say, "Well, I didn't promise..." as if that were a get-out-of-jail-free card. Or, they might say, "Really, I promise I will..." as if that extra statement added a binder to the future commitment. We should watch it closely.
If a child is taught that this is an acceptable standard, then it implies that "Yes" means "Maybe," and, of course, that is a very bad seed for the character of a child, or any human being. Moreover, such as when Vince Lombardi said, "Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit," once a child, or anyone, starts to think that "Yes" means "Maybe," it becomes a habit, a very bad habit.
Consistent with the wise teaching of Jesus, it seems we are to consider whether children (and/or other human beings) should be corrected to understand that each affirmation bears a silent implied, "and I promise."
For a person of excellent character, as Jesus suggests, saying outwardly the extra words, "I promise" is completely immaterial. The person of deepened character simply does what he or she says. For this, we say the person has "integrity," and we call the person, "honorable," "reliable," "dependable," "diligent," and "committed to task." For a better real-world, it should be the standard by implication. [7] At least for me, I tell the children for whom I am responsible, "I don't want to hear anything about promises. If you say it, do it. It's that simple."
In practicing law for more than 35 years, "Yes = Maybe" is everywhere. If you don't see it now, be vigilant and you'll see it, too.
But, instead of Yes = Maybe, let Yes = Yes; to wit:
"I will be there at 6:00 p.m. (I promise)." "I will follow-up (I promise.)" "I will deliver on May 1st (I promise)." "I will pay net 30 (I promise)." "I will call you for lunch (I promise)." "The check is in the mail (I promise)." If we add the "I promise" in our own minds every time we make a statement about an action, it may be substantively immaterial, of course, but it tends to magnify the impact so that we can assess our habits more carefully. It's not as easy an exercise as one might think, particularly also doing it for the "little things."
No one is perfect, but that is not the point. The point is that the internal statement to ourselves reinforces our commitment to the other person and creates weighty importance for the words we choose to say.
Like any training, it gets easier the more we do it. Like the posture of a ballerina, it is not natural, until it is. [8]
Training begins when we acquire an appreciation of the context. Training is partially completed when we start using the word "try," rather than an absolute assurance, to place the other person on notice of a "maybe" condition. And, our training is complete when we perform the things that match the words that we say, and the word "try" is neither used nor required. (And, it is noted that, "I will try [I promise]," when perfectly promised and best tried, is often a condition of no meaning: the thing most often could and would be done).
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To let our "yes" simply mean "yes."
To choose our words carefully, and to develop the discipline and internal fortitude to match our words with our action. This is integrity, and a fundamental rule of mature cooperative social interaction. This is why I never promised to love my wife, not because I will not promise it, but because I cannot promise it. [*4 , *2] The love is voluntary and freely given, not by constraint. Some things are stronger than the chains that would presume to constrain them.
And, if we would do as suggested by Jesus and the other great sages, then Providence would grace our human relationships with more love, admiration and respect.
From Game of Thrones:
[6] ONE®: The Unified Gospel of Jesus, Divine Version [Second Edition] Published [#GRZ_59] [One: 511; Matthew 5:37-38]
* Gregg Zegarelli, Esq., earned both his Bachelor of Arts Degree and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dual major areas of study were History from the College of Liberal Arts and Accounting from the Business School (qualified to sit for the CPA examination), with dual minors in Philosophy and Political Science. He has enjoyed Adjunct Professorships in the Duquesne University Graduate Leadership Master Degree Program (The Leader as Entrepreneur; Developing Leadership Character Through Adversity) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (The Anatomy of a Deal). He is admitted to various courts throughout the United States of America.
Gregg Zegarelli, Esq., is Managing Shareholder of Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC. Gregg is nationally rated as "superb" and has more than 35 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, including startups, INC. 500, and publicly traded companies. He is author of One: The Unified Gospel of Jesus, and The Business of Aesop™ article series, and co-author with his father, Arnold Zegarelli, of The Essential Aesop: For Business, Managers, Writers and Professional Speakers. Gregg is a frequent lecturer, speaker and faculty for a variety of educational and other institutions.
© 2015 Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Movie clip © HBO, Game of Thrones. Ep. 6.7. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn.
Related Article: Prove it! Words v. Action. No. 27. The Leap at Rhodes - The Essential Aesop™ - Back to Basics Abridgment Series
#GreggZegarelli #Jesus #Integrity #Leadership #LetYesMeanYes #Zegarelli #Committment #Wisdom #GRZ_16
Helping our clients make important financial planning and asset management decisions, before and during retirement. President at Henry Wealth Management
7yGregg, this was a repeat very much worth repeating. You are a masterful teacher!
Helping our clients make important financial planning and asset management decisions, before and during retirement. President at Henry Wealth Management
8yGregg- you are a gifted writer and make interesting and compelling points. I "love" your posts. Thank you!!
Diversity ,Equity, Inclusion Consultant
8yLet your yes mean yes. That is all. Gregg Zegarelli Esq. Excellent article. Thank you
Helping our clients make important financial planning and asset management decisions, before and during retirement. President at Henry Wealth Management
8yHey Gregg- so well stated. You are a gifted communicator. Actions speak louder than words. Words lineup with actions, even better
Helping our clients make important financial planning and asset management decisions, before and during retirement. President at Henry Wealth Management
8yGregg- so well stated. Actions speak louder than words. When words line up with actions, even better!