Matthew 5:18,19

"For amen I say to you, Until upward vision and land may come along beside, one jot or one tittle will in no way come along beside, from the law, until all things are becoming. Whoever therefore may loose one of the least of these directions, and thus teach humanity, will be called least in the realm of upward vision, but whoever may do and teach them, the same will be called great in the realm of upward vision."  One day our land and the realm of upward vision will be coming along beside one another. And then "all things are becoming."  Therefore "these directions" that Jesus is setting forth, these principles of living, are vital to the new realm.  To "loose" or let go of these teachings of upward vision, is devastating.  To forsake the directions concerning poverty, justice or peace (just laid out) is to be "least in the realm of upward vision."  To be "great" in the sense intended here, is simply to be found doing and teaching the principles of the realm.

Matthew 5:17

"You should not think that I came to totally loose the law or those who have spoken out.  I came not to totally loose, but to make totally full."  In Authentic Teaching of Jesus, one will note the literal translation of "loose" in different settings.  The Greek word LUO is a versatile word in the New Testament with quite a range of meanings. In the context above, "to loose" is opposite of "to make full."  Jesus' reinterpretation of the OT law and prophets was, in his view, a making full of the text.  One who is learning from Jesus should adopt the same hermeneutic, the same perspective on the Biblical material that he employed.  If we read in this spirit, we will make the teaching totally full, both in understanding and in life.

Matthew 5:16

"Thus let your light shine in front of humanity that they may see good works from you, and esteem your loving center in upward vision."  True to its mission to be very literal and less anthropomorphic, Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament quotes Jesus as speaking of feeling "esteem" for your "loving center" in "upward vision."  All are alternatives to traditional biblical language. And all three of these translations reflect a very literal , etymological rendering of the Greek words. In the case of "loving center", as the Introduction to Authentic Teaching of Jesus observes:

The word PATER (typically "Father" in most translations) is, as Kittel notes, from the monosyllabic "pa" or "ma" or even "ba" lisped by a small child for a parent, the loving center of its life.  When used in the singular, of a literal male parent, HWLB translates as "father."  In the plural, it conveys the sense of "parents."  The cognate "PATRIA" is a family, not a group of fathers.  Often, however, in order to capture its earliest semantic sense, the phrase "loving center" is used.


One of the goals of HWLB is to allow for a larger view of immanence in the teachings of Jesus.  This also explains the very literal translation of "heaven" as "upward vision".  From two Greek words, meaning to see upwards, HWLB always has "upward vision" and thus allows the reader to see the different ways the original word is used in various contexts.

We all really do have the light within us.  But, we choose to let this light shine in the presence of others as we do good, reflecting esteem for the loving center of us...a truly upward vision of life.

Matthew 5:14,15

"You are the light of the system.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor does a person light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but on the lamp stand and it shines in all who are within the house."  Those who are committed to the Jesus-way of life are the light of the system.  He has just addressed key points in the previous verses of this chapter: poverty, mourning, gentleness, thirst for justice, a pure heart, and peacemaking.  In the context of Matthew 5, what Jesus means by us becoming a light is crystal clear. 

In Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament, the Greek word KOMOS is always translated as "system."  This allows for linguistic flexibility in its different contexts.  With a basic idea of "ordered arrangement", it is used in the New Testament for a disparate group of ideas: from the current cultural and political world; to the world as individual persons; and even for jewelery and clothing.  Most often, as here, it seems to encompass both our cultural world as well as the individuals in it.  There is a system to the way this world is structured and arranged. And, that system does not necessarily further the aims of the new realm that Jesus envisioned.  The current system often seems to be doing everything but...thirsting for justice. Jesus notes in verse 15 above that the lamp "shines in all who are within the house."  HWLB is relatively unique in the way it translates the locative sense of the case of the word PASIN.  Yes, one could literally translate as "to all."  But since part of the mission of HWLB, as quoted in Authentic Teaching of Jesus, is to provide very literal, yet alternative perspectives on the text, the preposition "in" is used.   And, indeed, the light not only shines to us, but in us. 

Matthew 5:13

"You are the salt of the land, but if the salt becomes foolish, with what will it be salted?  Its strength is nothing, but to be cast out and walked on by humans."  Because Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament is a very literal translation, one occasionally reads passages in which seemingly discordant words appear.  In this familiar verse, we expect the salt to become "tasteless" or perhaps "insipid" or other synonyms for what salt becomes if its flavor could disappear.  In Authentic Teaching of Jesus, quoting HWLB, the salt "becomes foolish."  This is simply very literal and consistent translation.  And, it provides some insight into what Jesus means by salt.  Yes, as some note, those who attempt to live Jesus' teachings add flavor to human society. Others observe the preservative nature of salt.  But, there is also an implied sense of salt as wisdom or reason since, to become less salty, is to become more foolish.  One moves from being the "salt of the land" to becoming that part of the land which humans walk on.  That is, we become superficial and shallow, adding nothing to the larger world around us.

Matthew 5:11,12

"Happy are you when people will reproach you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of gushing misery against you falsely, on account of me. Rejoice and be glad because your upward vision reward is great, for thus they persecuted previous people, the ones who had spoken out."  From Jesus' day to ours, the response to those who speak out for justice and all that is right is often one of bitter recrimination and personal attack.  Note that the word often translated "evil" is here "gushing misery."  In this instance Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament retains the etymologically based translation of the ENT.  The particular kind of evil that Jesus speaks of here is a gushing misery, one that flows from a deep hatred of fairness.  Also notice that the hallmark of this kind of person is that they are false.  False in their reproach of others and even false to their own best selves.  Yet we are encouraged to "rejoice and be glad."  Our upward vision  reward, our compensation of the highest and best vision of life, is great.  And, we have for company all those who have spoken out in earlier generations.  Often translated "prophets", one reads "those who have spoken out" in Authentic Teaching of Jesus. The word "prophet" is merely a transliteration of the Greek word.  In HWLB, as found in Authentic Teaching of Jesus, a very literal sense of the word is captured by the phrase "those who speak out."  When we speak out for the poor, we join with those who have spoken out in their time for equality and integrity in our world.

Matthew 5:10

"Happy are those who have been persecuted for the sake of justice, because from them is the realm of upward vision." At first reading it jarring, perhaps even too glib, to read of happiness and persecution in the same sentence. Persecution is a too real an experience of many in this 21st century. And, the more ardent the work for justice, the more intense can be the opposition. One of the ongoing themes of Jesus' teaching was this, the overwhelming need for justice in human society. But how can it be said that there is any sense of happiness in suffering for one's work for justice?  It would seem that Jesus' point is realized in the preposition "from".  In the Greek text, there is only the grammatical case, implying a preposition.  In Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament, the genitive case here is understood as denoting source rather than possession, as in many translations. Both senses are literal, but HWLB, as quoted in Authentic Teaching of Jesus, presents an alternative and literal way of reading the verse. Jesus' implication is that those who are suffering for justice' sake are where the realm of upward vision arises.  They don't just possess this new realm, but they are its source!  Our deep sense of joy in living justly, even if we are strongly opposed, comes from the conviction that a new realm, a new and higher vision for humanity, will flow from our work.

Matthew 5:9

"Happy are the peacemakers, because they will be called children of this sense of placing."  What does it take to be happy in this life?  Jesus notes, in Matthew 5, a number of qualities and traits of those whose lives are marked by a deep sense of fulfilment. Here, in Authentic Teaching of Jesus (quoting from Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament), it is those whose lives make for peace, who are blessed. Too often we heed the voices of war rather than listening deeply to the call for peacemaking. In chapter 24 of Matthew, page 61 of Authentic Teaching of Jesus, we read this reminder, "And you will hear of the necessity of wars, and arguments for wars.  Be perceptive and you will not be troubled...But maturity is not yet here." We live in a culture of empire.  We do, indeed, hear many persuasive arguments for warfare. And much of our religious power structure has become an integral part of the war machine. Maturity is not yet here for our world.  Jesus' call, to those who are learning, is to find true joy in working for peace.  They will become children of a deep sense of placing, of purpose in this life.

Matthew 5:8

"Happy are the pure in heart, because they will perceive a sense of placing."  For more on the Greek word for purity, see www.etymologicalnewtestament.blogspot.com on this verse. In Authentic Teaching of Jesus (which uses Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament), the result of a pure (or transparent) life and heart is what we become able to perceive. Because HWLB is very literal, but intentionally less anthropomorphic, the root sense of "placing" is used when the Greek word THEOS occurs in the text. See the Lexicon and Concordance: http://concordant.org/Concordant%20Lexicon/Index.html. (Page 259) Our deep seated happiness in life tends to accord with our heart's condition.  The clarity of our life and heart allow us to begin to perceive a sense of placing, or the divine immanence, which is the spirit of God.

Authentic Teaching of Jesus

None of us living in the 21st century is naive enough to think that we can strip away all of the cultural differences between first century agrarian peoples and our urban, western mindset.  But we can stretch our minds and hearts, via literal and less traditional language, so that we might consider afresh the words of the carpenter's son.

Authentic Teaching of Jesus contains all of the primary teaching passages of the Book of Matthew as found in Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament.  The language is contemporary, but very literal and less anthropomorphic than most English versions of the Bible.

New Translation of Jesus' Teaching

The book Authentic Teaching of Jesus according to Holy Wind Living Breath has been published.  This is the first book to incorporate the new translation of Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament.  It contains all of the major teaching passages of Jesus as found in the Book of Matthew.  All of the posts in this blog are based on passages taken from Authentic Teaching of Jesus.  It may be ordered by selecting the link under "For further study."  It can also be ordered from Quaker Books or from your local bookstore.

Matthew 5:7

"Happy are the merciful, because they will be inhabiting mercy."  This particular verse is very similar to the ENT at www.etymologicalnewtestament.blogspot.com.  At that blog, Jesus' concept of inhabiting the spiritual place that one creates is discussed. In the updated translation of Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament the ongoing nature of inhabiting mercy is stressed. Rather than a one time event, our living in mercy is a continual happening...and thus a deep sense of happiness in life.  

Matthew 5:6

"Happy are those who hunger and thirst for justice, because they will be satisfied."  Jesus' concern was often expressed by the use of the Greek word DIKE or its cognates.  Because Holy Wind Living Breath New Testament strives to be very literal, the translation of this family of words stays very close to the root sense of "justice."  Rather than seeing righteousness as a merely personal code, Jesus saw a hunger for justice (whether personal or within society) as a fundamental characteristic of the new realm that he envisioned.  Many translations have "righteousness" here in verse six.  And, the original English sense of "right wise-ness" with ourselves and others makes very good sense.  But, in order to stay relatively consistent and also to keep the connection with the verb "justify" (as in Romans 5:1), HWLB translates as "justice" in this passage.