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Teacher carries out “The New Requirements for the Six Antitheses” activity with students. Help them understand the new ethical requirement concerning the law “love

在文檔中 Topic 6: The Sermon On The Mount (頁 103-108)

Worksheet 1:The eight religious sentiments

Step 4: Teacher carries out “The New Requirements for the Six Antitheses” activity with students. Help them understand the new ethical requirement concerning the law “love

your friends, hate your enemies” and see how this new ethical requirement can fulfill the spirit of the Law.

y Teacher asks students to form groups according to the previous grouping. Teacher then asks them to read Matthew 5: 43-48 and find out Jesus’ reinterpretation of the law “love your friends, hate your enemies”. Teacher also asks students to explore the kind of interpersonal relationship required in the new interpretation. Then asks students to complete the third row “love your friends, hate your enemies” on

“Worksheet 1”.

y Teacher shows “PowerPoint 2” (“6. love your friends, hate your enemies” of “The New Interpretation and the Spirit of the Six Antitheses (2): Vows, Revenge and Love for Enemies”) and helps students understand the spirit of the law “love your friends, hate your enemies”. Also, help students understand how the new ethical requirement

“love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” can fulfill the spirit of the law “love your friends, hate your enemies”?

y Teacher summarises:

- Jesus raised the spirit of the law “love your friends, hate your enemies” to a higher level by asking us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

- It is natural for us to love our close relatives and friends from the bottom of our hearts. But we need will power to love our enemies.

- If we can overcome our instinct with will power and to love our enemies, we will attain a perfect life as a free gift from God.

Step 5: Teacher discusses with students:

y Jesus emphasised that the spirit of loving our enemies is to overcome hatred and treat others with kindness, no matter how others treat us. Then we can follow God’s example of treating bad and good people in exactly the same way. What can people in Hong Kong learn from Jesus’ teachings?

y Is loving one’s enemies feasible in reality? Give examples to support your answer.

y How can one abandon hatred and cultivate kindness in our hearts?

The Six Antitheses (2) Activity Three 3-3

Step 6: Teacher summarises:

y Jesus reinterpreted the law “love your friends, hate your enemies” as loving one’s enemies, just like God who treats bad and good people in exactly the same way. If we love people as God does, we will restore the good nature that God created in us, and our lives will become perfect.

y When the late Pope John Paul II forgave the assassin who shot him, he set up a very good example for us and showed us that Jesus’ teaching of loving one’s enemies is simply practical.

Step 7: Teacher distributes “Students’ Reference: Material 3” (Jesus’ New Interpretation of the Six Theses (Matthew 5:21-48)) and “Students’ Reference: Material 4”

(Jesus’ New Ethical Principles (Matthew 5:21-48)) as the interpretation and wrap up of the six antitheses.

The Six Antitheses (2) Extended Activity

Extended Activity:

1. Respect and love were the prime principles in Jesus’ teachings. Suppose the Hong Kong Chief Executive would like to gather public opinion about “Building a Harmonious Society” and he raises the following questions. How would you answer the following questions according to Jesus’ teachings? (Try to discuss one of the questions in group)

y How to improve marital relationships?

y How to reduce domestic violence?

y How to promote community neighborhood relationships (e.g. getting along with minority groups, getting along with those who dislike you or whom you dislike)?

y How to promote promises-keeping and honesty as important common values of the society?

y How to promote a living free of hatred and revenge?

y How to promote the development of forgiving and harmonious relationships?

The Six Antitheses (2) Teacher’s References Material 1 2-1

Material 1: Jesus’ Interpretation of the Six Antitheses (Matthew 5: 21-48)

1. On Anger

“Do not commit murder” is the sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17. Jesus reinterpreted the law in a way that he even prohibited people being angry with people around them. Jesus did not want people to interpret the law literally. He wanted people to avoid anything that might lead to murder. He did not want people to accumulate their resentment and anger, refusing to reconcile or even plotting to revenge.

2. On Adultery

“Do not commit adultery” is the seventh commandments in Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18. According to Leviticus 20:10, adultery was a serious crime. The adulterine might be sentenced to death. Jesus extended this law, such that a man is considered guilty if he desires a woman when he stares at her. Jesus reinterpreted the law because he wanted people to control their desires and to resist temptations.

3. On Divorce

In Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Moses permitted men to divorce their wives by writing them a notice of divorce. The divorced woman would be free and could marry another man.

Jesus reinterpreted the law. He considered marriage as a covenant to sustain the relationship between spouses. It is the God’s will for a couple to keep their marriage because the two are united by God and none should be alone. Therefore, divorce is a crime. A man should not divorce his wife except for marital unfaithfulness.

4. On Vows

According to the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:3), Moses permitted people to make vows but forbade people to breach the vows. Jesus reinterpreted the law that a righteous man needs no vows to guarantee anything.

The Six Antitheses (2) Teacher’s References Material 1 2-2

5. On Revenge

According to the Mosaic Law (Exodus 21:22-25), only revenge on one for one basis was permitted in order to restrain the extent of revenge. Jesus reinterpreted the law and asked people not to hate or take revenges. He explained the new requirement with three

examples: (a) If someone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too; (b) if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well; (c) if someone forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.

The three examples show forgiveness because (a) a right-handed person has to use the back of his hand to slap the right cheek of another person. According to the Jewish customs, the insult of slapping others with the back of one’s hand was twice as much as that with the palm. Through this example, Jesus taught people not to resent or take revenge. (b) The coats of the Jews were blanket-like robes. Men wore robes as clothes in daytime and used them as blankets at night. As the Jews usually had only one robe, they must not pawn it or lose it. This example helped people learn not to fight or argue for their rights. (c) If the Roman troops forced the Jews to carry their packs one mile, the Jews should make every effort and kindly serve them with love no matter how rude, unreasonable or even cruel the people asked for help were.

6. On Loving One’s Enemies

The Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:18) taught people to love their neighbours and hate their enemies. At that time, the Jews thought that “neighbour” meant people of their own race.

Jesus reinterpreted the law and taught people to love their enemies. God loves everyone in the world, including the wicked ones, regardless of their status. His followers, therefore, should love each other and even their enemies so as to follow God’s will.

References:

1. 黎美霞、歐陽綺文 (1998):《同創新天地第四冊︰學生本》(頁 72-77)。香港:宗 教教育中心。

2. Viviano, Bendict T. (1990). The Gospel According to Matthew. In Brown, Raymond &

Fitzmyer, J. (Eds). New Jerome Biblical Commentary (pp.630-674). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

The Six Antitheses (2) Teacher’s References Material 2 2-1

在文檔中 Topic 6: The Sermon On The Mount (頁 103-108)