01/08/2026
Dear Light Group,
One of the most tender moments with Jesus may have been when he gave the Sermon on the Mount.
The story begins with Jesus “seeing the multitudes.” Given what he said in the Sermon on the Mount, one senses that Jesus not only saw “the multitudes" with his physical eyes but with eyes filled with deep compassion. The “multitudes” were the common people, and they felt weighed down and were hungry for hope. Sound familiar?
Part of what was weighing them down were the number and severity of the laws. Again, sound familiar? There were the Ten Commandments, but most people don’t realize there are an additional 613 laws in books of the Bible such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The penalties for breaking those laws were quite harsh. On top of the 613 laws were regulations and requirements mandated by the priests.
Beyond the Jewish laws were the laws of the Romans, who had conquered that part of the world. The Romans could be quite savage in how they treated those who broke their laws or threatened their control. Just think of crucifixion: Jesus wasn’t the only one to be crucified - the road to Jerusalem was lined with crosses on which people had been crucified, as a reminder to the Jews and others to be obedient.
In the midst of this repression and cruelty, the “multitudes” ached for hope, for freedom, for upliftment.
Given the times, what Jesus promised "the multitudes” must have seemed almost unreal. In the Beatitudes, he promised comfort, mercy, and the kingdom of heaven. He also told them they would see God. Beyond that, he told them they were the Light of the World.
Jesus, in a sense, wiped out the old, repressive laws when he said (at least five times in the Sermon on the Mount) something like, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time….” The old-timers were Moses and others who followed him, loading up on laws.
The new “laws” of Jesus were ones of love, humility, forgiveness, generosity, non-judgment, non-materialism, purity of thought, and focus on the Divine.
These weren’t so much laws as they were a spiritual code or a formula for spiritual transformation, and they are every bit as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. If we, who are living in something of a dark age, seek comfort, mercy, and the kingdom of heaven, just as the people of old did, then we, too, have the spiritual code to take us there.
But that code needs to be read, not with the mind, but with the heart. When the code is in our hearts, then we transform - ourselves as well as others. When the code is in our hearts, we aren’t thinking it, we are being it. When we be it, we vibrate the energy of love, forgiveness, and generosity. Then others pick up on that energy, and they start to vibrate that energy, too. We are uplifted, and that uplifts others, and a virtuous cycle begins.
If you would like to be the Sermon on the Mount - for yourself and for others - you might try a prayer such as, “Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy vibrates in my heart. This Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy vibrates throughout my entire being. This vibration of Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy radiates from my heart. This vibration of Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy radiates from my heart throughout my home and throughout the area in which I live. This vibration of Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy radiates from my heart and fills and surrounds Earth. I am one with the Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy of the Christ. I am one with Christ Consciousness. Christ Consciousness and I are one. I am one with that Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy that permeates everyone and everything. Let this Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy expand, that all may feel the comfort and mercy. Let this Divine Love, Peace, and Mercy expand, that all may find the kingdom of heaven. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”
Love and Light,
Tully
Send a message to learn more