John 14:6
Jesus is Truth
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Matthew 5:21-26
Love Your Brothers and Neighbors
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Luke 6:27-36
Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Matthew 7:13-14
The Narrow and Wide Roads
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Luke 23:32-35
Father Forgive Them for They Do Not Know What They Are Doing
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
Mark 14:61-65
Jesus Says He is the Son of God
61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
There is a direct and straight path to the Truth, and a right Way to live life...Now this direct path is not always easy, yet this is what Jesus taught in His Teachings...
Jesus tells us to correct our brother or neighbor while we are alone and not to include others in this process...By including and telling others about the situation, we can muddy the situation and maybe want them to take our side and this adds more problems to the forgiving situation...And in His forgiving mode, Jesus also told us to love our enemies and to pray for them...There is no grudge or hate in His teachings of LOVE for our enemies or His...He knew that His enemies had intellect and their opinions, and most importantly they too (like you) are made in the Image of His Father...Jesus did not talk behind people's back and believed in being forthright and He teaches us to talk to one's neighbor in a private and direct way when we have a problem with them...
Even Jesus had problems with His opposition with Pharisees, teachers of the law, and the Sanhedrin...Jesus talked directly to them and told the Truth to the Sanhedrin and High Priest the night before His arrest...And yet they did not believe the Truth...So our neighbors may not always believe us, yet He wants us to love them...Jesus went to His death on the cross, LOVING and forgiving His enemies...He shows us the Way to the cross is a very tough one, a narrow one, and is the right path to take when we are discussing things with our neighbors...