Agape and Hesed-Ahava. David L. Goicoechea

men alike.

      For if you love those who love you,

      what right have you

      to claim any credit?

      If we go beyond Jewish ahava to an agape

      that loves everyone even our enemies

      we will have an agape like God’s hesed

      that sends sun and rain to all.

      Our love should be like God’s love

      so that his kingdom of love might come

      and his will be done on earth

      as it is in heaven, and this is the main

      point of the Gospel of Matthew, which

      shows how Jesus’ agape fulfills hesed

      by showing us that all belong to the house

      of David and all will receive his promise.

      It fulfills ahava by showing us how

      we should love all, even our enemies.

      One might wonder why Matthew’s Gospel

      is placed first in the New Testament

      as if it were written before Mark’s

      upon which it depends so much.

      But, Matthew’s Gospel is not only synoptic

      in that it builds upon Mark, but

      it also contains an Infancy Narrative,

      the sayings of Jesus in Q 1, 2, and 3,

      and Matthew’s own special material.

      The Q 1 sayings and the Infancy Narrative

      are earlier than anything in Mark so

      it is justified to see Matthew as first.

      Once we read the Sermon on the Mount

      which is part of the Q 1 sayings

      and learn about God loving non-Jews

      and sinners then we can understand

      how he always loved that way and

      we can see this in the Infancy Narrative.

      This special hesed can be seen in relation

      to the four of Mary’s predecessors:

      Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.

      In the Infancy Narrative we also see

      a new hesed—agape in the fulfilling

      of the five dreams and then in

      the fulfilling of the five prophecies.

      However, the main message about agape

      in Matthew is found in his own perspective

      in terms of which he sees agape

      as fulfilling hesed and ahava in

      terms of nine new dimensions that

      let agape build upon Jewish love but

      go beyond it by fulfilling it.

      According to Matthew we should obey Jesus

      and live righteously as did he

      to bring about the kingdom of love.

      Matthew shows how Jesus revealed

      nine new dimensions of his kingdom.

      1) It will be an eternal kingdom

      2) The chosen people will include all.

      3) It will be a kingdom of altruistic love,

      4) which will especially love enemies.

      5) It will be for childlike believers.

      6) The closest disciples will be celibate,

      7) that they might bring all to the kingdom.

      8) Purgatory will let us all be reconciled

      9) and we should love agape more than anything.

      So, agape as Jesus revealed it is

      1) an eternal love 2) a universal love

      3) an altruistic love 4) an unconditional love

      5) a childlike love 6) a celibate love

      7) a missionary love 8) a purgatorial love

      9) and a love that loves love above all.

      Matthew shows us how the disciples

      both men and women followed Jesus

      and worked more and more for

      the mysterious kingdom of heaven.

      But they often failed to obey him

      as did Peter and yet agape reveals

      how Peter is a saintly sinner.

      So this kingdom of agape is glorious

      and the whole task of agapeic lovers

      is to give glory to God by manifesting

      more and more his mysterious love

      so that all might begin to see it.

      The only mention of reconciliation

      in the Four Gospels is at Matt 5:23–24

      where Jesus says:

      If you are bringing your offering

      to the altar and there remember

      that your brother has something

      against you, leave your offering

      there before the altar, go and be

      reconciled with your brother first,

      and then come back and present

      your offering.

      This can be understood as having to do

      with the entire family of humankind.

      Kierkegaard has shown us the logic

      of this reconciliation and with Nietzsche

      we can understand its physiology, but

      with Levinas and Derrida we can

      better understand how glorifying God

      can help bring about this reconciliation.

      Jesus gives his followers the task

      of going out to all persons and teaching

      them of this reconciling agape that

      aims at bringing us all to love each other.

      All nine points that make up agape

      as Matthew spells them out aim at

      this reconciliation of all of God’s people.

      As Matthew shows us Jesus explained

      agape in terms of hesed and of ahava

      and the notions of glory for the Jews

      were connected with this and can be

      fulfilled if all Christians become good Jews

      in really loving God and all as our neighbor.

      Part One

Experiencing Problems

      At Mt. Angel

      I,1 Mt. Angel’s Spiritual, Intellectual, Vital, Physical Values

      I,1.1 Our alma mater’s Spiritual Nourishing

      On