Jesus had already said all the teachings he thought to be necessary to his disciples and that should constitute the basis of his teachings, directed to all those who wanted to follow him.

The merchant, as the peasant left happily, started wondering. “Maybe I gave him too much. One thousand? Why not 500? Or 200? Maybe he would get happy with 100. Or less. Who knows, 10?... He makes five rubles a day... I guess I gave him too much.”

It usually happens to us. Because of the enthusiasm we give carelessly. Then we regret. And start suffering. It happened to me. No one invited me to be the best man. My brother used to be everyone’s best man. I was used to. Wedding? My brother will be there. Best man again. I was getting troubled. What if I am not the best man kind? Surprise! One day, my chance arrived. I got happy. And promised to him: “the fridge is on me!”

Guys, a fridge at that time was such a gift. Today, no. After the creation of Casas Bahia, it is taken for granted. Anyone can buy there a fridge for 20 reais/month. But not at that time.

I soon realized that. But I had to keep my word. Suffering.

According to Arthur Riedel, in his book: “there are those who believe that who gives the poor lends to God, but they want to know what God is going to do with this loan”. A citizen asks money to buy some bread. We give it, but with the comment: “Watch out, this is for you to buy bread. Don’t you dare to spend with drinks, okay?”

“As far as it is concerned, no one can raise
the dead as Jesus used to” 

There are those who offer to church, or any institution, and bet on the lottery, thinking they will get the divine reward winning the grand prize.

Others give at their deathbed, when they cannot use the money anymore, and death is looming. They do, then, a will giving some money to the hospital, or an asylum, orphanage, APAE.  They give, because they cannot carry it together.

Jesus had told us, too, about the presence, always, in all moments of history, of the so-called false prophets who, using the good nature of people, cheat them. Not only have they served about religion, leading people like unconscious flocks to adventures or crimes. False prophets, also, in philosophy, science, politics, industry, commerce, education, health, everywhere. They were always there. Cheaters and cheated ones. That’s why he recommended us to be prudent like snakes and do not believe in all prophets, verifying before if they were prophets of God, analyzing their work.

He told us to be perfect in everything we did. Just like our Father, that is perfect in all senses.

This perfection which Jesus referred to is relative. It means to do everything we do the best way possible. Not leaving things to be done, or leaving things unfinished, due to hurry or anything else. Are we supposed to do? So, let’s do it the best way we can. Let’s give our best. Better, we couldn’t do. That’s what he wants from us.

And the final recommendation: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils,' freely ye have received, freely give”.

There is something to talk about “raise the dead”. As far as it is concerned, no one can raise the dead as Jesus used to. It seems that Peter got to do so once. There were, however, after them cases of people apparently dead who, suddenly, with no participations from others, came back to life. Literature can account for some cases. Interesting is what happened to a known character in Literature. The Abbot Prevost, author of the book “Manon Lescaut”, was ready to be examined, when, at the presence of the surgeon, came back to life and saved himself. 

“No one can make money out of Spirits,
because no one owns them” 

Another pathetic case is the one with the poet Scotto. He was cataleptical. He was buried alive during a crisis, as the guy who knew about his disease was away. Taken away of the grave, his relatives realized he had died there, having bitten, desperately, his lips.

Likewise, doctors, poets, kings and emperors also died, not mentioning the allegedly dead buried in a hurry because of epidemics and wars.

Emmanuel, in Resignation, tells us about a drama, in France of the 17^th century, of smallpox. They didn’t wait for the person’s death. They buried so that the disease couldn’t spread. Many people were buried alive.

Kardec made the most of Jesus’ advice and, in the same chapter 26, talked about paid prayers, remembering the Master about the bad habit of the Scribes who 'on pretext of long prayers, devoured the homes of widows.

He also talked about the expulsion of the moneychangers from the temple, in a glaring disrespect to the Lord’s House.

But the great message of the chapter is about the behaviors of mediums. No medium, anyway, whatever reason it might be, must obtain financial advantage over a gift that God gave him to help the humanity.

No one can make money out of Spirits, because no one owns them. They are independent. They come when they want and can. There is no human force able to guarantee a communication. Thanks to professional mediumship there are frauds that harmed the acceptance of Spiritism.

Humberto de Campos tells us the dramatic story of a Brazilian medium. 

Zaharias was a mechanic. Great mechanic and medium. As always, around mediums like these, there is adoration and attendants abound. People interested in the favor of Spirits involve the medium and praise him, give him gifts, and end up owning him. They want to use them, thus, at any time. There is no discipline. With Zaharias happened that the so-called “brothers”, to have him at his disposal, took him off his job and gave him a salary. Each brother gave him some amount. It worked, at first. With the time, one stops paying; then, another one; then, another one and soon Zaharias had no money and no job. Difficulties, quickly, knock on his door. There is no food. There is no light. There is no rent. And the difficulties have been installed. So Zaharias accepts the first payment. Then another, and another. In a short time bad reputation and abandon. The same friends, who praised him before and, after all, are the great responsible for his decay, now talk trash about him.  Obsession takes place. And the bitter end starts.