Thousands of years ago, Moses gave the Ten Commandments to his community, the Hebrews. These commandments became a part of their culture and their way of life. Even when they struggled and sought their own ways, God would remind them, some how, that God wanted them to live by these commandments. God seemed determined that this community, the people of God, knew and understood these commandments, and that they lived by them. It's no wonder, because they still speak loudly today. If we were to live by them, imagine how the world could be different.
--I am the Lord, your God, you shall have no other gods before me.
--Thou shall bring no false idols before me.
--Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
--Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
--Honor thy father and thy mother.
--Thou shall not kill/murder
--Thou shall not commit adultery.
--Thou shall not steal
--Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
--Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor).
God doesn't seem like the type of God that would waste time; it is safe to say that God gave these commandments because the people needed them. The people were (and we are) living according to "other commandments," and these gave them (give us) an alternative way to live, according to the ways of God. These ways always lead to new life and freedom. Oddly enough, God's commandments set us free into a life of joyful obedience and relationship with God and neighbor.
Jesus knew this. He was not only the Messiah, the savior of the world, but a rabbi, a bonafide teacher of the Torah (our Old Testament). Jesus, the son of God, also sought to give his followers an alternative way to live. His ways also free us up to live for God and neighbor.
The whole of Jesus' teaching, in my opinion, can be summed up here in these 2 passages:
Matthew 22: 37-40
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Basically, it's love. Of course this is not as simple as it sounds. Love is a complicated thing, but it does serve as an alternative way to live.
Think of the commandments or ways of life, spoken or unspoken, implicit or explicit, that you live by. I can think of a few that are a part of my life:
--Smile even when you don't feel like it
--Give until it hurts
--Honesty is not always the best policy
--Treat others the way they deserve
--Always be producing something
--Take care of yourself last
--Your needs don't matter
--Forgiveness depends on the other party
--Hatred is the easiest way to go
--Please people first and foremost
--Failure isn't an option
--"I don't know" is not an acceptable answer
These are just a few, and I am sure you have some, too. I invite you to think and pray about some of the "commandments" you live by, and how Jesus' alternative way of love sets you free from them, or puts them in a new frame of heart and mind for you. For example, "take care of myself last" does not necessarily mean I am loving my neighbor. It may result in resentment or a lack of self care (which does not help me love neighbor).
Ultimately, I think one of the greatest gifts that God gives us is the freedom to love. It is not a set of rules that God wishes us to live by, but the standard of love.
Prayer:
Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.
Come, my Life, and revive me from death.
Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.
Come, Flame of divine love, and burn up the thorns of my sins,
kindling my heart with the flame of thy love
Come, my King, sit upon the throne of my heart and reign there.
For thou alone art my King and my Lord. Amen.
In Christ,
Jack
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ReplyDeleteOn the airline when the tell you to put your oxygen mask on first, the message is care for yourself first. My needs are important. I f I don't care for my needs first, how can I help others?
ReplyDeleteThat's true. And the fact that they have to tell you that is probably because it's not our first instinct.
ReplyDelete