Introduction
Today we are going to conclude our journey through the Ten Commandments as we have been seeking to build a foundation that will be of benefit to us when we are searching for stability in this life, especially when we find ourselves in a vulnerable state. Four weeks ago as we began this journey we looked at the idea of Sabbath; specifically, what it is, the dangers of distorting it, and why it is so important in our lives. Three weeks ago, we looked at the aspect of reverence that is conveyed by the first three commandments and why exactly does our self-described jealous God demand these ideals, then and now, and how we can emulate that attitude. Two weeks ago we spent our time reflecting on the idea of honor in the fifth commandment; what is honor, who should we honor, and how can we honor. Last week our focus was to examine all of those “thou shalt not” commandments to better see if those were simply extinct laws for an ancient time or do they still have any bearing upon us today. Today we are going to put a bow on this whole series as we look to what Jesus' response is to these laws; specifically, has Christ rejected them, enforced them, or changed them.
First Looks Can Be Deceiving
In his book
Laughing Out Loud and Other Religious Experiences, Tom Mullen tells about an engineer, a psychologist, and a theologian who were on a hunting trip in northern Canada. They knocked on the door of an isolated cabin seeking shelter and rest. The cabin was not, at the moment, occupied, but the front door was unlocked. They entered the small, two-room cabin and noticed something quite unusual. A large potbellied, cast-iron stove was suspended in mid-air by wires attached to the ceiling beams.
Why would a stove be elevated from the floor? Each of them began to look behind the phenomenon for "hidden meanings." The psychologist concluded, "It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated his stove so he can curl up under it and vicariously experience a return to his mother''s womb."
The engineer surmised, "The man is practicing laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout the cabin."
But the theologian had a better explanation. "I'm sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has a religious meaning. Fire lifted up has been a religious symbol for centuries."
The psychologist, the engineer, and the theologian continued their debate for some time without really resolving the issue. Finally, when the trapper returned, they immediately asked him why he had hung his potbellied stove by wires from the ceiling. His answer was rather simple: "Had plenty of wire, not much stovepipe!"
Today we are looking at the effect Jesus has on the Ten Commandments. An effect, that much like the assumptions of the psychologist, engineer, and theologian, may not always be exactly what it seems.
A Look Back
As we look to what Jesus' response is to these laws I want us to very briefly look back at the main points we have hit on these last several weeks. Here is a kind of a highlight reel for what we have discussed about the Ten Commandments.
The nation of Israel had just been delivered from the harsh life they had experienced in Egypt. A harsh life that began when a Pharaoh came to power who did not know Joseph. A Pharaoh that began to say all sorts of false things about the Jews in Egypt, turning them into a scapegoat for all the problems of Egypt. They were then stripped of their dignity and eventually were enslaved.
Now after 400 years of slavery and having a dictator make all of their decisions, this fledgeling community was on their own. Forced not only to make decisions on their own, but to live or die by those decisions. These people were learning how to be a family, how to be a community, and how to be God's chosen people. So God gave them some rules to live by to help them in this transition. Rules focusing on reverence, Sabbath, honor, and conduct.
Reverence
The first ideal we discussed was the idea of reverence as outlined in the first three commandments. Why would our self-described jealous God demand reverence? Because, "...when we read that God is jealous, it is the zeal of His love that makes Him so...He is jealous of anything that menaces our well-being, not for His sake but for ours. He is jealous of others gods, not because they threaten Him...but because they threaten us. When Israel was guilty of idolatry it was Israel who suffered, and God's jealousy was His distress at her folly and His sorrow at her suffering. His desire was to have her worship only the highest and the noblest. He was jealous of the false gods she went after because they were not worthy of her. He thought more highly of His people than they did of themselves. They were too easily pleased. It was only in Him, their Creator and Savior, that they could know their chief end and greatest good...What He wished to give them, and what He wanted them to want, was Himself." God knew the good and the blessing that God could provide them if they would just follow God and give their reverence to God. So it was in their best interest to defeat the ego and give God that deep respect tinged with a sense of awe.
Sabbath
That leads us to Sabbath. Remember Sabbath is that day we are to set apart as holy, that day to be kept different from all the other days. It has been said, “...our great-grandfathers called it the holy Sabbath; our grandfathers, the Sabbath; our fathers, Sunday; but today we call it the weekend.” This is to be a holy day, not dictated by numerous laws and edicts, but rather a chance to realign ourselves with God, re-connect with God, and re-connect with each other. God rested on the seventh day not out of exhaustion, but to model for us a lifestyle we need to imitate. Sabbath is a day to be spent with God, making connections with family, and recharging our bodies to be effective disciples for Jesus Christ. And if you cannot observe Sunday as your Sabbath then pick another day, but make this the pattern not the exception.
Honor
Following these ideas we arrive at honor, specifically honor for your father and your mother. The Hebrew word for honor is kabod, which means “to be heavy or impressive.” This idea of heavy applies to the weight and amount of honor. Whomever the object of honor is, is to have great amounts of it heaped upon them. This person or persons are to be considered sacred and absolutely worthy of an enormous amount of glory and honor. This commandment is specific to fathers and mothers. There is no performance based stipulations that say honor your father and mother if they deserved it, or honor your father and mother only when you feel they honor you. This commandment stands irregardless of how you parents performed their duties in your eyes or anyone else's. You know God calls all of us to definitely treat our parents, and I believe all our elders and children, with respect. A respect that God has already given to us. We are not called to model anything that God has not already done. So even if undeserved, unwarranted, and extremely hard to give, honor your parents, honor each other, and by doing so you will honor God.
Thou Shalt Not!
This moves us into the last five, all of those “Thou Shalt Not” commandments. Last week we spoke about how these rules were a way for these early Israelites to build a community. God had to be sure they would not pull each other down, but build a caring, compassionate people and that everybody would be cared for in a gentle way. We talked about how we are called to treat each other in this same manner and how following these rules build for us a solid foundation in that vain.
Jesus' Response
Now, there has been some debate over the years about the role of Jesus in these commandments. Did Jesus make them obsolete and reject them? Did He further enforce them? Or did He change them all together?
To answer that we only need to look at Jesus' teachings. Specifically I want us to look at our second Scripture lesson today. At this point in Scripture Jesus has been questioned about a myriad of topics and finds Himself being asked about what is the greatest commandment, the one that is the most important. In this age there were more than just the Ten Commandments, there were now over 600 statutes. So it can get quite confusing for people to remember all of them. So this seems like a natural question and most scholars agree this particular teacher was sincere because Mark tells us this teacher believes that Jesus gave a good answer to the previous question asked. So he asks Jesus, “ 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?' 'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.' “
In looking at this idea of loving God with all your being; your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and loving all people as you love yourself it does not sound like Jesus is making the Ten Commandments obsolete or that He is rejecting them. It sounds like Jesus is trying to help us re-focus on them. Jesus is taking those 600 or so laws and simplifying them, telling us that if we use these two commandments as the basis for our actions, our decisions, our lifestyle, then we will in fact not only honor God but will fall in line with the Ten Commandments. If you love other people as you love yourself, then you will not break the “Thou Shalt Not” commandments. Nor will you dishonor your father and mother. If you love God with all your being, then you are fulfilling the first three commandments talking about reverence. And if you follow those first three commandments to honor God then you will want to spend time with God, thereby making Sabbath a natural part of your week.
So if Jesus is not rejecting these laws, is he enforcing these ideals or changing them? You see these laws, these Ten Commandments, were not meant to be the last word for all eternity. That word is Jesus. Jesus came in the flesh to give us a new way to see these commandments. Jesus is now the law. A law that is not built on works or deeds, but on grace, on mercy and in love. Jesus came to give us a new way to view the Ten Commandments, a way not of legalities but of grace. Jesus did not repeal or change the Ten Commandments but rather gave us a new lens to view them. Their initial purpose was to help a fledgeling community grow together, but they still offer wonderful wisdom for today and in the words of Christ we find support for their continued practice.
Conclusion
Therefore, looking through that new lens Jesus gave us, we understand that Jesus came to show us that we are no longer judged on who we are or how we act, but who we follow. So who do you follow? Who do your actions say that you follow? I encourage all of you to take some time, really take some time, and think about that question.
Does the manner in which you treat others, show them Jesus is your Lord? Do you treat others with love, regardless of whether or not they deserve it? Remember, the grace and mercy and love God shows you is not deserved. It is a gift. A gift that when accepted will transform you forever. A gift that when shared with others will transform the world. Is Jesus your Lord, at all times, in all circumstances, and in all spaces? I hope so, but if not, then change that today. Pray, talk to Jesus, open yourself up to be transformed. Pray at home, pray at this rail, pray in your quiet place. But do not let pride stop you, do not let feelings of hurt from the past rob you, do not let ego force you to miss out on the joy of love. Jesus came to give us a new way, a better way. Seize today, claim that way for yourself and be forever changed!
