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The Ten Best Ways
Thursday, September 7th, 2006The best introduction to this series is in the epilogue of “Losing Moses On The Freeway.” Last things first, I guess. “By giving up parts of ourselves for others, by accepting that we must be willing to lose life to create an preserve life, we honor the core of the commandments. The commandments hold out to us the possibility of love…. We all stray. We all violate some commandments and do not adequately honor others. We are human. But the commandments bind us together. They work to keep us from revering the false covenants that destroy us…. The commandments are guideposts. They bring us back, even when we stray, as we all do, to the right path. They are our protection against the siren calls of glory, wealth and power that will ultimately dash us against the rocks.” ( excerpts from Losing Moses pp 171-176.)
As we think about the history of the commandments and the rule of law established by Moses at that time, it’s easy to relegate the commandments to “Old Testament Legalism” and ignore them altogether. Besides, didn’t Jesus’ teaching fulfill or even supercede OT law? What have the commandments to do with us and our problems today? Good questions. OK, but what if we take the commandments as reflections of God’s heart and God’s vision for humanity-in-relationship? What if we chisel away the set-in-stone aura that surrounds them, and move them into the context of New Testament grace? Don’t they then suddenly burst with new life and new relevance?
In preparation for worship on the 10th (this Sunday) it might be good to reflect on how you see the principles behind the commandments operating in our place and time. Notice how covetousness, deceit, theft, envy, and idolatry work themselves out in our world of increasing violence, fear, and intolerance. Notice, on the other hand, how love, generosity, honesty, honor, peace, and integrity work themselves out in our world today. Notice how these things, both positive and negative, effect your life, the life of your family, the lives and experiences of people in your workplace, and in our community.
God’s best comes to us through our clear understanding of God’s “ways.” Those ways reflect divine wisdom and a creator’s understanding of human nature. As Chris Hedges points out in his epilogue from which I quoted above, the foundational concepts behind the commandments have to do with love. Our love for God, God’s love for us, our love of neighbor, and our love of Life lived at its best, all find expression in the intentional living out of God’s heart as expressed in these ten commandments.
A fun exercise might be to look at Christ’s teaching in one of the gospels and identify which of the commandments are reflected in His words. How does Christ’s life and example fulfill the commandments?
One Response to “The Ten Best Ways”
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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 7th, 2006 at 3:51 pm and is filed under Ten Commandment Series.
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September 8th, 2006 at 11:32 am
Stan, you’ve challenged us with a fun exercise, “to look at Christ’s teaching in one of the gospels and identify which of the commandments are reflected in His words. How does Christ’s life and example fulfill the commandments?”
I’ve begun reading the book of Mark this week. I went back and re-read chapter one this morning after I read your thoughts here. I am not sure if I will carry out the exercise in exactly the way you intended, however, here goes.
In Mark 1 I read in several places that Jesus avoided bringing attention to Himself, his identity and his works. I notice in verses 23-25 while Jesus is dealing with an unclean spirit, the spirit identifies Jesus as the holy one of God, and Jesus sternly tells him to be quiet.
After healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, “…Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was (verse 34).” Also, in verses 36-38, Simon Peter reports to Jesus that everyone is looking for him and Jesus says to him, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
Finally, in verses 40-45, Jesus heals a man with leprosy and then, “Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone’”.
Chris Hedges pointed out that the commandments “are our protection against the siren calls of glory, wealth and power that will ultimately dash us against the rocks”. I am really impressed with the lenghts at which Jesus took to avoid the siren calls of glory and power. I have been thinking about how often I take the opportunity to bring glory to myself or to seize power over others.
I am realizing that Jesus is calling me to avoid the situations and opportunities by which I would be overwhelmed with the sirens’ call of power and glory. I look forward to reading the book with you all and learning about how to steer clear of the distractions and temptations that would pull us away from God’s purpose in our lives.