Third Lenten Sunday, Year B
Theme: Ten Commandments Are Only Minimum Requirements 十誡祇是最低要求
When we think of this planet as a life-boat flying in the universe, every people or tribe contributes to the building up of this global village. Every civilization leaves behind treasures for all humanity to share now and in the future. To a certain extent, the Ten Commandments which, Moses handed down to us, remain the blue-print of most legal systems in the West. Of course, modern legal systems have gone through generations of improvements, adapting themselves to new situations arising from advancements in technology and global relationships. However, the core values, such as a respect for innocent lives, for familial/marital life, for private property and for truth etc. remain the same.
In Mark’s narrative, it was not an occasion for Jesus to show humility not to speak of the Commandments dedicated to Him. I suspect that we have misunderstood the motive behind the first few Commandments all along. Perhaps God has no intention to demand the Israelites to reserve the first few Commandments for Him. All the Commandments are for the sake of the Israelites. The third one is obvious. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt and slaves did not have the right to rest. Only free people are entitled to rest. Therefore, in observing the third Commandment, the Israelites celebrate their freedom from slavery! The Deuteronomy version explains well, “Remember that you too were once slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD, your God, brought you out from there with a strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:15). The first Commandment was instrumental in uniting the Israelites scattered all over Egypt, worshipping different deities for four hundred years before God sent Moses to liberate them. So worshipping one true God is essential to build the Israelites into one people and later one nation. In fact, twelve tribes proved to be too many. The Kingdom of Israel broke up into two after the death of King Solomon, ten tribes in the north and two in the south. Obviously, the ten tribes in the north were again too numerous and politically brittle. The Assyrian Empire conquered the kingdom in the north and subsequently ten Israelite tribes vanished from human history. Failure to observe the first Commandment, namely allowing the co-existence of idolatry makes solidarity impossible. Interpret the Commandments in this socio-political manner, the Commandment that forbids invoking the name of God in vain is in fact a demand of respect of their identity as God’s Chosen People. When someone disrespects the LORD God, he disrespects God’s Chosen People as well. How can God’s Chosen People allow such blasphemy! In short, God does not need any Commandment to increase His glory nor could breaching any Commandment do Him any harm. All the Ten Commandments are for the sake of humanity.
For the Israelites, keeping the Commandments was able to guarantee their salvation. They were not wrong because the Son of God acknowledged the effectiveness of the law, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). However, their legal experts, the Pharisees and scribes had reduced the effectiveness of the law by focussing on the letters of the law instead of focussing on the spirit of the law which the book of Deuteronomy has explained very clearly. How could those Jewish legal experts have missed it! That is why it becomes necessary for the Son of God to come down from heavens to teach them and to die for them! Indeed, while Mosaic law allows divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1), Jesus came to fulfil the law and forbids divorce (Matthew 5:32)! Therefore, I can safely conclude that keeping the Ten Commandments is only the minimum requirements to be Christians.
Indeed, Jesus Christ has given us a new Commandment in order to help us achieve perfection (5:48)! During the Last Supper, Jesus says, “I give you a new Commandment; love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34). In other words, Christians have a higher calling to do more than the bare minimum. We should love until it hurts! For example, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). It is easier said than done. How can you forgive, not to mention love, somebody who cheats you of all your hard-earned lifesavings? What can you pray for such an accursed scumbag? The problem is buried deep down in our DNA because we were created in God’s image and we have a strong tendency to play God whenever occasion arises! We pass judgments because we see so many injustices in the society. We take vengeance into our hands because the law-enforcers have received bribes and turn a blind eye to the crimes of the wicked and rich etc. In reality, we do not allow God to be God and render Him unemployed! Meanwhile, we enjoy playing God to run the show! In short, we become a self-proclaimed God, in other words an idol, when we do not love one another until it hurts.
Beloved brethren! Before I go, I would like to qualify the phrase “to love until it hurts”. We need to love with prudence otherwise our so-called “love” would do harm instead. In our Legion meeting, a legionary shared the experience of her encounter with a homeless person who begged her for twenty dollars to buy lunch. The legionary had only a 500-dollar banknote in her pocket. Impulsively she said no and felt guilty about it afterwards because she remembered Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25:40! What advice would you suggest her in such a situation?
God bless!
2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: worldhistory.org
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