Building Bridges
As I was sitting in my ethics class this morning, I heard my teacher make a statement about Jesus and the Ten Commandments. He said that according to one of the philosophers we were discussing, Jesus was looked at as a rebel and an unconventional man. This is true. The argument he made supporting this theory, however, was not. He said that Jesus taught us to disregard the Ten Commandments and all the old laws, saying that we now only needed to follow the law of love. I did not want to get into a religious debate with the man due to the context in which he was speaking, but the statement did make me think. Jesus did not tell us to disregard the Ten Commandments; he told us that the law of love summed up the Ten Commandments. Let’s take a look. In Matthew Jesus tells us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the law of love. So let’s look at the Commandments. The first four: 1) You shall have no other Gods before me… 2) You shall not worship any idols or graven images… 3) You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain… 4) Keep the Lord’s day holy… all revolve around loving God with all you heart, soul, and mind. The last six: 5) Honor your father and mother… 6) Do not kill… 7) Do not commit adultery… 8) Do not steal… 9) Do not lie… 10) Do not covet… all revolve around loving your neighbor as yourself. Think about it this way, when you’re in love with someone, do you want them to put other things (other than God) before you? Do you want them to disregard the days that are special to your relationship (i.e. anniversary or birthday)? Do you want them to talk bad about you, steal from you, or lie to you? No, because those things do not show honor and love, they cause sadness and pain. As someone who sometimes needs to watch her own mouth, I know I need to concentrate on the message of love daily: love for God, love for myself, and love for others. The next time we need direction in this area, let’s start with the Ten Commandments. They are the basic tools God gives us in building bridges of love.
Exodus 20:1-17
As I was sitting in my ethics class this morning, I heard my teacher make a statement about Jesus and the Ten Commandments. He said that according to one of the philosophers we were discussing, Jesus was looked at as a rebel and an unconventional man. This is true. The argument he made supporting this theory, however, was not. He said that Jesus taught us to disregard the Ten Commandments and all the old laws, saying that we now only needed to follow the law of love. I did not want to get into a religious debate with the man due to the context in which he was speaking, but the statement did make me think. Jesus did not tell us to disregard the Ten Commandments; he told us that the law of love summed up the Ten Commandments. Let’s take a look. In Matthew Jesus tells us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the law of love. So let’s look at the Commandments. The first four: 1) You shall have no other Gods before me… 2) You shall not worship any idols or graven images… 3) You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain… 4) Keep the Lord’s day holy… all revolve around loving God with all you heart, soul, and mind. The last six: 5) Honor your father and mother… 6) Do not kill… 7) Do not commit adultery… 8) Do not steal… 9) Do not lie… 10) Do not covet… all revolve around loving your neighbor as yourself. Think about it this way, when you’re in love with someone, do you want them to put other things (other than God) before you? Do you want them to disregard the days that are special to your relationship (i.e. anniversary or birthday)? Do you want them to talk bad about you, steal from you, or lie to you? No, because those things do not show honor and love, they cause sadness and pain. As someone who sometimes needs to watch her own mouth, I know I need to concentrate on the message of love daily: love for God, love for myself, and love for others. The next time we need direction in this area, let’s start with the Ten Commandments. They are the basic tools God gives us in building bridges of love.
Exodus 20:1-17
Matthew 22:36-40
1 Corinthians 13
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