Bread and Wine

In this post I will explore the Christian symbols of bread and wine and connect them with a Biblical and cultural context.

Bread, or grain, and wine are a reoccurring theme in the Hebrew Scriptures.  The first instance is found in Genesis, in the encounter between Abram (Abraham) and the king-priest Melchizedek.  Bread and wine may be symbols of food and drink, generally, but it is hard to avoid the impression that this meal was more than ordinary, that it had a festive character to celebrate a significant occasion— a victory in battle.  Notice that there is a blessing associated with this occasion— and that God is acknowledged as both creator and deliverer.

Genesis 14:18–20 NRSV 

And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

It Shall Not Be So Among You (Part 1)

What kind of relationship among his followers is consistent with the teachings of Jesus?  Did Jesus set up a central authority over his followers?  Should a faithful follower of Jesus submit to the authority of an institutional church?  These are the questions that this post will explore.

Perhaps the best biblical text on the subject is this one:

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you.

Following, is the text in its full context.  In this story, the sons of Zebedee are requesting a privileged position in the future "kingdom" that they were expecting Jesus to set up.  Jesus goes on to reject the very idea that there would be "great ones" among his followers that would "exercise authority over them"— in his words: "It shall not be so among you".

Matt. 20:20 ESV — Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As a contrast, following is an excerpt from Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

The Catechism goes on to state that "the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms".

This is by no means an isolated example of authoritarianism among the many Christian churches— although it is perhaps the most extreme.

My approach to the study of this question is to read the Bible with this subject in mind, looking for insights wherever I find them.  I have used word searches to help answer questions on other topics, but this topic seems so general that a focused reading is probably a better approach.  This post focuses on my findings in the Gospel of Matthew.

Jesus was born powerless— not in royal court or from a wealthy family.  He was not born into the religious establishment.  The Matthew account of his life begins with his family fleeing, fearing for his life.

Matt. 2:13 NRSV — Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 

Matt. 2:22 NRSV — But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 

Jesus was raised in Galilee and that is where much of his work took place— Galilee was not a center of power.

Early in the Gospel of Matthew, we find John the Baptist in the wilderness.  This is a reoccurring setting for many of the events in Jesus' life.  The wilderness is not where powerful people meet together.  There is a significant tendency toward rural locations in Jesus' life.

Matt. 3:1 NRSV — In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Matt. 5:1 NRSV — When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 

Matt. 13:1  NRSV — That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 

Matt. 14:13 NRSV — Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 

Matt. 14:23 NRSV — And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 

Matt. 15:29 NRSV — After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down.  

Jesus chose his disciples from among common people— some of the most prominent of his disciples were from laboring occupations.  His disciples are not powerful people.  They are not promising candidates to be "great ones" who might "lord it over" and "exercise authority" over others.

Matt. 4:18 NRSV — As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 

Matt. 4:21 NRSV — As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.

Jesus taught a way of life that favored the lowly— the poor, the meek, the persecuted.  He commended the merciful and the peacemakers.  Jesus' sayings found in Matthew 5 do not bring to mind a picture of those who "exercise authority" over others.

Matt. 5:3 NRSV — “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:5 NRSV — “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matt. 5:7 NRSV — “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Matt. 5:9 NRSV — “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Matt. 5:10 NRSV — “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus describes himself in terms of weakness— homeless and humble.

Matt. 8:20 NRSV — And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  

Matt. 11:29 NRSV — Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

Jesus taught that we should treat the humble as if we were receiving Jesus himself— "in my name".  These texts do not create an authoritarian impression in the reader.

Matt. 18:5 NRSV — Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  

Matt. 18:10 NRSV — “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.  

Matt. 19:14 NRSV — but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” 

Matt. 25:40 NRSV — And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 

Jesus taught that it is hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Power and riches generally go together.  Those who "lord it over" and "exercise authority" are usually rich.  Wealth gives power to buy the time and efforts of others, giving the rich person opportunity to exercise authority.

Matt. 19:23 NRSV — Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 

Jesus compared John the Baptist to those who live in palaces.  He goes on to say that no one "has arisen greater than John the Baptist".   Soft robes and royal palaces are not the marks of greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

Matt. 11:8 NRSV — What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.  

Matt. 11:11 NRSV — Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is the opposite of our sinful human understanding of greatness.

Matt. 18:1 NRSV — At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child, whom he put among them, 3 and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Matt. 19:30 NRSV — But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. 

Jesus spoke critically of the religious establishment and he was not well received by the most powerful religious leaders.

Matt. 5:20 NRSV — For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  

Matt. 16:21 NRSV — From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

There is certainly a need, at times, for corrective action within the church.  But in what manner is it to be done?  The prescription that Jesus taught begins with individuals and progressively advances to "one or two others" and only then to the whole congregation.  There is no hint of an authoritarian hierarchy in this teaching.

Matt. 18:15 ESV — “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

The same chapter goes on to emphasize the plurality and the circumstances of authority: "where two or three are gathered together" in the name— character— of Jesus.

Matt. 18:18 ESV — Truly, I say to you [plural], whatever you [plural] bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you [plural] loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you [plural], if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Jesus taught that his followers should not claim teaching authority for themselves.

Matt. 23:8 NKJV — But you, do not be called “Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus was not suggesting that we should not teach— "Go therefore and make disciples.... teaching them to obey" (Matt 28:18-19 NRSV)— but rather that we should be humble and not claim authority for ourselves.  In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me", which is consistent with Matthew 23:10, "for One is your Teacher, the Christ."

These texts from Matthew are by no means exhaustive, but the message is clear.  There is no hint of any central or hierarchical church authority in any of these teachings.  The notion that any man would "exercise authority" over the church or be named an authoritative teacher of the church is contrary to the principles that Jesus taught.

Matthew 20:20-28 and Matthew 23:8-11, together, are perhaps the most direct evidence on this topic.  I hope to continue looking at this subject from other parts of the bible in a future post.

If They Hear Not Moses

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus ends with a dialogue between the rich man and Abraham.

Luke 16:27 NRSV— “... [the rich man] said, ‘Then, father [Abraham], I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” 

Jesus puts these words in the mouth of Abraham, but let us not forget that they are his own words— it was Jesus who was speaking and this was the message that he was giving in the parable.

They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them... If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

Indeed, someone has risen from the dead— Jesus himself.  And yet, how many among his "followers" listen to— obey— Moses?  Somehow, after the resurrection of Jesus, "Moses"— the Torah or law— is not seen as important.  Yet apparently, as we read in the following text, "Moses" will the accuser in the judgement.  How can this be?

John 5:45 NRSV — Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 

Just to be clear, in these texts Jesus is talking about the Pentateuch or Torah.  The following texts, especially Luke 24:27, make this clear.

Matt. 8:4 NRSV — Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 

Mark 7:6 NRSV — He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;  7 in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ 8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” 9 Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ 

Luke 24:27 NRSV — Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.  

Luke 24:44 NRSV — Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”  

John 1:45 NRSV — Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 

Moses [the Torah] seems to have been important to Jesus.  Was it still important to his followers in the decades following his resurrection?

Acts 26:22 NRSV — To this day I [Paul] have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: 

Acts 28:23  NRSV — After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him [Paul] at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses [Torah] and from the prophets.  

Now, back to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus as translated in several modern versions.

Luke 16:27-31 CEV — But the rich man said, "Abraham, then please send Lazarus to my father's home. 28 Let him warn my five brothers, so they won't come to this horrible place." 29 Abraham answered, "Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets wrote. They should pay attention to that." 30 Then the rich man said, "No, that's not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God." 31 So Abraham said, "If they won't pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even to someone who comes back from the dead."

Acts 16:27-31 GWT — The rich man responded, ‘Then I ask you, Father, to send Lazarus back to my father’s home. 28 I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they won’t end up in this place of torture.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets. Your brothers should listen to them!’ 30 The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! If someone comes back to them from the dead, they will turn to God and change the way they think and act.’ 31 Abraham answered him, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone comes back to life.’  

Luke 16:27-31 KJV — Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

What is the message here?  Jesus is calling for us to "repent"— turn to God, change the way we think and act.  He says, through the parable, that we will not be persuaded— that we will fail to repent— if we do not "hear"— listen, pay attention to — the Torah (Moses).  We have someone— Jesus— who has come back from the dead.  Could it be that we still need the Torah (Moses) in order to be persuaded to repent and "change the way" that we "think and act"?  How did the early followers of Jesus relate to the Torah?

Acts 21:20 NRSV — When they heard it, they praised God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of believers [followers of Jesus] there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law [Torah]. 

Acts 22:3 NRSV — I [Paul] am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law [Torah], being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 

Acts 22:12 NRSV — A certain Ananias [a follower of Jesus], who was a devout man according to the law [Torah] and well spoken of by all the Jews living there,  

Acts 24:14 NRSV — But this I [Paul] admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law [Torah] or written in the prophets. 

Acts 25:8 NRSV — Paul said in his defense, “I have in no way committed an offense against the law [Torah] of the Jews, or against the temple, or against the emperor.” 

Acts 28:23 NRSV — After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses [Torah] and from the prophets.

When Jesus was asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?", he responded, "What is written in the Torah?"

Luke 10:25 NRSV — Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He [Jesus] said to him, “What is written in the law [Torah]? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he [Jesus] said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”  

Jesus points us to the Torah— all the Scriptures— and said "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

This Is Love

2 John 6 NRSV — And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it. 

I have often found that the Bible uses words in a sense that is very different from our common or dictionary sense.  Actually, I have come to expect inadequate dictionary definitions for important Bible vocabulary.  The key word in the this post— love— is no exception.

Here are some sample definitions of love that illustrate our common understanding:

• an intense feeling of deep affection (New Oxford American Dictionary)
• a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone (New Oxford American Dictionary)
• Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. Love is also a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection; and "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another".  (Wikipedia)

The word love is used 310 times in the KJV Bible and 584 times in the NRSV.  It is obviously, an important topic in the Bible.  Does the Bible use the word love in the same sense that we use it in ordinary conversation or that we find it in the dictionary?

I am not sure that the definitions shown above adequately express the meaning of love as used in 2 John 6.

2 John 6 NASB — And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. 

2 John 6 NET (margin) — Now this is love: that we live according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning; thus you should live in obedience to it. 

2 John 6 CEV — Love means that we do what God tells us. And from the beginning, he told you to love him.

2 John 6 J.B. Phillips — Real love means obeying the Father’s orders, and you have known from the beginning that you must live in obedience to him. 

2 John 6 The Message — Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed. 

We find the following texts in a search using the two key words: love (ἀγάπη / agape / G0026) and commandment (ἐντολή / entole / G1785).

John 15:10 ESV — If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 

1 John 5:3 ESV — For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

We can enlarge the search by including the verb form of the word love (ἀγαπάω / agapao / G0025).  We can also look in the Septuagint— the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.  The connection between love and commandments has indeed been "from the beginning".

Deut 7:9 NRSV — Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 

We can see in the following texts that "to love the LORD your God" is to obey his commandments— to walk in his ways.  This the message of 2 John 6— it is a message that comes right out of the Torah.

Deut 11:13 ESV — And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,...

Deut 11:22 ESV — For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him,...

Deut 30:16 ESV — If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 

The same message is reiterated and expanded by Joshua.  It should also be clear— combining Deuteronomy 30:16 and Joshua 22:5— that "walking in his ways" is not just a limited and vague "conduct your lives in love", but the the following of the complete teachings— commandments, statutes, rules and "instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you".

Josh 22:5 NRSV — Take good care to observe the commandment and instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

We also see in Nehemiah a connection between those "who love him" and "keep his commandments".

Nehemiah 1:5 ESV — And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

In John 14, Jesus makes a clear connection between love and commandments.

John 14:15 NRSV — If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 

John 14:21 NRSV — They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” 

John 15:10 NRSV — If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 

When he was asked about the commandments, Jesus quoted directly from the Torah

Mark 12:28 NRSV — One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

It may be helpful to look at the context of the verses that Jesus quoted  The "first"  great commandment is from Deuteronomy 6.

Deut. 6:4 NKJV — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  

 Note the larger context of this text— it is following Deuteronomy chapter 5 (NKJV).

• 1 — And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.... 
• 7 — You shall have no other gods before Me. 
• 8 — You shall not make for yourself a carved image...
• 11 —You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,...
• 12 — Observe the Sabbath day,...
• 16 — Honor your father and your mother,...
• 31 — But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ 

 The "second" great commandment that Jesus quoted is from Leviticus 19.

Lev 19:18 NKJV — You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. 

The larger context of Leviticus 19 is helpful.  Notice the parallels from the decalogue— the "ten commandments".

• 2 — Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 
• 3 — Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father [5th], and keep My Sabbaths [4th]: I am the LORD your God. 
• 4 — Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods [2nd]: I am the LORD your God. 
• 11 — You shall not steal [8th], nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another [9th]. 
• 12 — And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God [3rd]: I am the LORD. 
• 17 — You shall not hate your brother in your heart. [6th — see Matt 5:21-22]
• 30 — You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. 
• 33 — And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
• 35 — You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 
• 36 — You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 
• 37 — Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the LORD.  

As with the "first" great commandment, the love of neighbor is expressed in the context of commandment keeping.  See my post on Leviticus 19:34— Is there a third great commandment— for more about the "stranger".

What is the connection between "keep my Sabbaths" (verses 3 and 30) and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself"?  We can find it in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

Ex 20:10 NKJV — but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 

Deut 5:14 — but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 

Notice the regard for the welfare and rest for all— stranger included— that is expressed in this commandment.  Is this not an example of love to neighbor?

John 13:34 NRSV — I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  

1 John 2:7  NRSV — Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. 

2 John 5 NRSV — But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. 

Is not "you also should love one another" the same commandment as "you shall love your neighbor as yourself"?  The importance of this commandment is reinforced several times in the New Testament.

Rom. 13:9 NKJV — For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Gal. 5:14 NKJV — For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

James 2:8 NKJV — If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 

The essence of love is to keep the commandments and teachings of God.  Perhaps this is why commandment keeping is mentioned so frequently in the New Testament.

Matt. 19:17 NKJV — So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 

1 John 2:3 NKJV — Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.  

1 John 2:4 NKJV — He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  

Rev 12:17 NKJV — And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  

Rev 14:12 NKJV — Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 

What is The Testimony?

The Hebrew word edut (‏עֵדוּת) occurs 38 times in the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses).  Of those occurrences, 36 occur with the definite article— ha-edut (‏הָעֵדוּת)— which is translated 32 times in the NKJV capitalized as "the Testimony." It is translated once in the KJV capitalized as "the Testimony."

What does this word mean? Why is it capitalized in these translations? Here is the first instance in the Bible.

Ex. 16:33 KJV – And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 

Belief and Behavior

This post is a spin-off from my series of posts on Faith and Faithfulness.


I have to admit that the topic of Faith and Faithfulness has been challenging.  Is faith the same as belief?  Or is it faithfulness?  There are texts that seem to be compelling arguments in favor of both perspectives.  I find the Old Testament usage of emunah to be a persuasive argument in favor of faith as faithfulness.  And yet, both pistis and emunah are closely related to words that are clearly used in contexts where belief or trust are the most reasonable interpretations.  I also can not ignore some places in the New Testament where pistis is used in a sense that suggests belief.

I am reminded of the theory of light— is it a wave or a particle? Both! Perhaps, faith is both belief and behavior.  Maybe, belief and behavior are inseparable.  When Jesus said, "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth"— pneumati kai aletheia. (John 4:23), can we understand it to mean in thought and deed? Is there Biblical support for this perspective?  This post will look at these two words— spirit and truth— to see if they are used to mean belief and behavior— thought and deed.  We will look at the word spirit first.

Is there a third great commandment?

A "scribe" or "lawyer" (nomikos — a Torah expert) asked Jesus, ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matt 22:25 NKJV).  The GW translation better expresses the cultural context: "One of them, an expert in Moses’ Teachings, tested Jesus by asking, ‘Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses’ Teachings?’”  The Delitzsch Hebrew NT translates the last phrase with "mitsvah gedolah ba-torah"— the great commandment in the Torah.  Here is the complete Matthew version of the event.

Matt. 22:35 NET – And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law (εν τω νομω – en to nomo / ‏בַּתּוֹרָה – ba-torah) is the greatest?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the law and the prophets (ο νομος και οι προφηται – o nomos kai oi prophetai / ‏הַתּוֹרָה וְהַנְּבִיאִים – ha-torah ve-ha-nevi'im) depend on these two commandments.”