There are two types of journeys in life. The first time involves wandering around just to see what is out there. The ancient aboriginal people in Australia were known for their "walkabouts." When things got too confusing they would go for long walks so they could think and get perspective on important issues. These walkabouts sometimes lasted for several months. Where someone went on the walk was not really as important as the fact that they were out wandering.
The second type of journey in life is more focused. The traveler leaves one place in order to get to another. You get on the boat on one island so that you can get to a family gathering on another island. You get on the plane in one place so you can visit your relatives in another place. When you travel you are going someplace specific.
Spiritual formation is more like the latter. That is, while spiritual formation is a journey and a process, there is always an end in sight. There is a goal. We are not just walking about -- wandering around because we don't really know what to do.
The ancient Jewish people had some very specific practices that they used on the spiritual formation journey. The most famous was the recitation of the Shema, which was included in the formal prayers said each morning, afternoon, and evening. The Shema was (and is) the essential Jewish creed. It contained the most basic summary of what Hebrew people believed and lived. The words come from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verses 4-9.
Listen, Israel! The LORD our God is the only true God! So love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning. Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and foreheads to help you obey them.Write these laws on the door frames of your homes and on your town gates. (CEV)Shema is the Hebrew word for "listen" -- the beginning of the creed. The Hebrew people love these words, especially those in the first sentence, because they summarize everything there is to know about God and what he expects.
There is only one God. There are not two gods or three gods or more. There are not star gods or ocean gods or fertility gods. There is only one God.
Furthermore, he is called "the LORD."
"The LORD" is the respectful way of referring to the proper name of God, which in Hebrew is YHWH. A respectful person would never utter God's name but would always use the title "the LORD." The point is that this one God has a name and a personality. He is not just a force of nature nor is God merely some kind of impersonal fate. God is a personal being who should be respected.
Our responsibility toward this one God, the LORD, is to love him with everything we have as people -- all our "heart, soul, and strength."
This truth is so important that we are to keep it constantly in front of us. We are to remind ourselves over and over again, suggests Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
Indeed, that is one way in which spiritual formation took place among the ancient Hebrew people, the people of the Old Testament. They recited the Shema over and over and over until it was a part of their very being.
There is an incident recorded in the gospel of Mark which centers around the Shema. A teacher of religion asks Jesus in Mark 12:28, which commandment in the Bible is the most important commandment?Jesus answers him in verses 29 and 30 with the Shema --
"Here is the most important one. Moses said, 'Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind and with all your strength." (NIRV)But notice what happens next. Jesus does something very surprising. He adds an additional set of verses to "the creed." (Who gave him permission to do that?)
Mark 12: 31, quoting Leviticus 19:18 -- "And here is the second one. 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' -- There is no commandment more important than these."
This is a very bold statement on the part of Jesus. He is asserting his authority to expand the basic spiritual formation summary that everyone knew and loved. More importantly, though, he is showing more clearly what a spiritually formed person looks like. The spiritually formed person loves God with his or her whole being and loves his or her neighbors with the same commitment he has toward self-interests.
Scot McKnight, a biblical scholar and theologian from the United States, has called this expanded version of the Shema the "Jesus Creed." In his book with that title he writes:
...Everything about spiritual formation for Jesus is shaped by his version of the Shema. For Jesus, love of God and love of others is core. Love, a term almost indefinable, is unconditional regard for a person that prompts and shapes behaviors in order to help that person to become what God desires. Love, when working properly, is both emotion and will, affection and action.Of course, there is always going to be someone who tries to define neighbor very narrowly in order to avoid loving some others.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of the Shema for Jewish spiritual formation. So when Jesus amended the Shema, we need to take note. To be sure, Jesus accepted the Shema, but he also added to it. The question we then ask is this: Is Jesus suggesting only a subtle amendment? No. It takes real pluck (or chutzpah) to add to the sacred Shema, but this addition reveals the heart of the Jesus Creed.
...adding is exactly what Jesus does. Instead of love-God Shema, it is Love-God-and-Others Shema. What Jesus adds is not unknown to Judaism, and he is not criticizing Judaism. Jesus is setting up his very own shop within Judaism. Loving others is central to Judaism, but it is not central to the creed of Judaism, to the Shema. So, what Jesus says is Jewish. But the emphasis on loving others is not found in Judaism's creed the same way it is found in the Jesus Creed. Making the love of others part of his own version of the Shema shows that he sees love of others as central to spiritual formation. (The Jesus Creed, pages 8-9)
Which kind of neighbor is Jesus expecting us to love in the same way that we love God? Are my "neighbors" just those in my family? My clan? From my village? My group? My island? My country? My religion? My people?
In Luke 10 a man tries to test Jesus, asking him, "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25)
Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”Notice that the man responds to Jesus' question with the "Jesus Creed." He must have been listening very carefully to Jesus! But notice what happens next in the gospel. Jesus challenges the man by telling a story -- a story that we usually call the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is recorded in Luke 10:29-37. Here it is in the New Living Translation (NLT).
The man answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“Right!" Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” (Luke 10:26-28, NLT)
The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”Jesus' description of a spiritually formed person is radical or extreme. He challenges his culture in two ways. First he adds the love of neighbor as an essential action. And secondly, he defines neighbor in such a way that it goes beyond who people would normally think of as a neighbor. Samaritans were the enemies of the Jewish people. Yet, in the story a Samaritan is the hero because he understands that mercy toward neighbor is more important than keeping all the religious rules.
Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
In Matthew 5:44 Jesus says that we are to love our enemies. If we are spiritually formed -- or as I said earlier -- "Christ formed" -- we will love God and neighbors -- including those neighbors who are our enemies. We will talk more about this later. At this point I want you to see that the spiritually formed person is the person who practices the Jesus Creed.
ASSIGNMENT #5
1) To get you moving in the right direction and to plant the idea of the Jesus Creed in your mind, one of the requirements for the class this semester is that you memorize and repeat the Jesus Creed out loud each day. You need to keep track of your practice because at the end of the semester you will be asked whether you have done this:
a) every day without exception
b) about 5 times every week
c) about 3 times every week
d) 1 time every week
e) none -- I completely forgot.
You will be awarded points based on your honest reporting of your activity. The version of the Jesus Creed that I would like you to use is the one from the New Century Version of the Bible.
Jesus answered, "The most important command is this:For now, answer the following questions and send them to me in an email.
'Listen, people of Israel!
The Lord our God is the only Lord.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul,
all your mind,
and all your strength.'
The second command is this:
'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'
There are no commands more important than these."
~ Mark 12:29-31 (NCV)
2) The ancient Jewish creed was called the Shema. What does the word Shema mean in English? Where in the Old Testament is this word found? Answer in a complete sentence or two. For example, "The word Shema means ________________. If comes from ________________." (5 points possible)
3) In five or six sentences explain what Jesus added to the Shema and why it is important to our understanding of what a spiritually formed person is. (10 points possible)
4) In your experience, which is more difficult -- loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength OR loving your neighbor (especially your neighbor who is also your enemy)? Write a paragraph telling about some time in your life when you found it really difficult to love God OR write a paragraph telling about some time in your life when you found it really difficult to love a neighbor. (15 points possible)
Again, email your essay to me at bboydston@piu.edu. Write your essay in the email itself -- or if you use a word processor, copy and paste the essay into the email. Make sure that your name, the name which you used to register for this class, appears at the top of the essay.
I will respond to you as soon as possible. Do not wait for a response from me before you start working on your next assignment.
