Rules or relationships? A sermon for Adel Parish Church, the 3rd Sunday of Lent 2024.
Exodus 20: 1 – 17
Last week we had 3 readings about faith…I’m sure mine wasn’t the only sermon on how Christian salvation isn’t about following rules, but putting our trust and hope in Jesus.
This week we get the ten commandments! On the walls of many old churches, learned by many of you for your confirmation, they’re foundations of our faith.
So where does the preacher go this week? Rowan Williams, asked if they should be taught in church today replied, ‘Yes, but…but we need to consider them in context.’
The commandments were a gift from God to his people. Having been saved from slavery in Egypt they needed to learn afresh how to be God’s people…free people. The 10 commandments were a guide to right relationships.
The first 4 deal with their relationship with God; the other 6 how they relate to each other. The first thing they learn is that the two come together. They can’t truly love God without loving their neighbour…and love for neighbours grows from love for God.
So, the commandments:
‘I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods’. The surrounding tribes worshipped many gods…a sort of ‘belt and braces’ approach. If one didn’t answer prayer, there were always others. God demanded their whole trust, as only then could he help them.
‘You shall not make for yourselves an idol.’ Other tribes had statues of their gods…tempting because it’s easier to worship something you can touch. Their God was unseen but living and powerful…not to be reduced to an object.
‘You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord God.’ Not ‘don’t swear’…a more serious warning against using oaths as an attempt to harness God’s power to serve human interests…attempts at ‘magic’.
‘Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.’ A call to be in step with God the creator resting on the Sabbath…and so recover a right relationship with God and his creation.
The remaining commandments, for the Israelites, were about the safe ordering of society…for everyone. Honouring father and mother, and refraining from adultery ensured family life and inheritance ran smoothly.
Murder and theft threatened society, especially the weak. Not bearing false witness was about the possibility of a fair and impartial trial for all…with accurate information from credible witnesses.
Finally – you shall not covet. The only one about thoughts rather than actions. Perhaps a warning to the rich and powerful that the fertile land, or beautiful wife of a poor neighbour was out of bounds?
What of us? Are these commandments any more than a reminder to be ‘good’? Jesus thought so. Here’s his interpretation: ‘the first commandment is this…love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; the second is this…love your neighbour as yourself.’
Jesus was very clear he didn’t come to get rid of the commandments – he ‘fulfilled them’. His life and teaching help us recover their true meaning…they help us have right relationships with God and one another.
‘You shall have no other gods; our other gods are perhaps more subtle, but no less destructive to our relationship with God. Money, power, position… our ‘belt and braces’…things that so easily come before our trust in God.
‘You shall not make idols’. Not because God minds us trying to picture him; but because things we use to aid our worship can become what we’re worshipping. This is a beautiful, special building…it’s right we care for it. But for us, its purpose is to help us and others encounter God.
‘You shall not make wrongful use of God’s name’…is this when we try to coerce, control or belittle people in God’s name? I’m not keen on swearing…but I suspect God is far angrier when we use him as an excuse to oppress others.
‘Keep the Sabbath holy’. That’s a minefield today – but the words about slaves and animals are perhaps a reminder that if we work people, animals, even the land too hard – creation suffers. If the creator needed rest – so does his creation.
‘Honour your father and mother’ can be difficult, even dangerous. But it calls to mind the debt we owe to those who come before us. Whatever happens in society, in God’s family older people should be cherished and heard.
‘You shall not murder’, for Jesus was not a statement of the obvious but a call to examine our thoughts as well as our actions. Murder happens when dislike and hatred are allowed to fester. We’re responsible for our own thoughts, but also required to avoid, or challenge, language that encourages others to foster grudges and hatred.
Jesus’ teaching on adultery too went far beyond actions. He went back to the cause, to looking on another with lust. We don’t need to be married to be hurt by broken promises, unfaithful friends.
‘Do not steal’ tends to call to mind petty theft like shoplifting. But the bible, Old and New Testaments, talks far more about theft from the poor than by the poor. I don’t think a society where people are driven to steal or beg in order to eat is one Christians should be comfortable with.
‘You shall not bear false witness.’ We’re learning how ‘fake news’ damages societies. Lying leads to lack of trust. The ease with which some politicians resort to lies means people become disillusioned with democracy…unable to trust any politician. For Churches the risk is people becoming disillusioned not just with church leaders, but with God.
‘You shall not covet’…because envy can lead to theft…but nearly always leads to unhappiness…the inability to enjoy God’s gifts and count our blessings.
A whistle stop tour – but perhaps an invitation to have another look at the commandments. More though a reminder that God wants a relationship with us. Incredibly we are enough for him…if we realise God is enough for us we’ll find it easier to follow his guidance for a society where all can flourish. ‘Love the Lord your God, and your neighbour as yourself.
'A little surer of being a little nearer...' 