Where Will We Post the Eight Commandments?
Well, it seems the war over the Ten Commandments has quieted down, a victory has been claimed. On one side, flags are being waved and there is a lot of backslapping and talk of the triumph of an Enlightenment mentality; the other side is licking its wounds and ranging around for options on what to do next. It was a long and desperate struggle, filled with finger-pointing, name-calling, fervent praying, and banner waving. Those who wanted the Commandments displayed in public places, in town squares, had history on their side, didn't they? The opposition also claimed history as their ally, and tossed in a bit of the American Constitution to tip the balance in their favor, whereupon the Constitution also was called to the flag by Commandments supporters. It made for some great evening news and moods of righteous indignation in Sunday Schools across the land, even though we all knew which direction things would take eventually. Sparks flew and many sweated, but monuments of sacred words would come down, be moved, or covered up. Every now and then we still hear rumors of a skirmish over the holler, but all is quiet on the long, smoky front.
Now what? At this writing it seems as though immigration is the hot button topic. That is really a concern for congress to get moving on, but it lacks the punch of the Ten Commandments battle, even though terrorism is lurking in the hedgerows. I am going to make a proposal, and I am serious about this: Let's post the Eight Blessings! I know for sure this will bring out the big guns! (I know I said Eight Commandments in the title of this article but that was just to get your attention. Sneaky, huh? )
The Ten Commandments were worth the struggle, but for Christians they were more an assumption than a declaration, at least THE declaration. Better the Eight Blessings. That will be the real line in the sand. This is not to say the Ten Commandments ought not be taught, respected, and kept inviolate; it is to say that something happened to put them in the second line of offense, not the first. The Commandments were revolutionary for their time but the Beatitudes were absolutely earth-shaking...and they continue to be where they are taken seriously.
Yep, you heard me right: the Beatitudes...found in Matthew's Gospel 5:1-12. You never thought of them as dynamite? I'll bet (I'm in trouble already) you never took them seriously, never really looked at their historical and theological setting, at who was hearing them for the first time, and who was speaking them, and what they would mean to the Roman culture...and Jewish culture...of the first century AD, and how they shaped the early church. (I know AD is politically incorrect, but I do not like CE.) Let me ask you: do you read them, meditate on them, think what they would mean in your life if you dared stand for them? If they were a mirror, would you bear to see your reflection in them? I can see you scratching your head. What's this monkey talking about? Okay, let's take a look at the Eight Blessings as they are found in the New Revised Standard Version of the New Testament.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat
down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught
them, saying:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter
all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and
be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
[Scholars tell us that verse 11 is a restatement of the eighth blessing in verse 10, as though it needed repeating to be grasped.]
The first four of these "blessed attitudes" (and blessed actions) speak of our relationship with the Almighty directly, and everyone else indirectly. The second four "blessed attitudes" (and blessed actions) speak directly of our relationship with the other people, and with the Lord indirectly. Mix them all up and these teachings are considerably more potent than the Ten Commandments, which are assumed in Jesus' teaching. Let's put it this way, the Beatitudes of Jesus are a volcanic eruption and the Ten Commandments a gushing of "Old Faithful" when compared. But Jesus' teachings will "blow" all our prejudices, social values, and personal preferences to "kingdom come" whenever we say yes to them. Talk about howling; place these Beatitudes in a bright spot in your public library! But you can't do that if you intend obey the Beatitudes! You can't deliberately provoke an attack! Already this is troubling to freedom of speech! The Lord has us coming and going! The Beatitudes are not easy! They're dangerous to our competitive democracy, to being American right or wrong, to our desire to see Jesus as one more religious option that can be considered at leisure, and sometimes to the agenda of the church. There are no cotton-candy statements here! Got to look elsewhere for the easy way.
Still don't get it? Maybe we should talk about these beatitudes in a series of articles on this site. But then...who would write them and who would read them...and if anyone read them, who would do them? Maybe it would be better if we dust off our old Ten Commandments armbands in hopes of renewing "the contest" (as Civil War generals used to say)...that would be safer.
J. L. Mercer
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