18 June 2024 Matthew 5:43-48
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:44-45
The Bible developed over hundreds of years, and, not surprisingly over a period so long, the reflections of the faithful who wrote the Bible deepened over time. It is possible to trace the moral development of God’s people in the very pages of scripture. We can see, for instance, a time when unlimited retaliation against enemies was common, e.g. Genesis 4:23-24 where Lamech says, “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Over time unlimited retaliation was tempered to limited retaliation in Exodus 21, the so-called “Eye for an Eye Code.” Limited retaliation deepened over time into limited mercy, as in Leviticus 19:18 – “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” By the time of the New Testament, this had deepened still further from loving just your own people into the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:44 – “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
All of this deepening happened the same way, viz., from careful study and reflection on Holy Scripture. In fact, the entire spiritual experience of God’s people is inseparable from regular and close study of the Bible. The Jews have not just the Bible as sacred text, but also the Talmud, which is made up of two different kinds of scriptural reflection – the Mishnah, which is the original written version of the oral Torah, and the Gemara which are ancient analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah. Modern versions of the entire Talmud run to 73 volumes, and the Talmud is considered absolutely basic, the starting place for all reflection on the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. Jesus said that he came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it: “Not one letter, not one stroke of a letter will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus was every bit as serious about careful study of Holy Scripture as the Jewish teachers of the Law he argued with. Christians and Jews both developed popular methods of scriptural reflection – Midrash for the Jews, Lectio Divina for Christians, and commentaries on the Bible today number in the millions.
All the insight, improvement, and imagination we seek in our time begins the same way it always has, viz., with careful study and reflection on the Bible. In the entire history of the United States, every significant reform has been the result of deeper scriptural reflection – abolition of slavery, prison reform, education reform, colleges and universities, the labor movement, women’s suffrage, hunger and poverty relief, civil rights, and many more. Protestant Churches typically have Bibles in every pew. Catholic Churches should, but usually don’t. That would be an excellent place for Catholics to begin – make the Bible more available. The Lectionary, which provides biblical readings for every day of the year, is an exceptionally valuable resource. Using the Lectionary by reading the selections, and reflecting on them (by reading this, for instance) is another excellent place to begin.
Catholics worry about people not believing some of the essential doctrines, like the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Protestant Churches are dealing with catastrophic membership declines that could lead to the collapse of centuries-old denominations. All Churches are dealing with the growing number of “Nones,” people who claim no religious affiliation. Nobody is hiding the ball here – the way to begin dealing with crises like these is what it has always been. Want stronger churches? Read the Bible closely, carefully, and often. No deepening, no reform, no improvement has ever happened without it.
תגובות