Mel Brooks and the 15 Commandments
One of my favorite film moments comes from Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part One. In the scene, Moses comes down from the mountain, cradling three stone tablets. As he steps forward to tell the Israelites of the commandments God has sent for them to follow, he says, “The Lord Jehovah has given unto you these 15 (A tablet falls and shatters. Moses quickly holds up the remaining two tablets) … 10! … 10 commandments for all to obey!”
While the scene is funny, it also touches on something that has been on our minds ever since Moses came down the mountain: Was that it, just the Ten? Are you one of the folks who wish there were more than 10 Commandments? Do you believe we would benefit from just a bit more guidance from God? Maybe an 11th commandment? There have been many attempts over the millennia to add that extra layer of direction.
This is a big part of what Peter smacked up against in this week’s selection from the Book of Acts. After baptizing some non-Jews, effectively including them as followers of Jesus, Peter is ”called on the carpet” for breaking several well-known Jewish “laws” in the process. He finds himself in trouble with “circumcised believers,” that is, people who closely follow Jewish codes of conduct and also believe Jesus is the son of God. Peter’s answer? He didn’t choose these people; God did.
What those “circumcised believers” had forgotten is this: God made the rules, and God can amend them or make new ones at any time. In fact, Jesus did this kind of thing quite regularly: “You have heard (fill in the blank), but I say….”
So. Is there an 11th? Maybe. I think there’s one … but it’s not a commandant for everyone. We find it in this week’s selection from the Gospel of John: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Well, there’s your 11th Commandment.
It’s only given to followers of Jesus. And, unlike loving our neighbors and loving our enemies (each with its own challenges), this one is primarily about how believers are to treat one another. Jesus already knew that the “tent” of believers was going to become not only much larger, but also much stranger than any of His earliest followers could have imagined. He knew they (and we) would need that extra commandment.
We tend to love our neighbors and our enemies—at a certain distance. Oh, it’s not supposed to be that way, but it is the way most of us approach the matter. It isn’t easy, though, for us to hold other believers at a distance. We’re all scrunched up in here, together.
We need that commandment.
Here’s why: If we believers can learn to love one another honestly, we can begin to learn how to love our neighbors. And if we can get to know our neighbors well, up close and personal, we can start the process of learning how to love our enemies. And if we can actively love our enemies—well, there’s no end to that kind of love.
No more commandments needed.
Another Friday morning gathering of DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Can you join us? We meet online on Zoom** and in person at Our Breakfast Place. It’s a quick hour from 8:00 to 9:00. Somehow, we cram in tasty food, engaging discussions, a prayer, and some Bible reading. Oh, and we tend to get tickled a lot (I’m not sure what it says about us that we find some of this funny, but there you go).