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You Shall Not Kill by Peter L. DeGroote |
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Notes for Bible Talk: September 28, 2005 Please read: |
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Bible Talk is an informal
discussion of biblical passages, ideas, and related material. The discussions are on Wednesday
evenings at 7:30 pm, following the Service of Word and Table. Occasionally,
they will not be held due to special events. These Notes are intended to
assist participants in thinking about the passages and some of their
implications prior to the gathering. Usually, the Notes are
prepared and the discussion is led by Rev. Peter L. DeGroote The sources for biblical quotations are
labeled as follows: NRSV: The New
Revised Standard Version, Copyright ©1989, The National Council of
Churches of Christ in the SV: The Scholar’s Version; i.e., The Five Gospels, The Search for the
Authentic Words of Jesus, Robert W. Funk and Roy W. Hoover, and The Jesus Seminar, Copyright © 1993 by Polebridge Press. TM: The
Message, The New Testament in Contemporary Language, Copyright ©
Eugene H. Peterson 1993. navpress,
M: My paraphrase. |
1. The meaning of the sixth
commandment, "You shall not kill," has always been debated. Added
are the inevitable difficulties involved when translating an ancient language
into modern English. Believing the commandment is
meant to prohibit murder, some simply translate it in that way; i.e.,
"You shall not murder." That translation leaves room for war and
the death penalty. Others point out that, when
taking the Ten Commandments as a whole, the sixth is a declaration that life
belongs to God and that we do not have the right to dispose of what is not
ours. That was illustrated in the story of Cain and Abel, the Bible's first
murder. God exiled Cain from family and community. In doing so, God marked
Cain. It was a mark to warn others not to harm him, that his life belonged to
God, but it also alerted others that he had killed another. This
understanding that vengeance or revenge belongs to God was reflected in the
use of exile into the wilderness as a punishment during the period when the
Israelites were nomadic herdsmen. Like with Cain, rather than execute a
person dangerous to the community, he was sent off to forge for himself in
the bareness of the Egyptian desert. We do not know how extensive this practice
was. 2. A major effort reflected
in early biblical history was ending seemingly endless cycles of violence
caused by blood feuds between clans and tribes. One effort was based on the
principle of "dual right," which meant that if a person was killed
by a member of another clan, the victim's clan had a right to demand either
revenge or ransom from the tribe or clan of the offenders. The best known expression of
that principle is "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." By
permitting a response that seemed proportional to the original offense, the
matter was ended. In the case of revenge by death, it ignored the
understanding that vengeance belongs to God. An effort to end violence
while honoring God's ownership of life was the prohibition of violence at a
tabernacle, a place where an altar had been constructed for worship. If one
had killed another, either by intent or accident, he would be safe at the
tabernacle. The practice is the original source of the word sanctuary, a
place of safety. Further, since the person could not safely depart, it was
also a kind of prison for life. 3. While the prohibition
against murder has always been clear, the same is not true for what is to be
done about those who murder. One thing is clear, Jesus returns us to an
awareness of the sacredness of all life and to the understanding that life
belongs to God, its creator—but Jesus also takes us farther. Probably written as a
training guide for baptism, the Gospel of Matthew is an early handbook for
the Christian life. In its fifth chapter, a section of relevant teachings
begins with the words, "You were once told, 'An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you…" Those words alert us to Jesus'
rejection of the tradition of allowing revenge. Following that introduction,
the authors assemble a number of related instructions by which Jesus
described the Christian life. A. The
first instruction is to turn the other cheek; an often-derided teaching that
is at the center of Jesus' social and personal ethics. (Mt. 5:38-42) While
there are situations where the instruction can be taken literally, its
significance is about not responding in kind, in not letting the aggressive
and violent determine our behavior. In other words, do not let evil entice
you into playing its game. B. In
the section that follows, Matthew's authors begin with another negation of
tradition: "You were once told to love your neighbor and hate your
enemy, but I tell you to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute
you." (SV) To many, that reversal of normal human values seems an
impossible expectation. (Mt. 5:43-48) Taking
it further, we are given an unsettling illustration that also challenges many
of our basic assumptions about the benefits of "being good." The
illustration: "God causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on the
good and the evil alike."(SV) To those unsettling words are added a
challenge: "Why should you be commended for loving only those who love
you?" (SV) 5. We are left with a number
of questions to ponder. Some of those follow: What is the effect of the death
penalty on us? Have we been enticed into an evil game, into participating in
a cycle of violence? What does seeking revenge do to our spiritual life? If
we are focused on matters of revenge, can we also be focused on our
relationship with God? If we are to pray for those who harm us, is it
possible to pray for someone's death? If we are to love a murderer, what does
love mean? Peter L.
DeGroote |
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