Friday, May 14, 2004
Christ is Risen!
Martyr Isidore of Chios
Kellia: Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Apostle: Acts 15:5-34 Gospel: St. John 10:17-28
Deuteronomy 6:1-9, especially vss. 4-5 RSV: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." The fourth
verse, just quoted, contains the most well-known words of Scripture among Jews. It is a principal liturgical text in
synagogue worship. The eight words that follow the colon in the English quote above reduce to just five words in the
original Hebrew: "Lord our God Lord 'echad'."
The last word, "echad," a transliteration from Hebrew, has at least three meanings: "one, alone, and unique." Because
Hebrew has no present form of the verb "to be," and because of the many meanings of "echad," the Shema, as this verse is
known among Jews, may legitimately be rendered in many ways in other languages, all of which are implied in Hebrew. A
contemporary Rabbinic scholar translates these into English for us: "The Lord is our God, and the Lord alone; the Lord is
our God, one indivisible Lord; the Lord our God is a unique Lord; the Lord is our God, the Lord is unique." One can see
why this scholar also calls the Shema "a precious gem, in that the light of faith made its words sparkle with rich brilliance
of varied colors."
For Christians, the second verse quoted above (vs. 5), is even better known, and occurs in two Gospels in two different
forms (see Mt. 22:37 and Lk. 10:27). Still another form of the verse will be found in the Septuagint version of this
Deuteronomy passage (Deut. 6:5 LXX). The point to be grasped when comparing all these versions is this: love for God is
enjoined on His People, Jew and Christian alike, and this love is to be actively expressed in concrete behavior. Hence, the
quote from Deut. 6:5 in St. Luke serves as a prelude to the parable of the Good Samaritan, and, thereby demonstrates how
love for God is to be expressed (Lk. 10:25-37).
Crucial to a correct application of the Shema as well as the "Greatest Commandment," is the requirement that follows these
commands of God: "these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart" (Deut. 6:6). This is the logic of
God's word: it has been noted that "the love of God without obedience is not love," and God surely expects us to act upon
that which He commands. Hence, the Lord requires heart-centered and continuous meditation on His commandments, for
if love for God is truly established in the heart it cannot help but result in obedience to God's command to love "your
neighbor as yourself" (Lev.19:18; Lk. 10:27).
On the basis of the preceding thought, consider the following thoughts that seem to us to be close to the Lord Jesus'
teaching: "Of course, love cannot be commanded. No third party can command it nor extort it. No third party can, but the
Divine One can. The commandment to love can only proceed from the mouth of the Lover. Only the Lover can and does
say: Love Me! - and He really does so. In His mouth the commandment to love is not a strange commandment; it is none
other than the voice of Love Himself!"
Finally, how shall we Orthodox Christians fulfill the prophetic demand to teach the Lord's commandments "diligently to
[our] children?" (Deut. 6:7). Well, if they are spoken from our hearts, then they will most certainly communicate to our
children in a manner that will make a difference, "heart to heart." That is the only way that God's commands can be
conveyed with lasting results. Only words from the heart ever enter the heart and become established there. If not from the
heart, then our talk of God's commandments when sitting in our homes or when we "walk by the way" will only be "head
talk" and our children will not embrace our words for life.
May the saying of my mouth be unto Thy good pleasure, and the meditation of my heart be before Thee for ever, O Lord,
my Helper and Redeemer (see Ps. 18:14 LXX).
