Wayfarer

When Jesus came He blew up the childish notion of the God of Creation residing in one place. Jesus matured our understanding of God's very nature and the nature of God's presence. The place of worship transitioned from the Temple to the dining room table.

Over the nearly 40 years I have been a follower of Jesus, I've experienced that my time of quiet with God each morning has an effect on the peace with which I handle the stress of each day.

When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, and when He commanded His followers to take His message to Samaria, He was addressing systemic racial prejudice. Jesus was pointing His own people back to the heart of God that motivated the law repeated twice in yesterday's chapter and today's.

The way of Jesus has always been about letting go, giving up, and leaving behind. The diminishment of self for the gain of others is not an optional path for those followers of Jesus who want an advanced spiritual placement. It's foundational to being a follower at all.

How do I, as a 21st century follower of Jesus, relate to an ancient Hebrew text that is basically a code of law dealing with specific instances of slavery around 3,500 years ago? How can this possibly relate to my life today? I have a couple of thoughts.

Monday mornings are always a mental and spiritual "reset" button for me. As I prepare to enter another work-week I'm thankful for Jesus' reminder that all of the Commandments, rules, and laws in God's Book are summed up in two: Love God with everything you've got. Love others as you love yourself. Now that is a pitch I can hit.

What is a parent's relationship like with a toddler? The parent dictates the rules and asks the child to obey. Rules and obligations. Parents graciously extend protection and provision. They expect obedience. While the child can't cognitively understand just how graciously his or her parents are being, they simply understand that when they obey things are okay and when they disobey they get in trouble. At Sinai, I believe that God and humanity are in the toddler stage of relationship.

Within any human system, there is a structure of power and responsibility. In some cases, that structure is well-defined and ordered like a community organization with by-laws run by Robert's Rules of Order. Companies have organizational charts to define who answers to whom. My observation is that the more intimate and small the system, the more difficult things can get.