When Jesus was asked, "What is the greatest commandment?", he said:
"‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:29-31]
Scot McKnight calls that "The Jesus Creed." Last week our Middle School youth created their own Shema, writing these commandments on a note card to carry with them throughout the week. In our house, we wrote these down on a sheet of paper and put it on the door so we see it whenever we leave the house. One of last week's activities was to recite the Jesus Creed each day throughout the day. Has it made a difference in the way you go through your day?
Here are this week’s (4/24) Questions for Discussion:
(Things to talk about with your family)
- Does it make a difference if we follow Jesus?
- How does following Jesus make a difference in your life?
- In what way(s) can you draw closer to Jesus?
And here are this Week’s (4/24) Suggested Follow-up Activities:
(Additional actions you can try if you feel led… or adventuresome)
- Continue reciting the Jesus Creed each day.
- Decide on a charity that you (or your family together) will regularly volunteer to support. Don't let other people know you're doing this.
- Commit to helping this charity for a period of time (suggestion: 4-6 months).
- Thank God for the opportunity.
Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
For those of you who are following in the book "40 Days Living the Jesus Creed," I thought the reflection for Day 9 offered one reason following Jesus makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteMcKnight talks about how God's mercy is there when we need it and how the stories of Jesus in the gospels are frequently stories of mercy. Jesus sees those who need healing, are harassed and helpless, who are struggling and he is filled with compassion.
McKnight concludes by saying: "Face Jesus, for in that face we find the face of God's mercy, and the experience of God's mercy moves us out of the shadows of our own selves into the open light of loving God and loving others."
What does that mean for us? Jesus offers us mercy (and healing) from the things that weigh us down, freeing us to show that love for God and for others.
This post is peripheral to the question at hand, but I couldn't decide where best to post it. So here it is...
ReplyDeleteI wondered about the statement that there are 613 commandments in the Bible. I had understood 613 as the number of commands in the Old Testament. So I was confused. After Googling a bit, I found the Jewish site, Shavuot (http://www.aish.com/h/sh/se/48945081.html), that stated and then listed 613 commandments from Torah, not the entire Old Testament.
I also searched on "Commandments in the New Testament". Biblical Research Reports (at http://www.biblicalresearchreports.com/listofcommands.php) lists 684. Christian Assemblies International (http://www.cai.org/bible-studies/1050-new-testament-commands) and Puritan Books (http://www.puritan-books.com/books/pdf/new_testament_commands.pdf) say there are 1050.
Bottom line: Not sure exactly how many commandments are in the Bible. There are a lot of them though. Probably more than 613.