Lent 3 B – The Ten Commandments

March 3, 2024
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On this Third Sunday of Lent, we read how God gave Moses some rules for the Hebrew people to live by (Exodus 20: 1-17).  These rules have come to be known as “The Ten Commandments.”

As we know, however, through the centuries, Bible scholars, religious leaders, theologians, and everyday people have tried to interpret these ten guidelines to live by in a wide variety of ways.  A set of rules that look remarkably simple at first glance, become remarkably complicated when human beings get through analyzing them and interpreting them to meet their particular worldview.

To make matters even more interesting, as Christians we remember that in addition to these Hebrew commandments, we have an entire other set of commands that Jesus gave us.  Such commands include: welcoming the stranger; feeding the hungry; giving drink to the thirsty; visiting the imprisoned; consoling the sorrowful; being generous with our blessings; forgiving our enemies; and a host of others.

So, what’s an average Christian person to do?  What I find a good path is to follow the basic message of Jesus Christ, the triple love command: love God, love others, as we love ourselves.  Then, I stack up everything in life to see how they measure up to the triple love command.  If they are in harmony with the love command, I go with them.  If they are in conflict with the love command, I reject them.  I haven’t found a simpler and more Christian method for determining the correct life path.  Have you?