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Sometime last weekend, vandals in Washington, D.C., pushed over an 850-pound
granite monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments, but who did it and why
remains unknown.The monument sits in a garden out front of the headquarters of Faith and Action, a Christian outreach ministry. The group installed the stone in 2006 and angled the tablets so that they could be seen by justices arriving at the Supreme Court.
Because of the weight of the stone, plus the fact that it had been secured to its stone base with a steel rod, it seems likely that more than one person was involved in toppling the monument, but whether it was intended as a frat-boy prank, an attack on religion in general or Christianity in particular, a statement about church-state separation, a rant against rules in general or the Ten Commandments in particular, or something else is not known, as the perpetrators have not come forward.
Besides pushing over the monument itself, the only "statement" from the vandals -- if that's what it was -- was in the form of a stolen "For Rent" yard sign found installed near the tumbled monument.
"Whoever did this was determined to get it done, because it's not something you could easily do," said head of the Faith and Action organization Rev. Robert Schenck. Installing the stone had required an eight-man crew, a truck and a hydraulic lift.
Schenck denied being angry about the damage and said that, in a way, the perpetrator had helped the group convey the message that we all violate God's rules.
The group purchased the monument in 2001 from a charity auction after a federal court ordered it removed from in front of a public school in Adams County, Ohio.
The organization plans to ask a neighboring group and the U.S. Supreme Court for the security footage covering the time of the vandalism. However, at a press conference on Monday, the group's program chief, Peggy Nienaber, notarized an offer promising not to press charges if the culprits will come to dinner at the Faith and Action center.
The Faith and Action group plans to re-erect the monument. More on this story can be found at these links:
Vandals Topple 850-Pound Ten Commandments Monument ..., Offered Reprieve. US News & World Report
10 Commandments Monument Toppled by Vandals in Washington. Fox News
Faith & Action Ten Commandments Monument Toppled By Vandals. Faith & Action website
The Big Questions
1. In what ways have the Ten Commandments helped shape who you are today? Some of the Ten Commandments are couched as negatives -- "Thou shalt not ...." In what way are they positives? What situations in today's society do the Ten Commandments not address?
2. Are there any commandments you wish God had not included in the "Big Ten"? Why? Are there any rules not in the Ten Commandments that you wish were there? Why?
3. What does "Christian freedom" mean? What does it mean to be "not under law but under grace"? How should Christians regard the Ten Commandments in relation to their freedom in Christ?
4. In the present environment of church-state separation, in what ways can the Ten Commandments effectively offer guidance to the general population? to our legislators? to the courts? How have the Ten Commandments influenced the history of our laws?
5. Is it necessary for Christians to "protect" the Ten Commandments and the Bible in which they are contained? Why or why not?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Exodus 15:26
If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you. (For context, read 15:22-26.)
This verse comes from the time when Israel was in the wilderness. The people had come to Marah, where the only water they found was bitter and undrinkable. But at God's instruction, Moses tossed a piece of wood into the water, which made it sweet and potable. This "healing" of the waters was the opposite of the plagues God had brought upon the Egyptians. God then made the statement above, which linked obeying his commandments to avoiding the plagues the Egyptians had experienced.
Questions: What "plagues" might keeping the Ten Commandments help you avoid today? What actual illness might keeping the commandments keep you from? What societal ills would everyone obeying the Ten Commandments alleviate?
Psalm 119:19
I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me. (For context, read 119:17-24.)
The whole of Psalm 119 is in praise of God's Law and teaching, of which the Ten Commandments are the heart. When the psalmist says "I live as an alien in the land," he does not mean that he is literally an immigrant; rather, he may have been referring either to the fact that life is transient and he will only sojourn on earth for his lifetime -- a mere blip compared to eternity -- or to the fact that the unholy parts of the culture in which he lives make him feel like an outsider. In either case, he views God's commandments as essential to preserving his connection with God.
Questions: Is keeping the commandments alone enough to preserve your connection to God? Why or why not? Do you think of yourself as an "alien" in the land? Is this a helpful attitude? Does it help provide sympathy for the oppressed? When do you stop being an "alien" spiritually?
Romans 6:14
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (For context, read 6:12-14.)
Paul's discussion in Romans of law and grace is lengthy and complex, but the verse above is a good one for summarizing his teaching on this matter. Even it, however, needs explanation. Paul is saying that to be "under the law" (which includes the Ten Commandments but encompasses all the commandments included in the Pentateuch) means that our righteousness is obtained by obeying all of the law. Since none of us is fully able to do that, then being saved by the law becomes impossible.
On the other hand, being "under grace" means that we are granted righteousness by God as a gift (when we repent and turn to Christ, Paul would add).
The idea of "Christian freedom" grows from this. Some have taken it to mean that we are no longer bound by such rules as the Ten Commandments but instead make all decisions based on what is, in our subjective thinking, the most love-your-neighbor and love-God thing to do. A better understanding of it, however, is that as Christians, we internalize God's laws and are motivated to keep them not out of fear of consequences if we don't, but out of a desire to please God. And because of God's grace, our inability to perfectly keep the law doesn't negate God's gift of righteousness.
Bible scholar William Barclay comments on this verse, saying that it means "we are no longer trying to satisfy the demands of law but are trying to be worthy of the gifts of love."
Questions: When have you used the statement "I'm not under law but under grace"? What did you mean by it when you did? Did Paul consider himself above the demands of the law? What do you think his relationship to it was?
Galatians 3:23-24 (NIV)
Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. (For context, read 3:21-26.)
Born a Jew, the apostle Paul had high regard for the Law of Moses, but once he became a Christian, he realized that the law itself was not the final word. Rather, he saw it as an educator or "guardian" to teach us right and wrong. The Greek word translated here as "guardian" referred in Paul's day to a trusted household slave who was responsible to watch over his master's son. The guardian's duties included accompanying the boy to school, making sure he attended to his studies and keeping him out of trouble. The time would come, of course, when that son reached adulthood, and from that time forward, he no longer needed the protective and corrective care of the slave.
The NRSV uses the word "disciplinarian" instead of "guardian," which is also a valid translation of the Greek word. Paul's implication here is that the law "disciplined" Israel until faith came and "we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian" (v. 25, NRSV).
Some theologians believe this means that the Law of Moses teaches us to distinguish right from wrong and righteousness from sin until we internalize such boundaries. Paul said that living by faith in Christ Jesus, which is the "adult" stage that no longer needs the law as a guardian/disciplinarian, makes persons "children of God" (v. 26). Others believe that the Law of Moses has a purpose of bringing us to the realization that we are sinful -- we have broken the Law -- and that it is only through Jesus' righteousness that we are judged "not guilty" before God.
Questions: In what areas do you feel you have achieved some spiritual maturity? In what ways do you have some spiritual growing up to do? In what areas do you believe the law continues to show you your sinfulness? How and why?
Matthew 5:19
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (For context, read 5:17-48.)
This is from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He clearly says keeping the commandments is critical for his followers, but if you read the larger context, 5:17-48, it becomes plain that he doesn't mean keeping the commandments in a perfunctory way. In the context verses, he gives examples regarding the commandments prohibiting murder (vv. 21-26), adultery (vv. 27-30) and false witness (vv. 33-37). Those are all from the "Big Ten," but Jesus also gives example regarding other topics addressed in the larger statement of the law, including divorce (vv. 31-32), revenge (vv. 38-42) and love for neighbors (vv. 43-48). In each case, Jesus uses the formula "You have heard that it was said ... But I say to you ...." He first states the command, then he elaborates on how it could be applied in real-life situations, keeping not just the letter of the law but also the spirit of it.
Martin Luther expands on this in his use of the Ten Commandments, pedagogically finding both negative ("Thou shalt not") and positive ("Thou shalt") commands. For example, he states that the commandment against stealing can be paraphrased as "We are to fear and love God, so that we neither take our neighbors' money or property nor acquire them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income."
Questions: Do you think the Sermon on the Mount makes being a follower of Jesus easier or harder? For some Christians, the Sermon on the Mount supplants the Ten Commandments and serves as the new revelation from a new "Mount Sinai." Why isn't the Sermon on the Mount displayed in public settings? Do people find commandments to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, etc. more difficult? How is Christian freedom active in the examples Jesus gives? Following on the example provided above of Luther's explanation of the commandment not to steal, what are some "positive" and "negative" requirements implicit in some of the other commandments?
For Further Discussion
1. Do you think the offer from Faith and Action not to press charges against the vandals if they will come to dinner is a form of turning the other cheek? Why or why not? What do you suppose the Faith and Action people would hope to accomplish at such a dinner?
2. Does God need us to defend the Ten Commandments? Is there a danger that they will be forgotten or lost? Can (or does) God use us or other people as his agents in their defense?
3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "We don't need to protect God's integrity. I think God makes that clear in his long speech in Job, in which he describes the breadth and depth of creation, including his control of Behemoth and Leviathan (Job 38--41). It may be annoying and distressing when our church buildings, Scriptures or displays of the Ten Commandments are torn down, but the real holiness is God's presence. ... I can recite whole sections of the New Testament more or less from memory. Do what you want to the Bible, but it will persist." (Frank's comments reminded us of the recent movie, The Book of Eli. If any of your class members have seen it, invite them to tell what Eli's "book" actually is and how it is preserved.)
Responding to the News
This is a good time to examine whether your church is intentionally teaching the Ten Commandments to its children. After all, there's no way those commandments can be a "guardian" helping us mature in faith if we don't know what they are.
Closing Prayer
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