Among the historical revolutions that have changed our lives, there is one that has affected Jews and Christians more than any other. It took place in Israel – God’s revelation as the one and only deity. Revolutionary at the time, it remains so today. Before that time, people routinely prayed to multiple gods–a god of fertility, a god who protected the family, a god who healed, a god who sponsored the king, and so. Polytheism explained the problem of evil conveniently, for you could always blame suffering on one god and healing on another.
Such a perspective was forbidden to Israel. Their God, “the Lord,” proclaimed to the people gathered at Mount Sinai: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.” (Exod 20:1-3). God entered into a relationship with Israel. The people agreed: they promised to be the Lord’s people and to be loyal heart and soul. Belief in one God to be served and revered with our whole selves continues to this day in Judaism and Christianity, as we learn from the speech of Moses in Deuteronomy, the first reading: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Deut 6:5-6). The scribe in the Gospel got it right and Jesus praises him for it.
Attached to the belief that the Lord is one and to be revered is the “Second Tablet” of commandment – loving our neighbor. Already in the Ten Commandments, the “First Tablet” (numbers 1-3, others 1-4) involves worship of the Lord, whereas the “Second Tablet” (numbers 4-10, others 5-10) involves care for others. Loving our neighbor follows from the fact that God made a covenant with a people, not with isolated individuals. Psalm 100 affirms: “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Here are two more reasons why the love commandment goes in two directions–toward God and toward my neighbor. One is that every human being is made in the image of God, i.e., is a kind of statue representing God. Even when sometimes disagreeable and sinful, each human being deserves our love and respect because of who they are deep down.
The second reason is that the Lord has entered into our lives so deeply that He lives in each one of us. In the Lord’s great revelation to St. Paul, “[He] fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:3-5). Jesus was there.
This revolution even now influences the way we live. It arose when the Lord revealed himself to Israel and told them who he was–unique and deeply involved in their lives. Let us continue the revolution by keeping the Commandments by loving our Lord and our neighbor.