Jesus: The Orthodox Jew

Mark 12: 28-34; Deuteronomy 6: 1-9

You might remember that Paul once described himself in the following way. "If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee." (Philippians 3:4-5) Although Jesus never described himself as an orthodox Jew or orthodox Pharisee, to be sure he was. He affirms this by saying "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5: 17-18) No where is Jesus' Jewishness more poignantly demonstrated than in today's gospel lesson.

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, `Which commandment is the first of all?' Jesus answered, `The first is, `Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall 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, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.' (Mark 12: 28-31).

Here Jesus recites the SHEMA,¹ or Judaism basic creedal statement. The Shema is considered by some rabbis and Jewish scholars as a prayer. It is based on the passage from the Hebrew Scriptures that is also one of the lessons for this Sunday from Deuteronomy 6.

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. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6: 4-9)

As mentioned above some Jewish scholars and rabbis consider the SHEMA to be a prayer.² Others, however, consider the SHEMA more of a creedal statement. "Even though the Shema is an integral part of the morning and evening services, the Shema is not, technically speaking, a prayer. It is a declaration of faith. It is an affirmation of the unity of God that reminds us of our obligations to Him, that recalls the signs of the Covenant and cautions against turning astray to follow the vain desires of the heart and the immoralities for which the eyes may long." ³

Donin goes on to say, "The Shema is not a prayer in the ordinary sense of the word, but for thousands of years it has been an integral part of the prayer service. The Shema is a declaration of faith, a pledge of allegiance to One God, an affirmation of Judaism. It is the first `prayer' that children are taught to say. It is the last utterance of the martyrs. It is said on arising in the morning and on going to sleep at night. It is said when one is praising God and when one is beseeching Him. The faithful Jew says it even when questioning Him. The Shema is said when our lives are full of hope; it is said when all hope is gone and the end is near. Whether in moments of joy or despair, in thankfulness or in resignation, it is the expression of Jewish conviction, the historic proclamation of Judaism's central creed."⁴

Certainly Jesus recited the SHEMA many times throughout each day of his adult life. Just look at the rest of the exchange between Jesus and the man who asked about the greatest commandment in today's gospel lesson.

Then the scribe said to him, `You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that `he is one, and besides him there is no other'; and `to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,' and `to love one's neighbor as oneself,'—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.' When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, `You are not far from the kingdom of God.' (Mark 12: 32-34).

This exchange between the scribe and Jesus indicates that both Jesus and the scribe had embraced the theological position of the School of Hillel with respect to the SHEMA.⁵ The School (or House) of Hillel held the position that all of the Law was fulfilled in the obedience of the commandment of love of God and neighbor.⁶

Furthermore, the SHEMA is written on parchment and placed within the mezuzah⁷ and tefillin.⁸ Tefillin and the mezuzah would have been prominently displayed on the door frame of Jesus' house, or any place he visited.

Many Western Christian scholars, pastors and teachers have made an erroneous assumption that the theology of Jesus was in conflict with the main stream theology of first century Judaism and/or Pharisaic theology. Some of these Christians believed that Jesus came to create a new religion, the religion of Christianity. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus' life was centered in the spirit of the Law⁹ and the practice of first century Judaism. The reason the two lessons discussed here are so important is that they affirm the thought of Jesus and the beliefs and practices he followed. For us to the preacher/teacher we need to be, it is critical for us to help our parishioners to see Jesus in his historical and theological context. Only then can we be truly free to embrace the spirit of the Law as Jesus defined and practiced it. The heart (spirit) of the Law, and the heart of Jesus' teaching is hope, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and most importantly, love. This is the message of Mark's lesson for today.

Charles Page, Ph.D. Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies

NOTES

1. In Hebrew the word "sh-ma" means "hear," the first word in Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel." 2. For an example of this thought see Blu Greenberg, How To Run A Traditional Jewish Household, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993) and Stephen J. Einstein and Lydia Kukoff, Introduction to Judaism, (New York: Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1983). 3. Hayim Halevy Donin, To Be A Jew; A Guide to Jewish Observance on Contemporary Life, (New York: Basic Books, 1972), p. 164. 4. Hayim Halevy Donin, To Pray As A Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service, (New York: Basic Books, 1980), p. 144. 5. See Safrai and Stern, The Jewish People of the First Century (Assen: Van Gorcum, 1976), Chapter 15. 6. See Charles R. Page, II, Jesus and the Land (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996). 7. A mezuzah is a small box placed on the doorposts of the homes or rooms of Orthodox Jews (and others) to fulfill the commandments in Deuteronomy to the words on the doorposts of houses. 8. Tefillin or phylacteries and small leather boxes worn during prayers which contain the words of the SHEMA. These boxes are worn on the arm and head. During the first century these were worn most of the time and not just for prayer. They were removed during work (usually only the phylactery for the head in this case) or in a place that was ritually unclean. They were usually worn only during the daylight hours, but some Jewish sects in the first century encouraged wearing them even in bed during sleep. 9. The spirit of the Law as understood and defined by the School of Hillel is consistent with Jesus' teaching and religious practice.