The tenth and last of the commandments given by God to Moses on Sinai was:
You shall not set your heart on your neighbor’s house. You shall not set your heart on your neighbor’s spouse, or servant, man or woman, or ox, or donkey, or any of your neighbor’s possessions. (Exodus 20:17)
There is a slightly different version of this commandment in Deuteronomy 5:21:
You must not set your heart on your neighbor’s spouse, you must not set your heart on your neighbor’s house, or field, or servant—man or woman—or ox, or donkey or any of your neighbor’s possessions.
Often, we use an abbreviated form of the tenth and last commandment:
You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
Once, Jesus was challenged by some Pharisees with: “Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” He said in reply, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.” (Matthew 22:24-40)
At the last supper, Jesus added to the Law and the Prophets, giving a new commandment to his disciples:
I give you a new commandment: love one another: you must love one another just as I have loved you. It is by your love for one another that everyone will recognize you as my disciples. (John 13:34-35)
This my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. (John 15:12-13) My command to you is to love one another. (John 15:17)
In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous: I have conquered the world. (John 16:13)
To know well and to faithfully observe the Ten Commandments is what every good follower of Moses knows is fundamental.
But, to know well and faithfully observe additionally the last commandment of Jesus is, or should be, the distinguishing mark of Jesus’ followers.
This commandment of Jesus was from the beginning, and still to our own day, a great challenge for his followers and a stumbling block to many otherwise attracted by his life and teachings.
In the early years of Christianity, when many of his followers were being arrested and even sentenced to death for their allegiance to Jesus, there was such an esteem for their martyrdom that it almost became a Christian ideal.
This, and the extremism of the early desert fathers in their choice and sacrifice to live an ultra-austere life, ultimately also inspired to some extent what later became the early monastic orders of the Church.
To love as Jesus loved and loves his friends and followers does not require a dramatic death, an all at once sacrificial offering. We can also lay down our lives for others in a more gradual way, even extending over the whole course of our lives, whether long or short.
Maybe others are indifferent to this life style and blind to what we’re about—or worse consider it a waste of time, energy, and money. No matter, God knows!
Our only reliable expectation, if we faithfully do what Jesus commands us, is hardship. But, don’t forget, he conquered the world and invites us to share in his victory, even if it’s just a tiny little part of it, since we have such a small role to play!
9 April 2023