Jewish and Christian Teachings©
February 2, 2003
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland
Jane Thickstun, Celebrant

            Today’s topic is the fourth source of our living tradition: “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.”  For those who are new, or those who need a refresher, our Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations came up with a statement of principles and purposes in the 1980's as a way to articulate what it is that we stand for together, since we don’t have a creed or a confession and it is hard sometimes to say just what it is that we have in common.  The principles are divided into two sections: the first is seven principles, that we focused on last year here, and the second section lists six sources that our Unitarian Universalist faith of today draws from.   If you want to see them, there are wallet cards with them on the table in the lobby.  They are also in the hymnal on the page before the first hymn, but the sixth source isn’t listed because it was added after the hymnals were printed.

            The fourth source is distinct in that it is the earliest influence.  Both Unitarianism and Universalism started as liberal Christian religions, and were still considered Christian until fairly recently-- the 1950's or so.  So while we learn from other world’s religions and words and deeds of prophetic women and men, and direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder, we do more than just learn from the Judaeo-Christian tradition, it is our starting point.  It is our foundation, that we sometimes forget or reject.  It’s true, we interpret the Christian message differently than most, and many of us prefer to seek other language to describe religious experience.  It’s also true that there are many Christians who give Christianity a bad name, by their intolerance and ignorance.  But there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.  Refusing to acknowledge and honor our Christian heritage is like a person refusing to acknowledge and honor his or her family of origin.  Whereas honoring our roots gives us a sense of belonging, a sense of history, a sense that we are more than just the small, fringe denomination we sometimes seem today.  When I talk with people who question our legitimacy, I pull out our pedigree. 

            There are people in our congregations today who identify as Christians.  But beyond that, there are whole congregations that identify as Christian.  In New England, where we started, there are old congregations that still say the Lord’s prayer in every service, and congregations that still display a cross or have an altar.  They have always been Christian and still are.  Then there is a new congregation right here in Fenton , Michigan , that was started a few years ago as an intentional Christian UU congregation.  For individuals, there is a UU Christian Fellowship, which any Unitarian Universalist can belong to, and which has a long tradition, regular newsletters and publications.

            The source says, “Jewish and Christian teachings.”  I have talked about our Christian heritage, but what is our relationship to the Jewish faith?

            There are two ways Judaism comes into Unitarian Universalism.  One is through the Judaeo-Christian tradition, which we get through our Christian heritage.  To call it a Judaeo-Christian tradition is to recognize that Christianity came out of Judaism and in some sense incorporates it.  The Jewish scripture is the same piece of literature that the Christians call the Old Testament.  But there is a big difference between the Jewish origin of Christianity, and Judaism itself, as it has been practiced and developed over the centuries since the time of Jesus.  It is my understanding that some Jews regard the term Judaeo-Christian as the latest incarnation of an age-old arrogance on the part of Christians, who have historically seen Christianity as supplanting Judaism, making it unnecessary, so to speak.  Still, it can be a useful way to remind us that Christianity and Judaism have much in common, and to remind Christians that their “Old Testament” is in fact the Jewish Bible.

            The second way that Judaism comes into Unitarian Universalism is through people who come to us from a Jewish background.  Since the sweeping influence of Humanism on the denomination in the mid-1900's drew much of the Christian flavor from our faith, some people of Jewish heritage have felt comfortable joining our congregations.  Often they come as part of an interfaith couple that wishes to find some common ground, but not necessarily.  There is a group called Unitarian Universalists for Jewish Awareness, which promotes interaction and learning from the Judaism of today.

            Both Judaism and Christianity contain great wisdom and beauty.  We heard a reading from each of them; selections I feel are examples of the best these traditions have to offer.

            The Psalm is from the Hebrew Bible, the sacred scripture of both Jews and Christians.  It is well-known and well-loved.  It has special meaning for me.  When I was a young child in the Methodist church, I had to memorize this psalm, among other bible verses.  A few lines stuck with me over the years.  The first line is one of them: “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  Being so young, I didn’t think about the meaning much then, but what it is saying is that  if I see myself as being taken care of by some higher power, I will have everything I need.  The other lines that stuck with me through the years are: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for thou art with me.” So graphic!  So poetic!  So comforting!  I was in a crisis some six or seven years ago, feeling very afraid.  This poem came to me from out of the blue.  I didn’t know I still could remember it.  I couldn’t in fact remember the whole thing, so I had to look it up.  I found it, but it was the wrong translation!  It was a more modern English version, which made more sense, but felt all wrong because it was not the words I had learned as a child.  I finally found the “right” translation, and worked on re-committing it to memory. 

            The other reading was from the New Testament, the primary Christian scripture.  It is also a famous passage.  The statement, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” is the essential core of the message of Jesus.  It is also seen as the summary of the Jewish law. 

            Jewish Law is laid out in great detail in the early books of the Hebrew Bible, some of the most boring reading you may ever encounter.  It covers all kinds of dietary restrictions, the handling of all kinds of various diseases, what to do in the case of male and female discharge, and so on.  But the main component of Jewish Law is the Ten Commandments, handed by God to Moses.  Most of them start out “Thou shalt not.”

            In the Book of Matthew, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” ( 5:17 ) It is the spirit of the Jewish law that is embodied in this statement about loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself.  It is the Jewish law – and remember, Jesus was a Jew – boiled down to its essentials.

            Then the lawyer asks, “And who is my neighbor?”  And what follows is the story of the Good Samaritan. 

            To understand the significance of this story, it’s important to know what a Samaritan was.  Nowadays, a Good Samaritan is simply someone who does a good deed, and helps out someone in need.  But in Jesus’ time, the Samaritans were to the people of Judah like an “axis of evil.”

            The people who descended from Moses were called Israelites.  There came to be a division between the northern and southern tribes – the northern province was known as Samaria , and the southern one was Judah .  A deep rivalry developed between the Samaritans and the Jews, such as can only develop between next of kin.  The Jews felt the Samaritans had been corrupted by mixing with the foreign people in their area.  When the Samaritans offered to help rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and were spurned, they built a rival Temple .  This was hundreds of years before the time of the new Testament.  By then, hostilities between the two peoples had become deep and hard.

            So for a Samaritan to be the one to help, after the most noble members of the society had passed the man by, puts quite a twist on the story.  The story says that even those people we most detest, even those we most despise, are our neighbors, and we should love them as we love ourselves. 

            There is much in the Bible that does not call us to love at all.  Much of the Hebrew Bible is the history of the Israelites, and it is not all exemplary by any means.  The New Testament is divided between the Gospels, that describe Jesus’ life and death, and the letters.  Most of the letters were written by Paul, who was influential in developing Christianity in its earliest days and who certainly had his hang-ups.

            But there is also much there that does call out to our higher nature, that reminds us why this is considered sacred literature.  The Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible is full of wisdom.  Things like, “Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it.” ( 15:17 ) Or, “Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offense.” ( 19:11 )

            There are stories that inspire, such as the story of Joseph, who forgives his brothers and becomes advisor to the king of Egypt , saving the lands from starvation by his dream interpretation.  Or the story of the youth David slaying the great giant Goliath with his slingshot, when none of the great warriors dared go against him.

            But perhaps the best stuff comes from the gospels, in the teachings of Jesus. You’ve probably heard all of it, or some version of it, even if you’ve never read the bible.  For instance, he says, “You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

            He also says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.  But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. (Matthew 5:38-42)

            “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”  (Matthew 5:43-45)

            “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 5:19-21)

            “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.  For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?”  (Matthew 7:1-3)

            “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

            “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.  For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  (Matthew 7:13-14)

            “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:15-17)

            These are all just from the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Matthew.  There are stories as well in the gospels that make a point.  Stories like Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers and those who were selling and buying in the temple.  Jesus also tells many parables, such as the Good Samaritan, or the Prodigal Son, where a father is able to welcome his wayward son home, happy to have him back and able to forgive him for squandering his fortune.

            I haven’t interpreted the passages I’ve read today.  I’ll let you decide for yourselves how you want to interpret phrases such as “the kingdom of heaven,” eternal life,” or God’s love.”  But I do advise that we pay attention to the teachings, and seek to make sense of them somehow, even if the idiom is at first unfamiliar or objectionable.  For there is indeed great wisdom in these  “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves,” and which are our deepest roots as a people of faith.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland is recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Welcoming Congregation. We welcome, affirm, promote and celebrate the full participation of all persons in all of our activities without regard to age, gender, sexual orientation, race or any other such category of exclusion.

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