02 Apr Shalom in a Time of “Social Distancing”

The last few weeks have been a new and challenging experience for all of us.  Many of our normal routines have been upended and interaction with others has often been limited to phone calls and online media.  “Social Distancing” in many cases has prevented us from being in proximity with friends and even family members—especially the elderly.  This is an unusual time. However, it also creates a fruitful opportunity to reflect on just how indispensable relationships and community are to our lives… and how important building healthy community is to God.  

We will seek to do this together today on “Thursdays are for Thinking” by reflecting on a Hebrew theological concept that underlies the entire biblical narrative—the Hebrew word “shalom.”  Many are familiar with the word shalom as the Hebrew word for “peace.”  And this is true. However, for the Hebrew culture of the Bible, shalom means far more than mere peace of mind or the absence of conflict.  Rather, shalom refers to “wholeness” and “completeness” where the community of God’s people is functioning in the way God intended so that human needs are met and every member of the community can thrive.  As scholar Alvin Platinga states,

The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.  (Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be:  A Breviary of Sin, p. 10)

Shalom, thus, reflects God’s original intention for humanity, an intention which emphasizes the relational nature of human beings and prioritizes community as the essential context through which every person can thrive and flourish.  Let’s take a brief dive into the Scriptures to see how this theme of community and ‘shalom’ permeates the biblical narrative from beginning to end.

SHALOM: GOD’S ORIGINAL INTENT FOR CREATION

In the beginning, we see perfect “shalom” in the garden of Eden.  Genesis 1-2 describes a state of affairs where humanity can experience wholeness and peace.  One crucial component of that equation is the need for “community.” Though God declares emphatically after each phase of creation that what He has made is “good” (Gen. 1), in one instance God observes something about his original creation that is not good—namely, it is “not good for man to be alone.”  (Gen. 2:18) God’s response is to create Eve as a companion ‘suitable’ for Adam. (Gen 2:18) This is not only to cultivate the essential relational component of human beings, but also because God’s purpose in creating humanity is that they might reflect the image of God—and God’s image is one of a community of perfect love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  (Gen. 1:26-28)

What kind of “community” did Adam and Eve enjoy in the garden of Eden?  They enjoyed perfect community as reflected most poignantly in the declaration that Adam and Eve “were both naked, and they felt no shame.”  (Gen. 2:23, 25) To be naked and unashamed denotes a sense of complete acceptance of one another. There is no cause for fear or anxiety, no self-consciousness of perceived inadequacies, no impetus to pretension or hypocrisy.  Adam and Eve were free to be themselves and free to both love and be loved. 

Unfortunately, this “shalom” is shattered by sin.  Not only do Adam and Eve find their relationship with God fractured by sin, but they also find their relationship with one another fraught with blame and accusation. (Gen. 3:12)  They cover themselves with leaves, illustrating that honesty and transparency has now been replaced by distrust and fear, hypocrisy and pretension, self-consciousness and shame. (Gen. 3:7)  Human community has broken down. This disintegration of community is brutally depicted only a generation later when Cain murders his brother Abel. (Gen. 4) In fact, the first 11 chapters of Genesis are a chronicle of the disintegration of human community because of sin, ultimately culminating in the division of humans into separate nations at the Tower of Babel. (Gen. 11)

….and then the mission of God to restore shalom begins!

ISRAEL AND SHALOM

Starting with Abraham, God raises up the people of Israel to be a light in the midst of a dark and broken world.  He calls Israel to be a community that embodies God’s original intent for humanity, one where people have mutual concern for one another and everyone has an opportunity to flourish.  Through Moses, God gives the nation of Israel a blueprint of what shalom looks like—the Jewish law, summarized succinctly in the Ten Commandments. (Ex. 20:1-17) When you look at the Ten Commandments, you find that the first three commandments govern how humans should relate to God and the last seven commandments govern how humans should relate to one another.  This is what shalom looks like—loving God and loving one another! 

The Ten Commandments were only a summary, however, of a much larger blueprint of the Jewish law (over 600 commandments) that paints a beautiful picture of what a shalom community looks like.   One such example that shows the radical nature of God’s concern for all members of the community is Leviticus 19:9-10 which states, 

“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.”

Here, we see that God is concerned that those who are poor and marginalized are cared for by requiring landowners to reserve a portion of their harvest for the needy to glean from—hence, this is known as the “law of gleaning.”  

In other parts of the Jewish law, God emphasizes the importance of living justly, not showing partiality either to the poor or the rich, paying laborers on time, and not slandering one another. (Lev. 19:13, 15-16)  He encourages people to be generous towards the needy, to be hospitable to strangers, to care for the orphan and the widow. (Deut.10:17-18; 15:7-11) In a shalom community, no one is expendable; everyone matters.  

The Jewish laws of shalom community are encapsulated in the phrase, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lev. 19:18)   Importantly, God makes clear that one’s behavior toward Him and one’s behavior towards one’s neighbor are inseparable.  God is not merely interested in having individuals who worship Him. He is interested in having a worshipping community, one where individuals relate to one another in ways that reflect their relationship with God.

Wow, that’s a lot!  So how did Israel do at being a light to the world and a blueprint of shalom for the nations?  Not so well the Scriptures would say. Israel often worshipped false gods. Moreover, Israelite society was fraught with injustice, oppression, and even forced slave labor!  The indictment of the prophets against Israel can generally be summed up in two words: idolatry and injustice—a failure to love God and a failure to love one another. As a result, Israel is invaded by other nations and Jewish leaders are carried into exile. 

….but God promises that He will send someone to restore shalom.  That someone is known as the Prince of Shalom, the Prince of Peace!

JESUS AND SHALOM

When Jesus comes on the scene, He embodies shalom in everything He does.  He shows us what it looks like to love others and build an inclusive community where everyone matters.  He sits down to eat with the affluent as well as the poor and outcast. (Lk. 19:1-10; Matt. 26:6-13) He embraces both the religiously devout as well as “prostitutes and sinners.” (Matt. 9:9-12)  Even in his close group of twelve disciples, Jesus includes both Simon the Zealot (a man devoted to armed rebellion against Rome) and Matthew the tax collector (a man devoted to collecting taxes on behalf of Rome).  That’s what you call bringing together opposite sides of the political spectrum!

Even Jesus’ healing ministry had an important community-building component.  For one thing, in an age with no health insurance or Social Security, becoming sick could very well result in economic devastation. (e.g., Acts 3:2; Mk. 5:25-26)  In such circumstances, Jesus’ acts of miraculous healing worked to restore a person’s economic viability so that they could support themselves and their family. Moreover, many of Jesus’ healings resulted in the reincorporation into the worshipping community of persons who had been ritually excluded, such as lepers and persons suffering from menstrual irregularities and other physical maladies (2 Chr. 26:21; Lev. 25:19-27; Mk. 1:44)  In fact, it is likely that Jesus’ healing of the woman with the issue of blood enabled her to enter into the temple to worship for the first time in twelve years! (Lk. 5: 25-34) 

Jesus’ ministry involved the building of a community of worshippers who were not divided according to economic, social, or religious groupings.  He affirmed the dignity of all. This is the essence of shalom.

…and on Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples after His resurrection, He says to the soon-to-be first century church, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21) Guess what. That commission includes you and me!

THE CHURCH AND SHALOM

Jesus now commissions the church to embody a community of shalom on the earth.  As born-again believers in Christ, we are now empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the mission of Jesus on the earth.  This is not always easy. The first-century church had to contend for shalom on many levels. They battled ethnic and religious prejudice (Acts 6:1-4; Acts 10, 15) and contended for the demolition of walls of hostility between Jew and Gentile.  (Gal. 2:11-16; Eph. 2:14-17) They wrestled with economic stratification within the church as well. (1 Cor. 11:20-21; James 2:1-7) They learned through the apostle Paul to see themselves as an interdependent community where each member of the body is important and valuable. (1 Cor. 12) 

And now in our 21st century context, Jesus is saying to us, “You are the light of the world!”  (Matt. 5:13) Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is true for our neighbors both inside and outside the church and regardless of tribal associations.  And how successfully we do this makes all the difference in the power and influence of the gospel in people’s lives. As Jesus says, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

A PRACTICAL PLAN

Wow, I know.  That was a lot of information! (That’s why we call this “Thursdays are for Thinking”.)  So how can we put the principles of shalom into practice on a daily basis? Here are some thoughts to consider:

1. REFLECT  – Consider using some of your time in this challenging season as an opportunity to reflect on how you can be an instrument of peace, of shalom,  in your life space. Of what relationships and communities has God blessed you to be a part? How might you be able to strengthen those bonds? Ask God for guidance.
2. RESTORE  – Are there relationships in your life that have been neglected?  Family? Friends? (If you are like me, perhaps this season of “shelter-in-place” can be an opportunity to reach out to that “need to call” list of people by phone or FaceTime.)  Are there fractured relationships that need to be mended? What could you do to foster reconciliation? (Matt. 5:23-24)
3. REACH UP  – Pray and intercede for one another with our Heavenly Father.  Pray for your neighbors. Intercede for our nation and communities around the globe.   No matter what “social distancing” guidelines are in place, the scriptural declaration is clear that “the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
4. REACH OUT  – Within the limits of “social distancing,” are there ways that you can be an instrument of care, concern, and service to those in your neighborhood or beyond?  Are there folks who live alone and could use some social interaction, even from 6 feet away? Are there elderly neighbors who need someone to go shopping for them, or a meal left on the doorstep?  Are there folks in dire straits financially that could use assistance? Are there ways that you can be a source of support, healing or advocacy for neighbors of Asian descent at a time when xenophobia has inflicted wounds?  Our small efforts can make a huge difference in people’s lives!

God declared through the prophet Ezekiel centuries ago in the midst of a time of disintegration of communities in Israel, “I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land.“ (Ezek. 22:30)  In our current season of national and global distress, now is a great time to be a “peacemaker,” a shalom-maker.

As St Francis of Assisi prayed daily, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

Shalom.

Steve Vigorito