Shema (part I)

The Shema (Part I)

It is commonly referred to as, “the Jewish statement of faith.” The first part of the shema is two lines. The most common English translation is, “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Blessed is the name of his glorious kingdom for ever and ever.” The rabbis have taught that when a person says the shema, he or she is accepting the kingdom of God upon themselves. In other words, they accept God’s sovereign reign in their life.

The word “shema” is generally translated as “hear” but, as with most Hebrew words, there is much more meaning. The word “shema” implies more than just physical hearing with the ears, it also implies understanding as well as listening with the intent to obey what is spoken. So “Shema Israel” means “These are the facts: The LORD is our God and the LORD is King. Now live out this Truth.” The rest of the shema (a somewhat lengthy recitation to say three times a day) elaborates on how to carry this out.

Too often we are too shallow (I am so guilty of this) and we are afraid to go deep. I’m not talking about some mystical spiritual depth. I mean the real meaning of shema. The depth of doing. Too often we are hearers only. We look into the mirror of the Word, see ourselves as we really are, and then go about our day business as usual.

begin rant
OK so, here’s what I don’t understand. There are Christians who study Jewish stuff and know about the torah and festivals and use Jewish words and do Jewish dances. They study the Jewishness of Jesus and know that he kept the torah and taught like a Jewish rabbi.

It’s like they hear, “Jesus was a torah observant Jew” and they understand, “the torah should be the foundation of a faith in Jesus” but they don’t take the next step and obey the Word of God. They enjoy all the external “Jewish stuff” but they don’t do the things that God actually commanded.

I’m not talking about people who think that Jesus started a new religion. I’m talking about the ones who realize that faith in the Messiah is a continuation of the faith of the people of Israel (not the religion of Judaism. There’s a difference.), yet they deny the expression of that faith, which is in obeying God’s instruction (tora).
end rant

At the beginning of the “sermon on the mount” Jesus said that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In Jesus’ day, the words abolish and fulfill, in reference to torah, meant correct and incorrect interpretation of torah. So after giving his teaching on how to understand the law, Jesus concludes with the story of the wise and foolish builders. The foolish man who built his house on rock represented the person who heard Jesus’ teaching and did not put it into practice. The wise man is the one who truly did shema.