Reading The Bible With Rabbi Jesus By Lois TverbergShembull

Day Five: The Beauty of God's Communal Commands

Many Americans value individualism above all else. This is in contrast to much of the world that values team, family, and community above the needs of the individual. When we read the Bible, we need to realize that our default individualistic approach will often cause us to misunderstand the text.

Part of the reason we read the Bible as if it were addressed to “me personally” is because English only has one word, you, which can be either singular or plural. Unlike Greek, Hebrew, and many other languages, we can’t distinguish whether a speaker is addressing one person or a group. As a result, English speakers have a habit of reading every “you” in the Bible as if it’s addressed to “me all by myself” rather than “me within God’s larger community.”

Take for example the communal implications of the Sabbath law. Many of us assume it is addressed to each of us individually. But listen to Exodus 23:12: “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.”

Who is supposed to be refreshed when the people of Israel observe the Sabbath? It’s the animals and the servants and the aliens. That doesn’t make sense if this command is addressed to each person individually. In order to understand it, you need to think communally. As a community you shall rest, so that your servants and even your animals can be refreshed too. The refreshment of Sabbath was primarily intended for the ones who could not rest without the permission of others.

Elsewhere, the Sabbath was linked to remembering how the Israelites had once been slaves in Egypt who never got to rest (Deuteronomy 5:14–15). The reason that Israel must release others from work is to remember how God had done the same for them! All of life’s rhythms were to revolve around celebrating the indescribable joy of the day when the whips ceased cracking, the shackles fell off, and the cell doors swung open. When we understand the communal context of the Sabbath, we see that week after week, God was commanding Israel to remember his extravagant love by extending that redemption to others. 

Would you say you value individualism or community more? How do your everyday choices reflect that?