'One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all"?’

The lectionary has taken us from the healing of Bartimaeus to what might seem a rather dry debate about which commandment is the greatest. What we have missed in our leapfrogging to Mark 12.28 are two questions that had been asked of Jesus by opponents who were bent on tricking him. One question was about loyalty to Caesar while the other was trying to poke fun at a belief in an afterlife. What would Jesus make of this third question, about which commandment is the greatest?

This week's news 

Two news stories continue to rumble on – the Savile Affair and racism in football. Last week also saw the release of Skyfall, the twenty-third – and, according to some, the best – James Bond film.

Gary Glitter has been arrested and bailed to appear in court and answer charges against him in December and it is suggested that other celebrities whose careers overlapped with Savile are concerned that their names may make the headlines. 

The police are investigating an increasing number of allegations against Savile. At the same time the BBC are conducting their own inquiries about how young people could be abused and why it took a rival TV channel to disclose what had happened. In all, there are currently six inquiries having been set up by different agencies. 

In a confusing development in Premier League football, some footballers wore special tee-shirts while others did not. Both sets of players’ actions were a protest against racism. 

Following a match last Sunday, Chelsea players accused referee Mark Clattenberg of using ‘racial language’ after they lost to Manchester United. 

Daniel Craig’s third outing as 007 has been greeted favourably by critics and public alike. James Bond has been around in print since 1953 and this year is the 50th anniversary of Sean Connery’s appearance in the first Bond film, From Russia with Love. Is it the best so far, and is Craig the greatest Bond?

Reflection

Archives have been searched to find old audio and video tapes that might demonstrate the sort of behaviour of which Jimmy Savile is accused. It is interesting that when Savile’s autobiography, Love is an uphill thing, was published in 1976, it didn’t seem to have aroused great suspicions, despite the lurid accounts of his escapades with young women. 

He is not alone in this, but Savile also said in this book that he believed in the 11th commandment, ‘Don’t get caught’. It is clear that the standards by which workplace behaviour was judged in the 60s and 70s were not the same as they are today. 

Some of the laws on the statute book have been there for centuries, others have been passed more recently, while some old laws have been repealed. Unlike the Ten Commandments, the laws of the land are not written on stone and can be changed according to the will of the people, through their elected members of Parliament. A story this week about an award against a bed-and-breakfast proprietor who refused access to a gay couple suggests that some Christian people are challenging national laws and are being challenged by them. 

Racial abuse is no longer acceptable in the UK and football is doing its best to eradicate it from the game. What happened in Serbia at the end of an Under-21 International between England and the home country illustrated that other parts of the world have not made the same progress. Yet English football has yet to impose the Rooney Rule which in the US is designed to promote black coaches in the NFL. Some people believe this ‘rule’ is unfair in that it positively discriminates in favour of a particular group of people. This same tension exists between the right to free speech and the right not to be offended.

The Bond films, much copied and parodied, still draw large crowds 50 years after the first appeared. 007’s surname has become an adjective that can be placed before the nouns, ‘girls’, ‘cars’ and ‘villains’. What else is consistent is that James Bond has always kept his country safe by whatever means necessary. With 007, the end always justified the means. Bond doesn’t just bend the rules, he breaks them, and leaves them in a trail of little pieces behind him. The list of those who have succeeded in life, while playing fast and loose with rules and laws is long, although perhaps not as long as those who have kept their noses clean. Even Jesus seemed to affirm ‘ducking and diving’ when necessary [Luke 16.1-13].

Prayer

Our God, 

we thank you that Jesus has taught us 

that of all the commandments given by Moses, 

loving you and loving our neighbour, 

come out on top.

Loving sounds like an easy thing, 

But we find it so hard to do.

Help us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, 

because in so doing we will be loving you more.

Forgive us when we fail in this commandment 

and help us to forgive others when they fail to love us. 

We pray for those people who find it hard to love themselves. 

May they know their worth 

– that they are beloved children of a loving Father.

Help us to know when to play by the rules and when to break them

… for the sake of your kingdom.

Amen.

Questions

• Do you think that this country’s laws always support people with a Christian faith?
• Have you ever done anything that broke rules or laws for ‘a greater good’? Did it work and was it worth it?
• Is there such a thing as ‘a white lie’?
• The ‘Rooney Rule’ and other forms of ‘affirmative action’ discriminate positively. There are also occasions when heavier sentences are passed against certain members of society – e.g. police officers and MPs – than would be the case against ‘ordinary’ people. Bearing in mind that God is said to have a ‘bias towards the poor’, is ‘one rule for one and another for someone else’ fair? 

Action

Watch the first episode of Richard Dawkins’ documentary Sex, Death and the Meaning of Life (available on 4oD) in which Professor Dawkins asks, ‘If there is no God watching us, why be good?’ This could lead into a discussion about the place of the commandments in an increasingly atheist society.

Young People

Jesus chose one from the ten and added another when asked for the greatest commandment. Jimmy Savile suggested that ‘Thou shalt not get caught’,  was his eleventh commandment. Can you create a more positive 'eleventh commandment'?

Amongst your friends who are not Christian, do any associate church more with being told what not to do, than with loving, the greatest commandment?

Simon Carver is a Baptist Minister in St Albans and takes a particular interest in film.

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