The Shema and the Ekklesia*

The Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6, is defined as the basic principle of Jewish belief, proclaiming the absolute unity of God. The Hebrew word shema means "listen, hear and do". The words of the Shema are: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deut. 6:4-5). The principle declared in the Shema is so important, that the Jewish people place these words in a mezuzah and attach it to the doorposts of their homes (v.9). They enclose these words in phylactory boxes and wear them on their foreheads, between their eyes, and on their forearms (v. 8). They are to teach the Shema principle to their children at every opportunity (v. 7). The "oneness" of the LORD declared in the Shema is the Hebrew word echad, meaning a plurality of oneness, like a bunch of grapes. To Christians, we understand this plurality in the concept of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus gave us a revelation that takes us further into this plurality of oneness. When a scribe asked Jesus which commandment is first of all, Jesus answered that it was the Shema, as stated above. Jesus also added the commandment that He said was like the Shema: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." He said that there were no greater commandments than these (Mk. 12:28-31). The first focus, according to Jesus, is the kingdom of God, but the second focus connected to it is the love of your neighbor. Jesus gave His disciples a profound meaning of the echsd onenoss or unity of the LORD, as He prayed to His Father on their behalf. He included them, and us, in the echad oneness of God: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the wolrd may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (Jn. 17:20-23). This same oneness that includes those who believe and follow Christ, also allows us to be with Him where He is (v. 24). The oneness or unity that exists between us, Jesus and the Father also makes us perfect in that echad unity. This unity with Christ and the Father also requires a unity with each other as believers. Paul wrote: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." (Eph. 4:1-7, see also 1 Cor. 1:10-13). We also see this perfecting work found in the echad unity mentioned above by Jesus, and written of by Paul: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ...speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (v.11-16). The unity of each of the individual members of the Body of Christ, and their unity with the head of that Body, Christ Himself, does a perfecting and increasing work in the Body. Right now, the Body of Christ is one of the most divided, disunified, entities on earth. There is contempt and judgment against one another, against denominations, division over doctrines. Paul makes it clear that there is no part of the Body that does not need the other parts of the body. Each part is important and supplies what is needed within the Body (1 Cor. 12:2-27). Peter wrote that the echad unity among the brethren causes us to inherit the blessing (1 Pet. 3:8-9). Psalm 133 describes the pleasantness and priestly anointing found when the brethren dwell together in unity. In this Psalm, David also sings about the blessing that Peter mentioned above that comes from this unity: "...there the LORD commandeth the blessing, even life for evermore." This brings us right back to Jesus' words, above, that they may "be with Me where I am", which is the place of life forevermore. However, as echad unity brings perfection and blessing, division or disunity brings destruction. As Jesus was falsely accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan, He answered His accusers: "How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end." (Mk. 3:23-26). Recorded in Luke 11, Jesus expressed it this way, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against itself falleth..." (v.17). He also put it simply when His disciples pointed out that some were casting our devils in Jesus' name who "were not part of their group" by saying, "...there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part." (Mk. 9:38-40). We need to begin praying for the echad unity of the brethren with each other, in Christ, the Head, and in the Father, like never before. *Based on Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson's 4/18/21 message to the church. To contact: PO Box 154221, Waco, TX 76705 or Everlastingcovenant@ymail.com Look for us on Facebook and Twitter.