Here is the issue: on the level of ordinary daily life, the commandments are given to shape a community so that existence is shalom, or at least, livable. The more violence there is, the tougher life becomes, the more threatened we feel, and the civil sense slides into reactionary behavior.

Far from being able to pat ourselves on the back because we’ve never actually gone out and killed someone, let us ponder all the ways we ooze emotional and spiritual violence by our anger, rages, resentments, and hostile judgmental attitudes towards others. Giving someone the impression, or telling them flat out they are no good, amounts to a breaking of the 5th commandment. We can kill a person’s spirit (and often do) by harsh words, condemning attitudes, or just benign indifference. In fact, indifference probably has killed more people than anything else in the world.

“Help our neighbor with all physical needs.” Now the rubber hits the road—both for as individual persons, and for our congregation. The spiritual life is not just “me and Jesus”, but is more particularly “me and my neighbor” in that perhaps disgusting and bothersome physical presence. It is not enough just to pray for them, although that’s a good start! There are physical needs everywhere: shelter, food, clothing, a visit to a prison, a stance against the death penalty: these are positive ways of obeying the 5th commandment

Shalom. That’s the idea. Following Christ, we offer our lives in the cause of human well-being—even if it kills us.