The Essenes were a Jewish separatist group active from about
BC 170 until the Roman Legions disbursed them in AD 68. They had
intentionally moved out of Jerusalem and fled to the mountains and wilderness
bordering the Dead Sea. Their goal was to isolate themselves from the
prevailing life style of other Jews living in Jerusalem.
The Essenes sought to create a new system of spiritual
purity, by isolating themselves from what they saw as the spiritual darkness of
the Hellenistic life style that was pervading Jerusalem. They were
seeking a right relationship with the God of the Old Testament, by removing
themselves completely from a non-believing society.
The Jewish people had been captives on and off for
centuries, so they knew how easy it was to lose one's spiritual purity during
forced integration into a different culture and set of religious values.
Their answer had been to bond together, isolate as best they could and support
each other in honoring their God, Yahweh.
As Christians, we sometimes think that if we could just
retreat from the distractions of "life in the world," we could live a
holy life. Do you think it is possible for normal, ordinary people to
live holy lives today in the midst of our present day secular culture, so
filled with spiritually dark temptations?
While Christians draw much of their faith from the Old
Testament and ancient Jewish practices and tradition, a very striking
difference was introduced by Jesus. After the Crucifixion, Jesus appeared
to his disciples and instructed them in The Great Commission:
"Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you . . . . ."
(Matthew
28:19 - 20)
What would the Essenes have said if Jesus had given them
The Great Commission?
Once Jesus had accomplished his work of redemption (by means
of the Crucifixion), the challenge for his followers was to NOT separate
from the world, but to take the good news of redemption INTO the world.
In Matthew 5:14 - 16 we see how Jesus illustrated by
metaphor the role his disciples were to have in the world:
"You
are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead
they put it
on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same
way, let your light shine before men, that they may
see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Turning to some spiritual practices of today, it is
interesting to consider the way the Pennsylvania Amish sect of Christianity
relates to the secular world. The Amish are conservative (some would say
"old fashioned"), emphasizing humility, family, community and living
separately from the non-Amish world. This includes a reluctance on the
part of some Amish to adopt modern conveniences such as automobiles and
electricity. Many Amish wear distinctive Amish-style clothing. It is
estimated that some 30,000 Amish people currently live within the area around
Lancaster, PA. In that area, one can see today some practicing Amish
driving a horse and buggy on the public highway.
The Amish take their beliefs very seriously. They call
for a conscious choice to accept God, which leads to their belief in the
all-encompassing and literal authority of the Bible. To them, family and
community are more important than wealth and fame.
To preserve the Amish identity and maintain spiritual
harmony,it is said that members are encouraged to surrender their personal
aspirations for the sake of "community purity." These ideals are
maintained by keeping all work, play, worship, commerce and friendship within
the Amish orbit. They seek very limited involvement in secular American
life. They prohibit habits that feed individualism, greed and other
secular tendencies.
The "extreme" non-conformity of the Amish in the
midst of secular cultural/societal values,
could serve as a conspicuous spiritual reminder to the rest
of us. While the Essenes tried to live "spiritually pure" lives
by removing themselves from the secular world, the Amish seem to have
the much greater challenge of living immersed in today's secular
American culture.
Do you think the Pennsylvania Amish are indeed living out
the call of Jesus to be "the light of the world; a city on a hill . . .
."? In today's world, how culturally-different can other people be,
before we stop taking seriously their spiritual example?
___________________________________________________________________________
These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal
growth this spring at CPC.
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