by Stephen Rodgers
By way of introduction, it’s fair to say that the Czech Republic doesn’t have a lot of national heroes compared to America. And given the fact that they are now a predominantly atheist nation, it seems a bit strange that many of those that they do celebrate have such strong ties to Protestant theology. For example:
- Jan Hus, famous for his role in pre-Reformation theology, who was martyred in 1415, but is now celebrated as a national hero, complete with his own national holiday.
- Or Jan Amos Komenský, a protestant pastor who was exiled from his country in 1620, but is now revered as the father of modern education. In the town where the Mellwigs live, a school proudly displays his words across the building, in letters large enough to be easily read across the street: “Pojď sem, synu, uč se moudrým býti, boj se Boha, miluj lidi.” (“Come here, son, learn how to be wise, fear God, love people.”)
But neither of these men even come close to the legend of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the famous politician, sociologist, philosopher, and the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia. Unlike Americans, who have a bit of an obsession with tarnishing their heros, Masaryk is still revered among Czechs today, almost 75 years after his death. And make no mistake, he was held in even higher regard during his lifetime, when it was a commonly quoted among Czechs in the mid and late-1930’s, “As long as Masaryk is alive, Hitler won’t start war.” And to this day, the Order of Masaryk is one of the highest honors that the Czech government can confer.
While his personal religious beliefs were not something that would remotely resemble those of Lighthouse Bible Church or myself, I find myself strangely fascinated by his work and writings. In particular, I find myself coming back to his personal motto: “Nebát Se A Nekrást.” Or, as we would say in English…
“Do Not Fear And Do Not Steal”
As a Christian, these words are at the heart of the Scriptures. To be sure, in one sense they can be understood literally, as written in Joshua 1:9 or Exodus 20:15. Or if you prefer verses to the right of Matthew, 2 Timothy 1:7 and Ephesians 4:28 come to mind. But rather than just prooftexting and verse-hopping around the Bible, let’s take a moment to consider those words from another perspective.
In Matthew 22:35-38, a Pharisee asked Jesus which of the commandments was the greatest. We all know Christ’s reply in Matthew 22:37, and most of us recognize that he was re-affirming what was written in Deuteronomy 6:5. What we may not realize however, is how deep the link is between Christ’s words in the New Testament, and the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament. And just in case you need a refresher from Exodus 20:1-17 as to what God said…
- Don’t have any other gods before me.
- Don’t make any physical idols.
- Don’t take my name in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath.
- Honor your parents.
- Don’t murder.
- Don’t steal.
- Don’t lie.
- Don’t committ adultery.
- Don’t covet.
This is not just an idle theological question. As Christians, we really should take the time to reflect on the commandments of God in Scripture. After all, as people who desire to live for God and not for ourselves, knowing what God wants would seem to be pretty important. So what does Christ’s admonishment to love God have to do with God’s laundry list of instructions back in the day of Moses?
Well, it doesn’t take a genius to recognize the obvious. In the first four commandments, we see God’s prescriptions for HOW we are to love Him, and in the last six commandments we see God’s prescriptions for HOW we are to love our neighbors. But the key to putting this all together requires that we go just a little bit deeper…
It was Martin Luther who once observed that the key to obeying commandments #2-10 kept coming back to faithfully obeying #1. To break #2 is to exalt some created thing above God. To break #6 is to exalt your own anger above God. To break #9 is to exalt your own desires above God, and so on. The fundamental issue here is one of idolatry not a disparate list of arbitrary orders.
“Alright,” you might say, “I get that. But what does idolatry have to do with the words of the first president of Czechoslovakia?”
I’m glad that you asked, because we’re going to talk about that very topic next week…