Pleading the Eighth

The Eighth Commandment

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray them, slander them, or hurt their reputation, but defend them, speak well of them, and explain everything in the kindest way.

This week a friend reminded me of Martin Luther’s explanation of the eighth commandment. If ever there were a time when I need this reminder, it’s now. And of course, I’m not only speaking for myself. I wish this could be a guiding principle for our society right now.

All around me I see examples of every single infraction that Luther speaks of. Lies and propaganda are so common in the media that many of us don’t believe anything we hear or read. As a pastor, I regularly learn of betrayal as people share stories with me about harm done to them by friends/family/clergy/institutions they thought they could trust. I see how we all tend to get caught up in juicy gossip, even if it's at the expense of another. Whether the story is true or false, it’s especially satisfying if it’s about the fall of a person in a high position or a place of authority. The thud they make when they hit the ground brings us at least a glimmer of glee.

The part that speaks to me most clearly in Luther’s explanation to the eighth commandment is the last part. This is where he isn’t saying “no”; he’s saying “yes.” There are a lot of ways the eighth can be violated. But there are also ways it can be kept. I might be able to say that I keep the eighth commandment because I don’t lie, betray or slander. But there’s more to it than that. Refraining from hurting my neighbors is a far cry from doing what I can to help them.  

Lately, it feels like we’re all crouching tigers, poised to pounce at a moment’s notice. We’re ever vigilant to attack those who don’t do things our way or don’t agree with our way of seeing things. Every person we encounter is a potential enemy. It’s a fearful way of experiencing the world and not at all what it means to live as the people God created us to be. It not only separates us from other people, but it separates us from God as well. In my faith tradition, we call this sin. And it is destroying us.

“Defend, speak well, explain everything in the kindest way.” This is what it means to love our neighbor. We try our best to understand their perspective, even if we don’t agree with it. We assume that, like us, they want to do the right thing, even when we believe it’s the wrong thing. And when our neighbor messes up, we remember that sometimes we have been known to mess up, too.

Is there a way we can lift up Luther’s explanation to the eighth commandment right now? For all my Lutheran friends, I’m issuing that as a challenge. But I hope my non-Lutheran friends can see the value in Luther’s words, too. Do whatever you can to be mindful of Luther’s explanation to the eighth commandment. Post it widely on social media. Print it on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Cross stitch it and hang it on your wall. Recite it every morning as you rise and every evening as you retire. Tattoo it on your forearm. And do your best to live it, by God!