MUSINGS ON CHRISTIAN HARMONY, #3: Shibboleth

This is the story of how one Hebrew word led to the slaughter of 42,000 people. 

Somewhere around 1100 BC, as described in Judges 12 of the Old Testament, civil war broke out in Israel between the tribe of Ephraim and the people of Gilead. When those from Ephraim retreated, the Gileadites forced everyone crossing the Jordan River to say, “Shibboleth,” the Hebrew word for an ear of grain. But the dialect of Ephraim did not include the “sh” sound, so they would say, “Sibboleth.” They were exposed as Ephraimites and paid with their lives.

“Shibboleth” has now actually become an English word (although you’re more likely to hear it at a spelling bee than in everyday conversation). Its meaning refers to a catch phrase or a password of sorts-- something people say to show they are part of the group.

We could say there is a Christian shibboleth: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). It’s tremendous! God Himself came to earth as a Man, Jesus Christ, and our confession that He is the Son of the living God is the bedrock of our salvation (1 John 4:2; Matthew 16:16-18).

However, there are no biblical tests for Christian harmony.* This sounds simple, but it is profound. It means that we always need to act from the perspective that all of us, as Christians, are already part of the group-- not our group, but Christ’s.

This is important when we analyze the tensions of current events. Sometimes it seems as if one Christian is surrounded by others who demand, “Say ‘shibboleth!’ Say it now!”-- except instead of “shibboleth” it’s some declaration of allegiance or proof of support.

As Christians of any particular ethnicity or heritage, we shouldn't demand that Christians from other backgrounds must say things a certain way before we can trust them. Our ideas might even be true, and conversations about them might be very important. But if we have already assumed the reality of Christian harmony, let's not allow a shibboleth to divide what God has already joined together.

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*Some may note that Christian *fellowship* can be affected by other important beliefs and practices, but that’s not the point here. Christian harmony simply means that I value every relationship with every Christian believer, as discussed in article #1 of this series.