Shire | Wayfarer

The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 13:9 (NIV)

Those who have never read The Lord of the Rings and have only watched the movies miss out on the book’s masterful conclusion. The fallen wizard, Saruman, does not die as the movies depict. Rather, Gandalf makes multiple attempts to give his colleague a chance to repent of his folly and come back to reason. Gandalf offers Saruman grace and mercy.

Saruman’s hard heart flatly refuses the offer. Unbeknownst to Frodo and company, the wizard uses his skills as a deceiver to raise a following of ruffians and travels to the Shire. He and his men take control and wreak havoc on the Hobbits’ homeland. When Frodo and his three companions finally arrive back in the Shire they find it barely recognizable because of the rules that had been implemented:

“Then the four companions went into the hobbit guard-house and made themselves as comfortable as they could. It was a bare and ugly place, with a mean little grate that would not allow a good fire. In the upper rooms were little rows of hard beds, and on every wall there was a notice and a list of Rules. Pippin tore them down. There was no beer and very little food, but with what the travellers brought and shared out they all made a fair meal; and Pippin broke Rule 4 by putting most of next day’s allowance of wood on the fire.”

This scene came to mind this morning as I pondered today’s chapter, in which Paul reiterates Jesus’ teaching regarding the Law of Love. Paul has waxed eloquent for several chapters regarding the Law of Moses and the rule-keeping that his Jewish brothers and sisters took so seriously. Now, he brings the conversation back to Jesus’ own teaching on the subject:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40

In the quiet this morning, I find myself thinking about the “bare and ugly place” that the Shire becomes when it was enslaved by systemic rule-keeping. It is such a great metaphor for lives that become enslaved by religious rule-keeping. I love that Jesus came to free us from that burden and placed on us one simple law of love that is summed up in two commands: Love God. Love others. If I truly live by these two commands, all the other rules will take care of themselves.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobb... — Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

[The wicked] dig a deep pit to trap others,
     then fall into it themselves.
The trouble they make for others backfires on them.
     The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
Psalm 7:15-16 (NLT)

I just finished the unabridged audio version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings…again. Listening to the epic tale is sort of an annual pilgrimage I make while I spend time on the road. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the many themes Tolkien developed within this “leaf” he claims to have pulled “from the tree of tales.”

I was struck once more by the very theme David brings out in the lyrics of today’s Psalm. Evil digs its’ own grave. The trap that the wicked lay for others springs back on themselves. The orcs at Cirith Ungol kill one another, allowing Sam to find and rescue Frodo. Saruman’s indescriminate attitude towards nature brings the unexpected wrath of the Ents which, in turn, brings ruin down on the kingdom he’d created for himself. Even Gollum, driven by his self-seeking addiction to the ring, ends up bringing an end to himself and it.

To that end, Tolkien weaves an interesting change in Frodo towards the end of the story. When the hobbits return back to their beloved homeland, they find it overrun with evil men and ruffians under the influence of the broken wizard, Saruman. While Pippin and Merry raise the Shire, realizing that the ruffians will only be driven out by armed force, Frodo becomes a voice for tolerance in the conflict. He refuses to take up arms. He stops fellow hobbits from indescriminate killing. He refuses to allow Saruman to be killed by a hobbit, choosing to let Saruman go to find his own evil ends (which he quickly does when his own wicked protege slays him).

Over time, Tolkein’s story, along with passages of God’s Message like today’s chapter, have influenced how I view and perceive others in whom I perceive wickedness of thought and action. I still have more questions than answers. Nevertheless, the older I get the more my scales of thought tip towards obedience to Jesus’ command not to judge others “for even the wise cannot see all ends.”