Are you familiar with the inquiry, “If an angel visited your home tonight, would they know that you are a Christian?” As a youth, I gave this question a fair amount of thought in regard to what they might find in my home. However, after reading the Bible multiple times, I now believe that an angel should have clear evidence of your loyalty to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob before they even pass the threshold. This belief stems from the 15th positive commandment as outlined by Maimonides.
P15 – To affix a mezuzah, as Deuteronomy 6:9 states: “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your home.[1]“
Before I go further, perhaps it would be beneficial to describe how this commandment is carried out in traditional form. What is a mezuzah?
The word literally means “doorpost” and so it is an undeniable fact that every building has a mezuzah at every door. In the Jewish culture, however, that word has become synonymous with the mode of obeying this command. On any observant Jewish home, synagogue, and other structures you can find a small container on the right doorpost as you enter. This container holds a scroll with select verses including the Shema, “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God the LORD is One.” The containers are usually slanted inward and feature the Hebrew letter shin (ש) which is shorthand for one of God’s most revered titles, “El Shaddai.”
The mezuzah is an important aspect of Jewish thought and culture. Despite its significance, it cannot be found explicitly mentioned in the New Testament. However, I continue to believe that most of the 613 commandments are present in some form in the New Testament, either through explicit mention, midrash, parable, or other rabbinic formulations. To gain a better understanding of the mezuzah’s place in the Apostolic Writings, one must consult other Jewish writings to see how the culture perceives this commandment.
In Jewish culture, the mezuzah is seen as both a literal and spiritual symbol of God’s guardianship over a home and each individual room where it is placed. As one moves from one room to another, they are entering a new domain with its own purpose and function. This idea can be seen in the difference between a dining room and a bedroom. In the dining room, one serves their entire family and guests over shared meals, while in the bedroom, the focus shifts to one’s spouse and personal rejuvenation. God’s guardianship and care move with the person through their home and so Jewish thought states a mezuzah should be placed at every doorway.
Jesus taught his followers to understand God’s commandments both literally and on a spiritual level, and the cultural perception of the mezuzah shows how it is lived out in observant Jewish families. It is both a physical representation of God’s guardianship and a symbol of the spiritual protection and care He provides. That guardianship seems to be the key.
Jewish sources are surprisingly consistent about this. There is a guardianship that comes upon a home with a mezuzah[2]. These sources relate a story of a Rabbi that gave a Roman Emperor a mezuzah. The emperor scolded the rabbi for such a “cheap” gift after he had given the rabbi a gift of great value. The rabbi responded that he would have to hire guards to protect the gift from the emperor, but the gift of the mezuzah resulted in God Himself becoming the guardian of the emperor. The linked reference even goes so far as to say “by the King of kings.”[3]
Some sources make reference to a blessing that is spoken when a person passes through the doorway. This blessing became my roadmap in the New Testament. What particularly stood out was the phrase, “God will guard my going out and my coming in, now and forever.”
That sentence formulation elicits the idea of shepherding a flock. The shepherd guards his flock as they go out and as they come in to make sure none are lost. The idea is a pretty common occurrence in Scripture. For instance, in the Torah, at the end of Moses’ life, we see him beseeching God and imploring him to provide a shepherd for Israel.
Numbers 27:17 (ESV)
17 who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.
Moses recognized the need for a leader to guide and protect the Israelites after his death and asked God to appoint a new shepherd. Moses, more than anyone, understood the importance of having someone to guard and shepherd the people as they went out and came in.
The correlation between a small container attached to a doorway and a shepherd who guards his sheep as they go out and come in is not immediately apparent, but this can be understood by exploring the cultural understanding of this commandment. Though it may seem strange in its literal form, the connection to the words of Jesus becomes clearer with this understanding.
There is a parable in the New Testament where Jesus makes use of both the metaphor of a shepherd and a door. Many readers may already be thinking of the Parable of the Good Shepherd in John 10, which includes the statement “I am the door.” Initially, I thought it was a stretch to connect this parable to the mezuzah, but after reading Jewish case law, discussions, and midrash, the consistent imagery was apparent. I found it impossible to ignore the connections between this teaching and the Jewish understanding of the mezuzah. Much of the parable appears to be a midrash on the Mezuzah. Yeshua is the door, and He is the Word that is written on the door. The gatekeeper only opens for Him. Yeshua is the Mezuzah.
A famous story in the Talmud relates the idea of guardianship as connected to the Mezuzah. Emperor Titus was angry about his nephew converting to Judaism and sent out a troop to bring him back. The story has its twists and turns, but ultimately it recounts Onkelos (the nephew) touching a mezuzah and contrasting the way soldiers guard their kings, but in the spiritual world, the King of kings guards his people[4].
John 10:10–11 (TLV)
10 The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly! 11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
Psalm 121:8 (TLV)
8 Adonai will watch over your coming and your going from this time forth and forevermore.
This idea of God giving longevity of life and protection is throughout the works of Judaism as they write about the command. Some sources call it an “open miracle.” In this world of concealment, the work of the mezuzah is openly apparent.
“To impart in our hearts the principle that Divine protection pervades Israel at all times, day and night, the Torah has commanded us to place the mezuzah at the entrance of our homes. We will thus be cognizant of this principle of Divine protection whenever we enter a home, and we will be mindful that this protection is constantly with us. Even at night, His protection surrounds our house and protects us while we sleep.[5]”
I could go on as there are many more sources and quotations that bring my mind to our Good Shepherd, who is our Mezuzah. The one who guards us as we travel through life and the one who trains up our hearts to recognize only His voice. I’m not sure if this has been confirmed for you, but for me, I have found the commandment of the Mezuzah, P15, in the parable of the Good Shepherd. God gives a promise along with the command for the mezuzah as it is recounted in Deuteronomy 11. The fullness of that promise seems to come through our Master Yeshua.
Deuteronomy 11:20–21 (TLV)
20 You are to write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied on the land Adonai swore to give to your fathers, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
John 10:9 (TLV)
9 I am the gate! If anyone comes in through Me, he will be saved. He will come and go and find pasture.
[1] Rambam, Mishneh Torah Positive Mitzvot 15
[2] Chabad.org Guardian at the Gates
[3] Bereishit Rabbah 35:3 “I sent you something which is full of knowledge and will protect you, as it is said: ‘When you walk it will lead you; When you lie down it will watch over you; And when you are awake it will talk with you (Proverbs 6:22)’”