“‘You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD your God…” Leviticus 19.35, 36

Neighbors were not to steal from one another by misrepresenting the value of their property or the measures they used in weighing it out. Everything was to be done according to a publicly-acknowledged standard of weight or length which, it appears, was kept fixed by the religious leaders of the community.

The marketplace is an institution of culture which processes the artifacts of culture from sellers to buyers using a variety of the conventions of culture to process the deal. The marketplace thus brings together all the components of culture and, thus, demonstrates the power of culture to define, sustain, and enrich the lives of those who participate in it.

Hence, the people of Israel were to take special care to ensure that their practices of trade – buying and selling – were kept truthful, fair, and just. This is what neighbor love requires. Jesus showed that we must be willing to go even further in meeting people’s needs, going “the extra mile” in transactions when doing so will demonstrate the love of God more clearly and effectively.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.