23rd Sunday After Pentecost
Mark 12:28-34 (NRSV)
Two commandments: love God and neighbor
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is no other'; and 'to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,' and 'to love one's neighbor as oneself,' - this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Reflection
Here's a guy with a question. He brings the question with sincerity. At the time commandments were divided into 'weighty' and 'light'. You could imagine the debate that went on between people as to what category a sin was placed within. Surely you wouldn't want a sin you had committed placed into the 'weighty' category!
It could be too that the question was wrapped around moral issues and those that are ritual issues. What commandment would be more important?
Jesus brings the question to the point by first referring to the creed of Israel. God is God, so love God with all you have. That's my paraphrase, but this would be a creed that would be repeated twice daily by the scribe asking the question. A creed worn in phylacteries or nailed to the doorposts of houses. The second commandment is to love one another.
Jesus brought the question to order. A tall order at that. There were no conditions involved like love God when you are being blessed, but maybe not so much when you are suffering. Or love another person you like but you don't have to worry about the person that has been mean or nasty to you. No, there they are together. The commandments to 'love'. Period! No conditions.
You may have noticed that my blog writings have been far from 'daily' reflections. They have been choppy at best over the past summer. It has been one of those times for me. Two parents have died and I have struggled with pesky kidney stones and infections that just wouldn't go away. I have noticed that even though I have not been able to write reflections daily, I have been able to sit and read God's Word, to pray for other's and myself and to worship, for the most part, regularly. In this I have been blessed. But even through the emotional and physical pain, I have been aware of the presence, the constant presence, of God. There were times when I was sure that God had no reason to be present, but I felt the presence through Word, Sacrament and the love of other people, some that I know as friends and some that are people that came into my lives through the situations that I have been placed in these past few months.
You could sum it all up with the commandments that Jesus referred to the scribe in this passage. These past few months I have been experiencing the blessing of the love of God and the love of another as I too have loved God and loved those that God has placed in my life.
The thought of a commandment taking place in a negative context as something I have failed to do is turned around here by Jesus. Jesus encourages love. When our defenses go up about our situation in life we can look for the opening that leads us to 'love' and run through that hole in the line. So many by our side that have gone before us and are in front of us are showing love by fending off the negative aspects of our situation to open that hole that permits us to run towards that goal of love for God and love for one another.
Yes, there will be times that we will be called to block for another while they run. And block we will do out of the love of God and the love of one another. And we will shout with joy and thanksgiving "Run where they ain't." (Woody Hayes). All for each other in the love of God and the love of our neighbor. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Lord, I love you. Teach me to love those you give to me each day. Teach me to run through the holes and to make the holes for another as I love you and love another... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment