Readings for today: Numbers 4-5, Mark 12:18-37, Psalms 48, Proverbs 10:26
It’s amazing how history repeats itself. I meet so many people who have the same exact question as the scribe who approached Jesus in today’s reading. “Which commandment is the most important of all?” It’s a loaded question for sure. I often have to dig deeper to get the heart of why they’re asking. Is it because they’re trying to find a loophole? A godly excuse to go on living as they did before they met Christ? Is it because they’re new to the whole Christian thing and honestly do not know? Is it because their heart has been pierced with repentance and they want to please God? There are all kinds of reasons people ask this question and their answers reveal their proximity to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is the Kingdom and His answer reflects the truth of who He is. “The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And 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." (Mark 12:29-31) There is no hesitation. No confusion. Jesus quotes the famous Shema which is the heartbeat of the Jewish faith and then ties it to the love of neighbor. It’s a beautifully distilled picture of God’s heart for His people. It’s what all the rules and regulations from Leviticus and Numbers point to and find their fulfillment in. What God desires more than anything else is a relationship with His people. He loves them and He longs to see His love returned.
The scribe understands this as well. Listen to his response which Jesus affirms. “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 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, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." (Mark 12:32-33) He gets it. An expert in the Law, he doesn’t confuse the Law with God. Doesn’t confuse keeping the Law with a relationship with God. He understands that everything he’s been taught. Everything he’s dedicated his life to as a legal expert. Everything he teaches others under his authority points beyond itself to this one great truth...love God with all you are and all you have and love your neighbor as yourself.
There’s a part of me that thinks we should simply preach this passage over and over again. For until we master it - or it masters us - we cannot go any further. All the theology and Bible study and mission trips and tithing and praying won’t matter if we have not grasped what it means to love God with all our heart and mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the foundation for all the rest. This is the core of what we believe. It is essential to who we are as Christians. Now, will we ever arrive? Will we ever do this perfectly? Of course not. Let’s not let our imperfections give us an excuse to dodge the issue. Despite our sinful condition, loving God and loving neighbor should be our all-consuming passion. It should be the first thing we think of every morning as we wake and the last thing we think of before we go to sleep. How can I love God more? How can I love my neighbor more? How can I so rest in Christ that these desires naturally arise from a heart that’s been regenerated by the Holy Spirit? These are the thoughts that should occupy our minds far more than the mundane challenges we face every day. Friends, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3)
Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 6-7, Mark 12:38-13:13, Psalms 49, Proverbs 10:27-28