As I’m reading one right after another, stories about these “teachers of the law” trying to trick Jesus in the questions they ask, I’m drawing a line between the culture then and now. How many questions are we asked or do we ask…”I know what the Bible says, but…”. “I believe in God, but…”. Nothing has really changed. We are still trying to provoke Jesus into saying what we want to hear. We still try to gain understanding that will satisfy – or so we think – and lead us toward less cause to trust in faith. I don’t want to be that person who asks a question thinking that I already know the correct answer. I don’t want to be one who is satisfied only with the answer I expect or desire. I don’t want to be one who refuses to give up even that which I consider blessings from God, because I’m not willing to hear what He is really saying to me.
Humility. Faith. Trust. Being a child of God.Living the adventure of the not so ordinary, ordinary day of a follower of Christ. God with us, within us.
Jesus directs our hearts toward a passage in the Old Testament that was very familiar to his audience at the time. (Maybe like John 3:16 in our day.) These verses are what we know as the “Shema” (see previous post). The Jews would recite the “Shema” – named after the first word of the verse, which means “Hear”, each morning and evening as confession of faith affirming two things.: “the Lord is one and only” and “the Lord is our God”. God is to be loved completely and totally because He, and He alone, is God and because he has made a covenant of love with His people. In this covenant God gives Himself totally in love to His people; therefore He expects His people to give themselves totally…soul, mind and strength…passions, dreams, desires…in love to him.
Jesus brings Leviticus 19:18 together with Deuteronomy 6:5 to show that love of neighbor is a natural and logical outgrowth of love of God. These two commandments belong together; they cannont be separated. One flows out of the other.
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
What if before we asked any questions, this was on our lips? What if this was hidden in the hearts of all those who believe. What if this was our practice, to declare this out loud every morning, noon and night?! What if our lives say it…for all to hear? What are we declaring morning, noon and night for all to hear?
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o.k. there’s one more thing, this is extra… about the reading i noticed…
the insight of this leader, Jesus recognizes it and then did you notice his response…”almost”"…
The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”
Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Jesus says, “great, you almost have it”. Almost. I suppose this is calling for more consideration to the life lived than the words spoken….? anyway I was intrigued by another “let’s cut right through the crap” comment that Jesus makes so gently it almost gets missed. I bet this guy didn’t miss it, not completely anyway.
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November 9, 2006 at 8:22 pm
greggoryjames
philippians 2
this is another thing to keep on our minds before words are on our lips
November 10, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Gene
I wonder how many times I “almost” living the realities of God’s Kingdom instead of actually in it.