Sermon: March 22, 2020
Mark 12:28-44
28 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?"
29 Jesus answered,
"The first is, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God,
the Lord is one; 30 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.'
31 The second is this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
32 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'; 33 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."
34 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.
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, "How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, "The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet." ' 37 David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?" And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
38 As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."
41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
Jesus has entered into Jerusalem.
And in the midst of all the craziness;
of followers and dissenters; on the way to the cross,
Jesus is surrounded by people
with all kinds of questions and challenges.
Jesus sees what is going on in the temple,
how people were using the worship of God as a way to make money instead of showing God honor and praise.
He continues to teach. Leaders try to trick him,
stump him with questions about paying taxes
and if there is a resurrection, eternal life.
And then, today, an honest, question. In the midst of swirling of crowds and questions and challenges, one of the scribes asks THE question,
“Which commandment is the first of all?”
And, it seems, Jesus doesn’t even blink, doesn’t even hesitate in his answer:
"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."
You might ask, where did Jesus get this, where does it come from? Well, Jesus knows his bible! The first part of Jesus’ response is from Deuteronomy, chapter 6. It is called the shema, the Hebrew word for “listen.”
In this part of Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel, letting them know what they are to be about now that they are on the verge of entering the promised land. They are to listen, to remember, to know that there is no other god than God, Yahweh, the great I Am, the creator, life-giving, saving God.
And the response to this remembering, knowing and listening is to love God with everything they are: they are to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength:
Heart, soul, mind, strength: there is not a single part of a human being that is not covered here. This love of God is an all-in endeavor.
And then, Jesus adds another commandment, this time taken from the book of Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus, in this one answer, in the midst of the craziness of Jerusalem, nearing the completion of all he had set out to do, puts the love that we have for each other right up there with the love we are to have for God!
Dear friends, this is an amazing, crazy, frightening, time. We don’t know in many ways, what tomorrow will be like. Coved-19 has impacted the lives of every single being on the planet, let alone our country and state.
Maybe you feel scarred, it is ok. Maybe you are anxious, it is ok.
Maybe, in this time of needing to be away from this building, of not being able to be with each other, you are terribly lonely, God knows and understands.
But maybe, in this text for today, Jesus gives us what we need for just this moment.
Loving our neighbors as ourselves means that we maintain social distancing;
that it is not a practice meant to keep us safe as much as it is to keep each other well,
to make sure we don’t make our neighbors ill with this virus that is especially dangerous for our neighbors who have pre-existing health conditions.
Maybe, this neighbor love is about making sure we are all ok; checking in with each other, praying for each other, making sure that all of us have enough food and supplies.
Above all, Jesus gives us the gift of remembering, of listening, of knowing that it is God who is God. And just maybe, that can help us have faith; the faith and trust that allowed for the widow to put in everything she had, her heart, soul, mind, strength, trusting in the God who is God.
I have an assignment for you today.
First, repeat after me:
"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 book of Deuteronomy, right after saying the shema, Moses instructs the people to teach this to their children, to write it on their doorposts and do other things to help them remember. It is also, a prayer that Jewish folks repeat daily.
How about if we were all to find ways to share this in our homes; maybe make posters to put in our windows, for example. How about if we were to recite this verse every morning when we begin our day?
Ready for the other part of the assignment?
Jesus tells us that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
My assignment is this: In the coming week, pay attention to the ways in which this love of neighbor shows up in your lives. And then, let me know! Send me a photo of what this looks like. Maybe make a video we can share on our website.
Maybe reach out to each other with a phone call, checking in with them, praying with them, letting them know that they are not alone, that God is God, and that Jesus Christ is there for them.