...it's all about love...

“28 One of the scribes came near and heard the Sadducees disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well (regarding the resurrection) he asked Jesus, “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 Jesus, “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 the Scribe answered wisely, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask Jesus any question” Mark 12;28-34.

On one level, this story helps us understand more fully what Jesus thought His work was all about, and how His overall mission was bound to challenge the centrality of the Temple – a highly controversial, not to say dangerous, thing to suggest. Jesus really did believe that through His kingdom-mission Israel’s God would enable people to worship and love Him, and to love one another, in a new way, the way promised in the prophets, the way that stemmed from renewed hearts and lives.

And yet on another level, this comes as a considerable challenge to all of us contemporary Christians. Would anyone looking at us – looking at our churches, our lives, and our society that claim in some sense to be ‘Christian’ – would anyone ever have guessed that the person we claim to follow saw His followers as being people like this? Or let me put it another way: when the crisis comes, and certainly our country is in a huge crisis today, what remains solid in your life and the life of your community?

Are we part of a community, part of a church, who wholehearted love God and love our neighbor? Or are we witnessing the mad scramble of everyone trying to save their own skins and have their own philosophies and theologies and opinions?

Just how Christian are we?

Take this to prayer and ask yourself, “What do I need to do, and who do I need to be, to be a faithful Christian whose life is ordered by the Scriptures and the church to which I belong? Can everyone who knows me know that I love the Lord and I love others?

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.

From the Bible:

“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, you will keep my word, and my Father will love you, and we will come to you and make our home with you” John 14:23.

“And whoever does not take your cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” Matthew 10:38.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, you are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” 2 Corinthians 5:17-20.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” Galatians 5:22.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his…”

Romans 6:1-23.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” Philippians 2:12-13.