2. A Call to Love

2. A Call to Love

Mark 12:29 – 31 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

We like to have lists, the “Let me know what I have to do to make you happy and I will do it” list.  It is comforting, we know if we are doing a good job by seeing if we are obedient; by how many items we can check off our list.  Jesus is approached by the religious leaders of his time, and like the religious leaders of our time many of them are much more concerned about appearances; Jesus never was.  And like many of the religious leaders of our time they have managed to cross off a number of items off their list.  So they ask him a question, “Which oh wise teacher is the most important commandment?”

They think they are being crafty, they are plotting to trap Jesus.  But in their question they betray their entire lack of understanding of God, and his desires for us.  They had reduced the worship of God to following the rules.  Do you remember those kids in school, the ones that excelled at school?  The ones that knew exactly what they should be doing, and did it?  The teacher’s pet.  They knew what they were supposed to do and they did it.  These are those guys standing around Jesus, they are gloating for they follow the rules better than anyone.

I was unable to keep myself organized enough to do school.  I was the kid that added his home work to the dog’s dinner so that I could honestly claim that the dog had ate it.  The best I could do with following the rules was to not blurt out in class, or start a wrestling match with another kid.  I did stab another kid with my pencil one day just to see what would happen.  I was a bit surprised when the kid fainted.

Jesus answers them, and in the most brilliant of ways.  “There are two commandments actually.”  He says.  He then names the one thing that they are unable to do: love.  If spirituality is simply a matter of following rules or you are gonna get smacked down by God, there is little room for love.  Fear kind of does that to love.  And love for others?  If your best shot is being the best of the bunch, those standing next to you are your competition. Where there is competition, there is no room for love.  His answer must have been infinitely frustrating to those that had asked the question.  He told them that the greatest commandments, were  ones of love. 

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7.

Is there any question as to why I love Jesus.  For this "lineswere made to colour outside of" kind of guy, I am so relieved that I am not called to follow a bunch of rules, I am called to love.

We are called to love.  To love our God.  We are called to love the Lord our God, with all our hearts, with all our soul, with all our mind and all our strength.

We are called to love.  To love of each other, not just those we like, or who would make us look good, or are easy, or are fun, or are like us.  To love each other, not just when it is convenient, or beneficial.

I believe, and of course this is just my own opinion, that if I worry more about how I am loving, the entire question of behaving in a way that is respectful to God becomes so much simpler, not easier, but simpler.