Readings (Year B):
Deuteronomy 6:2 – 6
Psalms 18:2 – 3, 3 – 4, 47, 51
Hebrews 7:23 – 28
Mark 12:28b – 34
Reflection: Love God and love your neighbor
In our gospel reading today we find a story that happens over and over in the gospels: People come to Jesus and engage him in conversation to catch him making some kind of error. Some of the people who come to Jesus simply want an excuse to ignore him. If he doesn’t answer exactly how they want him to it lets them off the hook. They are free to ignore the rest of his message.
But with other questioners these conversations could have deadly consequences. Many of the questions people ask him aren’t just religious, they are political, too. If Jesus answers in the wrong way he could easily be tried for treason.
You get the sense that many of these folks coming to Jesus aren’t actually interested in what he has to say; they are simply looking for ways to discredit him, to write off his message, to go about their own lives unchanged.
But every once in a while, you sense that someone is experiencing a change of heart. In this story, a legal expert comes to Jesus and asks, “Which commandment is the most important?” It’s as if he’s saying: “Are you on our side or not? Do your values align with our values? Are you for us or against us?” Jesus sums up not only the law, but also his mission, by saying “Love God, love your neighbor.” It’s the heartbeat of his message. Love God. Love your neighbor.
And the legal expert is moved. He can find no fault with Jesus’s answer. In fact, he fully agrees and in agreeing seems to reorient himself as well.
Jesus notices the shift and says, “You aren’t far from God’s kingdom.” The change has happened; all that’s left is for the expert to put it into practice.
Over and over throughout his life and ministry Jesus comes back to these points: Love God, love your neighbor. In fact, he often seems to be saying you show that you love God by loving your neighbor. It’s not about assenting to the right theological beliefs. It’s not about going to church or worshipping in the right way. It’s not about getting everything exactly right. It’s about love.
Are you being loving toward your neighbor? Are you honoring their humanity? Are you meeting their physical needs? Are you making sure they have what they need not only to survive but to thrive? Are you protecting them? Are you telling the truth about them? Are you honoring their humanity even if they don’t look like you, believe like you, or love like you?
Love looks like justice in action. Everyone with enough to eat, a safe place to live, and safety of body and soul. Love looks like thriving communities. Love looks like protected children.
Jesus’s interpretation of the law is simple: you show that you love God by your actions toward your neighbor. The question remains: Will we do it?
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