As we move through the 40 days of Lent toward Holy Week, we continue to discover more about who Jesus the Messiah is. So far, Mark’s gospel has revealed to us that Jesus the Messiah is passionate about God’s justice, so much that he would disrupt the temple trading by turning over the tables with holy anger. It has also revealed that he teaches and acts with a different kind of authority, an authority that is within and among rather than over, and that responds to the religious leaders with questions rather than answers.
This week as we look at Mark 12:28-34 we find that as Messiah, Jesus knows and embodies the tenants of the Jewish faith. He knows the law and prophets so well, and he is so in tune with God, that he is able to take the essence of the scriptures and apply them in ways that are life giving and directed by the Holy Spirit. He answers the scribes question with the words we know as the greatest commandments.
While Jesus’ words seem fresh and relevant even today, they are taken directly from the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, and then are fused together with a twist of his own. Even the scribe is impressed with his answer and affirms the way he puts these passages together. They have a holy moment of agreement in the midst of the deadly tension that is building around them.
In this passage we find two men who love the scripture and have studied it their whole lives. They care so much that they not only know the stories or follow “the rules” at face value, but make it a part of who they are and how they think. They have the capacity to analyze and debate and make it real in their lives and teaching. They understand how to prioritize it, that not every verse of scripture has the same weight or capacity to represent the whole. They invite the Holy Spirit to guide them in this effort.
The interaction between these two men inspires me to study and love the scriptures even more. I have found that each time I return to a particular story, and each time I read through the Bible again, I find new ways of understanding key passages and incorporating them as a part of the whole. I have found that God continues to reveal truth for today in powerful and relevant ways to me and to us as we give ourselves to studying these ancient words and making them a part of all that we think and do.
I hope that the interaction between these two men will inspire you as well to commit yourself even more to studying and loving the scriptures. I am confident that as you do, they will become a part of how you think and live and God will reveal new insights and wisdom to you in powerful and relevant ways that you can share with others, even as you add your own twist.
Thanks be to God for the gift of The Word!
Blessings,
Pastor Suzanne