What does it mean to live the Christian life? (Mark 12:28-34)
Mark 12:28-34 (NRSV)
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.
October 27, 2019 Sermon
Dana Carvey’s famous Saturday Night Live character, the Church Lady, was the quintessential stereotype of an uptight and smug Christian. The character was known for her holier than thou attitude and routinely condemned those who had fallen short of her obnoxiously pious standards.
The church lady was extremely popular with audiences, partially because so many people have encountered individuals just like her in their real lives. In fact, Carvey said that he had based he character on women he had known in his church growing up. Unfortunately, she also represents the way too many Christians themselves attempt to live out their faith.
For many followers of Jesus, it is far too easy to slip into a legalistic faith that is more concerned about scrupulously defining and avoiding sin than it is living into the grace that Christ has offered us. While well intentioned, the fact that all human beings are inherently unable to be perfect means that we are always going to run astray at some point. Without grace, legalism is utterly self-defeating. It often leads straight to overwhelming fear and anxiety.
We love because he first loved us
Part of the good news of the Gospel is that Christ offers an entirely different way of looking at our behavior and how we live our lives. Rather than having to placate a vengeful deity, human beings start off inherently loved by the creator of the universe. Even when we wander away, God repeatedly calls us back, first through prophets and then through Jesus himself.
We are reconciled to God through the gift of faith, not through our actions. This is precisely where the conversation on Christian behavior and lifestyle must start. We live lives of gratitude in response to the grace we have been given. Motivation makes all the difference. Because of the good news of Jesus we are able to live in joy, not in fear.
Our gratitude to God is shown in many ways. Jesus offers us clear guidance when he reminded the scribes that our primary responsibility in life is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We do this, not in order to win God’s love, but because that is precisely how God has first loved us.
More important than offerings and sacrifices
The obvious corollary is that if we are going to claim to be the people of God, we have to love others the way that God has loved them. We do this not because others have somehow earned our love, but because they are fellow human beings made in the image of God.
Although many us have heard this truth for years, we struggle to actually manifest this in our day to day lives. This is hard to live out because we operate in a transactional culture. We seek to commodify everything, including our relationships. We are kind to those who are kind to us. We sacrifice only for those who have something to offer us.
Instead, the kingdom of God operates by an entirely different economy. The scribe has it right on the money when he tells Jesus that love of neighbor is far more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
What was true for the scribes in today’s story is true for us today. These two commands are what it means to live the Christian life. Jesus tells us that if we bring these two things into our lives, we will not be far from the kingdom of God.
