Phew! Jesus passed the test set him by the scribe who asked, “Which commandment is first of all?” Though Jesus’ answer may have been both predictable (“Love your one God”) and surprising, “And love your neighbor as yourself”), his insight seems to have led his questioner to an “Aha!” moment.
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’; 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.” 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.
The scribe’s understanding that God wants us focused on love, not on religiosity and ritual, echoes many passages in the writings of Israel’s prophets and psalms. “For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased,” says the Psalmist. “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."“I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies,” God thunders through the prophet Amos. “Even though you offer me your burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, I will not accept them...But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
If Jesus was promoting a reform movement, it was aimed at rooting out religious leaders’ distorted emphasis on rules and rituals, on a bloody – and remunerative – system of sacrificing animals to appease an angry God. Religious systems have often learned to prosper financially by sowing spiritual insecurity. Jesus’ message was, and is, “No! God is love. God has drawn near to you, with power and forgiveness and healing and restoration. The realm of God is now! The realm of God is here.” So he says to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” He is so close to grasping the breathtaking reality of God With Us, Emmanu-el. He is so close to learning to dwell in that realm, and not in the death-dealing precincts of legalism and distorted sacrifice.
How about us? Are we “close to the Kingdom of God?” Have we ingested the Good News that God is love, that God cannot but love, even the most unlovable and unworthy?
Are we ready to take on Jesus’ Love Challenge – to truly love God with all our hearts and minds, soul and strength? Are we ready to turn to our neighbors in love, and love ourselves with compassion and clarity?
Jesus’ answer finally put a stop to the incessant challenges from religious leaders. It opened the way for much more fruitful exploration into the nature of God and love. It opens the way for us to approach the throne of grace and be soaked in love.
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