Deuteronomy 6: 1 – 9 / Psalm 119: 1 – 8 / Hebrews 9: 11 – 14 / Mark 12: 28 - 34
This is the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, November 3, 2024.
“THE RULES AND
THE RULES OF LOVE”
(Homily
texts: Deuteronomy 6: 1 – 9 & Mark
12: 28 - 34)
Back
when I was a student at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, some of our
singers would sing a song on their recitals entitled “Love in the Dictionary”.
The text was a word-for-word definition of the word “love” as is found in
dictionaries. The song itself was a bit humorous, as you might imagine. The text went something like this:
Noun a. a
powerful emotion felt for another person manifesting itself in deep affection,
devotion or sexual desire; b. the object of this emotion; c. God’s regard for
His creatures; d. a great liking, fondness; e. no score, nothing.
Verb a. to
feel the passion of love for; b. to be fond of; c. to delight in, enjoy; d. to
be in love.
Jesus
makes clear that the requirement to love is as central to our life in God as
are the rules that God has laid down for healthy and godly living.
With
these two ideas in mind, the rules we are to live by, and the requirement to
love, let’s turn our attention to two of our appointed text for this morning.
The
Gospel text and our Old Testament reading from the Book of Deuteronomy are well
matched, for Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy’s prescription for the most
important aspects of a person’s walk with God: The requirement to put God
first, and then to love God, others and oneself.
Mark
tells us that a scribe came up to Jesus and, in order to test Him, asks,
“Teacher, which commandment (in the Law) is the most important?”. Knowing the
character of the Pharisees, the scribes and the priestly caste, one might
wonder if this scribe had in mind an answer like “you shall not heal on the
Sabbath”, or “you shall not pluck grain from the fields on the Sabbath”. Recall
that Jesus got into trouble with these religious leaders for doing those two
very things (among others).
Instead, Jesus responds by quoting the requirement found in the Law of Moses, the Torah, from Deuteronomy. He says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”.[1] Then, he adds that there is a requirement to love God with one’s heart, mind soul and strength. Then, He says, one must love others and love oneself.[2]
It
shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus and those who opposed Him were at odds with
what was the most important aspect of a person’s walk with God. The scribes,
Pharisees and the priests focused on the legal requirements of the Law of Moses.
Stuff like doing no work on the Sabbath, for example. Jesus, in His response,
makes it clear that God must form the very center of our lives, but that
requirement alone isn’t all there is to the life of faith: Love is the other
component that is essential.
It
can be quite a challenge to balance God’s prescriptions for godly, holy living
with the requirement to keep love as the central component of one’s life. On
the surface, these two essential ingredients in a person’s life might seem to
be polar opposites to one another.
Indeed,
Christians down through time have wavered to one side or the other of these two
requirements.
For
example, the attitudes of the Pharisees are still evident among Christians who
emphasize keeping the rules to the exclusion of ensuring that we act with love
toward others and toward God. Judgmental attitudes often are markers of such an
approach to faith.
But
the other opposite is also present, for some Christians seem to adopt the idea
that if we love a person, we’re going to approve of whatever they do. In such
cases, love is equated with permissiveness. (Here it would be a good idea to
remind ourselves of the meaning of the word “love”.)
If
we consider God’s nature, two major realities become apparent: God is a holy
God, a righteous God, a God who cannot abide evil. But the other side of God’s
nature is that God is a merciful God, a God who loves deeply, intensely and
permanently
These
two natures inform one another.
If
God were only that holy, righteous God, then we could expect that God would
reject each and every one of us because of our nature, which falls short of
God’s standard of holiness.
If
God were only that loving God, then we might think that God is that God who
allows and approves of everything we might consider doing or thinking.
In
the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, we find both of God’s natures present, as we
enter the waters of Baptism, there to die to our old natures and to rise to a
new, risen life with Christ.[3] God is the originator of
this gift of Baptism. It is God who allows us to descend into the waters, but
it is God, through Christ, who offers us a new beginning, a new and forgiven
life, a life that has God’s power to overcome shortcomings, failures and sin.
God’s love for each one of us forms the basis for knowing what a holy life
looks like.
One
final thought is in order here: Lutheran teaching and theology emphasize God’s
natures as one of holiness and one of love. This understanding is one of the
Lutheran gifts to the wider world and to other Christians.
Thanks
be to God, who loves us, and who empowers us to live lives that honor God’s
love and God’s holiness.
AMEN.
[1] This is known as the Sh’ma, and it is
sung or said in synagogues to this day.
[2] Jesus quotes from Leviticus 19:18 here.
[3] This is St. Paul’s description of Baptism, as we find it in Romans 6: 3 – 9.
