"Love the Lord Your God"

 

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

            Jesus is in Jerusalem, involved in a dispute with the leaders of the temple, just before he goes to the cross. He tells three parables to the authorities. In response members of the Pharisees and the Sadducees question him, hoping to trap him in his words.

            The first question was, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?" (v.15-22) The Pharisees were speaking of a particular tax. In 6 AD, the Romans imposed a poll tax on every adult in Judea. This tax was a powerful symbol of the political subjugation of the Jews to the Romans. The tax was so fiercely resented that it led to a serious revolt, led by a Galilean named Judas.

            Jesus did not answer their question about whether to pay the tax. Instead he asked for the coin that was used to pay it. It was a denarius, a coin stamped with an image of Caesar and the inscription "son of a god." It was known as an "idolatrous" coin, and there was so much resistance to it that the Romans gave in and allowed the Jews to mint their own coins for daily business use. There was no need for a Jew to carry a denarius, but apparently someone had one in their pocket that day.

            Jesus said, "Give it back to the emperor." And give to God that which bears his image, that is, your body, your life created in the image of God. Do not spend your life carrying around the image of Caesar in your pocket lest you become like him, lest you begin to believe in him, and hold his promises close and become fearful of his threats and even be tempted to worship him. Rather, let your life be lived in imitating God and believing in God.

The next question came from the Sadducees (verses 23-33). This was a question asked in a spirit of mockery. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or in eternal life, like the Pharisees did. They came up with this clever bit of human logic and used it to try to make Jesus look foolish. A man died, and so his widow was married by the man's brother, according to the law of Moses, a custom called Levirate Marriage. Then that brother died, and so on until all seven brothers had married her and then died. Then the woman died. So, if there is a resurrection, then whose wife will she be? They thought they had just proven that there is no heaven. Jesus tells them they do not understand eternal life and they are trying to use human logic to explain something they are not capable of explaining. Then he leads them to a scriptural basis for the resurrection.

            The third test comes from the Pharisees again. Which is the greatest commandment in the law? (verses 34-40). This one sounds like a legitimate question, and Jesus gives a direct answer to them. The rabbis often discussed a question like this and looked for passages that could be seen as a summary of the law. One they often used was Proverbs 3:5,6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths."

            Jesus goes back to a foundational passage, the "Shema," found in Deuteronomy 6: "Hear O Israel, the Lord your God the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This verse was painted on the doorways of Jewish homes, and also written down and placed in little boxes which were tied around the forehead, called phylacteries. It was recited twice daily by pious Jews. So Jesus' answer offended no one. This is the heart of Old Testament faith. Then Jesus added one "alongside" of it, from Leviticus 19: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

            This leaves us with a question. Just how do we express love for God?

            I think it is the love of neighbor that gives us some clues about how to go about loving God. As a church we have been going through a time where a number of our people have experienced a death in their families. We have been loving these dear people, these neighbors, as ourselves.

            The first thing we encounter when we attempt to respond to a death in a family, is that the expression of love to grieving people always feels like navigating uncharted waters. Everyone's experience of grief is different, and it is very personal. We do not know just what to say or what to do.

            So we go in love, and carry with us a few rules. We do not tell grieving people how they must feel, or what they must think. We do not tell them that we know just what they are experiencing, or that their loved one is in a better place, or that it is a good thing they are no longer suffering. Rather, we go and express love, and then we listen to their experience and let them tell us how they are feeling. When we do not know just what to say or do, we ask questions to clarify what might be helpful or appropriate. We try to avoid guessing. We then speak and act in the best interest of the grieving person, and we walk with them for a time, which often is several years or longer.

            Then we bring a gift, from our hearts. The gift is usually not an object, but rather something you say or write or pray or do. We are to love others "as ourselves." That means we think a bit about what was helpful to us when we were in that position, or what we think might be helpful to us if we were in that place. Again, it is good to ask, and not to assume.

            On the Saturday morning after Aaron died, I went to the Bargs' house to help plan the memorial service. Jill Heath was already there, and that was appropriate because of her long friendship with them. She had brought a gift, some coffee and baked goods. She placed them on the dining room table. The gift was given graciously, not imposed. But the gift became a gathering point, helping various ones talk about Aaron and about the service, trying out hymns and scriptures and memories.

            When my father died a number of years ago, the gifts that meant most to me were the people who for months after his death would allow me time and space to talk about my father. That is what I wanted to do, and did not know just how or when to do it, but I was amazed that three months or six months later, someone would ask about my memories of my father. That is neighbor love. There is a gift that comes out, sometimes right away, sometimes much later. But it comes from the heart.

            So this teaches us how to love God. We realize that when it comes to loving God we are in uncharted waters. It is a mystery, we do not know just what to say or do. What we do know is that God invites and welcomes our presence, and our love.

            When I go into the presence of God, I am often tempted to begin by blurting out a list of my needs and requests. I find it is always better to not do that. It is good to sit quietly first. It is good to begin with a hymn or a Psalm or a worship song in my heart. I find it is good to love God by listening to his word, and then listening to his Spirit. It is my desire to be formed by God.

            The Lord's Prayer is a good model. Begin in praise, then pray for the Kingdom to come and God's will to be done. Then think of requests for various forms of daily bread. Take time for renewal. Confess your sins. Learn the meaning of repentance. Act in God's best interest. He has redeemed you.

            Then, bring a gift to God. This is the offering of yourself. There are gifts for God that form in our thinking, in our hearts, in our souls and in our strength. Offer these gifts to God.

            The love of God always comes to obedience. This is where the two commands connect. The love of God will lead you to obey God and the obedience to God will bring you to a place of loving your neighbor. Your love for God will shape and sustain your expression of love for your neighbor.

            Always trust God to guide you in loving him.

            Amen.