The gospel story in Mark is also about remembering. In this passage we
are reminded to:
To love God-and walk with humility on this earth.
Love our neighbor-to respect all life as equal so we care for our
neighbor as ourselves (Syrian refugees)
Love yourself- to respect yourself and let no one put you down because
of who you are!
We recall earlier clashes with the scribes and the Pharisees about
commandments. They are always trying to catch him out-legalists.
Jesus is quoting from the Jewish Shema in Deuteronomy 6v4. He adds
Leviticus 19v18 a text about neighbourliness, which was original. This was new
rabbinic teaching. Heaven must be shown on earth. The text in Leviticus is about
not exploiting people, the weak and the poor (tax credits debate).
This includes leaving food in the fields for the poor
Not stealing, dealing falsely or profaning God
Not oppressing your neighbor, exploiting your employees, discriminating
against the disabled
Not being unjust, slandering someone
The scribe however is only partially there, he understands but he is
part of an elite a system that did not practice justice. How near is this to
our own situation today?
Jesus in answering this man has silenced them and in turn challenged the
temple cult and the uncaring capitalists of its day.
The man who asks Jesus the question “What is the greatest commandment?”
has been watching Jesus. He is a scribe, one of the ruling religious elite. He is told he is "thoughtful" and has been not far from
the kingdom. The story shows that the scribes had forgotten what is important
and needed to be reminded of that.
And we must love our neighbour! Loving our neighbour means acting with
compassion. Neighbour in Hebrew means fellow citizen or friend. Love even
extends to the foreigner and traveler within our gates, our country. (Asylum
seekers, migrants) This is no easy task and many people feel anything but love
to their neighbours and foreigners. But this is what Jesus calls us to do.
Love, pray even for our enemies! It’s hard.
Psychologically it would be difficult for a person to love others if you
don't first love yourself! You have to love yourself! Jesus reminds them of
that too.
So Jesus reminds his hearers that the heart of God’s Law (the commandments)
is to love and be loved.
