Mark 12: 28-34
When we were students in math class it was never enough to just provide the correct answer to the problem or question. The teacher always required that we show our work, to demonstrate how we arrived at the correct answer. If we only provided the answer we only received partial credit; in order to receive full credit we had to have the correct answer and to show our work.
That is the dynamic at work in today's Gospel reading. A scribe asks Jesus what the greatest commandment of the law is, to which Jesus gave the law of love - love God, love neighbor. The scribe too arrives at that same answer, at which point Jesus tells him: you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. But to fully arrive at the kingdom of heaven we have to live the law of love, to show our work.
The final judgment is not a test of knowledge; it is a test of deeds. We will not be asked what the greatest law is; we will be asked if we provided food and drink to the hungry and thirsty; if we provided care for the sick and imprisoned; if we provided shelter and clothing to the homeless and naked; if we provided hospitality to the stranger and alien. We have to show our work.
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