A More Important Question

Gospel: Mark 12: 28-44

Here at the very end of Jesus' public ministry we get an important question and Jesus' response to it.  What is the most important law in all the 613 laws of Israel? His response is to love God and love neighbor.  We might well wonder why this question was not addressed earlier and this teaching brought forth at the very beginning of Jesus; ministry instead of here at the end.  The answer is that this question had indeed been answered many times in many ways by Jesus.

Jesus did not teach primarily by words and decrees.  He taught by example.  How are we to love God? Show mercy and compassion to other people.  Who are we to love? Everyone, friend and enemy, women and men, foreigner and countryman.  Jesus cared for all who came to him; he refused no one help.  Even when the disciples and others actively sought to prevent others from encountering Jesus, he overruled them every time and cared for whoever came to him.  

Our interpretation of the command of love is always to narrow its scope as the disciples do.  Our call and challenge is to continually resist that urge to narrow the scope of love and instead to live the example of Jesus by caring for all people without exception, to continually find a way for people to access God and the healing and nourishment they need in their lives.