Mark 12:28b - 34
If you keep up with the news, you have heard all kinds of dire predictions that this is going to be one of the most expensive and least enjoyable Christmases in a generation. Inflation is making everything more expensive, and you can’t get what you want anyway because it’s on some ship sitting off the coast of Las Angeles. And even if the ship got unloaded, there aren’t enough truck drivers to get it to you. And even if there were, there probably will be gas shortages so the trucks can’t get very far. And so on.
We hear a very familiar gospel today. What’s the greatest commandment? Well, there are two. Love God with everything you’ve got, love your neighbor as yourself. In Luke’s version, Jesus follows this with the story of the Good Samaritan, because the man who asks the question asks, “Who is my neighbor?” But here, the one who asks praises Jesus, and Jesus praises him back. “You are not far from the kingdom of God”, he says. But then, there is dead silence. No one dared to ask Him any more questions.
Now when we hear the word “love” our brains are conditioned to equate that with affection. Sure, I love God, I have warm feelings toward him. I love other people also, and have warm feelings as well -- just not as warm as I have for God. I guess I’m okay.
But I think the silence that follows the exchange between Jesus and the scribe is a reflection of what the listeners thought about love. Because it was relatively easy to love God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength. You just followed the rules. You got to the synagogue services, you made your pilgrimage to Jerusalem, you kept your dietary rules, you didn’t work on Saturday -- and you just checked off the boxes. Because it was all spelled out. But loving your neighbor as yourself, that was something different. And I think Jesus’ hearer’s didn’t want to hear Jesus talk about that. Because love was not affection to them.You’ve probably heard about how the famous rabbi Hillel was asked to teach the Torah while standing on one foot. He replied, “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor; that’s the whole Torah.” Three of his hearers continued on the road. Two of them picked some grain off the stalks growing by the road; the third did not. They came to the edge of a garden and two picked up a cabbage each. The third did not. Now what these two did was totally legitimate under Jewish law. You could take what you could reach from the road. So when they asked the third person why he did not do likewise, his answer was “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” The man had understood Rabbi Hillel’s statement. And maybe that’s what is silencing the people Jesus is speaking to-- they realize the implications of what he is saying and don’t want to hear more.
So we might have the worst Christmas ever. I won’t have enough gas to get to the Big Y, so I’ll have to bicycle to CVS to get the fixings for Christmas dinner. A can of Spam, a few candy bars … and of course no tree. We’ll hang our ornaments on the wall or something. And worst of all no presents. Presents are, of course, how we show love. But maybe this Christmas we can take Jesus literally and do love to our neighbor.
Maybe he needs help paying a utility bill or a car payment.
Maybe that young couple with kids could use free babysitting so they could have a night out.
Maybe the older man who lives alone could use a good home cooked meal -- or maybe even an invitation to share one with you.
Maybe that person you know just enough to wave at in the grocery store or after church could use a cup of coffee with you so that you can get to know each other better.
Maybe I should call that old relative of mine that never seems to be able to stop talking.
If you and I reach out, maybe this could be the best Christmas ever. Because we will be doing love, not just feeling it; because we will be meeting needs, not giving stuff.
Saint John tells us that God is love. We know that the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Trinity that is the love between the Father and the Son. All of us have been baptized, and most of us have been confirmed; if we believe the teachings of our Church, the Holy Spirit has been given to us. Saint Paul tells us that God gives us his Spirit so that we will have the strength to do what He calls us to do. When you do love, the Holy Spirit is being manifested in your loving act. So as we approach the Christmas season, let’s begin to do love, not just feel it. What are you going to do today to do love? That should be the question we ask right after our morning offering every day.
