Sermon from March 10, 2024 by the Rev. Brett Gudeman

MARK 12:28-34

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Asking questions is one of the best ways we get to know someone. Yes? We may use questions in formal settings— in an interview to get to know a new candidate, we use questions on dates to truly connect with the person across from us whether it is a first date or the thousandth date we have been on, we ask questions of our children trying to figure out why they are covered in blue paint and what moved them to completely cover themselves in both paint and glue. 

Our staff begins every single staff meeting with a fun or silly question before we jump into business, and through it, I have learned so much about my colleagues and drawn closer to them. I have learned that Anne Dillon, our youth director, was both prom queen and homecoming queen. I have learned from our Preschool director, Lora Bohan, that she clearly loves her son more than her daughters. I have learned that Pastor Tara not only reads scholarly books and literature, but she’s also a fan of romance novels. I have learned that Patricia has performed Pat Benatar’s hit me with your best shot in Las Vegas. I have also revealed part of myself to the staff, one of their favorite answers I have given is to beat the desert Tucson heat, my four brothers and I would fill up a plastic trashcan and all sit in it together. Through questions we learn more about each other, and the more intentional the question, the deeper the relationship can become.

The question asked of Jesus in our passage today is the fourth question in a series of queries that are asked of him by the religious leaders. Mark 12 is telling the story of the final week of Jesus’s life. Masses of people have followed him into a crowded Jerusalem where people from the outskirts of Israel have made pilgrimage into the holy city for Passover. And as the crowds swarm Jesus, everyone wants to know, who is this Rabbi? Who is this man that attracts so many people to him? Who is this teacher? So questions begin to come at him.

First, Jesus is asked who gave you the authority to teach as you have, to draw in these people? It is an aggressive question, challenging Jesus’s authority. Those who are in societal and religious power do not want to share or have their authority minimized and they feel threatened by Jesus’s preaching. Next, they ask Jesus should they pay taxes to Rome? This question is not aggression but a trap; in the overcrowded Jerusalem there is an extra military presence for fear or a powder keg explosion- a rebellion. Passover was a celebration of God’s liberation from Egypt, so for those who desperately cried out for liberation from Rome, this week was highly tense. Those asking the question want the Roman authorities to condemn Jesus. Next, they ask Jesus a technical question about resurrection and family life, trying to get him to say something heretical. Another trap is laid, but just as Jesus has done with the previous questions, he answers truthfully and truly without falling into their tricks. And then, finally, we have this lone scribe, who has listened to the questions, heard Jesus’s answers, and then asks a question of his own. “Which commandment is the first of all?” There is no trap or passive aggressiveness, to condemnation or trick; when the scribe asks for the most important commandment, he is essentially saying, what are you all about Jesus? What is the most important thing to you? What is the cornerstone of your religious and ethical commandments? And Jesus replies:

‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ And this should be the end of it, Jesus has answered the question, but he continues because his answer is tied together with another. He continues and says, “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

This is the thrust of Jesus’s teaching that you must love the Lord God with all your heart and mind, as well as your neighbor. It sounds simple, but there is a deep challenge here if we are willing to hear it. Some of you may find the thought of loving your neighbor easy, you see needs in the world around you, and your heart is moved. But, the thought of loving God feels so distant, it feels impossible, what does it even mean to love God? How do I love God? Or some of you may find loving God is easy, spending time in Scripture or prayer, learning and growing in knowledge or spirituality, these come easy, but whenever you get out into public you just find yourself frustrated.

But there is a tie between loving God and loving others; they cannot be separated. Loving God in our actions and our hearts forms us into better lovers of neighbor, and compassionately caring for those around us. Each informs the other, each builds upon the other.

And how can we continue growing in this love? 

By being increasingly curious, vesting our interest in God and those around us. How does the Scribe grow closer to the Kingdom of God? By asking questions of Jesus, and by listening to other questions people have asked of Jesus, regardless of their motivations. I am sure all of you have questions for Jesus, they may be existential, “Jesus, why am I here?” They may be regarding call, “Jesus, who am I to be, where am I called to work? How can I be a better light in the world?” Your questions may be regarding forgiveness, “Jesus, how can you call me to forgive people who have wronged me?” Maybe you have the same questions asked by the scribes and religious leaders, What authority does Jesus have in my life? What does resurrection mean for me and my family? What does following Jesus mean? Every time you explore these questions in your prayers, in your study of Scripture or other readings, or even asking others their thoughts, you have the opportunity to grow in relationship and deepen love between God and neighbor.

Almost always, when I return to this text, I think of the actions we can take… How can we serve in mission better to love others? How can I visit more people to love others? How can I be involved in just causes to others? And that is a huge part of it, but the other side is how can I grow in the relationships around me. Turning to a neighbor in church and saying, Hey, I haven’t met you before, please tell me about yourself? When you see a family member, asking them what is something interesting they are excited about? Everyone has something they’re dying to share: something they have recently learned, a story that has happened to them, a new child who they have taken too many pictures of and their phone is running out of room (that one may be anecdoctal. So come to God, come to others with your questions because you can love people by truly being curious about their lives.

And being curious about God, here is what I love about Mark chapter 12, all these questions are brought before Jesus, and as I said most are with ill intentions, but here is the beauty, Jesus answers all of them… sometimes the answers are not straight forward, sometimes he answers in a parable or a story, sometimes his answers make the question more confusing, but he always responds. And, if we have courage to ask, and have ears to listen like the scribe to listen, then we will ever draw closer to God. We will find what it means to love God and to know God. Not sure how to love God and love others? Curiosity, questions, listening relationship, these are all gifts from God given to you, go out into the world and use them, growing in your love of God and neighbor, because this is what we have been commanded to do, this is who we have been called to be. Thanks be to God. Amen.