Love God

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18     Psalm 1     I Thessalonians 2:1-8      Matthew 22:34-46

I think it fair to say that Christianity really does not know what to do with the Jewish Law. We are not "under the Law," yet we reject lawlessness. Even grace-centered Evangelicals use Leviticus 18:22 in debates on same sex marriage. If Progressives disdain this use of law, they still trumpet the social justice text in 19:9-10 as Gospel truth. Yes some Bible laws seem silly to us, yet many touch the core of our humanity. Even Paul says that saving faith in Jesus cannot co-exist with idol worship.

In the introduction of the Jewish Study Bible to Leviticus, we hear that "the study of the laws of Leviticus stood at the center rabbinic learning....It was customary for small children to begin their study of the Bible with Leviticus...[because] 'the pure' (i.e., children) should be engaged in the study of purity...Leviticus remains at the foundation of Jewish life." (p205, Baruch J. Schwartz) However, it is what follows that most resonates with my Christian soul, "Leviticus teaches that the ritual commandments and the ethical or social ones (between humans and God and between humans and humans) are equally important and equally valid....the love of one's neighbor is a divine commandment and every offense against one's fellow human being desecrates the name of God....
[this] is the reason for the Jewish people's existence. God has entered into a relationship with the Israelites so that they might perpetually sanctify His name. Their role in the world, and in history, is to attest to His existence, to publicize His oneness, and to advertise His greatness.... When they fail to do so, His name is profaned, that is, His name is diminished and His reputation tarnished; when they live up to this charge and duty, He and His name are sanctified." (206)

It would take me years to ponder this remarkable book. While often painfully repetitive in detail, it deals with a primary religious question, "How do sinners become holy?"

Our corporate and individual sins diminish the presence of God in the world. Jesus says that Jews (and be extension us) are the light of the world. Like the Jews, our reason for existence is also to glorify God's name. We have no Temple sacrifices, we have Jesus, but Leviticus' instructions help us to understand Jesus more deeply. It also reminds us that human behavior matters to God. Behaviors matter because it is at bottom about a relationship. Law, however it is described, still functions and love is at the heart of the law. 

Jesus' answer to the question, "Which law is the greatest?" reminds us that God's instruction and commands are not random or arbitrary. Jesus does not reject the question as redundant, nor does He say, "Forget the Torah, just believe." Human sin is a breeding ground for Evil and Darkness. Our mind, heart and soul are diseased and sick, in need of healing.  Decay in the human soul begets societal decay. The Gnostic reduction of salvation to "an escape to heaven when I die" is a rejection of the Biblical God Who has intervened to redeem creation. God loves His creation. Creation groans for the coming salvation. Today one gunman can wound and kill hundreds of people. One match can destroy thousands of acres. One false prophet can peddle his lies to millions. All of this harms creation and brings shame on God's name. This is anathema to those who love God.

Sin and death are the direct fruit of humanity's failure to love God. Jesus tells us to love God with all our mind, heart and soul.* This is total love--not a feeling, but loyalty to His Cause. It is a pledge of all I am and all I have. In other words, it is way more than we give. Do we love God totally? No. Do we love others? No. Honestly, lots of times I do not even like myself.... Take heart, each week the liturgy includes the confession, "we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves." Apparently, they already knew we wouldn't!  Perhaps, some day, we will. The first step is to say, authentically "We are truly sorry and humbly repent." (Confession is from the Book of Common Prayer, p360) And never, ever forget, the Lord does love you totally, and that is our hope. 

If we repent and begin to change our lives; that is all God needs.
So ask for Holy Spirt fire of love to burn in you.
Trust Jesus as Lord and be open.
Tell the Heavenly Father, "I love you, help me love you more"
It will begin to happen, here and now. 

* in Mark 12:28-34 there are four: heart, soul, mind and strength. The source text, Deuteronomy 6:5 says "heart, soul and strength." However the word in Hebrew me'od is usually translated as an adverb meaning 'very' or 'exceedingly' and implies strength, but could also be translated as 'wealth' or 'property.' The discussion of the "inner person"--raises the question, what exactly are the mind, heat, soul, spirit? The overlapping definitions and different opinions confuse as often as they clarify. Also, unlike Matthew, in Mark the interaction is more positive. The Scribe (not a lawyer as in Matthew and Luke) commends Jesus for His answer and Jesus tells him that he is "not far from the Kingdom of Heaven." In Luke 10:25-28 the engagement has shifted from a hostile test to an inquiry, "what shall I do to attain eternal life?" Most Christian do not know that Jesus responds by turning the question back on the lawyer, "what do you think?" When the lawyer answers love God and neighbor Jesus tells him that he is right so "do this and live." This leads Jesus to explain who is the neighbor with the famous parable of the "Good Samaritan." I was shocked to find this morning that very reading was assigned in the Gospel of Luke for morning prayer.