29 July 2009

On the Journey

                            Integrating the right answer into our living . . .

              One day some of his critics confronted Jesus.  He had many critics, but these critics just happened to be Pharisees. Now you will find in the gospel stories that Jesus argued with the Pharisees numerous times. Biblical scholars suggest that there may have been something of a love-hate relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees. Living in obedience to God’s commandments was central to both. The Pharisees grumbled because Jesus radically reinterpreted the laws of Moses, fracturing their precious traditions. Jesus perceived the Pharisees as being so close to the kingdom of God but unwilling to join it. Once Jesus complimented a Pharisee by saying to him, “you are close the kingdom of God.” Close, you see, but not there!

              This give-and-take between Jesus and the Pharisees continues into the last week of his life. According to Matthew, the Pharisees got together that fateful week after they learned that Jesus had silenced his critics among the Sadducees. They put one of their number, an expert in the law, up to testing Jesus with a question. The lawyer asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment?” To this question, Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” The confusing thing about Jesus’ answer is that he did not tell the Pharisees anything they did not already know.  Theoretically, Jesus and the Pharisees shared the same path to salvation. Interestingly, in Matthew’s account, the Pharisees ask no follow-up questions. Thus, I conclude Jesus’ answer was acceptable to them.

              Now, like you, I have heard this question posed in Sunday School and worship thousands of times, “What is the greatest commandment?” Without thinking, just like a robot, I have responded with the words Jesus spoke about loving God, self, and neighbor. It occurs to me now that I have responded maybe the same way the Pharisees heard Jesus answer. It is simply the right answer to the question.

              Today, I am wondering what the answer means. How do I live in obedience to this commandment? What will my life look like and what will I feel like when I love God with my whole being? How do I love myself without displacing God as my first love? If I am not sure about or able to love myself, how do I love my neighbor? I keep asking questions like these and I get nowhere.

              During the past year, I have concluded that Jesus is challenging us to integrate love of God with love of self with love of neighbor. Our task is not to first master loving God, and then moving on to loving ourself, following those two achievements by mastering love for our neighbor. Fulfillment of these commandments is not sequential. This is not a mathematical equation: love self + love of neighbor = love of God.

              This commandment calls for integration, and thus, it poses some difficult questions. Can I claim to love God if I do not love my neighbor? Of course, John, the beloved disciple, in his first letter answers that question for us. How do I act with love toward my neighbor, if I have only contempt for myself? Is it possible for love to inspire me to forgive my neighbor, if I cannot forgive myself? The Bible does not have to answer these questions for me, for I have lived the answer. The answer is, “No.”

              These conclusions lead me to realize that I will learn to keep these commandments only within a community of people. Somehow, it is only by learning to love the person sharing my pew do I learn to love the God to whom I am singing praise. Mysteriously, when I accept that I am a beloved child of God, I am set free to love myself and to love my neighbor. My prayer to love God with all that I am leads me to open my arms to my neighbor. In accepting the love of another for me, I receive the gift of God’s love.

              I am now reminded that following Jesus is not about getting the right answer. It is about loving God, neighbor, and myself. To arrive at my destination as a pilgrim on the way, I need a community in which to live. To love God, I must learn to love you. To be loved by God, I must learn to accept your love. To love my neighbor, I must love myself freeing myself to love God. This integration requires companions on the journey to salvation.

              Let practice these commandments. We have given the right answer for a long time. Let’s now encourage one another to live the right answer and to fulfill all the law of the prophets. We need one another as we discover God in our midst. Thank you for being present to me and teaching me to love God, self, and neighbor.jamie