Love God, Love Your Neighbor

The same day some Sadducees came to Jesus, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.”

Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:23-40 

I have been accused of lacking sophistication and being considered pretty simple. Although I can legitimately claim being a political and policy wonk, I have capacity for being sly, savoy or politically keen. I am still a kid in roughed up second hand sneakers, riding my matching beat up bike through the empty night streets. I will never be considered a theologian because I would rather be considered a follower of Jesus. I will leave the argument and intrigue to others. For me, the only direction I need id love God and love your neighbor. That's a life's work right there.

We love gurus, spiritual people who talk deep, and make us think we're learning something hidden and special. We love every new theologian and scarf up their books and attend retreats and lectures. Yet Jesus, standing in the midst of us, at the end of every day, simply asks, "did you love God today and love your neighbor as yourself?" Many of us will be so entangled in the politics, being on the right side of the in-crowd, that we never even think about love. We think about winning. We are invited to put the need for winning down and take a steady diet and discipline of love.

Today, I ask God to help me focus on love. It is a challenge to love those who are cruel and who disagree yet that is where we are called every single day. May we all be given the strength to love in every vote, every testimony, every conversation and action today.