Greetings,
We studied Mark 12:28-34 this past Sunday morning. The "Great Commandment" is difficult to discuss only in that it is so familiar. Practically every church I walk into has somewhere in it's literature that they are a "Great Commandment Church." On a plaque or cross-stitched on a pillow or in their bulletin we can find something like, Love God...Love People.
When Jesus was asked by one of the teachers in Jerusalem, "of all the commandments, which is the most important," Jesus answered that the most important is to "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: Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus considered all 613 Jewish precepts and boiled them down to this simple command...one command to love God with all we are; all our personality and all our being, and to love our neighbor just as we love ourselves.
I struggle a lot with how to love God with all my very being. It seems like Mark is telling his congregation that my love for God, this complete and absolute and exclusive love, will be defined and demonstrated by my love for people...my neighbors. The Apostle Paul states that the entire Jewish law is summed up in a single command....what is that? He says the sum of the entire 613 precepts of the law is "love your neighbor as yourself." James calls loving your neighbor as the "royal law." Paul and James leave out the loving God part...or do they?
Paul and James tell me, "Rob, if you want to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and spirit, begin and end with showing love to your neighbor." That I can understand. I may still have some difficulty in applying it or obeying it, but I can understand exclusive love for God through loving my neighbor for God's sake!
Loving my God with all I am is not that complicated. Loving my God with all I am is not that theologically deep. Loving God is living life as a servant to others beginning with my wife and my children and then serving all God puts in front of me. I am to love others not to gain acceptance by God, but rather because He loves me so much....
LOVE
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
I am growing to love the book of Mark found in the New Testament of the Bible. I love the stories Jesus told to his disciples and I love the situations the disciples found themselves in as they followed this radical rabbi around the countryside.
I love the story of blind Bartimaeus found in Mark 10. How did Bartimaeus hear about Jesus? Where did his faith in Jesus come from as he threw off his cloak (the cloak he used to gather the coins thrown his way) and jumped up and hurried to Jesus? Why such persistence and boldness when the followers of Jesus told hime to "shut up?"
I can't read this story without considering how I might have responded If I had been one of the ones following Jesus out of Jerico. Would I have told Bartimeaus to "shut up" or "cheer up?" How often in my life do I pass by people who desperately need to see the Savior. People who have been hurt by "the church." People who have fallen into the trap of despising Jesus because of what they see in the church today? People who have never heard or seen the love of Jesus, but recognize the need for healing and wholeness and a right relationship with God?
Yet, like this story, the love of Jesus breaks through to those who call out to Him. Even when his followers are caloused and hard, Jesus heals and comforts. Even when the followers of Jesus tell people that the Savior has no time for them, Jesus calls them and tells them and asks, "what do you want me to do for you?"
My desire is to be a follower of Jesus who lives like the Master. Jesus modeled for me the life of the Messiah found in Isaiah 61:1-3. I have to ask:
Am I preaching the good news to the poor?
Am I binding up the borkenhearted?
Am I proclaiming freedom for the captives?
Am I proclaiming release for the prisoners?
Am I proclaiming the year of the LORD's favor?
Am I comforting those who mourn?
Am I providing for those who grieve?
Am I quick to bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes?
Am I one to bestow the oil of gladness instead of mourning?
Am I bestowing a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair?
The disciples "failed" with the blind man of Jerico, but Jesus did not.
I love the story of blind Bartimaeus found in Mark 10. How did Bartimaeus hear about Jesus? Where did his faith in Jesus come from as he threw off his cloak (the cloak he used to gather the coins thrown his way) and jumped up and hurried to Jesus? Why such persistence and boldness when the followers of Jesus told hime to "shut up?"
I can't read this story without considering how I might have responded If I had been one of the ones following Jesus out of Jerico. Would I have told Bartimeaus to "shut up" or "cheer up?" How often in my life do I pass by people who desperately need to see the Savior. People who have been hurt by "the church." People who have fallen into the trap of despising Jesus because of what they see in the church today? People who have never heard or seen the love of Jesus, but recognize the need for healing and wholeness and a right relationship with God?
Yet, like this story, the love of Jesus breaks through to those who call out to Him. Even when his followers are caloused and hard, Jesus heals and comforts. Even when the followers of Jesus tell people that the Savior has no time for them, Jesus calls them and tells them and asks, "what do you want me to do for you?"
My desire is to be a follower of Jesus who lives like the Master. Jesus modeled for me the life of the Messiah found in Isaiah 61:1-3. I have to ask:
Am I preaching the good news to the poor?
Am I binding up the borkenhearted?
Am I proclaiming freedom for the captives?
Am I proclaiming release for the prisoners?
Am I proclaiming the year of the LORD's favor?
Am I comforting those who mourn?
Am I providing for those who grieve?
Am I quick to bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes?
Am I one to bestow the oil of gladness instead of mourning?
Am I bestowing a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair?
The disciples "failed" with the blind man of Jerico, but Jesus did not.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I've failed miserably at keeping up with this blog, so.... I'm going to try to share some of my thoughts on what God has been up to through the study of the gospel of Mark. I share weekly with the people of River of Life, but I also have some issues I wrestle with whenever I read the Word of God...things that might challenge or encourage or both.
I've wrestled over Mark 10:43..."Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all." Jesus has a way of turning my world upside down...this is one of those times. I know the challenge of Jesus to serve others. He has always been portrayed as a Servant and in verse 44 He tells his followers that "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."
I think that on a scale of 1-10, I might be a seven or so on the servant scale. Not too bad. But, don't be too impressed....my issue with serving is that I do a pretty good job (7) serving people who I am trying to impress or win over. So, although to most people who know me I'm probably seen as a serving person, to those closest to me (my bride and children) I am more likeley seen as rather self centered and a hypocrit.
I'm not much different than the disciples as they argued over who was the greatest and who was going to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus when he comes into His glory....they did not have servant heart's toward those closest to them. Jesus reprimands them and exhorts them to serve one another even to the point of acting like a "slave" in their service.
Another problem is that I serve those who I think I can gain something from. Now, that makes me seem rather shallow....I can be. I can sometimes behave like the disciples who, immediately after being charged with serving and being a slave to all, rebuked the blind man in verse 46 because he was calling out to Jesus. Jesus' admonition of serving flew out the door when this outcast blind beggar wanted to see Jesus. The disciples, instead of helping him to his feet and escorting him to the Messiah, rebuked him for calling out...servant hearts?
God doesn't limit who or when or how we are to serve, we are charged to simply serve and be a slave to all, then we will be great in the kingdom. I do believe that this begins in our homes and in our workplaces and in our schools with those people in our sphere of influence.
If we are to be a reflection of our Master, it seems like it begins with serving the world as Jesus served. Study Jesus.
I've wrestled over Mark 10:43..."Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all." Jesus has a way of turning my world upside down...this is one of those times. I know the challenge of Jesus to serve others. He has always been portrayed as a Servant and in verse 44 He tells his followers that "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."
I think that on a scale of 1-10, I might be a seven or so on the servant scale. Not too bad. But, don't be too impressed....my issue with serving is that I do a pretty good job (7) serving people who I am trying to impress or win over. So, although to most people who know me I'm probably seen as a serving person, to those closest to me (my bride and children) I am more likeley seen as rather self centered and a hypocrit.
I'm not much different than the disciples as they argued over who was the greatest and who was going to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus when he comes into His glory....they did not have servant heart's toward those closest to them. Jesus reprimands them and exhorts them to serve one another even to the point of acting like a "slave" in their service.
Another problem is that I serve those who I think I can gain something from. Now, that makes me seem rather shallow....I can be. I can sometimes behave like the disciples who, immediately after being charged with serving and being a slave to all, rebuked the blind man in verse 46 because he was calling out to Jesus. Jesus' admonition of serving flew out the door when this outcast blind beggar wanted to see Jesus. The disciples, instead of helping him to his feet and escorting him to the Messiah, rebuked him for calling out...servant hearts?
God doesn't limit who or when or how we are to serve, we are charged to simply serve and be a slave to all, then we will be great in the kingdom. I do believe that this begins in our homes and in our workplaces and in our schools with those people in our sphere of influence.
If we are to be a reflection of our Master, it seems like it begins with serving the world as Jesus served. Study Jesus.
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