Sermon, October 25, 2020

Love defies barrier

Text: Matthew  22: 34-46

Imagine for a moment, a situation in which a drowning is taking place, the alarm goes out, the lifeguard on duty tries to go to the rescue of the drowning person, but he is surrounded by people trying to find out if he is trained for the task, or if he is a good swimmer, or if he is a qualified life guard.  In other words, getting in the way of the lifeguard, being hindrances to his effort.  That person will more than likely drown when he could have been rescued.

That is the picture we have from the gospels over the last 4 or so weeks, where attempts were made to frustrate Jesus while on his mission with the offer of salvation.  the pharisees and others spent much time trying to trap Jesus with of questions, about religious beliefs and practices, questions about citizenship and social responsibilities, as well as about Jesus’ own authority.  While they were spending time trying to bring an end to Jesus ministry, there were many who wanted to  hear his word and have their lives touched by him. 

Todays’ Gospel reading is the final in that series of efforts as recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew.

Having failed in their earlier attempts the Pharisees got together and came up with another question.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law” 

Teacher!  A form of address used to acknowledge a person’s knowledge and ability to educate others, ESPECIALLY in religious matters.  Rabbi!  Jesus knew that this was another attempt to put an end to his work among the people. 

This question was put to Jesus by no less than a lawyer a legal expert who no doubt already knew the answer to the question, since every Jew was taught what is called the shema, an essential declaration of Jewish faith, just as Moravians would know the words on the seal: Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow him.  

It was standard practice to introduce the laws and ordinances with the shema.   .It was posted on their doorpost; It was used in both morning and evening prayer. It was used in their confession of faith, and they were admonished to “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up .

They knew these words:  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

This declaration is still relevant for us even today because we serve the same God our fathers served  .  It is the principle by which we should live, and which should be taught to our children and constantly affirmed to them and to us that it is God of who brought all things into being, giving and sustaining life in love.

The people of Israel experienced that love of God in a very special way when he delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians, and even now, centuries later, it should still be first hand for them as it should be for us, they and we experience daily his hand at work delivering his grace and mercy in our lives.  In our minds it might seem to be ages ago but the psalmist reminds us in psalm 90:4,  “A thousand years to you are like one day; they are like yesterday, already gone, like a short hour in the night”.  The passage of time is of no consequence with God.  

God is not confined to a particular time or event in history.  He is not limited to a crossing of the Red Sea out from Egypt on the way to the Promised land.  We know that not all the Israelites survived to enter the land as individuals, but they entered as a people a nation, whose declaration is: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Irrespective of what we may think or believe, God is still actively intervening in human history because of his great love for His whole creation.  

Today, God we have the assurance that He is taking us through our Red Sea experiences, the Pandemic, through illnesses, he will deliver from poverty, hunger, violence, oppression, injustices.  You may ask, how can you say that when people are still suffering from these things?  Be sure my friends that God is still delivers.  He delivers individuals, he delivers communities, and his deliverance is more that freeing us from the physical experiences that we have.  He delivers us to a new experience with him through Jesus Christ.  One that takes us above and beyond the physical into the spiritual realm.

So, we must have that faith and hope in God and serve, worship, and adore Him with our whole beings.

The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Jesus affirms and this as the greatest commandment which addresses what our relationship with God should be.   Notice that it speaks to the first 5 of the f the first part of the ten commandments  

But knowing that the Pharisees were anxious to trap him, Jesus did not leave it at that.  He did not want to give the Pharisees an opportunity to use his answer their question to accuse him of ignoring the other aspect of the law.  He did not want them to have reason to justify any failure on their part in their relationship with others,  So, he went on to the second greatest “Love you neighbor as yourself”.  This speaks to the second set to the second group of the ten commandments - how we ought to relate to each other, how we should live in community, because if we love God with our whole beings we must also love our neighbors.  We all his creation.

We read from Leviticus 19 beginning with the admonition ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.’

Jesus would have been aware of the teachings and laws outlined in Hebrew scriptures, including this passage and their importance for living in community.  He includes it in his response to the Pharisees, as a reminder to them and to all of us that we are called to love, honor and care for our neighbor.  Their physical emotional spiritual wellbeing – care about the whole person, care about the whole of humanity as much as about our own, and in so doing share the love of God with all the world as we are commissioned.

The truth is that in the world too many of our neighbors, those whom we are called to love, are asking does God really love when we are losing our sons, our daughters because of another person’s senseless action?  Does God love when I don’t have a roof over my head like others?  Where is this love of which you speak?  Why can’t I have that sense that somebody cares about me?  for us when I am struggling to make ends meet and others have more than they can ever need?  The questions comes because there many are not feeling and experiencing that nearness and love of God, not because He is far away, not because he does not love, but because too often, we, the faith community, fail to show love not living up to the basic principle of loving ones neighbor.  When we love they know that there is a God who loves all.  He works through the church, His people, the community of faith.

Love your neighbors says our interactions must uplifting when they feel let down because of situations in life.  Love your neighbors means seeking in which to affirm that each of us is loved by God without regard to who we are, or our standing in society.  As a community of faith, we serve the God in whose image and likeness we are all created.  It means that we are one people, no matter what our outward appearance may be like, or our place of origin, or our standing in society.  These are artificial barriers that we as human beings erect to separate us.  

We are called to demonstrate through our love that God is holy, and we and all people should be striving toward holiness in our living.

Holiness is the attribute of God.  So as people who are called to love a holy God with our whole beings, we should always strive toward greater holiness.  We may fall short at times, but we should remember that God does not fall short.  We must show love to each other, our neighbors, even when we may have differences. 

Jesus says:  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Jesus then put his own question to them;—“What do you think of the Christ?” and “Whose son is he?” (v. 42). The Pharisees answer, “David.”

Their understanding was that the son of David would be the one to return and free Israel from Roman domination.  He would be the one to and re-establish nation of Israel.  They did not understand that they were speaking to the Messiah.  They did not understand that Jesus was indeed the Christ, whose mission they were obstruction

But that was not his mission.

I refer us to the scenario I gave at the beginning. While the pharisees were busy trying to obstruct Jesus’ mission, while they were busy trying to take him before the authorities, they were missing the point that he came to dwell among us, he came to experience all that we experience so that we are not alone on life’s’ journey, not alone in life’s struggles, not alone in our pain, our trials and tribulations.  God in Jesus Christ is with us.  They were missing that important point, and that it was not the time to establish his kingly rule, but that he came to be our Saviour.  

Love God, love neighbor, with the love of God through of Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

AMEN.