Mark 12:28-33

Mark 12:28-33  One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘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 mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”  “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 

The opposite of the two commandments that Jesus stated above fulfills the definition of sin.  If these commandments were completely implemented in everyone's life, there would be no need of laws to govern relationships, for these two commandments satisfy completely the interrelationship issues between man and God, and man and man.  Self-interest, self-indulgence, and self-importance would disappear.  Love, God's love, would be the gyroscope that would provide stability and guidance for all relationships.  We would even see men truly loving their enemies and treating one another as God intended.  

How far short we fall from fulfilling these two commandments.  Millions of sermons have been given on this subject of love, but they don't seem to have had much impact on the world as a whole.  We still have wars, disputations, lawsuits, and arguments in families; and we still have murders, thievery, abuse, immorality, lust, evil desires, covetousness, and the like.  Humankind is still mired in sin.  Many times, even Christians display the sinful nature of man more than the nature of love.  Love seems to be riding in the backseat of our lives rather than ruling over our fleshly tendencies.  We can always justify why we should not love people, why we should separate ourselves from them.  Often, we know what to do, we know what is right, the correct behavior, but then our flesh pops up.  Even when we say, "I am sorry," or "forgive me," the self-centered spirit in us runs to center stage, taking the spotlight.  We say something like this: I wouldn't have said that or done that except that you did this or said that, but I'm sorry for what I said or did.  We then take our bows and walk off the stage.  But that kind of sorry usually doesn't stand up well with the victims of our acts or the injured persons.  The victim knows the perpetrator is trying to get away without truly taking responsibility for his or her actions.  The supposed apologizer is trying to justify his or her personhood by claiming it was really the other person's fault.  "Sorry" or "forgive me" is not enough unless we are truly sorry for our actions without justification for ourselves.  

THE LOVE JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT DOES NOT DEMAND RECIPROCATION.  Then how can we truly implement unconditional love for God and others in our lives?  How can we love without any thought of reciprocation?  How can we love without seeking emotional feedback?  How can we love our enemies?  Outside of Christ this is impossible.  You are a human: you have been contaminated by sin.  Paul wrote that we must die daily and allow our lives to be poured out unto God as living sacrifices.  Paul said, I keep in touch with my master.  I pray continuously, with earnestness.  I don't fight this fight of life like a shadow boxer.  No, I fight in earnest; I fight as if my life depends on it.  I say, my friend, this is the only way that you are going to please God--to give your life completely to him.  Then, and only then, do you have a chance of pleasing God.  He alone will give you the strength to take the abuse of those who hate you or take advantage of you.  No other life can please the Lord.  Right now you might be saying, "Well, I do a pretty good job of loving sacrificially.  I am a fairly good person."  Remember, your outward actions and deeds are not the only expressions of love that are judged by a righteous God.  No, your inner thoughts and attitudes, your very spirit are also being judged, and any imperfection will not be accepted by God.  Can you see now, why Jesus Christ is so important to us?  He alone is pleasing, completely righteous.  Paul also said, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)  Paul knew that in himself he was nothing, but in Christ, he could do what he was called to do.  Without Christ's righteousness, we are hopelessly lost, for we cannot always love as He loves, but his life and his spirit teach us to love more and more as we walk this earth.  His commandments become our reality as we yield our lives to him and allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives.