Read Mark 12:28-31
We are several days into Holy Week, or “Semana Santa” as my girls at the orphanage remind me. Don’t worry, they aren’t confusing this holiday with jolly old St. Nick. Holy Week is the time between Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt (Palm Sunday) and his glorious resurrection celebrated on Easter. In Mexico, this week is a big deal. Many businesses, schools, and government offices will close this week and next in honor of the most precious holiday, Easter. It’s not about bunnies and pastel colored eggs!
Holy Week is the perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the events Jesus experienced before his death. It’s hard to appreciate the true joy of the empty tomb on Easter and what that means to our faith without walking through some of the dark moments Jesus endured for us. Today’s reading is part of the teaching Jesus did in his final days. What an important message for us!
Picture the scene. Jesus teaches an interested crowd about all sorts of things. Crowds are gathered round, including Pharisees and Sadducees knowledgeable of God’s law. Because Jesus has been ruffling feathers and these leaders feel a bit threatened, they have been trying to trip Jesus with their questions. No matter their motives, Jesus teaches the truth, whether it’s popular or not.
You may have recognized the Old Testament passage from Deuteronomy 6:5 Jesus is highlighting. “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Of all the commandments, all the wisdom Jesus could have drawn upon to answer the teacher’s question, Jesus said loving God with our whole self was what we should do.
What does it look like to love God like this? Our journey to the cross with Jesus during Holy Week allows us time to reflect on what Jesus did for us and how God allowed his own son to die for us. Having those thoughts in the forefront of our minds can only deepen our devotion, our awe at our magnificent God. There’s really no way to wrap our heads around how much love God has for us. We can do our best to give him back a good measure.
Jesus didn’t just leave the teacher and other listeners with just one commandment. He said, “The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” We need to start loving our neighbors more. Do this! Don’t just think about it and agree that it would be the right thing to do. What does loving our neighbor look like?
Maybe it’s an invitation they need. In our last reading in 2 Chronicles we saw how King Hezekiah made a way to invite everyone in the lands of Judah and Israel to come together for a Passover celebration. When people are gathered with other believers, they have opened themselves up just enough for the Holy Spirit to start to jostle them a little bit.
Sometimes people don’t even realize they are missing out. Christians aren’t always portrayed well in media circles. Nobody wants to be “unpopular” if that’s what Christians look like to the outside world. What better way to show love to another than to invite them to meet the resurrected Jesus. He’s a friend who is always faithful and forgiving when we seek him. He’s a friend who loves unconditionally.
Let’s pray. LORD, you know my heart, soul, and mind love you and desire to be completely in alignment with your will. I want to draw near to you, feeling your heartbeat leading me into each new situation. When I feel weak, give me your strength. When I forget to ask for hep, forgive me. Open my eyes to see the people ready to hear of your love. Thank you for using me today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
