Love God and Love Others and... by Brady

Yesterday I was involved in a conversation about what it means to be a disciple. First we said that a disciple is someone who knows and believes certain things. Quickly we saw that this in itself could not be the sum of what it means to be a disciple. If you simply believe correct doctrine about Jesus without any action, you can hardly called be a disciple of Christ. So we added that a disciple is someone who also does certain things in addition to knowing correct things about Christ. But what we came to in the end is a “yeah, but” answer.

In Mark 12:28-34, Jesus is answering a series of “test” questions from religious leaders in Jerusalem. They are trying to put him on the spot and get him in trouble. He is approached by a scribe and is asked the most important question anyone could ask God. This is how the story unfolds: “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.” 34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.”

What is odd to me is that Jesus reduces a life of faith down to only two things: Love God and Love Others. He is basically the first person to combine the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18 that says to love others. But even when this religious leader agrees with Jesus and affirms his answer, Jesus still tells him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” This was the “yeah, but” that we threw in yesterday in what it means to be a disciple. Yes you need to know certain things about God and love him, and yes you need to love others and do things for them. But, you cannot say that is all there is to this life of faith. It is much deeper than that. If there is not a dynamic relationship, then you are just going through the motions and are not actually a disciple at all.

The best way I can describe this is from an illustration my senior pastor used yesterday. I am married to Becca and we have been married for just over a year now. But what is it that makes me married to her? Is it that I believe that we are married? No, because Becca’s mom and dad love her, yet are not married to her. So, is it that I perform certain functions that would result in us being married? Just because we share an apartment, bank account, and bed does not mean that we are now qualified to be married. There is something more that makes us married, and I would argue that this other ingredient is hesed. It is a steadfast covenant, a commitment to never leave or forsake one another. It is the promise to be there through thick and thin. And it is that we love each other and share a bank account. So to be a true disciple, you must believe certain things and do certain things. But this will only get you close to the kingdom of God. What will get you in the kingdom is a steadfast love and dynamic, covenant relationship with the Creator and his created beings.