This morning’s Gospel reading is Mark 12:28b–34:
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
How do we know we are on the right path?
This question has vexed men since the invention of transportation. I can easily imagine a Sumerian couple traveling from Ur to Lagash having an argument when they ended up in Nippur along the way. "Why won't you ask for directions?" the wife probably asked, while the husband replied, "I'm not lost, I tell you! This is the shortcut!"
Let's all just admit that real-time GPS navigation may be the biggest blessing for marriages in centuries.
We all become stiff-necked people when it comes to directions, whether we use them or take them. That has been the case ever since the Garden of Eden, and it was particularly true during the Exodus and the travel to the Promised Land. It remains true when we consider all of the instruction the Lord has given us about the path to true happiness in Him and all of the ways we refuse to abide by it. Our obstinacy exists in every level of human community, from empires to individuals.
We all believe we have a shortcut to Lagash. We all think we can achieve salvation on our own terms, rather than the Lord's, despite all evidence to the contrary.
The chapter of Mark from which today's Gospel originates shows this human impulse towards arrogance and sin. In fact, Mark 12 begins with a parable on that very theme -- the parable of the vineyard and vinedressers. The owner of the land creates a bountiful and protected vineyard and rents it to tenants to work and share the profits. Rather than be satisfied with these arrangements, the tenants beat the owner's messengers and then kill his heir to seize the land for themselves.
Almost immediately, the chief priests and the elders look for ways to do exactly the same to Jesus, literally. They don't consider the message itself as a rebuke to them for rejecting the prophets and their constant call to return to faith in the Lord alone as the true Landlord. Instead, as Jesus predicts, they will attempt to destroy the Son to maintain their grip on power. However, they are doing so because of their blindness rather than hatred; they refuse to open their eyes and see the true path, or even to consider that they may be lost.
Lagash is right around the corner!
So we come to today's Gospel reading, in which one scribe engages Jesus honestly. Jesus knows that this man is a real seeker of truth, perhaps skeptical and blinkered but still truly desiring to see. Jesus then patiently gives him a direct answer rather than a parable, a notable deviation from how Jesus usually addresses the Pharisees and scribes, most of whom seek to trap Him. Jesus usually uses parables in those situations to confound their wicked designs, but also to get them to open their eyes.
In this case, the man at least begins to perceive Jesus' intent and meaning. The scribe's answer undercuts the authority of the Temple leadership, whose power relied heavily on the burnt offerings and sacrifices they controlled. That does not negate the sacrifices -- at least not yet -- but it points to their eventual eclipse in Jesus' upcoming Passion and Resurrection.
Paul instructs the Hebrews on this very point in our second reading today:
The levitical priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them.
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
To the scribe, Jesus offers encouragement to keep walking the path that is now clear after having his eyes opened. "You are not far from the kingdom of God," Jesus tells the man ... and us.
That is what the Gospels call all of us to do -- to open our eyes and our ears, and to trust in the path that the Lord has given us. All of our misery and disorientation comes from assuming that we can find the way ourselves through our own desires and appetites, rather than listening to the Father who loves us so much that he sacrificed His Son to give us the real shortcut to salvation. Only when we let go of our arrogance and obstinacy can we see what the Lord has done for us and engage Him with the love and reverence that allows us to be guided on His path rather than get lost on our own.
Previous reflections on these readings:
The front page image is “Christ and Mary Magdalene in the house of the Pharisee,” Jacopo Tintoretto, 1545. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.
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