{"id":6885,"date":"2020-04-12T09:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-12T13:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faith-andover.org\/wp\/?p=6885"},"modified":"2020-04-04T14:38:36","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T18:38:36","slug":"love-the-lord-your-god-with-all-your-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faith-andover.org\/?p=6885","title":{"rendered":"Love the Lord your God with all your heart…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\"Love<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. \u201cTeacher,\u201d he asked, \u201cwhat must I do to inherit eternal life?\u201d\u00a0\u201cWhat is written in the Law?\u201d he replied. \u201cHow do you read it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He answered, \u201c\u2018Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind\u2019[a<\/a>]<\/sup>; and, \u2018Love your neighbor as yourself.”<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have answered correctly,\u201d Jesus replied. \u201cDo this and you will live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/sup>But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, \u201cAnd who is my neighbor?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke 10:25-37<\/p>\n

This dialog between Jesus and an \u201cexpert in the law\u201d is what precedes and motivates what is arguably the most famous of Jesus\u2019 parables-the story of the Good Samaritan.<\/p>\n

There is so much in this parable. \u00a0I think that each time I revisit it\u2014I see some new aspect of what Jesus is teaching us in that great story.\u00a0 But this time\u2014what struck me most was the way Jesus approached this situation at the outset.\u00a0 He shows the man that he actually knew the answer to his big question all along\u2014at least intellectually.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jesus tells the man that his answer to the question was spot-on.\u00a0 It was excellent really. But it was also clear that the man had not fully understood in his heart what this law actually meant in his daily life.\u00a0 Instead, the man was focusing on what we humans so often focus on\u2014trying to figure out the rules of the transaction, so he could check off the box with our neighbor, and with God.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps the \u201clove your neighbor\u201d portion of the command seemed like the lower-hanging fruit-and he goes after that part.\u00a0 After all, first portion of the command appears more than a little daunting, and is arguably impossible for imperfect humans to attain–if we are being honest with ourselves.\u00a0 \u00a0One of the great aspects of Jesus answer to the \u201cwho is my neighbor\u201d question is that the Samaritan in the parable so clearly acted out of love-with no thought that he would be repaid for the great kindness he showed to the traveler who was attacked and left for dead.\u00a0 The Samaritan was not acting in a transactional way, and I think part of the lesson that Jesus was giving to the man was that he should not be thinking or acting in those terms either– if he wants the type of life that God intends for him. Jesus says, \u201cdo this, and you will live\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perhaps, in part, this means that by acting out of love rather than through some sense of transaction, our life will be the richer life that God intends for us-even now.<\/p>\n

God loves without checking off a box. That is called Grace. And by the Grace of God we are called to love others. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. Happy Easter! Happy Easter!!!<\/p>\n

Kevin Maschhoff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. \u201cTeacher,\u201d he asked, \u201cwhat must I do to inherit eternal life?\u201d\u00a0\u201cWhat is written in the Law?\u201d he replied. \u201cHow do you read it?\u201d\u00a0 He answered, \u201c\u2018Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all 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