Love our neighbours and also love our enemies

Ruth 1:1-187 & Mark 12:28-34

The Bible tells us to love our neighbours and also to love our enemies…probably because …they are the same people…so said G. K. Chesterton.

"Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."

Scribes or teachers appear throughout this gospel but…except for this story…they appear in a negative light…making the scribe in verse 28 a happy exception…he has come to Jesus because he sees that He has answered his opponents well…just prior to this…the Sadducees had tried to stump Jesus with a question about the resurrection… something…they did not believe in. 

The Scribes did believe in the resurrection…so this scribe must have been pleased when Jesus bested the Sadducees!

Now the scribe asked…"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

It seemed innocent enough…there's no indication he was trying to trap Jesus…the scribes had added to the 10 commandments until their total was 613…they took great pride in examining them…the way a jeweller would examine the facets of a precious diamond…and they would try to summarise the whole Law in one commandment or verse.

So when the prophet Micah says. “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”.

In this

We can see a summation of the Law which the scribes would be delighted with. Did you ever enter a contest which required you to write in 25 words or less…why you liked a sponsor's product…what if someone asked you to share an aspect of your Christian faith in 25 words or less…could you do it? 

Not so long ago I was talking with someone whom I had just met…"How did you come to be at Hornby Parish," they asked…"well we prayed that God would open the door wide to the parish where he wanted us to be…and so we came," the person's mouth opened and shut. Now that's 23 words.

G. K. Chesterton’s was 21 words. Loving our neighbours can be difficult…loving our neighbours and sharing our faith can be very powerful…love changes lives.

I once worked for a company built from the ground up by a success driven entrepreneur… one of his sons did not meet his father's expectations…and he was consigned to be the company courier driver. Not many people really tried to talk with Brendan…his father did his best to ignore him…Brendan was often difficult…contrary and cranky…one day I was talking with him about how Jesus Christ had changed my life. He responded by slamming his fist repeatedly into the bonnet of the courier van (denting it in the process)…all the while telling me that we were all descended from apes…we continued to talk over a period of weeks… and one day he came to see me to tell me the good news that at a Youth for Christ meeting …he had asked Jesus to be his and Saviour Lord…he changed…and he went on to become a manager of one of his father's retail outlets.

The scribe said to Jesus…"Of all commandments…which is the most important?"

This man was a teacher of the Law…he probably asked questions like this of his students every day…probably enjoyed watching them struggle with his questions…I can imagine he enjoyed it even more when one of them answered well. 

Jesus didn't hesitate for a moment… Two commandments!

The first isn't that difficult…Jesus says, "Love God." We can do that…at least when things are going well…when we're happy with God.

The second commandment is more difficult… "Love your neighbour as yourself."

Loving our neighbours…sometimes…can be difficult…neighbours make noise…they have parties…when we make noise…they complain…they don't always cut their grass and their dogs seem to prefer our lawn to squat on. Most of the time it's easier to love the whole world than to love your neighbour…it’s easier to love our neighbours in theory…than it is in practice.

Love does have the power to transform lives…doesn't it…we have all felt the pain of loneliness…and we have all felt the transforming power of love. When nobody loves us…we feel bad… when someone does love us…we feel good…when we feel good…that someone does love us…we become nicer people. Perhaps this tells us something about our neighbour…the person who treats us poorly… who is unkind…and demanding…might have a real love deficit. That doesn't excuse their behaviour…but it makes it easier for us to accept it…if we can love them…even though they are unlovely… they might well respond and soften their tough exterior. 

Isn’t this what God did for us…Paul says… "You see…at just the right time…when we were still powerless…Christ died for the ungodly…very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person…though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die." (Romans 5:6-8). 

It might well be that you cannot…in your own strength…love your neighbour…but you can do two things.

First…you can remember that God loved you when you DIDN’T deserve it…and God still loves you when you DON'T deserve it. Secondly…you can pray for the person you can't love…when you pray for them God will change them…and God will change you…the God who loves the unlovely will make it possible for you…his disciple…to love the unlovely.

With God…it is all or nothing…love cannot be tithed like money…and few can honestly sing, "All to Jesus Christ surrender." Jesus challenges us in true love…because God requires nothing less than for you to… "Love your neighbour".

God always calls us to radical faith…and radical faith always leads to radical action. He said, “’Noah, I know that it isn't raining right now…but I want you to build the biggest boat in the world’…“where…build it in your backyard…yes…I know it isn't near water…but trust me…it will be." God always calls us to radical faith…and that usually means a sacrifice of whatever is nearest and dearest to our hearts.

What are the lessons for us in these verses…have we understood Mark 12:34 “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

We have all been there…some of us may still be there…some may think how dare he say that…yet it is entirely possible to have grown up in the church…to have godly parents and never have come to a saving knowledge of Christ…we can know the Scriptures inside out as John Wesley did…and still not become a true Christian.

It is possible to have heard the grace of Christ preached all your life and still be resting on your own goodness…also possible to become hardened to the gospel…it is possible to be within an inch of the kingdom of God.

What happens when convictions are not acted on…they die…truths not followed fade…and lingering about can become a habit. Are you near to the kingdom of God…but not quite in…there are times when a single step makes all the difference.

Let us pray.