…We see God’s love, embodied in the
life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as something that it is given to
all people through the lives that we live.
O God be in my mouth as I speak for you and fill this
place with your great grace, that we may leave this place less of what we use
to be and more of what we ought to be, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
When the Pharisees heard that he
had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together and one of them a lawyer
asked him a question to test him. “Teacher which commandment in the law is the
greatest?”
Before Arnold Schwarzennegger
became governor of California most of you are aware that he was an actor. Actually
let me rephrase that statement. Arnold was a movie star. I don’t want to insult
any real actors sitting in our congregation this morning.
Arnold’s first big break as an
action star came in the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian. Do you remember it?
Conan was a little like those old fashioned swords and sandals movies of the
50’s and 60’s with various muscle stars fighting monsters, and saving damsels.
Also James Earl Jones was the villain and he had a great name, Thulsa Doom.
Although in most respects it is
probably a silly movie, it did attempt to give its viewers a philosophy of
life.
First the movie starts out with
a quote from the German philosopher, Frederich Nietzche of “God is dead” fame: That
which does not kill us makes us stronger.
This quote always reminds me of
my high school geometry class.
The second and more pivotal
moment comes when a warlord is giving a feast and asks Conan what is best in
life. With his usual emotional depth Schwarzenegger replies, To crush your
enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their
women.
All right I
admit on the surface it doesn’t quite have the zip of Jesus’ summary of the Law
but you have to remember Arnold was still working on his English and this was
about the longest line the scriptwriters game him.
Conan’s
philosophy of life is far removed from our well-known gospel passage about
loving God and your neighbor. Although to be fair to our barbarian friend, if
you look around the world today, Conan’s approach probably is more popular.
When you
compare the two stories you might think that the same human concern is being
expressed. What is best in life and which commandment of the law is the
greatest?
Both questions
seem to imply there are some actions we can take to make our lives better.
Conan’s answer
reinforces the notion that human beings have a right to pursue their own
self-fulfillment with a sword or any means at their disposal.
For Jesus the
question is quite different, which commandment of the law is the greatest? Notice
that Jesus is not being asked to express what part of the Jewish law he likes the best or what parts are better
than others.
Since the Lord
had given the law to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai, it is already assumed by
the Pharisees to be a symbol of God’s perfection.
Jesus’ task
was to provide a summary that would satisfy all the special interest groups
within the Judaism of his day.
Jesus answers
the question by quoting two different verses as the foundation of the Jewish
law.
The first was
known as the Shema from the Hebrew word hear, this portion of scripture from
Deuteronomy reminds Israel that the Lord God is one and he is to be loved with
all their heart, soul and mind. The second verse from Leviticus reminds his
listeners they should love their neighbors as themselves.
Unlike Conan,
Jesus’ answer does not promise that if this will give them the best of human
life. Instead Jesus tells us what we must do to draw closer to God and to live
richer lives of spiritual fulfillment.
Of course,
most people still think that commandments are the things that God makes us do
to please him or buy us extra days off from purgatory. This vision of God is a
little like the story of the young boy, who once said that his idea of God was
an old man sneaking around and making sure that no one was having any fun.
This does God
a disservice when we do not see the summary of the law as a gift that has the
potential to transform our lives. No longer is God’s love something that is
impossible to attain. Instead we see God’s love, embodied in the life, death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ as something that it is given to all people
through the lives that we live.
As Paul once
wrote it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. That is what it
means to be a church that has an incarnational theology. A church that
understands that it is up to each of us to embody God’s love to other people.
Of course
there is always a danger that we will only talk about this type of God-like
love and not actually do it.
The great
American theologian Charles Schultz captured this dilemma once in one of his Peanuts cartoons.
Linus
announces to his sister Lucy that he is going to be a doctor when he grows up. Lucy
scoffs at this, Don’t be ridiculous, you could never be a doctor, Linus, you
don’t love mankind.
But I do, I do
said Linus, I do love mankind…its just people that I can’t stand.
In order for
Christ’s love to become part of our mind, body and souls, it is necessary that
we ask for God’s help.
We have to
admit that we cannot do it by an act of our wills or the point of Conan’s
sword.
It is only on
our knees together each week that we have the opportunity to ask that God’s
will be done in our lives and the lives of those that God has called us to
love.
Are you ready
to exchange what is best for the promise of God’s greatest gift?