Love Our Neighbor

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. (Mark 12:28-34)

We are to be guided by these commandments throughout our lives.  Most of us break these commandments at one time or another.  We are human.  But for some of us, breakage occurs almost all the time especially loving our neighbors as ourselves– even respecting our neighbors as ourselves.  Is that too much to ask?

This election we have a Jesus test case, a final exam of sorts we must pass.  Which candidate fits the bill regarding neighborly love?  Which candidate brings us nearer to the Kingdom of God in which kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and charity reign?  For those of us with ears, we must hear.  For those of us with eyes, we must see. Deaf and blind voters do the Lord our God a great disservice.

Deacon David Pierce