What I’m Thinking: A Sudden Silence

Jesus had been discussing theology – arguing theology – all day. But when a scribe asked him about the greatest commandment (and then agreed with Jesus about it), nobody wanted to ask him anything further. What is it about the roots of our faith in love for God and neighbor that make us go so quiet?

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about those killed at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this past weekend. May their memories live on in the hearts of those who loved them, and may we all honor their memories by laboring for a society which values every person, in which antisemitism, racism, sexism, and all those other forms of oppression which affect so many people – until they all come to an end, and we have made a world in which all people are blessed.

That, in fact, is what Jesus was asked about in the twelfth chapter of Mark (Mark 12:28-34). He’d been engaged in conversation (argument, in great part) with many of the religious leaders and officials to be found in Jerusalem’s Temple: Sadducees, priests, Pharisees, scribes; perhaps an Essene or two wandered by.

But at last, one scribe, seeing that Jesus answered well, asked a foundation question: What is the greatest commandment?

Jesus, for once, simply answered the question. First, it is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second, he said, is like it: to love your neighbor as yourself.

The scribe? He agreed. Those are the two greatest commandments. And Jesus told him that he was not far from the kingdom of God.

And that ended the conversation for the day. No one, after that, dared to ask him any question.

It seems funny that silence would be brought on simply by reminding people of the foundations of their own faith, the fundamentals upon which the entire religion is based. And yet, that is so often the case for all of us, is it not? The reminder that love and mercy are foundational: love for God, love for one another.

Love and mercy that we too, too often forget.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.