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ONE STEP REMOVED
Knowing God's Will is one step removed from doing it
"The Scribe said to Him: 'Yes,
to love Him: Yes, to love Him with our heart, with all our thoughts
and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves
is worth more than any burnt offering or sacrifice.' Jesus approved
the insight of this answer and told him, 'You are not far from
the reign of God' "
Mark 12:32,33,34
Most people are aware of the medical evidence
on the health hazards of cigarette smoking. Yet, imagine a heavy
smoker with a severe respiratory problem saying to his doctor,
"I know that cigarettes are affecting my good health and
therefore I should quit smoking." Suppose the doctor replies,
"You are not far from the reign of health." What does
he mean? His reply conveys the same message as the one given
to the patient who asked, "What is the best exercise for
keeping fit?" "The best exercise," the doctor
answered, "is the one that you do." In both instances,
a distinction is made between knowing what to do and doing it.
What good is wisdom not applied? What good is knowledge not put
into practice? Knowing that two aspirin tablets will relieve
your headache is still one step removed from feeling better.
Knowing that your mortgage payment is due is still one step removed
from keeping your account current. Knowing that the dirty dishes
are piling up is still one step removed from an empty sink. Knowing
that someone is in need of your compassion and forgiveness is
still one step removed from reconciliation.
Knowledge, then, is not the end-all of
human experience. Knowledge functions as means to an end. It
points the way. It opens doors. But knowing the way is a useless
piece of knowledge until we embark on that way. The open door
might as well be closed if we remain standing at the threshold.
Thus, Jesus says, "None of those who cry out, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of God but only the one who does the Will
of My Father in heaven" (Mt.7:21). There is a real distinction
to be made between faith professed and faith lived, between knowing
God's Will and doing it, between receiving God's Word and acting
on it
If today's Gospel Story had been recorded
by Jesus rather than Mark, He might have begun by saying, "A
funny thing happened on My way to the Temple." It all began
as Jesus was walking in the Temple area and various Chief Priests,
Elders, Pharisees and Scribes approached Him in turn with questions
designed to entrap Him. Today's Lesson describes one such encounter-with
a Scribe. The Scribes were highly respected by the Jewish Community
because of their superior knowledge of religious law and their
ability to interpret if for the people. Most Scribes were also
Pharisees. They insisted on rigid observance of the law, in every
last detail. And because Jesus taught that it was the "spirit"
rather than the "letter" of the law that really mattered,
the Scribes saw Him as a threat to their authority. They questioned
His authority to teach in God's Name. They called Him a blasphemer.
They charged Him as a law-breaker when He placed human values
above strict adherence to oppressive laws. They found fault with
His friendly attitude toward public sinners. They said He was
in league with the devil. They plotted His execution. They were
members of the arresting party and were present at His trial.
They mocked Him on the cross. And, as we have read, it was one
of their number who decided to test Jesus with this question:
"Which is the first of all the commandments?" (Mk.12:28).
Love God and love your neighbor was Jesus' answer. "There
is no other commandment greater than these," He said (Mk.12:31).
"Excellent, Teacher!" the Scribe replied, adding that
the law of love of God and neighbor is "worth more than
any burnt offering or sacrifice" (Mk.12:33). And that was
the "funny" thing that happened to Jesus on the way
to the Temple: He and a Scribe were in complete agreement on
a point of law. For once, the legal expert had no quarrel with
Jesus' interpretation of the law. This was a rare occurrence
indeed!
In this specialized age, our lives are
being directed more and more by "experts." Each day
librarians and book sellers receive announcements of "important
new books" on how to do this or that, written by all manner
of experts. On the subjects of diet and sex alone, sales revenue
from recent "how-to-do-it" books has soared into the
hundreds of millions. Are you taking a trip? Consult your travel
expert. Are you making an investment? Consult your financial
expert. Are you trying to be a good parent? Consult your expert
child psychologist. Are you selling your home? Consult your real
estate expert. No aspect of life, it seems, is left unattended
by the experts. Of course there are situations in which we are
wise to seek out competent expert opinions on how, when, where
or what to do. But, in the process, we learn that expert opinion
often is sharply divided. For example, important legal decisions
are handed down after the court has evaluated conflicting expert
opinions by opposing lawyers. And, it is interesting to note
that the four leading diet books were authored by four doctors
who agree that being overweight is unhealthy, but who disagree
sharply on how to reduce. Suppose, however, that those four doctors
did agree in all respects. Suppose every medical and nutrition
expert in the world agreed on the one best way to lose weight.
Would the overweight person shed as much as an ounce merely by
reading expert advice on "how to do it?"
It is in this light that we now consider
Jesus' final words to the Scribe who agreed that the commandment
to love God and neighbor was the highest law. "You are not
far from the reign of God," Jesus told him. To his credit,
the Scribe knew that all the commandments are summed up in the
one great commandment of love. All of his scholarship, his learning,
his expertise, had brought him to that point. His knowledge of
the primacy of the law of love had pointed the way and opened
the door. Still, he was one step removed from the law-of-love's
fulfillment. As a Pharisee, his concern for the enforcement of
petty legalisms often kept him from taking action to promote
higher human values. He remained standing at the Kingdom's threshold.
Again, in Jesus' words, he was "not far from the reign of
God." Knowing God's Will is still one step removed from
doing it.
A health expert who smokes, over-eats and
does no exercise remains standing at the threshold of good health.
So it is with us when we fail to act on our knowledge of God's
Will. So it is with us when we answer Jesus' call for compassion
toward one another with callous indifference. So it is with us
when Jesus says "forgive those who trespass against you"
and we answer with acts of vengeance. So it is with us when Jesus
bids us "share your blessings with others" and we answer
by taking all we can get. So it is with us when Jesus says "follow
Me" and we remain standing at the threshold.
We rightly come together to listen to God's
Word and to profess our faith in it. Indeed, many of us do this
often enough to claim some degree of expert knowledge of God's
Will. And all of us are expert enough to know, as the Scribe
in the Gospel story knew, that the great commandment of love
is the highest expression of God's Will for His human creatures.
Like the Scribe, none of us can be "far from the reign of
God." But, to enter the Kingdom we must do what we say,
practice what we preach, live what we believe.
"I give you a new commandment,"
Jesus said, "Love one another" (Jn.13:34). The truly
marvelous thing about Jesus' new commandment is that the newness
never wears off. A new and unique power to love is breathed into
the heart and soul of every human creature of God. Each human
act of compassion, each act of understanding, each act of healing,
each act of forgiveness, is a new and unique revelation of what
love is all about-and, therefore, what God and fulfillment and
eternal happiness are all about. We can say that "we live
in the Divinely created school of learning how to love"
and thereby sum up God's whole purpose in creating. The school
is as old as the human condition itself, but the curriculum is
never "old hat." There are no limits to the diverse
ways in which we can draw closer to the Divine through the experience
of love. The new commandment is eternally new. Jesus teaches
us to understand that in expressing our love for one another
we simultaneously express our love for God, our Father. But merely
to know this does not complete the lesson. To understand love,
one must experience love.
We "are not far from the reign of
God." We have Jesus' Word for that. But to cross over the
threshold, to venture into the Kingdom itself, we must live out
the dictates of the new commandment. We have Jesus' Word for
that too. We are not far from the reign of God! We know the way!
The door is open! Jesus is waiting!
