I wonder what it was like to be a religious leader in the time of Jesus? For years you have trained, you have studied and you have lived a life as close as possible to your understanding of “Godly”
Sure, there were a few bad apples, there for the power and the glory of the position, but isn’t there always?
Now the established order of things are being tossed around, and many of the scholars have to face that their understanding and interpretation needs to adjust. That is a big ask!
I actually wonder if Jesus didn’t have more compassion for many of those men than we think.
In Mark 12 Jesus meets one of the men trying to put all aside and earnestly searching for God. When others try and trap Jesus, this man asks a thoughtful and deep question:
“What is the greatest command?”
We know the 3-part answer Jesus gives him: Love God with all your heart, Love your neighbour as you love yourself.
But did you read the interaction afterwards?
The response of the man to Jesus.
“And there is something more important to God than all the sacrifices and burnt offerings: it’s the commandment to constantly love God with every passion of your heart, with your every thought, and with all your strength—and to love your neighbor in the same way as you love yourself.”
(Mark 12:33 TPT)
This is a man that lived a life of rules and sacrifice, but he grasped the reality behind it:
It is not about the actions, but about the attitude!
It is the relationship we have with God. We do not ”Do” because we want to reach God … We ”Do” because of who God is and therefor, from a grateful heart.
We do not sacrifice out of our abundance, trying to get God’s attention. We give because of our gratitude, because God gave to us, first. We do not care because of our civic duty, but because we understand and feel God’s heart.
I think Jesus may have smiled at the man when He responded to him: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” (v34)
