Word to the Wise
Thursday, June 2, 2016 - Thursday in the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Tim 2:8-15 and Mark 12:28b-34]And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." [Mark]
In a society governed by a law that is a matter of religious faith, obedience to the law is obedience to God. When that law is composed of 613 "precepts" or "commandments," debates can arise over which of them is more important. Furthermore, there will be people who make it their business to know the law thoroughly and can be relied on to give a sound interpretation. This interpretation, in turn, may be shaped by one's faith or philosophy about law. In the Judaism of Jesus' time and after, there were at least two major schools of interpretation, named after the prominent rabbis who taught them: Shammai and Hillel. The people who were really schooled in the law were the scribes. One of them is featured in today's gospel scripture.
For once, a scribe does not come with a question to "test" Jesus. He seems more to be seeking reassurance about his own thinking, which gives precedence to the value of love as a motivating force for all the rest of the "commandments." This stands in contrast to many of his confreres and the Pharisees who placed emphasis on external observance, but is very much in line with Jesus' own preaching. Thus, this scribe is very forunate to hear from Jesus: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." That is someting we all want to hear! If so, we should look at today's dialogue between Jesus and the scribe and ask how we fit in it. AMEN
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