Tuesday, March 26
[A scribe asked Jesus, what are the greatest commandments.] Jesus answered, “The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and 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.” –Mark 12:29-31
A few years ago a friend who had to go out of town unexpectedly asked me to preach on “Tuesday” in what we know as Holy Week. Moreover, she wanted me to do it as it was described by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan in their book “The Last Week!” Whoa!!
After my initial shock wore off It was an unexpected pleasure to dig more deeply into Jesus’ life and teachings. I am always amazed to rediscover that Jesus is about justice. Jesus is about love. Jesus is about hope. Jesus is about creating a realm of peace and justice here and now…in Jerusalem and Damascus, Framingham, Baghdad, Boston, Tehran, Washington, Nairobi and everywhere in between.
Jesus talked about creating God’s realm every day, not just on Tuesday. However, on this particular Tuesday almost two thousand years ago, the author of the Gospel of Mark reports that Jesus was busy. He told several of my favorite parables about working for peace and justice. He explained a withered fig tree, confronted the religious leaders in the temple, and assured the crowd of their hope for eternal life.
In the midst of his own struggle he assures us of God’s love for us, and
calls us to love one another. He offers us an immediate hope and a more metaphysical one. I am hopeful that if we can love and work for justice we can create God’s realm here and now, and Jesus will be with us as we do it.
–Rev. Dr. Fran Bogle
Loving God, who comes to us in a myriad of unexpected ways, thank you for Jesus and his hope- filled ministry among us. Amen.