A scribe’s encounter
Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032825.cfm
Jesus predated the printing press by over 1400 years. So for his period of history, scribes filled the need. With the strong basis of the Jewish culture for their scripture, the scribes filled a significant role by keeping things documented. Since their job was to transcribe the scripture, they were the ones who knew the scripture the best.
When I read this gospel, I imagine the scribe truly pondering what Jesus had to say. He was listening to the short and simple words of Jesus as he scanned the full breadth of scripture in his mind. He saw connections throughout the scriptures to what Jesus had to say. I imagine him working through logical and metaphorical proofs to conclude that Jesus’s words were fully evident throughout scripture. He had an ah-ha moment about its deeper meaning and said that complete love of God and neighbor is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Burnt offerings and sacrifices were used to atone for sins, show gratitude, and draw people closer to God. It was a sacrament for the Jewish people. It was seen as a way of returning back to a right relationship with God; to give of one’s self and one’s possessions to reaffirm a commitment to God. It showed that God came first in one’s life or to show gratitude to God. We can see this too in our sacraments and spiritual practices today.
The scribe says that these things, sacraments, don’t carry any weight to what Jesus is saying. This is because all the sacraments and sacrifices are means, not ends; love of God and neighbor are the ultimate end. God does not need our sacraments or our personal sacrifices, God needs us to love. The sacraments point us in the direction and can help get us there, but they are not what is most important. Love is what’s important. Spiritual discipline and practices don’t mean anything unless they help us grow in love. Our actions are nothing without love. It’s love that gives them life.
May we likewise not lose ourselves in our practices. With our Lenten sacrifices, let us remember the deeper reason why we are doing it. It’s not to gain favor with God, it's to remind us that God is above all else and to connect us more deeply to one another. Jesus responded to the scribe by saying, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” May we too be validated like the scribe through this journey and know that we’re on our way when we grow in love.
