The Lens

Mark 12:28-31

12:28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?"

12:29 Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;

12:30 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.'

12:31 The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

The Lens

The Bible is a very big book. It was written over a very long period of time, in a variety of contexts. Most of it was written more than 2000 years ago, and all of it was put in one book over 1600 years ago. So, how do we read it now, today, in our context?

This is not a rhetorical question I’m posing to you this morning. It’s a conversation I’ve had several times in the last month alone, with young adults who are wanting to find a way forward in faith, but keep hearing the Bible quoted as an instrument of division and pain. And these verses here – in the lectionary for this week – they are the best answer I have. Jesus lifts up a lens through which we can view the Bible, view life in this world, and view our own lives. The lens is love. Love God with all that we are, and love our neighbors as ourselves. Any interpretation of the Bible needs to go through this lens – because that’s what Jesus told us about living a life of faith.

I know it’s not as simple as it sounds, but to me it’s clear that any struggles I might have in this world need to be about being an instrument of God’s love. In this country, we are preparing for voting, and people cite their faith as reasons to vote for one candidate or the other. My prayer is that we vote through a lens of love, and we treat all the people that we meet along the way as our neighbors.

Reflection Questions:

1) Think through your day yesterday, using the lens of love. Does anything stand out to you?

2) Think through the day you are about to have. How can using the lens of love help you imagine this day?

3) Are there parts of your beliefs that are challenged by looking through a lens of love?

Prayer: Dear God, In the next week, help me to hold tight to the gift you’ve given me in these verses. Help me to say yes to the lens of love as my guiding light. In Jesus Name, Amen