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Matthew 22:34-46
I Thessalonians 2:108
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17
If
we take the Matthew text as central, we have an interesting compilation of
lectionary texts for this Sunday. In
Matthew we have the “golden rule,” the “great commandment,” the
“sum of the law and the prophets”: love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and your neighbor
as yourself. In Thessalonians we have an illustration of what this looks
like in the life of a follower of Christ, and in Deuteronomy we have an
illustration of what this looks like in the central figure of the Torah,
Moses. (We Christians do well
to remember that we also encounter the rule of love in Deuteronomy, so
that we rightly look at Moses as an example of love toward God
and—through the many stipulations of how we are to treat one
another—love toward neighbor.)
What, then, are the marks of love that we encounter in Paul? Qualities named in the text are courage, purity of motive, honesty, openness, gentleness, sharing. Perhaps these are summed up best in the final verse of our text, “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.”
And what of Moses, that great servant of the Lord?What we see in the lectionary passage is his vision of the land to which God calls the people, together with Moses’ ability to entrust that vision to others. We are told again of Moses’ mighty deeds, and his ability to empower Joshua and indeed all the Israelites so that they might tend to their own God-given tasks.
In the Pauline text we see the character of love, in the Deuteronomy text we see the actions of love. Obviously these are not exclusive contrasts: Paul, too, has vision and empowers others; Moses, too, exhibits strength and caring in his character. Like an insistent drumbeat, the Scriptures give us a consistent call to lives of caring in a relational world. Our characters are to be shaped by caring concern actively expressed in the way we live.
Underlying this love for others is the depth of love received from God and given to God. The Lord knew Moses “face to face.” There is a flow of love from God to Moses, and by implication, from Moses to the people. As for Paul, the entire epistle is written in the context of the love of God made known to the Thessalonians through Jesus Christ. From the love of God we have received; in response our love for God pours back to God, and therefore to those whom God loves. For to love God is to be open to share in God’s mighty love for others. For Moses, those others were the Israelites; for Paul, those others (in this passage) were the Thessalonians. And for us?
Jesus sums all commandments in this one mandate of love to God and to others. The accompanying texts illustrate the command through a character shaped by love, and through a leader who empowers others to enter into God’s vision beyond where the leader himself can go. And if we who are Christian see these qualities in Paul and Moses, it is because we see them in such clarity in Jesus himself.
We are so used to this “golden rule” that we can become glib to its depths. But those depths are as infinite as God, and as innumerable as the neighbors—human and other—filling this teeming earth.
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