God's call to obedience and its reward
March 8, 2024 - Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Hosea 14:2-10; Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17; Mark 12:28-34
In today's passage from the prophet Hosea (Hosea 14:2-10), the prophet calls upon the people of Israel to return to God with repentance and sincere hearts. The passage emphasizes the importance of turning away from idols as mentioned in "the work of our hands" (Hosea 14:3). A similar call is heard in Psalm 81 where the Lord reminds His people of the first commandment given to them at Mount Sinai: "There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god. I, the LORD, am your God who led you forth from the land of Egypt" (Psalm 81:10-11; see Exodus 20:2-3). Both the prophet and the psalmist speak of God's willingness to heal and bless His people with prosperity.
Moving to the Gospel, we encounter a question posed to Jesus by one of the scribes: "Which is the first of all the commandments?" (Mark 12:28). According to Jewish tradition dating from the third century after Christ, there are 613 commandments. Many rabbis and teachers of the law pondered this question. During the time of Jesus, Rabbi Hillel famously summarized the entire law of Moses to a Gentile with the saying: "That which is hateful to you, do not do unto your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn." Hillel derived this saying from the Book of Tobit: "That which you hate, do to no man” (Tobit 4:15). Jesus expanded on this principle, transforming the negative statement into a positive rule: "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).
However, in today's Gospel, Jesus combines passages from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18 to answer the scribe's question. “Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29). God is deserving of undivided love that is willing to give one’s life for Him. While in Leviticus 19:18, "neighbor" originally referred to a fellow Israelite, Jesus' teaching on loving one’s neighbor knows no boundaries (refer to Matthew 5:43-44; Luke 10:29-37). Demonstrating love towards our brothers and sisters is a direct reflection of our love for God. If we truly love Christ, we are called to care for His flock (John 21:15-17). Conversely, “whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen“ (1 John 4:20-21).
“You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34) suggests proximity but not yet being within the kingdom. To enter the kingdom of God, one must repent and believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15). This requires a declaration of faith that Jesus is “Lord” and a willingness to sacrifice one's life for Him and His Gospel. The scribe's ultimate willingness to do so remains unknown.
In the book of Hosea and in Psalm 81, the Lord promises to bless His people with prosperity for their obedience: "I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them" (Psalm 81:17; see Hosea 14:5-7). The rewards for those who believe in Jesus and follow Him transcend comprehension. We become the dwelling place of God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit abide within us (see John 14:23).