Jesus is arguing. The Sadducees declare there is no resurrection and Jesus takes issue with their understanding of the law. After reminding them that God is God of the living, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he twice tells the Sadducees they are wrong. It is because of Jesus’ answer, the way he argued, that a scribe asked him a very important question. There a couple of things we need to know about scribes. Scribes make their living off ritual sacrifices. Jesus will soon warm the people about scribes saying, “Beware of scribes” (12:38) because of their power and privilege. But in this moment, they find common ground. Jesus shares his understanding of the greatest commandment. Read.
The past two weeks have been hard. Emotional. Confusing. Overwhelming. We are all grabbling with the three horrific acts of violence. The redirected killing of two African Americans in a Kroger supermarket after the gunman was not able to shoot up a predominantly black church in Kentucky. Over a dozen pipe bombs sent to detractors of the president, and the fear people felt not knowing who would receive the next package. Thankfully none of them exploded. And the tragic terror experienced in the Tree of Life Synagogue when 11 people were murdered while worshipping God. The worst act of aggression against our Jewish brothers and sisters in US history. Racism, political hatred, and white nationalism tearing at the fiber of our country. Our hearts break for all the pain, injustice, and hatred that is palpable in this moment. We continue to pray for those who have been directly affected and we say a prayer for our nation that seems to be struggling with how to respond. (Add to the mix that in two days we will be voting, making our voices heard through this great democratic process. Once again, Hubler Hall will be a polling place. I encourage everyone to vote!) Yet healing comes on a personal level.
Judy is one of my best friends. We met in New York ten years ago, she is a retired Library Administrator. She is also Jewish. So when bigotry and hatred assailed her people in Pittsburgh, I called to check on her. To hear her sadness, to sit with her in grief. After a while we talked about other things and she asked me what I was preaching on this week, as she often does. So I told her, the Shema which is the heart of the Jewish law and what Jesus recited. The word Shema means “Hear” as our passage declares, “Hear O Israel!” God is One. It is a reminder that knowing the law is not what is important, but also hearing it, doing it, making it part of your life. That is why Jews recite the Shema twice a day in their prayers declaring God is one! I love how Judy and I have common ground in this wonderful teaching found in both of our traditions. Loving neighbor as yourself is also shared common ground (Lev 19:18)!!!
But it feels like we have a hard time finding common ground in our country right now. The political adds are ever present and dividing. The news media has their own biases. We can not even agree on a common set of facts upon which to have a discussion. This has added to the frustration we feel; of not understanding the other side and feeling like what I believe is crazy to a good portion of the country.
This week Cooper shared a new word with me. I hesitate to share this because I am still digesting it, but I think there is something to it. The new word is KayFabe which comes from the world of wrestling. WWE Wrestling. In wrestling everyone knows that it is all staged and fake, but they act like it is all real. In the name of entertainment, the wrestlers, the fans, producers all live in a different reality. The term Kayfabe comes from pig Latin for “fake it.” But the acronym says it best, “Keep All Your Fans Always Believing Everything.” KAYFABE. I think parts of politics aim for this. That is the point of spin. It is also what keeps us divided; never finding common ground.
Yet, Jesus and the scribe found common ground. In this brief moment, mined within the arguments, the disputes between Jesus with religious leaders, they find common ground. Remember Jesus is already in Jerusalem. His death is imminent. The religious leaders are looking for a way to kill him. Yet Jesus finds common ground. Jesus and the scribe share a world view of how God is the center of all things and our human purpose is to honor God as one God, the only God, and to love God fully. We are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. In every way possible, love God. From the fullness of that love we are then to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Amazingly no one asked, “Who is my neighbor?” as is done in Luke’s gospel. We do not have to judge people on the bases of race or religion, on gender or gifts, on poor or privileged, on age or accent. We do not hate people because they are different from us or are seeking a better life in this country. Jesus tells a person he argued with that the kingdom of God is near because they found common ground; they honored God, and they respect the humanity of all people. They kept the focus on the unity of love, loving God and loving neighbor. Because when we are in that shared space, then we are near to the kingdom of God. Jesus reminds us that we do not have to live in our differences. We can choose to step out of them for a moment and find common ground with people we argue with. Jesus did that with the scribe. They discovered their shared world view in the truth of the Shema- of loving God and loving neighbor as yourself.
Right now I feel like our nation is far from the kingdom. We do not see the world in a similar way. We do not have a shared set of facts or beliefs that guide who we are and how we behave. My hope is that just like Jesus and the scribe found their commonality in loving the one true God, I hope as a nation we can find the commonality of being one nation under God. Not so that we can discriminate against people who don’t believe like us, but so that we can say that our nation is more important than any political view. I pray that we agree upon certain facts. Love God and allow other people to love our same God without bigotry and hatred. Love neighbor, meaning all people, not just the ones who look like us or worship like us. Love all people as you would love yourself.
We are heading into the holidays and I think we need to hear the Shema of love as we gather around the table. Love God and love your neighbor and make that the centerpiece at your table. People with differing views are sure to be in your circle. But don’t let politics devoid of unity and love have a seat at your table.
Christ is the host of our table. Christ is our common ground. Jesus died so that we could live. So that we could know our living God. We no longer have to offer burnt offerings. Jesus became our perfect offering once and for all. Transforming us through love and light Christ’s blood is the ultimate sacrifice that unites us in God.
When we come to table may we be nourished with the truth of God’s love, may we strive to find common ground, may we know that the differences in our world are felt by God and may we rest in God’s peace. Remembering the Sabbath Day and Keep it holy! Amen.
