Mark 12:28-34 Almost Heaven (Wagner) – Bible study

Sermon Mark 12:28-34 Almost Heaven

By Dr. Keith Wagner

There is a film entitled, “A Bridge Too Far,” which is a true story from World War II. The event took place in September of 1944. It involved US and British Troops. The plan was to cross the bridge at Arnhem, over the Rhine River, and proceed through the Netherlands then on into Germany. The plan, called Operation Market Garden, failed because the bridge was too far away. It was too far because the armies werent aggressive enough. They were overly cautious and consequently they couldnt reach the bridge that would have enabled them to cross the Rhine River. Had the allied armies been successful, World War II could have ended by Christmas of 1944.

In other words, they were close, but not close enough. The scribe in our story approached Jesus and asked him what commandment is the most important. He knew the answer and Jesus affirmed him. He said, You are right, and you are not far from the kingdom of God. Meaning, he was close, but he had not arrived.

I believe that the scribe was not unlike the allied forces who couldnt reach the bridge at Arnhem. He knew how to reach the kingdom of God, but he needed to be more aggressive. He needed to Love the Lord, with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.

What did Jesus mean when he said we should Love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all your mind and with all your strength? And what did Jesus mean when he said, You are not far from the kingdom of God?

These two questions could have a vast variety of interpretations. One thing we can be sure of, in this passage Jesus equates loving God and neighbor with life in the kingdom. Perhaps the best way to get a handle on what Jesus meant is to look at each of the four conditions separately.

First, Jesus said to love with the heart. I believe that what Jesus was talking about was being passionate. Today, people dont seem to be passionate about their faith. Frankly, Im not sure people are passionate about anything unless its watching their favorite team compete. You have to admit, when it comes to sports, millions of fans are passionate about their home team. But what does it mean to be passionate about our faith?

Last weekend the confirmation class and I traveled to the Smoky Mountains for a retreat. There were several adults that went along as chaperones. I watched as they interacted with the youth and participated in their activities, including the mountain hike. They used their various talents to motivate and encourage the group in the different events. They were virtually with them every minute. It was volunteerism at its finest.

I could give many examples of how passionate they were but there was one special moment that really stands out. I asked one of the girls to sit in the middle of the luggage pile that was staged in an area just prior to our departure. When I started to take the picture one of the woman chaperones jumped on the pile of luggage beside her. They held on to each other and I witnessed a bond that had been created between them. It was a serendipitous moment where you could really sense their passion.

To be passionate about our faith is to passionately love God and others. It means we truly and sincerely strive to relate. It means we literally throw ourselves into the lives of others.

Secondly, Jesus wants us to love God and others with our soul. The soul is that part of us that denies logic. It is a mystery. Loving with our souls goes beyond what people would consider as normal. We give forth our love because we want to and it probably makes no sense to outsiders.

During the course of earning her master’s degree, a woman found it necessary to commute several times a week from Victory, Vermont to the state university in Burlington, a good hundred miles away. Coming home late at night, she would see an old man sitting by the side of her road. He was always there, in sub zero temperatures, in stormy weather, no matter how late she returned. He made no acknowledgment of her passing. The snow settled on his cap and shoulders as if he were merely another gnarled old tree. She often wondered what brought him to that same spot every evening. Perhaps it was a stubborn habit, private grief or a mental disorder.

Finally, she asked a neighbor of hers, “Have you ever seen an old man who sits by the road late at night?” “Oh, yes,” said her neighbor, “many times.” “Is he a little touched upstairs? Does he ever go home?” The neighbor laughed and said, “He’s no more touched than you or me. And he goes home right after you do. You see, he doesn’t like the idea of you driving by yourself out late all alone on these back roads, so every night he walks out to wait for you. When he sees your taillights disappear around the bend, and he knows you’re okay, he goes home to bed.” (From Garret Keizer, “Watchers in the night,” Christian Century, April 5, 2000)

Third, Jesus said we should love with our minds. To be persons of faith is to be those who study, reflect and solve problems. This past week there was a global youth conference where teenagers from all over the world have gathered in New York to find solutions for the worlds problems. They have come together, thinking, reflecting and closely examining the issues of our time. When it comes to how we can love God and others, Jesus wants us to use our minds, doing our homework, making plans and being intentional about where we can do the most good.

And finally, Jesus said to love God with all our strength. Several weeks ago I was talking with the men who were working on the church roof. There was a worker near the top of a tall ladder that was leaning on the north side of the sanctuary. I said to the man, From where you are, you are a lot closer to heaven than I am. He laughed, but then replied that he doubted that he was anywhere near to heaven.

I then told him that the church trustees really appreciated his work. He has made a difference. He said, Just dont tell my boss about all the little extras I did. I was aware that he had gone out of his way to repair a few things that werent in the contract. He even repaired the steel cross on top of the steeple that had rusted at the base.

The worker was closer to heaven than he realized. He was willing to go out of his way to do some work for us that he was not contracted to do. I believe that when Jesus said to use all our strength to love God and neighbor, he was speaking about effort. This man was putting forth some effort to add to the beauty and maintenance of our church building. And he truly was closer to heaven than he realized because of his commitment to helping his neighbor.

Loving God and loving our neighbors is not just a matter of believing. It requires energy, effort and passion. Too often believers live as though they have already arrived. But, to be persons of faith is to be on a journey, every day, doing all we can, giving our best for the sake of the kingdom of God.

Fortunately the allied forces didnt give up even though they couldnt reach the bridge at Arnhem. They pressed on and eventually Hitler was defeated. God want us to press too, loving the Lord and loving our neighbors with passion, taking risks, using all of our resources and going the extra mile. When we truly love God and our neighbors with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength we will experience life in the kingdom of God.

Copyright 2006 Keith Wagner. Used by permission.