On one of our rare excursions to Sauble Beach I noticed amongst the sea of sunbathers an odd-looking, not-dressed-for-the-occasion-figure sweeping the sand with a metal detector. He was searching for treasures in the sand. He was a little scary as he came too close to a child who was gazing through goggles that caught the glimpse of a huge foot in his view! The child took on water as he scampered back on shore!
TIME is often equated with images of sand. An hour glass reminds us that time is running out as the sands of the glass trickle too quickly through the squeezed funnel.
Old hymn of the church (896): “The sands of time are sinking / the dawn of Heaven breaks…”
Where has the time gone? Four years are like a breath. Time is a mist. James 4:14 (NLT): “Your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”
Ephesians 5:16 (KJV): “Redeem the time, because the days are evil.” We could add, redeem the time because life is short.
God has given us two treasures in the sand of time, meaning, these treasures were given to his people centuries before Jesus and Jesus gave them to his followers which reach us here. Since this is the occasion of our final Sunday, the instruction I give you this morning is instruction that every leader of any time could offer and it will never be inappropriate or outdated. God sent it through time through Christ and as a result desires that we carry it through our days until the end of time.
The treasures in the sand of time that Jesus speaks about in Mark 12 are drawn from the old era.
Mark 12:29-31….
1. Love is the message
Jesus was hosting a theological discussion with the leading religious teachers and scholars. Upon hearing the lively exchange of discussion and debate, and noticing Jesus’ sharp and contemporary teaching, one of the scholars threw in his questions – “of all the commandments, which one is the most important?” (Verse 28) Jesus responded in Mark 12:29-30…
When Jesus spoke the greatest commandment he added a second to it. The lesson was so important that he joined them together as being inseparable, even going so far as to say that no other command was as important as these two. You mean, even the Ten Commandments of Exodus, given to Moses by God, are not more important than these? Here’s the fascinating lesson concerning all this! To “love God with…” captures the message of the first four of the Ten Commandments and “Love your neighbor…” captures the message of the last six of the Ten Commandments. By doing this Jesus brought the Old Covenant law into the New Covenant life! These instructions have filtered through the sands of time for people of all ages, of all generations, for all times, to “Love God…” and “Love your neighbor…”
JESUS CAPSUALIZED THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN TWO COMMANDMENTS!
The first and greatest commandment is,
2. Love God supremely (ring)
Richard Gere and Sean Connery co-stared in First Knight, a 1995 production featuring the life and times of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The movie impressed me with the sense of loyalty that Lancelot (Gere) held for King Arthur (Connery). Lancelot put his life on the line for King Arthur with no thought of the danger of putting his life on the line. To die for the King was not a choice – it was a natural order of life. It paints a picture for me of the depth of loyalty and love that God should expect from me, from all of us as his loyal subjects.
The images of bowing in submission, with respect and with deep love, visually represent the message Jesus was seeking to impart in his interaction and dialogue with the people. Jesus was quoting from the book of Moses in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. He was citing from the Torah or the Holy Scriptures that the Jewish people read. This was their book of instruction from God before the time of the new covenant, the New Testament. The instruction was to love God supremely which is to love him extremely, completely, enormously, absolutely, superlatively, utterly, totally; it is to love him in highest rank or authority. It is to consider death for him as quickly as it is to desire life IN him.
To reinforce the need to love God supremely, Jesus drew the Old Testament Commandment, to “Love God with…” into the New Covenant. This is worship at its finest! We worship God most excellently when we spend all week focusing on what pleases him. When there is harmony at home, godly behaviour at school, or our jobs; we worship God best when we are careful about how we hang out with our friends, or control what’s pumping through our ipods or use discretion in the movies we watch. Then, when we come to a fellowship gathering like this one, having lived to pleased God all week, we experience something special in community. It doesn’t just happen though. It is the by-product of a focused heart and mind – focused on God.
· St. Francis of Assisi – for the benefit of those who do not know St. Francis, he was a Roman Catholic friar of the 13th century. He said, “Love God with all your heart and do as you please.”
· When we love God passionately, (supremely, extremely, completely….) we can do whatever we feel like doing!
The RING represents the deepest bond possible between two people. In our culture it is a symbol that speaks of two people becoming so close that they become one flesh. Their priorities are joined, their hearts are joined; in their ambitions they desire to compliment and support one another – you get the picture. In this context the ring represents our decision to love God completely, passionately, or totally.
The second treasure in the sand of time that Jesus gave us is the instruction to
3. Love your neighbor sincerely (key)
When Jesus answered the question concerning the greatest commandment he did not stop there. He had something else to add - Mark 12:31…
Also found in the Old Testament – Leviticus 19:18.
Some of us have allowed another person to have the key to our homes. The reason you have that key is because there is a deep trust. While it is not practical or smart to give just anyone the key to your house, it does represent the symbol of a neighborly heart.
What does it mean to “love your neighbor as yourself?”
We know that “when we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength” it will follow that we will love our neighbors as ourselves. It is not possible to love God and not love our neighbors.
To “love your neighbor as yourself” is best described in Matthew 7:12 - "Do for others what you would like them to do for you.” In other words to love God supremely and to love other people purely is the Bible in a nutshell. It is the beginning and end of life the way God intended it to be lived.
An example of this kind of love was provided to me this week when I had opportunity to share with someone who spoke of the many times they can give to other people. They said, “When I do that I just feel so wonderful in here” (pointing to his heart). This is a picture of loving your neighbor as yourself – of giving away as much as we would enjoy receiving the gift.
Who is my neighbor?
If you read this story from Luke 10 there’s another part that is not found here in Mark. Jesus tells a story, commonly known as the parable of the Good Samaritan. It was a story that has huge cultural implications. A Jewish man got beaten up by highway robbers and left for dead. He was passed by a Jewish priest and a temple assistant but both ignored his need for help. It was the third traveler, a Samaritan (Jews and Samaritans despised each other), who stopped, took the near dead man to a hospital and paid his hospital expenses since the beaten man did not have any medical insurance or money.
Who is my neighbor?
Anyone God leads to me, who has a need beyond their resources or ability to meet, is one way of answering the question. On the other hand it cannot be answered that simply – God will tell each of us when we should stop and respond to the situation in front of us and the type of response he desires we offer.
This lesson in Mark 12 is a message from God about the most important thing that matters. What is the most important thing? Love God first and love your neighbor second. It is through this priority that all of life finds its purpose and expression.
WRAP
· My final message to you from God is, LIVE A LIFE OF LOVE.
· The only thing Jesus brought through the sands of time for all generations was the message that we should LOVE.
· What does that mean? In one sense, there are no easy answers, and the answers will come only as you search in your own heart to understand how God will have you live a life of love. The importance of it is that verse of Matthew 7:12 that says when we do to others as we would have them do to you, this is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
· The treasures in the sand that are not restricted to time and space are “Love God with….” and “love your neighbor…” These are the essence of life.
