Today Paul reminds Timothy (2 Timothy 2:8‑15) that the heart of his preaching is that Jesus not only is one of us, descended from human beings (David and Mary), but also is God, as evidenced by his rising from death to life. Since Jesus shares our human nature, he rightfully offers himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Since Jesus is God, his death has infinite value. This is Good News, indeed.
Paul’s persistence in spreading the Good News has led to him now being held in chains. Paul says that while he is in chains, “…the Word of God is not chained.” There is no way that Truth can be suppressed. Truth always will win out, if you allow me to paraphrase Shakespeare. Many witnesses to the Gospel have proven that over the centuries, right down to our own day. Prison and torture often have the opposite of the desired effect: to break a person’s faith. Over and over again, we see that persecution only increases the desire to make the truth known.
Paul will gladly undergo any suffering so that those called to believe in Christ will experience salvation in Jesus’ name. No suffering is too great if it brings about the salvation of God’s chosen ones who have yet to believe, a salvation that finds its climax in eternal companionship with Christ in glory:
If we die with him, we will also live with him (Romans 6:8)
If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will deny us. (Matthew 10:22, 33; Luke (12:9)
Even if we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. (Numbers 23:19; Romans 3:3-4)
If we fully identify ourselves with the Christ, who died on the Cross, we shall also enter into glory with him. It is an exhortation to all of us to persevere in following Jesus, even when it involves difficulties and dangers.
In the final words in the reading, Timothy is told to tell the people “…to avoid disputing over words”. Paul’s warning seems to be directed at those who are being caught up in the ideas of Gnosticism. Two leaders of this heresy, Hymenaeus and Philetus, denied bodily resurrection and asserted there is only a spiritual resurrection. Gnosticism interpreted the resurrection allegorically or symbolically, but not as a reality.
In a final piece of advice, Timothy is told that all that matters in our lives is that we try to make ourselves deserving of God’s approval, and we do that by consistently preaching and living the truth. This is good advice for us, too.
In today’s Gospel (Mark 12:28-34), we are reminded that not all the Pharisees and Scribes were hostile to Jesus. We have Nicodemus as one very good example. Today we have a scribe who approaches Jesus with no apparent hostile motive. He had seen how well Jesus had dealt with the challenges put to him by various groups. He now comes to ask a question that was much debated among scholars: There were more than 600 commandments in the Jewish Law. Which of these had priority over the others?
Jesus, who frequently answered questions with another question, this time answers directly. Unlike on other occasions, this man’s question was asked out of respect, not with intent to “trip up” Jesus. In answering the man’s question Jesus does not give just one commandment but two:
“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
and
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Both answers are taken from the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 9:18, respectively) and so satisfy his questioner’s request. However, as we read through the New Testament and especially the words of Jesus in the Gospel, we know that Jesus gives his own twist to these two commandments.
In answering a question about which is the most important commandment, he gives two commandments that, in his view, are quite inseparable; one cannot be kept without keeping the other. We cannot say we love God and then refuse to love our neighbor. Jesus will make two other refinements. He will extend the meaning of ‘neighbor’ to include every person and not just the people of one’s own race, tribe, religion or family (see Luke 10:30‑37); and he will set as the standard of love, not just the love we are able to show, but the depth of love that he will show by dying for us (John 15:13).
The scribe is very pleased with the answer that Jesus gives and expresses full agreement. Jesus tells the man, because of his agreement with Jesus, that, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” He still must make the crucial step of committing himself to follow Jesus and to become actively involved in the work of the Kingdom.
Whether Nicodemus or this scribe took that step or not we do not know. However, we can make our choice to start today, or to renew, our commitment to keep this double commandment and to reflect on how well we put them together.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!