And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And 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.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:28-34 ESV).
A few years ago I was able to be a part of a team through Samaritan’s Purse and travel to Kipnuk, Alaska to build a church in the small native village. The people were wonderful and greeted us enthusiastically and warmly. You can see from the picture I’ve included that it was no small task. The team I was on only stayed a week, though we were able to get the roof on and the interior ready for some finish work. We also did a lot of work on the pastor’s home next to the church. It was such a refreshing experience to be able to help.
While we were there it happened to be my birthday. Some of the people living in the village discovered the date and wanted to bring dessert to our evening meal. Some of the children had gathered some tundra berries and they made “ice cream” for us. I was not aware that the recipe called for these berries and a large portion of whale blubber! It seems they take the berries and mix them with the blubber and let it freeze outside over night! Well, even though I was warned, I could not bring my self to disappoint the young children who brought the gift to me. I took a small portion and had my first experience with Inuit Ice Cream! They were delighted… I was quite surprised that I managed to keep it down. We all had a good laugh at my sensitive taste!
This is something of what Jesus must have meant when He said we should love our neighbor as ourselves. This “gift” was what they had to give. It was not common or incidental. They honored me with a gracious expression. How could I refuse. Much of the time I fear we do not grasp the depth of love God has for every person. If we did, perhaps it would easier to love much more! It would be much easier not to be judgmental and condescending. Love God… love your neighbor!