Yup, it really is that simple! Love God and love your neighbor and, by the way, everyone is your neighbor. It’s not complicated.
It may not be easy, but it’s not complicated…
Moses himself pointed out (Dt 30:10-14) that the law of the Lord wasn’t away in the sky or in some far off place. “… it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” But a thousand or more years later, learned people were still tying themselves in knots over it, or at least pretending to when they were caught out trying to be clever – as was the scholar in today’s gospel reading (Lk 10:25-37).
So there’s really nothing more to be said – is there?
In one sense no. But I will take the risk of adding a further thought.
Jesus points out to the scholar that he already knows the answer to his own question, both the original and his self-excusing follow-up. Then he just tells him to go away and do what he already knows he should do. Moses would have said the same. But Jesus doesn’t say anything to him about faith or salvation, as he does to those who come to him with genuine questions or challenges in their lives (“go, your faith has saved you”, or some such). “Go away and follow the law (that you already know)” was maybe all the scholar was capable of hearing. But it wasn’t the end of Jesus’ message.
Jesus’ message was about more than just following the rules. I’m reminded of the saying: Life is not a problem to be solved, it’s a mystery to be lived. (And when I went to find out who first said this, I found there doesn’t seem to be a simple answer to that question – so much for questions with easy answers!)
The scholar was clearly looking at life as a problem to be solved. I suspect that we sometime do the same, whether we are scholars or not. We have questions and we want answers. We expect answers. What sort of God won’t answer us?
Well, he does answer us. Either by pointing out gently that we already know the answer, or by something deeper – by being with us, and even dying for us. People who are dying aren’t looking to us for answers, but they are looking for companionship – they want someone to be with them, they don’t want to be alone. Jesus dies and we share in his death. We are dead together and we live together. That’s is not an answer to a question, it’s a reality to be lived.
Paul did as much as anyone to answer questions, and often helped formulate those questions, that we still use to guide us today. There is nothing wrong with questions. But Paul was also the one who could say: “Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, … in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:15-20). That is the mystery that we live.