The Good Student
Getting all the answers right was so important for me as a student.
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, '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.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is no other'; 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,' this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared to ask him any question. - Mark 12:28-34
This encounter must have made Jesus' day.
So many times, he instructed his disciples only to have them fail to comprehend the meaning of the lesson. For this reason, he spoke in parables, morality plays designed to make people think and ask questions.
The scribe came to Jesus believing he understood the tenets of his faith, and so he chose to test Jesus and in the process test himself.
Isn't that what learning is truly about?
As students, don't we enjoy the class more when we can challenge the teacher and come away feeling we added something important to the conversation?
If we think about it, God's approach with us is like that of a good teacher. We are challenged to challenge what we see, hear and experience.
We aren't expected to just go along with the crowd or the way things have always been done.
God wants us to be questioning and discerning all the time, because the world can be a tricky place to maneuver.
And we need all the help we can get.
More to come...