30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 27/28, 2026

 So another week, another Gospel, and another trap for Jesus. 

Remember last week, the Pharisees and the Herodians tried to trap Jesus by asking him if they should pay taxes to Caesar. If Jesus said yes, then he violated the Jewish belief in one God, as the coin paying the taxes had an image of Caesar on it where he claimed to be a God. If Jesus said no, then he would be seen as an insurrectionist, not supporting the Roman regime and could be put to death for that.  The solution, Jesus said, is to give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God’s.

This week’s trap, set by a scholar of the law, is, which commandment is the greatest?  Now there were 613 commandments in the Jewish Law. Most of us know 10, you know, the ones about you shall keep the Sabbath, honor your father and mother, and don’t kill, lie, or covet what belongs to others. But there are Jewish laws dictating dietary practices: such as not eating the flesh of unclean beasts. Laws about business practices: you shall not charge interest on a loan to another Jew. Laws about sacrifices and offerings: you are not to offer up leaven or honey. And laws about clothing: you are not to take your neighbor’s cloak as pledge without returning it before sunset. Yes, from the rising of the sun to its setting, there was a law which told a faithful Jew exactly what to do and how to act.

Which of the 613 would Jesus choose as the greatest, and then would that mean rendering the other 612 laws unimportant?? The Jewish authorities would certainly attack that type of thinking. The trap was set.  What would Jesus say? How would he get out of this conundrum?

Jesus answered in a very cunning way: by saying all the laws as well as the teachings of the prophets depend only on two things: loving God, and loving one’s neighbor. That is to say, that if one truly loves God, they will do their best to keep the other commandments NOT out of obligation, but out of admiration. In other words, being faithful is about love rather than observing rules. And if one loves, they will do their best to keep the rules.

But of course, as St. Paul says so many times in his letters, everyone falls short of keeping all of the laws. . . it’s just impossible to do. . .  I think what Jesus is really saying is, don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be. Worry about being a loving person, not a rule keeper: because it is completely possible to be a rule keeper, but NOT be a loving person. . . Which brings us to the fact that Patrick and Patricia are out,  which means? Yes, a story.

Once upon a time, in a bright little valley, lived a young boy named Ben. Ben loved everything about his neck of the woods, from the tall whispering pine trees in his backyard to the clear rushing river near his house. Every morning, Ben would sit out on a bench on the deck, look up at the big beautiful sky, and whisper a prayer: thank you God, for this wonderful day and for making me and surrounding me with people who love me.

Ben had a big heart and he wanted to show God just how much he loved Him. So he went to his mother and asked,  mom, how can I show God that I love Him? God is all the way up in heaven, and I’m all the way down here on earth. Ben’s mother smiled and patted his head, and said: Ben, God is closer than you think. The best way to love God is to love your neighbor.  Ben wrinkled his nose and said: My neighbor? You mean like grouchy old Mr. Simmons next door?? Yes, his mother said. And the birds in the trees, and the deer in the meadow. And even old Mr. Simmons. Everyone and everything around you is your neighbor. When you treat people and the things around you with kindness, you are showing your love to God. Ben wanted to try that theory out right away. So he decided to visit grouchy old Mr. Simmons next door.

Mr. Simmons was hard at work in his garden, pulling up stubborn weeds. His back was sore from all the bending, his knees ached from the knelling, and he was wiping sweat off his brow. Ben trotted over and said: Hello, Mr. Simmons! Can I help you with those weeds? Mr. Simmons was somewhat surprised as Ben had never really ever spoken to him before, much less offered to help him in any way. But he nodded gratefully.  Together, they pulled up the weeds until the garden looked perfectly neat. Mr. Simmons smiled a big, rare smile and told Ben, I have some cookies in the house, let me go and get you one to thank you for being such a nice neighbor.

As Ben walked home, munching on his cookie, his heart felt incredibly warm and happy. And he realized his mother was right, as she tended always to be, he did not have to reach up to the clouds to show God his love. By reaching out his hand to help someone right next to him, he was doing exactly what God wanted. From that day on, Ben looked for ways to love his neighbors every single day, knowing that each kind act was his gift to God in thanksgiving for all the gifts God had given him.

Living a life following Christ doesn’t have to be complicated.  If we love God and love our neighbor we will be doing exactly what God wants. And the God of peace will be with us: if we hold on to love.