People are more important

I know I sound like a broken record, but there is so much great stuff in today's reading. There is a theme that I noticed. In several different ways, Jesus takes the time to teach the religious leaders, his disciples and the crowds who just want a miracle that people are always more important than rules and traditions. No matter how noble our intentions, if we choose rules or traditions over people, we've made the wrong choice. This is not at all to suggest that we become foundation-less relativists. Truth is truth, but the truth of Jesus is always expressed in love. Always. No, seriously, always. This means that anything short of sin is fair game when it comes to sharing the good news with people who need to hear it.
In case it has been open for interpretation before, Jesus makes himself very plain in chapter 15.

“And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"

The next logical question is, "What is the command of God?" Well, in the Thompson paraphrase, the command of Jesus (who happens to be God by the way) is to love God with everything we are, everything we have and to love people with the same selfless abandon. Nothing else is more important. Nothing. Not programs, not service times, not building funds, not salaries, not Bible studies, not Sunday school classes. Nothing is more important that being obedient to loving God and loving people. Can we use some of these things to accomplish this command? Of course. But these methods, these programs, these tools are never to become more important than the people we are called to reach with the love, grace, mercy and restoration of Jesus Christ.

The way I'm going to live this out this week is that I'm going to reach out and begin to build a relationship with my neighbor Michael. He walks his dog up and down our street multiple times a day. I have countless opportunities each week to encounter him, and yet I've been here for almost six months and I don't know him yet. That is going to change. I invite all of you (even if it's just Joel reading this) to hold me accountable on this. Ask me about Michael. Ask me how the relationship is going. Pray that God will bless this step and use me to speak truth and love into his life.