Where there is love

 "All you need is love".  It may sound cliché and an oversimplification, but that is what he said.  When asked about the commandments, Jesus named two.  The first one is very typically the response of an orthodox Jewish Rabbi.  He quotes the Shema from Deuteronomy 6; Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  But, then he quotes Leviticus 19, 'Love your neighbor as yourself."  The first one seems easier.  Pray, worship, trust that God is God.  The second one seems more daunting if you think about it.
  Together, he said, these summarize all the law and the prophets.  Wanna know what God intends for us?  Love God and your neighbor as yourself.  Simple right?
What if your neighbor is a single mom, about to be evicted, with no job, no family support, no money, and no place to go?  What if she comes to you for help?
What if your neighbor is a "snowflake" liberal or a Trump Republican?  What if he's a racist?  What if she's a Lesbian?  What If he's an abusive alcoholic?  What if your neighbor is mentally ill, with guns in the house?  What if your neighbor is Muslim?
What if your neighbor needs more than you are capable of giving her?  What if your neighbor is unfriendly, angry, mean, or rude?
In Mark 12, Jesus is addressing his opponents.  First, lets acknowledge this.  For all the good Jesus did--healing, feeding, confronting the demons, welcoming outcasts---he was not universally loved and adored.  His actions and words threatened the status quo, the leaders, who benefited from a certain level of privilege and status.  So, if your church's actions and words do not present a problem or a challenge to those who benefit from the way things currently are you might wonder if they're actually following Jesus.  
For example, Jesus begins with a parable.  It is evident that he is talking about the religious leaders.  He doesn't win them over by suggesting that they are like evil tenants, who have claimed possession of something that is not theirs.  Namely, God's vineyard---Israel itself! He suggests that Israel is not their possession.  It belongs to God, not to them.  And God intends for the vineyard to be fruitful, to benefit others. H expects the tenants to share.  Israel exists to serve and bless the world.  But they (the religious leaders) were treating Israel like a treasure they have been given for themselves.  If your church's building and property are too precious to give to those in the community who need it, you might consider Jesus' parable of the tenants. We are made to share.
On the question of whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus says "Give to God what is Gods and Caesar what is Caesars."  Some religious leaders suggested that you could not be a righteous Jew and pay Caesar's tax.  Jesus did not give them permission to pay the tax.  He reframed the question entirely.  What belongs to Caesar that does not also belong to God?  Is Caesar a god?  Is it a matter of competition?  NO.  We must learn to operate in the world, in order to win the world.  How?  It is possible to be a citizen of Rome and a member of the church.  They are not mutually exclusive. And we dare not confuse the two either.  Either/or and black or white choices rarely consider the whole matter of a thing.  Don't get hung up in this or that.  Its more often both/and.  Two seemingly contradictory things held in tension.  Like I am a sinner and a saint. We are made to embrace paradox.
Jesus goes on to suggest that in the resurrection, there will be no marriage.  Why does this matter?  He claims that men and women will be equals on the day of the Lord.  The kingdom of God does not treat women like second class humans.  Women are not possessions to be passed down or inherited.  Women are co-heirs of the Kingdom of God.  Men are not greater than women.  In one thought, Jesus elevates the status of women.  All will be like angels in heaven in the resurrection.  We, men and women, are made to be equal partners.
And by the way, God is all about life and living things and being alive. How do we know?  God only talks to living people.  And through them, to us.  Therefore, though things living die.  God can make dead things alive again, and in fact insists on it.  Watch the end of Jesus' story.  We are made to live.      
 Finally, Jesus identifies the richest person in the temple. A poor widow with one mite.  (Like a nickel).  She gives 100% to the temple offering.  Therefore she is the most generous person there.  Wealth is not what makes a person rich.  Generosity makes one rich.  She embodies faith, a full and complete trust in God for her life.  We contribute out of our abuundance.  She gave all that she had.  Jesus acknowledges, also , that the poorest among us also have gifts and a desire to give.  Its called human dignity.  
Jesus asks us to give all that we have, to hold on loosely to possessions, lest they possess us.   He teaches us to avoid petty, speculative, religious arguments.  He teaches us to question either/or, black or white kinds of choices. Jesus wants us to have hope.  Life is stronger than death.  What does love look and sound like?  Generosity.  Equality. Community-sharing. Dignity.  Look for a church that practices and proclaims these things.  You'll find love there. And where there is love, God is.