Mark 12:28-34
Introduction
In this passage, Jesus once again faces an interrogation. This time it is from a Scribe.
Bear this in mind as we examine the passage.
Verse 28
In the last two studies we have seen Jesus interrogated by the Pharisees and Herodians and then the Sadducees. And now for the third consecutive time, He is interrogated by a Scribe who has heard how Jesus has answered these previous groups.
Before we examine what the Scribe said to Jesus, I just want us to understand what a Scribe was in those days. Scribes studied the Law of Moses, transcribed it and wrote commentaries on it. They also copied and recopied the Bible meticulously. And finally, they were teachers and interpreters of the Law. The modern-day equivalent of the scribes are the theologians we have in the church.
Before we move on, it should be noted that the scribes were experts at spelling out the letter of the Law while ignoring the spirit of it. Now, let’s get back to what the scribe said to Jesus in Verse 28.
The scribe thought that Jesus had answered the Pharisees and Sadducees well. I think he was being sincere. We saw in the last two studies that the Pharisees and Sadducees were hostile towards Jesus. But there is nothing in this text to suggest that this scribe was being hostile.
The scribe asks Jesus what commandment is the foremost of all. So, what in effect was the scribe asking? He was not asking which was the first commandment that God gave. He was instead asking which was the most important commandment. He wanted to know what commandment sums up the whole duty of human beings towards their creator.
Before we look at the answer that Jesus gave, I just want to point out that this doesn’t just apply to believers; it applies to all of mankind.
Verses 29 to 30
In these two verses we have the first part of the answer that Jesus gave to the scribe. In His answer, Jesus quotes from the Law of Moses. He is quoting the first part of the Shema which can be found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
The Shema is the most important prayer in Judaism. See Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Verse 5 of the Shema is a call for us to show love to God. And Verse 4 of the Shema tells us who God is but it might not be obvious at first. God’s identity is found in His name in the original Hebrew of Verse 4. The Jews would never say the name of God or write it in full. And so, in the Greek version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), whenever the name of God occurred, they wrote the word Lord in Greek. If you go to the original Hebrew of Verse 4 you will find that where you have the word LORD in capitals in English the name of God is found.
And that name is Yahweh, which means I am who I am. Yahweh is God’s personal name. Everything that we know about God is bound up in His name. In the Shema, which Jesus says is the most important commandment of all, we are told to love Yahweh. We are not called to love Him because of what we receive from Him but because of who He is. Think about that.
In the Shema we are told to love Yahweh with different parts of our being. In Deuteronomy 6:5 we told to love God with our heart, our soul and our might (strength).
Our heart is the core of our being and it is where our emotions and desires dwell. When we love Yahweh with our heart it must not be superficial or casual. It must not be lukewarm. Instead, it must be whole-hearted.
Our soul is the essence of our being; it is who we are. In the same way that we love Yahweh with our heart we are called to love him with our soul. We are to love Him with our whole person.
Our might or strength is our power to act using our mental and physical faculties. Again, in the same way that we love Yahweh with our hearts and souls we are called to love him with our strength. We are to muster up all the strength we have to love Him.
However, there is a difference between what the Shema says and what Jesus says in Mark 12:30. Jesus says that we must also love Yahweh with our ‘mind’. As well as loving Him with our heart, soul and strength, we are to love him with our mind. In other words, we are commanded to love Yahweh with our whole being.
Notice how the word ‘all’ is used four times in Mark 12:30? The use of this superlative means that we cannot love Yahweh in part. We are to love Him with ALL of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Have you ever done that? No, nobody can. This is an impossible commandment to obey. But don’t worry, Jesus obeyed it in full, and it’s His righteousness that is imputed to us and saves us. Jesus obeyed it on our behalf.
Nevertheless, we can, over time, become more and more able to love Yahweh with all of our being. It is through times of struggle and trial that our love for Yahweh grows deeper as we witness His faithfulness towards us. It’s as we get to know Him in all of His loveliness, that our love for Yahweh grows deeper. The more we experience this, the closer we come to being able to love Him with all of our being.
Verse 31
In this Verse we see Jesus adding another commandment that goes with the first one. This second commandment is also taken from the Law of Moses. It is found in Leviticus 19:18.
What does it mean to love your neighbour as yourself? The first thing to say is that this commandment tells us to love our neighbour unconditionally. It also tells us to love ourselves unconditionally? Think about that.
In practice, loving our neighbour, means we:
• Care for the poor
• Show compassion
• Are honest with them
• Act justly towards them
• Don’t gossip or slander
• Refuse to bear a grudge
• Put them first
• Share the gospel
To name just a few things.
But who is our neighbour? It is everyone, including our enemies, those we disagree with and those we don’t like. This is so radical and goes against our sinful instincts.
Verses 32 to 34
In verses 32 and 33 the scribe agrees with everything that Jesus said. And in verse 34 we see that Jesus is pleased with his response.
Jesus then tells him that he is not far from the kingdom of God, but he’s not in it. Why do you think that the scribe was not in the kingdom? I believe it was because he did not believe in Jesus and he didn’t accept Him as his Messiah.