We return to our study of Mark 12 where another religious inquirer comes to the Lord Jesus with another question. Much of life is made up of the pursuit of the answers to our questions. And, although often frustrating, our questions are some of our greatest friends because they push us to pursue the Lord.
In v.28 of today's passage we read, "One of the teachers of the law came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?"
Whether sincere or not, the Lord Jesus answered the question of yet another religious leader of Israel. The question was: "Which of the commands is most important?"
Of the 613 commands found in the Old Testament, 248 were positive and 365 were negative. More don'ts than do's. No two rabbis agreed on which were the most crucial of the commands. There was always a debate as to which were the greatest.
In v.29-31 of today's passage we read, "29 Jesus answered, 'The most important command is this: Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. 31 The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.’"
In response to the question, the Lord Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6 which begins with a command to love God. Loving God begins with giving our hearts to the Lord on a daily basis, especially when we lack understanding. Giving our hearts to God involves our worship of Him. Worship is ascribing worth to Him. We do so by believing His word, allowing it to define us on a daily basis.
What the religious leaders of Israel did not understand was they could not merit God's favor through their good behavior. No human, this side of the Fall, has ever loved God with his whole being. This is why the Lord Jesus came to be the Lamb of God who would take away the penalty of our sin and put us into a personal relationship with God.
We discover truth through observation. We see things, we feel things, we hear things, we read things about God, we observe, we experience, and truth comes to us first in our minds. That is why the Lord Jesus said that we are to love the Lord our God with all our minds.
Next, the truth impacts our emotions, or our souls, as it is listed here. Truth comes to our minds and then it moves to our emotions, and we begin to feel moved by the truth that our minds understand.
Next comes the will or the heart, as it is translated here. The word "heart" is used in several ways in the Scriptures. Sometimes it refers to the will, sometimes the emotions, but here it describes our will. We choose with our hearts or our wills. Once our will (heart) is moved, then we love God with our strength. Which means to give ourselves fully to what He says.
In v.32-33 of today's passage we read, "32 The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said God is the only Lord and there is no other God besides him. 33 One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God."
Our problems are potentially solved when we respond to God's love which is discovered primarily through His word within the arena of every day life. Understanding God's love positions us to turn our lives, including our blessings and our problems, over to Him. And, having experienced His love for ourselves, we are poised to love others naturally.
God's love meets the deepest needs of our lives. In fact, when we try to meet our love needs through people, we find that those needs cannot be fully met, and we feel lonely. We can be with people who are trying to love us, yet be lonely.
You will remember one of the last quotes made by the late Robin Williams, "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone." Our love needs are ultimately only met by God Himself and that is why we have to start with God.
You will remember one of the last quotes made by the late Robin Williams, "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone." Our love needs are ultimately only met by God Himself and that is why we have to start with God.
In v.34 of today's passage we read, "When Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely, Jesus said to him, 'You are close to the kingdom of God.' And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions."
The Lord Jesus commended this scribe, because the scribe understood that love is more important than ritual. That who we are is even more important that what we do, because what we do is determined by who we are. But, he had still not experienced the kingdom of God. He was close to salvation, but the scribe had not been apprehended by the truth. He didn't grasp the fact that our good works are not enough, our sin must be atoned for, and, we must be born again.
Of course, this is why the Lord Jesus came. All of those Old Testament animal sacrifices pointed us to the Lord Jesus who came to remedy our problem with sin which is what separated us from God in the first place. He came to earth to die so that we could truly live. He came to be separated from God so that we could love God and others.
