Mark 12:28-34 Shema Israel
Good morning! I hope you all had a happy thanksgiving!
We are returning in our study to the Gospel of Mark with chapter 12, verses 28-34, page 848 in the pew Bibles.
I have to admit, every time I look at the Scripture in preparation for that Sunday’s service the topic that is discussed in that section pops up on a mental scale in my mind of easy to hard for preaching. As if to say, “this topic will be easy and fun to deal with,” or, “Oh no, what am I supposed to do with this.” That’s the scale, “oh good,” to, “Oh no…”
Just so you are aware, I am wrong every time.
When I looked at this text for today I thought, this one will be fun, love God, love your neighbor, let’s talk about how we can do that! Sounds great!
The trouble with that is, that I don’t think that is the author’s original intent, that is not why this passage was included in the Gospel of Mark.
Well let’s look at it and you’ll hopefully see what I mean.
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Let’s pray.
So this scene is a little different from the ones that we have examined over the last few weeks. Jesus has been questioned over and over by Jewish leaders seeking to trap Him in His talk, to try and expose fraud, or fanaticism, to try and get the people or the authorities to turn against Him. But every time, He answers in such a way that has only exposed their faithlessness and hypocrisy.
This time, however, it is a little different. This time Jesus is questioned by a man that actually seems sincere, he actually wanted to know Jesus’ opinion on which commandment was the most important.
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So my first thought in approaching this account was: love God, love your neighbor. Let’s start with a more accurate definition of love than just feelings of affection, and let’s look at how we apply that with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and exercise that same love towards our fellow man.
I’m sure that would make a fine sermon.
Jesus quotes what is called “the Shema,” a Hebrew word that means, “hear,” from Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
And also from Leviticus 19:18,
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Robert Jamieson wrote, “God will have all these qualities in their most perfect exercise. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,’ says the Law, ‘with all thy heart,’ or, with perfect sincerity; ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul,’ or, with the utmost fervor; ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind,’ or, in the fullest exercise of an enlightened reason; and ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy strength,’ or, with the whole energy of our being!”
And John Calvin wrote, “And although we ought to love God far more than men, yet most properly does God, instead of worship or honor, require love from us, because in this way he declares that no other worship is pleasing to Him than what is voluntary; for no man will actually obey God but he who loves Him. But as the wicked and sinful inclinations of the flesh draw us aside from what is right, Moses shows that our life will not be regulated aright till the love of God fill all our senses. Let us therefore learn, that the commencement of godliness is the love of God, because God disdains the forced services of men, and chooses to be worshipped freely and willingly; and let us also learn, that under the love of God is included the reverence due to him.”
A fine sermon indeed!
But if that was Jesus intention, then the second half our text makes no sense.
32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
You are not far from the kingdom of God.
Do you know where, “not far from the kingdom of God” is? It’s outside the kingdom of God.
Was Jesus right? Is loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, the most important commandment, and the second like it, to love you neighbor as you love yourself? Yes, of course.
What does this commandment have in common with all the other commandments?
They are a summary of the two tables of the Law, they summarize the Ten Commandments.
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make an idol to bow down to. You shall not take the Name of the Lord in vain. You shall keep the Sabbath holy.
All of these are summarized by Jesus’ statement from Deuteronomy, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not covet.
All of these are summarized by Jesus statement from Leviticus, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Jews saw the Ten Commandments as instructive, as rules for living. They had 613 rules for living in the Old Testament, 365 prohibitions, and 248 commandments. They saw the way to honor God was to follow the rules.
That is what religion is all about, following the rules to show God how much you love Him and are worthy of His love.
The Jews were hardly the last to think this way. This has been the way of the church as well. Following the rules to show God how much we love Him and that we are worthy of His love.
Is that the purpose of the Law? Is that the purpose of the greatest commandment? To show us how we should live?
No.
Alistair Begg said, “Unless our religion shows us our need of God, our religion will actually keep us from God.”
This Scribe agreed with Jesus’ words, he agreed with God’s desire for obedience rather than sacrifice but yet, Jesus said He was not far but not in the kingdom of God.
He was near but not in because he didn’t see that obeying this great commandment was impossible. Can we truly love God with all, all, all, all? All our thoughts, and feelings, and desires, and purposes, and actions?
No.
This commandment does what all the others do: it reveals our sinfulness and our need of a Savior. It reveals that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
This sincere, religious, well meaning Scribe was near the kingdom but not in the kingdom because he didn’t recognize his need for God’s grace, he didn’t hear Jesus’ words from all the way back in chapter 1, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Repent, turn away from your own efforts to show God that you love Him and are worthy of His love, turn away from your own self-righteousness, or even your selfish indifference towards God.
Believe in the gospel.
The Good News, that though God commands you to love Him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, you can’t, and you don’t, no matter how hard you try, that though God commands you to love your neighbor as yourself, you can’t, and you don’t, know matter how hard you try.
Believe the Good News that God sent His only Son, who loves God perfectly, who loves His neighbor perfectly, to take the penalty for our failure, for our sin and sinfulness, upon Himself on the cross.
He willingly shed His blood so that we, through faith in Him, would be forgiven, would be adopted by Father God, and would be welcomed into His eternal kingdom as His children.
So ask yourself, are you like the Scribe, near the kingdom of God, but dependent on your own efforts and understanding to get you in?
Or are you in the kingdom of God, adopted as a child of God by trusting in His grace through faith in Jesus Christ?
It’s not too late!
We can love because he loved us first!
Let’s pray.
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