If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

As we begin this new year, let’s be reminded of the commandment which Jesus declared to be the most important.

Some of the greatest teachings from Jesus were in response to questions that were intended to trap Him. This particular day was no exception.(1) The Sanhedrin had already put forth the Herodians and the Sadducees, both of whom had failed miserably in trapping Jesus. So they sent out a lawyer – an expert in religious law.

The scribes (the lawyers) had determined that the Jews were obligated to obey 613 mitzvah (precepts and commandments) recorded in the Torah. 365 of them were negative commands to abstain from certain acts. Interestingly, that is one for each day of the year (excluding leap year). 248 of them were positive commandments which outlined acts to be performed. It was said that the number 248 coincided with the number of bones and main organs in the human body. And that was just in the Torah! That number did not include the exhaustive code of conduct to be practiced as it related to rituals, worship practices, each person’s relationship with God, as well as interpersonal relationships that comprised the Talmud. There was a lot to keep track of! No wonder they needed a team of lawyers to keep a close eye!

One of the favorite pass-times of the scribes was discussing which of these divine commandments was the greatest. These men, who were considered to be the greatest religious minds in the land, had spent countless hours in debate over the answer to one particular question, and had never come to a resolution. So at the behest of the Sanhedrin in their plot to trap Jesus, the lawyer posed this question to Jesus: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”(2)

Bear in mind, the scribes had debated this at great length. But Jesus never blinked an eye or hesitated for even a moment. He immediately – and authoritatively replied – quoting the confession of faith that pious Jews recited each morning and evening, called “The Shema”, from Deuteronomy 6:4-5:

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

 

And He followed it up by quoting Leviticus 19:18:

“… love your neighbor as yourself….”

 

The teachings of the religious leaders of the day had little to do with love. Their teaching stressed duty, obligation and rules. Even though they would regularly quote the Shema, it was by rote and in word only. Very little was said or taught about love, let alone lived out. But Jesus made love the most important thing. He was teaching that love for God and love for our neighbor was the purpose of the Law and the fulfillment of the Law. He was revealing to them the truth that Paul would later write:

“Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.’ These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”(3)

 

Pastor Warren Wiersbe said it well when he wrote that Jesus was telling them that “if we love God, we will experience His love within and will express that love to others. We do not live by rules, but by relationships – a loving relationship {with} God that enables us to have a loving relationship with others.”(4)

i believe you could have heard a pin drop when Jesus answered the question. The crowd – and the scribe – had never heard that truth expressed. Time and again, they had debated the Law and missed the very point of it! As Jesus’s answer began to sink in, we can observe a brief moment of transparency and authenticity displayed by the scribe. He, who had intended to trap Jesus, now sincerely commended Him. Imagine the Pharisees’ anger as they heard their representative commending Jesus and confessing the very truth that Jesus had just spoken. The Word of God had just spoken to the man’s heart and he was beginning to understand. Perhaps further Scripture came to the scribe’s mind:

“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”(5)

 

Or perhaps this one:

“What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring Him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer Him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”(6)

 

So what did Jesus mean when He said to the scribe, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God”?(7) i believe He was affirming the scribe as he was now honestly facing truth. The scribe was now testing his beliefs against the Word of God and not against the teachings of men. There hadn’t yet been a complete change of heart, but the man had made a quantum leap in his journey toward the Kingdom of God. i pray that he made it the rest of the way. And if so, i look forward to meeting him one day in heaven. Because if i do, i believe his testimony will be very similar to that of the man who once was physically blind – “I once was blind, but now I see.”(8)

Counting those who had come before the scribe to trap Jesus that day, three men had attempted and all three had failed. Three up! Three down! Jesus had pitched a no-hitter! The Sanhedrin didn’t have anyone else to put before Him that day. But as we know, they weren’t done trying.

Just as He had before – and just as He would again – in every instance, Jesus responded with truth. As each one of us take up our cross to follow Him in this new year, we would do well to remember that no matter who or what we face in our journey ahead, lies and deceit cannot survive in the light of truth. And the core of that truth is “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” And “love your neighbor as yourself!” Let’s be faithful to live out that truth – and add words only where necessary!

* * * * *

You can read about this conversation between Jesus and the religious leaders in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12.

 

This post is taken from chapter 11 of my book, Taking Up The Cross. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Mark 12:28-34 (NLT)

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love Him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

 

(2)  Mark 12:28 (NLT)

(3)  Romans 13:8-10 (NLT)

(4)  The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe

(5)  Psalm 51:16-17 (NLT)

(6)  Micah 6:6-8 (NLT)

(7)  Mark 13:34 (NLT)

(8)  John 9:25 (NLT)

 

Copyright © 2024 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Mission Media on Lightstock