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Mark 12:28-34 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 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 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 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’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question. In our passage this morning, we see that it is the last in a series of questions posed to Jesus designed primarily to trap him. (Mark 11:27-12:34) There are four questions posed, and three of the questioners refer to Jesus as “Teacher”. The main character, besides Jesus, is the “scribe,” and is unique to Mark’s account. Matthew and Luke include the giving of the Great Commandment, but only Mark has this interaction with the scribe. Scribes were teachers of the people, commonly focused on the traditions of the people of God – zealous, even! In Mark, this is only scribe spoken of in a positive manner. By Mark 12:38-40 Jesus is saying, ‘beware of the scribes – their greed and pride’.
This scribe, seeking to discover the heart of this teacher, asks what is most important in the Law. Jesus answers from the scribes very tradition – the one he so zealously protects. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is at the conclusion of the 10 commandments that Moses received from God. There it says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Jesus augments that with Lev. 19:18, where God is speaking to Moses. “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In quoting, however, Jesus adds a fourth aspect to the list of qualifiers or descriptors of our love for God – “with all your mind.” In Jesus’ quote it is important to note that it is in the imperative form, using a singular for of ‘you’. In Greek, it is easy to see singular vs. plural because there is a different word form for each. In English the same word and form can be either singular or plural – “you” depends on the context to determine which form is intended. Jesus is saying that the scribe, and subsequently each of us, has to commit ourselves to loving God with all that we are. When the scribe responds (vv. 32-33), Jesus says “you are not far from the Kingdom of God.” This is really an invitation for the scribe to live the command with his all. He’s not there yet, but he is close. That invitation stands for us today. First, let’s look at the scribe’s conclusion. It comes at the end of vs. 33. After saying, “You are right, Teacher,” he goes on to say, “this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” That is a pretty radical thing for him to say given that he is concerned with those very burnt offerings and sacrifices! Now, we have an idea of what the “whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” were to him. It was the tradition of the Priests making sacrifices for sin on behalf of the people. At the time of Jesus, those sacrifices and burnt offerings were getting “transactional” in nature – they were something to check off a checklist in order to stay in God’s good graces. They were taking on an “obligation” to avoid punishment or gain approval in God’s sight – hollow at best. So, before we go on, what might our modern day “whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” look like? Maybe it is traditions that are based solely in our comfort? At one time in our own tradition, the experts in liturgy said that you could not sing Christmas songs until Christmas Eve. You had to sing Advent songs up until that time. Songs like “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” were OK, but not “Silent Night.” That even came up when I was in seminary. That is tradition that has been abandoned. What about attending church every week? The old “joke” is about the business person who attends church on Sunday, and returns to cheating people on Monday. Weekly church attendance was something on a checklist that meant little more than that. Is it possible that we can slip into a transactional relationship with God? Doing so we can get? Putting in the minimum to just get by? Jesus points to the antidote for transactional faith: Love God, neighbor & self. What does that look like? Let’s start with our love of God. Four facets of the human being are listed: heart, mind, soul, strength. Let’s look at each in order to expand our understanding of what it means to love God with all we are. Heart: Cardia. Our heart is powerful image. It is the pump that gets blood to every part of our body. It is the center of physical, emotional, intellectual, moral functioning. It is the very life blood that propels us, keeping us alive and vital. Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [Matthew 6:21] He is peaking of our motives, our desire, and when we concentrate that on God, our whole being will be connected to God. Mind: We are to interpret life through the lens of God’s Word and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is our way of processing what we experience. Jesus is calling us to view life that way, not through the lens of our experience, our woundedness, our trauma, our preferences, or the opinions of others. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” [Romans 8:5-6] When Paul calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, he is calling us to set our mind on God with all that we are. Soul: It is a way of referring to our whole being, the very life that God has given us. Nothing in our living is outside the realm of God’s will for us. “I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.” [Psalm 16:8-9] It means loving God with our whole being. And, further, “… we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered… . [Hebrews 6:18-20] – The writer of Hebrews is reminding us that our life anchored in God will enable us to love God more deeply. Strength: That is our God-given, God-empowered ability. The Greek word is describing the full extent of the power wherewith we are to love God. It is pouring ourselves into loving of God. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” [Psalm 28:7] And, again, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power;… .” [Ephesians 6:10] Our realization is that it is not our own strength, but the strength of the Lord within us. This whole first section is calling us to love God with all that we are. It is an individual invitation to live in deeper communion with our Lord and Savior. Jesus came in the flesh to make that easier for us to do. Can I love God with all that I am? Probably not. I’m human, I have faults, I make mistakes. But, I CAN commit my way to the Lord, and rely on God’s power, thru Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, to fill me with the fullness of God’s ability. If it weren’t for the Bell Gathering yesterday, our choir would be singing “Empty of Me” today. One of it’s key lines is “… tip me upside down, pour me out on the ground. Fill me up and make me empty of me.” All of this is a prerequisite to loving our neighbor as ourselves. The groundwork is set, reminding us that true faith is relational – first with God, but then extended to our world. When Jesus makes “loving our neighbor as ourselves” on a par with loving God with all we are, he is calling us to a life of action. As persons created in the image of God, we must embrace the goodness that God has placed in us. We are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ as the scriptures say. If we cannot recognize that in ourselves, how are we ever to embrace that in others? When we are truly in relationship with our heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we will find that grace to love our neighbor deeply, in the same way we love ourselves – with God’s love. What can we do this week to deepen our love for God. Is there a part of us that we are withholding from God? Are we reluctant to give our all for God? Jesus’ call is just as real to us as it was to the scribe. What can we do this week to demonstrate our love for neighbor and self? We are not far from the Kingdom of God. Let’s accept the invitation to go deeper. Amen.
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