In our passage yesterday the Sadducees came to make sport of Jesus by asking Him a ridiculous question about a resurrection they don't even believe in. Jesus shows them the errors in their thinking. A teacher of the law comes on the scene and probably enjoys seeing Jesus put the Sadducees in their place, since the beliefs of the Sadducees are at odds with the beliefs of the Pharisees. The Sadducees not only believe there is no resurrection, but they also ignore the oral law, sticking strictly to Moses' writings. The Pharisees believe in the resurrection and they consider the written and the oral law as two parts of one whole.
The teacher of the law hears how Jesus answers the Sadducees and he is impressed with what he hears. "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'" (Mark 12:28)
Jesus begins by quoting the verse that is the creed of the Jewish faith, "'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.'" (Mark 12:29) Some translations of the Bible render this verse from Deuteronomy 6:4 as, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one Lord." It reads more smoothly this way and it relates the proper meaning. The basis of the Jewish faith, and the Christian faith, is that there is one God: the God of Israel. Everything hinges on this one fact: the God of Israel is the one true God; there is no other.
Jesus now adds Deuteronomy 6:5 to His discourse, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30) There is one God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. We owe Him our allegiance. The first and best way to prove our allegiance to Him is to honor Him with our love. More than anything else, God wants our hearts.
Loving God is going to have a positive effect on our lives. Loving God is going to influence how we treat our fellow man, so Jesus combines a law from Leviticus 19:18 with the commandment to recognize God as the only God and to love Him with everything we've got. "The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:31) A common rabbinical practice is to expand the laws and to study their every word and their every applicable meaning. It's also a common practice to contract the laws by summing them up in one short sentence. The teacher of the law who asked Jesus his question is doing something that would have been very familiar to rabbis and their students. Jesus' answer amazes the teacher of the law. Jesus perfectly and beautifully sums up the whole law in very few words. The law, like the ten commandments, deals with how we are to honor the Lord and how we are to treat our fellow man. His answer is brilliant. The teacher of the law is amazed.
"'Well said, teacher,' the man replied. 'You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.'" (Mark 12:32-33) This man's answer is brilliant as well. I believe he has a sincere heart for the Lord, for he displays a humble and teachable spirit. I don't know whether his original question of Jesus was intended to test Him as the Pharisees have been testing him. Some scholars think this was his intention while others believe he asked his question because he is impressed with what he's heard Jesus say so far. His attitude toward Jesus seems respectful, so I like to think he asks his question because he honestly wants to hear Jesus' answer. His reply to Jesus echoes the words of the prophets Samuel and Hosea. Samuel said to the rebellious King Saul, "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22) Hosea said that the Lord told him, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6) When we love God, we naturally want to obey Him. When we love God, we are able to love our fellow man.
Jesus is impressed with the teacher's answer and He gives him credit for his wisdom. "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.'" (Mark 12:34a) This man is so close to the truth. He has great faith. He has a sincere love for the Lord and for His word. He has only one step left to take, and that is accepting that Jesus is who He says He is. We don't know the fate of this teacher. We don't even know his name. We don't know whether he believed on Jesus after He rose from the dead, but I hope he did.
Mark concludes today's passage with this information, "And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions." (Mark 12:34b) The enemies of Jesus give up on their plan to discredit Him in front of the people. He can't be discredited. He can't be trapped. He can't be put to shame. Jesus is the Word of God, and everything He says is perfect.
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