Lesson: Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Mark 12:28-34;
Golden Text: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
INTRODUCTION. The scribes and Pharisees often tried to trap Jesus with difficult questions. Some of their questions they couldn’t answer consistently themselves. When one scribe approached Jesus with a sincere question, he didn’t show the same hostility that his fellow scribes demonstrated. He appears to have treated Jesus with respect. A scribe’s responsibility was to copy and know the Scriptures well. As the Second Person of the God-head, Jesus fully understood the Scriptures because He inspired them and gave them to His servants (like Moses) who wrote them down. When questioned by the scribe, Jesus gave a brief yet complete answer without hesitation. Jesus went directly to the point of a text and let God’s Word speak for itself. The Bible is authoritative. This week’s lesson is one example of this.
II. THE SOCIAL MANDATE PRESCRIBED (Leviticus 19:18). Leviticus 19:9-18 reveals God’s directions for how He expected Israel to relate to their neighbors. He commanded Israel to care for the poor and the stranger during harvest (see Leviticus 19:9-10), and to refrain from stealing, lying, and swearing falsely (see Leviticus 19:11-12). In addition, they were not to cheat workers out of their wages, take advantage of the handicapped, or show favoritism in governing (see Leviticus 19:13-15). Neither were they to spread gossip or bring false charges against a neighbor (see Leviticus 19:16). God also commanded His people not to harbor hatred for their neighbors, but to deal with them openly (see Leviticus 19:17). Our lesson begins with verse 18. We will divide that verse into 18a and 18b in this commentary.
A. A prohibition (see Leviticus
19:18a). The first part of this verse
says “Thou shalt not
avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people.”
God intends for His people
to have fellowship and live in harmony with our neighbors, even the more
difficult ones. In this verse, God gave two behaviors
that His people are to avoid showing “against the children of
thy people” which refers to any Israelite. The first
behavior is “Thou shalt not avenge.”
This simply means that
God’s people should not seek to get revenge on anyone. A key to
godly relationships is relying on God to fight our battles for us (see Exodus
14:13-14; Deuteronomy 20:4). Not only were God’s people not to
seek revenge on others, they were also commanded not to “bear any
grudge.” In other words, we should not hold any grudges
against anyone because in the long run, we are the only ones it affects.
Holding grudges will keep us from being at peace within
ourselves.
B. A command (Leviticus
19:18b). The second part of this
verse says “but thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself: I am the Lord.” Instead of wasting their time getting revenge or holding
grudges, God commanded His people that “thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.” To love someone as you love yourself assumes
that everyone has a love within that causes them to do whatever is necessary to
care for themselves. God’s people are to have this same concern
for the needs of their neighbors (see Matthew 7:12: Romans 13:8-10).
Note: We normally consider neighbors as those who live near
us, but to the ancient Israelite, a neighbor was one of the same family, tribe,
or country. However, God never intended for neighborly love to
only be shown to Israelites. He also included the “stranger” (see
Leviticus 19:10) as someone whose needs should be supplied. God
also specifically commanded Israelites to love strangers as themselves (see
Leviticus 19:34). In Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, He
taught that a neighbor is any fellow human being (see Luke
10:25-37).III. THE SPIRITUAL MANDATE PRESCRIBED (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). This portion of our lesson takes place on the plains of Moab as Moses spoke to the new generation of Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. He reviewed the covenant God had made with Israel at Horeb or Sinai (see Deuteronomy 5:1-5). Moses repeated the Ten Commandments (see Deuteronomy 5:6-21) and also implied that God would have also spoken directly with the people, but because they feared Him, they asked that God only speak to Moses (see Deuteronomy 5:22-27). Of course the Lord agreed to this, placing on Moses the responsibility of expounding the details of the Law to the people of Israel (see Deuteronomy 5:28-31). In Deuteronomy chapter 6 from which this portion of our lesson comes, Moses began to give details of the Law that emphasized the individual’s personal relationship to God’s covenant. The commandments, the statutes, and the judgments sum up those details (see Deuteronomy 6:1). God called for national obedience to His law and the reward for that would be “that thy days may be prolonged” (see Deuteronomy 6:2). Moses then said to the people, “Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it” and if they were obedient to God’s law, everything would be well with them in the land (see Deuteronomy 6:3). This is where the second portion of our lesson begins.
A. Loving God’s Person (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
1. (vs. 4). This portion of our lesson begins with Moses saying “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” Moses was about to review “the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments” (see Deuteronomy 6:1) of the Lord with Israel. However, before doing this, He reintroduced them to the God who had given these commands. He said “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” This statement in Judaism is called the “Shema” which is the Hebrew word for “hear.” This statement is the core declaration of Jewish faith and practice. It teaches the dual truths that God is the only true God and that He is the God of Israel. The phrase “The Lord our God is one Lord” indicates that this unique God had chosen to identify Himself with the nation of Israel. He didn’t do it to ignore the rest of mankind, but because in His sovereignty He chose to manifest Himself to the world through Israel (see Exodus 19:5-6; I Kings 8:41-43; Psalms 67:1-2; Zechariah 8:20-23).
2. (vs. 5). After reminding this new generation of who God was, in this verse Moses went on to say “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” The word “love” here means more than mere affection. It implies commitment, devotion and obedience. God’s relationship with Israel was one of love and covenant loyalty (see Deuteronomy 7:7-10). So He asked for their unconditional love in return. Moses said that Israel was to “love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” The Hebrew word translated “heart” refers to the inner man, which includes his or her mind, emotions, will, and moral life. “Soul” refers to one’s life or the whole person. The term “might” is used in some contexts to refer to force or abundance. But in this verse, it signifies the whole strength of a person. Moses was declaring to God’s people that all of a person’s being is to be devoted to the Lord. Every part of one’s life, whether it is the intellect, the emotions, or the will, is to be committed to worshipping and serving God. Note: God had given His people a multitude of laws and decrees. Out of all of them, absolute love for God was of the utmost importance. When this principle was followed, all the commandments would be held in proper perspective.
B. Making God’s commands a part of one’s personal and family life (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
1. (vs. 6). In this verse Moses continued to say “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” The commandments that God had communicated to His people through Moses were not to be forgotten. They were to be remembered and taken to heart. God’s commandments were to be memorized, practiced out of fear meaning duty, and also be in the heart (see Deuteronomy 11:18). Simply put, God’s commands were to be the focus of the way in which one conducted all the affairs of daily life (see Psalms 37:31; 40:8; 119:11).
2. (vs. 7). Not only were the people to commit God’s word to memory, Moses also said “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Since this generation to whom Moses was speaking saw what happened to their parents in the wilderness because of disobedience, they had to be aware that the same thing could happen to a new generation that hadn’t been taught to honor God’s law. Therefore, they were to “teach them (God’s commands) diligently unto thy children.” The words “teach… diligently” renders a verb that literally means “to sharpen.” In this verse it means to impress a truth or concept on someone through constant repetition and reinforcement. Parents were commanded to teach God’s laws to their children “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” However, this does not mean turning every activity into a formal teaching session. It means using every natural activity in life as an opportunity to communicate devotion to God. To do this, parents would have to make God’s law a major part of their own daily lives. Children were to grow up thinking of God’s words as a normal part of life and loving Him as their parents did. Note: Teaching our children about God’s word is just as relevant today as it was in ancient Israel. God wants us not only to love Him exclusively, but also to think about His commandments regularly. He wants us to teach His Word to our children and conform our daily lives to what the Bible says. Biblical education starts in the loving environment of a Christ-centered home. The church is to build on the spiritual foundation laid by the parents for their children. Parents can teach their children scriptural principles through object lessons, question and answer dialogue, and regular times of family reading from God’s Word.
IV. THE DUAL MANDATE CONFIRMED (Mark 12:28-34). The final portion of our lesson takes place during the last week of Jesus’ public ministry. At that time, He faced intense questioning from hostile critics. The Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap Him by asking whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar (see Mark 12:13-14). The Sadducees asked Him if people would marry in the resurrection (see Mark 12:18-23). Jesus answered both questions in such a way that his critics were silenced (see Luke 20:26, 39-40). However, a group of scribes and Pharisees who were not going to give up still had another question for Jesus (see Matthew 22:34) and one of the scribes came up to Jesus to ask that question. This is where the final part of our lesson begins.
A. The scribe’s question (Mark 12:28). This verse says “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?” A “scribe” was an expert in the knowledge of the whole body of Jewish law, including God’s written Law and its Jewish interpretation and application. They also served as copiers, editors, and teachers. The phrase “having heard them reasoning together” refers to the question and answer session between Jesus and the Herodians and Pharisees. Having heard the conversation, this scribe noted that Jesus had “answered them well” meaning that Jesus had given His questioners a good answer. This led the scribe to ask his own question to Jesus which was “Which is the first commandment of all?” This question revealed how focused on legalism the rabbis and Jewish religious leaders were. They carried on long debates about the commandments, often arguing over the weight a particular commandment carried: great or small, heavy or light. The rabbis recognized 613 different commandments in the law.
B. Jesus’ response (Mark 12:29-31).
1. (vs. 29). This verse says “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” Before stating the foremost or “greatest” commandment, Jesus quoted the Shema (see the note under Deuteronomy 6:4 above) from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. As mentioned earlier, “Shema” is a Hebrew word that means “hear” and is the first word in the Deuteronomy 6:4-5 passage that Jesus was about to quote to the scribe. It appears that Jesus was saying that the “first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” However, He was only stating the beginning of the Shema. Jesus would quote the “first of all the commandments” in the next verse. Before Jesus quoted the first or greatest commandment, He quoted Moses’ declaration that “The Lord our God is one Lord.” Just as Moses had done in the wilderness, when Jesus quoted this portion of the Shema, Israel was to be aware that their God was one Lord and was to be worshipped wholeheartedly.
2. (vs. 30). In this verse, Jesus continued to say “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Again Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 where it speaks of loving God with our heart, soul and might. However, in this verse, Jesus added the phrase “with all thy mind” which was included in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. The phrase “with all thy heart” was not in the Septuagint, but was in the Hebrew translation, so Jesus combined both the Hebrew and the Greek translations. But His words still mean that we are to love God with our entire being. Therefore, Jesus stated that loving God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength is “the first commandment.” The fact that this was the “first commandment” means that it is the greatest of all the commandments.
3. (vs. 31). Jesus responded further to the scribe’s question adding “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Here Jesus also gave the second greatest commandment. In Matthew’s account the phrase “And the second is like, namely this” reads “the second is like unto it” (see Matthew 22:39). In other words Jesus’ two commandments were inseparable. He said that the second greatest commandment was “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” One cannot have a wholehearted love for God and not have a selfless concern for our neighbors. Since we are all made in God’s image, our love for Him should carry over to love for mankind. If we say that we love God and withhold love from our neighbor, we are nothing but liars (see I John 4:20-21). In the last part of this verse Jesus concluded His answer with “There is none other commandment greater than these.” In Matthew’s account, to stress just how important these two commandments were, Jesus also said that “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (see Matthew 22:40). “The law and the prophets” was the term the Jews used to identify all of their Scriptures. So in essence, Christ was saying that these two commandments, love for God and neighbor sums up the teaching of all scripture (see Deuteronomy 10:12; Micah 6:8).
C. The scribe’s reaction (Mark 12:32-33).
1. (vs. 32). This verse says “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he.” The phrase “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth” indicates that the scribe accepted Jesus’ answer with unqualified approval. Jesus’ words had made a very deep impression on him. The word “Well” can mean “fine” or “well said.” It is an exclamation of approval. The scribe called Jesus “Master” which means “Teacher.” He recognized Jesus as equal to any rabbi or Jewish teacher. As a trained lawyer, the scribe had weighed Jesus’ answer clause by clause. He considered Jesus’ answer to have been well said. The scribe also affirmed the truth of the Shema that Christ had quoted by reaffirming that “there is one God.” He also showed that he understood the uniqueness of God by adding the phrase “and there is none other but he.” The scribe acknowledged that Israel’s God is God alone.
2. (vs. 33). In this verse the scribe continued to say “And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” After confirming that Israel’s God was the only God, here the scribe added something else to his discussion with Jesus. He declared that the dual mandate to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as we do ourselves “is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” In other words, the scribe confirmed that the double law of love is superior to offering sacrifices. “Whole burnt offerings” were meat offerings to God that were completely burnt or consumed upon the altar (see Leviticus 6:22). The terms “offerings” and “sacrifices” are often used interchangeably in the Old Testament. The sacrificial system played a major role in the life of an Israelite. But the scribe understood that the sacrificial system took second place when compared to these two great commandments. The Scriptures teach that obedience to God’s commandments is indeed better than sacrifice (see I Samuel 15:22; Psalms 40:6-7; 51:16-17). The scribe was right in his conclusion.
D. Jesus’ observation (Mark 12:34). Our final verse says “And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.” As the scribe was appraising Jesus’ words, Jesus was also appraising him. This scribe had “answered discreetly” or wisely. His openness and humility before God revealed a favorable acceptance of Christ’s teachings. Recognizing that this scribe had a level of insight that was lacking in most of the religious leaders, Jesus said to him “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” In other words, Jesus was saying that the scribe was close to the kingdom of God. But let’s not forget that close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and slow dancing. Either you’re in the kingdom or you’re not! The phrase “kingdom of God” refers to God’s spiritual rule over those who have trusted Him through faith in Christ. Note: To enter the kingdom, one must be born again (see John 3:3) through the work of the Holy Spirit (see John3:5-6) when one trusts Jesus as Saviour (see John 3:14-17). No doubt, Jesus deliberately made this statement to the scribe to cause further wise thinking on his part. The scribe had an intellectual knowledge of God’s truth (see Mark 12:32-33), but now he needed to make a faith commitment to what he understood to be the truth. He needed to take one more step. He needed to believe in Jesus as his God and Saviour (see Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:35). Then this man would go from being “not far from the kingdom of God” to being inside God’s kingdom. The last phrase of this verse says “And no man after that durst ask him any question.” After this brief discussion with the scribe, none of the religious leaders dared, which is the meaning of “durst,” to ask Jesus any more questions. Jesus had thoroughly silenced His opponents and even caused one scribe to agree with Him.
V. Conclusion. Intelligent agreement with God’s commands is commendable; however it’s not sufficient for entrance into God’s kingdom. Believers realize that faith which leads to eternal life is an issue of the heart, not merely of the mind. Therefore, let us demonstrate our saving faith by loving our God and loving others. This animated love will silence those people whose only desire is to participate in worthless debate and questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment