The Greatest Commandement

Mark 12:28–34 NKJV

28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments 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, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.

An Honest Question

The Scribe came to ask a sincere question.

The pharisees and the Sadducees had come only to try to trip Jesus in His Words

many times people ask questions that are not really questions

The Pharisees had no interest in seeing that people gave to God - the wanted to trap Jesus

The Sadducees asked Jesus a rhetorical question about the resurrection — but they don’t even believe in the resurrection

The scribe who came to ask this question is often lumped in with those, as someone who was also trying to trip Jesus up

But he was a bystander, who had “heard them reasoning” and “perceived that Jesus answered wisely.

He had devoted his life to studying and copying the scriptures - they were important to him -

Yet for all his knowledge,t here were things he did not understand -

He knew all of the commandments - hundreds of them - but which is the greatest? Which is the most important?

As he listened to Jesus answer the pharisees and Sadducees, he was so impressed, he thought maybe he could learn from him

His question was sincere. And honest attempt to grow in his faith and knowledge of God.

Which is the First (greatest) Commandment?

It is true that all sin is wrong - and that if you have sinned then you have broken the law = (James)

Yet there must be some sins that are worse than others

this is reasonable to believe.

It is hard to imagine that God would be as angry over saying a curse word as HE is over murder.

Likewise, everything God instructs us to do, we should do.

We should all strive to be as Samuel who never let a word the Lord spoke fall to the ground

But surely some instructions are more important than others

There must be a difference between the command to not eat pork and the command to honor your father and mother.

So, if some are more important, and you want to please God

then it would be good to know which is the most important - How do I please God the most?

That is the question we find this man asking, from a sincere heart

Questions that we ask in sincerity are not despised by God - He is pleased that we seek to know Him

Love The LORD Your God

There is One Lord, and the Lord is One - The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit

You Shall Love The Lord -

with all you heart --- this is your spirit, your innermost being - you emotions, desire, feelings -

The heart, the part that is even before words are formed in your mind

When You hear of Him, or Think of Him, what do you feel?

Is it pleasant? Is it joyful? Are you glad?

Or, is it like cough syrup? Something you take, but you don’t really like it.

When you Love Him with all your heart, the mere mention of Him invokes a pleasant, good, confident, feeling. Glad.

With all your soul. - this is the union of spirit and flesh - the place where the two come together - also, the place of worship, religion, spirituality

As a side note— Religion is not bad. It was ordained by God — it is expected of us

So many of the Selfian - pseudo churches these days are trying to redefine the word religion — and cal lit bad

I have even heard some confused preachers make the statement that “God hates religion” — that is simply not true.

Religion is the expression of our worship of God - the physical expression, and the ways and rituals for it, of the spiritual God, who we cannot see.

It should be, and it must be from love.

James wrote of “Pure religion”, undefiled - and described it as caring for widows and orphans, and not being blemished by the world.

Your soul involves feelings and desires, plans - singing and the joy in worship expression

With all your mind - obviously here, He speaks of your thoughts

IF you love God in your thoughts, it will be reflected in your life

what do you think about most of the time?

Does you love of God affect your thoughts at all?

With all your strength — the things we do - your works

Yes, your works matter -

again there are false teachers who say that what we do does not matter — but it does

The good we do, the bad we do not do, should be shaped by our love for god

in fact,these works will be shaped by what we love — Love for God will bring forth good works

and evil tree cannot bring good fruit.

This is the first and greatest commandment — there is nothing greater than to Love The Lord

When we love Him, it will influence everything else we do.

No One Can Serve God Who Does Not Love God

I have said this before, anyone who does not love God, will reject God.

There is no other reason to become a Christian, but for Love of God -

We preach pf heaven and hell, and we should

But no one can truly be a Christian - can remain saved, who is only interested in the reward, or afraid of the punishment

If your only reason for serving God is the reward you get, it will never be enough

think about anyone you know who only gets things given to them - the more they receive, the less the appreciate - often

Spoil a child by giving them everything they want — what happens when you say no?

those who only follow God for the reward will eventually come to resent Him - when they think they should have more

this resentment breeds comtempt

Likewise nobody can serve God for fear of hell

if they only reason you follow someone is becasue of threat of consequence, eventually you will hate that person

fear and intimidation may get a person on the right track, but they will not keep them there.

But those who serve of pure love, are pleased to do so.

they can say like Job, though He slay me yet will I trust Him.

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.

The second commandment is like it — love others as yourself

what if people int he world really did this?

If anything is really missing right now - it is genuine love - for our fellow man

Jesus warned that in these last days, becasue lawlessness would abound, the love of many would grow cold.

Here again I hear this passage often distorted and re-defined by today’s selfian culture

I often here this passage read and then immediately morphed into a statement about how you cannot love others until you learn to love yourself

then the preacher or motivational speaker goes into a whole message on al the ways you can love yourself and make your own life better

wonderful self help - self self self and some more self

and to be honest, I like it to, who doesn’t like to be made to feel good?

But that is not what this passage is talking about -

You can love others just fine with no self esteem

Most of the time when I see people lack love of others it is becasue they are too stuck on their own self importance - not the opposite.

In fact, much of what is wrong with the world and the church today is that men have become lovers of their own selves - reject that doctrine ffolks

That teaching also does not align with scripture

2 Timothy 3:1–2 NKJV

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Romans 15:2–3 NKJV

2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

2 Corinthians 5:15 NKJV

15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Philippians 2:20–21 NKJV

20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.

Ezekiel 36:25–26 NKJV

25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:31 NKJV

31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.

You will find this pattern of acknowledgement of personal sin, and regret, throughout the bible - Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel -that is a healthy self esteem -

Romans 12 reminds us that we should not esteem ourselves moe highly than he ought to think —

When we have the right humility, it become easier to love others -

when we truly realize that we ourselves have nothing that was not given to us - then it is easy to see everyone else as worthy of the same love.

The best exercise to improve your own self esteem is likely to show love to others also.

Loving others from a sincere heart releases something in us, something that causes our own lives to be better - we are more satisfied with ourselves when we love others.

This love of others is so important, that Paul siad in 1 Cor. that if we lack it, everything else profits nothing:

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NKJV

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love your neighbor (not just you family), as yourself

how much do you really love others?

those that disagree with you?

those that say and do stupid things?

Those that mock you and persecute you?

Can you love your enemies?

Better Than Offerings and Sacrifices

The scribe acknowledged Jesus’ answer, and went on to acknowledge that doing this, Loving God and people, is better than all the offerings and sacrifices

better than all the money or goods that you can ever give

Better than “sacrifice”, all the things you can do, the works you perform for religion, the sinful pleasures you forego for God.

Better than all of these, is Love — Loving God - Loving People

Not Far From The Kingdom of God

Jesus saw that he answered wisely --

when you understand this you are closer to God

just to understand the need to love God

understanding he difference between works of religion and works of love

between gifts of religion and gifts of love

between acts of lawful obedience and acts of Love

Loving God, loving His people.

Is not This to know Me, says the Lord.

Purpose in your hear to love Him, and you are not far from the Kingdom of God.