It's Monday
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You’ve heard that old saying “Its Monday.” You very well might resemble some of these meme of Monday [Show images]. Well Jesus has had a Monday. He has been badgered by three groups of religious leaders with questions trying to trap Him into a conflict with either the people or Rome, that they might destroy him, but each try has failed. We’ve never had a Monday like Jesus, and His was not over yet!
Now as He continues teaching in the temple, there is one more question asked of Him by a scribe. This question is of great importance and I believe was asked in all sincerity.
This morning I want to talk about “It’s Monday” and being close is not good enough.
Text; Mark 12:28-34
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.
1. The Scribes Question; 28
1. The Scribes Question; 28
Scribe- one who was employed for his ability to read and write. An expert in Jewish law, including both canonical and traditional laws and regulations. Usually a Pharisee.
This scribe had listened to all the questions by the religious leaders and was very impressed with the answers Jesus had given.
Questions are very important in life. Asking question is how we learn.
Children ask questions all the time, “Why?” Teenagers and adults ask questions about various things in life like, Does she like me?, Who is the greatest football, baseball or basketball player of all time?, Does this dress make me look fat? Whats for supper? All are valid questions, but none deal with matters of life and death!
But this is the most important question that a Jew will ever ask, and probably man for that matter, “Which is the first [greatest] commandment of all?”
Traditionally the scribes spoke of 613 individual commandments of the Mosaic Law—365 negative ones and 248 positive ones. These commands were the rule of conduct or code of ethics of how a good Jew was to live concerning; religion, family, work, government and society. While all are important and binding on one’s life, he wanted to know which one was the most important or summed them all up.
2. Jesus’ Answer; 29-31
2. Jesus’ Answer; 29-31
Jesus answers by quoting what Israel called the Shema.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Shema- to hear and act upon by faith.
This confession was recited by every devout Jew morning and evening. It was and is as important to Judaism as is the Lord’s Prayer is to Christianity.
The Shema was quoted by all religious Jews every morning and evening. It still is! The Shema was written on small strips of paper and placed in leather boxes called “Phylacteries”. These leather boxes were worn on the forearms and on the foreheads. This was an effort to literally fulfill the command of Deut. 6:8, where the Lord said, “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.” Orthodox Jews around the world still use these phylacteries.
The Shema was also written down and placed in a small round box called a “Mezuzah” and placed on all the doors in the home. This served to remind the Jews of God in their going out and coming in. Most orthodox Jews still use the Mezuzah today. This is an effort to fulfill the command of Deut 6:9, where the Lord said, “And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”
Carr, A. (2019). The Topical Sermon Notebook: Mark (Mk 12:29–31). Wordsearch.
Love God- before one will obey the law that person must first love the Lawgiver. Loving God goes beyond emotions, it begins with “all” our commitment and loyalty to God first.
The context of the Shema is instructive/take action.
To love God is to obey His commandments and statutes teaching them to others.
2 that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
To love God is to teach His commands by living them
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
To love God is to remember where He brought you from
12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
To love God means you must not follow other gods.
14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you
15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
We are to do this with “all” our heart, soul, mind and strength
All your heart- the heart is the core of man’s being. The heart causes us to give/do good or bad.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
All your soul- the soul is the seat of your emotions and will. Our love for God should be emotional but it also should be intentional.
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
All your mind- intellect, knowledge, understanding
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
All your strength- abilities, gifts, talents and skills
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
The best picture in scripture to love God with all our being is found in Ps. 42:1-2
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Jesus takes it a step farther by adding that if we will Love God Supremely then we will be able to have a Genuine Love for our Neighbors.
18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
3. Close Is Not Good Enough; 32-34
3. Close Is Not Good Enough; 32-34
The scribe had come to understand that religion and rituals will never be enough to bring a person into an intimate relationship with God. Religion and rituals can be practiced without one having a love for God. People come to church for various reasons and many of them are not because of a desire for intimacy with the LORD!
22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.
6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Jesus was pleased with the scribes answer and he urged him to continuing seeking the Lord. This man seems to be a decent, respectable, religious man. His life was probably an example to most people. But being close to the kingdom of God is not good enough. Entering the kingdom of God is not a matter of following a list of do’s and don’ts, rituals and ceremonies, it’s a matter of the heart. He was at salvations door but he needed to take the step of faith.
It’s possible for a person to have a religious upbringing and still be lost.
It’s possible to know the truth and still be lost.
It’s possible to have heard the Gospel preached all your life and still be resting on your own goodness and good works.
It’s possible to be Gospel hardened and to seal your own damnation while sitting on a church pew.
It’s possible to be within an inch of Heaven and still die and go to Hell.
Remember the rich young ruler in [Mark 10]. He asked, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” [He kept the commands, he followed the rules from a youngster.] But remember Jesus told him it wasn’t about following rules but about loving God.
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Religion has never saved anyone. Only a relationship with Jesus can do that!
Close;
Jesus loves you this morning, more than any of us could ever imagine. He wants us to know His love, feel His love and embrace His love. But we first have to trust Him to clean us up from our sin.
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.
Cry out to Jesus this morning in your troubles and let Him save you!
Close is not good enough! You need to enter in today!
Invitation
Tomorrow is Monday. You can face Monday with Jesus [Happy Image] or without Him [Sad Image]. The choice is yours!