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Mark 12:28-34
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?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“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.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
New International Version (NIV)
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Have you noticed people will argue over almost anything? If you don’t believe me just make a statement in a crowd. Someone will correct you. Preachers get this all the time. But we are told not to be quarrelsome. One person asked on Twitter last week, “Why do churches fire preachers for bad relationships and misuse of money but ignore them arguing on social media all day?” Good question.
What if someone asked you, “How far is it to the kingdom of God? How close are we now?” It depends on which way you go. In answer to that question, we might get out our maps of the stars and try to imagine where heaven is. In Mark’s gospel, one man was closer to the right answer than most.
When a certain teacher of the law heard Jesus correcting the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees, he was duly impressed. He had always wondered . . . of all the 613 commandments which one is the most important? Jesus answered him with the words of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 and with a verse from Leviticus 18. It turns out that the greatest commandments have to do with love: love for God and love for our neighbors.
For once someone agreed with Jesus. After all the tricksters tried to prove Jesus wrong, this teacher of the law agreed and said “you are right.” He quoted the Shema back to Jesus. This is the verse that the people of God recited in their homes every day. He went farther in saying that the commands to love God and neighbor eclipse all the burnt offerings and sacrifices of the Levitical system.
Seeing his wisdom Jesus said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” All of Jesus’ antagonists stopped talking at this point. Sometimes, almost always, in a world that loves to argue, nothing is a great thing to say. It turns out that if you take the road marked love, you don’t have to go far to find God’s loving rule over your life and the world. So if you are wondering which way to go: take the road named “love.” If you go one way it will lead you to God. Take it the other way and it will lead you to your neighbor. Either way you go, look for the King and you will find out he loves you. He’s not far from you now.
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Pray with me:
Father, you know how we love to be right. We could argue the bark off of a fence post to prove it, too. As we seek to find our way through the maze of life these days, we realize we left the love road a ways back. Lead us back we pray with cords of love. Show us where we lost the path of peace. Put us back on the road to loving you and our neighbors today, so that we find our way home to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Join us in memorizing the Word. Scripture for this week:
Matthew 5:43-44
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
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| Our 2020 Every Day with Jesus readings will follow the Foundations New Testament reading plan. Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy at REPLICATE.ORG
We would love for you to join us as we read the New Testament through this year, five chapters a week. In addition I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year. Use Robby Gallaty’s H. E. A. R. plan to study each chapter (also found at REPLICATE.ORG). Highlight verses which speak to you, explain what they mean in your own words in a journal, apply them to your own life, then respond by doing what God tells you to do.
Joyfully,
Duane
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