BEHIND THE BOOK Connecting to the Bible (Observation) MARK 12:28-34 (READ VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS) NOVEMBER 6 TH, 2016 RESOURCES: THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT THE PILLAR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY MARK 1-8: TIM CHESTER MARK: 9-16: TIM CHESTER MARK: 1-8: JOHN MacARTHUR: THE MacARTHUR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY MARK: 9-16: JOHN MacARTHUR: THE MacARTHUR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY THE KING S CROSS: TIM KELLER Introduction: God is love (1 John 4:7). Everything God does is motivated by love. Everything he does, he does in love. We could define Christianity as God s love. Christians are people who fulfill the great(est) commandment by loving God (Mark 12:30) first and most. Condemnation began when Adam and Eve loved themselves more than God. Eternal life begins when we love God, albeit imperfectly and culminates with loving God perfectly in heaven. This confrontation transpired on Wednesday of Jesus passion week. All week the Sanhedrin (Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes) had been trying to trick Jesus. They feared the people (Matt 21:46) because the people considered Jesus to be a prophet. These three groups tried to disprove that claim. The Pharisees and Herodians made the first attempt (Mark 12:13-17); the Sadducees made the second attempt (vs 18-27) and then the scribes attempted to trick Jesus. 1
First: A Scribes Approach 12:28a This is the third and final test Jesus endured from the Sanhedrin. Interestingly, This is the one story in Mark where a scribe approaches Jesus on amicable terms and where a scribe is commended by him (JE). Nonetheless, the real spirit of the scribes is revealed in 12:38-40. The Pharisees first approached Jesus, then the Sadducees and now the scribes. This shows that Jesus is engaged in non-stop challenge and debate in the temple (JE). These attempts are an ongoing fulfilment of Psalm 2:2 which says The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed Scribes were Israel s rabbis (Matt 23:6-7), the official and trusted interpreters of the law, particularly the Torah or the law of Moses The particular scribe who approached Jesus had already overheard the previous arguments and watched them fail. This particular scribe came up and heard and seeing [and] asked him (v 28) Second: The Scribe s Question 28b The Pharisees and Sadducees disagreed about much of the Old Testament but they both agreed on the law of Moses; the first five books of the Bible. So this question was one they could all agree about the answer. The Sadducees hoped Jesus would provide an answer that was not found in the Torah. This would imply Jesus thought he could answer on behalf of God without the Bible and be guilty of making himself God. But Jesus fully supported the Old Testament: Matthew 5:17-18 - Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. The scribes determined the Torah contained 613 laws because there were 613 letters in the Hebrew text of the Ten Commandments. The rabbis divided those 613 laws into 248 positive affirmations and 365 negative prohibitions. They also divided them into heavy and light laws. Breaking the heavy commandments received the severest penalty. Jesus recognized this manmade division when he said Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments (Matthew 5:19). Twenty years before this question, Rabbi Hillel summarized the Torah as a negation of the Golden Rule: What you would not want done to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the entire Torah, everything else is interpretation. A century after this question Rabbi Akiba 2
quoted Leviticus 19:8 as the summation of the Torah You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Unable to keep the law however, the rabbis created their own traditions (Mark 7:5-13). In their effort to trap Jesus, they asked him to do what no one had ever been able to do before: reduce the law of God to one single law that, if obeyed, fulfilled all the law. The scribe s question is not really translated in any version of Scripture. He isn t asking which commandment is the most important (NIV/ESV) but which commandment supersedes everything and is incumbent on all humanity including Gentiles (JE). His real question is more like What is the most comprehensive commandment of them all? This would mean it was: a) first, b) most important, c) contained the heart of all the commandments and d) fulfilled them all by its completion. Third: Jesus Old Testament Response 29-31 Jesus response satisfied the Sadducees because it came from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). It satisfied the Pharisees because it came from the Old Testament. It satisfied this scribe because it rightly summarized the heart and intent of the whole law. Jesus replied using the famous Shema, from the verb to hear. Shema Yisrael (or Sh'ma Yisrael; Hebrew: י שׂ ר א ל ;שׁ מ ע "Hear, [O] Israel") are the first two words of a section of the Torah, and is the title (sometimes shortened to simply Shema) of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. The first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Hebrew: י שׂ ר א ל ה' א לה ינוּ ה' א ח ד,(שׁ מ ע found in Deuteronomy 6:4, sometimes alternatively translated as "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone." Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah (religious commandment). It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/shema_yisrael Moses was 120 years old when God revealed the Shema to the Jewish people. Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelief. Deuteronomy (second law) was God s recitation of Israel s history and his law to a new generation. God s instructions to Israel can be summed up in these verses: Deuteronomy 5:32-33 - You shall be careful therefore to do as the LORD your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. Love in the Shema is the Greek word agapao. It is our response to God s revelation as the one, true God who is alone worthy to be worshipped (Exodus 20:3). 3
The Shema requires whole-person love. The word all is used four times to connotate the whole person and total response required. God is not only the God of Israel but the God of the whole world. The whole world owes him love. He lays the rightful claim to every facet of human personality: a) heart (=emotion), b) soul (=spirit), c) mind (=intelligence), and d) strength (=will). Each of the four commandments is prefaced by the Greek preposition ex, meaning from the source of rather than by means of. Thus, we are commanded to love God not simply with our whole heart, but from our heart (JE). The Hebrew and Greek versions of Deut 6:4-5 require a threefold response of love from the heart, soul and strength. Mark adds the fourth response, the whole mind or understanding. In Hebrew thinking - a) The heart is the core of a person s identity; the source of all thoughts, words and actions Proverbs 4:23 - Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. b) The soul provides emotions Matthew 26:38 - My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch [a] with me. c) The mind embraces the will, our intents and purposes d) Strength refers to physical energy This means that biblical love, genuine love is an intelligent love, an emotional love, a willing love and an active love. In short, it is a comprehensive, all-consuming and singular adoration. (JM) V 31a - The second part of Jesus response is inseparable from the first. In it, Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:8, adding it to the Shema, informing us that both commandments are required to fulfil God s will concerning the greatest commandment. The Jews defined neighbor as other Jews. But Jesus defined neighbor as any human being. As illustrated by the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Pharisees and Sadducees did not love their neighbors and they definitely did not love their enemies. 4
But anyone who loves God loves what God loves. This is how we demonstrate love, not only to our neighbor but first and foremost, to God. Jesus is not teaching a dualistic commandment. Loving God is the prerequisite to loving our neighbor. Without loving God first, we will not appropriately love our neighbor. Loving God is the means to loving our neighbor. Loving our neighbors is loving God. This makes love very practical and takes it out of the theoretical realm. 1 John 4:20 - If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. The command to love people as we love ourselves should not be used for self-love. Jesus is not asking us to love ourselves. He is acknowledging that we already love ourselves. Adam and Eve were motivated by self-love above their love for God. Two very important articles to read before Sunday: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/self-love-and-the-christian-counselors-task http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-goal-of-gods-love-may-not-be-what-you-think-it-is In summary, Jesus meant, Be as concerned about the happiness and the well being of others as you are about your own. That is devastating. We ought to want to fill other bellies as much as we want to fill our own at breakfast or supper. Do you desire a meal? Want others to have meals. Seek to relieve other s suffering as much as you take aspirin, ibuprofen, get treatment, go to the doctor. Want that for others. Make the desires that you have for your own comfort and security and success and happiness the measure of how intensely and creatively and consistently you desire and pursue these things for others. http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-s-thedifference-between-self-love-and-self-esteem V 31b - Jesus sums up the greatest command stating There is no other commandment greater than these. In Matthew 22:40 he added, On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. The first four of the Ten Commandments center on loving God and the last six define loving our neighbors. Fourth: The Scribe s Reaction 32-34 32-33 The scribe s reaction sums up the Sanhedrin s failure to trap Jesus. Jesus was correct. He acknowledged that Jesus was right and then repeated Jesus answer in a summary statement: a) You are right b) There is only one God c) There is no god beside or besides God d) Loving God and our neighbor is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices 5
The scribe knew what the Pharisees and Sadducees should acknowledge loving God is the purpose and end of the law. The law cannot save. Only God can save. The law was the scaffolding to build and evidence a love for God. Only love for God will motivate us to keep the law. The most sacred duties must not substitutes for a right relationship with God or loving God. In fact, duties are the expression of love for God and a demonstration of that right relationship. 34 Sadly, not far is not far enough. The scribe knew the right answer but would he do the right thing? Would be forsake the law as a means of salvation for loving God which is salvation? Would he see that the law was really a law of love? Would love motivate him to keep the law, not to be saved but as a means to love God? As is true of the scribe, One draws near to the kingdom of God not by proper theology but by drawing near to Jesus (JE). The scribe had a proper theology but it kept him from Jesus. He was satisfied with it and saw nothing, in this case, no one, beyond the law. Paul states I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:1-5). The purpose of the law is to point us to Christ. It convicts us our sin and the necessity of someone to fulfil the law on our behalf. That person is Christ. The scribe saw the law and rejoiced in it and its correct interpretation and application. Sadly, he did not see Jesus as the Law-Giver and fulfiller of the law. In this regard, the law, intended to draw him to Jesus, kept him from Christ. V 34b At this point, the Sanhedrin recognizes they will not be able to defame Jesus before the people. The wording in the verse is strong, signifying that Jesus has prevailed over the challenges from the Sanhedrin (11:27-33) and its various constituencies the Pharisees (12:13-17), Sadducees (12:18-27), and scribes (12:23-34). Jesus has bested the field and the debate is closed (JE). Their tactics change from slandering him before Israel to incriminating him before the Romans. For Your Consideration: This is a perfect text to follow Life Action s ministry. Why? Because the ministry centers on defining God as our satisfaction and locating and demolishing idols; false substitutes. This text centers on loving God first and foremost. This love enables us to love others without turning friends or enemies into idols. 6
1 - What is the difference between loving God with your whole heart and from your whole heart? Loving God with our hearts can mean we love him along with other things of equal value. But loving God from our hearts means He is the center and has the heart of our hearts. 2 - Why is it important to love God before loving our neighbor? Because God defines love. If we love our neighbor without loving God we will inappropriately love our neighbor. Contemplate 1 Cor 13:4-7. 3 Why can we not love God but not love our neighbor? God created our neighbor. He loves his creation. There was a time that we were God s enemies but he loved us. If God can love his enemies we, stewarding God s creation and the gospel, are put on earth to represent God to the world. Not loving people misrepresents God. 4 - How can the law being a good person, knowing and doing the right things, keep us from Jesus and salvation? We can take the law, given to evidence God s holiness and our sinfulness and turn it into a ladder to get to heaven. If we think we can keep the law, or most of the law, or some of the law, we can become satisfied in what we can do. In so doing, we fail to recognize that God s standard is perfection. 5 - How is the scribe a good illustration of this reality? The scribe approved of Jesus statement that the greatest commandment was to love God and others. But he didn t see God in front of him, nor did he love Jesus. He was so consumed with his knowledge and self that me missed Jesus and salvation. 6 What is our relationship to the law? God gave the law to: a) Reveal his character b) Provide guidelines for healthy relationships with Him and others c) Prove our sinfulness d) Motivate us to seek a cure for our sin Before we know Christ, the law is a burden. All it does is condemn us. In it we see our shortcomings. After we know Christ, the law is a joy. We delight to do it, are enabled to fulfil it by God s Spirit and see it as a great blessing for ourselves and others. 7 How does loving God first keep us from making idols of friends and enemies? If we love God first we will properly love people. If they help us we rejoice in their kindness. If they hurt us we are not overwhelmed with sorrow. But no friend or foe should be able to make us happy or sad. They can add to our happiness and add to our sorrow. But happiness and sorrow are dependent on our relationship to God. Loving God first keeps us from loving people too much or too little; both are expressions of loving people incorrectly. ---------------------------------------------- 7
Behind the Book is only one aspect of Heritage s teaching ministry which seeks to employ our church s mission statement: Connecting to God, Growing with Others and Impacting the world. On Wednesday evenings we connect to Sunday morning s Bible passage and discover what it says through in-depth Bible study. Sunday morning in corporate worship (9:30am) we grow from the passage by learning what it means for our daily living. In Community Groups (10:45am) we practically apply the text, being impacted by it and learning to impact the world with it. CGI provides a balanced approach to life and Bible study; an upward look (Connect), an inward look (Grow) and an outward look (Impact) ensuring that our mission fulfils our vision to be a God-centered, Great Commission congregation. It s a well-known and beneficial way to approach the Bible Connect/Observation, Grow/Interpretation, Impact/Application. It s also a Trinitarian approach to Scripture: Connecting to the Father, Growing in Christ and Impacting the world by the Spirit, so that the way we study the Bible daily reminds us about who our God is and how he is unique among all religions of the world. 8