Scripture - Mark 12:28-31; The Greatest Commandment
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.”
Highlight verse: 30~"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, He spent it avoiding traps set by the priests, and teaching, much of it in parables.
For more on this day, read Matthew 21:23 - 24:51; Mark 11:27 - 13:37; Luke 20:1 - 21:36. Here we will focus on this one exchange.
Remember, they were looking for ways to convict Jesus. But look at this statement: "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."
Does this conflict with anything in the Law?
Is He not reaffirming their own beliefs?
They could not see Him for who He was. The claimed to seek the truth, yet the Truth was right in front of them. Their concern with not being wrong outweighed their desire to be right.
Let this not be us! This Easter season, we should look beyond what we've 'always heard' and ensure that the Christ we seek, is the one, true, living God.
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Does anything Jesus says in the Bible bother you? Has God led you to anything that you disagreed with?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
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