Vignette 7, for Mark Chapter 12:28-34

“One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had
answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"” (Mr
12:28 NAS95)

Judea at the time of Christ was abuzz with debate about religious matters. Faith
for the 1st Century Jew was demonstrated by works closely tied to the Mosaic Law. To
this day, mitzvoth, good works, are practiced by the Jews out of a sense of honor and
religious obligation to the Law received by Moses on Mt. Sinai, then faithfully
transmitted to the children of Israel.
With the rise and fall of the nation of Israel came this stark reminder, God
promised blessings for faithfulness, curses for disobedience. The Northern Kingdom of
Israel was vanquished by the Assyrians in 720 BC, ultimately expelled from the land
because of their disobedience.
One hundred and forty years later, the remaining two tribes of the Southern
Kingdom of Judah met with their own expulsion. The exile to Babylon would be for a
pre-determined seventy year period.
While punitive in nature, this divine judgment was calculated to bring about a
change in their culture and behavior. During that seventy year period emerged a revival
of devotion and attentiveness to the Law of Moses. The returning exiles took their
religious obligation much more seriously than ever before. God’s judgment worked.
From that religious fervor emerged a system by which the Jews of the restoration
insured themselves against further judgments. They more clearly understood the nature
of their relationship with God. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I
called my son.” (Ho 11:1 RSV)
As God’s children they understood the nature of God’s correction. “…for the
LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” (Pr 3:12
RSV) As is apparent in the Psalms, attentiveness to the Law became the emblem of
religious devotion.
As a result of that devotion and the rigid legalistic system of the day, the question
of an anonymous Scribe comes into focus. "What commandment is the foremost of all?"
(Mr 12:28 NAS95)
To say that their religious system was complex and burdensome is an
understatement as this quote from the Talmud confirms. “…365 negative
commandments like the number of days in the solar year, and 248 positive
commandments corresponding to a person's limbs…” says the Talmud. Talmud Tractate 23b
The Lord Jesus warned against the practice of the Pharisees saying, “They bind
heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will
not move them with their finger.” (Mt 23:4 RSV) This system engendered religious
hypocrisy, as any legalistic system does, overlooking the humanity of faith. While it’s
easy to criticize all forms of legalism, in the case of the Pharisees we must say that they’d
lost their way.
As a system it was founded upon the very best of intentions, but it devolved.
Dressed in tunics of religiosity, the Pharisees exulted while looking down upon all who
did not measure up. Their religion had no compassion, in complete contrast to the nature
of the God they professed to worship.
Humanity has an inclination toward complexity. Baseball fans love statistics.
Governments love bureaucracies. Religions expand, expound upon and espouse
theologies. But the faith that takes decided steps toward simplicity brings blessing to the
largest number of people.
The Lord Jesus is beloved today because He was able to simplify the deeply
complex matters of faith. He taught with illustrations that still have universal appeal;
fields of grain, fields of sheep, coins with inscriptions, things lost, things found, the wind,
the water and bread. Each of these He used to illustrate complex theological concepts in
ways that everyone can understand.
So, when asked about the most important commandment, He took advantage of
the opportunity to simplify things. He quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy and
reminded His hearers that it really doesn’t need to be so complicated and difficult.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy
God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (De 6:4-5 AV)
This declaration is the simple summation of the first part of the Ten
Commandments. “And the second is like it, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself.” (Mr 12:31 AV) Loving neighbors as ourselves is the simple summation of
the second part of the Ten Commandments.
In His response to the scribe, we have the core of the Lord Jesus’ teachings about
religion. Can it really be that simple? Love God, love neighbor? Yes!
However, before we get carried away, we must also remember that He said,
“"Think not that I came to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish
them but to fulfil them.” (Mt 5:17 RSV) But the faith which is in Christ is a faith in
which burdens are made light. We are yoked together with Him and we have found rest
for our souls.
It’s so clear that it’s hard to understand how it is so often lost. Perhaps it’s human
nature to do so. This simple creed runs throughout the breadth of the Bible. Without
exception, this theme, Love God, love neighbor, is the essence and summation of the
Law, the Prophets and the Writings of the Old Testament, as well as the Gospels and
Epistles of the New Testament.
The Apostle John goes so far as to say, “If any one 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. And this commandment we have from him, that he who
loves God should love his brother also.” (1Jo 4:20-21 RSV)
Paul, the Pharisee of Pharisees says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."” (Ga 5:14 RSV) For doers, this is simple.
Hard sometimes, but simple none-the-less.
The point here is that human beings tend to make things more complicated than
they need to be. Our sin doesn’t help matters. We sense that we need to do something,
not fully experiencing the release from guilt that the cross of Christ brings to our lives, as
evidenced in the following statement.
“A study by the University of Parma found that devout Catholics are more likely
to show symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder than less religious people…
environmental factors, such as parenting, are likely to play an important role in its
development, claiming that "as a religion catholicism does rather tend to emphasise
personal responsibility, guilt and right and wrong.” ^ "Religious 'vulnerable to compulsion'". BBC News. 2002-05-30
This simple statement validates the Scribe’s question because devout practitioners
of religion tend to find the cloud rather than the silver lining. That which is intended to
bring forgiveness, peace and joy many times brings guilt, shame and burden because the
standards of verification seem impossibly out of reach. We are grateful that the Lord
Jesus taught so clearly that faith can be quite simple, if we will let it be.
"What commandment is the foremost of all?" The Christian way is love. Love
God, love neighbor. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I
know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith,
hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1Co 13:12-13 RSV)