Scriptures: Mark 12:28-34; Matthew 22:34-46
The Great Commandment
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together. Knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 The second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 The scribe said to him, “Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he, 33 and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.” No one dared ask him any question after that.
Matthew 22:34-46
But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him.
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”
43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’
45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
46 No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.
Just before this incident, the Sadducees had tried to trick him with a question about marriage in the resurrection. Jesus stunned them and they could answer back. (see previous reading)
In today’s reading we see the Pharisees trying to have a go at Jesus, to see if THEY could trip him up in his words. It was a scribe who posed the question about which was the greatest commandment. Jesus again answered well.
“The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. The second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)
I was surprised at the scribes reply here in Mark (“Truly, teacher, you have said well…”), and how Jesus acknowledges that he answered wisely and said: “You are not far from God’s Kingdom.”
How gracious Jesus is, even to this religious man.
And how different this scribe was to the other Pharisees, in that he answered Jesus in a kind way.
Jesus won again in answering his opponents, that they dared not to ask him any more questions.
Colossians 4:5-6 BSB Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
I’m Anuhu Boyi from BAUCHI state north east Nigeria,
I’m really blessed for your teaching