Mark 12:28-34--The Great Commandment

Mark 12:28-34
English Standard Version
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The Great Commandment
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And 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.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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With the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees having been bested by Jesus, one of the scribes (an "expert" in the Scriptures) came forward to ask Jesus a question--probably a genuine question because of Jesus's evaluation of the man in verse 34.

Jesus first answered this "catechism" question with the standard "catechism" answer by quoting the Shema, but he threw everyone off by adding the second greatest commandment to it--that wasn't part of the traditional answer to this traditional question.  By adding this extra bit, Jesus showed His knowledge of the Scriptures and His authority that was not derivative (He was not simply quoting what someone else taught Him).  His teaching was flawless so that even the scribes and experts in the Law did not argue with Him.  This man who was an expert in the Scriptures didn't come to hear the traditional answer to this traditional question--he was looking for Jesus to truly help him answer the question because he knew it was impossible to obey all the commands in the Law and he wondered if there was just one that was the most important to keep.  Jesus narrowed it down to two, and these two left the man in the same place--completely unable to keep either of them and without hope of ever being able to be justified by his own works.

The scribe even restated what Jesus said and agreed these commandments were more important than the totality of the Law that focused on burnt offerings and sacrifices--if people obeyed these commandments completely, there would be no need for such sacrifices.

Jesus then saw that the scribe answered wisely (it was Jesus who was testing the scribe, not the other way around) and Jesus evaluated him as being close to the kingdom of God.  He knew his own inadequacy, but now he needed to cry out to God for mercy.  Jesus was about to make a way for this man, and I hope that he understood and believed on Jesus's substitutionary death, burial and resurrection as payment for his sins and that we see this scribe in the new heavens and the new earth.