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.
-- Mark 12:28-34, ESV
The conflict between Pharisees and Jesus was essentially a sabbath day conflict. Jesus intentionally irked them by doing things they deemed illegal on the sabbath, like healing people of their sicknesses and helping people out of ditches. So, if Jesus answered their question with any commandment other than the fourth, keeping the sabbath, they think they've got Him cornered.
But Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. The rules they made for keeping the sabbath were man-made, not God-given. Furthermore, they concocted these regulations so that they could keep them, take personal pride in keeping them, and show everyone around how they kept them. In doing so, they plainly showed that the person they really loved was not the Lord of the sabbath, but their own puffed up, prideful selves. It was not sabbath love that drove the Pharisees, but self love.
On the flip-side, do not be so in love with yourself that you blow off worship and rest on the Lord's Day. And do not allow modern Pharisees to ruin Sundays for you. Show up in your church, outnumber them, out worship them, and out love them. For Christ's answer calls us to love the sabbath based upon a more biblical and better way to love.
Biblical love begins with God. The supreme being deserves and demands our supreme love. It cannot be half-hearted. It must consume the whole soul. It burns in the inward affection of the heart and mind and lights up the world around us. Those of us who have been created by God in His own image owe our first love to the Creator Himself, not ourselves, for this is biblical love and better love.
Biblical love makes us better people. Love for the Creator overflows into love for the creation, especially our fellow man, woman, boy, and girl. God-fearing and God-loving people make for better neighbors, who embrace the biblical concept of this golden rule.
Jesus' answer and teaching on love began to convert this lone scribe away from legalism and toward the Lord. It began to turn him away from works-based righteousness to a righteousness that can only be found in the gospel. This tells us something extraordinary about the gospel, about love, and about gospel love.
I believe the scribe mentioned in this passage of Scripture was turned by Jesus' tactful answer. I believe he fell in love with God and pledged love for his fellow man, yet he was still not saved. We know this because Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." He wasn't in. What was lacking?
In order to experience the greatest of all loves, the love of God which rescues us from perishing and saves our souls for eternity, you must love God, the true and triune God of the Bible. You must love people, for if you do not love people who you can see, you cannot love the God you cannot. And, you must love Jesus, and the gospel He gives, until almost all other loves pale by comparison. This is love, biblical and better and greater and gracious. This is gospel love.
Chuck DeVane is the pastor of Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs. He is a graduate of Valdosta State University, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Arkansas and Georgia, and preached the gospel across the United States and other countries. Email him at [email protected]
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Reflections Gospel love - Hot Springs Sentinel
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