The Greatest Commander
Preached by Jason Abbott
May 4, 2014
Last week Benjamin compared Jesus to a ninja fighting off all the religious leaders’ attacks in chapters 11 and 12 of Mark. I liked the image; I found it helpful. Like a ninja, Jesus has an answer for every attack.I hope you’ll allow me to alter that image for today’s sermon just a little bit. Here I want to compare Jesus to Rocky Balboa in Rocky III fighting Clubber Lang. At a point in their second fight, he invites Lang to give him his very best punches. Rocky urges him on:
You ain't so bad, you ain't so bad, you ain't nothin'. C'mon, champ, hit me in the face! My mom hits harder than you!
Lang hits Rocky over and over again with his very best punches. However, he can’t knock Rocky out. Finally, after Lang has taken his best shots and failed, Rocky starts to throw some punches of his own.Like Rocky, Jesus allows the religious leaders to take their very best shot. Yet, time after time they fail to score the knockout; Jesus answers every challenge. Today’s passage is the final punch—the final challenge before Jesus will begin, next week, throwing a few punches of his own.This is why Mark explains at the end of today’s passage:
And after that no one dared ask him any more questions (v. 34).
Or, I might have written:
And after that no one dared throw any more impotent, ineffective punches because they knew they could not knock Jesus to the canvas!
You see, Mark is transitioning us (in his narrative) to watch as Jesus goes on the offensive and “intellectually” and “theologically” knocks out every single one of his opponents.But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Jesus must first absorb and answer one final question from a far less antagonistic scribe.So, let’s read this account and then pray for our time in God’s word.
Mark 12:18-34
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.In order for us to unpack this passage, we’ll look at it from two directions: (1) we’ll unpack this final match between Jesus and the religious establishment then (2) we’ll attempt to get at what meaning this match has for us today.
1. The Match:
Let’s look at this encounter’s details.
a. What kind of scribe is this?
Some of you might object that I’ve likened this encounter to a boxing match. You might argue that this scribe seems to be a pretty sincere and friendly fellow—not at all like Clubber Lane in Rocky III.To this, I’d partly agree. This scribe isn’t nearly as antagonistic as the others. In fact, he does seem to bring his question before Jesus, with some sincerity, here. But, the Bible tells us that it’s messy with this one.So, Matthew’s gospel story records of this scribe:
…one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him (Matthew 22:35).
So, clearly, there is some testing here, a sincere one, but a test nonetheless!Thus, when we compare the accounts, we begin to see this scribe differently. He begins to appear more of a person, in process, and less of a static character. Perhaps, sparring with Jesus is beginning to change him.Illustration: This is often how one comes to faith; isn’t it?I’ve a friend who used to be agnostic about God but is beginning to change. He has been throwing his best punches for years but is now starting to grow weary. You see, he can’t seem to knock Jesus out!Recently, when I asked him how things were, in his spiritual sparring match, he texted me this response:
I’m glad to be, I hope, [on] a path to faith and belief in Jesus Christ—as he is—not as I want him [to be]. It’s hard for me, but I do need God and a relationship with Christ. But it doesn’t happen overnight.
My friend is so very right! Deep and real faith doesn’t happen overnight. And, as it’s not happening overnight with my friend, so too, it’s not happening overnight with the scribe in this passage. He is (I think) in transition at this point, from an enemy to a friend of God, from a tester of Jesus to a testifier about Jesus! He (I believe) is in process!I hope I’m right, and I hope I will someday meet him as a brother in eternity!
Well, let’s get back to the match’s details.
b. What kind of question is this from the scribe?
It’s a legal question, and it’s a question of legislative importance or priority. Basically, he’s asking Jesus: As I uphold the law, on what law should I primarily focus my attention? Which one is most important to God? If I only kept one law then which law should I keep?This “question arose out of a works-righteousness understanding of the law and the keeping of its commandments.”1 You see, this scribe wants to sincerely know how he can obtain or earn God’s favor. So, seeing that Jesus answers well, he brings this debated and difficult question to him.People today are very similar to this scribe in their conceptions about God. We all have a works righteousness default mode into which we slip now and again. If you ask the general populous (at least all those who confess to believe in God) why they think they should be in heaven, most will likely tell you that it’s because they hope that they have been a pretty good person—done more good things than they have bad things.Yet, this idea about God—according to Scripture—is absolutely wrong! Thus, Isaiah explains in the Old Testament:
We have all become like one who is unclean, / and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment (Isaiah 64:6).
In short, there is nothing we can do to make ourselves righteous before God. And, this scribe should have known better. Perhaps, a more theologically astute question for Jesus would have been: How can anyone obey the law at all?!Yet, Jesus does answer this scribe’s question, and it’s very interesting that, in doing so, Jesus does acknowledge a fundamental or primary commandment.What are the match’s details here?
c. What kind of answer is this?
Well, first, it’s an impossible answer! Look at what Jesus says:
The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these (vv. 29-31).
Do you see? The standard, of this most foundational command, is perfection. Jesus says, Sure there is a primary, foundational, most important commandment! Then, he expresses that command (and another that must go with it) in its fullness! Notice that “Four times in v. 30 the word ‘all’ is repeated, emphasizing the necessity of a total response of love to the lordship of God.”2
And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher” (v. 32).
And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher” (v. 32).Yet, perhaps, the scribe should have considered what this meant for him! For, no one can love God so completely—with all of their emotions all the time, with all of their spirit all the time, with all of their intellect all the time, with all of their will all the time!Jesus’ answer is an impossible answer!Second, we must notice that Jesus is quoting the Old Testament here. Specifically he’s quoting Deuteronomy:
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 might (Deut. 6:4-5).
But, where’s all your mind at? The answer is it’s not part of Deuteronomy! Jesus has added it. One scholar makes the possible implications clear:
[It] is…possible that Jesus added a fourth article to the Shema…. If so, the change from threefold to fourfold response to God is a further example of Jesus’…sovereign authority, in interpreting the Torah.3
If this is so (and I believe it is) then this scribe has missed an important clue. Jesus is claiming, through and in his answer, extreme authority, divine authority! He’s claiming to have ultimate authority to interpret the Scriptures!It’s a claim to be the Messiah, the Christ! Yet, this scribe has apparently missed that implication—at least for now.Let’s move on to consider why this matters for us.
2. The Meaning:
Have you ever considered that Jesus is asked for 1 command but gives 2? That’s strange isn’t it.
a. Why does Jesus give two commands?
The short answer is the commands cannot be separated. They’re one answer.Look, most individuals today will accept the second part of Jesus’ answer. They say, Sure…we should love our neighbors sort-of like we love ourselves. However, such a rule has no power apart from a God who has commanded this, and who has demonstrated this.What I mean is that, without a love for God and his command to love others, loving our neighbor simply becomes an ethic driven by our personal preference. We are the gods who have preferred this ethic, and, consequently, we are the gods who can prefer to hate our neighbor when it becomes inconvenient to love him! You see, without the God who has spoken, we simply go about imagining a god in our own image and serving a god of our own imagination!Yet, someone might argue that non-Christians are often good neighbors. This is quiet true. But, you see, I’m not arguing that they can’t be good neighbors, I’m arguing that (without God) there is no ultimate or unchanging reason for them to always be good neighbors!Also, to love one’s neighbor without first loving God is, in biblical terms, merely self-worship. In short, you love your neighbor because you love the command you have established as the god of your own life.Here’s the take away. If you are a Christian then you must love your neighbor as yourself (you have no say in the matter) because God commands this. Moreover, God has demonstrated such a love ethic for you in Jesus.
There must be no insurmountable grudge for the Christian.
There must be no assertion of our own, personal ethic of love.
There must be no self-worship if we’ve truly been loved by God and, therefore, now love God.
Consider Jesus’ words in this passage the next time you say something like: Sure I love God, but I have had more than enough of this idiot neighbor of mine! I’m not going to try and love him anymore!Next, have you ever considered what it might mean for us that Jesus commends this scribe?
b. Why is this scribe not far from the kingdom of God?
Is it because he is so smart? Probably not since, as we have already seen, he missed the magnitude of much of what Jesus had said.
Is it because he is so nice? Nope! Since, as Matthew’s gospel indicates, he came in part to test Jesus
What, then, is the reason for such an encouragement from the Son of God? What attribute has brought this man near to the kingdom of God?In instance after instance, when the religious leaders confront and test Jesus, they leave the encounter in greater opposition to Jesus than even when they came. Let me read just a few descriptions:
After Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath, Mark records: The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against Jesus, how to destroy him (3:6).
After Jesus condemns the temple, Mark writes: And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy Jesus…(11:18).
Following Jesus’ telling of the parable of the longsuffering landowner, Mark explains: And the religious leaders were seeking to arrest Jesus…(12:12).
But, here is a notable exception to the general rule of greater opposition. This scribe praises Jesus’ answer. Contrary to his peers, this guy sides with Jesus. This is not only very dangerous for this scribe but is also an act of great humility. And, it is precisely this humility that brings him near the kingdom of God!You see, unless we—like this scribe—are able to humbly submit to Jesus, despite the disdain of our peers and the social costs which it will certainly entail, then we will forever stray far from the kingdom of God.Let me close by praying against such obstacles whether you are a believer or a seeker who is here to honestly test whether Jesus is good.
1Walter W. Wessel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Mark, 737.
2James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, 371.
3Ibid.
