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?” Jesus answered, “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.’” Mark 12:28-30
In the final week of Jesus' life before the cross, the religious leaders are attempting to build a case against him. Jesus has challenged them in the temple area, and now they are challenging him in return.
And it's not going very well for the religious leaders. The Pharisees and Herodians failed in their attempt to pit him against Rome or the populace. And the Sadducees failed to get him to say the future resurrection is a silly doctrine. Each group was rebuffed by Jesus' wise words.
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?”
Scribes were legal students of the Old Testament Scriptures. So this man was an inspector of the Bible. As he listened to Jesus adeptly handle theological challengers, he concluded that he answered them well (28).
Jesus' wise answers pushed the man to ask a question: "Which commandment is the most important of all?” (28)
Before reading Jesus' answer, we must ask if this scribe was sincere in his question. A reading of Matthew's account of this episode makes him seem hostile to Jesus, but Mark portrays the man as an honest inquirer. He thought Jesus answered the others well (28). After Jesus answered, he agreed with Jesus (32). And Jesus considered his reply a wise one (34). Finally, Jesus said of him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (34). All this indicates that the scribe's question was less combative than the questions of the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees.
As an aside, this is instructive for how we conduct debate and dialogue about the faith. As this man watched Jesus respond to his opposers, he was moved. I doubt Jesus moved any of his challengers -- they seem entrenched in their positions -- but this onlooking scribe was moved. And today, when speaking about Christianity publicly, we must remember the onlooker. Online (not ideal) or in-person (better), people are listening. Sometimes they are persuaded.
Their Constant Discussion
The question the scribe asked was not a new one. Adherents of Judaism had been asking the same question for years. They had concluded there were 613 commandments in the Old Testament -- 248 positive (do this) and 365 negative (don't do this).
Naturally, with so many commands, they wondered if they could condense them into pithier statements that encapsulated many laws into one. And they wondered which one was the most important of all (28). Was there a superior commandment? This scribe wanted to know. He'd been wondering. And now, with the wise teacher called Jesus in front of him, he thought he might find the answer.
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.’”
The Most Important Commandment
Notice first how Jesus told the man there was a "most important" commandment (29). There is one commandment above all the rest. If someone does not obey this first commandment, they cannot obey the others. This commandment is upstream -- all the others are downstream.
And this all-important command starts with God. This is why Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6 when he said "'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one'" (29). It's a passage that affirms the unity of God. It also confirms the covenantal nature of God -- that he made an example of Israel as his called and chosen people. The cross and justification by faith open God up to every tribe, nation, and tongue, but Israel's understanding of God was meant to show the world who God is.
This brings us to a conclusion: whatever the greatest commandment is -- spoiler alert, it's loving God -- you cannot engage in it without a belief in and relationship with God. God is required. The greatest moral good begins with a right relationship with and deep love for God.
This is important in our day. Over the centuries, the western world has hijacked the values only Christianity could offer and adopted a version of these values without a belief in God. It is not uncommon to hear the naturalist wonder what good Christians can do that they cannot. And mankind, made in God's image, is capable of good. Christians set the trend of caring for the sick, studying the natural universe, helping the poor, and feeding the hungry. But the natural man can also do these things.
But the believer can love God. This is the greatest commandment. And this is the highest moral good. By loving God first, our love for humanity is improved. Without a love of God, our love for humanity will eventually and certainly skew in awkward and unwise directions. But the love of God keeps us true. It all starts with God.