Matthew 22:34-40 and Mark 12:28-34
Right after Jesus put the Sadducees in their place concerning life after death, the Pharisees huddle up and discuss what question to ask Him next. A lawyer among them asked Jesus what is the greatest commandment. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (Just verse 5 in the Matthew account, but 4 and 5 in Mark's account.) The first line "The Lord our God, the Lord is one" is the first line of the Shema, considered to be the most ancient Jewish prayer. He then quotes Leviticus 19:18.
The Pharisees plot again to trap Jesus, and Jesus again quotes Old Testament to them. The Shema would have been, and still is, the opening to a very familiar prayer said morning and night. I wonder if the Pharisees were asking what the greatest of the 10 commandments were? If they were, Jesus threw them for a loop with His answer! Loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds will lead us to keep the first 4 commandments, which address our relationship to and with God. Loving our neighbor as ourselves will help us to keep the last 6 of the 10 commandments, which address our relationship to and with each other. So, although Jesus may not have answered the way the Pharisees expected (did He ever?? 💓) He answered them perfectly. Any law they would strive to keep would hinge on how they lived out this prayer they ritually prayed twice a day. And any message from their beloved prophets would depend on this as well, as these prophets gave their lives to God and to their "neighbors" for the glory of God.
Mark 12:32-34 changes and challenges me. The scribe, a writer and record keeper, has probably recorded all of the exchanges between Jesus and the religious leaders. He is able to look back over his writings and say "Teacher, you are right." He confesses that everything Jesus has said checks out, and the scribe knows that loving God with all of his heart, mind, and strength, and loving his neighbor as himself, is something that God desires more than sacrifice. Hosea 6:6 says "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." Jesus is impressed by the scribe's wisdom and tells him he is figuring it out. As we come to the end of this section of our Bible study, this is my final hope...as we look back over the last 10 weeks, and draw parallels and conclusions from all we've learned, we should be able to say to Jesus, "Teacher, you are right. Your red letters have truly taught us that You are one and there is no other besides You. I understand now that loving God with all of my heart and mind and strength, and my neighbor as myself, is much more than anything I can offer." Hear O Israel could be translated in our time as "Hear O Church, The Lord our God, the Lord is one." Let's unite under that call to worship, loving God with everything we have, and our neighbor as well. This world will be a better place and will lead others to the Kingdom without end. Please, Lord, let it be so.
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