Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Here we are again. We're still in Mark chapter 12, and Jesus has been questioned and questioned by all kinds of different people to try to trap him. And here's here's another question. Mhmm. But with with a different outcome, I think.

So we're reading from verse 28 of Mark 12. 1 of the teachers of the law came and heard from debating, noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer He asked him, of all the commandments, which is the most important? The most important 1 answered Jesus is this, Here O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is 1. 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, love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no commandment greater than these. Well said teacher, the man replied. You are right in saying that God is 1 and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, and with all your understanding and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, you're not far from the kingdom of God.

And from then on, no 1 dared asking any more questions. Yes. And from from 1 angle, it's amazing this guy bothers to speak up at all, isn't it? Because given what's just happened to the previous opponents, You know, you might expect people in the crowds to be quiet and think crumbs. I don't wanna be the next 1.

I'm not gonna ask him anything, you know, because I'll end up like them. But Actually, it's the opposite. When he sees Jesus debating and he sees how well Jesus answers, he thinks, okay, I'm gonna I'm, you know, I'm gonna ask him a question. And again, it's it's an important 1, isn't it? I mean, the the question about taxes was important.

How should we relate to authorities? The question about the resurrection was important. Because that's a huge theological issue. The question about the commands is important because how does 1 actually please please God? And So these are all important questions and Jesus is ready with an answer, isn't it?

I guess I guess he I guess by by the reply of Jesus, he's asking not Yes. My hypocritical. Yes. Standby. This seems to be a I mean, I I did think inverse 32 where he says well said teacher.

It it's like it feels slightly arrogant. So there might be a bit of that in there. But I guess the whole thing is asked from a different a different sort of angle in the sense that maybe he really does want to to see whether Jesus is who he's claiming to be. You know? It does he really understand the scriptures because we had the scripture things sort of in the last 1.

And it seems to be doesn't it because in the previous counters, Jesus puts quite a sharp question back to them. Yeah. Doesn't he? Whereas in this 1, he just offers he just offers an explanation. Yeah.

And you know, it's a remarkable summary of the law, isn't it? Well, this is the heart of Christianity, isn't it? This is the heart of the Bible. Yeah. This this is a summary of of the bible really, isn't it?

That that what are we meant to be like? Mhmm. There's 2 only really 2 commandments, which is to love God with all your heart, strength, mind, and so forth, and to love your neighbor. And that's a second 1. I think the problem with our world is very often we we we reverse that.

And we say, well, if I love my neighbor, you know, then I'm I'm okay. But that's the second commandment. You are to love God. That's the main thing, isn't it? That's why you know, a lot of these sort of liberal teachers and preachers.

They emphasize just a love for humanity, a love for the world, a love for the climate and all that sort of stuff. It's the wrong way round, isn't it? It is. Yeah. Yeah.

There's there's always both that horizontal and vertical aspects that involves love for God and love for neighbor. And the 10 commandments can be summarized like that, can't they? Those are what people have called the 2 tables of the law, you know, it's love for God. And love love the neighbor. And they 1 flows from the other, as you say.

And and, you know, right at the start, the the most perhaps the thing that headlines in all is the lord, our God, the lord 1 or the lord our god, the lord alone is another way of saying it. But in other words, there is only 1 god. There is a true lord God. You must not have images and idols and others and other objects of worship. Your affection and worship must be direct it to this 1.

And you must love this 1. And as you love him with all that you are, you will find that love for neighbor increases and grows as well. So, you know, it's a wonderful it's a wonderful summary. And and this this scribe is clearly, you know, right behind that. As a as a summary, isn't he?

He doesn't challenge. He doesn't come back. But the the interesting thing here and and this is perhaps why he gets a bit more of a positive reception as the end. Is because he then adds this little detail here. Love for your neighbors yourself is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices, which is the religious which is the religious stuff.

Yeah. And he he's he's drawn an application from what Jesus has said there. Yes. And he's saying, yes, that that is right. It's not just about formulas.

And ritual and outward. The heart of following God is love for God. He's not going to be impressed by superficial religion if it doesn't flow from love. Yes. And and and and that is exactly the sadducees in the Farah.

Yeah. They're all banging on about out with religion -- Yes. -- power and authority and and he's saying, I I see through that. Yeah. You know, yeah, the the most important thing is this is this love thing, love for God.

And then this little thing just just at the end, which is just interesting is that when Jesus saw that he had answered wisely. He he so this blokes understanding the old testament summary. He says, you are not far from the kingdom of God. What do you think he means there? Because we don't believe that you do this and then you get right with God because we fail in both of those things.

Don't and loving God, loving our neighbor. Well, I think I think he's basically grasped all that he needs to grasp in 1 sense. The only thing he now needs to do is to recognize that the 1 he's speaking to is is the fulfillment of the law -- Yeah. -- is the great lover of God and lover of others. And and is the 1 who can bring him in to the kingdom of God.

So what is important here is is, yes, this, but the way that you love the lords is by trusting the Lord's desire. The Lord's king. Yeah. Yep. And that's that's that's where he now needs to to go.

Isn't it? Yes. So he need he's he's come to Jesus with a humble question. Yeah. He's understood the heart of the whole of the truth of of what God is about.

Mhmm. And and God so loved the world. He sent his son and he knows that if he loves his son, Jesus, you know, he's like the next step is for you to understand who I am. Which he which he's shown, he's shown who he is. Yeah.

He has. Yeah. And and I mean, these these commandments answer all the other questions, don't they? Yeah. If you love God, then you'll pay Caesar what is Caesar.

Yeah. Exactly. It's all let's start, isn't it? Yeah. It is the great summary, isn't it?

And it's interesting that it's just in in in Christian life. You know, we we do meet people sometimes and perhaps they might come on a Christian explored course or something or they come to the church for a while. And really, you know, the penny does begin to drop and they start to see the truth of God word and they see that it does explain them and it does explain the world that they live in. And they come so very close sometimes, but actually there is that final step, isn't there, of bowing the need of Christ and submitting to him. And sometimes wonderfully that happens.

Sometimes it doesn't. They get very close in their understanding. And then when it comes to that moment of repentance and faith in Jesus, they they can walk away. So this is a this is a reminder that good understanding is 1 thing, but actually coming into the kingdom through Christ is is the fulfillment of the scriptures, isn't it? And a heart love thing.

Yeah. Okay. So they ask him no more questions. In the next session, we see starts to ask them questions. So see you later.