Faith Summarised
| One of the teachers of the law came and heard them 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 one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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 neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions. (Mark12:28-34) |
The Greek Word for the teachers of the Law was "grammateus." They worked with God's Word recorded in the Old Testament which they referred to as the "Law and the Prophets." As they worked with it, they tried to do two things: They explained it and they summarised it.
Their summarising has good precedent in the Old Testament, and we can see examples in:
- Psalm 15 which gives eleven characteristics of the righteous.
- Isaiah 33:15 which lists: Walk righteously, Speak uprightly, Despise oppressive gain, Don't bribe, Close ears to bloodshed, and Close eyes to evil.
- Micah 6:8 says "Do justly, Love mercy, and Walk humbly with God."
- Isaiah 56:1 calls us to: Keep Justice and Do what is right.
Jesus surprises him by not picking one, but providing a summary: "Love God with all you have and Love People."
Not only is this a penetrating summary, but it comes from the Old Testament itself. The first summary is from the "Shema," the ancient creed of Israel: "Hear, O Israel..." and the other is equally well-known. The first summarised the first tablet of the Ten Commandments, the first four commandments dealing with God, while the second summarised the rest, which dealt with human relationships."
The 'Grammateus' is duly impressed and makes the very significant observation that these loves "are more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Jesus, in turn, recognises that this man's heart, soul, and mind are not far from the Kingdom of God.
There are three thoughts to ponder:
- Here we have a significant summary of our faith: Love God and Love People. Imagine if each morning we set out to just try and do these two things...
- Jesus didn't just write people off as enemies. He's already faced a number of malicious questioners. He has not become cynical or jaded - He is ready to see where the Spirit is at work and He recognises that God is at work in this 'Grammateus'.
- We should not be surprised that this 'Grammateus' is "not far from the Kingdom of God." He worked with the Scriptures which the writer of Hebrews described as "living and active and a sharp double-edged sword and Jeremiah described as a fire in his bones. When JB Philips translated the New Testament from Greek into Contemporary English, he said:
"It's like re-wiring an ancient house and not being able to turn the mains off."
When we sincerely engage in studying the Scriptures, we'll feel the "current."
