Mark 12
Mark 12
Take a second and think of someone in your life who is good at asking questions. They may be so good at asking questions that they will even respond to your question with a question of their own.
This is the way that Jesus often answered the religious leaders' questions. He knew their motives for asking the questions, so he would pierce their hearts with a question rather than giving them the answers they were looking for.
We see this happen all over Mark chapter 12, but in one case in particular, Jesus answers with something that changes how we relate with God and one another!
In Mark 12:38, a religious leader asks Jesus about the most important commandment. The religious leader had an answer in mind when he asked that question. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5, which says, “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This is exactly what the man was expecting, but Jesus didn’t stop there. Jesus goes on to say, “The second is this...”
Wait, the man only asked for one great commandment. The religious leader framed his question with the word “greatest,” implying that there would be one greatest commandment.
But Jesus continued saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself. We love God with everything we have by loving our neighbor.
Why is this such a big deal? By their actions, we can imagine the religious leaders thought that loving God looked like doing all of the right things more than loving their neighbor. Mark 12:40 says, “Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public.”
This commandment meant that because the religious leaders treated people poorly, they did not love their God.
What does this mean for us? We love God with everything we have by loving those around us! We are all children of God, made in his image, and we should treat each other that way!
John 13:35 says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Our love for each other is how the world can identify that we are followers of Jesus! This is our witness to the world and how we unconditionally love those around us.
Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, even though we were broken, is the picture of love given to us! That is a beautiful picture. God has chosen us to be the vessel by which others can tangibly see and hear about that love!
Showing that love and spreading the gospel is far from easy. It will take dependence on the Lord to a greater degree than you have ever experienced. But let me tell you, that’s exactly where God wants to meet you!
How can you show unconditional love to someone in your life this week?
Is there an area in your life where you are starting to become dependent on yourself or the world? If so, how can you begin to love unconditionally in that area of your life?
