“And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Mark 12:33
This scribe’s observation almost left The Lord speechless. There was no comeback to it as his observation was perfect and on point. He seemed to get it. Hence the reason why The Lord did not have anything to add to it. The Lord simply commended him on his astute observation. All The Lord responded with was, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:34
This was a truth many failed to get yet here was a random scribe who’d sussed it out. Many simply failed to understand this vital truth leading to wrong practice. They were focused on external activities – burnt offerings and sacrifices. Their attention was diverted from what is primary and really matters – loving The Lord – to that which is secondary.
In their estimation, a heart wholly devoted to The Lord carried little weight, while the mechanical offering of sacrifices, stripped of genuine affection and inward devotion, was treated as something of greater worth.Yet this teacher understood that love for The Lord mattered most and was much more than any amount of sacrifice and offering that could offered.
This was a wise scribe who seemed to be patiently waiting in the wings before approaching The Lord. He was the final in the long list of wannabe challengers to Jesus.
The formidable trio
First on the scene was the formidable trio of chief priests, elders and scribes who demanded Jesus give an account of the source of His authority for His actions in the temple. Mark 11:27-28 And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”
They were silenced when He responded with a question of His own which they opted not to answer.
The wicked tenants
It was The Lord’s move next, so he told them the parable about tenants. Mark 12:1
And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
When the season came and he sent servants to collect some of the fruit of the vine, they maltreated some and killed others. Mark 12:5 “And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.”
“And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.”
He eventually sent his son hoping they’d respect him. Instead, they double down when they realise it was the heir and decide to take him out in the hope of talking ownership of the vineyard. Mark 12:7 “But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’”
The Lord concludes the story with how the vineyard owner would finally deal with the tenants and their rejection of him quoting from Psalm 118:22-23. Mark 12:10-11
“Have you not read this Scripture: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?””
His challengers had no comeback as they understood it was them The Lord was talking about in the parable he just told.
Agents of entrapment
Next on the scene were the Pharisees and Herodians exclusively sent to Him trap Him. They were seeking to cause Him to stumble in His words and fall foul with the Roman authorities. Mark 12:13 “And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.”
The Lord sees through their flattery and confounds them with His reply that all they could do is marvel at His response. Mark 12:17 “Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marvelled at him.”
The Sadducees take their turn
Just before the wise scribe, the Sadducees (who say there’s no resurrection) walk onto the scene cocksure they’re going to get Jesus with their feeble story. A man and his six brothers all consecutively share the same wife with her not bearing offspring for any of them. Their question centred on whose wife will she be in the resurrection – if indeed there’s a resurrection! The Lord not only answers their question but identifies their underlying problem saying: “Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24)
The wise scribe steps forward
The final act, the subject of our story, had been waiting in the wings patiently – it seems – listening to the preceding conversations. Seeing that Jesus answered them all well, he decides to pop his own. Mark 12:28. “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?””
Jesus gives him a direct answer to which he responds in agreement by saying, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”” (Mark 12:32-33)
He really got it.
Seeing that he answered very wisely, Jesus kindly says to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:34)
That seemed to settle the matter – for now at least.
