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COMMANDMENT NUMBER ONE
FRIDAY, MARCH 4
Mark 12:28-34

Matthew 22:34-40

 

“…Which is the first

commandment of all?”

 

COMMANDMENT NUMBER ONE
 
Now a scribe or a lawyer (a PhD in Hebrew Law) asked Jesus which commandment is foremost in the law. It is possible that this particular scribe was attempting to draw Jesus into a debate on which of the 613 laws of the Torah was the greatest. Of course Jesus would not be so foolish as to waste His time arguing over this. He drew this doctor of the law back to the Scriptures. Citing Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, He answered, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31). Jesus effectively summarised all the commands of Scripture by these two overarching, twin-commands of loving God and loving man. As a matter of fact, the Ten Commandments can be divided into these two parts: (1) the first five speaks of our duty to God, and (2) the next five speaks of our duty to man.
 
The scribe honestly admitted that Jesus had answered most excellently and truthfully. He not only affirmed Jesus’ words, but also added that loving God and our fellow man “is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33). Jesus commended him for replying wisely, and said that he was not far from being saved. Although he was “not far from” the kingdom of God, he was not yet “inside.” If only this scribe would trust in the Saviour—the Lord Jesus Christ—who had kept the law perfectly for him, he would have been ushered into the kingdom.
 
THOUGHT: No one can outwit Jesus.
PRAYER: (Pray for more love for God and for your neighbours.)

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