Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes approached… he questioned Him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 Jesus answered, The first is: "Hear, Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; 30 And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength." 31 The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.
In 12:28-34 the Slave-Savior was questioned by a scribe. In Matthew 22:35 this one is called a lawyer. "Scribe" is a wider term that includes the lawyers, who were Mosaic jurists. The lawyers were versed in the law of Moses; they were professional interpreters of the law of the Old Testament. This scribe, who knew the law in a thorough way, boldly came to the Lord Jesus. Knowing that He had answered well those who were disputing with Him, the scribe asked the Lord, "Which is the first commandment of all?" (v. 28). The Lord answered, "The first is, Hear, Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from your whole mind, and from your whole strength" (vv. 29-30). To love the Lord in this way is to love Him with every part of our being, with our spirit, soul, and body. In verse 31 the Lord continued His answer: "The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." These two commandments are both a matter of love, either loving God or loving man. Love is the spirit of God's commandments. The greatest commandments, therefore, are altogether a matter of love, a love toward God and toward man. (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Mark, pp. 327-328. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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