Part 5: Mark 12:28-34

28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ 29Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” 31The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ 32Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; 33and “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”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ 34When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Throughout the gospel of Mark, there is an increasing sense of urgency. Things happen very quickly in the first few chapters. By this point in the gospel, Jesus’ popularity is established, he has deftly criticized his opponents and demonstrated how his teachings resonate with God’s power. This particular teaching is the pinnacle – at the conclusion of the reading it tells us: After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Like the author of Hebrews, Jesus does not pretend that his take on the commandments supercede the tradition of covenant, but that it fulfils it uniquely. Love of God, the first commandment, is lived out in love of neighbor and self. The scribe (a temple representative) is not far from the kingdom of God, but Jesus fulfils it. Entering the kingdom will not be based on knowing all the right answers, it will demand that we live them out in our choices.

Questions for Reflection:
1. Is it more difficult for you to “love one’s neighbor as oneself” or “love oneself as one’s neighbor?”
2. How do you understand the primacy of a commitment to Christ within a pluralist world?