This is an excerpt from my book “40 Moments From Christ’s Final Days.” Click here to get it from Amazon using my affiliate link.
Find this moment in: Mt. 22:34–40, Mk. 12:28–34
After correcting the naturalistic and biblically illiterate Sadducees, the Pharisees step back in. We’ll begin with Matthew’s account, but when we view Mark’s telling of the moment, we may realize that this particular questioner wasn’t trying to trap Jesus, but was genuinely seeking an answer.
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. And one of them, a scholar of the Law, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:34-36)
This “scholar of the law” is often called a scribe. Scribes were often lumped together with Pharisees, but although these scribes were always Jewish, a scribe was a broad term for someone who was an expert in a particular religion. In other words, Jesus was approached by a theology nerd, possibly seeking input in a debate that like-minded experts in the Old Testament often discussed.
And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. And the second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
When we read this today, it’s tempting to make His answer mean more than it does. To our modern eyes, it seems like Jesus is saying “God doesn’t care about your obedience as long as you love Him and other people.” It sounds like we can ignore everything else about God’s will because love is the only thing that matters.
But notice His final statement. Love for God and people is the central theme of the rest of the Law and the prophets’ teachings. Jesus isn’t saying “Ignore the rest. Just make sure there’s love in your heart.” Instead, He’s saying the same thing He’s been saying since He reached Jerusalem. The purpose of God’s law wasn’t to generate mindless obedience but to help people love God. Israel didn’t love God, which meant that any other behaviors they checked off their list meant nothing.
Likewise, the Pharisees were guilty of not loving people. This is especially clear in Matthew 23:1-36 when He holds many of their seemingly good behaviors against their lack of love for others. They had all the appearances of being the holiest men around, yet because their motives weren’t rooted in a love for God and others, their obedience meant little.
The Law and prophets gave a lot of rules people could live by, but none of them meant anything if they weren’t motivated by love. Christ’s purpose isn’t to tell us to ignore God’s will, do whatever makes us happy, or assume His holiness doesn’t matter as long as we have love. Rather, because we love God, and because loving Him compels us to love others, the rest of our obedience will follow those two things.
Matthew doesn’t record the scribe’s reaction, but Mark does.
And the scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE 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 NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would dare to ask Him any more questions. (Mark 12:32-34)
Not only did he restate the answer, but the scribe may have thought back to Isaiah 1 and realized that even things like burnt offerings meant little with the wrong motivation. Because the scribe understood this, Christ said He was near to salvation. He wouldn’t be saved because of love, but instead by realizing how incapable He was of pleasing God, and, in a few days, the scribe may have realized that the teacher He questioned was the Savior he truly needed.
Stop and think: Some claim to love God without obedience, and others obey the things of God without love for Him. However, genuine love for God motivates us to do what He desires. Examine your own life for ways you obey God out of love, and how love and obedience might be imbalanced.
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