Lenten Devotion for 5 April 2011 Anno Domini

Lenten Devotion for 5 April 2011 Anno Domini

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 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. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? 36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. (Mark 12:28-37)

“Which is the first commandment of all.” We may wonder of the intent of this question as well as what answer the inquirer expected. It appears that this Scribe overheard Christ answering well the Herodians, Pharisees, and Sadducees and, therefore, wished to actually learn of Christ’s understanding of this highly debated question current among Jewish scholars. The answer to this question was the downfall of the rich young ruler, and of many others, who simply cannot lay aside a treasured greed.

“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 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. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” I have heard many ministers, who should know better, say that Christ has given us a new Commandment in His response. Christ here simply repeats the Commandments given in Deut 6:4-5 & Lev 19:18. These seem to be TWO Commandments rather than the One which the inquirer asked about; however, these two are so inextricably intertwined that it would not be possible to separate them. These are so fundamental to God’s Law that all the other Commandments are measured from this single Landmark of Commandments. The First Great Commandment requires a total commitment of all our faculties and resources – mind, body, and soul. It requires, as well, more than a general awareness – it requires of us a developed understanding (which the rich young ruler lacked at first). We are not simply to obey God and avoid doing harm to our neighbor, but our view must be informed of a deep and abiding love for both as well.

“And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” What? Have we finally found an honest man among those who came to question Christ? This Scribe thinks, at least, for himself. He commends Christ on a completely correct answer; however, we must remember that the truth of God’s Word is never subject to the approbation of man.

“And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” This last comment is actually a sad one in view of the Scribes soul. “Not far from” is short of the mark. The gate is narrow and few there be who enter in thereat. To miss the gate by inches is to miss the gate for all time and eternity. It reminds us of Agrippa’s remark to Paul “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” (Acts 26:28). How many ‘almost Christians’ surround in our daily walk and, even, in church? We must cross all the way over Jordan or we remain yet in the wilderness. “And no man after that durst ask him any question.” Apparently, they have finally had enough. Compared to the Mind of God, we are mindless!

“How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?” Since the forum has been opened, Christ now puts the hard questions to the Scribes and Pharisees. How can David’s LORD be, at the same time, David’s son? “ For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Instead of petty and trifling questions (as the Pharisees and Sadducees proffered, Christ asks a question of weighty dimensions. Our understanding of the prophecies of Christ has a direct bearing on our understanding of salvation itself. The Old Testament is a treasure-trove of beautiful types and fore-shadows of Christ. The Light of Christ permeates every chapter of the Old Testament, and, without Light, there could never have been a shadow of Him. The legal status of the royal bloodline passed from David down to Joseph who was the legally registered (or adoptive) father of Christ, but the Father of Christ was not Joseph, it was God Himself. How can these hooded hypocrites answer well when they had no fundamental sense of the Great Commandment of which they inquired! What meaning can the Holy Communion bear for us if we are ignorant of the first Passover in Egypt? How can we know Christ if we fail to realize that HE was the Lamb of God foreordained before the foundation of the world? “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, (1 Peter 1:18-20) Do not just THINK of Christ, LEARN of Him in the Word. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:29-30) Learn of Him and surrender all.