Sermon Tone Analysis

The Jesus Creed – Loving God and Loving Others

The theme for Caswell this week is about *Love* and *Relationships.

*So, I thought this message should also be about love and relationships.

We will be looking at a passage that I think says a lot about our relationship with God and with each other.

*The Great Commandments (Mark 12:28-34)*

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the *Lord is one*.

30 And you 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*.’

31 The second is this: ‘You shall *love your neighbor as yourself*.’

There is no other commandment greater than these.”

32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher.

You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him.

33 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 oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

* *

*Introduction*

 

It seems that many people in Jesus’ time who met Jesus wanted to put him to the test.

You had Pharisees, lawyers (you know they are going to be a problem), and scribes.

* *

A scribe was a “teacher of the law”.

That means that he may have been a theological scholar, perhaps associated with the Pharisees.

In the book of Mark, scribes typically opposed Jesus, and were one of the groups of people that sought to kill Jesus.

However, in our passage today, this scribe came up to Jesus to earnestly ask him a question.

He doesn’t appear to be testing Jesus, like the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the lawyers, or other scribes had done.

What had happened was the scribe had listened to Jesus talking to some Sadducees, who were a group of Jews who did not believe in a resurrection.

While they did not believe in a resurrection, this group had come to Jesus to ask him about it, perhaps to test him and find some fault in him.

They asked him a hypothetical scenario saying…”Jesus, there was a woman who had seven husbands throughout her life, until she finally died.

Tell us, which husband she will be married to after the resurrection.”

Remember, they didn’t believe in a resurrection, but wanted to know how Jesus would respond to this question.

So, Jesus basically told them that they didn’t know what they were talking about.

He said they didn’t understand the Scriptures or the power of God, and then told them that in heaven, people will be like angels and will not marry.

Well, the scribe liked what he heard and was impressed.

The passage says that the scribe believed Jesus “answered them well.”

The scribe then asks Jesus this question, “Which of God’s commandments is most important of all?”

Some translations of the Bible may say “which is the first” or “which is the foremost commandment of all”, but what the scribe is asking is this, “Of all of God’s commandments, which one is the most important?”

Think about this – the Bible is a big book.

It is full of God’s desires, commandments and things we ought to know about.

If you could know what the most important ones are, wouldn’t you want to know that?

I would!

I mean, do they make a Cliff’s Notes version of this book?

Probably what motivated this question about the most important commandment was that the scribes in Jesus’ day had determined that there were 613 commandments in the Law and they believed the Jews were obligated to obey each and every one.

One of their favorite exercises was discussing which of these divine commandments was the greatest.[1]

So, Jesus replies to the scribe by summarizing all of God’s commandments into two phrases: “Love God” and “Love your neighbor.”

Did you notice that the scribe didn’t ask what are the most important commandments?

He wanted to know which *one* was the most important commandment – the first, the foremost.

He was looking for only one!

However, Jesus apparently thought he should know both the most important one and the second most important one.

The scribe got two for the price of one!

Jesus’ summary of God’s commandments is what Scot McKnight calls the *Jesus Creed*.

But before we talk about the Jesus Creed, we probably ought to define this thing called *love*?

 

*What is love?*

I am sure we all have heard of love.

We have probably all experienced love.

Many of us have even been in love.

But what is it?

If I were to ask you to tell me what is this thing called love, what would you say?

 

* Is it an emotion, a feeling?

* Is it a word or phrase you say to someone?

* Is it an action, something you do?

* Perhaps, it is all of the above…or none of the above!

Love is not just some feeling you have for another person.

You may know someone who just causes all sorts of feelings within you about that person.

While love is emotional, it is not an emotion.

Feelings change, but love endures.

Just because I wake up one morning and I am angry at my wife because of something she said or did…or maybe it’s the other way around…that doesn’t change the fact that we love one another.

I guarantee you, you have already done something this morning that God doesn’t like, perhaps you hurt his feelings…but he didn’t stop loving you!

 

Love is also not words…like those words of compassion you long to hear from that someone special.

It is also not the three words you may want to hear from that person you like, who you hope will love you back.

Nor is it like those letters children used to write in school asking one another “Do you love me, check yes or no.”

I thought that there ought to be another option…it depends!

Sadly, our love for one another often does depend on something, whereas true love is *unconditional*.

Love is also not just some *act*.

It is not doing something for another.

Me opening the door for someone does not mean I love that person, it just means I am courteous.

People do all sorts of nice things for one another, but that doesn’t mean they love the other.

While doing something can be an act of love, something that is a result of loving a person, it is not itself love.

* *

*1 Co 13:3* - If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

So, love is emotional, because emotions accompany it.

Love also typically results in words of compassion.

And to borrow a phrase from the contemporary Christian band DC Talk, love is also a verb.

Love results in acts of love…but those acts don’t define what love is.

Scot McKnight says, “Love, when working properly, is *emotion* and *will*, *affection* and *action*.”

Love is based on a decision, a choice.[2]

It is a commitment!

Love defines the two most important commands of God…to love Him completely, and to love others as you love yourself.

So, now that we have an idea of what love is, or maybe at least what it is not, let’s looks at Jesus’ response to the scribe.

*Love God Completely*

 

Jesus responds that the most important commandment is…

 

‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the *Lord is one*.

30 And you 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*.’

This statement would have been very familiar to the Jewish people of Jesus’ day, as I am sure it is familiar to many of you.

Jesus is quoting *Deut.

6:4-5*.

This familiar phrase that the Jewish people of Jesus’ day would have known is called the /Shema/, from the Hebrew word that means “Hear.”

The command began with the word “hear” and became the name of the confession.

Pious Jews of Jesus’ day would have recited it twice every day, so it was very familiar to them.

The phrase, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”, is crucial because the obligation to love God is based on his *oneness*.

The point to this statement is that there is only one God, and no one else.

This stands in sharp contrast to the many gods worshipped by other cultures.

Because he is one, our love for him must be undivided.[3]

Because God is God and He is the only God, He deserves our love.

No other thing should capture the love we should have for our Creator.

But, what does it mean to love God with…