The GOAT of Commandments

Who’s the Greatest?

There’s nothing like a debate over the greatest that gets folks fired up. Especially in the world of sports. What’s the greatest team of all time? Who’s the greatest player of all time? What’s the greatest play of all time? 

We’ve even come up with a term for it. The GOAT. What does a cute little barnyard animal have to do with being the best? Greatest Of All Time. G.O.A.T. Get it?

Power Rankings of God’s Commandments

These discussions are nothing new. Did you know you can find them in the books of the Bible? Yup. Someone even asks Jesus for His opinion of the power rankings of God’s commandments in the Old Testament.

It all goes down during the last few days before Jesus’ death on a cross. Tuesday of what we’ve come to call Passion Week.  The scene is the temple in Jerusalem. 

Fending off Challengers

Let’s just say it’s been a full day. The Lord has spent a big chunk of it fending off challengers. 

Temple big wigs wonder where He gets off saying and doing what He says and does on their turf (Mk 11:27-33). Picture one of those martial arts flicks where the hero takes on one bad guy after another. 

He responds by telling them a little story about a rebellion by tenant farmers and surprises them by casting them as the ones in the black hats (Mk 12:1-12).

Throwing Christ a Curve Ball

Next up are the Pharisees who’ve teamed up with supporters of King Herod. They throw Him a curve ball about paying taxes (Mk 12:13-14).  

He knocks this one out of the park by showing them that they’re in Rome’s pocket because of what’s in their pocket (Mk 12:15-17).

A Cockamamy Question

The Sadducees take their turn with a cockamamy question about marriage in eternity (Mk 12:18-23). That’s even more whacky when you realize they don’t believe in anything on the other side of the grave.

Our Savior shuts them down from jump street. He tells them that they clearly haven’t read their Bibles and don’t understand God’s power. The afterlife is WAY better than anything we can imagine from this side (Mk 12:24-27).

Three up, Three down

Jesus’ opponents are 0 for 3 at this point. Three up. Three down. It’s been a terrible Tuesday for the home team. That’s when one of the top experts on the Hebrew Bible grabs a bat and steps to the plate.

“One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked…” (Mk 12:28). 

Let’s See What You’ve Got

Before we get to his question, what’s going on here is fascinating to me. This guy is blown away by what this radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee has said. 

It’s almost like wanting to see if Nolan Ryan really is as good as they say he is. He digs in and says, “Let’s see what you got.” And let’s be clear. Jesus has WAY better stuff than the Ryan Express.

Trying to Trap Jesus

Curiously, Matthew tips us off that this guy talking to Jesus is actually trying to “trap Him with a question” (Mt 22:35). I don’t care if you’re stealing signs or using PEDs. You don’t stand a chance, dude.

A Great Question

Whatever his motivation, this Hebrew hot shot asks a great question. “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (v28). 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking he’s asking Christ to rank the Ten Commandments. He’s actually talking about every single one of God’s commands found from Genesis to Malachi.

613 Commandments

Just how many laws are we talking about? Over the centuries, rabbis have counted a grand total of 613 commandments in the Old Testament. If you’re wondering, that’s 248 “do’s” and 365 “do not’s.”

With numbers like that, who couldn’t use a little help prioritizing God’s commands? And why not go the One you’ve just watched stump the brightest minds of the Jewish faith? 

The Poll Position

A literal reading of “most important” in the original text is actually a pair of Greek words, protos/πρωτος and pas/πας.

Protos/πρωτος describes something that’s first in order or a series. It’s at the top of the list. The highest ranking. Nothing better. The poll position. Best in show. 

Meanwhile, pas/πας simply means all. Every single one. Everything. The whole enchilada. As the old saying goes, “all” means all and that’s all “all” means. Got all that?

A Ranking of God’s Rules

David Garland says that this teacher is simply asking Jesus His opinion of the fundamental premise of the entire OT law.

What God fearing Jew wouldn’t love a handy dandy ranking of all of the rules, regulations, requirements, orders, statutes, decrees, and mandates in Scripture?

A Twice-a-Day Prayer

Jesus responds with a classic. “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD’” (v29). He quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

The Shema is considered by many to be the most important prayer for Jews.  How important? They pray it twice each day.

Hear It

Why they call it the Shema? You guys always ask the best questions! Shema is literally the Hebrew word for hear or listen. 

And it’s the same idea when Mark writes it in the Greek of the New Testament. “Hear” is the verb akouo/ακουω. It’s means WAY more than simply hearing words, noise, or sound.

We Interrupt This Program

It’s listening, understanding, and RESPONDING. It’s a command to pay close attention to what you’re about to hear. Be ready to receive important info. And once you hear it and be ready to do it!

Think of it like the weather bulletins on your TV or phone. That annoyingly, blaring alarm gets your attention, doesn’t it? That’s the same idea here. We interrupt this program! Listen up!! Hello, McFly!!! This is critical information!!!!

The Only One We Worship

Jesus continues with the Big Listen from Deuteronomy. “The Lord our God is the one and only Lord” (v29). The big idea? Exclusivity. There’s just one capital “G” God. Any other alleged deity is just a pretender. A phony. A poser.

The idea behind this is a call for God’s people to not share their worship with anything else. Not just some stone idol or local divine being. But ANYTHING we place in the poll position of our worship.

An Idol Factory

And we have a really bad habit of worshiping stuff other than the only One worthy of it. John Calvin once said the human heart is idol factory. And you can bet that production at the plant remains at an all-time high.

God commands us to an exclusive relationship with Him not because He’s insecure but because it’s what’s best for us. 

We need to stop playing footsie with the false gods of the 21st Century. Idols like work, success, money, comfort, and kids. Oops, was that your toes?

One What, Three Who’s

While Jesus’ words here are not really a statement of the internal unity of God, how do we square this with the concept of the Trinity? 

How can the three Persons of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit all be God yet only one God. 

Honestly, I don’t know. Scripture sure seems to be clear that there is one What (God) and three Who’s (Father, Son, and Spirit). 

Bigger than My Brain

Folks have been trying to wrap their heads around this for thousands of years. There are plenty of analogies out there. The problem is they all break down at some point.

Want to know my explanation? I have absolutely no clue how it works. I just chalk it up to one more mystery about God that I won’t be unlocking on this side of eternity. 

The concept of the Godhead is WAY bigger than my limited human brain can handle.

Buckle up, Boys

Jesus says that now we’re clear on the exclusive identity of God, let’s connect into the idea of His number one law. Ready? Buckle up, boys. Here it comes.

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (v30). You blew right threw it, didn’t you? If you’re like me, you’ve read this a few gazillion times. It’s almost too familiar. 

Read It Again…Slowly

Let’s really slow our roll. Read it again. Slowly. VERY slowly. Read it out loud. Pump your breaks at every comma. Go ahead. Hit that “back 15 seconds” button. I’ll be right here.

(Insert the Final Jeopardy “think” music here.)

So how was it? Whatcha think? But what does it mean to love God…especially with all that heart, soul, mind, and strength talk? Did you get all that? I mean ALL that?

Commanding a Feeling?

May I suggest a look at the word “love” in the original language? What we see here is agapao/αγαπαω. If you’ve been hanging around a church for any length of time, you’ve heard folks throw around the term agape. This is the same word in verb form.

What does this actually mean? Can God really command us to have certain feelings for Him? Isn’t this about as effective as a parent ordering a child to “say you’re sorry” to one of their other kids?

Love in Action

But to love (Gr. agapao/αγαπαω) in this sense isn’t some sort of warm, fuzzy feeling of fondness. 

It’s actually a matter of will, a decision, and an action. You’ve made the choice to love and you put it into practice.

It’s love EXPRESSED. Love IN ACTION. Love DEMONSTRATED. It’s actually proving your love by sacrificially showing your love.

Love Unleashed

This is love that does. Love with hands. Love that goes. Love with legs. It’s a love that isn’t simply said. It’s unleashed. 

One of Dan Patrick’s catchphrases on SportsCenter was, “You can’t stop him. You can only hope to contain him.” When it comes to love, you can’t come close containing it. 

The Fab Four of Loving God

Then Jesus circles back to let us know just how much we should love God. With ALL your heart. ALL your soul. ALL your mind. ALL your strength. 

Normally this is where I would do a swan dive into the original language and dissect the Fab Four of loving God. Heart (Gr. kardia/καρδια). Soul (Gr. psuche/ψυχη). Mind (Gr. dianoia/διανοια). Strength (Gr. ischus/ισχυς).

A God-Loving Checklist?

What is the difference between all of these parts of us? When you look them up, they sure seem to have overlapping definitions. But I don’t think that’s Jesus’ point when it comes to loving God.

Several folks who are way smarter than me believe He’s NOT referring to completely different compartments of us. 

This isn’t some God-loving checklist that we engage one by one. Heart? Check. Soul? Up and running. Mind? Yup. Strength? 

These aren’t so much separate silos within us. The Son of God is trying to get across the idea that we can’t hold anything back in our love of God.

“I’m Giving It All She’s Got, Captain!”

He’s calling us to exclusively love our one and only God with every bit of who we are. It’s like the lyrics of that John Legend tune. “All of me loves all of you.” And in this case, the “you” is God.

Not a music fan? Maybe you’re a Trekkie. Every time Captain Kirk needs more speed for the Starship Enterprise, Scotty always responds, “I’m giving it all she’s got, Captain!”

When it comes to loving God, we give it all we’ve got. Pick your favorite expression of total commitment. 

Leave it all on the floor. Don’t hold back. Pedal to the metal. Nothing left in the tank. You get the idea.

Loving the God We Can’t See

There you go. The G.O.A.T. of all commandments. Straight from the lips of the Lord Himself. 

There’s just one little problem. Just how do we love our one and only God with our whole being? I mean, He’s…umm…a little hard to see. It’s not like I can invite Him over for coffee.

Love Your Neighbor

That’s why Jesus doesn’t stop with just one command. You see, the most important commandment is actually TWO commands!

Christ continues, “The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these” (v31).

A Biblical BOGO

Long before the Pocket Fisherman or the ShamWoW, Jesus pulls the ultimate, “But wait, there’s more!” It’s part of what makes the most important command, the G.O.A.T. 

When it comes to loving God, it’s a package deal. Two for the price of one. It’s not either/or. It’s BOTH/AND! Think of it as a biblical BOGO!!

Love God BY Loving Our Neighbor

The reason for the second command is how we actually apply the first. In other words, we love God BY loving our neighbor. 

We choose to love people by serving them, sacrificing for them, and seeking what’s best for them.

Love God. Love people. We express our love to God when we love the people He puts in our lives.

Who’s My Neighbor?

Now you may be wondering just who your neighbor is. Thanks so much for asking. Before I start loving this person, I kinda need to know who we’re talking about, right?

You might think Jesus wants us to love the folks living next door, across the cul-de-sac, or down the hall. And you would be right. But don’t stop there. Let’s not limit our love to the people in your neighborhood.

The One Who Is Near

You see, the Greek word we translate as “neighbor” (Gr. πλησιον/plesion) literally means the one who is near. It describes any person other than you. The other guy or gal. 

But wouldn’t love to know Jesus’ definition of whom to love? Well, you’re in luck. A Hebrew theologian asked for Jesus’ definition of neighbor (Lk 10:29). 

Left for Dead

Our Savior’s response isn’t so much a definition but a story. And it’s one of the most famous stories in history. We’re talking about the story of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:30-37).

To recap the parable, a guy is making the hike from Jerusalem to Jericho when muggers jump him, rob him, beat the daylights out of him, and leave him for dead.

“Gotta Get to Work!”

A couple of Jewish religious pros who work at the temple see him bleeding and unconscious but quickly scoot by without doing a single thing. Sorry, gotta get to work. Gotta love God!

That’s when a Samaritan comes be-bopping down the road. Uh oh. Did you say Samaritan? One of those Samaritans that hate Jews with a white hot passion? One of those Samaritans that Jews love to hate?

One of THOSE Samaritans

You betcha. One of THOSE Samaritans. You figure this guy is gonna kick the victim while he’s down, right? Wrong. When he comes near, he chooses to help. He chooses to love. He chooses to serve. 

The Samaritan stops to provide first aid to the guy, takes him to a place to get some rest, and then covers the cost of his recovery. 

The Ultimate Good Samaritan

Spoiler alert. Not only is Jesus using this story to identify our neighbor, He’s actually the ultimate Good Samaritan. 

He comes to our rescue to help us when we couldn’t help ourselves. He comes to us. He heals our wounds. He pays the price for our recovery.

Divine Appointments 

And He calls us to do the same for the people we meet wounded along the highway of life. Stop and help. Just like Christ did for us. Love them as an act of love for God. We love because we’ve been loved.

I need to remember that neighbors are simply divine appointments that God is putting on my calendar. That includes that call out of the blue. The unexpected ring of the doorbell. The car broken down on the side of the road.

The Awkward, Uncomfortable, and Weird

Each one of them is an opportunity to demonstrate our love to God by loving the people He puts into our path. 

That includes the awkward, the uncomfortable, and the weird. ESPECIALLY the awkward, the uncomfortable, and the weird.

Bob Goff sums up the folks the Lord wants us to love in the title of his book “Everybody Always.” Need to go over that again? Who should we love? Everybody. Always. Any questions?

When Jesus Was Down and Out

Did you realize Jesus actually made a direct connection to our loving Him by loving others? He tells His team that they’ve loved Him by providing what He needed when He was down and out (Mt 25:35-46).

This leaves the boys scratching their heads. Wait, what? They don’t ever remember a time when He was hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, or in prison.

Loving God BY Loving People

Christ connects the dots for them by saying, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!” (Mt 25:40).

In other words, they demonstrated their love for God by loving the people who needed love in very practical ways. It’s loving God BY loving people.

The what, where, when, why, how and whom to love is all throughout the New Testament. One of the coolest is a little something something called the Love Chapter in a letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 13).

An Attaboy for the Son of God

Okay, back to the convo between Christ and the scribe. The teacher is blown away by Jesus’ answer. “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying there is only one God and no other (v32).

“And I know it is important to love Him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to off all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law” (v33).

While he doesn’t spit it back word-for-word, the scribe agrees with Jesus’ response. Imagine giving the Son of God an attaboy. The guy does see the importance of loving God and people as taking priority over checking all the religious boxes.

Right on the Doorstep

“Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God’” (v34). Christ realizes the guy almost gets it. He’s all over it!

He’s not quite in God’s kingdom…but he’s right on the doorstep!! He’s so close he can almost taste it! 

The Lord wants this theologian to know he has no idea just how close he is to God’s kingdom. As a matter of fact, it’s…or rather HE is standing right in front of Him!! He’s THAT close!!

The Who and Why behind Our Love

What’s our Savior trying to say? Let me take a stab at it if you don’t mind. 

I strongly suspect His point is we need to examine the who and why behind our love for others. Are we serving others for selfish reasons? 

Close but No Cigar

Are we trying to make ourselves look good? Are we trying to feel better about ourselves? If so, we’re close. Close but no cigar.

A Response to His Love

Or are we choosing to love and sacrificially serve the folks God places in our lives because He has chosen to love and sacrificially serve us? 

We’re to love BECAUSE we’ve been loved. We’re to serve BECAUSE we’ve been served. When that’s our motivation, it’s a pretty good sign that we’ve crossed over into the Kingdom of God.

Dropping the Mic 

So what happens next? “And after that, no one dared ask Him any more questions” (v34). This is Mark’s way of saying Christ drops the mic.

Remember, this day has been an endless series of confrontations. First it was the temple big wigs (Mk 11:27-12:12). Then the tag team of Pharisees and Herodians (Mk 12:13-17). Next up were the Sadducees (Mk 12:18-27).

Jesus sent them all packing. After His opponents go 0-for-4, they pack it in. They give up. They’ve got nothing else. 

Every Bit of Who He Is

So now that we know straight from our Savior what the G.O.A.T. of God’s commands, what do we do? I strongly suggest we do it! 

Let’s love the Lord with every bit of who we are. We do that by loving the people He puts into our lives with every bit of who we are. 

The reason? He loved us with every bit of who He is.

©2020

Jay Jennings