Mark 12: 28-34
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?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first
is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 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.” The second is this, “You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than
these.’ Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have
truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; 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”,—this is much more important
than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When 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.
Imagine.
Let’s say that the scribe in this
week’s Gospel was named Jacob.
Jacob stood quietly at the back of the
group of Sadducees as he listened to the Nazarene answer the questions being
shot at him. He let no one know he was there. He just wanted to listen for a
while and he knew that as soon as he was seen all the focus would be turned on
him and everyone would respectfully wait for him to ask questions and provide
the correct answers. He wanted to hear what the Nazarene had to say. According to all the rumors, the man was a
rebel with a questionable grasp on the law but Jacob had learned not to make
judgments before he had all the facts before him. He was interested in truth
not in rumors rising out of jealousy and fear. So he just listened and the more
he listened, the more he appreciated the Nazarene’s keen insight and his
obvious knowledge of the law.
When the Sadducees began to argue more
with one another than with the man called Jesus, Jacob decided to step in. He
would ask Jesus the first and foremost question that should precede all discussion
of the law. The answer to this question was one that every good Hebrew child
learned as soon as he could speak. If this man was a good Jew, he would
immediately know the answer and he would know that he was required to only
teach the knowledge that was given to him. These were the duties of a student
of the law. All knowledge of the law
should rest on the answer to this question – something the Pharisees and Sadducees seemed
to often forget. The answer to this question was, indeed, the total foundation
of Jacob’s love for his God. He was passionate about it.
He raised his voice to carry over the
voices of those who were arguing and debating.
“Jesus of Nazareth,” he called. “I have
a question for you.”
The noise of the crowd died down for
they recognized the voice of Jacob. He was a highly respected scribe in their
district and he had taught many of them. If anyone could put this man Jesus in
his place it would be Jacob with his keen insights and deep knowledge of the
Law. They were excited to see how he would humiliate the Nazarene.
“Jesus,
tell me. Which commandment is the first of all?”
A murmur of disappointment ran through
the crowd. This was easy stuff! This wasn’t a question that would trap Jesus; everyone
knew the answer to that one, even ignorant carpenters from Nazareth. Sure
enough, Jesus answered fully and correctly. However, instead of covering his
eyes with his right hand, which all Jews did when reciting the commandment to
keep themselves from being distracted, he looked straight at Jacob and his eyes
were warm and as bright as fire as he answered,
“The
first commandment, Jacob, is, “Hear,
O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 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.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other
commandment greater than these.”
For the
space of a second, Jacob was disturbed that Jesus had not covered his eyes but
as Jesus spoke, those eyes captivated Jacob and pulled him into a joyful circle
of intimacy. He felt as though the passion he had always carried in his heart
had been radiantly acknowledged and shared in a way he had never experienced with
anyone before. So often he had tried to pass on to his students the
inexplicable love he had for the One God. He had tried to instill the same
passion for the immensity of a God who encompassed all diversity in his
oneness. Always, he lacked the words and the ability to fully express the love
that drove him to serve his God. Yet in this brief space of time, this Jesus showed
him that his passion was not only understood but also shared. And Jesus’ eyes promised
more…much more!
Jacob
drew closer to Jesus and before he even thought of what he was saying, he
replied, “You are right, Teacher.”
The crowd
went even more silent with shock. Jacob had called the Nazarene ‘Teacher’!
Jacob the erudite, Jacob the wise, Jacob the educator, Jacob the authority to
whom all looked for answers and judgment had called this poor nomadic rebel “Teacher”.
“You are
absolutely right, Teacher,” repeated Jacob. “You have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no
other”; 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”, —this
is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.”
Still
looking into Jacob’s eyes, Jesus moved closer to him, put his hands on Jacob’s
shoulders and said, “You answer with great wisdom, brother. You are not far
from the Kingdom of God.”
One by
one the crowd of Sadducees dispersed. They could not intrude and they dared not
question. Who among them could question Jacob, the most knowledgeable of them
all, the one who had brought them up in the ways of the Law and who was revered
by everyone? There was nothing more they could do or say.
When
everyone had left, Jacob simply stood there as he soaked in what was being
lavished on him through the eyes of Jesus. Then he slowly pulled his prayer
shawl over his head and lifted his hands to heaven.
“Shema Yisrael,”
whispered Jacob to Jesus. “Adonai Eloheinu. Hear O Israel, the Lord is one. And
you are the One!”
The
conclusion of this reflection can be found here:
Or you
can go to youtube and search for “Shema Yisrael by Micha’el Ben David”
May your
spirit be stirred like Jacob’s was.
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