Mark 12:28-34 “The greatest commandment”

Mark 12:28-34 “The greatest commandment”

The Jewish legal system had grown into hundreds if not thousands of thou shalt nots. All of them considered important. It is enough to make you dizzy. Imagine driving through Minneapolis and all the road signs are missing. Now you have to drive remembering all the laws of the road with no reminders. No speed limit signs, no stop signs, no one way signs, no white or yellow lines, and no school or work zone signs. And while you are trying to remember all the laws about driving and parking there is a police person just waiting to write you a ticket. That is how it must have felt for the average Jewish person in Jesus’ time. But what if you could take all those laws and distill them into one or two commandments. Some countries have only two driving laws, don’t you let nobody hit you and don’t you hit nobody.

1.       There is only one God
a. There is only one God and you are not Him.
b. God is not your check book. Or your 401K.
c. God is not your good looks. your important job.
d. God is the one who created you, and saved you

2.       Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
a. love God with all that you are.

3.       Love your neighbor as yourself.
a. Why add this, it was not part of the question?
b. If you love God you will love the things God loves.
c. John 3:16 Romans 5:8
d. John 13:34-35
d. John 15:12-17
e. Matthew 5:43-48
f. James 2:1-4 & 8-10

Opportunities to Love God exist all around us. We meet them every day. We talk with them, work with them, live and play with them. Jesus knew we did not need hundreds and thousands of rules and laws. Two will do just fine.