Hook
[Intro yourself. Hand out Bibles. Communion in coming.]
I used to spend my summers in Toronto working with my father. He owned a roofing company, but did plenty of other general contracting work. One day he dropped my brother and I off at this old Italian lady’s place to do lay a brick patio. We got out of the truck and asked about tools, he said they were in the back. We went around to the back of the truck and found two shovels. That’s it. Two shovels. Not even a flat-bottom spade! We said, “Dad, how are we supposed to level the ground for a brick patio with just two shovels?” He said something to the effect of, “Less talking, more walking. Get to work!” Then drove off like something out of a sitcom. So we went into this old lady’s backyard where there was a giant pile of 12″ square slabs for the patio piled up in the corner and me and my brother with our shovels… no spade. No level. No PVC. No strightedge. Not even a spool of string. We had nothing against which we could judge the level-ness of the ground apart from our eyes. And we certainly didn’t have anything to tamp the ground with besides our feet. Oh.. and it was 33 degrees out.That’s a Toronto 33 mind you… so like, 40+ with the Humidex.
We took out the big rocks and scraped our pointy shovels about, trying to use the long edge. We tried dragging the flat edge of the paving stones and attempting to ‘eyeball it’. The whole time we are baking in the sun, knowing this is a disaster and the old Italian lady is scowling at us through the kitchen window shaking her head in disapproval every so often so we would be acutely aware that we were not measuring up to her standards. Well, after what felt like 1,000 hours of work, we had laid about 30% of that patio stone and while a few of those stones sat flat and flush, the rest were somewhere between a tripping hazard and an earthquake simulator. When Dad finally returned for us and asked how it went we told him it was an unmitigated disaster. We just couldn’t get the ground level! I’m still not sure if we felt worse for myself or that old Italian lady.
The next day Dad sent in a pro who had all the tools necessary and he laid the whole patio in a single day. He thanked us for pulling out the rocks, but said it would have made his job easier if we had pulled up the patio stones as well. See, laying the stones is relatively simple as long as the ground is properly prepared. A flat, level, consistent foundation creates a beautiful canvas on which to build.
But we’ll come back to this pater, so let’s take that patio and stick it in our pocket. We’ll revisit it at the end.
Book
Mark 12:28–31 (NKJV) — 28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments 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, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Prayer
[Help us to build on a strong foundation]
Look
v28
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
So some context is in order here. Previously in the Gospel of Mark Jesus had been approached with questions by the Pharisees, who tried to trap Him with a tax question. Jesus responded to this so well, that the Pharisees basically had nothing to say. Next, the Sadducees tried to trap Jesus with a question about the resurrection — which they did not even believe it. And Jesus again responded so well that they had nothing to say in response. Now comes a Scribe to talk to Jesus after he heard them “reasoning together”.
I find this particularly interesting because the translation here — “reasoning together” — seems to imply that the two sides were trying to work together towards a mutual understanding. This is not what was happening and it’s not at all implied by the original word. What the Greek word actually means is simply advocating for one’s opinion in the face of opposition. This could just as easily be two entrenched sides fighting for their own opinion. Now, I love debate. My favourite debater, hands-down is an Apologist named William Lane Craig. I have watched every debate he has ever published and they have been such a treat to watch over the years.
One of the more interesting things Craig has said of his debates is that he has no illusions about converting, swaying, or even nudging his opponent closer to his own view. Rather, Craig wants to represent Jesus well so that God could use him to win the hearers of the debate. Those who do not already have their minds made up.
This seems to be exactly the situation that has arisen as this Scribe comes forward, genuinely impressed with Jesus’s answer to the Sadducees, to see if this unparalleled debater was able to answer one of the most important questions asked of the teachers of the day…. which is the first commandment of all?
See, there were 613 commands in the Torah. 365 prohibitions and another 248 positive commands. So teachers were often asked to summarize or distill these down to their core essence. A couple of the more famous one are:
Hillel the Elder (1st Century BC) — What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.
Rabbi Akiva (1st–2nd Century CE) — Love your neighbor as yourself
Let’s see how Jesus responds…
v29–30
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
Jesus leads off with ‘the first of all the commandments is’. So we can understand this to be an issue of first-order importance. This is foundational to our faith. The root from which everything else grows. And this is a commandment.
Not a suggestion. Not a recommendation. Not a discretionary convention.
So any refusal do this would be rebellion. It would be sin. And it would be first-order sin.
Now, what is first-order sin? It sounds like something from Star Wars. See, there are people who believe that sin is sin. Sin leads to death and you are either dead or not dead. Therefore there are no lesser or greater sins. It makes sense until you think about the idea of an “unpardonable” sin, which we read about in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So what does that mean? Think of it this way:
Who saves us from the consequences of our sin? Jesus!
Whom does Jesus save from the consequences of their sin? Believers. Those who confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. So those who respond to the Gospel message by calling on the name of the one who is mighty to save will be saved if they believe in their heart. That belief manifests itself — works itself out — by bending our will to His will. Submitting ourselves to His authority.
That means that if we SAY Jesus is Lord, but don’t believe it in our heart — which, as we will get to in a moment is the wellspring of our desires — we have actually rejected the offer of salvation. And so no pardon will be granted us. That means damnation. Hell. That’s why it is a first-order sin.
Secondary items are those things that still serve to separate us from God, but our love and devotion for Him means a life that is ultimately — or overall — submitted. And a life ultimately submitted means Jesus will shield us from the eternal consequences those sins would otherwise have had.
In short, Jesus blood will not cover the sins of those who reject Him.
So then I guess it’s reasonably important that we sort out what this first-order command requires, hey? Make sure you don’t tune out for the next bit, because I don’t want anyone leaving here worried that they might not really be saved. So make sure you stay with me.
Jesus reminds us that God was ALL of four things. Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. This is actually a quote from Deuteronomy 6:4–5, part of the Shema, a part of the Torah that is very important to observant Jews still to this day and is often recited as a prayer. So it’s not like Jesus was making some wild, radical claim that had never been heard before. Now let’s briefly take a look at each of these items.
HEART — Like I hinted at a moment ago, the heart is called “the seat of the will”. It represents our desires. What we want. What we really, really want. Our will is secondary to His will. In areas where He is silent, we are free to follow our desires, but in areas where He speaks, we are to defer. If God told me I had to give up teaching, I would have to do it. If God told me I had put down my guitars and never pick them up again, I would have no other choice. For difficult things like this I might not like what is being asked of me, but if I am going to say Jesus is Lord, I should behave in a way consistent with that claim!
Also; I think it is worth pursuing a realignment of my will. I should not be content with merely seeking and abiding by God’s will, but it should be my desire that my desire is His desire. I want to want what He wants. God conform my will to Yours. Amen.
SOUL — My soul is who I am. It is who you are. It is at the core of us. This means that our love for God is not supplemental to our lives. Our faith is not something that drives us to church on Sunday. It is something that drives our every move, every moment, every motive. We can’t bolt God onto the side of our lives and then say He is Lord. God’s not a backpack we carry around in case we run into a situation where we need something from it. We are a toddler navigating a treacherous cityscape and God is the parent who leads, guides, and protects us so that we can safely arrive at our destination.
MIND — The keen among you may have noticed that this one was not present in the Shema from Deuteronomy 6. Jesus just added it. Because He alone has the authority to supplement scripture. And such an addition would certainly NOT have gone unnoticed by a Scribe. This guy was an expert on the law! And perhaps that plays a part in why Jesus added ‘mind’. Our intelligence. Our intellect. Our logic. Our reason.
[the mystery of Godliness]
Now, I’ll admit that God didn’t tell us everything about everything. He could have, but He didn’t. He only told us what He wanted us to know [hold up the Bible]. And why would He want us to know if He didn’t want us to understand?? That doesn’t make any sense. And just because I don’t have all the answers does NOT mean they are unattainable! So let’s use our minds! Exercise them! Ask questions!
[Sarah Stocks peppering me]
STRENGTH — This word is ‘effort’ or ‘ability’. Do you love God as much as you are able? The fact is that we will put effort into the things that matter to us. Do you get up at 4am to work out, but can’t find time for morning devotions? Will you drive 1000 kilometres to go on vacation, but can’t find a church to attend while you’re there? Too many things in your schedule to serve in the local church? Your actions have betrayed the truth in your heart. If any of these described you, then your love of God is less than total.
And that’s what sin is. Sin is a failure of love. Love has lost to self and so sin is given room to do as it wills.
But let me encourage you if you — like me — are less than perfect in these areas. The rule of thumb I always give to people who are unsure where they stand with God: If you have confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead AND are genuinely concerned about whether you are in good standing before Him… you’re in good standing before him. He knows we are hopelessly incapable of attaining perfection. That’s WHY Jesus came. And you are certainly in the very best of company —— every believer who has ever lived!
Think of King David! A “man after God’s own heart”. Not that he was patterned after God, but that he sought after God. David’s life was a mess on many fronts, but he was trying to seek the Lord.
Or the Apostle Paul, who wrote this:
Romans 7:19 — 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
So again, if you are worried that you might not be saved — again, assuming you’ve confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart — then you’re just fine. Keep pressing in and know that God loves and His grace will protect you. With that, let’s take a look at the second commandment:
v31
And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Firstly, let’s pause briefly and address a claim that has been made from time to time. This claim comes from the self-love advocates. And they says that this command, to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, is evidence for God’s desire that we self-love. That we take care of ourselves. That we meet our own needs.
Hogwash!
We have no problem thinking about ourselves! I remember a friend of mine at Bible college decided after meeting his baby niece for the first time that children were innocent and could not sin. FALSE. Babies are the most selfish people that exist! Ain’t no parent pacing around the house for 6 hours straight doing “the bounce” because THEY love it. That child will NOT stop crying until their needs are met. I am plenty good at making sure I have what I need, and what I want, and maybe a little extra. What the Biblical authors are saying is, “Put the same effort into loving your neighbour that you ALREADY put into loving yourself.”
So, with that said, let’s dig into this second command. At this time Jews understood the word “neighbour” to mean only fellow Jews. But Jesus did not construe the word so narrowly. In the story of the Good Samaritan — recorded in Luke 10 — Jesus juxtaposes the actions of the supposed neighbours with that of a the supposed enemy. But the Scribe in that story — probably the same scribe as this story — is forced to admit that the true neighbour was the one who showed mercy. The one who treated his apparent “enemy” with the love and compassion he would have liked show to him if the situation was reversed.
Pastor Bill Wilson in New York City is fond of saying, “The Need is the Call”. I doubt that the phrase started with him, but his use of it has inspired me for many years. It was the ethos of Metro Kids Society — one of my former employers. And it is the sentiment at work in the parable offered by Jesus to this Scribe. Whoever is in need is your neighbour. If you want to know how God intends to use you, look around at the context He has placed you in!
I recently heard this question during a podcast and it wrinkled my brain, so I’ll ask you: Who is the most important person in your life?
There are a plethora of possible answers to this question. Maybe you immediately think of a parent. Or a spouse. Maybe a child, a sibling, or a friend. Maybe a mentor or your pastor — that’s a solid answer, by the way. Well, the man who posed this question in named Jack Hollis, the executive Vice President of Toyota North America. And his answer — what he believes is the one, true, correct answer to this question — might surprise you.
No. It’s not “God”.
The answer he suggests is “The person in front of you”. That’s right! More important than your spouse, family, friends, children, mentors, or even your pastor is the person right in front of you. Why? Because this is the person that God has providentially ordained you to interact with. This is the person for whom you can make the biggest difference in the kingdom of God. And yeah, most of the time that person will be your spouse, children, siblings, friends, and the like. But let’s not allow these interactions to go to waste. One-on-one interactions are so important!
Look at the difference when Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees! No one changes their position. Then when He is confronted by the Sadducees, the same thing. No one is moved from their position. BUT, this one Scribe comes up to him alone, apart from his posse. And in that more personal context he is willing to listen, to learn, to change. See there is often too much social capital at stake for us change our minds when surrounded by a larger group because in those cases we are often less interested in the truth than we are in being right. We often have our eyes on the social fallout instead of the eternal consequences. We often fear man instead of God. Well that’s the same for the people we talk to as it is for us!
That’s why one-on-one interactions are so valuable. And that’s why the most important person in your life is the one in front of you. Don’t squander the opportunities the Lord is giving you. Not everything needs to be a big Gospel presentation, though introducing someone to God is absolutely the most loving thing possible. But — and don’t miss — even Jesus’ story didn’t have the Good Samaritan preach the coming kingdom to the injured man. He met his physical needs and showed him love. And that will eventually lead him — as Peter points out — to ask the REASON for the hope you have.
Took
But here’s where the rubber meets the road. We need both. We cannot only love God and we cannot only love people. Both parts are required. This is where we pull the patio from earlier out of our pocket. Without a good foundation, the stones don’t sit right and the patio is dangerous or unusable — or both! And without the stones, the foundation is just a nicely-leveled dirt pit. This crude analogy parallels Jesus’ command to love God and love others.
If we focus solely on loving God without extending that love to others, we are neglecting a crucial aspect of what God commands. Just as a patio without stones is almost useless, so is a faith that loves God without putting that faith into action! Jesus’ command to love our neighbor is not optional; it’s a direct expression of our love for God. Ignoring this command is sin. That’s right, sin. It is open rebellion and laziness. It twists our faith into some abstract idea rather than a practical, lived reality. We have to do the work.
On the flip side, focusing solely on loving people without anchoring that love in the truth is dangerously misguided. Let me offer an example. I know a couple — people who would say they are Christians — that are fully affirming of gender transition for minors. This is something that our modern culture celebrates with unconditional acceptance. Now, I believe with my whole heart that the barbaric practice of mutilating our young so that we can feel better about ourselves will be judged by history as the bafflingly evil act that it is… BUT this is the EXACT sort of thing that happens when so-called “love” is not grounded in truth! It is totally divorced from Biblical, Godly love. This is just humanism. Humanism — which claims to value human welfare and ethical behaviour — may seem noble, but without the the love of Christ undergirding it, it is like that patio I installed; precarious at best and deadly at worst. Without God we are literally loving people to death. Eternal death.
If you have struggled with any of this and would like prayer, please come up to the front after the service as myself and any elders who are around would be more than happy to pray with you. And if you are not a Christian but came here today to check out God, church, faith, or Jesus and want to experience the love I have been talking about, again, please come up and talk to myself or one of the elders who will be at the front and we would be more than happy to pray with you.
With that, let’s stand and celebrate the love of God — demonstrated in His love of us when he took on the cross for our salvation — by taking communion together. Please come and get the elements and then return to your seats with them. We will partake together. Our gluten-free option is at the back.
Communion
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 — [T]he Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 — In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”