Doing What Comes Naturally

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

DOING WHAT COMES NATURALLY

Mark 12:28-31

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.   30 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: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." 

NIV

This is in part of the conversation between Jesus and this teacher of the law. We will get to the teachers response later, but for now let us be concerned with what Jesus said. We know he quoted the first part from the law given in Deuteronomy and the second part from Leviticus, which of course the teacher of the law would have known quite well. Although we could spend forever contemplating on those words Jesus spoke about loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and the fact that we should love everyone else just as much as we love ourselves, we should spend some time on why Jesus spoke these words. Why did he respond with these words as the most important of all the commandments? Certainly the teacher of the law knew of these, but he also knew and taught all the law as important, otherwise he would not be a teacher of the law. Jesus spoke right to the heart of the issue of all the law. Jesus spoke to him right where this teacher was, in the law. The whole embodiment of the law is wrapped up in these two truths. It is all about the condition of our heart, not in a lists of do’s and don’ts as perhaps the teacher might have been teaching, yet when we come to his response, maybe his heart was closer to the truth then what he taught. Jesus meant him in the central focal point of the teacher’s life, the law. Of course the question was about the law, about the commandments, which being the most important, but nevertheless Jesus did not respond with a parable, or by trapping the man with another question. Jesus was forthright and gave this teacher of the law a very direct answer which spoke right into the very being of this man. We should know that Jesus speaks into our lives with that same clarity, that same directness, that same pointedness right into the very central theme of our lives. He meets us wherever we are, however we are, whatever we are. It matters not how much or how little we know, what our education is, what our occupation is, what our lifestyle is, he speaks right into our being right where we are. If we ask an honest question, we will get an honest answer. Jesus wants us to know the truth, and that is why he sent the Holy Spirit so he could lead us to all the truth. This answer Jesus gave shows us the importance that all the truth in wrapped up in relationships, our relationship with God and our relationships with other people. If we but focus on those two relationships all else in our lives that pleases God will follow naturally. If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves, we only need to do what comes naturally.