AUGUST 11, 2014
Power
Of Simplicity
Read: Mark 12:28-34
Then one of the scribes came, and . . . asked Him, “Which is the
first commandment of all?” —Mark 12:28
Few
people take time to study the US Internal Revenue Service income tax
regulations—and for good reason. According to Forbes magazine, in 2013 tax
codes surpassed the four million-word mark. In fact, the tax laws have become
so complex that even the experts have a hard time processing all the
regulations. It’s burdensome in its complexity.
The
religious leaders in ancient Israel did the same thing in their relationship
with God. They made it too complex with laws. The growing burden of religious
regulations had increased to the point where even an expert in Moses’ law
struggled to understand its core. When one such leader asked Jesus what
mattered most in the Commandments, Jesus responded, “‘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. And the second, like it, is
this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment
greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
The
law of Moses was burdensome, but faith in Christ is simple and His “burden is
light” (Matt. 11:30). It’s light because God was willing to forgive us and love
us. Now He enables us to love Him and our neighbor.
I love Thee because
Thou hast first loved me,
And purchased my
pardon on Calvary’s tree;
I love Thee for
wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee,
my Jesus, ’tis now. —Featherstone
God’s love in our
heart gives us a heart for Him and others.
Insight
In
Christ’s answer to the scribe in Mark 12:29, He quotes the “Shema” from
Deuteronomy 6:4 which states, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
one.” The title “shema” is from the Hebrew word for hear. One source says this
statement of the oneness of God is recited twice each day by observant Jews and
is the most important part of Judaism’s prayer services.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
