Sermon Notes
Sermon: The Hebrew Shema by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: November 4, 2018
Key Passage: Mark 12:28-34 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Sermon:
The Challenges
The scribes liked to challenge Jesus. Mark 12 begins with Jesus’s parable of the tenants. After Jesus tells this story, the scribes wanted to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the people (Mark 12:12). Then the Pharisees and the Herodians decided to try and trap Jesus with their questions about taxes (Mark 12:13), but instead they marveled at His answer (Mark 12:17). After that, the Sadducees gave it a try, and they tried to trap Him regarding a question of the resurrection in the final days. Basically, Jesus ended His response by telling them that they were wrong. This left the scribes debating amongst themselves. In 3 events, Jesus had told 3 groups of people that they were wrong.
These 3 groups were the leaders of the Jewish community. They were not used to having their authority questioned, and no one ever dared to tell them that they were wrong about the Law. The Herodians were a political party that were loyal and friends with King Herod and his dynasty of descendants. They were also friendly and often linked with the Pharisees. The Pharisees prided themselves on their knowledge of the Torah and Mosaic Law, and they were committed to uphold both. They believed in a theocracy. The Sadducees were committed to the Torah and believed that the Torah superseded all other laws, including Mosaic Law. They were a bit more practical and supported earthly leaders. Regardless of which of the three groups you examine, they all knew the Law inside and out. They were the experts that everyone else went to. They often debated with other interpretations of the law, particularly which law was greater than all of the rest.
The Honest Question
Remember that Jesus knew the Law just as well as, if not better then, the scribes. When He was just 12 years old, He was found teaching the men in the Temple. We often forget that even as a child, Jesus was respected by the men of the Temple. Otherwise, He would not have been allowed to speak as He did. The scribes knew this and consistently challenged Jesus in order to trap Him in His theology. In Mark 12, there were three instances of where these religious and political leaders tried to trap Jesus in some nuance of the Law or another. Yet, they were left astonished by His responses. Following these debates, a scribe came to Jesus with an honest question. A question that the scribes themselves had debated many times: which law was the most important? Which law encapsulated the whole of Jewish law and was greater than all of the others?
Jesus’s Answer
How would you answer that question? Now, Jesus had plenty to choose from. We know of the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-21. However, Jewish Law extends far beyond the Ten Commandments. The Law that the Pharisees and Sadducees were always challenging Jesus on consisted of 613 individual commandments. There were 365 negative ones, basically the “do nots”. There were 248 positive ones, which were the “do’s”. Jesus answered by saying, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and 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.’” (Mark 12:29-31 ESV)
Why the Answer was Remarkable
I can imagine that when Jesus spoke those words that you could have heard a pin drop. The scribe humbly acknowledged that Jesus answered correctly. And in verse 34, it says that no one else dared to ask Jesus anymore questions. If the scribes themselves often debated that answer, then how could this scribe be so certain that Jesus had answered the question correctly? Why was this answer so remarkable that it had such a sudden impact?
Reason 1: Love
The first reason was that the root of the commandments that Jesus spoke was love. Why was this shocking? Well, first, because the scribes’ primary focus was on the Law, the do’s and don’ts of life under God. It was a legalistic attitude that did not represent the relationship with God that God desires to have with us.
Also, have you ever heard any of the following phrases or something similar?
Next, there are strong ties between the Old Testament and the New Testament. If we lose the Old Testament, we lose an understanding of who Jesus is and why we need Him. We lose an understanding of who God is. God is a God of both love and justice. His character never changes. He is not one thing and suddenly becomes something else. God’s love is shown in both testaments of the Bible, not just the New Testament.
Reason 2: Hebrew Shema
The second reason it was such a remarkable response was that the words that Jesus spoke to the scribe were not original with Him. He was quoting the Torah, the law of God that both Pharisees and Sadducees held in high regard. The first part that He quoted was from Deuteronomy 6:4-5:
“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 might.”
Sound familiar? This is known as the Hebrew Shema. The Shema is the essential tenet of the Jewish faith. The Jews pray it every morning and every evening. Every one of those scribes would have known it by heart, praying it twice a day all their lives. Growing up in a devout Jewish family, Jesus would have known the Shema by heart as He prayed it twice daily. By quoting the Shema, Jesus supports the Jewish belief of the one almighty God (monotheism) and establishes His theological orthodoxy.
The Shema is quoted in many places throughout Jewish literature and always lists three things: heart, soul, and might. The Jews believed the heart to be the seat of all a person is, where they make their decisions. It is the core of one’s very being. Jesus, however, lists four things: heart, soul, mind, and strength. He emphasizes the intellectual aspect of faith. The scribe’s affirmation does the same. Though rather than say mind and heart, the scribe combines the two concepts with the use of the word understanding.
The second part that Jesus quoted was Leviticus 19:18 which states:
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
In combining these two passages, Jesus sums up the Torah. The Law is about love. God’s love for us, and, how in loving God, we should love others. Our orthopraxy (or practices) should be rooted in orthodoxy (our beliefs) which stems from God. It all starts with God.
Final Thoughts
The scribe saw the truth in Jesus’s answer. He understood that to love God was more important that burnt offerings. He understood, or, at least, was beginning to understand, that a relationship with God was more important than the traditions and rituals. Not that those things didn’t have a place, but that practices, traditions, and rituals should be a product of a relationship with God, not a substitute for one.
Further Suggested Study:
Sermon: The Hebrew Shema by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: November 4, 2018
Key Passage: Mark 12:28-34 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Sermon:
The Challenges
The scribes liked to challenge Jesus. Mark 12 begins with Jesus’s parable of the tenants. After Jesus tells this story, the scribes wanted to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the people (Mark 12:12). Then the Pharisees and the Herodians decided to try and trap Jesus with their questions about taxes (Mark 12:13), but instead they marveled at His answer (Mark 12:17). After that, the Sadducees gave it a try, and they tried to trap Him regarding a question of the resurrection in the final days. Basically, Jesus ended His response by telling them that they were wrong. This left the scribes debating amongst themselves. In 3 events, Jesus had told 3 groups of people that they were wrong.
These 3 groups were the leaders of the Jewish community. They were not used to having their authority questioned, and no one ever dared to tell them that they were wrong about the Law. The Herodians were a political party that were loyal and friends with King Herod and his dynasty of descendants. They were also friendly and often linked with the Pharisees. The Pharisees prided themselves on their knowledge of the Torah and Mosaic Law, and they were committed to uphold both. They believed in a theocracy. The Sadducees were committed to the Torah and believed that the Torah superseded all other laws, including Mosaic Law. They were a bit more practical and supported earthly leaders. Regardless of which of the three groups you examine, they all knew the Law inside and out. They were the experts that everyone else went to. They often debated with other interpretations of the law, particularly which law was greater than all of the rest.
The Honest Question
Remember that Jesus knew the Law just as well as, if not better then, the scribes. When He was just 12 years old, He was found teaching the men in the Temple. We often forget that even as a child, Jesus was respected by the men of the Temple. Otherwise, He would not have been allowed to speak as He did. The scribes knew this and consistently challenged Jesus in order to trap Him in His theology. In Mark 12, there were three instances of where these religious and political leaders tried to trap Jesus in some nuance of the Law or another. Yet, they were left astonished by His responses. Following these debates, a scribe came to Jesus with an honest question. A question that the scribes themselves had debated many times: which law was the most important? Which law encapsulated the whole of Jewish law and was greater than all of the others?
Jesus’s Answer
How would you answer that question? Now, Jesus had plenty to choose from. We know of the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-21. However, Jewish Law extends far beyond the Ten Commandments. The Law that the Pharisees and Sadducees were always challenging Jesus on consisted of 613 individual commandments. There were 365 negative ones, basically the “do nots”. There were 248 positive ones, which were the “do’s”. Jesus answered by saying, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and 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.’” (Mark 12:29-31 ESV)
Why the Answer was Remarkable
I can imagine that when Jesus spoke those words that you could have heard a pin drop. The scribe humbly acknowledged that Jesus answered correctly. And in verse 34, it says that no one else dared to ask Jesus anymore questions. If the scribes themselves often debated that answer, then how could this scribe be so certain that Jesus had answered the question correctly? Why was this answer so remarkable that it had such a sudden impact?
Reason 1: Love
The first reason was that the root of the commandments that Jesus spoke was love. Why was this shocking? Well, first, because the scribes’ primary focus was on the Law, the do’s and don’ts of life under God. It was a legalistic attitude that did not represent the relationship with God that God desires to have with us.
Also, have you ever heard any of the following phrases or something similar?
- The Old Testament was about a God of judgment and wrath while the New Testament was about a God of love.
- We don’t need to worry about the laws of the Old Testament, because Jesus changed all that and was all about love in the New Testament. You know love your neighbor, turning the other cheek, etc.
- The people in the Old Testament were all under the old covenant and the New Testament people were under the new covenant.
Next, there are strong ties between the Old Testament and the New Testament. If we lose the Old Testament, we lose an understanding of who Jesus is and why we need Him. We lose an understanding of who God is. God is a God of both love and justice. His character never changes. He is not one thing and suddenly becomes something else. God’s love is shown in both testaments of the Bible, not just the New Testament.
Reason 2: Hebrew Shema
The second reason it was such a remarkable response was that the words that Jesus spoke to the scribe were not original with Him. He was quoting the Torah, the law of God that both Pharisees and Sadducees held in high regard. The first part that He quoted was from Deuteronomy 6:4-5:
“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 might.”
Sound familiar? This is known as the Hebrew Shema. The Shema is the essential tenet of the Jewish faith. The Jews pray it every morning and every evening. Every one of those scribes would have known it by heart, praying it twice a day all their lives. Growing up in a devout Jewish family, Jesus would have known the Shema by heart as He prayed it twice daily. By quoting the Shema, Jesus supports the Jewish belief of the one almighty God (monotheism) and establishes His theological orthodoxy.
The Shema is quoted in many places throughout Jewish literature and always lists three things: heart, soul, and might. The Jews believed the heart to be the seat of all a person is, where they make their decisions. It is the core of one’s very being. Jesus, however, lists four things: heart, soul, mind, and strength. He emphasizes the intellectual aspect of faith. The scribe’s affirmation does the same. Though rather than say mind and heart, the scribe combines the two concepts with the use of the word understanding.
The second part that Jesus quoted was Leviticus 19:18 which states:
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
In combining these two passages, Jesus sums up the Torah. The Law is about love. God’s love for us, and, how in loving God, we should love others. Our orthopraxy (or practices) should be rooted in orthodoxy (our beliefs) which stems from God. It all starts with God.
Final Thoughts
The scribe saw the truth in Jesus’s answer. He understood that to love God was more important that burnt offerings. He understood, or, at least, was beginning to understand, that a relationship with God was more important than the traditions and rituals. Not that those things didn’t have a place, but that practices, traditions, and rituals should be a product of a relationship with God, not a substitute for one.
Further Suggested Study:
- Exodus 20:1-21
- Leviticus 19:18
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9
- Ezekiel 36
- Jeremiah 31
- Mark 12:28-34
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