He asks for Everything
Scripture:
Mark 12:28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall 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, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Observation:
Standing in the temple, not far from the place where the sacrifices were made, a scribe asked Jesus a serious question. Maybe he was tired of all the bickering and thought that this man, Jesus, had something to offer so he asked a question. The religious leaders often argued over the most important commandment because they had come up with so many. Jesus made it very clear, the most important command was to give God everything.
Whereas the other gospel writers only mention a three-fold pathway of loving God, Mark makes it four, embracing the human whole. As Brower tells us:
The heart (kardia) is the center of thinking and affections (contrast 7:6). The soul (psychē) often refers to life itself (as in 8:34–37); but it can overlap with kardia as the center of emotions and desires. Mind (dianoia) refers to intelligence and can also overlap with kardia. It may have been added because of greater attention to the things of the “mind” during Hellenistic times (so Donahue and Harrington 2002, 355). Strength (ischys) is the power to act. The relational language of love (agapaō) is fundamental to the God of Scripture. (NBBC)
The result is a single-minded devotion to God that is combined with a selfless love of neighbor which, ultimately, defines Wesley’s understanding of holiness of heart and life.
Application:
Full surrender has always been a challenge for humanity. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day struggled with the concept and I know that we do today. There are so many aspects of life that we want to hold on to, or situations where we want to encourage or force an outcome. Just as Jesus told the scribe what was important, so we must also listen to this truth because Jesus wants everything.
My heart: It’s valentine’s weekend and there is much talk of the heart. There are relationships that will pull on our heartstrings and we will be drawn toward another human being. Unfortunately, not all of these relationships are good for us in the long-run. People will manipulate our feelings for their own satisfaction, leaving us hurt and empty. Jesus calls us to turn our affections toward him, pouring out all that we have in our hearts before the Lord. This includes human attractions and inclinations, which are to be given over to the Lord.
My soul: As Brower says, this can mean life itself. Everything about us, all of our DNA and life experiences combine to form each of us into a very unique individual. The creative beauty of God’s expression found in each of us is to be brought into loving submission before the Father so that we can be used for his purposes.
Mind: In a world where we are encouraged to believe that our human minds have the ability to explain everything from a scientific perspective, it is a challenge to bring our minds before God. In bringing our minds before God we humbly submit that our knowledge is not endless but is bounded by the limits of our humanity. We submit our intellect to the mysteries of God and use what God has given us in service to the kingdom.
Strength: The power to act is a gentle reminder that we are to become intentional participants in this loving relationship with God. We have the power to imitate Christ and to engage in the practices of virtue. God is inviting us into a synergistic relationship where we are living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
When everything that I have is brought under submission to God, then there is an overwhelming desire to love others. For a follower of Christ to not have a passion for the lost begs the question, “Do they truly love God?” All of this encompasses the message of holiness — the very pinnacle of Jesus’ teaching. The listeners were so overwhelmed by his answer that they no longer asked him any questions.
Jesus asks for everything — and anything less than everything means that we will fail to experience the fullness of holiness that is provided for us through Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, by your grace, lead me into surrendering my all — every day. Amen.
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