Friday Faithfuls Two - Mark

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Mark is the most condensed of the Gospels; generally considered to be the first one written down, it may be that the urgency of the task kept his manuscript shorter.  Or maybe Mark just had a get-down-to-basics approach. 

But in cruising through, the verse that struck me was Jesus answering a question during his teaching at the Temple during Passion Week.  'What is the most important of the commandments?'

"The most important one,"  answered Jesus, "Is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD  your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"   - Mark 12:29 -30.   

This is a quote of Deuteronomy 6:4, known as the 'Shema' and is basically the Hebrew statement of faith.

And, I might add, it is, along with what Jesus goes on to describe as the second greatest commandment, to love each other, the framework up on which all the other commandments and statutes of God are built.

Jesus said that the one who loves him is the one who follows his commandments.

It is entirely unique; no other religion in the world hinges on love.  It is a Judeo-Christian distinctive.  He loves us and fulfilled the law on our behalf...for us.  We love him because he first loved us, and because we love him, we do what he instructed.

Right?  Right?

Oh, but those commandments are outdated...it's old fashioned...it's exclusive and bigoted...it doesn't mean what it says it means...God wants me to be happy, right?

Um.

Let's just start with the first one.  Love God.  First, foremost, before anything else.  Love God.  Jesus said it was the most important thing to do if we want to live a life of following God.

Love HIM.  Live for HIS smile.

If that's truly the number one priority...most of the other stuff will fall into place.  Or fall right away.