In the Name of Jesus
Mark 12,28-34 (cf. Matthew 22,24-40; Luke 10,25-28)
18. Trinitatis 063
James the brother of Jesus. Bishop of Jerusalem. Martyr 62
Severin, Bishop of Cologne, Germany. † 403.
23. October 2011
1. O Holy Spirit, the Inspirer of the apostles, on this day in the Trinity Season we also remember the Apostle James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, first Bishop of Jerusalem, until he suffered martyrdom at the hands of the high priest just like his elder brother, Jesus. Like all the apostles, James testified to the resurrection of Jesus and preached the gospel that produced faith in Christ so that people believed their sins were forgiven and everlasting life was theirs. O help us, Spirit of God, to trust this precious gospel as we are pressured by the world and our sinful flesh to forsake the comforting words of Your promise. Bless also our preaching from this church and turn the hearts of men and women from themselves unto Christ who is the world’s Savior. Amen.
2. Our sermon text for this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from the Gospel according to Mark where the Evangelist Mark writes: 28And one of the scribes came up and heard Jesus and the Sadducees disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, asked Him: „Which commandment is the most important of all?“ 29Jesus answered: „The most important is: »Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.« [Deuteronomy 6,4-5] 31The second is this: »You will love your neighbor as yourself.« [Leviticus 19,18] There is no other commandment greater than these.“ 32And the scribe said to Him: „You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that He is one, and there is no other besides Him. 33And 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, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.“ 34And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him: „You are not far from the reign of God.“ And after that no one dared to ask Jesus any more questions. This is our text.
3. There’s a bit of tension in today’s Gospel Reading. The Sadducees and the Pharisees were two distinct parties within Judaism similarly like our nation has two major political parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. The Sadducees included the temple priests and their primary religious function was to ensure that the temple and the multitude of animal sacrifices proceeded smoothly and orderly. Additionally, they oversaw the Jewish military and acted as liaison to the Roman governing authorities. The Sadducees desired to keep peace with the Romans. The Pharisees included the synagogue rabbis and their primary religious function was to ensure that the Word of God was perfectly copied, that commentaries on the Bible were produced and taught, and that the people heard sermons on the Holy Scriptures. The biggest discord between the Sadducees and the Pharisees involved the resurrection. The Sadducees, in general, denied that there was a bodily resurrection on the last day. The Pharisees, in general, believed that there most certainly was a bodily resurrection on the last day. In today’s Gospel discussion, there is tension between the religious duties of the two Jewish groups: which was more important, the Word or the Sacrifices? The scribe, who was a Pharisee, put forth that the Word of God is much more than the sacrifices, while the Sadducees would bristle at that assertion and might respond that the sacrifices are much more than the sermons preached on the Sabbath. The same tension resides in the Lutheran Church today: What is more important: Preaching the Word or administering the Sacraments? Which mountain peak is higher in the Divine Service: The service of the Word or the service of the Lord’s Supper?
4. The question is asked of Jesus: Which commandment is the greatest and noblest? Jesus had Ten Commandments to choose from. Well, actually He had Fourteen Commandments to choose from, for if you count up the specific commands in Exodus 20 you will discover there are thirteen distinct „shall“ commands and one „keep“ command. Judaism and Christianity have numbered the list at ten by combining similar commandments together so that the easy to remember number ten quickly brings to mind the ten precepts and laws God has put not only in our conscience but also before our eyes with the written Word.
5. Jesus, furthermore, pares down the Commandments to only two: love God and love your neighbor. Jesus also has four distinct Greek verbs to choose from for the word „love“. Jesus used the Greek verb agaph which means „unconditional love“. Jesus exhorts us to love God to such an extent that no sacrifice or service on our part is too great for Him, and to love our neighbor like he or she were our dearest and best friend. Such commands sound simple and easy, and you rightly conclude that our depraved, narcissistic society could use a good dose of taking this loving both God and neighbor more seriously. Keeping this law of love, however, is extremely difficult. On one occasion Yahweh came to visit Abraham and told him: „Dear Abraham, I know you love Me with all your heart. Go, and sacrifice your one and only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering to Me.“ At the beginning of creation we see Eve yielding to the temptation of the devil. And yet, there is Adam, who surely unconditionally loved his beautiful wife, but he fails to act as he idly stands there and lets that lying Satan deceive his wife into breaking Yahweh’s one and only command. Loving God and loving our neighbor are the most difficult commands Jesus exhorts from us.
6. Nevertheless, as difficult as it is to love, Jesus still commands us to do so. Yes, love God and love your neighbor. He placed such laws deep down inside the conscience of Adam and Eve when He created them in His Divine image and likeness. Such laws He gave to Moses and Israel at Sinai. Such laws, He proclaimed, are the greatest and noblest of all the commands of Yahweh, including the commands in the old testament to sacrifice animals and thus take away the sins of Israel. Love God; love your neighbor. You will spend your entire life striving to fulfill these laws and yet you will never completely fulfill them. But nevertheless strive to love God and your neighbor!
7. Jesus praises the Pharisaic scribe in today’s Gospel Reading. We don’t often hear such words escape Jesus’ lips in the Four Gospels. 99.9% of the time Jesus is castigating the Pharisees, but here He commends a Pharisee (although four verses later He denounces the scribes). Jesus acknowledges that this scribe has indeed answered wisely. He even goes a step further: „Dear scribe, you are not far from the reign of God.“
8. This scribe was standing within the doorway of the reign of God! One more step forward, and he is definitely in the heavenly reign. Our Lectionary, unfortunately, as it is want to do, lops off that one further step. The next step to take is to answer the question: Who is the Messiah? (Mark 12,35). Jesus picks up this dialogue immediately after our Gospel Reading for this morning.
9. What do you make of the Christ? The scribes and Pharisees endlessly debated this question in Jesus’ day. Two thousand years later in the twenty-first century, people continue to discuss this very question: What is the Christ all about? The very reign of God orbits this very question.
10. The Christ is both God and man. He is one hundred percent Divine and at the same time He is one hundred percent human together in one, distinct Person, by the name Jesus bar-Joseph of Nazareth. Mark the Evangelist, companion of both the Apostles Paul and Peter, begins his Gospel with these words: »The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.« Furthermore, when Mark announces the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, he succinctly writes: »Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying: „The time is fulfilled and the reign of God has come near; repent and believe in the gospel“« (Mark 1,14-15).
11. The law is summarized by love, and love is manifested in Christ Jesus. Christ perfectly kept the law: He loves His Heavenly Father with all His heart and His neighbor as Himself. Jesus willingly became the Greater Isaac who was offered up by His Father for your sins. Jesus is the Second Adam who overcame the devil and freed Eve’s descendants from hellish tyranny. Jesus showed this unconditional love for God and neighbor on the cross.
12. It is common to hear people say that „God is love.“ and „God is a loving God.“ This is most certainly true, but many people utter this Scriptural truth ignorant of how deep and wonderful God’s love truly is. Such declarations are not mere sentiments or philosophical ideals, but „God is love“ is grounded in real, harsh reality. Jesus really suffered; He was crucified in a rough cross; He truly died and was buried. Jesus endured these tribulations for the sake of the world and for you. You know that Jesus is love because He suffered in your place and He bore the punishment of your sins. Jesus took your spot so that God’s wrath would not strike you down. This, dear congregation, is love, yes, unconditional love.
13. The reign of God is not far from you. God’s reign was manifested with a dead Jesus hanging on the cross and a living Jesus risen from His tomb three days later. The reign of God is in your midst, and you have access to Jesus, to God’s reign and its benefits through faith in Jesus. God the Father loves you. He has forgiven you. He now sanctifies you to love God and your neighbor, and through this love you bear forth the fruits of faith for God’s glory and your neighbor’s benefit.
14. May the Holy Spirit give you opportunities to draw your neighbors unto the threshold of the reign of God. May you invite your neighbors here on Sunday morning so they can experience the reign of God in Christ Jesus, for „through Christ, by His love for us, we are in the reign of God, not merely close to it. Is not it wonderful that we have such a lovable God?“ (Martens § 17). Yes, it is wonderful! You can now sit here today, and you can walk out these church doors, with full confidence that your sins are forgiven. On the last day when you stand face to face with God the Awesome Judge, you can stand before Him with all boldness and joy, for you will stand before the Great Judge with all your sins forgiven by the merit of Jesus. Truly our Triune God is a loving God! Amen.
15. Let us pray. O Lord, our Loving God, Your friendship is for those who fear You; in Your Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, You have made known to us Your new testament so that we are assured of our forgiveness and salvation. Amen.
One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you!
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Mark © 1995 by Reuben Joseph Swanson.
Martens, Gottfried. A sermon preached on 11. October 2009 (18. Trinitatis) in Berlin-Zehlendorf, Germany on Mark 12,28-34. Copyright © 2011 St. Mary Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). All rights reserved. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011.
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