Mark 12:29 Commentary and Bible Study

The Lord Jesus Christ quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and what he quotes is the beginning of the so-called Shema, that is, the confession of faith of Israel, which goes all the way down to verse 11. It is called the Shema, because that is the Hebrew for ‘Hear,’ the very first word. It is a great statement and Christ just takes the beginning of it. The Shema used to be repeated by pious Jews twice every day, and to this day it begins the service in every synagogue. It is the Jewish confession of faith and these are just the opening words, which speak of one God and summarise the first four of the Ten Commandments perfectly. Love him with every part of your being. Don't love something else as much as you love the Lord. Don't love the Lord only with a part of yourself, and love the world with the rest of yourself, ‘Love the Lord thy God with all your heart.’ ‘With all your soul’ – your prayer faculty; pray to him, praise him. ‘With all your mind’, your powers of reason: learn of him, admire his truth. ‘With all your strength’, your will, your volitional faculty. This is the first, the greatest commandment. These words begin, declaring that God is one. That doesn’t, of course, contradict the fact that there are three glorious persons united in one Godhead. God is one unity; one unity of three persons, all equally God, all divine: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They cannot be divided in any way but they take different roles within the Godhead and that declaration comes first. The declaration of one God was opposed to the polytheism of all the religions of that day. Then also, it summarises the first four commandments, the first table of the law, our duty to God: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God’ with your whole being. You will hold him in gratitude and appreciation and wonder and desire him and obey him and trust him with all your thoughts and your plans and your will. Well, that shook the scribe. It came home to him. ‘I have put all the emphasis on keeping the ritual, the minute details of the ceremonial law. But, important as that is – it is not to be denied while the Old Testament runs – far more important is the command to love him with all my heart. That engages the whole of my being for the Lord.