One

One:

Mark 12:28-34, while not a parable, gives an exchange between Christ and one of the scribes in attendance when Jesus told the Sadducees they were getting it all wrong. This particular scribe seems to have been moved by Christ's answers and had gained a newfound measure of appreciation and respect for Jesus. He entered into a genuine discussion with Jesus, not trying to tempt him, or trap him in legalisms. We see in the scribe a certain recognition of a kindred spirit. We might even say that, at least for a moment, Christ and the scribe were one in their zeal for the law of God.

It was the true core nature of the law that interested the scribe. It was the truth of the law that spurred him to speak. What we can take away from the exchange is that not all of the religious elite were hypocrites. Some were genuine in their love of God.

“Which is the first commandment of all?” This scribe cut right to the chase. He wanted to speak about the important stuff. It was not a test to see if Jesus knew the law. It was a bridge and a foundation for communication between what the scribe perceived as like minds. And of course, Jesus knew his stuff.

He answered without hesitation. Jesus quoted Moses, the lawgiver, from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Jesus went right to the source of the law – the law that all scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees professed – the law from which they derived their authority. It was exactly the answer this scribe wanted to hear.

“Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord.” If Jesus had been just a Rabbi, he, at least, knew the law as well as any other. What mattered to the scribe was not whether this man was a man or God, nor again whether he was better or worse than other religious authorities – what mattered to this man was a true love of God.

What I would like to impress on the reader in the word 'one.' Many, when they read, pass by quickly. There is danger in speed reading the Bible. It is the danger of a cavalier attitude: 'oh yes, the scribe said this, and oh yes, Jesus said that' is an empty appraisal. Stop long enough to consider what you read. Jesus said that God is one, and that is not God the abstract, but God our Lord.

How should we interpret the word 'one?' Should we see it in terms of monotheism? If that's the best we can do, I think we should class ourselves with all the legalistic, name dropping Pharisees and Sadducees who are doing no more than taking a worldly-educated stance. They work and fidget with all the peripheral facts and figures, yet they have no connection to the central truth. Rather, I would impress upon the reader that the correct interpretation of the word 'one' is not 'singular' but 'all-inclusive.'

The Lord our God is one (all-inclusive) Lord. What is a Lord, then? The Lord is the one who possesses the Lordship. All within the Lordship: be it authority, privilege, or servants – all are his: all are one.

This is what I want of the reader: read what Jesus answers, and each time Jesus says 'all', read it as 'one'. Understand both 'all' and 'one' to mean included as a genuine, bonafide part of the whole. For instance, my legs are one with my body and upon my legs, the whole body stands. Therefore, I stand with all my legs.

Mark 12:29-30, “Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy (one) heart, and with all thy (one) soul, and with all thy (one) mind, and with all thy (one) strength: this is the first commandment. By 'first' we are to understand 'premier.' When Jesus says this is the first commandment, we must define that to mean 'the most important.' Here is an alternative reading: 'Hear, O Israel; God is all-inclusive: and thou shalt love thy Lord with thy all-inclusive heart, and with thy all-inclusive soul, and thy all-inclusive mind, and thy all-inclusive strength: this is the most important truth to live by.'

This resonates with the scribe, for he agrees with his all-inclusive heart in Mark 12:32-33. In the response of the scribe, we see a mind that sees beyond the traditions of me, in that his response values truth: “more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

In the law of all-inclusiveness, the second commandment is the same as the first. We might consider it the 'if then' statement that verifies the truth of the law. If you love your Lord all-inclusively, then you love his children ( your brethren) also, for they are included in the Lordship of the Lord.

Jesus perceived the response of the scribe as 'discreet.' Here is what that means: 'Middle English discret < Anglo-French, Old French

The scribe had distinguished himself from the pack, or from the 'pride', I might say. He separated himself as more discerning than most. So, Jesus told him this in verse 34: “thou art not far from the kingdom of God.”

What would such a statement mean in regard of the scribe, or in regard of any of us? God is the lord: he is the premier authority. The kingdom, the Lordship, the truth are all included within the Lord. We can say of ourselves as we can say of the scribe – as, indeed, Christ might have said to the scribe: you see the truth, now include it; when you include the truth, you will be included in the truth.