The Gospel of Mark #20 – Study Questions

Kyle Bartholic   -   May 30, 2024

The Heart of it All

Mark 12:28-34 (CGS#20)

INTRODUCTION:  We are continuing in our journey through chapter 12 of Mark’s Gospel this week, and we will hear a very familiar discussion from Jesus, the greatest commandment. All four Gospels give an account of this event. And, as we should expect from four accounts by four different authors, they each have the essentials in common but give unique perspectives. What is central to all of the Gospels is the imperative of the ethic of love. As we read the question of the “greatest commandment” in English, we can miss the true weight of the question. This was not a casual or secondary question. It was of absolute and primary importance. Think of it this way, if the essentials had an essential, this would be it. Here is how one commentator explains it, “Impressed with Jesus’ wisdom in answering the Sadducees, the scribe asks, according to the NIV, “ ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ” This is not an entirely accurate translation, however, for according to the Greek text, the word “all” (Gk. pantōn, either masculine or neuter, genitive plural) does not modify “commandments” (Gk. entolē, feminine). The sense of the question is thus not which is the most important commandment, but rather which commandment supersedes everything and is incumbent on all humanity—including Gentiles.”[1] Did you catch that last statement? Take a second and chew on it. The commandment that supersedes everything and that everyone will be held accountable to. This is a big question! In fact, we could say it is one that defines our very existence. With such a significant question lingering in the air, how does Jesus answer?

“Love God with your everything and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Here, Jesus offers one command and then an application. The command is to love God with everything you’ve got. Your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Jesus’ words here touch on every sense of the Jewish identity at that time. He gives no wiggle room for negotiation, loopholes, or wordsmithing by the legal experts. Loving God isn’t a matter of one area of our lives. It is a matter of our whole lives. That is why we say that we are to follow Jesus in a life-defining way. God is not to be the best supporting actor in the story of our lives, but the main character and the one who gets the glory. To make sure his statement was clear, Jesus gives a second command (cf. Lev. 19:18), which then functions as an application or a metric to understand if we are truly loving God in a life-defining way. When we love God with our whole selves, that means we will receive the love of God, and in that, we will naturally begin to extend and give that love away. To whom will this love be given? Our neighbors. Jesus is clear, Christians will be known by their fruit (cf. Matt. 12:33). The fruit of loving God is the way we treat and care for our neighbors. But this isn’t a new command. It is the summary of the 10 Commandments (cf. (Ex. 20:1-21). The first four are all oriented toward loving God, and the remaining six define what it looks like to love your neighbors. This has been God’s heart the whole time. From the beginning, God doesn’t expect humanity to love on their own strength. Instead, he offers his strength through covenant relationship to love others. In other words, as Christians, love received is always the motivation for love extended. 

 

GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. What does loving your neighbor look like in your life? How have you grown in this area?

 

IN THE WORD –   Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.

First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)

Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.

 

 

Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?

 

 

Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?

 

Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.

  1. When you look at the religious leaders in this passage (and through Mark), what things do you think blinded their hearts toward the love of God? What are the things that blind our hearts to the love of God today?
  2. The religious leaders lived out of an achieved identity; that is, they were loved by God because of what they did. How can we slip into that same unhealthy pattern?
  3. What practices, patterns, and questions help us live out of a received identity of grace?
  4. What compass do you use to determine what is loving or unloving when it comes to loving your neighbors? How does the Bible help us avoid potential pitfalls when it comes to understanding what is truly loving?
  5. In what ways do you need to grow in purposefully responding to your neighbors?
  6. In what ways do you need to grow in purposefully responding to loving God?

 

 

 

[1] James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 370. (emphasis added)