Date: 03-04-2020

Title: Knowledge Is Not Enough

(S) cripture:
Mark 12:28-34 (NASB77) And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘ HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘ YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher, You have truly stated that HE IS ONE; AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; 33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

(O) bservation:
When questioned about the greatest commandment Jesus quotes the Deuteronomy 6:4-5 which is called the “Shema” in the Jewish tradition. The scribe was well versed in the Old Testament and agrees that Jesus gave the right answer and quoted it back to Him. Jesus recognizes the response of the scribe as intelligent. We are told that the scribe was not far from the kingdom but are never told that he became a follower of Jesus. His knowledge was perfect but it was not enough. We must act in faith on the knowledge we have and follow Jesus to be part of His Kingdom.

(A) pplication:
Today I am reminded that knowledge is a good thing but not enough if not accompanied by faith, trust and action. I want to let my knowledge fuel my faith in following Jesus more closely.

(P) rayer:
Father I thank you for the gift of knowledge you have allowed me to developed. I thank you for revealing yourself in the scriptures so that we might know you. Today I want to follow you more closely and continue to grow in my relationship with you. Amen