Mark 12:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In the Gospel of Matthew, it is noted that a scribe approached Christ with the intention of testing Him, while Mark highlights that he provided a sensible response (Mark 12:34). Does this represent a contradiction among the Evangelists? Not at all; it is likely that the scribe initially approached with a thought of temptation, but upon hearing Christ’s reply, he responded with understanding and was therefore commended. It's important to recognize, though, that this commendation also reveals his ongoing shortcomings, for Christ did not declare him to be within the kingdom of God, but remarked that he was merely "not far off" (Mark 12:34). What, then, motivated this legal expert to pose his question to Christ so confidently? He intended to portray himself as possessing perfect adherence to the Law, leading him to engage in conversation as if he solely regarded the Law.

A lawyer approached the Lord to inquire, "What is the greatest commandment of all?" The Lord replied, "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: this is the foremost commandment. The second is similar: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There are no commandments greater than these." This serves to illustrate the essence of a person's deepest being (1 Pet. 3:4). The divine nature of the Lord encompasses His spirit as holiness, and love embodies His soul; all other virtues are akin to different parts of His body—the hand, foot, eye, ear, or tongue.

As the Lord overcame these temptations, certain individuals favored Him, including one who, while not acknowledging Him as the Messiah, recognized Him as a proclaimer of truth. This individual posed a question to Jesus, not primarily to seek knowledge but to express his agreement on an issue of significant moral weight. “Teacher,” he inquired, “what is the great commandment?” Jesus replied, “The commandment is twofold: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. The first commandment is the foremost, and the second is akin to it.” The scribe affirmed this teaching and remarked that love surpasses all sacrifices. It was clear that he grasped the essence of true piety.

The distinction between the accounts of Matthew and Mark lies in the portrayal of the lawyer who questioned Christ. In Matthew's Gospel, the lawyer is depicted as an agent of the Pharisees, sent to tempt the Lord and ensnare Him in His words. In contrast, Mark presents the lawyer as someone who approached Christ after being impressed by His response to the Sadducees regarding the resurrection. Following this interaction, the lawyer receives acknowledgment from Christ of his proximity to the kingdom of God.

The Sadducees, unable to counter Jesus' response, retreated; meanwhile, the scribes present were inwardly delighted by the Sadducees' defeat regarding the matter of resurrection. They seemed to overlook that the Sadducees shared their religious beliefs and expressed their delight by saying to Jesus, “Teacher, you have spoken rightly” (Luke 20:39). Observing the Herodians, Pharisaic disciples, and Sadducees bested, the crowd was astonished by the wisdom of Jesus. Recognizing their own failure, the Pharisees convened once more in the temple, determined to present Jesus with a challenging inquiry about which commandment of the law stood out as the most significant.

The Pharisees, filled with joy over their triumph against their opponents, sought to challenge Him once more with a query. A lawyer among them approached Him and asked, "Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the law?" This inquiry suggested a recognition of His authority as a teacher, as the lawyer turned to Him for clarity on a matter that weighed upon him. There was ongoing debate among the legal scholars regarding which commandment held the highest significance in alignment with righteousness. Often, this discussion became bogged down in an endless analysis of trivial distinctions, such as classifying commandments as difficult or easy, primary or secondary, deductive or supplementary, and so forth.

The Lord’s dialogue with the scribe regarding the foremost commandment in the law is recorded in the Gospel of Mark. This account is presented with greater nuance than in Matthew, enriching the narrative with unique details that compensate for perceived discrepancies in Matthew's version (refer to Matthew 23:35-40 for context). The passage introduces “one of the scribes,” a member of the Pharisaic tradition who was knowledgeable in the law (Matthew 22:35).

When the Pharisees learned that the Lord had shut down the Sadducees, they convened to take advantage of this moment to regain the respect they had lost in the eyes of the people and to demonstrate their superiority over their despised rivals. To achieve this, they enlisted one of their most knowledgeable members, an expert in the law, to challenge Jesus Christ, hoping to confound Him with what they thought was a complex question. This scribe, who did not seem to share the malicious intent of his peers entirely, eagerly took on their task, appreciating the Lord's earlier response to the Sadducees. The inquiry he posed was a common one among the Pharisees, who, focused on the ceremonial aspects of the law, debated which commandment held the highest significance.