In Mark 12:28-34 Jesus lays out the Greatest Commandment, and it begs a question for modern Christians: How well do you know your Bible? A scribe asked Jesus to identify the most important commandment in the Law. Scribes in ancient Israel were like lawyers today, and they were experts on scripture. Jesus answered not with one of the 10 commandments, but with the “Shema”. This was essentially a prelude to the commandments, and it was well known even to Israelite children. Jesus added a surprise second commandment that he called equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ This was a relatively obscure verse from Leviticus, but it summarized the last five commandments.

• The Shema Series

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About this episode:

This is part of our Gospel of Mark series at pursueGOD.org. Find resources to talk about it with your family, small group, or mentor at www.pursueGOD.org/mark.

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