Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Mark 12:29
Mark 12:29. Is one Lord:— See the note, on Deu 6:4 on Mat 22:37-38 and the Inferences at the end of that chapter. read more
Mark 12:29. Is one Lord:— See the note, on Deu 6:4 on Mat 22:37-38 and the Inferences at the end of that chapter. read more
28. And one of the scribes—"a lawyer," says Matthew ( :-); that is, teacher of the law. came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him—manifestly in no bad spirit. When Matthew ( :-) therefore says he came "tempting," or "trying him," as one of the Pharisaic party who seemed to enjoy the defeat He had given to the Sadducees, we may suppose that though somewhat priding himself upon his insight into the law, and not indisposed to measure... read more
29. And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is—The readings here vary considerably. TISCHENDORF and TREGELLES read simply, "the first is"; and they are followed by MEYER and ALFORD. But though the authority for the precise form of the received text is slender, a form almost identical with it seems to have most weight of authority. Our Lord here gives His explicit sanction to the distinction between commandments of a more fundamental and primary character, and commandments of a... read more
30. And thou shalt—We have here the language of law, expressive of God's claims. What then are we here bound down to do? One word is made to express it. And what a word! Had the essence of the divine law consisted in deeds, it could not possibly have been expressed in a single word; for no one deed is comprehensive of all others embraced in the law. But as it consists in an affection of the soul, one word suffices to express it—but only one. Fear, though due to God and enjoined by Him, is... read more
2. The controversy over Jesus’ teaching 12:13-37Controversy over Jesus’ authority led to controversy over His teaching. The Jewish religious leaders attacked Him three times trying to destroy His credibility and popularity. They plied Him with questions about the poll tax (Mark 12:13-17), the resurrection (Mark 12:18-27), and the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-34). Then Jesus took the initiative and questioned them about Messiah’s sonship (Mark 12:35-37). This ended their attacks. The whole... read more
B. Jesus’ teaching in the temple 11:27-12:44This entire section contains Jesus’ teaching in the temple courtyard on Wednesday. The religious leaders first questioned Jesus’ authority (Mark 11:12 to Mark 12:12) and then His teaching (Mark 12:13-37). Finally Jesus condemned their hypocrisy and commended a widow’s action that demonstrated reality (Mark 12:38-44). Jesus functioned as a faithful servant of the Lord in the role of a prophet here. read more
The rabbis counted 613 commands in the Mosaic Law, 365 positive and 248 negative. They recognized that all were not equally important or equally foundational. They debated which were the "heavy" commands and which were the "light" ones. They also tried to formulate principles that comprehended the rest of the Law. [Note: Wessel, p. 737.] These were the concerns of the law teacher who asked Jesus what type (Gr. poia) of command He regarded as first in importance."The scribe desired Jesus to... read more
Jesus’ teaching about the greatest commandment 12:28-34 (cf. Matthew 22:34-40)The third attack by Jesus’ enemies involved a question about the greatest commandment (cf. Luke 10:25-28). read more
Mark’s account included Deuteronomy 6:4, which Matthew omitted. This verse, the first in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; cf. Deuteronomy 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41) that the Jews repeated twice daily, provides a basis for Deuteronomy 6:5. Shema is the first Hebrew word in this passage, and it means "Hear." Matthew’s Jewish readers would have understood this, but Mark’s Gentile readers probably would not have. Mark 12:4 is an affirmation of belief in the unity of God (i.e., in monotheism). Many of... read more
Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Mark 12:29
Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our Lord, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.The Lord is one ... This is a quotation from Deuteronomy 6:4; and the oneness of God, as set forth in the Old Testament, is a compound unity, like the oneness of the people, or the oneness in a marriage. The Hebrew word that denotes this is [~'echad], and must be distinguished from... read more