Mark 12:28-31: Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
In verse 31, Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19:18: "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
A. Negative Aspects
What does it mean to take vengeance? How does it happen? What does it mean to bear (hold) a grudge? What happens when you hold a grudge?
B. Positive Aspects
1. Believers can have joy and peace in the Lord
John 15:10-12: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
What is this verse saying about joy? We need to be joyful for joy is full in Christ! People will not want to become Christians if they think it is full of rules, stress, and self-loathing.
John 14:27: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 16:33: 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
What are these verses saying about peace? Jesus gives us HIS peace. We have nothing to worry about, fear and stress over – including our behavior and how “well” we are doing. Can we find peace any other way according to John 16:33? No, as Jesus says “in me you may have peace” and John 14:27 says Jesus does not give as the world gives. We can find peace only in Jesus and when we accept His peace and His joy we will be calm, sure, content, joyful and accepting of ourselves.
2. Believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The context here is that the writer is speaking to those Christians who have obeyed the gospel. Who do believers belong to? God!
What is a temple? How is the temple treated? Clean, holy.
What are believers? Temple of the Holy Spirit – the dwelling place of God Himself. This signifies a very important role and need to respect and care concerning the temple where God resides. If left to our own we could choose not to love ourselves or love ourselves to the exclusion of others. But because of God we are not our own – we need to love ourselves and others as it is commanded.
3. Believers are living sacrifices
Romans 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
What are we to be? Living sacrifices. How does that relate to loving ourselves? We need to sacrifice our own evil wants and desires, but that also means sacrificing our evil desires of worrying, not caring for ourselves, not loving ourselves because we think we are unworthy, we sacrifice all bad thoughts, motives, deeds, words that would separate us from the love of God and instead be thankful, joyful and at peace to show the world we are satisfied and content when we belong to God.
In the next lesson, we will be looking at how we can do these things, have joy, peace, be holy and pure as we look at more Bible verses.
In verse 31, Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19:18: "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
A. Negative Aspects
What does it mean to take vengeance? How does it happen? What does it mean to bear (hold) a grudge? What happens when you hold a grudge?
B. Positive Aspects
1. Believers can have joy and peace in the Lord
John 15:10-12: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
What is this verse saying about joy? We need to be joyful for joy is full in Christ! People will not want to become Christians if they think it is full of rules, stress, and self-loathing.
John 14:27: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 16:33: 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
What are these verses saying about peace? Jesus gives us HIS peace. We have nothing to worry about, fear and stress over – including our behavior and how “well” we are doing. Can we find peace any other way according to John 16:33? No, as Jesus says “in me you may have peace” and John 14:27 says Jesus does not give as the world gives. We can find peace only in Jesus and when we accept His peace and His joy we will be calm, sure, content, joyful and accepting of ourselves.
2. Believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The context here is that the writer is speaking to those Christians who have obeyed the gospel. Who do believers belong to? God!
What is a temple? How is the temple treated? Clean, holy.
What are believers? Temple of the Holy Spirit – the dwelling place of God Himself. This signifies a very important role and need to respect and care concerning the temple where God resides. If left to our own we could choose not to love ourselves or love ourselves to the exclusion of others. But because of God we are not our own – we need to love ourselves and others as it is commanded.
3. Believers are living sacrifices
Romans 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
What are we to be? Living sacrifices. How does that relate to loving ourselves? We need to sacrifice our own evil wants and desires, but that also means sacrificing our evil desires of worrying, not caring for ourselves, not loving ourselves because we think we are unworthy, we sacrifice all bad thoughts, motives, deeds, words that would separate us from the love of God and instead be thankful, joyful and at peace to show the world we are satisfied and content when we belong to God.
In the next lesson, we will be looking at how we can do these things, have joy, peace, be holy and pure as we look at more Bible verses.
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