The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1959-02-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
FEBRUARY Is, 1859
BY Rev. Geo. A. Harper,
511 Avenue G,
Greenwood. Miss.
Greenwood, MISS.

ABOUT THE GREAT COM
MANDMENT:
temperance Mark 12:28-34.
MEMORY SELECTION =
To love him with all the heart,
and with all the understands
ing, and with all the soul, and
with all the strength, and to
love his neighbour as himself,
is more than all whole burnt
offerings and sacrifice.-(Mark
1888. ITO love God and our
neighbour is the greatest COM
mandment of all; Yea" saith
the scribe, sit is better, it is
more tina nall whole-burnt-of-
ferings and sacrifices, more
acceptable to God, and will
turn to a better account to our
selves" For burnt offerings,
and sacrifice, were intended
purely for the honour of God.
A SCRIBE QUESTIONS
JESUS:
"And one of the scribes
came, and having heard them
reasoning together, and pre-
ceiving that he had answered
them we'll, asked him, Which
is the first commandment of
ALL - Not all of the scribes
were hard and critical. This
one seems to have had a good
deal of respect for Jesus be-
cause of the way in which
Jesus answered the previous
questions. He seems to have
had a genuine interest in what
Jesus would say.
JESUS QUO TIES THE
G TEST COMMAND
MENT:
"And Jesus answered him.
The first of all the command
ments is, Hear, o Israel; the,
Lord our God is one Lord
The affirmation that the Lord
God of Israel is one God is
the foundation of the Jewish
conception of monotheism, the
belief in one God. "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: this is the first COM
mandment" - What Jesus did
advocate most was utmost love
for God, love that steams from
the complete person. 1t is this
kind Of motivation which God
can depend upon to cause men
to be obedient and loyal unto
him. Love of God does not
only cause obedience, but a
closer relationship and the
proper evaluation of that rela-
tionship which exists between
God and man. "And the second
is like, namely this, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as myself.
There is none other command
ment greater than these" -
In the Sermon on the Mount
when Jesus took issue with an
existing law or tradition, he
made it clear by saying, "Ye
have heard it said by them of
old times - but / say unto
you" The discussion with the
scribe was different, and Jesus
clearly indicated that the COM
mandmentS to love the Lord
our God with our full strength,
and our neighbour as our
selves were already establish
ed laws, and he was simply
giving or making his personal
evaluation of them.
THE CRIBE AGREES
WITH JESUS:
"And the scribe said unto
him, Well, Master, thou hast
said the truth: for there is
one God; and there is none
other but he" - Jesus never
told anyone he was God, or
that he considered himself to
be in Gods stead. On the
contrary, he always acknow-
lodged God as his Father and
as the great Source from
which he received his power
and authority.
"And to love him with all
the heart, and with all the
understanding and with all the
soul, and with all the strength,
and to love his neighbour as
himself, is more than all whole
burnt offerings and sacrifices"
AT that time burnt offerings
and sacrifices were at least
half of ones religious devo-
ton and responsibility; thus
to place love for God and
neighbor above all this reveals
a revolutionary type of think
ing on the part of the scribe.
L Il