GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 12:29
Simplicity
I use a simple—at least I thought it was simple—software program called Scrivener for much of my writing. When I wanted to dig a little deeper into this “simple” program, I began looking online for operational manuals, and I found over a dozen. I ordered two and read them. Then I saw that Scrivener had its own built-in tutorial and operational manual. The manual has over 700 pages. All this added a new definition to “simplicity.” When someone says, “Oh, it’s simple,” it’s a good practice to understand what “simple” means before diving in.
A scribe came to Jesus. There was no love lost between the scribes and the Sadducees, who had just tested Jesus’ teaching about the resurrection. The scribes were what one would today call lawyers, for they spent their days studying and teaching the law. This scribe came to Jesus with a simple question: “Which is the first commandment of all?” It is likely that this question was not asked out of hostility, but sincerely. A young scribe once asked Hillel, the master scribe, to explain the whole law to him while standing on one leg. The whole law. Hillel said, “What thou hatest for thyself, do not to thy neighbor. This is the whole law; the rest is commentary. Go and learn.” So this scribe was asking the same thing. “Jesus answered, ‘The first is, Hear Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.’” (Mark 12:29)
The young scribe may have been surprised by this answer, for the Jews recited this phrase twice a day—once in the morning prayer and once in the evening prayer. The phrase sounded simple and familiar. But there is much content in this simple answer. First, Jesus pointed out that this young scribe separated himself from the cults that had many gods. Second, Jesus’ comment breathed new importance into the daily, familiar recitation, a recitation that may have lost its significance through familiarity. It is possible to become so familiar with devotional exercises that they lose their essence. It sounds simple—‘the Lord is one’—until those words become the focus of attention and application. It is then that the familiar becomes more important and more widely applied. It is often said that familiarity breeds contempt; however, it is more common that familiarity breeds complacency.
The simple, like the writing program, can contain great importance. In worship, the familiar and comfortable should not lose their importance and essence.
Previous
Next
Directory