Wednesday Lesson – Come and Seek the Truth
Scripture Story: Mark 12:28-34
Spiritual Focus: Faith will grow through honest truth seeking
Welcome back again. We hope you are enjoying studying the Bible stories your campers are studying. As before, please take a moment to pray for your camper, their fellow campers, and their staff. It’s Wednesday and camp is really rolling along today.
Today’s lesson is a twofold lesson. In the first part of the lesson we will examine several texts to illustrate the importance of approaching Jesus as seekers of the truth. In this section it is important to not get caught up in the details, but to see the big picture. The second part of the lesson is examining Jesus’ response to the one questioner who is honestly seeking the truth. In it Jesus reveals the foundational focus of all that he is teaching.
This is an ambitious study. So let’s dig in. Take a moment to read Mark 12:28-34. As in the first two lessons, the opening verse offers a clue to a major focus of our lesson. Our main character in this story is a Scribe. We learn in the first verse that this Scribe has been watching the previous encounters described as disputes or arguments. This Scribe sees that Jesus has answered well and decides to ask his question. Campers are going to compare and contrast the motivations of the 3 previous questioning encounters with the approach of the Scribe.
The 3 previous encounters are: Mark 11:27-33, Mark 12:13-17, and Mark 12:18-27
Our focus will not be to try to understand all of the nuances of each of these encounters. In Mark 12:18-27 for instance, we will note that the Sadducees’ question is totally bogus, and as Jesus points out, has no answer, and is not even to be considered. Our focus will be on the motives of the questioners and the nature of Jesus’ response. The bottom line is that in each instance, the questioners are not really interested in the answer to the questions they are asking. They are trying to bully Jesus, trick him, to discredit him. Jesus seems to know their motives, and challenges each of the parties with his response. Jesus sees right through them. They are not truth seekers.
Jesus’ response to the Scribe is very different. Jesus answers immediately. In this case Jesus has found a seeker of the truth who is really interested in the answer to his question. Jesus has been taught Deuteronomy 6:4-6 since he was a child. It is the first part of his answer: Love God with your all. The second part of Jesus’ answer is from Moses’ teachings on holy living in Leviticus 19:18: Love Neighbor as self. If you have time, you may want to look up these references.
The Scribe responds to Jesus. He gladly acknowledges Jesus’ answer by repeating his words. He then adds his own addendum that confirms his understanding. The Scribe proclaims that loving God and neighbor are more important that all religious rituals.
He has sought the truth and has understood well. Jesus is pleased. By saying “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (vs.34), Jesus is saying these two things, loving God and loving neighbor, are what God’s Kingdom is all about.
If we truly seek the truth, we will find it.
For tomorrow’s lesson, we will return to the gospel of John. This time our story is in the next to last chapter, John 20:19-29.
Scripture Story: Mark 12:28-34
Spiritual Focus: Faith will grow through honest truth seeking
Welcome back again. We hope you are enjoying studying the Bible stories your campers are studying. As before, please take a moment to pray for your camper, their fellow campers, and their staff. It’s Wednesday and camp is really rolling along today.
Today’s lesson is a twofold lesson. In the first part of the lesson we will examine several texts to illustrate the importance of approaching Jesus as seekers of the truth. In this section it is important to not get caught up in the details, but to see the big picture. The second part of the lesson is examining Jesus’ response to the one questioner who is honestly seeking the truth. In it Jesus reveals the foundational focus of all that he is teaching.
This is an ambitious study. So let’s dig in. Take a moment to read Mark 12:28-34. As in the first two lessons, the opening verse offers a clue to a major focus of our lesson. Our main character in this story is a Scribe. We learn in the first verse that this Scribe has been watching the previous encounters described as disputes or arguments. This Scribe sees that Jesus has answered well and decides to ask his question. Campers are going to compare and contrast the motivations of the 3 previous questioning encounters with the approach of the Scribe.
The 3 previous encounters are: Mark 11:27-33, Mark 12:13-17, and Mark 12:18-27
Our focus will not be to try to understand all of the nuances of each of these encounters. In Mark 12:18-27 for instance, we will note that the Sadducees’ question is totally bogus, and as Jesus points out, has no answer, and is not even to be considered. Our focus will be on the motives of the questioners and the nature of Jesus’ response. The bottom line is that in each instance, the questioners are not really interested in the answer to the questions they are asking. They are trying to bully Jesus, trick him, to discredit him. Jesus seems to know their motives, and challenges each of the parties with his response. Jesus sees right through them. They are not truth seekers.
Jesus’ response to the Scribe is very different. Jesus answers immediately. In this case Jesus has found a seeker of the truth who is really interested in the answer to his question. Jesus has been taught Deuteronomy 6:4-6 since he was a child. It is the first part of his answer: Love God with your all. The second part of Jesus’ answer is from Moses’ teachings on holy living in Leviticus 19:18: Love Neighbor as self. If you have time, you may want to look up these references.
The Scribe responds to Jesus. He gladly acknowledges Jesus’ answer by repeating his words. He then adds his own addendum that confirms his understanding. The Scribe proclaims that loving God and neighbor are more important that all religious rituals.
He has sought the truth and has understood well. Jesus is pleased. By saying “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (vs.34), Jesus is saying these two things, loving God and loving neighbor, are what God’s Kingdom is all about.
If we truly seek the truth, we will find it.
For tomorrow’s lesson, we will return to the gospel of John. This time our story is in the next to last chapter, John 20:19-29.