Mark 12

I attended a district training event today.  The class I took was entitled Preaching the Gospel of Mark.
We took a closer look at a passage from Mark 12:28-34.  In this passage, a scribe approaches Jesus and asks him which commandment is the most important.  Through the class, I discovered a few things I hadn't known before:

• This is the only instance in Mark when a member of the religious establishment is asking Jesus a question without an ulterior motive
• The answer Jesus gives him is also found in Deuteronomy.  The answer he gave the scribe probably did not come as a surprise.  The scribe already knew it.  What was revolutionary to the scribe is Jesus' authority and power
• To quote Gary, "The Mark Gospel tells of an authentic exchange with a seeker who is trying to learn what his faith means.  When he comes to a understanding, it affected those around him."