Mark 12:28 Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 32 “Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him, 33and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any further. BSB
The scribes are the lawyers, i.e., students of the law who are primarily associated with the Pharisees. The response to the question is essentially the creed of the Old Testament and the first part of Jesus’ answer fits this as the people are living in a covenantal relationship with God. In fact, if the roles had been reversed and Jesus asked this question of the scribe, at least part of the scribe’s response would similar. Jesus then quotes Leviticus 19 on loving your neighbor which the scribe, as a student of Scripture, agrees with. Moses had two tablets – one related to God and the other related to people reflecting the fact that not only are we are in a relationship with God but also with each other. The scribe then takes a swing at the whole sacrificial system by placing these two commandments above the sacrificial system of the Temple.
The idea of not being far is a little reminiscent of the Rich Young Ruler with the difference being that that young man in that parable knew he wasn’t there yet while here, Jesus is telling the scribe that he isn’t quite there. What is holding the scribe back is his viewpoint of Jesus. In verse 32, the scribe touches on the fact that there is only one God which creates a hurdle (the Trinity) for Jews and Muslims because it sounds polytheistic to them. Throughout Mark, we have seen Jesus changing all of the rules and rituals but that doesn’t appear to be a real problem. Rather than these actions and changes, it is the claim as to who Jesus is that presents the problem.
John 5:18 For this cause therefore the Jewish leaders sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. NHEB
The Jews see with clarity that Jesus is equating Himself with God. In the verses that follow after John 5:18, Jesus has a list of why He is the Son of God. The scribe and Jesus agree on truth but as we all know, following the rules isn’t enough. Nevertheless, Jesus thought the scribe’s response was good and appears to be commending him on being close.
Mark 12:41 While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them: 42“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered. 43 Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says: 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.” ’ 45 So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?” 46 No one was able to answer a word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further. BSB
Jesus is underscoring the whole notion of what is going on – the question of His authority. He does this with Psalm 110 that the early church viewed as a Psalm about Jesus (remember they only had the Old Testament to work with). This was an early text to explain who Jesus is and what He does.
Psalm 110:1The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2 The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth. 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings in the day of His wrath. 6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead; He will crush the leaders far and wide. 7 He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore He will lift up His head. BSB
Although the conventional wisdom of first century Jews is that God is talking about Himself in this psalm, it sounds like David is eavesdropping on a conversation between God and Christ.
1Corinthians 15:24 Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. NHEB
There is something else going on in Psalm 110 with that something being far greater than David as Paul describes in 1Corinthians.
Mark 12:38 In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts: 40 those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” 41 And he sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the crowd cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. 42 A poor widow came, and she cast in two lepta, which equal a kodrantes. 43 He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, 44 for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.” NHEB
The scribes study the law and enjoy the benefit of the high standing that gives them in society. They like the religiosity but not the heavy lifting. Worse, they consume the property of widows, like the birds eating the seeds of the sower in Mark 4:4 (same Greek word). Old Testament law is clear that the church is responsible for this woman as God describes Himself as the God of widows and the fatherless.
On the one hand, the widow is an example of stewardship and generosity but on the other hand, the criticism would be that she isn’t following the Biblical teachings about taking care of herself or planning for the future. Yet if this is all that she had, it isn’t going to do much since the value of her gift is about 1/40th of a denarius (with a denarius representing a day’s wage). The thing to note is that she has given all that she had without any ulterior motives (unlike those publicly casting in large sums of money). She is all in.
Though it has nothing to do with strict exegesis, I am tempted to give here a prayer by that felicitous interpreter and devout monk, Euthymius Zigabenus, based on this beautiful Gospel
story: “May my soul become a widow casting out the devil to which it is joined and subject,
and casting into the treasury of God two lepta, the body and the mind; the one made light by temperance, the other by humility”. Expositor’s Greek Testament