Entertainment businesses have taken a real hit during Covid-19 shutdowns. Movie theaters and sports have been shut down, and many of us have had to resort to watching re-runs. While we like to re-watch our favorite movies or re-live our favorite team’s victories, the excitement of the unexpected is not there. We know what’s going to happen, even if we can’t remember all of the details. The law of diminishing returns hits after awhile if we watch them enough times.

The same thing can happen when we re-read familiar scripture passages, and we have one of those this week. “What is the ‘Great Commandment’ is a familiar Sunday School question, and most Christians can recite the answer without thinking. As we glaze over the answer yet again, we fail to understand its significance.

Jesus’ audience in Mark 12 was hearing it live. Its impact was stunning. After several trick questions, Jesus’ answer to this question put a total stop to the the authorities’ efforts to trap him in his words. Why was that? Let’s approach the question like we’ve never heard it before and find out Sunday.

Frank Pugh