There’s a scene from the Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, where a Mon Calamari veteran soldier called Admiral Ackbar yells out a very famous line. Yes, I realize I just lost over half of you, but please, try to stick with me. In the scene the rebel fighters are attacking something called the ‘Death Star’ which is the main ship of their largest enemy, the Evil Empire. As they approach, they are attempting to determine whether the shields of the Death Star are up or down, but when they cannot, they realize their radars are being jammed, which would only be happening if the Empire knows they are coming. It’s in the moments that follow that Admiral Ackbar lets out his most famous of lines;
“It’s a trap!”
Many a meme has been created about this moment, and a simple google search will give you a glimpse into the famous five seconds of the Admiral’s cinematic career. The reason this all comes to mind, is the story that the Gospel of Mark places smack dab in the middle of Holy Week, in Mark chapter twelve. The first part of it goes like this;
Mark 12:28 (ESV) – And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
This question, you see, wasn’t REALLY designed to get the correct answer, but rather to trap Jesus into giving one that would expose Him as the fraud they thought He was. We can see that more clearly in Matthew’s version of the story;
Matthew 22:34–37 (ESV) – But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
It’s in that moment that I can hear Peter, John or perhaps even Judas doing their best Admiral Ackbar impression.
“It’s a trap!”
Because they were Jews, who knew the works and words of the Old Testament well, they would have known that the Pharisees were also aware that ALL of God’s commandments were of equal importance. To pick just one, would be to commit heresy. And worse yet, if Jesus DID choose one, if He declared one to be more important than the rest; He would be committing an act much far worse, claiming to be and have the power of God. Blasphemy, as it was known, resulted in only one way – the penalty was death.
But as we should’ve guessed, Jesus knew His way around the snare. And so He answered them;
Mark 12:29–31 (ESV) – Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
“Wait, I thought the question asked for one?”
It did.
“But then He gave them two?!”
He did.
“But that’s cheating!”
So is asking a question you know can’t be answered correctly.
“Oh, I see…”
Yes, we all see. Jesus has answered their trap, with the truth. Instead of being forced into a corner, He has walked right through a wall. No snare that is set can snag itself the Son of God. With two simple lines, Jesus has included all ten commandments, and the totality of Jewish law – proving His wisdom and knowledge far exceeds everyone else. He has gone from the hunted, to the hunter. And He is hunting those who will give their lives to follow Him.
Don’t tell Him it’s a trap. He’s already turned it around.
