MAN DISSECTED

I remember (decades ago, lol) when I was in high school I had to dissect a frog in biology class. Not a pretty sight or memory for that matter except that I learned a lot about the anatomy of a frog. Well, this study intends to give us insight about how man is made up. Jesus had a discussion with some scribes during which He gave man’s blueprint.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30)

Jesus told the scribe something dynamic about man when He told him the greatest commandment. Jesus painted an accurate picture of man, consisting of four essentials: heart, soul, mind and strength. Let us examine these four to get a better look at the picture of man.

The heart
Heart (Greek—KARDIA, pronounced kär-dē'-ä) here refers to the core of man or the middle, central or innermost being. It is both the vigour and sense of the physical life (Luke 21:34; Acts 14:17) as well as the center and seat of the spiritual life (Romans 10:9; Galatians 4:6).

The soul
Soul (Greek—PSYCHE, pronounced psü-khā') consists of the feelings, desires, affections and aversions and is listed in numerous scriptures synonymous with these (Luke 2:35; II Peter 2:8; III John 2). It is also referred to as breath or the vital force which animates the body (Acts 20:10).

The mind
Mind (Greek—DIANOIA, pronounced dē-ä'-noi-ä) consists of the faculties of understanding, feeling, desiring and thinking (including imagination), inherent within the heart (compare it to the 'spirit' (Greek—PNEUMA) of man in I Corinthians 2:11, as well as the ‘spirit’ (Hebrew—NESHAMAH) of man in Proverbs 20:27).

The strength
Strength (Greek—ISCHYS, pronounced ē-skhü's) refers to force, strength, power and might having to do not only with the physical body and its five senses but to one’s ability (I Peter 4:11) or propensity to be strong.

The scribe answered Jesus and agreed with Him on all points except one: the mind. In his response the scribe substituted ‘the mind’ for ‘the understanding’. The scribe was speaking from his limited knowledge and this was a reflection of his unregenerate condition.

“And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:32-33)

The understanding
Understanding (Greek—SYNESIS, pronounced sü'n-e-sēs) refers to something flowing together as in two rivers, but in this scripture speaks to the mind in so far as it simply understands (without any other function).

This was a very different meaning from the one Jesus intended when He mentioned the mind. The word used by Jesus (DIANOIA) established that the mind consists of the understanding along with feeling, desiring and thinking as well as imagination and that all are inherent within the spirit.

The word used by the scribe (SYNESIS) differs in that the understanding stands alone, thus it is limited since it is without feeling, desiring and thinking as well as imagination.

We have two images here:
DIANOIA—that of a man who is connected to God; and
SYNESIS—that of a man who is separated from God.

I sincerely hope that you are connected to God through your belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you are separated from God just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sin, tell someone that you believe and decide to stop practicing things that separate us from God. Also find someone to study the Bible with or find a church where the Holy Bible is being taught by the Holy Spirit, so that your newborn spirit can get the milk of the Word of God.

God Bless You.