The Greatest Commandment

Today's Reflections

The Greatest Commandment 

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Mk 12:28b-34

^28bOne of the scribes came [to Jesus and] asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” ²⁹Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! ³⁰You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ³²The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ ³³And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ³⁴And when Jesus saw that [he] answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Reflection:

You shall love. Jesus summarizes all the commandments in one word—love. In response to a question asked earnestly by a scribe, Jesus puts together the love of God and the love of neighbor, quoting from Dt 6:4-9 and Lv 19:8.

In Jesus’ time, teachers study the law that is fundamental to the life of the Jewish people. Mosaic law contains more than 600 precepts which will indeed be difficult to memorize and follow to the letter. It is customary for people to ask teachers to give a summary of certain laws about specific activities or aspects of life. This will help them along in their attempt to be faithful to the law. Here, asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus speaks of love, the solid foundation of and motivation for life.

Love has three dimensions—love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self. Each one is inextricably linked to the other two.

Love of God is undivided and unconditional. It embraces a person’s whole being—heart, soul, mind, and strength. The love of neighbor is all-inclusive. It does not discriminate against peoples because of race, religion, or persuasion. Love of self modifies love of neighbor. Indeed, love of self is the measure of love of neighbor. Only the one who loves and accepts oneself can love another.

“Beloved, let us love one another,

because love is of God;

everyone who loves is begotten by God

and knows God” (1 Jn 4:7).