One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” 29 Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ 33 And ‘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.” 34 And 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.
Jesus is still in the temple area, where religious leaders have been asking Him difficult questions. This time, one scribe comes forward after hearing Jesus answer well. His question is direct: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” (v. 28).
Jesus begins with the Shema, the prayer drawn from Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!” (v. 29). The word Shema means “hear,” and this prayer was central to Israel’s daily worship. Faithful Jews recited it in the morning and evening as a confession that the Lord alone is God and that His people belong wholly to Him. Jesus begins there because love for God rests first on knowing who God is. He alone is Lord, and every part of life belongs to Him.
Jesus then gives the commandment that flows from that truth: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (v. 30). The whole person is called to love God: one’s desires, thoughts, choices, energy, and daily actions. Faith is meant to involve the whole life committed to God, not only words spoken in prayer.
Jesus then adds a second commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 31). This comes from Leviticus 19:18. The scribe asked for one commandment, yet Jesus gives two because love of God has first place, and that love bears its visible fruit in love of neighbor. Love of neighbor shows that love of God has taken root in the person’s life. Jesus reveals the fullest form of this love by giving Himself in self-sacrificing love for others. Saint John later expresses the same truth plainly: “Whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).
The scribe understands Jesus’ answer. He repeats that God “is One and there is no other than he” (v. 32). He also sees that love of God and love of neighbor are “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (v. 33). Scripture had already taught this. Samuel told Saul, “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Hosea records God’s words, “For it is loyalty that I desire, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). Worship offered to God is rightly ordered when it comes from a heart that seeks Him and acts with justice and mercy toward others.
Jesus sees that the scribe has answered “with understanding” (v. 34). He tells him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (v. 34). The scribe has recognized the heart of God’s law. He sees that the life God desires is a life of faithful love: love given first to God and then shown to the neighbor. This is already a movement toward the kingdom, because the kingdom of God begins wherever God is acknowledged as Lord and His will is received with an obedient heart.
Love of God is shown by prayer, worship, trust, repentance, obedience, and the desire to do what is pleasing to Him. Love of neighbor is shown in patience, honesty, mercy, justice, forgiveness, and care for those in need. Saint Paul gives this love a practical form when he writes, “Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). These ordinary actions become the daily path by which love becomes real.
Lord Jesus, teach me to love the Father with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to love my neighbor with patience, mercy, and truth, so that my daily life may draw me closer to Your kingdom. Amen.
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Sources and References
- New American Bible, Revised Edition. Mark 12:28-34; notes on Mark 12:28-34 and Matthew 22:34-40.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 89-90.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 209-210.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 622, §79.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 1013.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury, 2022, 1274.
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