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?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, 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."…
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. (Mk 12:28-34)
Jesus is facing a series of challenges. First, he Pharisees asked regarding the practices of religion; second the Sadducees questioned him on their belief about the resurrection; and now the Scribes challenge him on the commandments. All the three question him on their own belief and practices. Are they trying to find out whether Jesus is on their side or not? Could be. But his answer is beyond their expectation and it only tries to prove whether they are on the right side.
Jesus gives the two greatest commandments of the religion. And these are also found in the scriptures. The Scribes are well versed in this and they find Jesus on the right track. Jesus statement ‘there is no other commandment greater than these’ proves that he has analysed all the commandments and he is fully aware of the worth of the commandments.
Love of God and love of the neighbour are the focal points of religious living. Any history of the religion revolves around these two commandments. Love of the neighbour involves the one who loves. Because he has to love the neighbour as he loves himself. So the religion is founded on Love and the love is directed towards God fully, and to the other as he loves himself.
