To read the texts click on the texts: Hosea14:2-10; Mk 12:28-34
In Matthew 22:35, the lawyer asks the question about the great
commandment in order to test Jesus; in Mark he is not hostile and does not
intend to test Jesus. As a matter of fact Mark mentions at the beginning of the
incident that the lawyer thought that Jesus had answered the Sadducees well and
at the end of that response, he commends Jesus for his answer. Jesus responds
to the lawyer’s question in the words of the “Shema”, which speaks of love of
God (Deut 6:5-6), but adds also the love of neighbour (Lev 19:18 ).
The scribe’s response to this is to
acknowledge Jesus’ answer as correct and to add that following these
commandments is greater than sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jesus concludes the
dialogue by stating that because the scribe has recognized what his priorities
are, he is not far from the kingdom
of God
Love of God cannot really be separated from love of neighbour. The two
go together. Our love for God is made manifest and tangible only when we reach
out in love to someone else. While Paul
gives a beautiful description of what love is and what it is not in 1
Corinthians 13, my own definition of love is that in love there is no “I”.
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