²⁸ And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?"
²⁹ Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;
³⁰ and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and 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 And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he;
³³ and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
³⁴ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any question.

• (v.29) The daily Jewish prayer begins with the phrase "Shema Ysrael (Hear O Israel)". It is the reminder of the covenant the Lord had made with his people on the mountain at Sinai where He gave them the commandments (cf. Deut 6:4,5).
• (v.30) In response to the scribe question, Jesus did not seek to prioritize among the 613 acknowledged commandments of Judaism. Instead, Jesus went to the heart of the matter, the fundamental commandment on which all other commandments are based.
• (v.31) The second commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself" is a summary of Leviticus 19 where the Lord instructed the Israelites how to conduct their daily lives.
• (v.34) The scribe's recognition that "love your neighbor… is more important than all the burnt offering and sacrifices" brought him near the Reign of God which Jesus had announced through his words and actions.

All commandments are meaningless if the commandment of love is not understood. That is why Jesus' last instruction for his disciples was to love one another (cf. Jn 15:12,17).

1. In the three love relationships (with God, with neighbors, and self) where are your strongest? The weakest?
2. What have you found that helps you to grow in love of God and of other?

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A synthesis by the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community