Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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.'” Mark 12:29-30
February 21, 2023
On Tuesday before the Friday on which Jesus was nailed to a cross, Jesus was asked a question by a theological scholar. What was the greatest commandment out of the 613 counted by the Old Testament legal experts? It was actually a kind of a “gotcha” question. Depending on how Jesus answered it, He could be drawn into a perceived conflict with Moses. Jesus’ reply was not only the perfect answer but it also opened the door to the most important thing in life. Jesus brought all the law of God down to one word, “love.” With that one word He summarized everyone’s total responsibility to God and others. We desperately need Jesus’ answer. Western culture is in a total state of confusion about what God expects of the human race, even if there is a God. Jesus quoted the “Shema” (Deut. 6:4). It was the opening sentence of every synagogue worship service. It emphatically declared that God is to be loved with our whole being for our whole life. God deserves our unrivaled love because He alone is God and has demonstrated the perfection of His love to us. If God is one, He commands the allegiance and devotion of our whole being. Can you honestly say that at this point in your life the supremacy and uniqueness of God is receiving your undivided attention? The problem is that most in our day are befuddled by the meaning of love. We will be pursuing the answer to this dilemma. But in the meantime, talk to God and ask for clarity about the greatest thing in the world.
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“Lord Jesus, love caused you to be weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spat upon, crucified, and pierced. Love caused you to bow your head in death.”
Adapted from a prayer in The Valley of Vision.