12:28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, [a]perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the [b]first commandment of all?”
12:29 Jesus answered him, “The [c]first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
12:30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ [d]This is the first commandment.
12:31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
12:32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.
12:33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, [e]with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
12:34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”But after that no one dared question Him.
STUDY:
Jesus responded to the question of the scribes on the issue of the first and greatest commandment. He gave two commandments that summarised all the Mosaic laws in the scriptures (Exod. 20), to point out believers’ relationships with God and with others. Jesus said the first of all the commandments is: “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: and the second is like, you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).
Love is a powerful emotion that builds bonds and encourages positivity between two or more individuals. Love is more than burnt offerings and sacrifices (Mark 12:33c). Hence, Jesus concluded that whoever loves is not far from the kingdom of God.
In 1 John 4:7-8, the Bible says: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not, knows not God; for God is love.” Verse 11 says: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another:” As believers, the evidence of our salvation is our total love for God and unconditional love for others. When we love, we have peace of mind, joy, progress, access to divine blessings and above all, we will have hope of eternal Life with God.
Prayer:
Father; let the seed of love for you and my neighbor grow in my heart and show in my relationships always, in Jesus’ Name. Amen!
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