One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)
Mark 12 is a chapter where the religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus. First the Pharisees team up with the Herodians (an odd couple since the Pharisees hated Roman rule and the Herodians accepted it) and ask Jesus about taxes. A hot topic between them I’m sure. The goal was to get Jesus to make some controversial statement that would drive people away from Him. It’s the same tactic used today with politicians. Get them to say something that will drive constituents away or make the person appear “radical.” Jesus however answers wisely.
The next group, the Sadducees, come and ask a convoluted question about a woman married to seven brothers consecutively. Instead of 7 brides for 7 brothers, it was 7 brothers for 1 bride ;>). Their question was whose wife would she be in the resurrection (my question would be, “what in the world is she doing to those brothers?!”). It is an interesting question since the Sadducees didn’t even believe in a resurrection. This was obviously one of their favorite philosophical questions to trip up people who believed in a resurrection. Again Jesus answers wisely and corrects the misunderstanding of the Sadducees in the process.
Then a teacher of the law stands up and asks, “What is the greatest commandment?” This is a different type of question because Mark indicates that this man has a different heart attitude. This man is actually looking for an answer. The other groups were simply looking for a way to trap Jesus. (It is a good reminder that many times people ask questions about Christianity not because they want an answer but because they want to trip up the person who is answering.)
Jesus answers the question by stating that the greatest commandment of all is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. That is the foundation of all other commands. That is the foundation of life itself. Everything is measured by this. Paul draws on this command when he writes 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. Without love, everything a person says and does (no matter how religous) is worthless.
I have referenced these verses many times before. They are good reminders to me that in the midst of all of my activity I cannot forget that my primary motivation must be love of God and love of others. Without that motivation then everything I do (no matter how good it looks to others) is meaningless in God’s eyes.
But what hit me today was the context of these verses. They come in the midst of a bunch of religious leaders asking philosophical and political questions. These leaders had gotten so caught up in proving their point or winning arguments or being on the right side of the political fence that they missed the whole point of the law, the whole point of life. To be sure, there are laws that are important and there are issues to be addressed but if our motivation is off-base then our answers, no matter how much they align with the letter of God’s law, miss the spirit of God’s law. In focusing on winning the argument, we lose sight of God.
Lord, thank You for Your Word. May my motivation today in what I say and what I do be love of others and love of You.