Unrestrained love: Jesus’ answer to the scribe’s question on which is the first of all the commandments gives two texts from the Jewish Scriptures: Dt 6:4 and Lv 19:18. If both love of God and love of neighbor are in the Jewish Scriptures, what is new about Jesus’ answer? To begin, the Jews divide their precepts into “heavy” and “light,” and rabbinical tradition classifies Jesus’ second precept as “lighter” than the first. Jesus gives both precepts equal weight. This is new, and has no parallel in all Jewish literature.
Another facet of newness is that Jesus gives a completely new interpretation of “neighbor.” For him, the word has the widest meaning possible. It includes every member of the human race. He would die for everyone. In Christian charity, people and God are not merely side by side; they are inseparably one. We cannot honor another person without blessing God, nor adore God without loving all human beings.
Love of God and neighbor must begin with proper love of self. Whereas in the theological order of priority God and neighbor come first, in the psychological order we begin with proper love of self. Unless we have sufficient and proper self-love, we can go no further. Without being loved it is impossible to love. The experience of love is not only what makes the world go ’round: it is what makes the ride worthwhile.
Lent is a good time to examine whether our love of God is adequate, our love of others is sufficient, and our love of “self” is correct.