Mk 12:28-34
Love: The question of the greatest or the first of all of the commandments of the law was a regularly disputed question in Judaism, especially in the Talmud, the commentary on the law.
Love: The question of the greatest or the first of all of the commandments of the law was a regularly disputed question in Judaism, especially in the Talmud, the commentary on the law.
Jesus answers by reciting the Shema, a Jewish prayer said three times every day. The love of God must be the object of the total person—heart, soul, mind, strength. On this point, Jesus and Judaism are in agreement.
However, Jesus does not give a single answer. Quoting Leviticus, Jesus goes beyond the range of the original question. To the greatest or first commandment is added a second—the love of neighbor. These are not two commandments but one. The Marcan Jesus identifies the love of God with the love of neighbor. A person loves God to the extent that he or she loves others. A person loves others to the extent that he or she loves God. The two cannot be divorced.
This union of these two commandments is something new. Generally, it was understood in Judaism that one could love God without any overt concern for others and self. Likewise, one could love others and self without any great love of God.
By going beyond the extent of the original question, Jesus has declared the question itself invalid. There is no greater commandment than the one to love, for it summarizes all of the commandments.