Mk 12:28-34
28One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well [Jesus] had answered [the Sadducees], asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” 29Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! 30You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ 33And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34And when Jesus saw that [he] answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
FIRST OF ALL THE COMMENDMENTS: When asked about the greatest commandment of the Law, Jesus quotes two biblical passages. The first is the Shema (Dt 6:6) which the Jews pray every day: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This, too, is the common conviction among the Jews. However, Jesus attaches to this a passage from Leviticus (19:18): “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He places the two commandments on an equal plane, one inseparable from the other. They are but two sides of one coin. The first of all the commandments is not two precepts but one law.
The scribe, who comes forward after hearing how well Jesus has answered the Sadducees, is satisfied with Jesus’ reply to his question. He knows that the commandments are given to Israel by Moses (Dt 6:2; Lv 19:18). He can attest that Jesus is actually what he teaches: his love of God and neighbor is boundless.
Here, Jesus sets forth the basis of Christian life. It is by observing this commandment that one truly welcomes the kingdom of God. It is by love that we are known to be his disciples: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).