"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
The commandments were seen as the pure distilled wisdom of God. In the context of a discussion like this we must remember that they were not seen as mere burdens but rather as access to the mind and the heart of God. To ask which of them was the first was not to be concerned with their chronological order so must as their order of importance. Asked another way the question might read, 'What matters most to the heart of God?'
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
At first the answer given by Jesus may seem altogether unsurprising, but that is only because we are accustomed to hearing it. We must first understand the question being asked a little bit more deeply to truly appreciate his answer. The scribe was really asking not only which was the most important but which commandment could stand as a summary and explanation for all the rest. Was there a single commandment among them all that contained in itself all the rest? Or were the commandments themselves always going to be a house divided, pitted against each other as the Pharisees seemed wont to do?
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 commandment did seem to be the most important. But without the context Jesus would go on to add it would also seem that it was something that not inherently related to love of neighbor in even possibly set in opposition to it. We think of the way the Pharisees were scandalized by healings performed on the Sabbath as an example of this apparent tension. If it was to be a competition between God and neighbor then of course God must win. But would it have to remain a competition, a division of two apparently unrelated priorities?
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
With this addition Jesus clarified what was already, to him, implicit in the commandment he listed as the first. Loving God and loving neighbor were intrinsically related and could not be separated or set against each other. Women and men were made by God in his image, and honoring God would also always and at the same time honor that fact.
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother (see First John 4:20-21).
The man who questioned Jesus understood the deeply Scriptural precedent for the answer Jesus gave. For God had insisted through the prophets that, "to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices". The scribe answered with understanding, but it appeared to be an understanding he had not yet managed to fully embrace or embody. He was "not far from the Kingdom of God" but he had not yet arrived. To some degree we too understand the importance of love of God and neighbor. But they have not yet been fully united in us as they are perfectly united in Jesus himself. And yet, this is our call, one which in some ways makes further questions unnecessary. But if we are truly to engage this call with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength we will need the help that God alone can offer. We do not and cannot love God in order to earn his love but rather are able to love him because he loves us first.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
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