31st Sunday, Year B

Our gospel is taken from the Gospel of Mark and is one of the most well known passages. Jesus is asked about the commandments:

28 One of the scribes…asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

This exchange takes place in the middle of Holy Week, Jesus already having entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This one of several times the religious leaders are questioning Jesus. One aspect of Jesus response (unique to Mark’s gospel) is that Jesus begins with the Shema: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!  (Deut. 6:4), a prayer and confession of faith said every morning and evening by pious Jews. The words of the Shema’ indicate that the command to love God is an obligation which stems from his uniqueness as God and his gracious favor in extending his covenant love to Israel. Jesus then combines two separate scriptures:

• Deut. 6:5 – “Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.” and 
• Lev. 19:18 – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”

As always, a lot going on in the gospel reading. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and take a moment on the back porch with the Word of God.

Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary

The Pharisees and the Sadducees Come to Tempt Jesus | James Tissot | Brooklyn Museum, PD-US