As a teacher I always wanted to make sure that the student focused on the essential or core element. Sometimes a student would get lost in a vast array of information as they were reviewing their notes and readings. I would direct them in their studies to always ask themselves what the core or central idea is in their reading. Of course, I got this approach from Jesus, the greatest teacher of all. In today’s Gospel Jesus directs us to the core or central idea of our faith, namely love.
Jesus is questioned by a biblical scholar or “scholar of the law.” This scholar knows the Torah very well, perhaps he had even memorized the whole Law or Torah. With all this information and knowledge, he seeks guidance from Jesus: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus points to love of God as the greatest and love of neighbor as the second. He then teaches that this twofold love is the optic or guide through which the whole Scripture is to be interpreted: “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” In many ways Jesus is just repeating the teaching of the prophets that have gone before him:
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)
“You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8).
Jesus teaches that love of God and love of the other are bound together and cannot be separated. Jesus teaches us to love one another as God has already loved us (John 13:34). We show our love of God not only through worship but also through feeding the hungry and caring for the outcasts, the leper, the immigrant in our midst (Matthew 25:31-46). John both in his Gospel and in his epistles repeats Jesus’ teaching when he reminds us that we are “beloved” because we have been loved by God. John then tells us that we are challenged to show this love to all:
“We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (1 John 4:19-21).
Image: “File:Sofer, Jewish scribe.JPG” by Spaceboyjosh is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.