Love and faithfulness…that is all God requires. Both readings today give us insight into the meaning of this requirement. A Jewish scholar of the Law asks Jesus which commandment is the greatest, the most important. This question is legitimate since the Bible is filled with commandments, Laws, customs, and traditions. It is easy for Jews or Christians to miss the forest for the trees by focusing on what is not essential or even time-bound. Jesus’ answer to the Jewish scholar and to us is simple and direct: the greatest and most important commandment is Love, love of God and love of neighbor. Jesus teaches that “the whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” This means that every other commandment or prophecy must be interpreted through this twofold commandment of love as interpreted by Jesus.
Jesus teaches and shows that while the Scripture commands, “Keep holy the Sabbath Day,” showing love, kindness, and compassion to those who are sick supersedes this commandment by healing on the Sabbath. These two commandments cannot be separated: we cannot claim to love the God we do not see if we do not love the neighbor we can see: “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” (1 John 4:20).
The Moabite Ruth shows what it means to embody this twofold love in her beautiful words to Naomi, her mother-in-law: “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Love and faithfulness, this is all that God requires.