READ: Mark 12:28–34: … You are not far from the kingdom of God.
Another person approaches Jesus with a question. It is a scribe, a scholar of the Scriptures. He asks which commandment is the first, the most important. The question he poses aligns with the thinking of the legal experts of those days. Among the hundreds of commandments, they would determine which was more important and which was less important. The question to Jesus is which is the most important of all commandments.
Jesus responds that it comes down to love, primarily directed towards God. He points to Deut. 6:4 for this. The command there starts with “hear.” The one true God desires love from His people. Heart, soul, mind, and strength are required for this. They must collaborate in that love because humans, with body and soul, belong to God as their Creator and Redeemer. Not only in all parts but also in every single part: “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
Note the words “and” and “all.” Nothing of a person should remain outside of the love for God.
The fulfillment of that love is present in all commandments. But the love for God also extends to the neighbor God has placed on one’s path. Jesus says: “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Everyone should be a neighbor to the person God places in their path. By loving and serving your neighbor, you love God and serve Him. You obey Him and love Him by giving yourself. In doing so, humans show that they belong to God. God, who is love, wants His love reflected in humans.
The scribe affirms what Jesus tells him, rightly adding that this love is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Jesus sees that this scribe is “intelligent,” showing the right wisdom.
Thus, Jesus comes to His deeply encouraging remark: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” It is an invitation for him to enter the Kingdom of God as the Kingdom of Love, which can only be done by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
How much attention do we give our neighbor?
Singing: Ps. 78:3