LOVE THE LORD GOD AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

PROCLAMATION

“And Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is … thou shalt love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength … And the second is … Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these.’ ”  Mark 12:29-31 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to Mark, a companion Simon Peter.  While in Jerusalem, Jesus again began to teach the crowd.  He told them The Parable of the Tenants. (Mark 12:1-11)  Then, in response to a question from the Pharisees and the Herodians, He told them about paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar. (Mark 12:13-17)  He answered the question from the Sadducees about marriage at The Resurrection. (Mark 12:18-27)  He also answered one of the scribes, the teachers of the law, regarding which of the commandments was the most important one. (Mark 12:28-31)  The scribe told Jesus that He was right, and His answer was “well said” and he went on to elaborate.  After noting how discreetly he had responded, Jesus told him that he was “not far from the kingdom of God” and no one else dared to ask Him a question.  Then Jesus asked them a question, “How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?”  If David himself calls Christ ‘Lord,’ How then can He be his son?  That question quieted the crowd. (Mark 12:35-37)  Then Jesus warned them about the religious leaders who did thing just for show. (Mark 12:38-40)  He then sat by the treasury and beheld how the people cast their money into the treasury.  Jesus was impressed by the poor widow woman who cast in all that she had whereas other had given out of their abundance. (Mark 12:41-44)

 

APPLICATION

As believers we are to love The Lord God with all of our capacity and ability, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  That is to say, we are to love Him with every ounce of our being.  We should love nothing on earth more than we love God.  The Lord God should be first, foremost, and paramount in our lives.  Additionally, we should love our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, as much as we love ourselves.  These two commandments sum up all of the commandments and all of the teachings of the prophets. (Matthew 22:40)