What is the most important of all the commandments in the Law?
This is the first instance we have in the Gospels of someone coming to ask Jesus a question in sincerity. He replied to the scribe who asked this question by quoting the Shammah from Deuteronomy 6, which teaches us that we are to love God and love our neighbor. This is more important than any number of burnt offerings or animal sacrifices that we could ever offer.
If you kept all the Lord's commandments – loving God and loving your neighbor, you'd be perfect and you'd go to heaven. That's terrifying news, though, because none of us can do this. We fail at it.
So what hope do we have? The answer was standing right in front of the scribe in the Temple that day. Jesus, the embodiment of true love – was standing there and fulfilling the work of redemption for us, who could never keep the Law. Not only does He tell us that we are not far from the Kingdom of God, He also brings us into it! |
