Deuteronomy 6:2-6
This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Deuteronomy. It is again clear that this reading was selected to complement the gospel reading this Sunday, which also speaks of the great commandments. This reading is taken from the section in the Book of Deuteronomy that presents the law that Moses relates God has presented to his people. They are to continue to follow this law as they enter into the Promised Land. After presenting the Ten Commandments, and recalling how God had given them to the people at Mount Sinai, inscribing them on the two stone tablets, Moses summarizes them into the one great commandment, which we hear this Sunday. He calls his people to observe this commandment “so that you, that is, you, your child, your grandchild…may have a long life.” Let’s read chapter 5 for a bigger picture of what God is commanding.
Now, let’s examine the reading for Sunday:
2 [Moses spoke to the people, saying: “] Fear the LORD, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life.
Fear the LORD: this is not to be understood as “to be afraid” but as a holy fear, recognizing the almighty power and authority of God, who alone can assure a “long life.”
3 Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them, that you may grow and prosper the more, in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers, to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
a land flowing with milk and honey: above, we hear the promise of a “long life”; now, we hear the promise of prosperity. And, inherent in the mention of “your child, your grandchild”, we see the promise of countless offspring. So, once again, we see that God will bless his people with a three-fold blessing: longevity, prosperity and progeny.
4 Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
5 Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.
6 Take to heart these words which I command you today.
Hear, O Israel! Let’s examine the footnotes for 6:4-5 and 6:4; this is so important for the people of ancient Israel and the modern Jew. This is first and foremost commandment.
It is clear, from this passage, that the authors of the Book of Deuteronomy are calling Israel back to worship of the Lord, their God. This injunction is made in the face of the worship of the gods of the tribes with which the Northern Kingdom began to engage as they prospered under King Solomon, especially the Canaanite god and goddess, Baal and Asherah. Down to the time of Jesus, this remained an important theme for the faithful Jew and it sets the stage for this Sunday’s gospel.
Mark 12:28b – 34
This week, we continue to hear from Mark’s Gospel, skipping Mark’s account of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem – we hear that on Palm Sunday – and a number of other pericopes that we hear throughout the year. We are all very familiar with this incident because it is also recorded in Matthew (22:34 – 40) and Luke (10:25 – 28). This is one of the very clear examples of an important teaching of our Lord that each synoptic evangelist uses for very different purposes. Let’s first examine Luke’s account. You will notice that, in this Gospel, Jesus is still far away from Jerusalem. In 9:51, we hear that Jesus “resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem. But, he doesn’t arrive in Jerusalem until 19:28, and there is a great deal of teaching presented in the in-between chapters. Let’s read Luke 10:25 – 28. Who is the audience here? You will notice that this question is posed to him “to test him,” but there is not further mention of tension between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. That’s because Luke is speaking to a non-Jewish audience far away from Jerusalem. And, curiously, it is the scholar of the law who recites the law, not Jesus, as happens in Mark’s account.
Let’s now turn Matthew 22:34 – 40. Here, Jesus has already made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem (cf. 21:1ff) and has engaged the Jewish leadership in several tense encounters. He has cleansed the temple, his authority has been questioned, used two parables to condemn the Jewish leaders, caught some of them with forbidden coin in their pockets and disputed about the resurrection of the dead. He is the asked about the greatest commandment: the Pharisees ask him this after he has silenced the Sadducees. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is challenging the Jews to recognize that love of neighbor is just as important as love of God. He teaches this to overcome the focus of the Jewish leadership solely on “love of God,” that is, proper worship which included paying the temple taxes and offering worthy sacrifice – all of which benefitted them.
Now that we have looked at the two other accounts of this very important teaching, let’s look at the purest form, found in Mark’s gospel, which we will hear this Sunday. Remember, Mark’s gospel is the earliest and, like Luke, he is addressing a non-Jewish audience so he can focus on the teaching without having to address the controversy that we encounter in Matthew’s gospel. There is no indication of Jesus being tested; rather the scribe is apparently asking an honest question looking for an honest answer. This is important for us because it helps to focus on the significance of this teaching.
28 One of the scribes, [when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them,] asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them: we won’t hear this little comment on Sunday but it’s interesting to see that, unlike in Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts, Jesus is not being tested. The scribe seems to be impressed with Jesus and a very friendly conversation follows.
Which is the first of all the commandments?: this question was a topic of popular debate in those days; understandably so since there are 613 commandments, statutes and precepts in the Hebrew scriptures!
29 Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!
30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
Jesus is well versed in the Hebrew scriptures and Jewish traditions so it is completely understandable that he would recite the shema. What is unusual, however, is that he then connects an obscure passage from the Book of Leviticus to it:
31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. This command comes from Leviticus 19:18; let’s examine it, as well as vss. 33-34. The love of God is demonstrated in love of neighbor and “neighbor” is expanded to the alien. The Lord, in whom the people Israel believed, who gave them their identity as a people and demonstrated his love for them over and over again, demanded that they treat one another – including the alien – with the same love that they were to show God.
32 The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’
33 And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices: the scribe clearly understands the point that Jesus is making. The Jewish leaders of the day were only concerned with observing the laws of worship since these would benefit them. Over and over again, Jesus condemns them for this, yet the scribe gets it immediately. Let’s read Mk 7:1-13; Mt 23:1-13. And, of course, we’re all familiar with Jesus’ cleansing the temple area, declaring “you have turned my Father’s house into a den of thieves!”
34 And when Jesus saw that [he] answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
You are not far from the kingdom of God: Why only “not far”? Perhaps because, in Jesus’ assessment of the scribe’s response, Mark indicates that he answered with “understanding.” He may have understood Jesus’ teaching but had not yet committed himself to following it with all of its demands. Love of God and love of neighbor is not just an intellectual exercise but requires action. That may be why no one dared to ask him any more questions!
Hebrews 7:23 – 28
We hear again from the letter to the Hebrews, as we have for the past several weeks. In contrast to last week, when we heard about “every high priest” needing to “make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people” because “he himself is beset by weakness,” and who, as we hear in this Sunday’s reading, has to “offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people” we will hear this Sunday about a high priest who is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens” and who offered a sacrifice “once for all when he offered himself.” As a priest, I listen to this very carefully because it is the crux of the difference between the sacrifices offered in Old Testament times and the once-for-all sacrifice that Jesus has offered for all time. It is only our Lord’s sacrifice that allows us to enjoy true communion with God.
23 Those priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office,
24 but he, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away.
25 Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them.
26 It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.
27 He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.
28 For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
The readings on this Sunday present some very clear teachings: the two commandments, love of God and love of neighbor, go hand in hand. And, through the priesthood of Jesus Christ, we are brought into communion with God, who is love.