Friday of the Third week in Lent
Mark 12:28-34
“For the first commandment of all is this:…………”
ex Wikimedia Commons
And one of the scribes, who had heard them arguing, drew near to him. And seeing that he had answered them well, he questioned him as to which was the first commandment of all.
And Jesus answered him: “For the first commandment of all is this: ‘Listen, O Israel. The Lord your God is one God. And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from your whole mind, and from your whole strength. This is the first commandment.’
But the second is similar to it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
And the scribe said to him: Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth that there is one God, and there is no other beside him; and that he should be loved from the whole heart, and from the whole understanding, and from the whole soul, and from the whole strength. And to love one’s neighbour as one’s self is greater than all holocausts and sacrifices.”
And Jesus, seeing that he had responded wisely, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to question him.
What do the Fathers say?
St THEOPHYLACT. He says that they are similar, because these two commandments are harmonious one with the other, and mutually contain the other. For he who loves God, loves also His creature; but the chief of His creatures is man, wherefore he who loves God ought to love all men. But he who loves his neighbour, who so often offends him, ought much more to love Him, who is ever giving him benefits. And therefore on account of the connection between these commandments, He adds, There is no other commandment greater than these.
The Venerable BEDE. He indicates when he says, this is greater than all sacrifices, that this was a question often debated between the scribes and Pharisees; which was the first commandment, or the greatest of the Divine law.
Some praised offerings and sacrifices, others preferred acts of faith and love, because many of the fathers before the law pleased God by that faith only, which works by love.
This scribe shows that he was of the latter opinion. But it continues, And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God.
But the reason why he was not far from the kingdom of God was, that he proved himself to be a favourer of that opinion, which is proper to the New Testament and to Gospel perfection.
St THEOPHYLACT. He shows that he was not perfect, for He did not say, You are within the kingdom of heaven, but, You are not far from the kingdom of God.
St AUGUSTINE. Nor let it trouble us that Matthew says, that he who addressed this question to the Lord tempted Him; for it may be that though he came as a tempter, yet he was corrected by the answer of the Lord. Or at all events, we must not look upon the temptation as evil, and done with the intention of deceiving an enemy, but rather as the caution of a man who wished to try a thing unknown to him.