In today's gospel Christ is asked by a scribe which is the greatest
commandment. It is interesting because questions usually are aimed at
either defeating Christ in an argument or placing Him in opposition to
the Law. In this instance the question is sincere and welcomed.
Christ answers to love God completely. His answer is actually very close to The Shema, a declaration of faith that every Jew of the time recited twice a day. And every Jew would have given the same answer to the scribe's question. (The first line of the Shema, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.") Then Christ does something curious; He goes further and gives the famous second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. This question was not asked. He takes a question that every Jew would see as demanding a narrow definition and expands it much further. He then says, "There is no greater commandment than these two," essentially joining the two as one. When the scribe agrees with Him, Christ says, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
What is wonderful here is Christ's accepting of questioning as not just reasonable but as a way to truth, with faith as a process, a step to understanding.
Christ answers to love God completely. His answer is actually very close to The Shema, a declaration of faith that every Jew of the time recited twice a day. And every Jew would have given the same answer to the scribe's question. (The first line of the Shema, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.") Then Christ does something curious; He goes further and gives the famous second commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. This question was not asked. He takes a question that every Jew would see as demanding a narrow definition and expands it much further. He then says, "There is no greater commandment than these two," essentially joining the two as one. When the scribe agrees with Him, Christ says, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
What is wonderful here is Christ's accepting of questioning as not just reasonable but as a way to truth, with faith as a process, a step to understanding.
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