Which Commandment Is Greatest?
A game of sorts unfolds in today’s Gospel as the Pharisees challenge Jesus with a familiar rabbinical exercise: "Which commandment in the law is the greatest?" They're looking for the central pillar, the one law that undergirds all the others. Jesus, the Word of God incarnate , responds with an answer that gets right to the heart of the matter. He tells them it’s all about love, echoing the words of the prophet Hosea who said, “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” The greatest commandment, Jesus says, is to love the Lord our God with our whole being—heart, soul, and mind. The second, he adds, is to love our neighbor as ourselves. These aren’t two separate rules but two sides of the same coin. If our actions follow the letter of the law but lack love, we’re missing the point. We can’t truly love God while hating our neighbor, and we can’t truly love our neighbor without seeing the face of God in them. But why are t...