In Mark 12 we find Jesus with the religious authorities in the temple at Jerusalem. They are putting him to the test, challenging his spiritual authority. But they end up being the ones who are amazed at Jesus’s knowledge and wisdom.
So one of the scribes, impressed with how Jesus responded to the questions and challenges from his fellow teachers of the law, asked him, “Which commandment is first of all?”
Jesus begins by recalling the words of Moses to the people of Israel as recorded in Deuteronomy 6: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Then he adds a second, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
The scribe responds approvingly, saying that these commandments are “much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Jesus affirms the scribe by saying, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
It is a theme that keeps coming up over and over again in the lectionary of Bible readings I am using as the map for my Lenten journey. Loving God, loving our neighbors—all of our fellow human beings on this planet—and loving ourselves. And while Jesus says loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is “second,” the reality is that in order to love God we must love our neighbor and we must love ourselves. And we definitely cannot love our neighbor or love ourselves without the love of God.
Whatever you hear preached or taught from pulpits, Bible studies, or televangelists has to pass through this filter. If it doesn’t help you follow these commandments, it is at best unimportant and quite likely detrimental.