Mark 12:28-34

Context

This scene belongs to a section in which Jesus engages in a series of exchanges with various groups in the Temple in Jerusalem. Earlier, the Pharisees and Herodians questioned him about paying taxes, and the Sadducees questioned him about the resurrection. A scribe (a scholar who taught and interpreted the Law), having observed these exchanges, asks, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answers by citing two texts together: the Shema ("Hear, O Israel"; Deuteronomy 6:4-5), the confession of faith that Jews recited daily, and the command to love one's neighbor in Leviticus 19:18. The scribe affirms this answer, saying that these two loves are "more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Jesus replies, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." The same exchange appears in Matthew 22:34-40, and a similar one in Luke 10:25-28. In those two Gospels, the questioner is portrayed as seeking to test Jesus. The citation of the Shema and the scribe's favorable response are found only in the Gospel of Mark.

Interpretation

• As a summary of the Law: Many Protestant traditions read the two commandments as a summary of the two tables of the Ten Commandments. Chapter 19 of the Westminster Confession of Faith divides the Ten Commandments into the first four, which concern duties toward God, and the remaining six, which concern duties toward other people. Question 4 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers what God's law requires with the same words from Matthew 22.
• Reformed and Lutheran reading: These traditions read the passage as exposing the fact that no one can keep these demands perfectly, and thereby as leading people to grace. This reading follows the framework of law and gospel, and Question 5 of the Heidelberg Catechism addresses precisely this question.
• Wesleyan reading: John Wesley described "Christian perfection" as loving God and neighbor perfectly. Traditions in the line of Wesleyan theology, such as Methodist and Holiness churches, emphasize this passage as the goal of sanctification (the process of being transformed in holiness).
• "Not far": The phrase is generally understood to carry two meanings at once. It praises the scribe for rightly grasping the heart of the matter, and it also extends an invitation to him, since he had not yet come so far as to follow Jesus.

Debates and Issues

• Differences in wording: Deuteronomy 6:5 names three things: heart, soul, and might. Jesus in Mark adds "mind" to make four, and the scribe restates the command as three again, introducing "understanding" (wisdom). Various explanations have been offered for these differences, but they are generally regarded as ways of emphasizing love with the whole of one's being.
• "As thyself": Some interpreters read this phrase as a command to love oneself as well. Others hold that it merely takes as its standard the self-love that everyone already has.
• "One Lord": Some groups that reject the doctrine of the Trinity cite this passage as evidence that Jesus confessed God to be only one. Mainstream churches regard the monotheistic confession of the Shema as a premise that does not conflict with the doctrine of the Trinity.

In the Korean Church

The phrase "Love God, love your neighbor" frequently appears as a church motto or in vision statements. Under the names "the Greatest Commandment" or "the Great Commandment," the passage is cited in preaching and in instruction on the Ten Commandments, and it is often presented as the basis for charitable and service ministries.

Related Passages

• Deuteronomy 6:4-5
• Leviticus 19:18
• Matthew 22:34-40
• Romans 13:8-10
• Micah 6:6-8