“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39
To answer the Jewish lawyer’s question, Jesus quoted from a familiar Jewish confession of faith called “The Shema”. The confession is called this because it begins with the Hebrew word “shema”, meaning “hear.” Luther put it this way, “But you may say: Oh, it is utterly impossible for a person to keep these two commandments. Yes, it is impossible for you to keep or perform them. You cannot do it; God must do it in you, for him it is possible”.
Love for God is to take priority over every other command, and the terms “heart … soul … mind” represent the whole person.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” is not an imperative to love one’s self. People naturally love themselves and are at least somewhat self-centered. Because we love ourselves, we want the best for ourselves; likewise, we should be concerned for the welfare of others.
Jesus avoids another trap set by His opponents, correctly identifying love for God and for neighbor as the two main concerns of the Commandments. Among our many sins, none is more grievous than our failure to love God above all else. Thankfully, God does not respond to our selfishness by reciprocating. Instead, He gives us the greatest gift of all … His only-begotten Son.
God’s blessings on your day…