Overview:

Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

A Reflection for Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

“Which is the first of all the commandments?” (Mk 12:28)

Find today’s readings here.

The Law of Moses contains 613 distinct instructions. Some of these are very broad: “Thou shalt not steal!” (Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16). Others are specific: “When you build a new house, put a parapet around the roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt upon your house if someone falls off” (Dt 22:8). Living out these precepts was challenging not only because of their number but also because of their archaic nature. Israel’s Law dated from a time when the nation was independent, when most people lived on subsistence farms, when political power was exercised through clans and tribes, and when the culture was isolated from surrounding great powers.

By Jesus’ day, however, all of that had changed. Israel lived under Roman rule. Great estates and Greek-speaking cities dominated the economy. Farmers grew cash crops like oil, wine, and wheat to pay taxes and feed the growing cities. Imperial officials and tax collectors inspired terror and loathing among the populace. Outsiders of all sorts migrated to Israel, bringing with them foreign personal ethics and religious practices. This changed context made it difficult to live out Israel’s ancient Law and raised new concerns about the best ways to fulfill God’s commandments in a very different world. 

Many rabbis developed methods of applying the law to new circumstances. Sometimes these contained a complete revision of Israel’s legal tradition. Philo of Alexandria, for example, used allegory to harmonize the Law of Moses with Greek philosophy. Other rabbis adapted the Law of Moses to contemporary circumstances. These adaptations were called “halakha/halakhot,” literally meaning “a manner of walking or going; a way.” Still other rabbis tried to find the one commandment or the one practice that, if perfectly fulfilled, would cause all the other precepts of the Law to fall into place. These “keys to the Law” functioned as summaries of the entire Israelite tradition and provided a first step to Jewish religious practice. The most famous is the summary of Rabbi Hillel: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this—go and study it!”

This is probably what is behind the question that the scribe poses to Jesus in today’s Gospel reading: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” In other words, what is the one commandment which, if fulfilled completely, also fulfills all the others? Jesus does not hesitate; he had probably reflected on this question very much. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Then he adds: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Love fulfills every commandment of Israel’s Law. In any given situation, seeking the most loving thing is the right thing to do. Loving God and neighbor is the purest social ethics, the most mature personal morality, the most mystical form of worship. 

More importantly, every act of love reveals that the Kingdom of God is already present. Jesus made the Kingdom known when he went to the cross rather than betray his faith in God’s sovereignty even over death. Like the scribe in today’s reading, we are not far from the Kingdom of God when our loving acts show the world that God remains alive and at work among us, forgiving, blessing, encouraging, healing and restoring.

Michael R. Simone, S.J., is contributing editor at America and pastor of Gesù Parish in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.