NOTES for Mar 12:28-34

This is a rare passage in the Gospel in which a scribe is shown in a favorable light. When he asks his question, he does so without any trick, genuinely wishing to receive an answer. Having received it, this man keeps it in his heart and draws such a conclusion that the Lord Himself tells him: “you are not far from the Kingdom of God.” This scribe grasped Christ’s good news that love is greater than burnt offerings and sacrifices.

It seems that for the scribe in the Gospel, the question of the hierarchy of the commandments ceased to be a purely theoretical question on which he could sharpen his mind and, moreover, catch Jesus out. For him, it becomes a question of changing his whole life in accordance with the importance of these commandments.

The Lord expects us to be faithful and to love Him and those whom He has placed beside us, our neighbors. But how often we forget this, especially when those neighbors have thoroughly wearied us. It is easier to observe rules and norms without regard for the fact that by doing so we violate the commandment of love. For it is easier to offer a sacrifice to an invisible God than to show mercy to a badly behaved teenager or an unpleasant-smelling homeless person.