NOTES for Mar 12:28-34
This is a rare passage in the Gospel where a scribe is shown in a favorable light. When he asks his question, he does so without any trap, truly wanting to receive an answer. And when he receives it, this man keeps it in his heart and draws such a conclusion that the Lord Himself says to 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 appears that for the scribe in the Gospel, the question of the hierarchy of the commandments stopped being a purely theoretical question on which one could sharpen the mind and, besides, catch Jesus. For him it became a question of changing one's whole life in accordance with the importance of these commandments.
The Lord expects from us faithfulness and love for Him and for those whom He has placed beside us, our neighbors. But how often we forget this, especially if those neighbors have thoroughly worn us out. It is easier to observe rules and norms regardless of the fact that by doing so we violate the commandment of love. Because it is easier to offer a sacrifice to the invisible God than to show mercy to a badly behaved teenager or to a homeless person who smells unpleasant.