Mark 12:28-34 NAB
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked Him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to Him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than He. And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, He said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask Him any more questions.
Reflection
Impressed with the answer Jesus gave the Sadducees on the resurrection, a scribe came forward with a genuine question, unlike those that were put to test Him. There were altogether 613 precepts in the Old Testament law, differentiated into the great and the minor commandments. The teachers of the laws studied and made fulfilling the law their life-long mission but were clueless of the essence require by God. Jesus understood and summarized all these laws into two inseparable commandments – Loving God and loving your neighbour as yourself. In order to love perfectly and completely, they had to use their hearts, soul, minds, and strength. This was new to the Scribe as he and the others knew the law only with their minds! He finally understood the higher intent of God’s laws by answering correctly that these two commandments took precedents over all the others, including burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Corporate Leadership
In a company, there are many rules and regulations to follow. There are rules for finance, operations, human resource, administrative and so on. These rules are probably in place to govern the work place. However, there are many other rules that cannot be written down – good manners, good etiquette and common sense in dealing with one’s friends. There were many rules that the Jews pride themselves in knowing so that they can worship God in a “proper” way. However, Jesus pointed out what mattered most was loving God and loving their neighbour as they would love themselves. This rule was so fundamental that the Jews knew intuitively to be right yet it was not written down. Likewise, a good leader knows that the most important rule in the company is never all the rules listed but the ones unlisted – showing care and concern to one another. – XW
Family Leadership
Jesus shows love in the right sequence – heart, soul, mind and strength. Parents often reverse the order and become perplexed with the result. For example, many parents start with strength by giving the best food and physical comfort. Then they enrich their children’s minds through the pursuit of academic excellence. However, they tend to neglect the nourishment of the soul and the heart-to-heart communication. Children grow up intelligent but lack the spirit of love. The successful parents start the sequence right, developing well-adjusted children. They begin loving-acceptance with their heart; I love you regardless of. Secondly, with their soul in commitment, I am always there for you. Thirdly, with their mind in understanding, tell me your dreams. Finally, their strength in seeing through their commitment, let’s work on your dreams together. Henry W Beecher, American congressional preacher said, “I never knew how to worship until I know how to love.” – XW
