Fr Marco Lazzaron
e are now in Jerusalem. The Lord spends the last days of his life between the Temple and Bethany, a village on the city’s outskirts. During the day, he remains in the Temple, where he teaches the people who listen to him willingly. In the evening, he retreats to Bethany with his disciples. We are on the third day in the holy city, the final destination of his ministry. This day is particularly intense. Here is a little context of what happened just before today’s Gospel: Jesus clashes with the religious leaders, who dispute his authority to teach there (11.27-33). Jesus tells the parable of the murderous tenants (12.1-12). Jesus’ fate is now sealed: the authorities have decided to eliminate him and are only looking for the right opportunity and reason.
The scribe’s question (“Which is the first of all the commandments?”) is sincere and relevant. The rabbis had identified 613 precepts in the Torah (Pentateuch), in addition to the ten commandments: 365 negative (prohibitions, corresponding to the days of the solar year) and 248 positive (prescriptions, corresponding to the organs of the human body, according to the belief of the time). An authentic labyrinth! In such a tangle of laws, there was a need to discern what was essential.
Jesus replies: “The first is: Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord; you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength”. Jesus does not mention any of the Ten Commandments but reports “Shema, Israel”, “Listen, O Israel”, the prayer that every Jew recites three times a day.
“The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these”. To the “first” commandment Jesus adds a “second”, taken from Leviticus 19.18.
What is the relationship between the two commandments? St. Augustine says: “The love of God is the first that is commanded, but the love of neighbor is the first that must be practiced”. The “two” cannot be separated.
“You shall love!” In both texts, the key word is the imperative “You shall love!”. Love thus becomes the key to the Law. The pagan gods desired submissive worshippers, slaves; the God of Jesus Christ, however, wants free children, capable of loving. The verb “to love” appears in the Old Testament 248 times (F. Armellini). It is a significant figure since it corresponds to the number of positive precepts (things to do) according to rabbinic tradition. We could say that the only thing to always do (365 days a year!) is love. The Torah, having emerged from the heart of God, had lost its heart and had become a heavy yoke. Jesus came to bring her back to her heart. Now, in the heart of the Law, we find His Heart!