Love Your Neighbor as Yourself - Mark 12:31

Mark wrote how, “one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment”, and in chapter twelve and verse thirty-one of his book, Mark shared how Jesus says, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” where we read:

And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is none other commandment greater than these.

The verse reads, “And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark began with the words, “and the second is like” which means “and the next or second in line commandment is in the same manner and likeness”, “namely this” or “this is the second most important commandment”, “you shall love your neighbor” which means “the scribe and all people are to love dearly and unconditionally the scribe and every person's fellow man or any other man irrespective of nation or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet” “as yourself” or “in the same way and manner as the scribe and all people love dearly and unconditionally their own selves”. Mark shared how Jesus continued His discourse to the “scribe” by including this second commandment in which He said to “love other people” in the same manner as one loves their own self.

The verse continues, “There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark added the words, “there is none other commandments” which means “there exists not one or another precept, order, command or injunction” “greater than these” or “larger, elder, stronger or more important than loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself”. Mark shared how Jesus said no other “command” is superior to “loving God” and “loving people”.

When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we discover how Jesus narrowed God's law to two commandments. First, a person is to love God. Second, they are to love others. When we think this through, we realize all the commandments hang upon these two. As Jesus previously said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (See Matthew 22:40), and those who are wise will seek to obey God by loving Him first and loving others in the same way they do themselves. Jesus was and is our example, and when a person receives Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they will begin to see Him work in their lives to fulfill His two greatest commands.

Next time Mark shares how the scribe says, “Well, Master, you have said the truth” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".