The most important of the commands to follow.
When Moshe ben Maimon of Spain (1135–1204, also called Maimonides by westerners, Rambam by Jews) wrote the Sefer Hamitzvot/“Book of Good Deeds,” he sorted God’s commands into a list of 613. His first command was the first of the Ten Commandments, which in Jewish reckoning is this verse:
Exodus 20.2 = Deuteronomy 5.6 KWL - “I’m your god, the L
ORD , - who took you out of Egypt’s land, out of the slaves’ house.”
Makes sense, right? It’s the first one the L
But when Jesus was asked the most important of God’s commands, he listed two. Respectively, they’re Moshe ben Maimon’s fourth and 13th commands.
Mark 12.28-31 KWL - 28 One of the scribes was standing there listening to the discussion.
- Recognizing how well Jesus answered the Sadducees, he asked him,
- “Which command is first of all?” 29 Jesus gave this answer:
- “First is, ‘Listen Israel: Our god is the Lord. The Lord is One.
- 30 You will love your Lord God with all your mind, life, intent, and strength.’
Dt 6.4-5 - Second is, ‘Love your neighbor like yourself.’
Lv 19.18 - No command is higher than these.”
It’s kinda understandable why Moshe went with the first commandment. It is the first commandment, after all. And it identifies which God we’re to follow. We don’t follow one of the other beings which identify themselves, or which others identify for us, as God. When pagans refer to “the universe,” or nontheists mockingly refer to “the imaginary man in the sky,” we Christians reject those ideas as God. That’s not our God. Our God is the being Jesus identified as his Father; and when this being identified himself, it was as Y
Identifying which God is our God, is really important to us humans. It’s why your typical theology book begins with nailing down which God we follow. The Father of Jesus; the God of Israel. There’s usually a bit in there about whether he exists, which is entirely unnecessary if you’ve met him (but a bothersome number of theologians aren’t actually sure they have… which is another discussion).
Of course if you ask God—as this scribe asked Jesus, God incarnate— he’s gonna say the most important command he gave is to love God. Just as he had Moses tell the Hebrews.
Deuteronomy 6.4-5 KWL - 4 “Listen, Israel: Our god is the L
ORD . The LORD is One. - 5 Love your L
ORD God with all your mind, all your life, and all your power.”
In Mark Jesus divided mehódekha/“your powerful[ness]” into two ideas: Dianoías/“intent,” and iskhýos/“strength.” Your mental power; your physical power. In case anybody was looking for a loophole—as we so often do—Jesus plugged it.