I think that sometimes as human beings we try to overcomplicate what it means to be a follower of Christ. In the gospel this week, our Lord distills it down so that even the politicians of the day could grasp the truth. I think that every time we find ourselves getting too wrapped up in defining our faith through complicated doctrinal definitions and the like, we need to step back and refresh ourselves with the elegant simplicity of our Lords words.
There is an old saying in my industry that states that if someone cannot explain an idea in simple terms that anyone is capable of understanding, they probably do not fully understand the concept themselves. If there were anyone capable of delving into the finer and more subtle aspects of theology, I think that Jesus would have been more than entitled to preach those points. Yet that is never our Lords way, if a concept was broad and detailed, He would turn it into a parable that people could relate to if they were open to the action of His spirit and the wisdom of His words. If there were uncertainties about what the priorities should be in order to live as His followers, He would simplify it so that the lesson could not be forgotten, and thereby used each day.
In our Gospel today, our Lord reveals the most important of all truths to the Pharisees who were actually trying to validate their own positions by testing Him and hoping to catch Him in error. Their question is about which commandment is the greatest, was one crafted to illicit debate and perhaps show doubt about Jesus’ answer. Yet there is perfect clarity in His reply that even they had to acknowledge. He tells them simply, that if we love God first and foremost, and one another who were all created in His image, all the other commandments cannot help but be adhered to. No other questions needed to be asked, either by them, or by us. Love of God and one another is literally the answer to all things if we merely apply it in all of our words and actions.
The Deacons Bench 