The lawyer testing Jesus got the right answer; he knew intellectually what the appropriate response was, but Jesus indicates that knowledge isn’t sufficient. Love must be lived out with a person’s whole being.
We can see a holistic understanding of human nature in this passage: that we are physical (strength), intellectual (mind), emotional (heart), and spiritual (soul) beings. That is not exactly what the original Greek words are referring to, but the general idea still holds, that love involves all aspects of our lives.
Love is about how we direct our lives. Are we first considering the other and acting accordingly? To love God is to put God’s will ahead of our own, to live our lives so that God’s will is done on earth as in heaven.
The lawyer also includes the phrase, “love…your neighbor as yourself,” perhaps because of the logic that says one can’t say they love God if they do not treat God’s creation, which includes one’s neighbour, with love. The lawyer gave the right answer, and in response, Jesus admonished him (and us) to “do this.”
Creator God, help us to love you and our neighbours with all our being. Amen. —