Of all the commandments,
which is the most important?
—Mark 12:28
Jewish Teachers of the law concocted 613 commandments out of the original ten: 248 Dos and 365 Don’ts. A lawyer asked Jesus to comb through them and single out the most important one.
The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk 12:29–30).
He was quoting a command from Deuteronomy 6 that every Jew knew as the Shema, which has been called the Jewish pledge of allegiance. Devout Jews wanted the Shema to be the last words they spoke before they died.
It remains the greatest commandment and should be always in our hearts and often on our lips.
He loved you enough to die for you.
Love him enough to live for him.