“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Mark 12:32-33 NIV
The teachers of the law were generally antagonistic toward Jesus. At least partially because Jesus did not share their attitude toward the law and associated traditions. They practiced and taught a rigid adherence to their interpretation of the law. Nothing was more important than obeying the law. And that often brought Jesus into conflict with them.
And that makes this teacher’s response to Jesus’ description of the greatest commandments unusual. Not that he agreed with Jesus’ selection. These two were often considered the greatest. What was surprising is that he recognized that loving God and your neighbor was more important than following the rituals mandated by the law.
The rituals and traditions of the church today are quite different than what ancient Israel practiced. And even within the church, there is a diversity of practice. But what this teacher of the law affirmed is just as true today as it was then. To love God with all of our heart, understanding, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, is more important than adhering to the traditions of a particular church.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the rituals and traditions that we follow. But we should never allow them to become a substitute for loving God and for loving other people. That is the most important thing we can do. No amount of tradition, ritual, or even doctrinal purity (Rev. 2:4-6) can take the place of love. Without love, we are only a resounding gong or clanging symbol (1 Cor. 13:1).
