Love your neighbour as yourself and treat others with compassion
Like last week’s Gospel, this reflection is another example of the Pharisees seeking to ‘catch Jesus out’ in his interpretation of scripture.
The Pharisees were regarded as the great interpreters of the Torah – the Law. To them, all the commandments were vitally important, not just the Ten Commandments given to Moses with which we are perhaps most familiar, but the 613 mitzvot (commandments) contained within the Torah – the first five books of the Bible.
At the heart of our faith is a simple element: love God
These 613 mitzvot governed all aspects of Jewish life. For the Pharisees to ask Jesus about the ‘greatest’ commandment was a blatant challenge to him. Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees highlights their preoccupation with the particulars of the Law contained within scripture. In their over-emphasis on the details of religious observance, they have forgotten about the most basic element of faith: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.
Jesus reminds them that being faithful to God isn’t about following precise rules, but rather it is simply about loving God. With this one sentence, Jesus undermines the power position of the Pharisees. If the Law is as simple as ‘Love God’, what need is there of Pharisees to interpret the details of the Law? Having pulled the rug out from under them, Jesus follows up with his reminder that the second most important commandment is to love your neighbour as yourself. This is a call to compassion and justice that Jesus practised freely but was sadly lacking in the religious authorities of his time.
Keep compassion and empathy in mind always
Jesus’ words ask us to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are called to treat others as we would like to be treated. To be able to do this, we need to picture ourselves in their place – experiencing all that they are experiencing; not imposing our own values and circumstances. To see ourselves in the place of another is the key to responding with compassion. The origin of the word ‘compassion’ means ‘experiencing with’. If we are able to truly ‘experience with’ another person, perhaps then we can genuinely recognise and respond to their needs.
There is an implicit, or understood, commandment within the direction to love your neighbour as yourself. That is, we must first love ourselves. Whilst to say someone ‘loves themself’ is used as a criticism of a person who is a bit too vain, that is not what is intended here. If we are to love others as we love ourselves, we must first be content and happy with who we are. It is only when we are comfortable with who we are that we are able to reach out to those around us with compassion.
This week’s prayer
Loving God
Let your love be the eyes that let us see,
The road that takes us where we go,
The power that enlivens our hearts,
The light pointing to the path,
And the very grace that saves us.
God kindly fill us with your love.
Amen.
