(by Dr. Larry Ollison)

For years this verse has been used to show the greatness of love. Love is great. We know that Jesus taught extensively about love. With Him, it was a very important subject.

In fact, in Mark 12:28, Jesus was approached by a scribe who had been listening to Him teach. He came to Jesus and asked Him to tell him which commandment is the most important.

In verses 29-31, Jesus answered him and said, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

The scribe gave a wise reply. "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

When Jesus saw that the scribe had answered wisely, Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (v.34). In other words, all the scribe had to do to enter into the kingdom was to believe in Jesus and confess Him as Lord of his life. The point is, Jesus tells us here in Mark 12 that the greatest commandment is love. It is the number one commandment, second to none.

Another time Jesus touched on this when He was talking with His disciples in John 13 and He told them that He would be leaving soon (v.33). Then He gave them a command: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34,35).

Isn't it interesting how Jesus said that we as Christians could be identified? He said that everyone would know that we are Christians by the way we show love to one another.

First John 4:11 says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Once I was counseling with a lady who said she had a fear of love. She had been hurt so many times in her life that all her defenses were up, all the time. She didn't want anyone to get close to her and she feared getting close to anyone else. The apostle John talked about that in verse 18, which says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

In verses 20-21 John goes on to say, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." 

Remember, God is love. God has not given us a spirit of fear, as perfect love casts out fear.