Deut 6: 2-6; Psalm 17(18):2-4.47.51; Hebrews 7: 23-28; Mark 12: 28-34
Deuteronomy, the “second law”, the last of the five books of the Pentateuch, was written long after the Israelites settled in Palestine. It summarises, expands and completes the record of the Law given by God to Moses. It was very familiar to Jesus, who quoted from it frequently. Today’s reading ends with the “Schema”: “Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord”, the basic principle of the Mosaic Law, and familiar to all Jews.
The psalm is said to be by King David, giving thanks to the Lord for rescuing him after he had called for help in dire distress. David goes on to imagine God sending earthquakes and raining down lightning bolts and arrows to overwhelm his enemies.
The Letter to the Hebrews continues from last week, explaining that Christ is a priest forever, replacing the priests of the tribe of Levi, each of whom dies and has to be replaced. For our sake Christ sacrificed himself once and for all.
When Jesus is asked in today’s gospel which is the first of all the commandments, the Schema is what he immediately thinks of. There is one God, and we must love him with an undivided heart.
Psalm Response: I love you, Lord, my strength.