The tension in this ONE Question from the representative of the Pharisees reveals the tension between the Law and the Gospel but Jesus shows us that there is no tension. The Law and the Gospel hold up the TRUTH of God’s LOVE. The Law of Love is at the center of the Gospel.

This is Jesus’ authority and Jesus’ power to speak it and to insist upon it.

We try to focus our attention on Grace over obedience to the Law but without the Mosaic Law, we cannot understand Grace. God’s Law is sweet. It is HIS Law.

Of all these laws, of all this sin, the Question posed to Jesus is which is the GREATEST of all these Laws. Jesus refers to The Shema [Deut 6:5] … might, strength. But Jesus cites the words slightly from might, or strength, to ‘mind’. I think this is because the lawyer of the Mosaic law confronts Jesus, our LORD emphasizes this Greatest Command to a man who lived by his mind. This Scribe/Lawer was a great intellect. He knew things. He knew the details and arguments that surrounded the 613 laws. His mind was his strength. His mind was his might. His mind was his identity. His mind was who he was. His mind was the single greatest aspect of his being evidenced by his years of training the mind and using his mind to argue and to teach and enforce the Law of God.

The word used for ‘mind’ here in verse 37 is διάνοια (dianoia) is translated as either mind or thoughts or understanding. So Jesus is using the idea of one’s thoughts being the avenue of expressing one’s complete love for God.

This lawyer/scribe used his mind.

If this Scribe/Lawyer truly loved God with all of his soul, then his mind would be filled with EVERYTHING THAT GOD LOVED. HIS MIND WOULD BE FILLED WITH ADORATION AND LOVE OF GOD. How much more would this man have mastered God’s Word, HIS LAW, if this state of complete heart love for God were true? Instead, his mind was busy gathering wool about a host of other things. His mind was fixed on ideas that had little or nothing to do with God, or HIS Law.