Hearing that Jesus silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."
Matthew 22:34-39
The Pharisee had a question for Jesus: "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" It was a loaded question, designed to trap Jesus and discredit him. No doubt the Pharisee expected Jesus would have to choose one of the Ten Commandments over the other nine, opening the door for debate. Then he'd have this unschooled carpenter's son right where he wanted him. The Pharisee was an expert in the Law; he had scrutinized the Scriptures for years and had memorized many passages. The Law was his life. This uneducated carpenter would be no match for his expertise. It was going to be an easy victory.
Jesus showed who the expert really was. He condensed all ten commandments into one statement that targeted the Pharisees' most vulnerable spot. The Pharisees were adept at keeping the letter of the law but fell pitifully short in following the spirit of the law, which was love. The Pharisees were doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. In God's eyes, this was still sin. God expected them to obey his commands because they loved him, not because they were trying to be perfect. God was more concerned with their hearts than with their actions.
Sometimes we're like the Pharisees. We make Christianity too complicated. Although God has the right to demand anything he wants, he asks one thing of us: love. If we devote our hearts, minds, and souls to God, we will fulfill the law as it was meant to be followed, and everything else will false into place.
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