On hearing that the Saducees had come a cropper, the Pharisees thought that they could do better.
They asked him what the most important commandment is in the Law of Moses. It seems a little odd that they thought this would work. Indeed, since Jesus had a had a hand in inspiring the Old Testament there was no way it could work. In fact, we see this same principle at work in nature. Atheists are keen to claim that science shows that there is no need for God. However, the whole universe was created by God and so reflects His glory. So in the end they will just find out how great God is.
Jesus told them that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all that we have, and that the second is equally important, namely to love your neighbour as yourself. Everything else flows from these.
Jesus often took them back to first principles. When asked about divorce, He took them back to the original purpose of marriage. We need to ensure that we always focus on the spirit of the Law and God's commands, and not become bogged down in legalism.
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