Loving the Lord ... with all my mind

In Matthew 22 and Mark 12, we read about an expert of law asking Jesus what the greatest commandment is? Jesus answered, "'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. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40). The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind. In Mark, there is another phrase added as well: "with all your strength." (Mark 12:30). In Luke 10, the table was turned and Jesus asked an expert of law what is written in the Law about what he must do to inherit the eternal life. The expert answered similarly with the greatest commandments.

Many times in the Bible, when you see a list, the items in the list are not necessarily separate and distinct, but different descriptions of the same for emphasis. That is how Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams as well (Genesis 41:32). That might be the case here as well with the greatest commandment. But I would like to consider what is meant by "with all your mind" for now.

The Greek word translated as "mind" in Matthew 22:37 is "διανοια" (dianoia). This appears at least 11 times in the New Testament and is variously translated as mind, (inmost) thoughts (Luke 1:51), understanding (Ephesians 4:18, I John 5:20), and thinking (II Peter 3:1). In Korean Bible, this word was translated as "뜻". Importantly, that is where we used to be alienated from God (Colossians 1:21). That is also where, with the new covenant, God is putting His laws in His people (Hebrews 8:10) and what we have to prepare for action (I Peter 1:13). Our mind may be the battleground that Paul describes in Romans 7:21-25, where we wage a war against the law of sin.

If I am to love my Lord God with all my mind, my inner being, my inmost thoughts, my whole understanding, and my mind must be totally focused and absorbed in knowing the Lord. Paul confessed: "What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:8). Everything else is just garbage and rubbish, compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing the Lord. Our mind should be too occupied with Jesus to consider anything else as valuable, if we are loving Him with all our mind. We are to fix our eyes on our Lord (Hebrews 12:2, Psalm 141:8). One step further, we are to have the mind of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5).

When a young man falls in love with a young girl, his mind is totally absorbed in thinking about her. He is thinking about what she may be doing this instant, what she may be thinking, what he may do to try and please her, and so on and on. Likewise, my love of the Lord should be a total one. It should be a complete love for the Lord. My thought should be on what the Lord's will is, what He would be pleased with, and how I could please Him. If I am loving the Lord with all my mind, my love of Him should exceed that for a woman (I Corinthians 7:32-35). If love for a friend can exceed that of women (II Samuel 1:26), then surely my love of the Lord could exceed that as well.

Lord, I want to love you with all my mind. Let me appreciate the surpassing greatness of knowing You. Let me be fixated on You. In Jesus' name. Amen.