And to love Him with all the heart, with all the mind, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and also to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is greater than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
The scribe understands correctly that what God desires is not only ritual sacrifices, but the love of the heart and the obedience of life. Burnt offerings and sacrifices were established by God, but they had value only when they were accompanied by faith, repentance, and love. Without the dedication of the heart, outward sacrifice becomes an empty form. This word agrees with the teaching of the prophets, that God desires mercy and obedience more than formal sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22, Hosea 6:6). True worship begins in the heart and is expressed in love toward God and toward man.