<p>12:33 <i>And to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices</i>- The Scribe said that the most important commandment to love God &ldquo;with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly (Gk. &lsquo;in an intellect-having way&rsquo;), He said unto him, Thou art not far from the Kingdom&rdquo;. Notice how &lsquo;understanding&rsquo; with the intellect is put higher in the list than loving one&rsquo;s neighbour. The fundamental thing is to correctly understand, and this will naturally lead to a life of practical love. Our surrounding &lsquo;Christian&rsquo; world has inverted this order; love of neighbour has been placed above correct understanding of God. Because the Scribe answered in an intellect-having way, the Saviour said that He was near to the Kingdom. To reach the Kingdom therefore involves correct understanding. The words of Mk. 12:33 allude to a number of OT passages which likewise show the superiority of knowledge and practical service over sacrifices (1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6-8). Putting them together we find the following parallels:</p><div align=center><table border=0 cellspacing=10 cellpadding=0 width=60%>    <tbody>        <tr>            <td>            <p>            To obey God&rsquo;s word</p>            </td>            <td>            <p>is better than sacrifice</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td>            <p>To listen to God&rsquo;s word&nbsp;</p>            </td>            <td>            <p>is better than sacrifice</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td>            <p>To show mercy</p>            </td>            <td>            <p>is better than sacrifice</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td>            <p>To know God&nbsp;</p>            </td>            <td>            <p>is better than sacrifice</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td>            <p>To be humble and just</p>            </td>            <td>            <p>is better than sacrifice</p>            </td>        </tr>        <tr>            <td>            <p>To understand God&nbsp;</p>            </td>            <td>            <p>is better than sacrifice</p>            </td>        </tr>    </tbody></table></div><p>Understanding God, hearing His word, knowing God (all acts of the intellect) are therefore paralleled with practical things like loving out neighbour, showing mercy, justice etc. These practical things are an outcome of our correct knowledge of God.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>