Compared to some of the pericopes from Mark's Gospel, this one seems a piece of cake. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (vv. 29-31). 

That's straightforward enough! In fact, we might stumble over only four little words: Love. God. Neighbor. Self. Love God with your whole self. Love your neighbor as yourself. Words like these can lead to some questions that are not pieces of cake. How do I actually go about loving God and neighbor in such fashion? Why are these commandments linked in such an absolute way? And why does endorsing all this put one "not far from" -- but not "in" -- the Kingdom of Go…