The Greatest Commandment
When one of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, wanted to test Jesus’ knowledge of the scriptures, he asked him this question and received this answer:
Matt. 22:36 - 40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " '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. "
Jesus’ answer was not just a pat rendition of scripture but was a concise compilation of the meaning of all the commands of God. I’m sure the people were totally amazed at the way Jesus could simplify the myriad commands that they lived with into this simple statement of truth. Jesus could do this because he was God. He was the “commander” of all that they knew. He was the “word” that had been present from the beginning. He KNEW what God required of His created man.
Deut. 6 and Lev. 19 help us remember the historical origin of these commands.
Deut. 6:5 - 9 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Lev. 19:11 - 18 " 'Do not steal. "' Do not lie. " 'Do not deceive one another. " 'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. " 'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. "' Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight. " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD. " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people. "' Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD. " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
We must understand that these two concepts are really one in Jesus’ mind. He says the second one is “like” the first. Jesus points out in John 13 -15 the importance of the relationship between these commands and in so doing leaves out the first command.
John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. "
Loving one another becomes the test of who we are. Loving one another is how God knows that we love Him. Loving one another is the will and command of God.
John 15:17 This is my command: Love each other.
John, remembering the link that Jesus had made, reiterates the thought in 1 John.
1 John 4:20-21 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Paul, a recipient of God’s love just like us, instructs Christians to remember the “debt to love one another.” God’s will for man, His commands, are all summed up in “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Christians, free from the law of the Old Covenant, must be obedient to our saviors call and do the will of God if we are to please him.
Rom. 13:8-10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And so, how do we love God? How do we show our love for God? Do we reflect the “will of God” in our lives? Do we reflect Jesus’ command to love each other or do we try to show our love for God in some other way without loving each other? Well, you can’t. The “Commander” has spoken. Will you listen to his “Greatest Commandment?”
Don Campbell
Matt. 22:36 - 40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " '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. "
Jesus’ answer was not just a pat rendition of scripture but was a concise compilation of the meaning of all the commands of God. I’m sure the people were totally amazed at the way Jesus could simplify the myriad commands that they lived with into this simple statement of truth. Jesus could do this because he was God. He was the “commander” of all that they knew. He was the “word” that had been present from the beginning. He KNEW what God required of His created man.
Deut. 6 and Lev. 19 help us remember the historical origin of these commands.
Deut. 6:5 - 9 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Lev. 19:11 - 18 " 'Do not steal. "' Do not lie. " 'Do not deceive one another. " 'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. " 'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. "' Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight. " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD. " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people. "' Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD. " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
We must understand that these two concepts are really one in Jesus’ mind. He says the second one is “like” the first. Jesus points out in John 13 -15 the importance of the relationship between these commands and in so doing leaves out the first command.
John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. "
Loving one another becomes the test of who we are. Loving one another is how God knows that we love Him. Loving one another is the will and command of God.
John 15:17 This is my command: Love each other.
John, remembering the link that Jesus had made, reiterates the thought in 1 John.
1 John 4:20-21 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Paul, a recipient of God’s love just like us, instructs Christians to remember the “debt to love one another.” God’s will for man, His commands, are all summed up in “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Christians, free from the law of the Old Covenant, must be obedient to our saviors call and do the will of God if we are to please him.
Rom. 13:8-10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And so, how do we love God? How do we show our love for God? Do we reflect the “will of God” in our lives? Do we reflect Jesus’ command to love each other or do we try to show our love for God in some other way without loving each other? Well, you can’t. The “Commander” has spoken. Will you listen to his “Greatest Commandment?”
Don Campbell
posted by Don Campbell at
7:45 PM
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