The rabbis calculated 613 commandments based on the Law of Moses. They often debated which of those were most important and which could be seen as a lesser commandment.
The religious authorities sought to put Jesus right in the middle of this debate. They thought there was no way he could please everyone with his answer.
This is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees in the temple courtyard.
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him.
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Matthew 22.34-36).
Jesus answered by quoting a portion of Deuteronomy 6, which was recited daily by every good Jew.
He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
“This is the greatest and first commandment” (Matthew 22.37-38).
One of my firm convictions is that God always commands what is best for us. There is no greater opportunity in the world than to love the greatest Being in the universe.
Think about God’s characteristics that we read about in Galatians, and imagine how wonderful it is to be able to know and love someone with that kind of character.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5.22-23).
Take a moment to consider that list. God, who embodies these qualities, wants to live in a love relationship with us. I know of no greater opportunity than that.
Another principle concerning God’s commands is that God always gives humans the ability to do what he commands.
We are not left to our own resources when it comes to loving God. He sent his beloved Son to reveal his character and to provide a way into a personal relationship with him.
In addition, God gave us his Spirit to live within us. As we surrender to the work of the Spirit, God will grow our love for the him on a daily basis.
Loving Others
Jesus quoted from Leviticus 19.18 to complete his summary of the greatest commandments in the law.
He said, “And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22.39-40).
Both Paul and James learned from Jesus and emphasized this aspect of love.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13.10).
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well (James 2.8).
The Bible assumes that humans love themselves more than anyone else. Love includes both feelings and behavior. We do the best we can for ourselves and strive to do the same for others.
An Opportunity
Once again, I want to emphasize that within each of God’s commands is a blessing. When he commands us to live in a loving relationship with him and other people, God is giving us the gift of a rich relationship.
There is no one who has a character and personality like God. A loving relationship with him is a two-way experience. Just as we love God, we discover his love for us in return.
Humans are harder to love than God. We are flawed in many ways. However, the richest and most blessed people are those who love others.
The best way to discover the truth of Jesus’ commandment to love is to try it out. Loving God with our whole being and other people as ourselves will provide us with the greatest of all experiences.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 