Matthew 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying Master, which is the great commandment in the law?Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
This passage seems simple enough on first glance, and I have seen explanations for Jesus’ words that I think do not fit the context. I’ve heard it explained that the first portion “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…” to mean 1-4 of the Ten Commandments and “thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” to refer to 6-10 of the Ten Commandments. Jesus is talking to the Pharisees here and they were very aware of all of the Old Testament including the Ten Commandments so it would seem out of place for Jesus to be saying to obsessed rule keepers another way of saying “keep the commandments”. They believed that they did so better than anyone else. But how did Jesus show His love for the Father and for us? Jesus showed His love by laying down His life; He died for us in accordance with the Father’s will.
Do we love God enough to die in place of our enemies?
THAT is what Jesus is saying, and He affirmed this when He showed us that kind of love; a love that is impossible unless the love of God resides in our heart, mind and soul; a love that can only be carried out by His strength through us. May He grant us that simple yet profound and powerful kind of love.
John 15:13 Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
I agree absolutely with what you have said here Susan. I love the way the scriptures link together as a conversation. When I read about loving one another and loving your neighbour as yourself I am reminded of the scripture that says 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' That is what I would call true love. God bless.
ReplyDeleteHi Brenda,
DeleteI don’t know why all the different type sizes come up that way, I typed it all with one type size…thank you for your comment, I agree, it’s the golden rule that the Lord puts in our hearts when we put our trust in Him. ❤️
Hi again Susan,
ReplyDeleteRegarding the different type sizes, I think the Lord is emphasizing particular words that are important through them.
I get so frustrated when things go wonky, but I didn’t look at it that way…you might be right! ❤️
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