Matthew 22 - 7.22.26
Scripture
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22: 37-40
Observation
The religious leaders of Jesus’s day were constantly trying to trap Jesus by asking him tricky questions. This was one of those. A pharisee asked him, “Which is the greatest commandment?”
Jesus quoted the Old Testament and spoke from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. He said that the first commandment is to love God with all our heart and all our soul and all your mind. And the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. More importantly he said “all the law and the writings of the prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:40). Let us examine how.
If we look at the ten commandments (Ex 20), the first five is about our relationship with God, and the second five are about our relationship with others. The first five are - you will have no other Gods, you will make no idols, you will not take the Lord’s name in vain, you will honor the sabbath (Sunday as the Lord’s day), and you will honor your parents. If we love the Lord with all our hearts we will not break any of these commandments.
The next 5 commandments are - you will not murder, you will not commit adultery, you will not steal, you will not bear false witness and you will not covet what your neighbor has. If we love others as ourselves, we will not break any of these, which will hurt somebody else.
So we see that all the commandments of the Bible are directly related to one of these two commandments - love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Application
Let us examine our hearts to see if we love God with all our heart, all our soul and strength. Is he truly the first priority of our life? Do we truly live for him? Does it grieve us when someone takes our precious Lord’s name as a curse word?
God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). The Bible defines love in 1 Cor 13. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13:4-7). Do we love our brothers and sisters like this? However, if we have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth, cautions the Bible in James 3:14. Let us look carefully so that we do not fall short of the grace of God, and no root of bitterness springs up (Heb 12:15). Let us examine our hearts. If we find that our heart is not right, let us confess our sin before God, and get our hearts right before him. Ask him to pour his love in our hearts so that we can love as he loves.
Prayer
Dear Father, thank you for your love for me. I remember the first and greatest commandment and the second commandment that you have laid out for us. Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Ps 139:23-24). Please help me to listen to your voice convicting me and make changes in my heart as you require. Please help me to love you with all my heart, soul and mind. And please help me to love others like myself. I know I don’t have it in me. I can’t do it with my own ability or willpower. I need your help and your power to do this. Please help me, Lord. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). Please lead me in your way. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight (Ps 19:14). In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
Asha Chacko George
