Matthew 22:34-40
The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
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.”
“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...“Love your neighbor as yourself.”...This is the second greatest commandment, and it is like unto the first...These Two Commandments, Jesus says the entire Law and Prophet Books of the Bible hang off these two sentences of words that He gave to us in summing up many of the Books of the Bible...The two Greatest Commandments that Jesus Teaches us are a powerful reminder of what truly matters in life and helps set the foundation and values in one's life...They Teach us to focus on our relationship with God and our relationships with others...They challenge us to live lives of love, compassion, and service...And these Two Commandments are not separate and distinct, but rather they are intertwined and are meant to be together, just as Jesus said them...True love of God will naturally lead to love of our neighbors, and vice versa...By loving God, we are better able to see his image in others and treat them with the dignity and respect that they deserve...Jesus has forever tied God and man and love together...
By tying God and man and love together, Jesus is Teaching us what He valued and believes in...It is not hard to see, if we look, that the world tries to mold us to fit its means and ways...But Jesus never let this happen to Him...And in His last days, even though He faced extreme opposition and death, He remained committed to His Values...Even though what He had been Teaching, His deeds, and basically what He was doing each and every day -were the Perfect Things to be doing...He was not doing anything wrong, but was doing everything right...
In His Ministry and Teachings, He was drawing large crowds...And the Pharisees, Sanhedrin, and the high priest seen Him as a threat with His teachings...Jesus fulfilled Scripture, thus knew every verse of the Bible and could interpret any verse no matter how deep or hard, the correct way...Yet, His opposition were not as concerned about the correct interpretation of the Bible, but more concerned that Jesus was undermining their carefully constructed system of religious law and practices...They were not looking at God and God's Word and how to be better for it and through it...Instead they saw His Authority that God had given Him, and they saw Him as a threat to their own status and prestige...They were not thinking at this time of loving God and loving neighbor...
Jesus did not allow the world to dictate His actions or beliefs...He never let go of His Great Faith in God...He remained independent and true to His Own values, beliefs, ideas, and Teachings as He went around Israel meeting others and Teaching others...He navigated the world with courage and integrity, charting His own Unique Course and left and still leaves His own Unique Mark on the world...Through His Teachings, Parables, and Actions, Jesus challenged the prevailing norms and expectations of His time...He spoke out against injustice, hypocrisy, and oppression, even when it meant facing criticism and persecution and death...He spoke about loving God, loving neighbor and living life that way...That is the Way to Live...He called it the Truth, the Life, and the Way...He offered an alternative vision of the world, one based on love, compassion, Truth, mercy, and forgiveness...This unwavering commitment to His values, despite the external pressures He had, stands as a testament to the power of His individual conviction...
Jesus followed God completely and still Teachings us to do so...Jesus's example continues to inspire individuals to follow Him and His Values in a world filled with competing demands, evils, and troubles...His life reminds us that it is possible to stand firm in our beliefs, even when it means going against the tide...He does not want us to live in a divided world and be bitter and mean toward each other...He wants us to know and love God and love our neighbor...That is why He tells us that the Two Greatest Commandments are to love God and to love neighbor...He wants us to seek the Truth find strength in His Teachings, our convictions and to use them to shape a more just and compassionate world...He wants us to love God, and love neighbor eternally...
Jesus died on earth for the things He believed in and became our Savior...Jesus is the Perfect Human and is our example and role model of how we should live as He remained true to Himself and to His Father...Jesus lived life His Way, the Perfect and Right Way...Let us follow the Truth, the Life, and His Way...