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."
Jesus teaches us the greatest commandments of the Old Testament scripture...He teaches us to love God and love our neighbor...That we shall love is the Greatest Commandment, as He teaches us...All the Law and prophet books hang on these two commandments...
What is the greatest commandment?...The Pharisees had put together this question, probably because these teachers of the law debated which of the Ten Commandments was the greatest...Jesus had just answered a most difficult question from the Sadducee group about the resurrection...Jesus tells the Pharisees we are to love the LORD with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our minds...The second is to love our neighbor as yourself...Jesus tells us all the commandments hang off of these two commandments...These two commandments are all about love...St. Paul emphasizes love in his definition of love in Corinthians 13:1-13...St. Paul tells us that love is the greatest of virtues, which is similar to what Jesus is telling us...
In many cases, humanity looks for something self-fulfilling, instead of looking to love God and neighbor...Jesus does say we should love our neighbors as ourselves...So we must love ourselves as truly and sincerely as we love others...But this is not an invitation to be self serving or selfish...Jesus tells us He came to serve God and others and not to be served...Jesus never had a selfish bone in His body, because of love and His love for the Father... St. Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 warns us about man being lovers of themselves, lovers of money, and a host of other things we love, and we are to be careful around...The love Jesus describes puts your wife, your family, your friends, your neighbors first and you behind them...Love, and the love for your neighbor is like what Jesus said about being first...The first will be last and the last will be first... Love puts others ahead of yourself...
By these two great commandments we should try to work everyday fulfilling and putting forth in our lives...The world would be a much better place...It is not easy putting everyone above yourself...We must love...And we must try and try daily...