The Greatest Commandment
Matthew 22:34-40
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.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
John 13:33-35
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
What is the Greatest Commandment? For the entirety of my life, I'd have told you “‘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.’' And pretty much everyone else familiar with Christian life and Biblical literacy would have said the same thing. This is partially due to the fact that the title for the Matthew 22 verses is "The Greatest Commandment."
However...When you look at tradition, cultural relevance, social norms, and parties involved in the conversations being had in the Matthew passage and the John verse, you may rethink your answer. It has surely influenced me to rethink my own.
In Matthew, Jesus is asked by a Pharisee who as a group were trying to trap Him into saying something that would contradict Jewish Law thus being labeled a heretic. Their mission was to silence Jesus. Jesus' response here is complete truth, no doubt about it. It was also truth to satisfy the Jewish Law. Jesus was giving them an answer that was true, but had an outlier attached to it. This is not good, nor bad...just an observation.
Then we look at John's written account of what happened at the last supper when Jesus gave HIS FOLLOWERS, not Pharisees or opposition to His ministry, but HIS followers a NEW command. Love one another ... as I have loved you, so you must love one another.
This command changes everything...and they knew it.
This command changed all their expectations, all their understanding of Jewish Law, all the ways they viewed each other and the people around them. Even the people who weren't "them." And it changed HOW they were to love GOD. This command raised the stakes to much more than I think any of them thought it would. Can you imagine the questions they must have had?
Love each other like Jesus has loved me? How? The example of love Jesus as modeled is so high, how can I ever love like that? He loves me like only a God could and now I'M supposed to love like THAT?
AND HE HADN'T EVEN DIED FOR THEM YET!
Jesus even reinforces this to Peter after the resurrection in John 21 when He asks Peter 3 times, "Do you love me?" Each time Peter responding "Yes" each one more enthusiastic than the last. Jesus replies, "Feed my sheep."
Jesus seems to turn all the love we should have for Him based on His response to the Pharisees and points it back to us. If you love me, show it by how you love one another. He combines the two into one. One Great Commandment.
Love one another as I have loved you.
Pastor Mark Dusseau | Worship Arts Pastor
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.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
John 13:33-35
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
What is the Greatest Commandment? For the entirety of my life, I'd have told you “‘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.’' And pretty much everyone else familiar with Christian life and Biblical literacy would have said the same thing. This is partially due to the fact that the title for the Matthew 22 verses is "The Greatest Commandment."
However...When you look at tradition, cultural relevance, social norms, and parties involved in the conversations being had in the Matthew passage and the John verse, you may rethink your answer. It has surely influenced me to rethink my own.
In Matthew, Jesus is asked by a Pharisee who as a group were trying to trap Him into saying something that would contradict Jewish Law thus being labeled a heretic. Their mission was to silence Jesus. Jesus' response here is complete truth, no doubt about it. It was also truth to satisfy the Jewish Law. Jesus was giving them an answer that was true, but had an outlier attached to it. This is not good, nor bad...just an observation.
Then we look at John's written account of what happened at the last supper when Jesus gave HIS FOLLOWERS, not Pharisees or opposition to His ministry, but HIS followers a NEW command. Love one another ... as I have loved you, so you must love one another.
This command changes everything...and they knew it.
This command changed all their expectations, all their understanding of Jewish Law, all the ways they viewed each other and the people around them. Even the people who weren't "them." And it changed HOW they were to love GOD. This command raised the stakes to much more than I think any of them thought it would. Can you imagine the questions they must have had?
Love each other like Jesus has loved me? How? The example of love Jesus as modeled is so high, how can I ever love like that? He loves me like only a God could and now I'M supposed to love like THAT?
AND HE HADN'T EVEN DIED FOR THEM YET!
Jesus even reinforces this to Peter after the resurrection in John 21 when He asks Peter 3 times, "Do you love me?" Each time Peter responding "Yes" each one more enthusiastic than the last. Jesus replies, "Feed my sheep."
Jesus seems to turn all the love we should have for Him based on His response to the Pharisees and points it back to us. If you love me, show it by how you love one another. He combines the two into one. One Great Commandment.
Love one another as I have loved you.
Pastor Mark Dusseau | Worship Arts Pastor
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