Great (Love) Commandments of Christ

Pr. Asap Singh 

Scripture Portion: 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.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

In Old Testament Jews had 10 major commandments that are called Decalogue (Exodus 20). In later periods the other commandments were sorted out from the Bible by Jewish scholars and listed 613 commandments from the Pentateuch which is called as Torah or Law by Jews. Jesus born as a Jew made several reformed understanding to the law which seemed contradicts to the traditional understanding of the Law. The following are few observations from the gospels,

1. Law on Punishment for adultery (John 8:1-11)
2. Law on cleanliness (Mat 15:1-11)
3. Law on Fasting (Mat 9:14-17)
4. Law on eating and healing during Sabbath (Mat 12:1-14)
5. Law on Murder (Mat 5:21-22)
6. Law on Adultery (Mat 5:27-30)
7. Law on Divorce (Mat 5:31-32)
8. Law on Oaths (Mat 5:33-37)
9. Law on Retaliations - Revenge (Mat. 5:38-42)
10. Understanding about God and Messiah (John 10: 22-33)

In all above instances Jesus gave a new understanding/interpretation which seemed contracting the Old Testament practices that may be one of the reasons they tried killing him in many occasions. Matthew 22 is a prime example where Jesus faced several conflicts from Pharisees and Sadducees.

• Paying Tax to Caesar (vv 15-22)
• Marriage at Resurrection (vv 23-33)
• Great Commandment (vv 34-40)
• Messiah (vv 41-46)

In all above occasions Jesus defended himself against Pharisees and Sadducees in clarifying their understanding. They tried to trap Jesus with hard questions while Jesus answered wisely and gave reformed understanding which they could not accept it nor reject it.

Greatest Commandment:

Jewish people had priority in their law (Torah) – The 613 commandments listed from the Pentateuch actually starts with the Decalogue (10 commandments) that was given by God directly to the people in the Mount Sinai. It was also written down in the stone tablets and given to the Israelites – in a Jewish view point the Ten Commandments gets very important comparing to other commandments. The Ten Commandments can be divided into two parts a Jew’s relationship with God (First 3 commandments) and relationship with others/neighbors (Commandments 4-10). Jesus for the first time brought a new commandment to the disciple without defiling the old. Matt 5:17, ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The commandments of Jesus is based on “LOVE” not on “FEAR” – It has higher moral standards that not only be observed through our ACTS but also through our THOUGHTS. The above two reasons make the commandments of Jesus higher standard than the Old Testament numerous commands.

Coming to the passage Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus was asked a question “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” as we discussed earlier on, this is a rhetorical question by an expert in Law – A Pharisee asked question about Law? His intention was to test Jesus, whereas Jesus patiently answered which became highlight to every Christians.

1. LOVE GOD (VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP) IS PRIMARY COMMANDMENT (MAT 22: 37-38) 

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.

The first three in ten commandments speak of worshipping one true God, Not using His name in vain and observing Sabbath to give thanks to God. The above three are actions of a person who loves God – The direct commandment in v.37 is a quote from Deut 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

To Love God means spending time with Him – The God of Bible wanted to have relationship with human beings as a personal God. Usually if a person is in love with someone else he/she wanted to spend more time with the loved one, always think about that person, wanted to do something for that person. The above are actions that come out of the loved ones. Loving God also requires the same; the verses in both the places differ slightly – With ‘all your strength’ in OT replaced as ‘all your mind’. 

The following are few action plans for how to love the Lord with,

• All your Heart: Heart is the emotional part of the person (longing for God is the outcome of a person who loves God with whole heart) we see the expressions of psalmists in Ps 42:1 – Longs for God like deer longs for water; Ps 63:1 – Longs for God like a dry land. The above are some of the expression of the psalmist who loved God with all heart. 
• All your Soul: Soul is the spiritual part of a person. Someone who loves God with whole soul will be filled with the Holy Spirit, spend their time in reading/meditating the word of God Eph 5:17-21. Prayer filled life – spending more time depending on God.
• All your Mind: Mind is the intellectual part of a person. Searching and reasoning on God related things is the sign of a person who loves God with all mind. Keeping the mind free from worldly, sinful desire is another sign of a person who loves God with all mind. (1 Pet 3:15; 2 Tim 2:22)
• All your Strength: Strength is the physical force unlike all other things we saw above. A person who love God will share about Him and do things for God in all possible ways. Strength includes using their energy for the expansion of the Kingdom of God, Being energetic for the Lord.

v.38, Loving God is the first and great commandment – The vertical relationship of a person to God is the most important one BUT this is not the only thing Jesus commanded us to follow. There are churches today speak ONLY about the commandment of Loving God – said to be that is the only commandment for Christians. They emphasis only the spiritual side of a person take them to heaven. When this point is over-emphasized the responsibility of church towards the world gets nullified. Church exists for itself, loving God is the first priority but this is not the only priority.

2. LOVE OTHERS (HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP) (MAT 22: 39-40)

³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

The second commandment is “Loving others” which is said to be the rest of the Ten Commandments 4-10. The relationship of an individual to their family and neighbors matters a lot before God. I would separate this into two since the Bible defines loving others in two dimensions,

a.      Love among the Believers (John 13:34-35; 15:9-17)

Jesus explicitly spoke about love among the disciples. Love one another. As I have loved you (13:34). The love of Jesus towards the disciples was complete and impartial. His love remained constant from beginning till the end (13:1). How did He love them, through His concern, compassion, care, provision …etc you can list them up how Jesus loved them, by knowing that he sets a parameter to the disciples “As I have loved you” His love was practically shown on them, which the followers experienced and able to replicate it through their lives.

Love among one another is also a model to the world that “They were the disciples of Christ” (v.35). The chapter started with the practical teaching of Jesus washing the feet of disciples as a symbol of his humbleness even though he was addressed as “Rabbi – Teacher – Master” by the disciples. By giving up his privileges, Jesus demonstrated true love must give up once positions. The love of Jesus towards His disciples had selfless love – people centric love. When this love among the believers being practiced in the church, there will be great revival in the church which will flush out the power of God to the world. This love also in other way called as “Unity” in care (Gal. 6:10)

b.      Love among the unbelievers ( Luke 10:25-37; Matt. 5:43-48)

Love among the unbelievers includes the neighbors, friends, enemies … everyone who is in need of help. The final part of Ten Commandments is dealing with people who are your neighbors, friends, well wishers or even enemies. This is a great shift of Jesus teaching which is contrary to the practices of the Old Testament – Love your neighbors as yourself (Which you don’t see in the Torah).

Proverbs 25:21-22 “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.” Loving enemies in OT had vengeance and reward as motives whereas Jesus’ love on enemies is to show the characteristics of God to them through the believers. We see the response of Jesus to an expert in Law who asked “Who is my neighbor?” someone who is in need around you is your neighbor Jesus explained it from the parable of Good Samaritan. If Jesus calls us to love our enemies, then it is obvious that our love must be equal to everyone we see. Paul clearly illustrates it the Love that acts to be in Romans 12:9-21,

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Seek opportunities to love people as the way Jesus loved them, as the way you received it from Him. Jesus gave His new commandment summarized from the ten as love God and love others. Is your love to others leading them to know God? Through your love you can prove that you are a disciple of Christ – who is the role model for your love.

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (I John 4:7-12)

The above passage describes God as LOVE. Do we reflect it in our daily life? – The Greatest Commandment Jesus gave to us is LOVE.

May God bless you!
 

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[i] Decalogue: The "Ten Commandments" (also called the "Decalogue") obviously come from the Hebrew Bible, but it is not so obvious to determine exactly what they are or how to count them. These commandments are recorded in two different biblical chapters (Exodus 20:1-17 & Deuteronomy 5:6-21), yet each text is slightly different, and neither passage explicitly numbers the commandments one through ten. http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Decalogue.htm

[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_commandments

[iii] Pharisees are a Jewish group found in the period of second temple (Herod’s Temple) probably started in 2^nd century BC till 70AD. They were religious group as well as wanted to gain political power from Romans. The word Pharisee means – Set apart, they lived a puritan life by strictly following the commandments of God. They differ from Sadducees in the issue of belief. Pharisees believe in the bodily resurrection while Sadducees don’t believe resurrection and life after death. We see both of these groups had conflict with Jesus whole through their encounter with Jesus.