34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?
45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Here is a lesson for all of us to repeat to ourselves over and over again. Which is the greatest commandment of God? It must be the first commandment: You shall have no other God's before me. Well that sounds pretty close to Jesus answer, "You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your should and with all your mind." But what about the second greatest commandment? Shouldn't it be the second commandment: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God?
Jesus throws a curve ball at us. He says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Hey, wait one minute, that is not one of the Ten Commandments. Where is that written? (Old Testament Lesson for Proper 11 might help.) Jesus does a balancing act. If the greatest commandment deals with love, shouldn't the second greatest commandment also deal with love?
Jesus teaches us that all the Law and the Prophets are summed up in this simple word: Love. The Law and the Prophets repeatedly will remind people to love others and take care of other people. Likewise, they remind us we are supposed to love God. God doesn't need our Love does he? If I don't Love God it doesn't really change anything does it?
God might not need our Love. But if you do not love someone what kind of relationship do you have with that person. Most of the time we show love to our friends and family. We show and express love to those people who are closest to us. But those people we are distant from we do not love. Those people we do not love we separate ourselves from them. So how should our relationship to God be?
God has shown his love for you by sacrificing his only Son on the cross. Christ has shown his love for you by laying down his life for you. The Holy Spirit has shown his love for you by calling you to come to faith. God continues to express his love toward you in many ways.
Jesus throws a curve ball at us. He says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Hey, wait one minute, that is not one of the Ten Commandments. Where is that written? (Old Testament Lesson for Proper 11 might help.) Jesus does a balancing act. If the greatest commandment deals with love, shouldn't the second greatest commandment also deal with love?
Jesus teaches us that all the Law and the Prophets are summed up in this simple word: Love. The Law and the Prophets repeatedly will remind people to love others and take care of other people. Likewise, they remind us we are supposed to love God. God doesn't need our Love does he? If I don't Love God it doesn't really change anything does it?
God might not need our Love. But if you do not love someone what kind of relationship do you have with that person. Most of the time we show love to our friends and family. We show and express love to those people who are closest to us. But those people we are distant from we do not love. Those people we do not love we separate ourselves from them. So how should our relationship to God be?
God has shown his love for you by sacrificing his only Son on the cross. Christ has shown his love for you by laying down his life for you. The Holy Spirit has shown his love for you by calling you to come to faith. God continues to express his love toward you in many ways.
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