Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Personal Study
Thread: Jesus’ Best Counter-Culture Quotes
Post Topic: The Greatest Commandment
Post in Thread: #2
Previous: I Am
Scripture: Matthew 22:35-40; John 13:34-35
Key Verses:
Matthew 22:37-40
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.”
Observations
Today’s culture says:
Love yourself above others. You can’t help others if you’re not able to help yourself first.
Jewish Culture said:
Follow the letter of the law.
Scripture says:
- A Pharisee asked a question after Jesus had silenced the Sadducees
- Jesus was only asked for the one greatest commandment
- His first commandment is to love God
- He added a second commandment without being asked: Love your neighbor as yourself (the Golden Rule)
- All the Law (Old Testament) and the Prophets depend on these two commandments
- Both commandments involve love. Loving God and your neighbor.
Interpretation
Setting
Jesus is teaching in the temple. It is Holy week – Palm Sunday has passed, and he will be crucified in a matter of days.
The Sadducees and Pharisees are constantly battling each other politically, but they are aligned against Jesus. He is a threat to their power. They want to trap him in something controversial so they can turn the people against him.
Genre
Narrative, although there are some proverbial attributes to what Jesus is saying.
Author
Matthew, the apostle, who was a first-hand witness to the event as a disciple. His motivation is to tell the story and to relay these important truths of Jesus.
Takeaways
- The wisdom of Jesus is unmatched.
- The ten commandments given to Moses all reflect these two overarching commandments.
- The spirit of the laws of the Old Testament are designed toward these two principles:
- Love God with all your heart
- Love your neighbor as you love yourself
- The religious leaders didn’t understand this. They were more into their rituals than the spirit of the law.
Correlation
- Deuteronomy 6:5 is quoted here by Jesus when he says to love your God with all your heart. This was part of Moses’ final instructions to the Israelites before he died, and they went on to the Promised Land. He encouraged the people to carve the commandments into the doorposts and teach them to their children. Takeaway – Keeping God’s commandments is how we demonstrate that we love Him.
- Mark 12:28-34 also recounts this event. In Mark, the Pharisee who launches the question, perhaps in an attempt to trick Jesus, leaves impressed by Jesus’ wisdom. Perhaps he became a believer?
- In John 13:34-35, Jesus says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Sounds very similar. Interesting that He calls it a new commandment.
Application
Generic Applications
- Obeying God’s commandments shows my love for Him.
- But don’t be like the Pharisees who got so caught up in the rules, that they took their eyes off the two tenets of Scripture that everything hangs on: Loving God and others.
- It’s okay if you don’t know all of Scripture inside and out. Strive to learn it-that’s why you’re here. But in the meantime, follow these two commandments.
Personalize it
- Is there someone that God is calling me to love the way I want to be loved?
- How should I love someone who doesn’t obey God? Can I love them without condoning their actions?
- What else is the Holy Spirit telling me to do?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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