July 31, 2024 Midweek Devotional By Jennifer Nelson
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 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 greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Do the Dos
This scripture is very familiar to many and often quoted. It’s also one I find myself reflecting on a lot recently. Our Pride t-shirts say Love Thy Neighbor (No Exceptions). There is so much division in our world, with hateful speech and actions becoming commonplace and unsurprising. It becomes difficult to stand against the harmful actions of others without judging, condemning, or hating the people who commit them. I think the single hardest thing we are called to do as followers of Jesus is to love our neighbors, all of them, with no exceptions.
It’s important to know that the question in Matthew 22:36, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” wasn’t innocent. This passage of scripture takes place after Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which we now celebrate as Palm Sunday (Matthew 22:1-11). It is the very end of his ministry on Earth. Jesus is on his way to the cross. The religious leaders at the time were threatened by Jesus and his followers. They could not deny his wisdom or the miracles he had performed. I believe they were honestly confused about how it was possible and by what authority he spoke and acted. The Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus a series of questions, trying to trap him into an answer that would be contrary to the law. They were trying to get Jesus to commit blasphemy, an offense punishable by death.
Jesus answered as he often did, with an answer that was simple to understand but not easy to live. The first part of Jesus’s answer, the commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, would have been extremely familiar to the Pharisees. It was similar to the Shema, a prayer from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where the Israelites are commanded to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and might. They are instructed to keep these words in their hearts, to teach them to their children, to talk about them at home and away from home, and to think about them when they lie down and get up. Verses 8 and 9 go on to describe physical representations of how the Israelites should keep these words on their bodies and in their homes. This first commandment had been important to the Jews from the time of Moses. They recited it multiple times daily, and its historical and cultural significance cannot be overstated.
The second part of the commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself, is a two-part challenge. First, we must love ourselves. I believe to love ourselves truly; we must see ourselves as God sees us because that is the ultimate love. A love so great that even though we continually sin and turn away from God, God allowed their son to suffer the most painful and humiliating death possible on the cross. Not only that, but God’s will for us is joy. He is always with us, rejoices in us, and renews us with his love (Zephaniah 3:17). If that’s how God loves us, then that is how we must love ourselves and our neighbors – ALL OF THEM.
The Pharisees and religious leaders of the time spent most of their time trying to comply with the Old Testament law. They focused on the don’ts—there are 613 commandments in the law. That’s a lot to keep track of. Jesus gave us just two things to do instead of 613 things not to do. Jesus tells us in Mathew 22:40 that all the law hangs on these two commandments – 1) to love God and 2) to love our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, if you focus on the dos, the don’ts take care of themselves.
Prayer:
The Shema – Try praying this as the Jews did, throughout the day; find someone to talk about it with. Make it a part of your life.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.[a] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
God in Heaven, help me understand the depth of your limitless love for me. Send your Holy Spirit to dwell in me so that I may be the embodiment of love for you, myself, and others.
36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 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 greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Do the Dos
This scripture is very familiar to many and often quoted. It’s also one I find myself reflecting on a lot recently. Our Pride t-shirts say Love Thy Neighbor (No Exceptions). There is so much division in our world, with hateful speech and actions becoming commonplace and unsurprising. It becomes difficult to stand against the harmful actions of others without judging, condemning, or hating the people who commit them. I think the single hardest thing we are called to do as followers of Jesus is to love our neighbors, all of them, with no exceptions.
It’s important to know that the question in Matthew 22:36, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” wasn’t innocent. This passage of scripture takes place after Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which we now celebrate as Palm Sunday (Matthew 22:1-11). It is the very end of his ministry on Earth. Jesus is on his way to the cross. The religious leaders at the time were threatened by Jesus and his followers. They could not deny his wisdom or the miracles he had performed. I believe they were honestly confused about how it was possible and by what authority he spoke and acted. The Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus a series of questions, trying to trap him into an answer that would be contrary to the law. They were trying to get Jesus to commit blasphemy, an offense punishable by death.
Jesus answered as he often did, with an answer that was simple to understand but not easy to live. The first part of Jesus’s answer, the commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, would have been extremely familiar to the Pharisees. It was similar to the Shema, a prayer from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where the Israelites are commanded to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and might. They are instructed to keep these words in their hearts, to teach them to their children, to talk about them at home and away from home, and to think about them when they lie down and get up. Verses 8 and 9 go on to describe physical representations of how the Israelites should keep these words on their bodies and in their homes. This first commandment had been important to the Jews from the time of Moses. They recited it multiple times daily, and its historical and cultural significance cannot be overstated.
The second part of the commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself, is a two-part challenge. First, we must love ourselves. I believe to love ourselves truly; we must see ourselves as God sees us because that is the ultimate love. A love so great that even though we continually sin and turn away from God, God allowed their son to suffer the most painful and humiliating death possible on the cross. Not only that, but God’s will for us is joy. He is always with us, rejoices in us, and renews us with his love (Zephaniah 3:17). If that’s how God loves us, then that is how we must love ourselves and our neighbors – ALL OF THEM.
The Pharisees and religious leaders of the time spent most of their time trying to comply with the Old Testament law. They focused on the don’ts—there are 613 commandments in the law. That’s a lot to keep track of. Jesus gave us just two things to do instead of 613 things not to do. Jesus tells us in Mathew 22:40 that all the law hangs on these two commandments – 1) to love God and 2) to love our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, if you focus on the dos, the don’ts take care of themselves.
Prayer:
The Shema – Try praying this as the Jews did, throughout the day; find someone to talk about it with. Make it a part of your life.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.[a] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
God in Heaven, help me understand the depth of your limitless love for me. Send your Holy Spirit to dwell in me so that I may be the embodiment of love for you, myself, and others.
Posted in Mid-Week Devotional
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