Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40 ~ "The Greatest Commandment"
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
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"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
The word commandment gives, I think, the mental image of something difficult and maybe unpleastant to do. In the military, the commander is the ultimate authority in a given unit. His role (perhaps stereotypically) is to impose his will on the troops for a greater purpose. His charges follow out of a sense of duty, sacrificing themselves in varying degrees, up to and including the ultimate sacrifice.
Even when we think of the Ten Commandments, I believe the common reaction is that they are a heavy-handed bunch of "Thou shalt nots"! But here is the Giver of the Law, God in the flesh, responding to the question "which is the greatest commandment?"
His answer?
Love me, just love me.
Amazing grace, indeed.
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Questions:
1. How would you define "commandment"?
2. How would you describe your love for God?
3. How do you show Him love? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May we stop and consider a "Commander" whose greates desire from us is our love. Jim
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"If you are strangers to prayer you are strangers to power." Billy Sunday
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