TC2.1.2 Matthew 22:34-40 The Great Commandment
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
INTRODUCTION
How many of you have tried to do your own taxes? I am not talking about the 1040EZ form but the 1040? I have done it a couple times and it is complicated. I spent hours trying to figure out how to itemize my deductions and determine if I was better off itemizing or taking the standard deduction. The Tax code is amazing complicated. The federal tax code is about 75,000 pages long. Many politicians have recommended simplifying the federal tax code. Some have suggested the many politicians favor a new streamlined tax code with only two lines. The first asks you to state your income for the year, the second directs you to send it all in. Most of us would not like that suggestion but we would like something simpler to understand than the current federal tax code.
The Old Testament law can also be complicated. It contains over 600 commands. Knowing, understanding, and remembering all of these commands would be difficult. How can we be sure to obey all of these commands without knowing each and every one?
In Jesus simplifies the old testament law for us. He said that all of the old testament law was aimed at two commands. If you know, understand, and keep these two commands you will keep the heart and purpose of all of commands in the bible.
So what are these two commands that are the foundation of all the commands of the bible?
· To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and
· To love your neighbor as yourself.
All commands of the Bible were given so that we would keep these two commandments.
Jesus teaches this in which reads
(NASB95)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together.
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing 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 foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
1. THE GREAT COMMANDMENT
In verse 37 Jesus answers the question from the lawyer stating that the greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is not a new commandment but one the Jews knew very well. In this verse, Jesus is quoting the Shema, a prayer that Jews would pray twice each day. This command requires that every person love God with their entire being. They are to love God with all of their emotions, thoughts, desires, and intellect. We are to love God this way all of the time.
In verse 38 Jesus tells us that this is the greatest commandment. It is a lofty command. One may be able to avoid taking the Lords name in vain or having idols in the place of God for a while, but loving God with all your heart, all you soul, and you’re your mind for even 30 minutes is impossible for even the most sanctified earthly saint. This is a command that no one can obey on their own. This is a command that can only be adhered to while completely remaining in the Spirit.
2. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
In verse 39 Jesus gives us the second commandment. He says that “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Here Jesus is quoting from , another command the Jews of His day would know. This takes us back to Jesus earlier teachings in about loving your enemies and to the rich young ruler in . In both of these passages Jesus quotes like he does here, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” So neither of these two commands were new. They were both well known by the Jews of that time.
This second commandment is really just a fulfillment of the first. In order to love God, we must love our neighbors. We cannot love God if we despise our neighbor. tells us that if you love God you will love your brother. says that “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” So if we are to keep the Great Commandment, it follows that we must love our neighbor as ourselves.
2. ALL OTHER COMMANDMENTS HANG ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS
In verse 40 Jesus teaches that all other commandments hang on these two commandments. He says “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus is not saying that these two commandments replace or annul the others but that all the others originate from these two commandments. And the second “Love your neighbor as yourself” really hangs on the Great Commandment to “Love the Lord you God.”
CONCLUSION
So we can see that the greatest commandment in the bible, the one on which all other commandments hang, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This comes directly from the mouth of our Lord and Savior. If we do not love the Lord our God we cannot keep any of His commandments. We must depend on the Spirit for power to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. This must be our sole priority. Everything we do, or think, or desire must be out of love for the Lord our God. So I implore you, pray constantly that God would change your heart and incline it to Him. Spend time in His Word getting to know Him. Meditate on the incredible love that He has for us. tells us that our love for Him comes from our understanding of His love for us. Make loving God the sole priority in your live.