“…Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
Jesus answered him, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you.’ This is the great and supreme commandment.
And the second is like it in importance: ‘You must love your friend in the same way you love yourself.’ Contained within these commandments to love you will find all the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:36-40)
We’ve had many discussions about this concept.
It actually caught me out. I am so used to “God’s Kingdom” first as almost a mantra in the decision making process, that it never occurred to me that, that phrase is NOT at the top of Jesus’ list of commandments…
Love God, Love your Neighbour, Love Yourself.
Not, love God like I love hunting, or I love BBQ or even like I love my wife… but a love that permeates every decision and act and word spoken… even every thought?
It’s an automatic love, it just flows… but it can’t flow if the next two doesn’t work: love yourself like God loves you, and the one that trips us up: love your neighbor, like yourself.
(Now, I think, many people use the excuse that they don’t like themselves very much, so they don’t need to like the neighbors either 😉)
But the thing is: I will go quite far to save my own life. Will I go that far for my “neighbour”? – THIS is the point that trips me up. The reason my love for God sometimes feels like work and not just flows…
How much love do I have for the taliban? How much love do I have for the guy that is not paying his bills? The guy busy undermining my business ventures? The rapist? Government? “That guy” on Facebook?
There is a tattoo doing the rounds now: Jesus knew, Judas ate too…
It refers to the last supper. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, and what would come after, yet He prayed with Judas too, he broke bread with Judas too… and He also washed the feet of Judas… with the knowledge of what is coming.
Jesus kept on loving Judas. Jesus kept on serving Judas…. Could I?
My inability to love my neighbour. My inability to forgive. Is what stands in the way of me fully living out God’s most important commandments.
God’s kingdom first…?
“Didn’t we do for the sake of your name? Go away from Me, I do not know you”
“Everyone that hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation”
(Matthew 7:24)
