Matthew 22:34-40: “When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Jesus spent the last week of His life teaching people on the Temple mount. Different groups came to accuse Him, ask Him gotcha questions, and listen to the famous teacher. This expert in the law had a legitimate question. Jesus loved the question because it was sincere and afforded Him an opportunity to summarize the entire law.
Jesus loved talking about the Scriptures and the law. The law was not about ceremony, ritual, and empowering government to rule. The law centered around loving God and loving others. The greatest command points the follower to a complete focus on loving God with heart, soul, and mind. The ritual and ceremony did not even make the second greatest command of the law. Jesus said that it was to love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus claimed that the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. My my, how the campfire conversations on Tuesday night must have been. Jesus did not mention the festivals, the High Priests, the Temple, circumcision, or the nation of Israel. Jesus called us to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.
Focus today on loving God and your neighbor!