The Great Commandment Matthew 22:34-40

-Jesus sums up God’s commands in one: love

A choir was practicing for a concert when the director, “Eight years ago I was directing another choir in this anthem, and they made the same mistakes you’re making.” A choir member called out, “Different choir, same director!”

Are we listening to the right director?

The Great Commandment…

I. Carries God’s Authority vv. 34-36

This week, we are continuing our look at loving our neighbors with what feels like a little bit of a repeat.

The passage is incredibly similar, but the indications are that Matthew and Luke are referencing two separate events

In Luke’s account, an individual comes to Jesus with a genuine question about inheriting eternal life

In Matthew’s account, a representative of the Pharisees comes to trap Jesus in His words

The question is simple: What is the greatest commandment?

The Pharisee is looking for a point of dispute, to be able to bring accusation against Jesus

This is, however, founded in a fundamental misunderstanding of who Jesus is

Jesus is the Teacher, but He is so much more than that

This will not be a question of competing interpretations, but of obedience

When the Pharisee hears Jesus speak, will he listen and obey?

Or, will he walk away disobedient to the Son of God?

When Jesus speaks, He speaks with authority and we need to listen to what He has to say!

Many famous naval disasters happen far out at sea, but on January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia wrecked just off the coast of an Italian island in relatively shallow water. The avoidable disaster killed 32 people and seriously injured many others, and left investigators wondering: Why was the luxury cruise ship sailing so close to the shore in the first place?

During the ensuing trial, prosecutors came up with a tabloid-ready explanation: The married ship captain had sailed it so close to the island to impress a much younger Moldovan dancer with whom he was having an affair.

Whether or not Captain Francesco Schettino was trying to impress his girlfriend is debatable. (Schettino insisted the ship sailed close to shore to salute other mariners and give passengers a good view.) But whatever the reason for getting too close, the Italian courts found the captain, four crew members and one official from the ship’s company, Costa Crociere (part of Carnival Corporation), to be at fault for causing the disaster and preventing a safe evacuation. The wreck was not the fault of unexpected weather or ship malfunction—it was a disaster caused entirely by a series of human errors.

II. Has Two Components vv. 37-39

Jesus shares one law, with two aspects.

First, we are to love the Lord, with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength

This covers every aspect of our being; there is no room for a half-hearted, mediocrity of love towards Him

More notable, in my estimation is the fact that the command is to love God

I understand serving God, reverencing God, and even obeying God

Love, however, is something fundamentally different that speaks of tenderness and affection

In my mind, God feels beyond loving, but that is exactly what He commands

Second, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves

There can be no doubt that we are self-interested. We look out for ourselves

Jesus commands us to love others in the same way that we love ourselves

This is a task that seems completely impossible; people are exactly the opposite of God!

If God seems beyond receiving our love, people seem beyond deserving our love

We might serve people, obey their rules, or try to meet their needs, but God’s expectation that we love them seems futile!

Love, it seems to me, gives life to obedience

We may try to do all of the right things without love, but they turn out to be empty

Of all the unexpected demands that God could make of me, it turns out this call to love is the most stunning

It is a revelation of my heart towards Him

And that is exactly the problem: I cannot fake love.

I can manipulate obedience to rules

I can practice religion without heart

Love, however, is much too magnificent of a thing for falsehood

1 Corinthians 13:1–3

[1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (ESV)

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

[6] Set me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm,

for love is strong as death,

jealousy is fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

the very flame of the LORD.

[7] Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

If a man offered for love

all the wealth of his house,

he would be utterly despised. (ESV)

III. Shapes a Life of Obedience v. 40

Jesus sums it up in this way: all of the Law and Prophets are summed up in these two commandments

This should be good news!

All I have to do to keep the whole Law is to love God and love people

Unfortunately, this is not good news at all!

It turns out that I have not kept the entirety of the Law, but I have broken the entirety of the Law; the specifics are just facets of the same fundamental problem that I have:

I do not love God with my whole self

I do not love my neighbor as my self

If I am ever going to fulfill this Law, I am going to have to find a love that is greater than anything that I have within me.

I find that kind of love in Jesus

I received the surprise of my life this week. I was diagnosed with Covid. I know that I’m late to the party, but somehow I’d managed to avoid it. Wednesday morning, fighting a runny nose, headache, and fatigue, I decided to visit the doctor to see if I could have the virus. It was me! I was the one who was sick. Some of you have been caught just as off-guard this morning with this truth: you are the one who is sick and there is nothing that you can do about it! However, I have good news!

Romans 5:6–8

[6] For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—[8] but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)

Are you ready to receive His love? It’s yours if you will believe it!