The Greatest Commandments
by Denise Morris on 09/06/2007 at 11:33 AM
Ok, one of my favorite posts from this last year had to do with the Shema -- the core of what the Jews believe about God and their purpose here on earth. I've realized over the past couple of years that although living a life that is pleasing to the Lord is difficult to put into practice, the things we've been asked to do are fairly simple. We are to love God and love our neighbor -- no need to overcomplicate it. Here's a short excerpt about what I've learned about the two greatest commandments.
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, NIV).
The Shema (translated "hear" in Hebrew) is the main prayer for Jews. It is often said twice a day -- when you wake up and when you go to bed. It is the staple of Jewish thought and practice.
The Shema is repeated by Jesus in the New Testament:
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)
Notice that Jesus says that all of Scripture depends on these two commandments. We are to interpret God's Word through the imperatives to love God and our neighbor.
When I am thinking about modesty, I believe it should be less about how many inches long my skirt is and more about how I can thoughtfully love my neighbor through what I choose to wear.
When I go to work and sit down to write an article, I should be contemplating how can I best love God with my mind -- through the words I type and the message I convey.
These two commands encompass everything we come across in life. I may be sounding repetitive here, but I think this is pretty profound. These commands are so simple, and yet infinitely complex.
The interpretation of these two commands will take a lifetime (or perhaps more!) to implement in a way that is fully pleasing to God. But let us expend all of our energy trying to reach this goal. Let us hear the truth in these words and then spend each and every day doing our best to act them out.
1. brx said the following at 4:13 PM on Sep 6:
Denise,
Maybe you can clarify my understanding... this post's wording implies to me that Matt 22:37-40 is contained in the Jewish Shema prayer. However, the Shema references that I can find only contain:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Deuteronomy 11:13-21
Numbers 15:37-41
So, it appears that the second greatest command stated in Matt 22:39 is not specifically in the Shema prayer. Rather, it's from Leviticus 19:18 (and implied by many of the other OT commands which refer to treating your neighbor fair and well).
2. Jill Anttila said the following at 10:42 AM on Sep 7:
Hi brx,
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5 in Matthew 22.
3. Scott said the following at 10:39 PM on Sep 8:
Here's an interesting point. Christ's 2 Commandments affirm the 10 Commandments, and in fact complete them, together making up the Moral Law.
The 10 Commandments are all negatives (do not), and Christ's 2 are both positive (do). They are not exclusionary.
The first 4 Commandments make up Christ's 1st Commandment and the 2nd 6 Commandments address the 2nd Commandment.
Furthermore, this unity reinforces just how impossible it is for us to follow the law, because there are numerous duties that we do not follow in addition to those things we violate against.
Nonetheless, we still should strive to follow the law out of Gratitude and trust in God's grace to sanctify us.
4. R said the following at 5:36 PM on Sep 9:
Thank you so much for sharing this thought. I feel like I'm at a point where I really want to be used by God and I really hope God continously works in and through me. I want to glorify God, but I wonder how I can practically do that. Yes I'll be trying to get more involved with my church, but filling life with activities does not automatically equate to glorifying God, as He is concerned with our hearts. I hope I can faithfully think about loving God and others and implement those basic (seeming) principles on a daily basis as you suggest. Easier said than done, I bet.
I'm so glad I found this blog! Thank you guys so much for your ministry!