Love Your Neighbor…..Submitted By Alex Watts

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 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. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:34-39

The religious leaders, also known as Pharisees, have been probing Jesus with questions. Not to learn and understand who Jesus was, but to “catch him slipping”. Jesus had claimed to be the Son of God, and so they are quizzing Him on the bible, or the 5 first books of the bible we know today. (side note: how lucky are we that we are not held to that same standard? Of only being known as holy or respectable if we know the bible word for word.)

They are asking Jesus questions and asking trick questions in attempt to discredit Him. The Pharisees are hoping that they can confuse Jesus into giving a bad or wrong answer, and therefore debunk this motion that He is the Son of God.

But you can’t trick Jesus. You can’t trick God.

And when they ask Him, about the greatest commandment, they are looking for a specific answer. There were over 600 laws in the original Torra, or the first 5 books of the bible. The Pharisees were hoping that by asking Jesus what the GREATEST commandment was that He would neglect the other laws, proving to the public that Jesus didn’t take into consideration all 600 which the Son of God would never do.

And Jesus’ reply is even stranger. He doesn’t give 1... but 2 commandments. To love God with all your heart, mind and soul and to love your neighbor.

Why would He include love your neighbor?

I am sure we have all met people who claim to know and love the Lord but maybe don’t treat their neighbor too kindly.

But the question is… how can you love God with all your heart, mind and soul, yet not love the very thing that was made in His own image?

You can’t.

To fully love the Lord, you also have to love those who are made in His image. Even when we disagree. Even when we can’t come to a common ground. Even if we are on different political parties. Even if we have different religions.

And by including “love your neighbor” and loving the Lord, Jesus tells us that’s the very core of all the laws and messages from the older Prophets.

Because if you love your neighbor, like how we would care for ourselves, you won’t: murder, commit adultery, lie, steal, cheat, etc.

And if you love God you won’t: commit idolatry, or blasphemy, etc. And you put your trust solely in Him.

And so Jesus aces the test. Like we know He would.

Now, will you? When presented with the test of life, when Satan will throw everything at you to act ugly or rude or mean to your neighbor, will you?

Or will you love others as God has loved us, in all our imperfections.