The greatest commandment
by Pastor Fraser Pearce
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On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:40).
Read Matthew 22:34–46
One way to think of the commandments is as God’s blueprint for our lives: they give us a picture of the sort of life that God is building for us. The good news from today’s reading is that love is at the heart of God’s commandments – love for God himself and love for our neighbour. This means that as we put our trust in Christ Jesus, he gives us his Spirit, who gives us the freedom to love others as God first loved us.
There’s a context to today’s reading: Jesus has come triumphantly into Jerusalem, he has cleansed the temple, and now he is teaching in the temple, in the place of sacrifice. As he teaches, he is confronted by many people, including the Pharisees. The Pharisees were people who sometimes prided themselves on keeping God’s commandments, and one of the Pharisees tested Jesus to see what he considered the greatest commandment.
It’s in response to this question that Jesus says that all the law and prophets ‘hang’ on loving God and one’s neighbour. That is, whatever else God commands makes sense as we see how it shows love for God and for the people that God puts in our lives. God, in other words, does not give orders just to test how obedient we are. Rather, he gives commands that build us up so that we can enjoy life to the full.
Of course, we don’t always keep the commands to love as we should. Our hope, therefore, is not in what we can do for God, but in Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins and lives to intercede for us with the Father. And the Father, who gives us his Holy Spirit through his word, is the one who is building in us the love that has no end.
Thank you, God, that you are love, and you call us into the life of love. Please give us your Holy Spirit so that we may keep the commands of your Son and love one another as you have first loved us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Fraser Pearce grew up in Sydney and has served as a pastor in Melbourne, Bendigo and Adelaide. He is married to Margaret, and they have four children ranging in age from 15 to 23. Fraser enjoys being with family and friends, listening to (and playing) music and reading.
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