Matthew 22:34-46

Be Still: I now take a moment to breathe deeply and to centre myself on the presence of God.  I set my mind on things above and acknowledge God, the author and perfecter of my faith. Amen

Read: Matthew 22:34-46

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 neighbour as yourself. (v37-39)

Encounter: Do you know how many commandments Jesus had to pick from? 613. That’s a lot of choice. Up to this point, Jesus’ patience with the religious leaders had been extraordinary. He was teaching and storytelling, often with humour. But the mood was about to change. ‘What is the greatest commandment?’ Jesus goes far beyond picking one of the 613. He goes to the highest value: love, which supersedes them all. 

Jesus was not saying something new. He is quoting the 'šema' prayer from Deuteronomy 6:5 which was recited (and still is) twice a day by pious Jews. Everyone there would have done it. 

The second commandment -'you shall love your neighbour as yourself'- was from Leviticus 19:18. Rabbi Akiba, (c.50-135AD) called it ‘a great principle in the Torah’. The tragedy was that for the religious leaders of Jesus' day, these were empty words. They were holding onto principles but missing the point. Love was the point. Love was the reason. Love to God and love to people. 

To Jesus, both commandments are fused at the hip. If there is the former without the latter, faith is fruitless. If there is the latter without the former, fruit is faithless – and therefore ultimately meaningless. The Pharisees had neither and that was the deep sadness Jesus was speaking into.

Apply: For us today, we must keep loving God and loving people at the forefront of all we do and not let our faith dissolve into law keeping. Our discipline (discipleship) is actively choosing to spend time with God, making him the vine from which all fruit grows. The more we worship, the more we read his Word, the more we become like him and hear his voice to discern his leading. Only then will we naturally love others the way he has called us to love them.

Devote: Lord, give me ears that hear you, eyes that see you, and feet that follow you. I want to embody your love to people just like Jesus. Show me today how to walk as he did.