Love God, Love thy Neighbor

Matthew 22:37- 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.’ Matt. 22:38- “This is the great and foremost commandment. Matt. 22:39- “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Matt. 22:40- “On these two commandments depend on the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Note: Jesus quotes the Jewish Sh’ma, which is a recitation that orthodox Jews make twice a day is taken from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Deuteronomy means the second law, and it’s the final book of the Torah. In Deuteronomy the Lord repeats the Law to a new generation of Israel on the eve of entering into the Promised Land. The earlier generation of Israel that left Egypt received the law in Exodus and Leviticus, but they were unbelieving and disobeyed the Law.

The Lord judged that generation by declaring they would wander in the desert for 40 years until they all died. After the 40 years, the Lord repeated His law to the next generation of Israel and commanded them to obey it.

Deuteronomy is that second giving of the Law, and just like the first time in Exodus, the Law begins with the ten commandments, but before the ten commandments, the Lord says this to Israel:

Deut. 6:1- “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, Deut. 6:2- so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Deut. 6:3- “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Deut. 6:4- “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God; the LORD is one! Deut. 6:5- “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Notice that before the ten commandments, the Lord declares that our highest duty is to love God with everything we have. Now Jesus confirms that their interpretation was correct, this is the greatest command in the Law. Jesus says this is the great and foremost commandment, and the Greek word for great is megas, meaning nothing is greater, nothing overshadows this command.

First, we love God with our heart, meaning in our affections.

Secondly, we love Him with our mind, meaning in our thinking and understanding.

Thirdly, we love Him with our soul, meaning in our devotion of worship.

Finally, we love Him with all our strength, which means in our physical struggles against our own sin and the resistance of the world.

Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes a second step, adding a second commandment not found in Deuteronomy 6. Jesus says the second commandment is to love your neighbor like you love yourself. This Law is found in Leviticus, and the Pharisees hadn’t thought to include that one in their list, but Jesus says this particular law is so important that when you add it to the first commandment, the two together summarize the entire law.

Anyone who does not have a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ will die in his sins and face eternity in hell. Therefore, we owe it to our neighbors to lovingly share with them the good news of the gospel. True believers have been forgiven, possess eternal life, and have blessings forever as the result of others who have shared the gospel with them. God’s love is evidenced in us as we communicate this precious gospel and love others as we have been loved.

Our neighbor is anyone in our proximity with whom we can share God’s love. We are called not only to love those who are similar to us or with whom we are comfortable, but all whom God places in our path. In fact, Jesus said, “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

It is important to understand what true love is. We love people by genuinely seeking what is best for them. Loving others does not mean agreeing with everything they say or do, nor does it mean acting in ways that always gain their approval. Loving our neighbors means attending to their needs—both physical and spiritual.