Loving God and Your Neighbor - Pt. 1

 

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:28-34 ESV).

 

In our reading today we come to what is commonly known as “the Great Commandment.” Jesus taught that loving God is the greatest commandment, and that the second greatest command is to love our neighbor as ourself. As this is definitively the basic truth in how we relate to both God and others, we have a few questions that become important.

 

First, we ought to ask, “What is love?” The Apostle Paul gives us a beautiful answer to this basic question (cf. 1 Corinthians 13). In fact, Paul’s words in this chapter guide our understanding of love because of God’s love for us. And we can apply that to our love for God as well as for our neighbor.

 

I find this as a most contemporary issue. Somehow, we have forgotten to separate our passion for individual issues and individuals. I find it altogether contradictory to talk about our faith and belief in Christ while calling others names in any circumstance. Social media has given us a measure of anonymity and emboldened some to stoop to such practice. However, this is absolutely contrary to the Great Commandment. It does not come from a love for God or a love for others.

 

We must seek to trust, hope, and persevere in doing what is right, to honor God (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.) Remember that God first loved us. He is infinitely patient and eternally kind. And God’s love “never fails” (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8). This is a great time to examine our love—for God as well as others—and to thank God for his love.