Daily Service: Greatest Commandment(2)

brucesbiblepage

Jan 6

Updated for Volume 18

Okay so here is part 2. If you missed it, look for yesterday's post here. Jesus condensed the Law (500 plus individual requirements) to the 10 commandments Moses carried down the mountain to just 2 that sum up all of them. So here is the whole passage and then we'll talk about the second one.

Matthew 22:34-40 (ASV) But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him: Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great first commandment. And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets.

Again, this was mostly a criticism of the Pharisees. Have you ever read the Good Samaritan story? The ones who passed by were of the priestly order. Christ challenges us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. As a Christian I am expected (by God) to lend a hand where I can, to reach out with God's love for everyone to those who are of the household of faith but more importantly to those who are outside the household of faith, with the intent of bringing them into the house of faith.