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The Great Commandment
December 1, 2018

The past several weeks we have been studying the ten commandments, and in each week we have studyied one of the commandments. We found that the first four commandments showed us how to love God and how the final six commandments showed us how to love other people. This concept was recorded in the Old Testament and taught by Jesus. In the Old Testament, in addition to loving God with your whole heart, additional expectations were given. We are shown the need to teach the commandments to our children and discuss these within the family residence and throughout the day.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Much later during the ministry of Jesus, the Pharisees noticed that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees. As a group, they gathered to determine the best way to trip up Jesus and a lawyer had come up with a pretty crafty trick-to see if Jesus could be trapped into identifying some commandments as less important than others. He was simply asked to identify the great commandment in the law. Jesus knew the words from Deuteronomy and replied that we are to love the the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and all of our mind. He also added as a close second that we are to love our neighbor as ourself. Jesus didn't make our neighbor more important than us; our neighbors are of equal importance, and as we care for ourself, we are to care for our neighbors.

Matthew 22:34-40
But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus 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 first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

In the Gospel of Mark, the scribes acknowledged that these two great commandments are more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Mark 12:28-34
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

When Jesus said to them that they were near the Kingdom of God, it made all in his presence cautious to ask him a question. While each of the ten commandments is important in our life, the overarching principle is to love God with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind while also loving our neighbor as ourself.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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