Sunday, 4/6/2025

THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION PART 4

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT: LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS

Matthew 22:34-40 "But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' 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. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’"

Jesus is on the Road to the cross, the road of Redemption. 

He is on the Road to Resurrection, to strike the final blow to sin, death, the enemy and the grave. 

The Law of Moses contained 613 commandments—248 “do’s” and 365 “don’ts.” 

Proverbs 26:27 “If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.”  

Jesus response doesn’t just answer the question—it redefines the conversation. He answers with clarity and authority, pointing them—and us—to the heart of God’s will.

The Answer: Love God, Love Others

Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 

Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Loving God with Everything We Are

In the Jewish understanding, the heart wasn’t just the seat of emotions like we often think today; it was the center of our will, our desires, our decisions. 

The soul represents our life, our very essence, the breath that animates us. 

The mind is our intellect, our reasoning, our capacity to know and understand. 

Every fiber of who we are—our feelings, our choices, our thoughts—is to be directed toward loving Him.

Loving God with your mind means engaging with Him intellectually. 

It’s not blind faith; it’s a faith that thinks deeply. 

Loving Him with your heart means aligning your desires with His. 

Loving Him with your soul means your entire life.

Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself

You can’t truly love God without loving others, and loving others flows out of loving God. 

1 John 4:20: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar.” 

Loving them “as yourself” means treating them with the same care, dignity, and compassion you’d want for yourself.

Jesus calls us to a higher standard—a love that mirrors His own selflessness. 

The Law Hangs on Love

Every commandment, every sacrifice, every prophecy hinges on these two principles: love God, love others. 

The Ten Commandments: The first four are about loving God. The last six are about loving your neighbor.

Jesus says the details don’t matter if the heart’s not right. 

It’s not about checking boxes; it’s about a transformed life.

First, Examine Your Love for God

Second, Love Your Neighbor—Really

Third, Let Love Be Your Filter

Does this honor God? Does this bless others? If it doesn’t, it’s not worth your time. 

Love simplifies the Christian life. It’s not about rules; it’s about relationships—with God and with people.

The cross is where these two loves meet—God’s glory and our good.