Matthew 22:36-40(NKJV) 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ £ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ £ 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
One of the most potent weapons in our efforts to possess our land, drive out our enemies and occupy our land of promises until Jesus comes is the love of God. Without the love o God, true fellowship is not possible. Without true fellowship, we will never see the power of God manifest to the degree we need it. Walking in the love of God must become a priority for all of us.
Yesterday we began looking at an incident in the life of Jesus that directly relates to this topic. In Matthew 22, we see Jesus confronted by two groups as they attempt to trap him into saying something they could use against him. In both cases, he displays divine wisdom with his answers and turns the tables on his attackers. The Pharisees, seeing how he answered their arch rival the Sadducees, decided to test him with one of the religious questions of their day. Which is the great commandment in the law?
Their motive at this point was not so much to trap him, as it was to see if they could use him. They wanted to know where he stood on this question, as it would have a bearing on his religious thinking. This question revolved around things like circumcision and the Sabbath. Their discussion was on a strictly intellectual level. The answer Jesus gave them was revolutionary.
Jesus did not try to open a dialogue. He did not say something to the effect of, “Well, all the different points of view have merit, but let me offer a slightly different perspective.” He spoke with absolute authority and said to them, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
What he said next was what changed everything.
Matthew 22:40(NKJV) 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
He was not talking about theory or theology. He was not engaging in some intellectual exercise that had no real impact in life. He was cutting to the heart of all that it meant to be Jewish. He was not eliminating or minimizing the Mosaic Law or the prophets of old. However, he was taking the focus off either of those entities and putting it squarely on something the Pharisees probably had not even considered in the discussion. He said all the other commandments and even the prophets hung on two commandments involving love for God and the love of God toward others.
What did the law mean to Israel? The law was what governed their behavior. It covered all aspects of life. There were directives for everything and sacrifices for all the ways you could break the law. The law was how you did Judaism. It is what kept them in relationship with the God of the covenant and it was what governed their relationships with one another.
What did the prophets represent to Israel? The prophets represented Israel’s spiritual relationship to God. The Old Testament prophets were the primary voice of God to Israel. They kept Israel moving in God’s direction. They corrected Israel when they strayed from the Lord’s path. They revealed to Israel what the will of God was in any and every circumstance.
The Law was the outward to Israel. The prophets were the inward. Between the two, Israel’s whole relationship to God was governed. Yet, with these words, Jesus changes the entire focus of their religious practice.
The discussion of the day for the Pharisees, who were focused on the law, was what commandment of the law was the greatest. Jesus answer tells them that the Law itself is not even the greatest or most important thing. The law hangs on something else. The prophets hang on something else.
This is an interesting use of words. This word in the Greek can also mean suspend. An interesting side note is that it is the same word used of one who is hung on a cross. There is a correlation between what Jesus is telling these Pharisees and what was going to happen to him. Let me use a very simple illustration to show you what this means.
We all have closets. Some of us have closets that are very organized. There are people who have all their clothes in order. Shirts are hung in one place, pants in another and so on. Others have color coordinated closets. Then there are those of us who just hang whatever wherever. No matter what degree of organization you have, all closets have something in common. There is some way to hang the clothes in the closet. This usually consists of a bar upon which we hook hangers.
All of the clothing in the closet hangs on that bar. The clothes are important. Without the clothes, there is no point in the bar. The order may be important to us. The closet itself is important. However, the whole purpose of the closet and the whole order of the clothes hang on that bar. If the bar breaks, the clothes fall into a heap in the bottom of the closet.
Obviously, this illustration has its limits. However, I think you can understand the point. The Law is important. The prophets are important, but without the love of God, they all will fall in a jumbled mess on the ground. On the other hand, Everything will be in order and in balance if it is hung on these two commandments.
If this is true for Judaism, it is even more important to Christianity. In this statement Jesus defined the balance and focus for all of us who call ourselves Christian. There are many doctrinal disagreements in the body of Christ. Many things are very important in our Christian walk. However, all of these things must hang on the two commandments Jesus points out in these verses.
Many years ago, as I was struggling to find my way as a Christian, I was exposed to a powerful teaching on faith and the Word of God. This teaching revealed things I always thought should be true. I still teach and believe what those from that stream of ministry taught me. There were some who hear the same message I did but they got out of balance. I believe their problem was that they did not hang the revelation they were receiving on these two commandments.
Faith is vitally important. I believe healing is from God and for everyone. I believe in Godly prosperity and successful Christian living. All of these things are important and made a great difference in my life. However, if they are not hung on these two commandments we will find that all these wonderful things become a jumbled mess on the floor of our closet.
Doctrine is important. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it. We need to walk in holiness and righteousness. However, our doctrine can be absolutely accurate and founded on the bible, but if it is not hung on these two commandments, it will end up a jumbled mess on the floor of our closet.
Take a look at your life this week. How much of what you do and what you believe is hung on these two commandments. It is a very important question and one we each must answer.
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