God's Greatest Commandment
How the greatest commandments of the Bible are simple yet difficult to follow
The Bible is full of commandments for those who read it intending to believe its word and live by its promises.
From the Ten Commandments given in Exodus Chapter 20 to a total of 613 commandments which can be counted just in what would be known as “The Law,” even Jesus would tell His followers:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, KJV).
This brings us to the text of this article and its message:
“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.” (Matthew 22:34–40, KJV).
The question
The question brought to Jesus in verse 36 sounds legitimate on the surface; “Which is the great(est) commandment in the law?” There were many commandments in the Bible that God had given.
There were over 600 that the Jewish leaders had then imposed upon the people as well. Which of these was the most important? Were there some that carried more weight than others? If so, was it like a criminal offense where the punishment for some carried a greater penalty?
Given the context of the verses that precede the question, we see that this was not a layperson with little or no knowledge of the Scripture. No, this was a lawyer, probably a religious lawyer, one of the leaders with whom Jesus had previously had encounters in the past.
Most likely his desire was to trap Jesus or to make Him look as if He was saying that some commandments were “not as important,” thereby declaring that some of what God commanded did not warrant as much concern.
Maybe he just wanted to test to see if Jesus was truly who He said He was. After all, if Jesus proved to be a fraud, He would not be able to answer the question honestly and accurately. Would He really know which commandment was the “Greatest”?
The answer
Jesus gives an answer that only Jesus could give. His answer couldn’t be disputed. It couldn’t be misunderstood. It wasn’t controversial to the religious leaders there.
Verse 37 above says very clearly that we are to love the Lord completely with all we have. If we look at the first four of the Ten Commandments, we can see that they all point to this!
This was not a new message or theme in the teaching of Jesus.
“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,’If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:25–28, KJV).
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24, KJV).
Jesus continues His reply
In verse 39, we see Jesus continue His reply. After all, while the question was only “Which is the greatest Commandment?,” Jesus makes it clear that there are two equally important commandments.
Just as His answer before is one that encompasses the first four Commandments, His follow-up in verse 39 will cover the last six. What has Jesus essentially said? “All the commandments are equally important.”
Jesus was not alone in saying this
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10, KJV).
James tells us that keeping every law but one is just as bad as violating all laws. The same could be said for violating a law only one time. Think about the person who is arrested for murder. Is he any less guilty because he only killed one person?
Perhaps he will not serve as long a sentence as the man who killed 20, but he is still guilty under the law. The man who robs a bank but does not injure anyone is still guilty of violating the law, even if nobody gets hurt. The law is the law, and justice must be met.
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one,” (Romans, 3:10 KJV).
Again, Paul tells us that we are not righteous and does not elaborate on the number of or types of sins that qualify us as such. “…none…no, not one:” is what the text says.
If he is telling us that we have all broken at least one or more (yes, more), of the commandments, making us unrighteous then how do we undo this?
By doing enough good things to fix it? That must be the answer!!! At least, this is what some would have us think. However, it is not what the Bible tells us.
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.( Isaiah 64:6 KJV, Emphasis mine).
So what is the purpose of the commandments?
Well, that answers that. The truth is that the commandments given by God were important guides for His people. Unlike what many people believe, they never did save anyone.
Not only did they not have saving power, but instead they pointed to the need for a savior. They showed that in order to truly “earn” your salvation, you must keep them all, 100% of the time. We have seen here that this is impossible. What things did we see happen in the Bible when they were not kept? Plenty. Not only to the nation of Israel as a whole but to individuals:
The nation of Israel fell into captivity.
The nation was divided.
Leaders became corrupt
Concerning individuals, the list is long and could be made into a book itself but to give just a few examples;
David lost a son.
Cain was banished.
Aaron was forbidden from entering into the Promised Land
The greatest gift we can receive in this life is fellowship with God through keeping His commandments.
The Ten Commandments, written and given some 1,400 years before the birth of Christ still point to Jesus, as does the entire Old Testament. They show the need for a Savior who washes away the sins we commit every time we violate one of God’s Laws.
Jesus came and even told His followers that if they loved Him that they would continue to keep the commandments that He had given. Was He speaking only of the instruction He had given in His three years of ministry or of every Law of the Bible?
In truth, keeping these commandments could never save them (or us for that matter), but what we do show in keeping them is our love for the God who gave them to us.
If you have already accepted your need for Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you have a relationship that will last for eternity. Let me know in the comments section about your experience.
However, if you do not yet have a personal relationship with Him, you can have one and it can start today.
If you want to know more about how this can happen, please reach out to me here or email me so that we can make sure that not another day goes by that you do not know the peace that comes with having Jesus Christ in your life.