4-15-2025

Good Morning All,

         Romans 13:10; “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

    It is Tuesday of Holy Week. As best as we can calculate, Jesus spent a portion of the day in the Temple. He was trying, one last time, to win over at least some of the Jewish leaders. He told some parables, and he debated them on points of the Law. One of the questions asked by one of the legal experts was specifically about the Law. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment?”

    Now on the surface, this seems a strange question. Yet when you realize that the rabbinic schools of thought at the time of Jesus suggested that there were at least 613 different ordinances which man had to keep.  There were 248 affirmative precepts, this corresponded with the number of body parts in a human body. There were 365 negative precepts which corresponded with the number of days in a year. The 613 also corresponded to the number of Hebrew letters in the Ten Commandments. There were some other types of mathematical wizardry that also added up to the same total, so they were confident they were right.

   Yet with 613, which one was the principle one that determined greatness? Some were lighter while some were heavier. Some dealt with the Sabbath while others dealt with sacrifices, meat and drink, fasting, fringes on their robes, phylacteries, ablutions, and much more. All are equally binding but with 613, certainly there were times when they crossed paths, so which was the greatest? How do we tell?

    Jesus, using the same 10 Commandments, directed the lawyer this way. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your hearts, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  “You shall love” ties the two together. In fact, “You shall love” ties all of a Christian’s life together. Love, the desire to do something to the benefit of our neighbor, is the true spirit that underlies all of our obedience. We obey, not out of fear, but out of genuine love for our heavenly Father because of his benevolence shown to us by Jesus on the cross for our sins. We love our neighbor, not out of selfishness or some type of transactional utilitarian want, but out of a true desire to see our neighbor live a life as God has given to him.

    So, we are to love because that is who we were created to be. We were created to be caretakers for creation to provide for the care and the proper creational growth of all things in creation. We are to be the special creature that God created, to walk with Him in eternal joy and praise. Love is always the answer to the question of greatness. Love always fulfills the Law.

Gracious and loving God, guide us by your perfect Spirit so that we make walk in true love for You and for our neighbor. Help me to see You in all the people that I meet. Lead me to have compassion on all, especially those who struggle with life. Use me to be Your hands to give them comfort in this life. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret