The greatest commandment

Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength" (Luke 10:27). That verse in Luke isn't actually Jesus speaking; it's an expert in the law answering Jesus' question. In Matthew, Jesus provides this answer...that's complete bonus.

Another complete bonus is that when Jesus sums up the law, He is actually quoting two passages from Jewish Scriptures. The command to love God with all that we are is from Deuteronomy 6:5. Deuteronomy 6 is a significant chapter, sort of a grand summary of the law and the responsibility of the chosen people to follow it. It makes sense that "the greatest commandment" would come from this passage. Oddly, the "second greatest commandment" is from Leviticus 19:18 (Love your neighbor as yourself). I don't know what's so great about Leviticus 19 that you could pinpoint that verse as a summary of the law. It follows a long list of "do not's" that in my Bible are captioned "Various Laws." Verses 17-18 read, "Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke youir neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself." When you read this command in context, the man's question, "Who is my neighbor?" makes a ton of sense. In Leviticus, just reading the text, I would assume the answer is "another Israelite." Jesus is worth listening to because He just doesn't answer questions the way you think He will. His teaching will keep you on your toes.

Where am I going with all this preamble? Just giving you some idea of how I study the Bible. When something catches my eye, I mull it over, look up other things it makes me think of, poke around a bit. I think about the text itself. Consider how we are supposed to love God:

with all our heart - Your heart is deceitful. You are probably wanting two contradictory things right now. We are full of conflicting desires, and Jesus looks into that mess and says, Love God with all your heart. Turn your desires towards Him. (They're a mess if they run amuck.)

with all our mind - Two things I think of here. Discipline what you think about; don't let your mind run on topics that are unhealthy. Secondly, study. Use the intelligence you have been given to learn about who God is.

with all our soul - You were made body, soul, and spirit. You have a personality and a perspective on the world that God values--He made you on purpose, different from anyone else. Your spirit is dead until Christ brings life to you, and then the Holy Spirit begins to capture your soul, to use who you are, just how God made you, for His purposes. Use all of your uniqueness for Him.

with all your strength - Sometimes you have a lot of strength. Sometimes you have a little. Whatever you have, don't wear yourself out pursuing your own goals and ideas. Use all of your strength for His Kingdom, whether you are raising your kids or doing your job or fixing your car. Don't chase down a road He hasn't sent you on.

We talked at Lunch at Angie's about which of these we might struggle with surrendering to God (our mind, heart, soul, strength). But our conclusion was that they are hard to separate. Maybe that's the point. God wants all of us. He wants control. He is Lord, Master. Those four areas are listed out for us to think on, but the conclusion is He must be first, and we must be second. Period.