Day 47: Jesus calls us to love God first and others as ourselves
Do you have rules in your family? We don’t have a list on the fridge, but we have plenty of rules. Some are more important than others. “Clear your plate after dinner” is less important than, “Don’t hit your brother or sister.” “Take your shoes off when you come in” is less important than, “Don’t lie to your parents.” There were many rules for God’s people in the Old Testament law. But in our passage today, someone asks Jesus which one is most important.
What did this one teacher of the law notice about Jesus in verse 28?
What question did he ask Jesus (v. 29)?
There are hundreds of laws in the Old Testament, so rabbis were often asked which were the most important. One famous example is a rabbi named Hillel, who is challenged by a Gentile to teach him the whole Jewish law while he (the Gentile) stands on one foot. Rabbi Hillel replies, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor; that is the entire Torah (i.e., law); the rest is commentary.”
What does Jesus say is the most important commandment (vv. 29–30)?
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4–5. This is the beginning of a group of memory verses that religious Jews would recite every morning and evening. Unlike the nations around them, the Jews believed in only one God, who created all things and who deserved their total worship.
What does Jesus say is the second most important commandment (v. 31)?
Jesus quotes from Leviticus: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18).
Most people in our culture today would agree that it is good to love other people as you love yourself. But Jesus puts this commandment second. Why do you think He does that?
If we love God more, do you think it will make us love other people more or less?
What does Jesus say about these two commandments together (v. 31)?
How does the teacher of the law respond in verse 32?
What does he add in verse 33?
There are a lot of laws in the Old Testament about sacrifices and offerings that should be made in the temple. This is one of the ways in which God’s people worshiped Him, and they point toward the day when Jesus comes as the real sacrifice: “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But the teacher of the law recognizes that Jesus is right to prioritize love for God and for others over any temple sacrifice.
What did Jesus say about this teacher of the law (v. 34)?
What would this teacher of the law need to do to enter God’s kingdom and not just be closer to it than the other teachers of the law?
Pray that God would help you love Him more and more: with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Pray that He would help you love others like you love yourself. Thank Jesus that He came to be the real sacrifice and that His love for us does not depend on our goodness!