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April 12, 2021
The Greatest Commandment
One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”
Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Mark 12:28-34
“You shall love your neighbour as yourself” Jesus said not only your family or friend or congregant but your neighbour, your actual neighbour even if he’s your enemy even if he barricades your doors or steals your Amazon packages or says bad things about you
that’s what Jesus said
you shall care for your neighbour whether he is good or evil you shall do for him the very good you would do for yourself you shall look out for his interests as though you were yourself bound up in them
that’s how Jesus lived
it’s heartbreakingly sad that so many of us we, who have the very best reason to love find it so easy to despise our neighbour see reason to belittle our neighbour have no fear to curse our neighbour or carelessly ignore our neighbour because they have done or do us harm
ignoring words that Jesus also said “Father, forgive them” as they were putting Him to death
do we care so little for our neighbour we allow selfishness obscure the Saviour do we care so little we hide the salvation God offers free to all who would believe yet who cannot hear for all our noise the only witness they may ever have
how will our neighbour see His love through the blurred image of our lives how will our neighbour walk with God if our feet so often walk in protest how will our neighbour hold God’s hand if our hands so often close in fists how will our neighbour sing His praise if our voices so often rise in anger how will we reveal His love for them if our love for Him so tarnished shines how will we make disciples of all nations if we keep His salvation to ourselves
and unlike Jesus, so much unlike Jesus we have no concern for those around us do not weep their desperate condition how will they know they can be saved or even brought to care they’re dead if we live lives that will not tell them
if we will not love our neighbour as God would have us love them is there still reason for God to love us
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The Greatest Commandment A poem by Peter Rhebergen Download the book Each New Day a Miracle Bible Studies How to Study the Bible Life is Wonderful Photography Copyright 2024 About me |
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