Introduction: Two Directives
For those who study the Scriptures, eventually we realize that all of the instructions and the history and the inspiration can be summarized in two simple directions given in Matthew 22:32-40.
“‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:32-40
Mutual Dependence
What many of us may not realize is the interdependence of the two commandments, especially that the first is often evaluated or limited by the second. We say that we are a “people of worship”, but are we?
“So, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24
We might lament a lack of intensity in our worship or a lack of charismatic gifts, or a lack of power in our intercessions; but can we expect much if we still have grudges or unresolved conflicts?
“But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.”
Galatians 5:15-17
Weight versus Emphasis
The description of the “love of God” command seems so “weighty” that the second commandment seems almost an afterthought. However, I would argue that overwhelming emphasis of New Testament direction has everything to do with inter-personal relationships, especially life in the body of Christ.
“Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13
The Spectrum of Love and Discipleship
One measure of growth as a disciple is the depth of your love for others. There are natural areas to the spectrum of love and spiritual areas, even super-natural areas.
- Self-love: The spectrum of love begins with self-love. In Matthew 22:39 Jesus assumes self-love when he says, “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself: (note: I realize that there can be exceptions to this presented spectrum of love, but the model presented helps us to understand a godly progression.)
- Love of mother: Our first step out of self-love is our love for our mother. It’s a special bond where we first experience love from another…a love that meets our physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
- Love of father: There is a broadening sense of security in our love for our father. He’s affectionate and playful; he draws us out. But still, when moods change, we want our mother. These first experiences of love of parents lay a foundation for many other types of love in the natural development of the love of others and even influence the decision to love God.
- Love of peers: For many of us, loving peers will broaden even more the experience of normal love relationships.
- Extended family: Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all provide a natural “stretching” of our capacity to love.
- Friends: Up to this point, we had no choice of family or extended family; but now, we begin to have a choice: we can choose to love someone outside of our family…we can build a circle of friends.
- Spouse: Anyone who has been in a courtship knows the power of this level of love: that it seems to involve every fiber, every cell, every hope, and every dream. This involves a new level of other-centeredness and requires a colossal death to self for the relationship to flourish.
- My child: The many tales of a mother bear and her cubs describe well what parents feel for their children … we would die for them. No parent of a child is the same person after having that child.
Up to this point, I have described what I would call the natural order of things: a plan is put in place by God to develop us for greater things: the love of God and neighbors.
Jesus was well aware of the natural order of things, and he was not overly impressed by that level of human development.
“For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
Matthew 5:46
Interim Comments
- To this point, the spectrum tends to be instinctual: part of our genetic “starter kit”, (genetic predisposition).
- As mentioned, Jesus did not seem to be too impressed with this level of love. “…Even the Gentiles do the same.”
- These levels of instinctive love can easily be self-centered, e.g. “What can Mom and Dad do for me?”
- Love of God (first commandment) intends to move our love from being self-centered to other-centered (as with loving Jesus); it can surprise us at any level. (Love of God may indeed also begin with self-centered motives)
- Moving further along the spectrum of love can take us into second commandment territory and other-centered expressions of love.
The Second Commandment
9) Love of neighbor: This command encompasses a whole set of folks. Since it was given to the Jews, it would at least cover Jews outside of their natural spectrum. At first, it might not seem to cover foreigners, sojourners, and mankind. But if we factor in all that we know from other scriptures we should probably conclude that it covers much more.
10) The poor: Reading all of Scripture we see that God has a heart for the poor. After visiting Las Vegas (USA), Mother Teresa said she had never seen such poverty. The POOREST of the poor are those who do not know Christ, for their poverty has infinite consequences. We are not naturally inclined to take care of the physically and spiritually poor. When we are filled with the Spirit, a concern for the poor comes with that presence…especially a concern for evangelism.
11) “Love your enemies” Matthew 5:43-48: To me, this is clearly a sign of supernatural love…it’s not yet on my spectrum, but I hope to grow there. I’m more likely to ignore them. Jesus is so impressive to me when he forgives them from the cross.
“And Jesus said,” ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”
Luke 23:34
12) Love of the brethren: There are probably more categories or groups intended by the second commandment, but “love of the brethren” is the intention and focus of this study. This level of spiritual love is probably the least taught, least emphasized, least experienced and least valued on the spectrum of love. In the remainder of this study, I intend to show that it’s one of the most important aspects of the Christian faith. Also, it was one of the most important signs of the first Pentecost: a church where the members loved one another, spent time together, had meals together, sacrificed for each other and suffered together.
Final Affairs
The last thing most people want to hear is a doctor informing them that they have a terminal illness, and that they need to get their final affairs in order. Jesus, knowing that the end was near, prayed for his disciples, and gave some significant, final instructions:
“The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered…”
John 16:32a
“I glorified you (the Father) on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to… “
John 17:4
“The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:22-23
Jesus, just before his arrest, prays for unity among his disciples. Furthermore, he sees their oneness, their unity, as a precursor to the success of the great commission given in Matthew 28:18-20. Earlier, he had given them a new commandment which would also lay a groundwork for the great commission.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35
It is Jesus’ teaching that love and unity among the brethren would be the beacons that attracted people to the gospel. The world is to see us and to hear us as we draw them closer to Christ. This love and unity that Jesus describes is the agape and koinonia of the New Testament. What did their lives look like?
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts.”
Acts 2:46
This was a people held together by grace, not by instinct. Their relationships had great overlaps of time together, meals together, worship together, and even financial care for one another. This was not a relationship described by, “Hey! See you next Sunday!” These were significant, familial, time consuming, dedicated, intentional relationships. These were truly brothers and sisters in Christ. This was not the instinctive end of the spectrum of love. This was the grace-filled, spiritual, even super-natural end of the spectrum of love.*
(In this Bible study series, I hope to present more compelling Scriptures that call us to long for something more and to grow in our love for the brethren.)
Example questions for discussion:
- Have I occasionally or frequently thought that Christianity should be more powerful?
- Propose and discuss potential missing elements of Christianity.
- Where/when have I most often experienced the power of God?
- How can we advance the spectrum of love to specifically care for one another?
- What would this look like across the generations?
- How does unbelief affect our ability to carry out the new commandment to “love one another”?
*Note: The first commandment, love of God, can also be expressed as a “spectrum.” The existence of God and knowing God is the natural beginning of that spectrum, and Paul teaches in Romans 1: 19-21 “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (in creation).
Top image credit: Background photo of an open Bible, © by Aaron Burden, from Uplash.com. Free to use under the Unsplash License. Quote from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 added.
Bob Tedesco is a profound teacher and prolific writer on building Christian family life and community in the light of Christian truth, Biblical wisdom, and the call to live and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. Check out his previous articles and books in the Living Bulwark archives.