Matthew 22:34-40

Matthew 22: 34-40  The most important command…

When they talk the Pharisees meet together to question Jesus again they meet just for that reason.  They don’t meet to discuss religion; they meet to come up with a question that will stump Jesus.  How long did they meet before they came up with this question that is such a great trap?  How dare these hypocrites call Jesus “teacher” when they are just asking the question, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” in order to try to confuse him. I think the message says it in words that strike true, “Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list.  But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”  Did you catch that?  Those should be number one and two on ANY LIST, and for us list writers out there we should see those more often.  Also, those two commandments are pegs, which we should hang more than our troubles upon.  How often have you found yourself turning to the Lord when you NEED something to hang onto?  I am as guilty as the next guy and that is not a bad thing but how would those pegs look if we hung EVERYTHING from them…the good, the bad, clean and dirty laundry…EVERYTHING.  Everything in God’s law and the Prophets hangs from them…what makes us too good?  Stubbornness?  Pride?  Being able to give everything to the Lord, to hang everything on those pegs, makes you stronger than trying to fight through something alone.