We're preparing to leave this week's text and embark on another sermon journey but before we do, one last, brief visit. As I was driving around between visits today it struck me again how important it was that Jesus called love the greatest commandment. He could have said anything in that moment. He could have picked "don't murder" or "don't eat shrimp" or any of the Old Testament laws. He could have clarified or made up something new. He had the opportunity to address any of the social or political or economic issues of his time. He had the opportunity to address any of them that would plague the world in years to come. He didn't.
Instead of doing any of that he said, "It's simple. You want to fulfill the Law? Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. That way you'll be fulfilling everything you were meant to do."
It's important not to take this lightly. It's important not to discredit love or Jesus' greatest commandment it by trying to make other laws supersede this one. It doesn't matter how worked up we are about an issue, how dire a problem seems, or how inconvenient it makes our life. Love comes first, always.
As you finish up this week take a moment to reflect on how much of your time you spend expressing love versus doing other things. Obviously love comes through some of those other things...there's no such thing as abstract, unexpressed love. When performing your daily tasks, though, do you consciously make an effort to let love shine through? Or are you just kind of doing stuff and checking it off the list? Did you remember to express love to the people around you this week? Did you take the most loving course of action even when it was radical or difficult? If we don't think about love it tends to fall by the wayside. That's not a good thing when Jesus called it the most important fulfillment of God's intentions for us.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranchurch.org)
