THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

Sunday (9/1), gather with your church family as we turn our attention to Matthew’s Gospel (22:34-40).

Jesus is in the final week of His life. The day is Wednesday. He had been ministering to the people despite being interrupted numerous times by the Pharisees, Herodians, and Scribes.

After the Sadducees failed in their attempt to discredit Christ, the Pharisees, who had been standing close by listening, sent one of the Scribes, a lawyer who was an expert in the law, to intimidate Him by asking a question about the laws given to Moses for Israel by God. No matter how He answered, it would tear apart the close bond between Him and the multitude.

The question was straightforward. The Scribe wanted to know which of Moses's 613 commandments was the greatest. The background to this question was the relentless debate among the religious elite about which commands were weightier and which were less significant.

They would spend countless hours arguing while neglecting their primary responsibility of teaching the people what and why God required their obedience to the commandments.

So, when the Scribe asked Jesus which one was the greatest, the answer he received was a shock and something that he never expected.

So, what command did Jesus choose? Love God and love one’s neighbor. All of the other commandments are summarized by one obeying these two.

Once again, Jesus silenced His critics. There was nothing more they could say. Each time they tried to trip Him up, He, with no sign of effort, left them confused and stumbling over one another to get away before any more damage was done to them and their reputation.

As we study the passage, pray with me, using the Apostle Paul's prayer for the church at Thessalonica, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thess. 3:12-13).

I look forward to our time together. Please pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the entire Calvary Chapel family.

There are several opportunities for worship: on-campus (10:00 a.m.), drive-in church (92.1fm), and online (Facebook and YouTube: Calvary Inverness).

IN HIS STRONG LOVE,

Pastor