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Jesus would not have greatly surprised his hearers when he said that Love for God is the greatest commandment<\/strong>, \u00a0but he would have scandalised them when he applied it also to Himself, thereby claiming to be God.<\/p>\n Do you love him more than anyone or anything?<\/p>\n Is he the object of all your devotion?<\/p>\n Does he thrill your heart more than money? More than power? More than sex?<\/p>\n Is your love for him so great that your love for possessions, health, comforts, friends, and family is like hate in comparison?<\/p>\n \u201cWhich commandment is the most important of all?\u201d<\/span> Jesus answered, \u201cThe most important is, \u2018Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.<\/span><\/span> 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<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\u201d (Mark 12:28\u201330).<\/p>\n \u201cIf God were your Father, you would love me<\/strong>, for I came from God and I am here\u201d (John 8:42).<\/p>\n If you love me<\/strong>, you will keep my commandments\u201d (John 14:15).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me<\/strong>, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me\u201d (Matt. 10:37)\/<\/p>\n \u201cIf anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life<\/strong>, he cannot be my disciple\u201d (Luke 14:26).<\/p>\n \u201cDo you love me more than these?<\/strong>\u201d (John 15:15)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Adam Clarke describes this Great Commandment as follows:<\/p>\n This is the first and great commandment. It is \u201cfirst and greatest\u201d:<\/p>\n Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible Adam Clarke 1831 Commentary on the Bible \u2013 Matthew 22<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n There is no question that Jesus\u2019 answer was radical to a group of Pharisees\u00a0that were basically trying to prioritise the more than 613 commandments found in the OT<\/strong> law<\/strong>. Tim Keller takes this up in a sermon:<\/p>\n In this very, very familiar passage . . . he completely redefines the content<\/i> of the law (what it really is after), and he completely redefines the motive<\/i> of law-keeping (why you should do it) . . .<\/p>\n Matthew points out when Jesus was doing this teaching, he said, \u201cOn these two commandments [of love] hang all the law and the prophets.\u201d What? He is not saying, \u201cThese<\/i> commandments are more important than these<\/i> commandments,\u201d nor is he saying, \u201cJust love, and you can forget all the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, he says, \u201cUntil you understand that everything in the law is about love and that love is only given definition by the law, you don\u2019t understand what the law is really after. . . love defines what it means to live lawfully. Love is what the law is always after, even though sometimes it\u2019s put in negative form . . .<\/p>\n The only motivation for law-keeping, for doing all the things God commands you do with your fellow man and woman, the only possible source of law-keeping would be a heart that is just head over heels in love with Jesus<\/strong>, head over heels in love with God and the Lord. There has to be passion. There has to be delight. Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your might, your strength. Your might!<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive<\/i><\/a>. Arguing about Morality<\/em> (July 8 2001) New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Love for others can only truly flow when we love the One who made us all.<\/p>\n Our love for God is primary not just because God is primary, but because without it we cannot be the people he wants us to be.<\/p>\n John, who was described as the disciple who Jesus loved, later in his life wrote \u201cWe love because he first loved us\u201d<\/strong> (1 John 4:19).<\/p>\n Love is a two-way relationship. \u00a0We are not called to love a book, even such a precious book as the Bible. \u00a0We are called to love a person. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I write these words after the Easter weekend.\u00a0<\/a>Surely in the events of the Cross and Resurrection we see amazing love poured out for us. \u00a0As the Apostle Paul puts it:<\/p>\n God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jesus also wants to know his Love experientially<\/a>. \u00a0He does this through the Holy Spirit, who he commands us to receive<\/a>.<\/p>\n God\u2019s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:5, NIV)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you don\u2019t feel loved by God, these two secrets to knowing the Love of God will help you. \u00a0Ask God to show you his love experientially by sending you more of his Spirit, then meditate on the cross and resurrection.<\/p>\n For me personally, listening to a number of Gospel Hope songs<\/a> has helped me so much recently to receive this love of Jesus. Because these songs focus on what Jesus has done for us, and the love that is drawn from our hearts as a result. I would encourage you to join me and listen to these two on\u00a0Spotify<\/a> or\u00a0Apple Music<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jesus is relentless in his urging us to love him.<\/p>\n He does this not because he is needy, but because he knows that only his Love can set us free.<\/p>\n When Peter has failed and denied him, Jesus comes back at him three times and asks \u2018do you love me more than these?<\/strong>\u2018 He would ask you and me the same question.<\/p>\n And, as we learn to love him, Jesus includes us in his work. \u00a0He told Peter, because you love me then care for my sheep.<\/p>\n Whether our strength be great or little, then we are to devote it all to our love for Him.<\/p>\n If, like me, your strength feels little perhaps because you have a chronic illness, be encouraged that he simply wants you to love him with the strength you do have.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s offer him whole hearted devotion and love. \u00a0It is this that motivates us to follow Him<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I will close this article\u00a0with some quotes from John Piper\u2019s chapters on this command:<\/strong> \u201cJesus demands that he be loved by the world because he is infinitely worthy to be loved. And since our love for him is the enjoyment of his glory and presence and care, therefore Jesus\u2019 demand that we love him is one more way that his love overflows on us.\u201d<\/em> John Piper<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, we cannot love God apart from the revelation of Jesus who changes our hearts to know God so that we see him as compellingly beautiful . . .\u00a0<\/em>Love for God is not essentially behavior but affection\u2014not deeds but delight. God\u2019s glory becomes our supreme pleasure.<\/em>\u201d John Piper<\/p>\n \u201cLoving God is most essentially treasuring God. And loving him with all the heart and all the soul and all the mind and all the strength means that every faculty and every capacity treasures God above all things and in such a way that our treasuring of any other thing is also a treasuring of God.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0John Piper<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This series was inspired by the book What Jesus Demands from the World<\/a><\/em> by John Piper. Why not join me in reading through this book in 2018?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nDo you love<\/em> Jesus?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nDon\u2019t miss\u00a0the rest of this series on The Commands of Jesus<\/a>,<\/h3>\n