What Jesus Did : Mark 12:31 - Love Your Neighbor
by Phil Ware
Love Your Neighbor - Mark 12:31
"The second most important command is this: 'You must love other people the same as you love yourself.' These two commands are the most important." (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
The second great commandment also deals with love. This time, however, Jesus focuses our attention on our love for other people—our neighbors. In giving these two commandments—love God and love neighbor—Jesus has summed up the heart of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), God's blueprint for morality. The first four commandments focus on honoring God. The remaining six focus upon treating our neighbors fairly. However, Jesus takes them a step deeper and makes them simpler to remember. More than honoring God and treating others honorably, we are called to love them. Our motivation and passion are suddenly at issue and not just our behavior. God made us for relationship with him and with others. Our relationships are to all be marked by our love.
Today's Prayer
Father in Heaven, I do love you and I want that love to be shown through all that I am. I confess, dear God, that loving my neighbor can often be much harder than loving you—of course I also know that I can't really love you without loving my neighbor. Please fill my heart with your love as I seek to love my neighbors—those whom I like and those whom are my enemies. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
One of the teachers of the law came to Jesus. He heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. He saw that Jesus gave good answers to their questions. So he asked Jesus, "Which of the commands is most important?" Jesus answered, "The most important command is this: 'People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. You must love the Lord your God. You must love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second most important command is this: 'You must love other people the same as you love yourself.' These two commands are the most important." The man answered, "That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said these things. God is the only Lord, and there is no other God. And a person must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And a person must love other people the same as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God." Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely. So Jesus said to the man, "You are close to the kingdom of God." And after that time, no person was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions.-- Mark 12:28-34 (ERV)
URL: http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/mark/0907-wjd.html
(c)2001-2006, Phil Ware and Heartlight, Inc.
©1996-2002, Heartlight, Inc. - http://www.heartlight.org